Chapter 122: Rats and Rats (1)
Chapter 122: Rats and Rats (1)
I scanned the surroundings, wondering if I’d walked into a trap given the piercing stares of the people around me, but everything was exactly as I remembered Elder Li’s tastes to be.
Pseudo-Chinese.
His taste was as eccentric as ever.
The red decorations, the yellow-tinted objects—everything was strangely distorted, lacking any sense of the familiar Chinese aesthetic.
The people in the room were glaring at us, but their gazes held more curiosity and wariness than outright hostility. Some were even sitting at tables eating, so I figured I could write it off as the typical psychological reaction of a closed group seeing strangers.
Having assessed the situation, I slumped into a chair.
It was a hard chair, and I could feel its blunt texture against my back, but after running for so long, just having a place to rest my waist was comfort enough.
"Uuugh, Master... I can't get up."
"Si-hyun, don't grab onto me, please..."
Even in this situation, my two disciples were rolling around on the floor like idiots.
The way they flopped around on the ground made them look like fish coated in flour, ready to be fried. Though, instead of flour, they were coating themselves in dust.
"Get up."
I reached out a hand to help them.
"Oh, thank yo—waaaah?!"
"Thank y—hieeeek!"
I grabbed them and threw them onto the sofa.
I knew that if I just helped them to their feet, they’d either fall over again or do something else stupid. Even if this wasn't enemy territory but effectively neutral ground, as their master, I couldn't stand to watch them act like fools any longer.
Especially Baek Si-hyun; if things went sideways, she might end up having to face this group often, so I really wished she’d stop the buffoonery. Their first impression was already ruined, so the least they could do from now on was look somewhat decent.
"Behave yourselves."
"You're the one who threw us..."
"You could have been a bit gentler..."
Baek Si-hyun and Han A-bin, apparently still having enough strength to talk back, grumbled as they adjusted their positions on the sofa.
"Then don't collapse in the first place."
If you're upset, go train. This is the thirty-year gap between us, you brats.
Perhaps because they were exhausted, the disciples shut their mouths and didn't argue. Instead, they squirmed around until they finally found comfortable positions and began to go limp.
"Uuugh, this is comfortable, but..."
"Si-hyun, move over... huh?"
The disciples' voices suddenly cut off.
Their gazes were fixed on the bulky men in the room. Then, as if they had rehearsed it, the two of them assumed the exact same posture.
Knees together, hands on knees. Backs straight as a board.
It was a posture that screamed, 'I am absolutely not a problem!'
"Senior...? What is this place...?"
"Thugs... organized crime? The mafia...?"
I could hear the tension in their voices.
"They're neither, technically... but if you had to categorize them, it's similar."
It would be more accurate to call them a small-scale warlord or local gentry, but honestly, where do you find things like that these days? It was easier to understand if I just called them thugs.
"They're glaring at us right now."
So what?
"The A-Rank monsters and villains you two have taken down are probably stronger than all of them combined."
Or at least comparable. Some of them radiated power equivalent to a high B-Rank.
"But... but they're still thugs. They'll throw a punch if things go south..."
I didn't quite understand what Han A-bin and Baek Si-hyun were getting at.
"So, you're saying these guys are scarier than monsters and villains?"
"...When you put it that way, we don't really have an answer, but... it's just... something about it..."
I had no idea what they were talking about.
The two disciples moved their mouths and hands as if trying to shape their thoughts, but they couldn't come up with a clear answer.
Maybe it was a matter of familiarity. It seemed they still hadn't fully shed their civilian mindsets. To be intimidated by mere presence and pressure...
"You two are stronger, so act with some dignity. You've got your names on the Hero registry; what is this display?"
At my words, the disciples seemed to relax their posture slightly, but they couldn't quite shake off the underlying tension.
They'd get used to it eventually. Scolding them wouldn't change anything right now, so I leaned back into the sofa.
* * *
"The tea is good."
"Thank you. The tea leaves were grown inside, so I was worried they might not suit the palates of those from the outside. I'm glad you like it."
Grown inside, huh? So they were even sourcing their plants from within now.
