Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Surrender
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“Aaaargh!”
Rusty, having dropped the gun, screamed as he clutched his hand.
The stone that had pierced his hand fell to his feet with a thud.
Haon stared blankly at Rusty's hand, dripping with blood, before lifting her head.
A man, beautiful and melancholic, was standing there.
“Nova?”
“Sorry about the blood. I was too far to run over and block it.”
Nova helped Haon to her feet, then with a bright smile, he firmly stepped on Rusty's back.
“Ugh! Nova! Stop!”
In agony, his bones and organs feeling crushed, Rusty flailed and clawed at the ground. The polite speech he always used had vanished.
“What will it take for me to stop?”
“I surrender! Nova! I'll surrender!”
“I like that you're a quick learner.”
Nova, still smiling, lifted his foot.
“Now, will you get lost?”
Coughing violently, Rusty fled, clutching his bleeding hand.
Stunned by the rapid series of events, Haon snapped back to her senses and retrieved her phone.
“Blue. Find Bae Anjae.”
[Scanning the vicinity. No Mana Engineers detected other than Haon.]
“He disappeared that quickly?”
But he probably hadn't gone completely into hiding again.
Haon rubbed her tingling wrist.
To hide, breach her mana shield, and attack... This was tantamount to Bae Anjae declaring his return.
Just as she was thinking she needed to check the underground passages of District 2, Nova approached.
“It's good to see you alive and moving.”
His gaze moved from her head to her toes, as if checking her over. Haon, too, was busy studying his complexion.
“Nova. I was worried when you suddenly disappeared.”
“I thought you would be. You're that kind of person.”
Glancing at Nova's expression, which seemed both relieved and pained, Haon hesitated before asking.
“Was I cruel to you, Nova?”
“...”
His brilliant, beautiful eyes narrowed, forming a smile different from any before.
“You were terribly cruel.”
“Ah...”
As Haon stood awkwardly, wondering if she should apologize, the residents of District 4, who had poked their heads out their windows, began to murmur.
“Did Rusty surrender to Nova?”
“Then the new owner of District 4 is...”
“Nova?”
Hearing this, Haon also thought, 'Oh, is that right?'
But then, Nova suddenly knelt before Haon.
“N-Nova. What are you doing?”
“I surrender.”
“What?”
“I surrender too. Eun Haon. You've won.”
In place of a white flag, the hem of his pure white clothes fluttered. It was the armor Haon had made for him.
“I can't help it, even if you were cruel. Perhaps it was a fight I could never win.”
“What are you...”
As Haon stood frozen with a bewildered look, he opened a box and held it out to her.
“This is yours. My boss.”
Inside was an ornate hair ornament studded with rubies. It was the spoils of District 4.
* * *
Old Town, District 5.
“This is crazy! We have to join forces!”
Having heard the news from District 4, Two-Shot had immediately gone to see Weaver.
“Eun Haon is planning to take over the entire Old Town! We don't know which of us will be next!”
While Two-Shot paced around Weaver's office, fuming, Weaver remained seated at ease.
Even with her entire face covered in a skull tattoo, Weaver exuded an undeniable elegance.
“Well. I don't think she'll touch District 5, for now.”
“How can you be so sure! And if she doesn't touch District 5, are you saying you don't care if Eun Haon takes District 3?”
Two-Shot found Weaver's relaxed demeanor highly suspicious.
Although Weaver tended to manage District 5 more secretively than the other bosses, she had always been cooperative when it was time to join forces.
But now that Eun Haon had already taken three districts...
“Don't tell me you've already joined hands with Eun Haon?”
As Two-Shot glared at her menacingly, Weaver gestured for him to sit, as if tired.
“Calm down. There's a reason Eun Haon chose to take Districts 2 and 4.”
“Wh-what is it?”
At her words, Two-Shot quickly pulled up a chair and sat before Weaver, only to look dumbfounded by her reply.
“It's probably because they messed with the kids.”
“What does that have to do with anything? Eun Haon hates kids. Have you forgotten?”
“The Eun Haon of today is a little... no, a lot different from the old one.”
“Still. You're saying as long as we don't mess with kids, we'll be fine?”
Two-Shot looked unconvinced by Weaver's words, but she didn't bother trying to persuade him further.
