Chapter 147
Chapter 147
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Capturing the Wanted Criminal (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Abandoned building near the Sewer Snakes' hideout.
In this desolate place littered with nothing but cement dust, dirt, rusted rebar, and splintered wooden planks, Oliver's group was lying low.
District X was crawling with spots like this. As long as you were willing to stomach the risks, you could hole up and rest easy.
With nothing much to do while they waited, Oliver distributed spare emotions and life force he'd brought along to the Childs housed in the corpse dolls. Meanwhile, Jo and Sam sat huddled in a corner, chatting away.
Owen had volunteered to stand watch outside, keeping an eye out for the Sewer Snakes—and anything else that might come sniffing around.
"Kyarruk..."
"Gya-ruk."
"Tap. Tap. Tap."
The Childs in the corpse dolls let out plaintive cries, as if pleading for more.
Oliver checked the inside of his clothes and said,
"Sorry. I might need this soon for work, so I can't give you any more right now. But once we're done and head back, I'll whip up something special. You can hold out that long, right?"
At Oliver's coaxing words, the Child nodded.
They'd always had hearty appetites, but lately, their consumption had spiked even more. It really had been smart not to multiply the Childs recklessly.
As Oliver tidied up, stowing empty vials and such, his gaze drifted unwittingly toward Jo and Sam.
The two were conversing with anxious looks on their faces.
"You think those snake bastards will really help us out? ...Like their name says, they're Sewer Snakes—sly, filthy, crawling with germs, total hazards."
"No choice, is there? They're at least willing to cooperate, and we can't exactly fight 'em. They know that too, which is why they're offering."
"Why can't you fight them?"
Jo and Sam whipped their heads around at Oliver's question.
"Not saying we should fight or anything. Just curious about the reason. Why can't you take on the Sewer Snakes?"
Jo and Sam exchanged glances, then Jo answered.
"They're a pretty big gang around here. Not just in numbers—they've got real quality muscle, so picking a fight's no joke."
Sam chimed in.
"Plus, there are rumors they have connections in Districts Y and Z."
"Connections?"
"Yeah, nothing fancy. Some groups trade with them, others pay protection money and get guarded in return. Mess with them wrong, and you could stir up trouble with those outfits too."
Jo took the baton back.
"Then things snowball out of control. Even in Districts X, Y, and Z—which the city's basically written off—there's a certain order to things. Shatter that without thinking, and everyone gets a headache. The ones who started it get the worst of it, of course."
Wherever there were people, some form of order emerged—and breaking it was dangerous, no matter the scale.
Like at the orphanage, the mines, or Joseph's Family... District X wouldn't be any different.
It might not mean much to an outsider like Oliver, but for locals like Jo and Sam, it was a huge deal.
As he mulled this over, Jo suddenly turned to Oliver with a question.
"Hey, Dave. Mind if I ask you something?"
"A question? Sure, go ahead."
"How'd you know the Sewer Snakes' boss, Gail, is a black wizard?"
"That bastard's a black wizard?!"
Sam blurted out in shock, and Jo nodded, pointing at Oliver.
"I could see it."
Oliver replied.
"Remember those guards at the staircase entrance to the office?"
"The muscleheads in masks?"
"Yeah. The masks on their faces were infused with black magic energy. Probably manipulation-type, specifically mental manipulation."
"Mental manipulation?"
"Yes... Black magic is broadly divided into firepower, disease, manipulation, and creation branches, with further subdivisions. Manipulation, for instance, splits into necromancy for handling corpses, shadow arts for shadows, and mental control for living minds."
Oliver recited the basics he'd seen in Joseph's study.
Jo and Sam listened raptly, clearly hearing this for the first time. Hadn't their boss taught them?
Well, forcing them to use processed emotions from the start pretty much guaranteed they weren't getting proper training.
Anyway, Oliver continued.
"For reference, mental manipulation is among the trickiest in the manipulation branch."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Corpses and shadows don't resist, but living things do. Animals are somewhat manageable, but humans resist fiercely, requiring elaborate prep and aids."
"Prep what? And what's the aid?"
"Prep means weakening the target's mental strength. Aids are mediums like masks, tattoos, or necklaces that amplify the black magic."
"Ah..."
"Even so, it's tough—which makes Gail pretty skilled, controlling not one but two at once."
"......"
Jo and Sam stared at Oliver, at a loss for words. A mix of fear, tension, and admiration flickered in their eyes. Wonder what that's about.
Just then, the makeshift wooden door they'd rigged flew open with a loud metallic clang.
It was Owen, gripping his massive iron club.
"Uh, over there... Someone from the Sewer Snakes is coming."
That meant it was the situation Gail had mentioned.
"You Jo? Knuckle Jo?"
A scrawny gangster with <survive> etched into his forehead asked.
He glanced around nervously.
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Our boss says the client's bolted. Killed our guys blocking the way too... Head this way, he says."
The gangster handed over a note.
Jo took it, unfolded it, and checked. Scribbled words and what looked like an address.
"Looks like an address. Know the place?"
Oliver asked, and Jo answered.
"Yeah, the sewage outlet at the far left end of District X."
The sewage outlet at the far left end of District X.
They said it was one of the few spots in the city-abandoned District X that hadn't been fully discarded.
The reason? All the household sewage from nearby District X got dumped here. Even the city, which ignored most X District incidents, would respond if you messed with this place.
