Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: The Takeover of District 2
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A few hours earlier.
Potions had been distributed as far as District 1 of the Old Quarter, but the incidents that followed were quickly resolved.
Even the Villains who had become temporarily Awakened by the Potions were no match for the mechanical cranes clad in Mana Engineering and the neutralization patch guns.
As soon as Haon confirmed that this dimension's Bae Anjae had died of a Potion overdose, she had returned to her lab and modified the neutralization patches to counter the upgraded Potions.
With the sharpshooter Solmae leading the charge, joined by Chacha and the residents of District 1, they fought back with the patch guns, preventing other districts from daring to invade.
Thus, Haon left District 1 in their hands and headed to District 2 with Nova.
This chaotic moment was the perfect opportunity to check the underground passage in District 2.
“It's a pleasure to see you growing into a boss.”
Nova whispered with a smile as they reached District 2.
“Aren't I already the boss of District 1?”
“Of course. You're already *my* boss.”
Haon tilted her head at his cryptic smile, and Nova pointed somewhere.
“See that? A fight is unavoidable.”
At his fingertip, a group of District 2 gang members had gathered, glaring, with Potion bottles in hand.
“You must have heard the Potions are out. There's a limit to how much you can disrespect people. Who do you think you are, crawling in here?”
Pushing through them to the front was Checker, who had metal piercings on his nose and chin.
“...Wow.”
Haon was so surprised that she couldn't help but let out a sound of admiration.
*I thought he might have died fighting other Villains since I hadn't seen him in a while... Could he be an immortal Awakened?*
*Click. Clack.*
The sound of guns being loaded echoed from all around.
“Did you get a look last time and decide District 2 was worth robbing?”
Halla emerged from the darkness with heavy steps. One of her arms had already transformed into a bear's paw.
Haon carefully scanned her surroundings and realized they were surrounded.
“Halla. I don't want to fight. I'm here to check on something.”
“Is that what you said when you killed Cue?”
“That was an unavoidable—it happened because of the Potion.”
“Oh, my. How pitiful.”
Nova cut Haon off, sighing as if in sympathy.
Dozens of eyes shifted in unison to the other side of the street, where Nova was looking.
“...!”
Halla's subordinates, their expressions deflated, turned their attention back to the front, but a horrified Haon couldn't look away.
“Hurry up and get out!”
Children were piling out of a van that serviced the industrial district, heading into a shop for part-time work.
Even in this situation, with Potion-fueled Villains rampaging everywhere, children were being made to work.
“Darling. Those kids look hurt. I heard there was a big fight in the industrial district, even an explosion.”
Nova shook his head, his face a mask of pity.
Haon's hands trembled as a hot emotion boiled up from the pit of her stomach.
She remembered the children of District 1, giggling as they asked their crane teacher, Ruru, for help with problems they didn't understand.
“How are they any different from those kids...”
Haon muttered, her gaze fixed on Halla.
“Does seeing those children not bother you at all?”
“They needed work, so I gave them jobs. Is there a problem?”
At Halla's nonchalant reply, Haon gripped her phone tightly.
“You're the one who created a situation where even children need to work.”
“Someone has to constantly create jobs.”
“...”
“How dare you stick your nose in how I run my district?”
Thoroughly angered by Haon's meddling, Halla seemed to be irritated by everything.
Spotting the children loitering before entering the shop in the next building, Halla vented her frustration by yelling at them.
“What are you doing! If you have the energy to stand around gawking, get inside and sort some rocks!”
“S-sorry...!”
“Get lost!”
As if that wasn't enough, she shoved the shoulder of a child who was hesitating.
The child squeezed their eyes shut and stumbled, falling precariously close to the shards of a broken glass bottle.
“Don't do that! It's dangerous!”
As a stunned Haon screamed, Halla scoffed and raised her bear paw.
“This is what's dangerous.”
“...!”
The massive paw flew toward the child's face, which had gone white with fear.
*Crack!*
Feeling a dull impact, Halla's face contorted. Her claws had left long gashes not on the child, but on a section of asphalt that had suddenly jutted up from the road.
“Nova.”
Haon, who had raised a wall in front of the child, called out in a trembling voice. Nova helped the frozen child up and pushed them in the opposite direction.
