Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Juni
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A sergeant behind Doyoung asked.
“Is it my imagination, or do the two of you seem a bit different somehow?”
“Yes, it’s your imagination.”
Doyoung kept walking, abruptly dropping his smile. But Sergeant Han grinned slyly.
“Who are you trying to fool?”
Meanwhile, Gamal entered the room. A professor who had interviewed her several times was waiting in what looked like an ordinary office.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
After exchanging greetings and taking their seats, the professor smiled and asked.
“You’re back from vacation?”
“Yeah. I went to France. Know Montpellier?”
“Of course.”
The professor studied Gamal and smiled.
“Looks like something good happened.”
Gamal’s cheeks flushed slightly. The professor knew there were only a few usual reasons for a face like that, so he asked casually.
“Boyfriend, maybe…?”
“Is that so?”
Gamal turned the question back on him.
“Is Doyoung my boyfriend?”
The professor chuckled.
“If you’re dating, then yes?”
“Dating…”
Gamal mulled over the word. She’d had two husbands—though each marriage had lasted only a night—but she’d never had a boyfriend. Doyoung was her first.
Her chest tickled.
The professor placed his bag on the table.
“Anyway, shall we get started?”
“Yeah.”
Gamal turned back.
Psst.
That’s when the professor sprayed something at her face. Gamal didn’t even realize what had hit her in that instant. Lost in her happy mood, she was off guard and didn’t even suspect he’d done it on purpose.
The professor smiled gently.
“Don’t worry. You’ll just pass out.”
***
Suddenly, there was a thud from inside the room. The soldier guarding outside heard it and opened the door to peek in.
“What’s going—”
Gamal was collapsed on the floor, and the professor was checking on her. He looked up at the soldier with a startled expression.
“She suddenly fainted.”
The soldier rushed over to check on Gamal. She seemed unconscious. He looked outside and shouted.
“Emergency!”
Other soldiers rushed in immediately to assess the situation.
The professor fired a silenced pistol from his bag. Some soldiers reacted quickly and reached for their guns, but the ones next to them fired first.
The professor nodded. The remaining soldiers nodded back and lifted Gamal. She still hadn’t regained consciousness.
***
Entering the break room, Sergeant Han spotted the jelly box and asked.
“But what’s this?”
He was already casually opening the box and taking out a jelly. Doyoung said.
“Don’t eat it. It’s Gamal’s.”
Sergeant Han paused just before eating it. He smacked his lips and put the jelly back in the box.
Thud thud thud!
Suddenly, the sound of people running down the hallway echoed. Doyoung and Sergeant Han looked puzzled toward the outside.
Bang!
Then the automatic door burst open violently. Someone had forced it open without waiting for it to slide.
It was Captain Hugh, a Ruas from another team. He was usually calm, but his face looked pale for some reason.
“She escaped.”
“Who?”
Sergeant Han asked. Though he asked, his tone showed he wasn’t sensing any real crisis yet.
Just before Captain Hugh could reply, his expression twisted into something indescribable.
“The Archduke.”
Doyoung furrowed his brow. He couldn’t grasp what that meant at first. Then Captain Tao came panting up behind him.
“Major! Gamal…!”
***
The boat cut through the waves.
The men who had driven to the dock loaded Torah onto the yacht.
‘Looks like they’re using an island nearby as their base.’
Torah thought.
The area was full of private islands owned by the rich as vacation homes. If word got out that a vampire terrorist group had a base among them, they’d lose their minds.
But rich people with plenty to hide would apply all-around pressure if even surveillance drones flew overhead, making it in some ways the perfect hiding spot. Especially for a small base—it wouldn’t draw attention and was ideal for stashing important hostages.
Finally, the boat docked at a simple harbor.
“Get off.”
The Legionnaire in the suit spoke and stepped off first. Torah followed, setting foot on the island. It looked deserted at a glance—dark all around, no signs of life.
They got into another car and headed deeper into the island. Amid the dense trees, a mansion like some tycoon’s appeared.
Torah glanced sideways.
“Terrorists these days have refined tastes.”
“There’s no law saying we have to live digging dirt in tunnels.”
The Legionnaire smiled faintly.
Anyway, now he understood why they couldn’t find Rato. With such an ordinary exterior, even if a surveillance drone passed by, nothing suspicious would stand out. It would just look like some rich guy’s house.
And he’d bet a lot that on paper, it was registered as just that—some ordinary tycoon’s home.
“Anyway, I’m jealous.”
The Legionnaire suddenly said.
“This is our hideout, but you come here all alone. Doesn’t seem like bravado…”
As he spoke, he scanned Torah up and down.
