171
I looked down at the city from the hovercraft. The night view of Border City was so bright that the pillars of light rose up to the point where the night was colorless.
‘A city that looks like it’s been emptied out of an old junk box.’
There was no regularity in Border City. The standards and styles were arbitrary. Even the size of the roads was arbitrary, so it was common for people to drive normally and then get stuck because the width was reduced.
It was a city where common sense, such as ‘it should be like this’, did not apply. Wherever you went, there were unfamiliar and foreign things, and variables were everywhere. It was a city where if you could not adapt to the environment that was constantly changing, you would be eliminated.
‘Adapt to your surroundings.’
I looked down and closed my eyes. I had to let go of the common sense that bound me and accept the city. I couldn’t keep up with reality by being bound by conceptual standards.
Reality is always more complex and diverse than we expect. Inflexible thinking breaks down when it encounters an extraordinary reality.
Reality is an absurd lottery box filled with absurd things. Even if they put their hands in and draw the same lottery, some people get an absurdly excessive happiness just by drawing it once, while others only experience pain even after drawing it ten times.
‘Absurd reality.’
The world we live in does not honestly reward us for our fierce efforts. The results often disappoint, and the efforts seem to evaporate in vain.
Living in this world means not despairing over such absurdities… … putting your hand in the lottery box at least once more.
The only way to find happiness is to put your hand in a box full of unhappiness, because that’s all we can do.
Pull, pull, and pull again.
Most of it will be misfortune, but I hope that happiness will come once in a while.
-I got word that Gabriel was found. He’s west of Border City.
“En said, spinning the air vehicle around.
“Have you found it already?”
-Japa’s sales offices are spread out all over Border City. They are all open 24 hours a day. If you are someone who is easy to find, you can find them right away.
It’s easy to identify him. He has mechanical arms and legs, is big, and… …he’s a mean and ugly man.
The aerial vehicle flew low and emerged between the buildings.
Wheeing!
The aerial vehicle gracefully circled and landed on top of a five-story building. There was no airfield to land on.
-Get down.
En opened the car door by pressing the control knob. The night wind blew fiercely.
“I was wondering how to get off, and it’s like this.”
I looked down, holding onto the door frame. Endo was getting ready to go down.
-I’m asking just in case, do you need a rope or something?
“no way.”
I jumped down first.
I excel at adaptive 3D maneuvering. It’s a useful skill in urban areas, forests, and even in a falling situation like now, where there are many irregular obstacles. I can recognize complexly tangled facilities and buildings at once and find the optimal path.
Kiririk, thump!
I landed, scraping the telephone pole with my fingertips.
Ku- Woong!
En landed more roughly. As loud and heavy as his size, his combat uniform rippled along with it.
Rattling.
We entered Jaffa Pizza No. 12, located on the first floor of the building. The interior was a complete mess, with not a single chair or table in its proper place.
“Oh my, why are you so late! The bastard ran away already.”
A human man wearing a store owner’s hat came out and spoke to En in a questioning tone. It seemed that one of Japa’s mercenary jobs was to act as security guards at the business premises.
-Where did you go?
“I stole three snake pizzas and drank five glasses of snake enzyme beer!”
-Hmm, he knows how to eat. So again, where did he go?
“I put a tracker in the pizza because it looks like it’ll eat the first thing it sees and run away.”
The store owner went inside and threw the chip to Yen. When he inserted the chip into the terminal, the tracking direction was determined.
-You’ll be promoted soon. Get ready to go to headquarters.
As Yen said that, she left the store.
En and I ran down the street, chasing Gabriel’s trail. Gabriel, who had just woken up from the hospital, was slow to move, so we couldn’t get far.
After a while, the back of Gabriel’s head appeared.
Crunch.
Having found his target, En took out the gun attached to his back and placed it on his shoulder. It was a natural transition to tactical shooting. You could tell he was well-trained.
-Don’t worry, it’s a tranquilizer bullet.
As he said that, Yen tried to shoot.
Boom!
I stretched out my foot and kicked Yen’s gun barrel. Yen looked at me without pulling the trigger.
-What do you want to do?
“There’s no need to resort to harsh methods. Just go and talk.”
– Is that what the guy who blew off Angus Regina’s knee would say?
