Chapter 171
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 171
I looked down at the city from the ascending aerial vehicle. Border City's nightscape was ablaze, towering pillars of light burning so brightly they made the very concept of night seem meaningless.
'A city that looks like someone dumped out an old box of junk.'
There was no sense of order in Border City. Its architecture and infrastructure were completely haphazard. The roads varied so wildly in width that you could be cruising smoothly one second, only for the lane to suddenly constrict and choke traffic into a bottleneck the next.
It was a place where common sense—the expectation that things should function a certain way—simply did not apply. Strange and alien oddities filled the streets, and unpredictable variables lurked around every corner. It was a city that would mercilessly weed you out if you failed to adapt to its constantly shifting environment.
'Adapt to your environment.'
I looked down, then closed my eyes. I needed to empty my mind of the conventional logic binding me and accept the city for what it was. I couldn't let myself get bogged down by arbitrary standards and fail to keep pace with reality.
Reality is always more complex and volatile than we expect. Inflexible mindsets shatter the moment they collide with an irrational world.
Reality is an absurd lottery box stuffed with nonsense. Two people could reach in and draw—one might find overwhelming, senseless happiness on their very first try, while the other tastes nothing but pain even after their tenth pull.
'An absurd reality.'
The world we live in does not honestly reward us just because we strive harder. Results constantly betray expectations, and effort always seems to evaporate in vain.
To live in this world is to refuse to despair at that absurdity... and to reach into that lottery box just one more time.
The only way to find happiness is to reach into a box overflowing with misfortune. Because that is all we can do.
Draw, draw, and draw again.
Hoping that, even though most pulls will yield tragedy, happiness might somehow, eventually, turn up.
"I just got word that they found Gabriel. He's in the western sector of Border City," En said, abruptly banking the aerial vehicle.
"You found him already?"
"Japa Trading has businesses spread all over Border City, and they're all open twenty-four hours a day by default. If a target stands out, they get spotted in no time."
Gabriel certainly stood out. Mechanical limbs, a massive build... and a grim, ugly mug.
The aerial vehicle flew low, weaving fluidly between the densely packed buildings.
Whirrrr!
The craft executed a graceful turn and hovered just above a five-story building. There was no landing pad in sight.
"Time to get out."
En hit a control switch, throwing the vehicle's door wide open. A fierce night wind rushed into the cabin.
"I was wondering how we were going to get down. Of course it's like this."
I grabbed the doorframe and peered over the edge. En was also preparing to drop.
"Just checking, you don't need a rope or anything, do you?"
"As if."
I leaped out first.
I had excellent marks in Adaptive 3D Maneuvering. It was an invaluable skill for navigating urban areas with irregular obstacles, dense forests, or free-fall drop situations like this one. I instantly processed the complex web of structures beneath me, mapping out the optimal descent path.
Screeech, thud!
I scraped my fingertips against a utility pole on the way down, killing my momentum right before I landed.
Thoom!
En hit the ground much harder. His landing was loud and heavy, fitting his massive bulk, and his combat suit rippled from the sheer impact.
Clack.
We walked into Japa Pizza Branch 12, located on the building's first floor. The interior was a total wreck; not a single chair or table was left upright.
"Ugh, what took you so long?! The bastard already ran off!"
A human male wearing a manager's hat rushed out and started complaining to En. It seemed guarding their affiliated businesses was one of Japa Trading's mercenary duties.
"Where did he go?"
"He stole and wolfed down three whole One Snake Pizzas! Then he chugged five glasses of Snake Enzyme Beer!"
"Hmm, a guy with taste. Now, I'll ask again: where did he go?"
"He looked like a dine-and-dasher from the moment he walked in, so I slipped a tracker into his pizza."
The manager ducked behind the counter and tossed a data chip to En. The moment En plugged it into his terminal, the tracker's signal lit up his screen.
"You'll be promoted soon. Get ready to move to headquarters," En said, turning to leave the shop.
En and I sprinted through the streets, following Gabriel's trail. Having just woken up in the hospital, Gabriel's movements had to be sluggish. He couldn't have gone far.
Before long, the back of Gabriel's massive head came into view.
Click.
Spotting the target, En drew the rifle mounted on his back and pulled it to his shoulder. It was a seamless transition into a tactical shooting stance. I could tell he was highly trained.
"Don't worry, it's an anesthetic round," En said, preparing to fire.
Thud!
I snapped my leg up, kicking the barrel of En's gun toward the sky. En managed to hold off the trigger and glared at me.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"There's no need to get rough. We just need to go over and talk to him."
"Is that coming from the guy who blew off Anguis Regina's knees?"
"I didn't know her."
"Hmm, fair enough. But Gabriel isn't my acquaintance or my employer. I couldn't care less if he gets hurt."