Realizing that Nanjido was becoming increasingly isolated from the outside world, I took a sip of the green tea. Even my dull tongue could detect the harmony of a light astringency and umami. I didn't know much about tea, but this was smooth enough to drink easily.
"Thank you."
"I'll enjoy it."
The other two, however, were so visibly tense that it was obvious they didn't even know if the tea was going into their mouths or their noses.
We had been here for about an hour. I thought they’d be fine once they got used to it, but it seemed an hour wasn't enough to fundamentally change their perception.
I spent about ten minutes sipping tea, using their dazed expressions as a side dish.
"Lee Ha-ram. The Elder is ready."
When the guard standing in the corner of the room spoke, I rose from my chair.
"Both of you. Let's go."
I threw the command at the two who were still glued to their chairs from tension.
"Yes, sir!"
"Right!"
The two of them stood up stiffly at my command and began to follow me as I walked forward.
"Relax. The person we're about to meet isn't that scary of an Old Man."
"......"
Despite my words, their movements remained stiff.
As I approached the door with the two severely trembling kittens in tow, the guard standing in front reached out and opened it.
It was a simple motion, but my eyes, sharpened by experience, caught something.
Gray fur peeking out from between his sleeves.
...A hybrid? He's well-disguised.
At the same time, I remembered something I needed to tell them.
"Oh, kids. Sorry for only mentioning this now..."
Why didn't I think to say this earlier?
"Don't be surprised or show hostility when you see the person inside the room."
With those final words, we crossed the threshold. However, what lay beyond the door wasn't a room, but a long hallway.
Dim lights flickered around us, and at the end of the hallway, which was barely wide enough for one person to pass through, was another door.
...All that grand show of opening the door just for another security measure. Typical of that Old Man.
The disciples started trembling again, seemingly flustered by the unexpected situation, but I ignored them and strode down the hallway to open the door.
Click.
The sound of the lock disengaging echoed through the quiet hallway, and a thick cloud of smoke billowed out from the gap in the door.
...So that hallway wasn't just a security measure; it was to prevent this smoke from drifting into the other rooms. Or maybe it was both.
"Stop right there."
I reached back and signaled the disciples, who were scurrying after me, to stay back. If my guess was right, this smoke wasn't something they should be breathing in.
Though the irritation had been weakened by being mixed with water vapor, it couldn't hide the distinct sensation that lingered on the mucous membranes of the nose and the tip of the tongue.
A bitter taste on the tongue. A sickly sweet scent in the nose.
An Awakening-Type Drug.
It had been diluted by passing through water once, but it still wasn't something anyone should inhale.
Left with no choice, I spoke toward the owner of the room hidden behind the smoke.
"...I'm not the only one here, so I'd appreciate it if you turned that off."
"What's this? I heard you were the Blood Hammer’s disciples, but are you just wet-behind-the-ears brats who can't even handle the smell of tobacco?"
From beyond the smoke, a raspy, phlegm-filled old voice drifted out.
"I'm only just starting to teach them about the underworld."
"Squeak, squeak. Just starting out, and you're already introducing them to me? Too much, too much. Regardless, you are guests, so I shall concede."
Thump.
With the sound of a blunt object striking something, magic was triggered.
It was a weak wind, but sufficient to drive out the smoke filling the room. As the wind swirled with intent, the smoke was swept into the ventilation ducts and vanished.
"Come in, children of humanity."
As the man revealed by the clearing smoke spoke, the disciples entered the room and faced him.
"...A rat?"
"A Mutant?"
The disciples reacted with shock upon seeing him.
"Squeak, squeak. What, did he not tell you?"
As if enjoying their reaction, Elder Li chuckled and waved his long pipe.
"Yeah."
My educational policy for this underworld field trip was to tell them nothing and let them experience it firsthand.
"I see. My apologies for the smoke. Children, this dying body requires painkillers."
Elder Li said this as he straightened himself from his reclined position on the sofa.
He was wearing an indigo durumagi, his body skeletal and emaciated. He looked even worse than before.
"So, what brings you here?"
I didn't answer the question. Instead, I threw myself into the chair opposite Elder Li. Unlike the ones in the waiting room, this chair was plush. My eyes met Elder Li’s.