“Because that woman is not someone I know.”
-Hmm, that makes sense. But Gabriel isn’t my acquaintance or employer. It’s none of my business whether he gets hurt or not.
“If you want to fight me, try. I’ll break your arm before you pull the trigger.”
The glare from En’s battle helmet narrowed.
-While you’re talking, the target escapes. He found us.
As En said, Gabriel, who had recognized ‘me’ to be exact, was running away in a hurry.
Gabriel left the shabby alley and entered the main street. He squeezed his way through the crowd. Gabriel was large, but this was only on a human level. Among the alien races, there were many who had the standard body size of Gabriel, and they were mingling with the crowd.
-I’m going upstairs. I’ll shoot if you miss, so do your best.
En looked around and headed towards the tallest building.
Even though it was almost dawn, the streets were bustling with people. If you think about it, it’s not surprising since there are many nocturnal species.
‘Damn it, Gabriel.’
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I suppressed my rising irritation and pushed through the crowd. Gabriel, with his large body, made his way through the crowd first and then ran away.
‘Should I really just shoot it?’
My fingers were already tingling.
‘Okay, I see the road.’
As soon as I became familiar with my surroundings, a path emerged in my mind. This was thanks to adaptive 3D maneuvers. I could see lines of imagination connecting how I should move to close the distance in one go.
I took my hand out of the coat and bent my knees slightly.
Wheein.
The output of the legs went up refreshingly. I feel it every time, and it was a really light and pleasant feeling of use. It was to the point where I didn’t even think I was wearing metal.
fault!
I jumped up and grabbed the protruding sign. Then, pulling myself up with just my strength, I jumped up in a double jump.
The crowd is right under my feet. But I can’t see any ground to land on. If I don’t want to send a lot of people to the hospital, I have to find the next step and step on it.
Ugh!
I stepped on the railing of the balcony that was in front of me. The iron railing creaked under my footsteps. I crouched slightly and jumped out as if I was breaking the railing.
Kwajik!
This is definitely broken. If we weren’t careful, there might have been a crack in the balcony.
I accelerated and moved along the wall without looking back. If others saw me, it would look like I was running along the wall.
I don’t have any magical ability to defy gravity. I just grab onto landmarks and use them as stepping stones to keep going.
Dismissed!
Wherever I passed, there was damage, big or small.
“What is that kid?”
“Leave it alone, you must be crazy.”
At this point, I should have been the center of attention, but all I could do was glance at them and mutter. It seems like accidents and incidents are a daily occurrence here too.
As I walked along the outer wall of the building, Gabriel quickly approached me. I could clearly see the back of Gabriel’s head as he ran unsteadily. It seemed as if I could even count the number of hairs on his head.
Boom!
I jumped up, kicking off the wall and pounced on Gabriel.
Ku- Woong!
I pushed Gabriel’s back with my shoulder as I fell. He and I fell over, tangled. Of course, Gabriel was the only one who was unconscious.
Quadduk!
I grabbed hold of one of Gabriel’s legs and twisted it as I rolled over. A large piece of machinery flew outward, making a loud noise.
“Kaaaak, ugh! Lu, Luca? Damn, it really was you, it wasn’t a dream. Damn it!”
Gabriel recognized me and was startled.
“Calm down, Gabriel.”
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. It’s my fault!”
“Wake up and speak clearly!”
I grabbed Gabriel by the collar and pulled him up. As the prosthetic arm’s output increased, the large body was pulled out into my hands.
“Just kill me. I want to forget everything. I, I’m trash that doesn’t deserve to live.”
Gabriel was chattering his teeth like a bum on the bottom.
I frowned. The gap in time was sharp. The man in front of me was not the Gabriel I knew.
The Gabriel in my memory was a proud man. He wasn’t so weak-willed as to deny his own existence and life.
A heavy sigh rose to my throat. I wasn’t angry. Quite the opposite.
… … I was just sad.
“Listen carefully, Gabriel. If you really want to die, I won’t stop you. But I have a gap. I’m the only one who doesn’t know about the 12 years that everyone else has gone through. So if you don’t tell me, I’ll torture you to find out. Since you’re going to die anyway, you won’t mind if I use whatever means necessary, right?”
