Still Positive (3)
“Immortals?”
“That’s our main mission, isn’t it?”
Ju Kang-rim was a bit surprised but kept it off his face as he pondered deeply. So the Knight Order wasn’t a pack of assassins cleaning up Gerald’s dirty messes—it was an organization that hunted immortals? That didn’t add up. They themselves were immortals who’d received Death Knight powers, so why hunt their own kind?
“In short, they messed with the wrong people. Of course, if they’d known who we were, they wouldn’t have touched us.”
“You’ve got some nerve bragging about taking hostages.”
At Ju Kang-rim’s words, Luca simply stared into his eyes.
“We didn’t take Han Min-ah.”
“Didn’t you just say you did?”
“We planned to secure her. Our target was you from the start. We tried to neutralize her beforehand so she wouldn’t interfere recklessly along the way, but she wasn’t home.”
“I see.”
Ju Kang-rim decided for now to keep hidden that he, too, hunted immortals. He already knew immortals fought among themselves. They weren’t ordinary beings, and it wouldn’t do to let civilians know about them carelessly, so it made sense they’d have a dedicated organization. But Gerald’s goals wouldn’t align with his own. If they did, Gerald would’ve offed himself first.
“What happens when you catch an immortal?”
“We grind them up fine, mix ’em into cement in a machine, and dump the result in the Pacific Ocean. Why? Curious about your own future?”
“Sounds gruesome.”
“Experience it yourself, and it’ll go beyond gruesome.”
“Me, causing deep-sea pollution.”
“We’ll make it eco-friendly for you.”
By Yeomra’s standards, that method didn’t count as true death. A low-level immortal granted the power by someone might die that way. But there’d surely be immortals who survived even that.
That just piles up more immortals. In the end, the gates will still open.
So Gerald ran the Knight Order simply to keep rival immortals in check. Competition among those with immortality would be fierce.
Ju Kang-rim was dragged along, handcuffed and hooded in a sack over his head. With his face covered, even Bi-hyeong’s Eyes couldn’t pierce the darkness. After a long haul, he was pulled into a room where the air felt cool and damp.
That’s when Luca yanked his arm and jabbed something sharp into it.
“What’s that?”
“Regeneration Suppressant and Neural Suppressant. Just precautions for any surprises—don’t worry about it.”
As if he wouldn’t worry about unknown drugs being shoved into him. Administering a Regeneration Suppressant meant Luca was fully convinced he was an immortal.
From the side, Jeremiah grumbled.
“Shoulda cut off his limbs or something.”
“He surrendered. Can’t do that.”
“True…”
They had a weird sense of manners. Ju Kang-rim would’ve lopped off limbs without hesitation. But less than a minute after the injections, he staggered and collapsed, unable to even stand properly.
“It forcibly slows your metabolism, so you’ll feel drowsy and weak for a while. As an immortal, your body was always in peak condition.”
“Fuck off.”
“You’ll be fine in about five minutes.”
Luca patted him down again as she spoke. They’d already stripped him of all weapons and gear, but it was just in case. That’s when she found something and pulled it out with a puzzled look.
It was the Biman.
“Didn’t we take his phone earlier?”
“We did. Must be a spare.”
Luca and Jeremiah searched him thoroughly this time, practically stripping him naked to check for armament. Confirming he was completely disarmed, they uncuffed him.
Paradoxically, it was a show of confidence that he couldn’t resist.
“The commander’ll be here by the time you recover. Behave till then.”
Clank.
The door shut. Ju Kang-rim, lying powerless, let out a long sigh.
Moments later, as he rolled over, the Biman was in his hand. It appeared whenever he sought it, no matter where he was—no need to rummage under couches or flip beds.
He could’ve contacted Yoo Wol-ryeong right away, but instead, he checked his mission objective.
Target: Subdue Clint McCallen
🎁 Reward:Legendary Ability Enhancement
“Captured with all limbs intact?”
“Yes. Nine Patriot Agents dead, seven critically injured. But he surrendered right before we stepped in. He was badly hurt at capture, but survived simple first aid—makes us think immortal.”
“An immortal, huh.”
Clint nodded after Jeremiah’s report, mulling it over. It all made sense rationally. An immortal explained the clean record, the skill beyond his age, and the targeted attack on other immortals.
The key now was his backers.
“Any clues on his backing?”
“We probed lightly—no dice. Talks easy, but hides his depths tight.”
Luca answered instead. Clint tapped his fist lightly.