"If you want to fight me over it, go ahead and try. I'll shatter your arm before you can even pull the trigger."
The glowing visor of En's combat helmet narrowed.
"While you're busy blabbering, the target is running. He spotted us."
Just as En said—or to be precise, having recognized me—Gabriel was fleeing in a frantic panic.
Gabriel burst out of the shabby alleyway and onto the main road, squeezing into the thick crowd. He was massive, but only by human standards. Among the alien species populating the streets, plenty shared his imposing stature, allowing him to easily blend into the throng.
"I'm taking the high ground. If it looks like you're going to lose him, I'll shoot. Good luck."
En scanned the surroundings and dashed toward the tallest nearby building.
Even though dawn was fast approaching, the streets were still teeming with pedestrians. Come to think of it, with so many nocturnal species living here, it wasn't surprising.
'Damn it, Gabriel.'
Suppressing my rising irritation, I pushed through the sea of bodies. Gabriel, using his massive frame like a battering ram, broke through the crowd ahead of me and bolted.
'Should I really just shoot him?'
My trigger finger was already itching.
'Alright, I see a path.'
The moment I familiarized myself with the surroundings, a clear route flashed through my mind. This was the true power of Adaptive 3D Maneuvering. Imaginary lines connected the environment in front of me, plotting the exact movements I needed to close the distance in an instant.
I pulled my hand out of my coat and bent my knees.
Whir.
The mechanical output of my legs rose smoothly. I noticed it every time, but this prosthetic body was incredibly light and responsive. It barely even felt like I was wearing metal.
Tap!
Leaping into the air, I grabbed onto a protruding neon sign. Pulling my weight up with pure grip strength, I launched myself higher into the air like I was performing a double jump.
In an instant, the crowd was far beneath my feet. However, there was no empty ground in sight for me to land on. To avoid crushing several bystanders and sending them to the hospital, I had to find a different foothold.
Crunch!
My boot slammed onto a balcony railing right in front of me, the iron crumpling under my weight. Crouching slightly, I launched myself forward again, completely shattering the fixture.
Crack!
That definitely broke. At this rate, I might have cracked the concrete of the balcony itself.
Gathering momentum, I sprinted along the wall without looking back. To any onlookers below, it probably looked like I was running horizontally across the building.
I didn't have some magical talent for defying gravity. I was simply spotting structural outcroppings and kicking off them as footholds to maintain my forward momentum.
Snap!
Wherever I passed, a trail of property damage—both big and small—was left in my wake.
"What's up with that guy?"
"Leave him be. Must be some crazy bastard."
You'd think a spectacle like this would draw a crowd, but the pedestrians merely glanced up and muttered to themselves. It seemed freak incidents and accidents were just another Tuesday in Border City.
As I bounded along the outer walls of the buildings, I rapidly closed the gap. The back of Gabriel's head, bobbing as he lumbered through the streets, came into sharp focus. I was close enough to count the individual strands of his hair.
Thud!
Kicking off the wall one last time, I lunged forward like a missile to tackle him.
Crash!
I slammed my shoulder directly into Gabriel's back. We tangled together, hitting the pavement with a heavy thud. Unsurprisingly, Gabriel was the only one left dazed by the impact.
Screech!
Even as we rolled across the street, I grabbed one of his mechanical legs and twisted it violently. A large internal component snapped loose and bounced away across the asphalt.
"Gah, cough! Lu—Luka? Damn it, it really was you. It wasn't a dream. Fuck!"
Gabriel gasped in sheer horror as he finally recognized my face.
"Calm down, Gabriel."
"I—I'm sorry! It's all my fault. It's my fault!"
"Get a grip and speak clearly!"
I grabbed him by the collar and hauled him upright. As the output of my prosthetic arm surged, I easily lifted his massive frame off the ground with a single hand.
"Just... kill me. I want to forget everything. I—I'm just a piece of trash who doesn't even deserve to live."
Gabriel's teeth chattered like a freezing vagrant on the streets.
I furrowed my brow. The gap in time had been merciless. The broken man trembling before me was not the Gabriel I knew.
The Gabriel in my memories was a fiercely proud man. He was never so weak-willed as to deny his own existence and beg for death.
A heavy sigh welled up in my throat. I wasn't angry. Quite the opposite, actually.
...I was just sad.
"Listen to me, Gabriel. If you really want to die, I won't stop you. But there is a massive blank space in my memory. I'm the only one who doesn't know about the twelve years everyone else lived through. So if you don't talk, I will torture it out of you. Since you're planning to die anyway, you won't mind whatever methods I decide to use, right?"
I let go of his collar and gripped his throat instead. My mechanical fingers locked firmly, digging into his flesh. The skin around his neck flushed an angry red, stretching as if it might tear.
"Ack, gurgle, cough!"
