Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: He Is Not a Living Person (3)
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“Guillaume Lambert.”
Leila spoke his name as she scrolled down the screen.
“Declared dead ten years ago. If alive, he would be forty-three.”
Kanghyeok nodded in agreement.
The information matched the age range Kanghyeok had estimated from Nobody's voice.
“Anything unusual?”
“He enlisted right after becoming an adult, was recognized for his skills, and served in the GIGN. The records state he primarily handled explosives in the military and was highly knowledgeable.”
Leila's tone was thick with a sense of 'that explains it.'
Kanghyeok shared the sentiment.
Nobody's group was definitely not an ordinary gang.
They possessed an intimidating presence and skill that only someone with formal training could display.
Enough to train even his subordinates to carry the air of soldiers.
But why would a man like that become a gangster?
What was his reason for living under a false name?
Kanghyeok, who had been rubbing his lips in thought, moved only his eyes to meet Leila's gaze.
“Cause of death?”
“It says he was caught in an explosion during a mission. His body was never found, so the French authorities announced him as killed in action on-site, but they corrected the report three years later.”
“To what?”
“To the fact that he was still alive after the explosion. The reason was that no DNA was found at the scene. But he was eventually processed as dead due to being missing in action.”
Huu.
The heavy air carried in the sigh filled the motel room.
He could roughly picture the situation.
If he wasn't found at the scene, he must have been captured alive.
Nobody must have waited for support from the French authorities.
But his country abandoned him.
It's surprisingly common for someone to be alive even after a large 'DECEASED' stamp is pressed onto their personnel file and their name is moved to the list of the dead.
Most of them do end up truly dead.
But some manage to survive to the end.
Kanghyeok and Leila had seen such cases before.
It usually ends one of two ways.
They're either broken beyond words, physically and mentally, or they're twisted into someone unrecognizable from their former self.
The pain and the endless waves of despair break a person completely, like a drug.
Always, always, always!
*'Now I see why he was so strange.'*
The part of Nobody that seemed like a mental patient finally made sense.
“Let's forward this record to headquarters. If they investigate the time of his declared death and the group that planted the bomb, we should be able to find out what happened to Nobody afterward.”
If Nobody was truly kidnapped, it was entirely possible.
Squeak.
The chair creaked as Leila leaned back against it.
“This man is currently planning mass murder.”
Kanghyeok looked at Leila, and Leila looked back at Kanghyeok.
“We don't know the reason yet. But I've judged it's not important. What's important is that we must stop the plan.”
They had to.
For the noble cause of saving the city?
To save the countless people who would die if Nobody's plan succeeded?
No, of course not.
To the company, this job was strictly business.
And Nobody's actions were getting in the way of that business.
The mission assigned to Kanghyeok was to clean up the city's gangs to build a safe house.
A safe house needed to be built in a location that was as inconspicuous as possible.
A place where a mass murder occurred would draw too much public attention.
You couldn't build a safe house in a place like that.
Beep!
Leila's gaze shifted to the laptop at the sound.
It was a message from headquarters.
Leila turned toward the laptop, read the message, and then looked at Kanghyeok.
“Headquarters has raised the risk level for this job. They're asking if you want additional personnel deployed.”
Leila asked with her eyes.
Would he accept the extra help?
But her eyes showed she already knew what Kanghyeok's answer would be.
“I don't need it.”
Kanghyeok answered as if he'd had the words ready.
Headquarters now knew that Nobody's gang wasn't a simple one.
Even with a support agent, the actual combat was handled by Kanghyeok alone.
They must have judged it would be too difficult for him.
The opponent wasn't just a simple gangster, but a former soldier from the regular army.
And a madman planning a massacre, at that.
Kanghyeok knew it too.
A job of this scale and difficulty required additional personnel.
With the time limit, not accepting support would be a disadvantage.
But he didn't want to.
*I will be the one to kill Nobody.*
This job might be business to the company, but not to Kanghyeok.
He was a target of revenge, an enemy whose life he had to take.
Kanghyeok glared at the laptop beyond Leila and twisted his lips as he spoke.