“Confidence from a named bloodline?”
All bloodlines started somewhere, but the blood thinned with each infection generation. Bloodlines with frequent generational turnover gradually diluted, and their origins grew murky.
The same went for their names. So a “named bloodline” meant it was strong.
But Torah outright ignored the Legionnaire’s words. Still, the Legionnaire kept smiling.
Soon the car stopped, and Torah got out. In the thick forest all around, night birds called. To him, who’d grown up on a primitive island, this was like home. But something eerie hung in the air here. Probably because of the unusually humid scent.
Truth be told, Torah hadn’t come here on his own two feet without any plan. He always had a solid one.
Bang.
Suddenly, lights blazed all around. Illuminating him like an actor on stage.
“Were you thinking that?”
A voice followed. A low, slightly bassy tone…
“That if you infiltrate the enemy base, rescue the hostage, and just bulldoze out with that fancy body of yours, you’d make it.”
The mansion door opened with the click of high heels, and Rachel appeared.
Rachel.
Legion’s recruiter, the one who’d captured Doyoung and dropped him near Satadi Island—though it was a mistake.
Her deep navy velvet dress suit clung tightly to her body, rising to her neck in a fairly modest style, but somehow it felt lewder than being naked. It showed off every curve.
Rachel looked at Torah and curved her eyes in a smile.
“Well, well…”
Her deep red eyes trailed down his body like a hand caressing it.
“Kin aren’t really my type, though.”
“So where’s Rato?”
Torah cut straight to it. Rachel laughed in a chillingly sticky way.
“Warrior of justice and freedom, Ituha. Know what your so-called righteous folks’ weakness is?”
The door behind her was opening.
“That villains like us can strike from behind where you least expect.”
Two men dragged Jain out from beyond the door. Torah’s brow twitched. Rachel chuckled.
“Snatching a lone human girl is easier than cold porridge.”
She glanced at Jain and added.
“Warm porridge, maybe. Still SAU, after all.”
Then, as if performing a soliloquy.
“I’ll admit it. Humans are getting stronger. Like when some genius athlete breaks an unbeatable record, and suddenly others start hitting it too—the average limit rises.”
“That woman’s a MCTC watcher assigned to her.”
Torah said flatly, as if that settled it. Rachel smiled.
“Oh? Then she’s useless.”
With that, she swung her hand at Jain’s neck. Jain’s eyes widened.
But the next instant, Torah—who’d appeared out of nowhere—grabbed Rachel’s arm.
Rachel pressed her hand to Torah’s chest and smiled languidly.
“Soft guys show it.”
Torah flashed his signature refreshing smile.
“No way. I’m infamous for being rock-hard.”
Even now. Jain rolled her eyes. Realizing Torah’s sexual innuendo, Rachel burst out laughing.
“Fun.”
In the meantime, Torah asked Jain.
“Where’d those guys go? How’d you end up caught alone?”
Truth was, Torah had deliberately left the Ituha members behind to protect Jain. Any bad guy’s brain could predict they’d target her if she strayed alone. But he couldn’t figure out why only Jain had been taken.
Jain answered seriously.
“I shook them off.”
“How…”
No, that wasn’t important now.
“They’re still trainees. Can’t let them die.”
Torah was genuinely exasperated by Jain’s words.
“You think those were real trainees?”
They were proper agents.
Not every Ituha worked for MCTC. They weren’t idiots—why tie up all their forces with MCTC?
But Jain looked exasperated instead.
“How could you say that now?”
“You need it spelled out?”
One joint op, and you’d feel it, right?
Jain scowled.
“Who’re you snapping at? You’re the one hiding things.”
Torah swallowed his frustration.
“Not snapping at you, Lieutenant. I’m mad at them. I’ll kick them out of Ituha.”
He hadn’t assigned agents for nothing. Failing at the critical moment meant they deserved to be booted.
“You two dating?”
Rachel, watching them, asked in an intrigued tone.
“Are you nuts?”
Jain’s face twisted in near disgust. Torah, baffled, said.
“Nuts might be a stretch.”
He’d just said it because of her rotten expression, but Rachel took his reaction differently.
“Congrats. Your value just went up.”
She chuckled.
“I like defiling men who have their eyes on another woman.”
Torah scowled. He thought every woman had her charms, but this…
“You’re a real perv? And I’m not even into this side…”
Suddenly sensing a presence, he whipped around. The Legionnaire from before, in leather gloves, was swinging a baseball bat at him. Probably not standard material.
He could easily dodge, but Rachel said.
“Don’t dodge.”
In that instant, he saw the man holding Jain’s neck tense his grip. Torah froze.