Everything had gone smoothly. They’d predicted his movements, set a trap, thrown in grunts to elites, cornered him with no escape, and subdued him. Then body search and Regeneration Suppressant. An immortal on suppressant was weaker than a normal human until regen kicked back in.
No way out, no way to fight back for Ju Kang-rim.
Yet something felt off, like they’d missed a detail.
“He’s in Basement Level 6 Prison?”
“Yes. No nearby inmates for communication, designed to collapse if needed—anti-immortal. No worries.”
Of course, a guy taken down by a few assassins and two Death Knights posed no threat to Clint. He could handle five Death Knights solo easily.
Clint drummed the desk. But what was this unease?
He recalled Serazad’s recent message: a knight missing, check it out. Right after his puppet, Assemblyman Park Tae-hyeon, vanished.
If this guy’s connected…
He had to handle it cleanly. To shake the unease, Clint knew he needed to meet Ju Kang-rim. He stood and headed to the basement prison.
Thud, thud.
Heavy military boot steps echoed down the Basement Level 6 Prison corridor. Cells lined the long hall at wide intervals to prevent inmate chatter. Most prisoners here were comatose, but still.
Clint entered Ju Kang-rim’s cell, Luca and Jeremiah at his sides.
But the moment he stepped in, he froze.
An unexpected sight.
“You’re here.”
Ju Kang-rim stood there. Naked. Not a stitch on him. Luca shut her eyes and turned away; Jeremiah laughed in disbelief as he stared.
Only Clint’s expression didn’t change. He shut the door and sat in the chair by the interrogation room’s central desk.
He’d prepared countless questions, but right now, only one mattered.
“Why are you naked?”
“To show I’m harmless.”
Jeremiah finally snapped irritably.
“We get that without the show, asshole! Think we were playing around earlier?”
Clint disliked the interruption but appreciated Jeremiah voicing his own thought. They’d searched him thoroughly, dosed him with Regeneration and Neural Suppressants. The neural one weakened awakening abilities—no hidden power could threaten now.
“No, you idiots didn’t do jack right.”
Ju Kang-rim weakly raised his hands.
“Under the tongue or up the ass goes without saying. Immortals can hide shit under skin or in flesh. Or break a bone and pull out a saw from inside. You sure about that?”
“What…”
“Or my eyes—sure they’re real? What if something’s behind the eyeball? Poison in a molar? Think I couldn’t? You lack imagination.”
“…”
Jeremiah and Luca exchanged helpless glances. Ju Kang-rim saw they viewed immortal bodies as just tough, regen-heavy awakeners.
But Clint got it. A grim smile cracked his face for the first time. Jeremiah startled at the rare big laugh.
“There was a psycho who ground his own arm bone into a weapon.”
No answer for why go that far. Immortals turned their bodies into tools for their goals. Such mods were nothing to old ones.
“So you proved you’re harmless. What now, Ju Kang-rim?”
Still naked, Ju Kang-rim walked up and sat opposite Clint.
“I want to propose a deal.”
“A deal? What can a naked, harmless immortal offer us?”
“Conversely, can you even give what I want? That’s my doubt.”
“If I can’t give what you want, why propose a deal?”
“Because I want to talk to the one behind you, not you.”
Luca, behind Clint, shot Jeremiah a shocked look. He whispered it was a metaphor, not literal.
Clint realized Ju Kang-rim meant Gerald, his backer. Gerald stayed behind the world’s curtain. His last open activity was over 300 years ago.
Then this guy’s an immortal over 300 years old too?
Ju Kang-rim grinned and continued.
“My organization’s more dangerous than you think, Clint McCallen. You haven’t grasped its shape or my abilities yet. Imagine if it’s crawling with guys like me—or worse.”
Clint pictured immortal groups that could rival Gerald. Few existed, and none like Ju Kang-rim. A new force tied to the gates, probably. Either way, worth watching closely.
“Tell me first. I’ll judge if it’s doable.”
“You can’t.”
“Spit it out.”
Shrugging at Clint’s urging, Ju Kang-rim laid it out.
“I want full immortality and Death Knight rank of Chief Knight or higher. Dominion over northeast China, the Korean Peninsula, Japanese islands, and southwest Pacific. A pillar of the immortal-ruled world.”
Clint’s mouth fell slightly open. Ju Kang-rim bared his teeth in a grin.
“I want your seats at humanity’s pinnacle. That’s my condition.”