The Mercy I Promised
A ragged gasp tore from Bulldog’s throat, his voice cracking like dry twigs. I glanced down at the man sprawled on the floor, chest heaving, blood bubbling at the corners of his lips. “Cog 7… no, Kang Jinwoo! Please! Just spare my life… kuhk!”
His eyes—fading, desperate—locked onto mine. He had finally dropped the mask. “Leaving the mercenary group… it was all because I wanted your spot… I was planning a coup!”
He coughed up more blood, the sound wet and obscene. Even in his final moments he refused to admit defeat. He blamed me instead. “That’s on you.”
No sympathy touched my voice. “You treated us mercenaries like disposable parts you could swap out anytime.”
“You think we don’t know what that means?!” Bulldog snarled, voice rising in a desperate howl. His eyes burned with madness. “Mercenaries were always expendable! If I hadn’t been here you’d have starved in the gutter years ago! You ungrateful, ingrates…!”
“Talk like that again and I’ll feed you to the floor.”
The young blond mercenary in the next cell slammed his hands against the bars, fury blazing in his eyes. “At least give us human treatment and none of this would have happened, you bastard!”
Bulldog’s lips twisted into a bitter smirk. “There’s nothing left to say, is there?”
“You… you will pay for this… Nesis will never allow—” He never finished. I drove the knife straight into his heart.
Bulldog’s body jerked once, twice, then went limp, the light leaving his eyes forever. Hot blood soaked the front of his uniform and spilled across the grated floor in dark rivulets.
“Jinwoo! Are you okay?!”
Heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs. Scarlet burst through the doorway, red hair whipping, her energy rifle still warm in her grip. Behind her, a squad of armored Kronos mercenaries fanned out, weapons ready.
She took in the dying Bulldog and the blood-slick knife in my hand, then approached with that usual calm mask. “…It’s over?”
“Yeah. For now.”
[Data Ghost skill condition met.]
I activated the skill. Every digital trace around us began to vanish—logs, recordings, the entire paper trail I had helped create. One of the internal mercenaries whispered in disbelief, awe and reverence thick in his voice. “Impossible… we just took down Bulldog and his entire elite squad alone…”
The others nodded, equally stunned. “We heard the internal coup signal and the moment we hit the external perimeter, you tore straight through it.”
“Like… a demon had appeared. Or the God of War itself.”
Their praise carried a hint of exaggeration, but the sincerity shone through.
Once everything was secure, I stepped out of the isolated cell to meet Han Banjang walking slowly toward us. “I sent you that message to keep you safe… I never expected you to actually show up.”
The old man’s throat clicked as he swallowed dryly. “How could I leave you to rot? Besides… thanks to the message I heard everything.”
I gave a small bow, grateful for his genuine worry. “So… the rest of the base mercenaries… did you handle them all?”
Han Banjang looked uneasy. “Is it true you killed every last one? No casualties?”
I scanned the remaining internal soldiers with a glance. “Before the base fell, I sent a broadcast announcing my intentions. The combat rules and communication codes Nyx taught me helped a lot.”
I took a breath. “Casualties happened during the fighting, but I tried to minimize them. I only wanted to subdue, not kill.”
Scarlet nodded beside me, silent but supportive. Han Banjang absorbed my words, then stared at me with the same stunned expression the internal troops had worn earlier. “You… took down Bulldog’s personal guard and the entire base defense system by yourself? Those bastards were ruthless and numbers were their only advantage…”
His voice trembled with something beyond admiration. I clapped his shoulder. “When you left Kronos I always thought you’d amount to something big… I just didn’t know it would be this big. Truly… magnificent.”
I gave a modest laugh and shook my head at the compliment. “We should head out and see how bad things look.”
The others nodded and checked their weapons. We left the underground cell and climbed back to the surface.
The base was a graveyard. Black smoke curled from ruined structures, scattered mecha wreckage and spent ammunition littered every corridor. The internal mercenaries had already secured the main facilities, stabilizing wounded and stabilizing the situation.
“Mr. Kang, Ms. Scarlet! This way!”
A commanding internal soldier spotted us and hurried over, saluting. “All Bulldog loyal forces have been neutralized. Base is secure.”
“Good work.”
I gave a short nod and turned to Han Banjang. His face still showed the weight of everything that had just happened. “Can we hear the details now?”
We settled into a relatively safe command room. Han Banjang swallowed hard before speaking. “Nesis sent an agent here demanding every scrap of information they could get. They even shoved our old Kronos records in my face.”
I frowned. I hadn’t expected them to dig so fast and so accurately. “Bulldog first tried to run, but Nesis must have made an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
The old man’s words matched what I had suspected, yet hearing it from his mouth only fueled my rage. Bulldog had sold out his own comrades without a second thought for his own survival.
‘He deserved to die. If I hadn’t been here, the internal troops would have killed him anyway.’
“Some of the mercenaries who resented his methods started turning against him one by one.”
“You were already planning everything.”
“Everything was ready for tomorrow… and you just walked in. Alone. Taking out his entire personal force…”
“If you’re willing… would you come with me to Terminus Station?”
“Terminus…?”
Han Banjang asked, surprised.
“Yes. It’s the best place to start over. Of course, it’s not exactly peaceful or safe either.”
I meant every word. I wanted them to escape this rotten hole and find a new beginning.
“An old technician like me… will I be useful there?”
The old man asked, voice trembling.
“Of course you will.”
He stared at me for a long moment, eyes glistening. “…I’ll go. With you, I can face anything.”
“There is one more thing. The remaining Bulldog loyalists.”
The internal commander who had been waiting outside the room spoke up. “We have them all subdued and in temporary custody. How do you want to proceed?”
These were the men who had followed Bulldog’s atrocities most eagerly or blindly.
“Give them a choice.”
The commander, Scarlet, and Han Banjang all looked at me in shock. “Most of them are already neutralized. Many were either deceived by Bulldog or forced to follow him.”
The commander hesitated, then read the sincerity in my eyes and bowed deeply. “Understood. We’ll convey your message. Thank you for your wise judgment.”
He immediately gave orders to his men, and the message was delivered to the imprisoned loyalists. Some still snarled with resentment, but most accepted after realizing the fight was truly over.
The soldiers who had suffered under Bulldog’s tyranny now stood at a crossroads, each choosing their own future. Some left without looking back, heading toward new lives. Others stayed, pledging to help rebuild a new mercenary company under the internal command.
“Bulldog’s old Kronos mercenary group is gone, but we will rebuild here.”
“It would be better to come with us to Terminus.”
“…A mercenary’s life is a mercenary’s life, after all.”
“I’d like to hear your name at least. You weren’t with us long, so you don’t know many people.”
“Choi Jinyu.”
I shook his hand. “Good luck.”
“Thank you.”
A few of us—Han Banjang, Milo, and Leo—decided to join me to Terminus. We boarded a military-grade high-speed transport ship provided by Kaien. The vessel’s engines were already humming, ready for takeoff. Scarlet was carefully securing her Red Spider in the cargo bay.
“Finally leaving…?”
Sadness and hope for a new start warred in his eyes.
“Don’t look back, Banjang. Terminus has plenty of strange and exciting things waiting.”
I patted his shoulder lightly. “If you say so, I’ll believe you.”
He gave a wry smile and walked toward the ramp.
Once everyone was aboard, Scarlet and I took the last seats. Choi Jinyu stood at the edge, saluting as the ramp sealed. “One day I’ll repay this debt.”
BOOM!
The ramp slammed shut. The transport ship lifted off the ground and soared into the sky.