After all, Two-Shot, like her, didn't want to exploit child labor either.
It wasn't a matter of compassion or ethics. It was a matter of efficiency.
'The easiest way to collect protection money is to have the residents living reasonably well and healthy. How foolish.'
Weaver was the boss who had held her position the longest in the Old Town.
The residents of District 5 also considered Weaver, who always gave them breathing room, to be better than the other district bosses.
That was, until Eun Haon completely overhauled District 1.
'It'll be hard for her to manage all three districts properly, so should I wait for one of them to collapse? Or should I ride the wave and help change the atmosphere of the Old Town?'
The Old Town was a place entangled in complex circumstances.
Simply repairing the roads and cleaning them up doesn't necessarily enrich people's lives.
Weaver didn't know when Eun Haon would notice that, or how she would solve the new problems, but she felt this wasn't the time for blind opposition.
“Bullets don't work, knives don't work, so what are we supposed to do... Should we use poison?”
That's why Two-Shot's nonsense was simply laughable to her.
“Potions don't work on her, so you think poison will? Let's just watch the situation for now.”
“What the hell makes you so relaxed!”
Unable to overcome his anxiety, Two-Shot stood and slammed his fist on the desk, the impact causing a vase to topple to the floor.
Crash! Shards of porcelain and water splashed up to Weaver's ankles. The scattered flowers were a tragic sight.
Two-Shot flinched back, a look of clear panic on his face.
Weaver simply stared at Two-Shot without moving, but a murderous pressure enveloped his entire body.
“I-I didn't do it on...”
He broke into a cold sweat and averted his gaze.
'Creepy woman. Her whole face is covered in that skull tattoo, so I can't even read her expression.'
Weaver had always been the most difficult of the bosses to deal with. Even Rusty, the oldest and most experienced, wasn't this bad.
It was fine when he was with the other bosses, but whenever he met her alone, he felt like a subordinate, and it twisted his insides.
Normally, he could have gotten away with a smooth apology, but with Eun Haon rapidly conquering the Old Town, Two-Shot felt the need to establish his own standing.
Among the three remaining bosses of the Old Town, he didn't want to be in a position where he had to beg anyone for anything.
'Dammit. I'm an Awakened too. I'm the boss of a district!'
He turned his averted eyes back to Weaver, glaring fiercely.
At his attitude, Weaver seemed to have lost any intention of letting it slide and quietly rose from her seat.
The atmosphere was thick with tension, as if bullets and daggers could fly at any moment.
Knock, knock.
The sudden sound of knocking cracked the frigid atmosphere.
Both of their gazes turned to the door, and before Weaver could speak, it opened.
“Do you perhaps need some help? I think I can be of assistance.”
A man wearing Rusty's fedora strode in.
“I said not to let anyone in.”
Weaver said warningly, rolling a dagger in her hand.
Weaver's mark was already on the man's head. Now, no matter where Weaver threw her dagger, it would fall toward the man's head.
Two-Shot was also aiming a loaded gun at the man, but he paid them no mind and continued speaking.
“I wonder if you've heard the news that a new Hero Headquarters is being established in District 2.”
At the shocking words, Weaver's eyes narrowed, and Two-Shot was horrified.
“That crazy bitch...!”
This was a more serious problem than a turf war. What kind of gang would let Heroes set up shop in their territory?
“So. Feeling more inclined to talk now?”
The man smirked, took off the fedora, and tossed it to the floor. The face of Bae Anjae was revealed.
* * *
Just as in District 1 of the Old Town, the residents of Districts 2 and 4 quickly adapted to the new gang and its boss.
Not only did children no longer have to work in dangerous places, but illegally manufactured or unlicensed alcohol and tobacco also vanished.
The mechanical cranes, a far cry from a typical gang, were much loved by the residents.
There were some residents who hated Eun Haon, but they couldn't deny that she had made it incomparably easier to make a living compared to the previous boss.
For most, it was a change they desperately needed.
Meanwhile, the changes weren't just happening in the Old Town.
Haon had grown used to meeting with Hunter about the Hero Headquarters being established in District 2, but she found it incredibly difficult to adapt to Juyeol's sudden change in attitude.
“J-Juyeol. This is so embarrassing...!”
Haon covered her blushing face with both hands.