Gabriel gasped for air, teetering on the verge of suffocation. Only then did survival instinct kick in, and he raised a massive fist to strike me. I casually reached out with my other hand and swatted it away.
Clang!
The metallic impact rang out coldly.
"Good, you still have some aggression left. That means you still have the will to live."
I threw Gabriel, sending him flying. He crashed back-first against a brick wall, slumping forward. His head hung low for a moment before he slowly raised it.
"Cough, hack! That fucking hurts, you bastard. But seeing that nasty temper of yours... it really is you."
Gabriel muttered, hoarsely rubbing his reddened neck.
"Of course it's really me. How many times are you going to say that?"
"Everyone said you had zero hope of recovery. Even those high-and-mighty Imperial doctors said it was impossible. Those arrogant human pricks."
Now we seemed to be getting somewhere. I could finally see glimpses of the Gabriel I used to know.
"I heard you were the head of security when Giselle went missing. What happened?"
"Before I answer... promise me one thing, Luka."
"What promise?"
"That you won't kill me after you hear what I have to say."
"You're not about to tell me you kidnapped Giselle, are you?"
"Of course not! Do I look like the kind of bastard who would kidnap his best friend's little sister?"
True. Gabriel might be an idiot, but he wasn't an evil man.
"Then what did you do?"
"On the day Giselle went missing, I was busy fooling around with a woman. So I wasn't there. I don't know anything about how it happened."
"Were you off duty?"
Gabriel scratched his cheek sheepishly.
"If I were, I would've just said so. I... I slacked off."
I tilted my head back to stare up at the night sky, dragging both hands down my face. I didn't want anyone to see my expression right now.
A pitch-black rage boiled inside me. If I let my temper take control, I would have crushed every single bone in Gabriel's body to dust.
But I knew better. Gabriel had intentionally phrased it that way to provoke my aggression.
"Stop acting like a brainless idiot," I spat. "Are you finding it too hard to forgive yourself? Don't try to resolve your guilt by having me beat you to death. It's pathetic."
Giselle had kept Gabriel as her head of security for a reason. He was never the type to be completely irresponsible with his duties.
If Gabriel had abandoned his post to go fool around while on active duty, it meant he had fallen into a trap.
"...Gabriel, listen carefully. Do you remember the woman you were with that day?"
"As soon as Giselle went missing, I realized something was wrong and went looking for that woman. That's when I figured out I'd been lured into a trap."
I had sensed it earlier during the scuffle, but Gabriel had grown over the years. He was actually analyzing the situation with much deeper thought than he used to.
"How did you meet her? Start with that."
"Giselle came on business trips to Border City often, and since I tagged along as her guard, I ended up meeting and dating a woman here. Later down the line, she confessed to me that she was raising a kid on her own. Well, you know me—I'm not the type to care about baggage like that. I told her it was fine. I started spending time with the kid, almost acting like a stepfather..."
I narrowed my eyes. As the information flowed in, my mind raced, and the jagged pieces of the puzzle began clicking into place.
'Gabriel has always been soft-hearted.'
Failing to separate his personal and professional lives, letting himself be hopelessly swayed by his emotions—that was Gabriel's defining trait. It was both his greatest strength and his fatal weakness.
"Luka, I... I..."
Gabriel, who had been speaking coherently just a moment ago, began to violently tremble. He reached up, crossing his hands over the back of his neck, and started frantically scratching—digging his nails in so hard he was peeling away his own skin.
'Trauma.'
Severe post-traumatic stress was completely destroying him. His descent into the drug dens hadn't been triggered by simple guilt over a mistake.
"That's enough, Gabriel. You can tell me later."
If he kept forcefully reliving these memories, his mind might completely shatter. His reliance on heavy narcotics was likely a desperate psychological defense mechanism just to stay alive.
"No, you have to listen... I—I only went because it was the kid's b-birthday party! She promised it would only take thirty minutes. The girl was looking forward to it so much, I couldn't just not show up. I only planned to g-give her the present and leave. I didn't even plan to drink... Uh, ah... aaaah, aaaah-guck, hic... I... I... ah, ah..."
Gabriel trembled uncontrollably and grabbed my arm. He looked up at me, tears streaming down his ugly face.
"...They're... they're all dead. All of them. My subordinates... my woman, Siren... and that little kid... ah, Lunia too... Ah, she was just a little girl, but she died... She was still so young, ah..."
...That was enough. His mind couldn't take any more of this. Compared to the sheer weight of this trauma, his guilt toward me was practically trivial.
I quietly raised my hand, pushed Gabriel's chin up, and delivered a short, sharp strike to his jaw. The localized shock to his brain was enough to instantly knock him unconscious.
Thud.
Gabriel went completely limp, his massive hands still loosely gripping my arm as he slumped against me.