"That's why X District folks don't stir up trouble here. You might dodge the cops if you're lucky, but cause a ruckus and suffer civilian ire—X District locals will beat you senseless for 'nuisance.'"
"Speaking of, those Kell rebels put some thought into this, huh? Who'd guess escaping through a sewage outlet? Hired a broker?"
"Eh, we'll find out soon enough."
Sam was right.
Heading to the spot Gail had tipped them off about, they reached the entrance to the sewage outlet, thick with foul odors.
The stench made them hesitate, but Oliver, Jo, and the rest steeled themselves, ready for a fight if needed.
Jo slipped on his knuckle dusters. Sam loaded her dual pistols with black magic-infused bullets. Owen gripped his club tightly, tense.
Oliver extracted emotions and cloaked himself in a Black Suit.
Jo watched silently, then spoke.
"...Alright, let's head in. Everyone, stay sharp. Places like sewage outlets and sewers spawn contaminated creatures pretty often."
Everyone nodded wordlessly, and with Jo in the lead, they plunged into the sewage outlet.
Splish... splish... splish.
A ways in, the floor grew slick with moisture.
It sloped too, threatening to send them sliding.
"Kyarrurrr..."
One Child fretted lowly, worried Oliver might slip.
Oliver signaled he was fine and eyed Jo and Sam up ahead. Jo checked the note; Sam asked,
"Know where to go?"
"Yeah, it's marked. Through Sewer Passage 3 to the central junction. That's where we're linking up."
"How the hell did those snakes figure it out?"
"Does it matter? Point is, are they there?"
With that, Oliver and the group quickened their pace.
They got lost at first but used the note from Gail and wall markings to get their bearings.
The outlet was bigger and more labyrinthine than expected, but eventually, they reached the destination.
"There. They're here."
Jo whispered, hugging the passage wall.
Beyond a channel of rushing sewage lay a wide space—and over twenty people gathered there.
They looked ragged, but exuded a violent aura. A few black wizards among them.
"Fuck, more than we thought."
Sam counted as she spoke.
"Looks like not just the ones Gail handed off—some other hideouts too? ...Dave, any wizards or black wizards in there?"
Oliver scanned and replied.
"Three black wizards, and five with artificial body mods. Not cyborgs—probably treated by black wizards."
Jo nodded.
"Hm... Got anything effective against groups?"
"Yes, Targeting mixed with Black Darts."
"Good. Whatever it is... Sam, first, pop a smoke round in the middle there."
Sam nodded, swapping magazines.
"Dave, follow up with that wide-area Black Dart attack on them. Then me, Owen, your corpse dolls—we charge and finish 'em."
Oliver nodded. Sam nodded back, pistols at the ready.
As she took aim—
Oliver grabbed her shoulder and yanked her toward him.
"?! What the—"
—Ping!!
Before she finished, a sharp spike stabbed through the air where she'd stood.
Everyone looked up in shock, locking eyes with a massive insect clinging to the ceiling.
Brown-shelled, covered in bristling hairs—like a scorpion crossed with a centipede.
Size of a medium dog, elongated abdomen curved like a scorpion's tail, tipped with a stinger long enough to kill a man.
"C-contaminated creature?!"
Sam blurted, having narrowly escaped death.
Knuckle Jo smashed the giant bug with his fist and yelled,
"Shit, we're made!"
As if on cue, two grenades rolled clattering from the sewer entrance where Oliver's group hid.
Sam, Jo, and Owen froze. They were done for. If not for Oliver.
Black Cube
Small black shields envelop the grenades in perfect cubes.
The tiny Black Shields formed cubes around the grenades.
They detonated, but the shields held firm, containing the blast.
"What? Duds?"
"Who cares? Fire!"
With that, the Kell Liberation Army opened fire in unison.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat———!!!
Bullets peppered the cement walls amid the gunfire.
The group hugged the walls for cover.
Not high-caliber rounds, but that barrage would chew up even corpse dolls.
Even with potion-boosted durability, they were still just corpses at heart.
Sam shouted,
"Goddamn it!! Did those snakes sell us out?!"
"No, they might not tell us everything, but no reason to sell us. Somehow they spotted us."
"How?!"
"How should I know?!"
As Jo and Sam argued, Oliver examined them closely.
Something odd caught his eye: faint spiderwebs clinging to their pant cuffs.
Owen yelled,
"But isn't it weird?! Why just shoot? It's like..."
—Splash! Splish! Splish!
Before he finished, something burst from the rushing sewage.
An amphibian blending frog and alligator—bigger than a man, mouth full of teeth. And there were three of them.
Then strange noises echoed from behind.
A grating screech, like claws on stone.
"...Bald rats?"
Oliver muttered at the sight of the charging horrors squeaking "Squeak-squeak" from the rear.
Over two meters tall, furless rats with wrinkled hides and inflamed, pustule-ridden faces.
Identical to the ones from the beggar gang before.
Now sandwiched front and rear by contaminated creatures.
The Kell Liberation Army, victory assured, ceased firing and taunted,
"You money-grubbing hyenas. Ballsy coming here?! Turn to shit!"
Not entirely wrong.
Trapped in a narrow passage by contaminated creatures fore and aft? That was usually game over.
With proper gear and prep, taking them down wasn't impossible—but ambushed like this? Hopeless.
Superior physiques, swarming germs—mere contact was deadly.
Jo knew it too, panicking as he ordered Sam and Owen, begging Oliver for help.
"Any way out?"
Oliver answered by extracting emotions and chanting.