“Tell them I won't forgive them if they interfere.”
“The sender is William's personal secretary, so I can't quite say that.”
Leila typed on the laptop, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Beep!
A reply came from headquarters shortly, and Leila relayed the message to Kanghyeok in a calm voice.
“They say they will respect your wishes. However, they've advised you to ensure the mission's success and have authorized the use of a reconnaissance satellite.”
“That's enough.”
A reconnaissance satellite.
He'd already experienced what it could do once before.
When they pursued Yohan's car as it fled into the pitch-black darkness, the reconnaissance satellite had served as their eyes.
The operational cost of a satellite?
Naturally, it was enormous.
Approval was rarely granted, but to support Kanghyeok's mission, the company had willingly authorized its use.
Now, the entire city was within Kanghyeok's field of view.
But one thing was still missing.
Kanghyeok shot Leila a look demanding an answer, and she glanced at her watch while sweeping her hair back.
“It should be arriving soon.”
It was right after that.
Grrrrrrrumble.
A deep, rough engine sound, like the roar of a wild beast, came from outside the window.
Kanghyeok moved to the window and tilted the blinds with his finger.
Parked in front of the motel was a sports car coated in matte black.
Its design was sharp and angular, as if sculpted with a chisel.
The air-intake grille was placed just right, without disrupting the design.
The most striking feature was the rear of the car.
Its impressive design featured elegant curves intersecting with sharp, straight lines, along with red lights like rocket thrusters and exhaust pipes.
It was a car that stood out, yet at the same time, looked like it could melt into the darkness at any moment.
“It's a custom model. One-way bulletproof glass, a frame made of a special alloy, and the surface is coated with a mix of polyurea and polyurethane. Since the body is heavier, the horsepower has been boosted to 950.”
Kanghyeok looked down at the vehicle and spoke to Leila.
“It's too conspicuous.”
“But it's fast.”
Leila picked up her suit and headed for the shower as she spoke.
“Do you like it?”
“For now.”
It was a far superior model to the SUV Kanghyeok and Leila had been using.
So much so that one couldn't dare put a price on it.
But price aside, Kanghyeok liked the car.
A vehicle like that could overwhelm Nobody's mobility.
“I'm glad you like it. It's your car, after all.”
Kanghyeok's gaze turned to Leila, who chuckled as she twisted the shower room doorknob.
“William's secretary asked me to pass on a message.”
“What is it?”
“It seems a single bottle of liquor wasn't enough for a contract gift.”
A single bottle of liquor.
It was what William had given Kanghyeok when they made their contract.
Although it was a high-end liquor, it had felt a bit modest as a contract gift.
“Anyway, congratulations. I'm envious.”
Leila said in a somewhat playful tone and entered the shower.
Kanghyeok slowly exhaled through his nose.
More or less, his side was ready.
He had information on Nobody, the observation capabilities of a satellite, and mobility.
All that was left was to act.
Kanghyeok took off his shirt and pulled out the suit he had hung up.
He put on the suit, organized his things, and picked up his bag.
Click.
The shower door opened, and Leila, now changed into a suit, stepped out. Kanghyeok threw open the motel room door.
Leila followed behind him, holding a bag of bread.
“What will you do now?”
Kanghyeok answered Leila's question, his gaze fixed forward as she followed him.
“You said his specialty was handling bombs, right?”
“Yes.”
Leila said, recalling Nobody's service record, and Kanghyeok twisted his lips, creating deep furrows on the bridge of his nose.
“He must have planted bombs in the city. Monitor the entire city with the satellite.”
Moving vehicles, people on the streets, and even the frequencies that could send detonation signals.
Observe it all.
Normally, it would be impossible, but with headquarters' support, it was possible for Kanghyeok.
The corner of Kanghyeok's eye twitched as he descended the stairs.
*'Damn it, why am I thinking about the past?'*
The world that had been destroyed in the future.
If only things had been like this back then.
If only he'd had this kind of observation capability and power, at least right before the world ended, he might have been able to change its fate.
Can I change it this time?
Will it not head toward destruction like before?
Kanghyeok slowly closed and opened his eyes.