“Go home if you don't want to see something ugly.”
The child, still pale as a sheet, scrambled away without a backward glance.
“I really didn't want to fight. This was never my intention.”
As Haon muttered weakly, Halla let out a sneer and casually raised her human hand.
Her subordinates' gun barrels turned toward Haon in unison, and a few people, including Checker, downed their Potions.
“What do you think the two of you can do?”
“Two of us? I have gang members, too.”
“W-what is that?”
Suddenly, one of the gang members pointed to the sky in shock.
A flock of mechanical cranes came soaring through the dark night sky.
[Hello? We are the Dudu, in charge of security for District 1.]
[We see you are in possession of firearms. Are they registered?]
[We have received multiple requests to install hammocks in the park. Do you prefer net hammocks or fabric hammocks?]
The Dudu, which had surrounded Haon and Nova in an instant, spread their wings, equipped with patch guns and sleep-dart guns, their eyes forming smiling crescents.
Haon's eyes blazed with a blue fire of rage.
* * *
Halla, a disheveled mess, collapsed to the ground and scrambled backward, shouting.
“Wait! This is cheating! Bringing those hunks of metal is cheating! How is this any different from hitting someone with a car!”
“Exploiting children is the real cheating!”
Haon, on the other hand, was only slightly disheveled, with a bit of dust on her clothes and a few strands of hair out of place.
Halla's subordinates were already strewn across the ground, and Nova was nonchalantly wiping a speck of blood from the end of his braided hair.
“It's over, Halla. Say you surrender, loud and clear, and hand over your spoils. I'll let you live.”
“How can I believe that! No former boss of the Old Quarter has ever survived!”
Just as Halla said, it was rumored that all former bosses who lost a turf war were killed.
A change in a district's boss was said to be synonymous with the death of the previous one.
Cue had also adopted the attitude that it was better to fight to the death as a district boss, since surrendering would only lead to death anyway.
But Haon truly had no intention of killing Halla. She didn't want to kill anyone.
She hadn't wanted to fight in the first place, nor had she any intention of expanding her territory.
As Haon pondered how to make Halla believe her, her eyes met Nova's, and a good idea suddenly struck her.
“I'll stake Nova on my promise not to pursue you after you leave District 2.”
“...!”
Halla was visibly shaken. To drive the point home, Haon added firmly.
“If I break my promise, I'll kill Nova with my own hands.”
Halla looked shocked, as if she never expected Haon to go that far.
Even if Dr. Eun Haon had lost her memories and separated from Nova, for her to stake his life or declare she would kill him herself seemed to shatter Halla's understanding of the world.
After some hesitation, Halla finally surrendered to Haon and handed over the spoils of District 2.
The jewel of District 2 was an ornamental musket inlaid with emeralds.
Haon addressed Halla's subordinates as they began to stir one by one.
“District 2 is mine now. From now on, if anyone in my district lays a hand on a child...”
She'd never made this kind of threat before. What could she say that would sound scary?
As she pondered, she noticed children pressed against a window, watching them.
Haon quickly thought of a threat that wouldn't frighten the children.
“If you lay a hand on a child, I'll make you develop an allergy to alcohol! I can really do it!”
She really could.
Fortunately, Halla's subordinates seemed to believe her. Their faces twisted as if they had heard something truly horrifying.
After that, as Halla requested, Haon didn't move from her spot until they had disappeared from District 2.
“Darling...”
Haon gasped and turned at the sound of Nova's low voice beside her.
“I-I have no intention of killing you, Nova, you know? Because I'm not going to break my promise to Halla.”
“At this rate, you might just stab me in the back.”
Nova smiled warmly, as if he found her endearing beyond words.
“That's not what I meant.”
Muttering, Haon gathered the Dudu and gave them instructions.
“Inform the residents of District 2 that I'll be matching their protection fees with District 1's, so they no longer have to make their children work. Also, contact Chacha and ask her to help sort things out in District 2.”
After giving a few more orders, Haon headed for the underground passage with Nova. Even though it was now her territory, she felt a sense of urgency.
And from a rooftop, River, who had been silently watching everything, manipulated her band and sent a message.
“The boss of District 2 has changed. The new boss is... Dr. Eun Haon.”