"To find a traitor."
I spat the words out as I tilted my head back.
"Kee-hee-hee. A traitor. A traitor, you say."
Elder Li laughed for a moment at my words.
"Which traitor are you referring to?"
He began to pour out words like a sudden squall, as if intrigued.
"The Martial Artist who was purged last year? If it's him, he's been a corpse for a long time."
A short breath.
"Or the Hero who fled here last month? That one picked a fight and lost a hand to a blade."
A short sneer.
"If not them, then perhaps the processed swindler from last week? I heard he got caught manipulating stocks with precognition. His brain's already been scooped out, so you needn't worry about him."
Shocking revelations poured out, punctuated by Elder Li’s boisterous laughter.
"Wait. Wait a minute, please."
Startled by this, Han A-bin suddenly interjected.
"What is it, child of humanity?"
The rat-like Old Man smiled, putting his pipe to his lips as if amused.
"What are you talking about? A Hero who fled... I've never heard anything like that on the news..."
Han A-bin asked hurriedly, but...
"Blood Hammer, you really haven't explained a single thing to them."
Elder Li spoke before she could even finish.
"Would they even believe me if I told them?"
"Squeak. Squeak. True enough."
Elder Li laughed merrily and shifted his posture to look at Han A-bin.
"This is reality, oh pure Hero. Even at this very moment, some Heroes betray their cause and fall into villainy."
Tap. Tap.
As if to draw attention, he tapped his pipe against the table.
"Did you see my boys outside? Some of them were once Heroes."
"...Then, really..."
"If you're doubtful, go and ask them. It's not something they're proud of, so they might hide it a bit, but they'll probably tell you."
Kee. Kee. Kee.
Laughter that sounded like rat squeaks filled the room.
That was the truth. While there are Public Enemy Designations and power reclamations that we know of, there are those who escape that fate.
I don't know why. Perhaps the entity that reclaims the power judges that their actions aren't 'evil,' or maybe there are other conditions.
Because of that, a very small number of Heroes betray their calling while retaining their power.
That is how villains are born.
But if such existences were made public, it would tarnish the perceived flawlessness of Heroes.
Hence, the cleanup crews. The assassination units. The tailing squads. The intelligence departments.
That is the darkness of the Management Bureau.
Hearing this, Han A-bin fell silent, and even the usually bubbly Baek Si-hyun began to shift her eyes as if deep in thought.
It was a good bit of shock therapy to shatter the gap between ideal and reality. I had intended this from the start.
I suppose I should wrap this up now.
"Stop teasing the kids and let's get to the point."
"The point? What point would that be?"
Elder Li began to play dumb, acting as if he knew nothing.
Sly old geezer.
"Kim Tae-jun. You know where he is, don't you?"
"Kim Tae-jun. Kim Tae-jun... Ah, isn't he the spokesperson for the Management Bureau? Why look for someone from the outside in here?"
"Cut the crap and hand over his location. He's a target for the Bureau to handle."
"Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. Blood Hammer, you..."
Elder Li laughed merrily for a moment after hearing my words.
"Aren't you mistaken about something?"
He began to radiate pressure.
"Hic."
"Ah?"
Han A-bin collapsed, caught off guard. Baek Si-hyun stopped thinking and looked on in shock.
"You seem to be under the impression that we are on the same side, but we are merely in a cooperative relationship. I am not someone loyal to the Management Bureau, nor is my group under its jurisdiction."
Elder Li continued to speak, his presence still oppressive.
"This is Nanjido, and Nanjido has its own laws. Since those people entered this place, what we do with them is entirely up to us."
After saying that, Elder Li stopped emitting pressure and began to laugh.
"Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. Who knows? If I tear open his head and rummage through it, I might find something to use as leverage against the Management Bureau."
Elder Li fell silent and stared at me intently. He looked like he was expecting me to say something.
"Of course, I'm not asking for information for free, Elder Li. Have I ever disappointed you?"
I straightened my posture and began to organize the information in my head.
The cards in my hand, the words I needed to say. Things that would pique the Old Man's interest.
Just as I was about to speak after finishing my mental preparation...
"Quite often, actually."
Ugh, just let it go for once.