I will change it.
I have to change it.
No matter what.
He had a feeling that if things continued on this path, at least it wouldn't be the same as before.
Leaving the motel, Kanghyeok received the car key from the agent who had driven it there and got into the car.
Thunk!
The car door closed with a heavy sound.
***
It was a vast, abandoned building, so large that even the sound of air moving seemed to echo.
Temporary lights swayed in the wind that crept through the empty window frames, making shadows dance and flicker with each gust.
Nobody was here.
Tick, tock.
Nobody, looking up at a clock high on the wall, vaguely resembled a worshipper gazing up at a cross in a cathedral.
But unlike a worshipper, his face was set in a vicious scowl.
Tick, tock.
The clock, flowing by with cruel honesty.
A fucking disgusting and loathsome existence.
With the clock reflected on his retinas, Nobody's eyes were seeing the past.
Nobody's most vivid and distinct memory.
The memory of being tied to a chair and tortured ten years ago.
He couldn't sleep because his eyelids were forced open with tape, and while he was tortured regularly on the hour, that wasn't what tormented him the most.
It was hope.
Every time he looked at the analog wall clock, placed within his line of sight to announce the time of his torture, Nobody believed his country would soon rescue him.
But that never happened.
Even when he lost fingers, had his nails pulled out, and his healthy teeth removed, his country did not save him.
It took a full month for hope to disappear.
The ones who extended a hand to him were not his country, the object of his hope, but the very bastards who had delivered him despair.
Nobody took their hand.
And for ten years.
To this day, Nobody had lived by carrying out their orders.
Naturally, it was not the life he had wanted.
“Nobody.”
Nobody turned his gaze to the subordinate who had spoken to him.
The subordinate flinched at the emotion simmering in his eyes, a result of his reminiscing.
“Everyone has gathered below.”
“Do as I commanded.”
“Yes, sir.”
The subordinate lingered, hesitating.
“May I ask you one question?”
The subordinate watched Nobody's expression as he carefully voiced his question.
“Was it necessary for you to make contact with that woman?”
Nobody stared at his subordinate for a moment, then his lips twisted into a smile.
Then, he stroked the subordinate's hair and face.
The subordinate flinched, looking at Nobody with terror-filled eyes, as Nobody whispered in his ear.
“You wouldn't understand.”
The moment he finished speaking.
Nobody grabbed the subordinate's hair and jaw and twisted them in opposite directions.
Crack!
The subordinate, his neck broken, collapsed. Nobody, still clutching his hair, walked toward an exposed section of the building's frame.
Stopping at the edge, Nobody looked down at his men and the leaderless gangs who had gathered to pledge their loyalty to him.
Chrrk!
The radio on Nobody's chest crackled to life, spitting out a voice mixed with static.
(Everyone has assembled.)
Nobody looked down at the densely packed crowd and picked up his radio.
“Did you tell the new guys our plan?”
(Yes. They all say they'll pledge their lives in loyalty.)
The subordinate's voice was laced with anticipation and a hint of laughter.
Nobody raised one corner of his mouth and said.
“Cull them.”
The subordinate's radio wasn't connected to an earpiece.
Therefore, Nobody's voice was broadcast to the assembled men.
A slight murmur spread through the crowd, and Nobody threw the corpse he was holding off the side of the building.
Thud!
The body landed with a loud thud, and the faces of the new gang members hardened or twisted in bewilderment.
“I'll give you ten minutes. Anyone who fails to prove their worth by then will end up like that.”
The eyes of those who understood Nobody's words filled with killing intent, while confusion spread across the faces of those who didn't.
Soon after, a great commotion and screams erupted from below like lava.
Nobody averted his gaze from the gangsters who were now punching and kicking each other to prove their worth.
Soon, such confusion and chaos would swallow the entire city.
Chrrk!
Nobody pressed the button on his radio and spoke.
“Send out the ones who are ready.”
(Understood.)
Nobody looked up at the clock.
There wasn't much time left.
Would Kanghyeok be able to appear before him by then?
Sincerely hoping he would, Nobody smiled, his lips seeming to tear upward.