Instead of grabbing Gabriel’s collar, I grabbed his neck. My fingers, firmly fixed, pushed up Gabriel’s skin. The skin on the back of his neck turned red and bloodshot, as if it was going to tear.
“Crunch, crunch, crunch!”
Gabriel gasped for breath. Only then did he raise his fist to strike me. I reached out with my other hand and knocked Gabriel’s fist away.
Kang!
The sound spread coldly.
“Okay, the aggression remains. That means there’s still some life to be had.”
I threw Gabriel against the wall as if I was pushing him. Gabriel, who was slammed back into the wall, lowered his head and then raised it.
“Ouch, ugh! That hurts, you little brat. Judging by your dirty temper, I guess it’s real.”
Gabriel said, caressing his reddened neck.
“That’s true. How many times do you have to say that?”
“Everyone said you had no chance of recovery. Even the fancy royal doctors said the same thing. Those snobby people.”
Now I felt like I could have some conversation. I could see the Gabriel I knew.
“I heard you were in charge of security when Giselle went missing. What happened?”
“Before you answer, promise me one thing, Luca.”
“What promise?”
“After listening to me, you said you wouldn’t kill me.”
“You’re not saying that you’re the one who kidnapped Giselle, are you?”
“Of course not. Do I look like a worthless bastard who would kidnap my friend’s little sister?”
That’s true. Even though Gabriel is a stupid kid, he’s not an evil person.
“then?”
“The day Giselle went missing, I was playing with a girl. That’s why I don’t remember.”
“Was it your password?”
Gabriel scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“If that was the case, I would have said it was a password. I just dodgeed it.”
I raised my head and looked up at the sky, then covered my face with both hands. I didn’t want anyone to see my expression.
My emotions were burning brightly. I felt like I wanted to shatter every single one of Gabriel’s bones into dust.
But I know, Gabriel was deliberately provoking my aggression.
“Don’t act like a fool. You have a hard time forgiving yourself because of your guilt. But don’t try to relieve yourself of that feeling through me. It’s annoying.”
Giselle continued to have Gabriel as her bodyguard. It’s not like Gabriel acted that irresponsibly.
If Gabriel went out to play even though he wasn’t on duty, he would have fallen into a ‘trap’.
“… …Gabriel, listen carefully. Do you remember the girl you played with that day?”
“I also felt strange when Giselle went missing, so I went to look for her. I also realized that I had fallen into a ‘trap.’”
As I felt earlier, Gabriel had also grown. He was perceiving the situation through deeper thinking.
“How did you meet that woman? Tell me about that first.”
“Giselle often went on business trips to Border City, and I followed her every time, so she started dating a girl there. Later, she confessed to me that she had a child that she was raising alone. Well, I’m not the type to be picky about such things, right? I said it was okay. So I started interacting with her as if she were my adoptive father… … .”
I squinted my eyes. As information came in, my thoughts raced and the stories meshed together.
‘Gabriel is very affectionate.’
Gabriel’s inability to distinguish between public and private matters and being swayed by personal feelings is both his strength and weakness.
“Luka, I, I… … .”
Gabriel, who had been speaking well until now, began to tremble again. He crossed his arms over the back of his neck and scratched it so hard that the skin began to peel off.
‘Trauma.’
Post-traumatic stress was killing Gabriel. It wasn’t just guilt that drove him to the drug den.
“Okay. Talk to you later.”
If he continued to recall negative memories like this, Gabriel’s mind could break. His dependence on drugs may actually be a defense mechanism for survival.
“No, listen, I went to her birthday party. I said it would only take 30 minutes. She was so excited that I couldn’t not go. I was just going to give her a present. I didn’t even plan on drinking. Ugh, uh, aaaah, aaaaah, huff, I, I, ah, ah… .”
Gabriel trembled and grabbed my arm. He looked at me, sobbing.
“… … They’re all dead. My subordinates, my woman, Siren, and that girl, ah, Runia, ah, she’s a girl, she’s dead, she’s still, young, ah.”
… … That’s it. Gabriel’s mind couldn’t handle anything more. Compared to his real trauma, his guilt toward me was minor.
I quietly raised my hand and pushed Gabriel’s chin, then hit him briefly. His brain would shake and he would lose consciousness.
Bam!
Gabriel slumped down while holding onto me.
