Bad Born Blood Chapter 163

Chapter 163

I rested in my room while reviewing the investigation records of the ’previous detectives.’

It was no exaggeration to say that my predecessors were also Akies Victima users. They tracked Kinuan by linking elents that ordinary people would have overlooked.

Kinuan hid himself through contradictions. He deliberately chose actions that others would never take.

’There’s absolutely no way.’

The mont you think that, you lose track of Kinuan. Logical reasoning ard with rationality could never find him.

Intentional irrationality and illogic were Kinuan’s weapons. He never moved in a way that others could predict.

’Irrationality and illogic.’

I didn’t have to look far. It was for this exact reason that I had been able to corner the emperor.

’It’s ridiculous. Because we possess higher cognition and advanced reasoning abilities, we don’t actually need intricate logic or ticulous plans.’

In situations where the facts were clear and the benefits obvious, ordinary people and Akies Victima users made the sa judgnt.

However, when the facts were unclear and the benefits uncertain, the judgnts of Akies Victima users diverged completely from those of ordinary people.

Even Akies Victima users themselves did not act with the expectation of perfectly predicting an outco. They simply knew that the more ’variables and chaos’ there were, the greater their advantage—so they accelerated it recklessly.

So if the current situation was not in my favor, I just had to make it more chaotic. Just as I had done during the storm.

...Now I understand.

This was the reason Kinuan personally eliminated the assassins targeting Francec.

’He just wanted to inject greater chaos into Akbaran. The more unpredictable the disorder, the more choices he had, and the stronger his influence beca. It’s the behavior of a chaos incarnate.’

And in the end, Kinuan must have chosen the option that benefited him the most.

A throbbing sensation spread through my brow and the bridge of my nose, as if blood had surged to my head. That was enough for today.

Clink.

I reached out and picked up the thermos filled with tea. The tasteless liquid inside swayed. Tea was incredibly expensive, but it was one of the items handled by Jafa Trading Company.

Slurp.

I closed my eyes and took a sip. At that mont, my overheated nervous system quickly began to settle.

Tea contained ingredients known for their calming effects on the nervous system. But in reality, its physiological impact was minimal.

The sense of stability I felt ca from a psychological chanism.

’A thought-stopping routine.’

The more proficient one beca with Akies Victima, the harder it was to consciously stop thinking. When faced with a difficult problem, halting one’s thoughts beca nearly impossible. The mind would keep working until the issue was resolved, leading to exhaustion. Only when completely drained of energy could one finally stop.

If I kept overworking my brain like that, I’d go insane. I had experienced it firsthand during the storm.

’Kinuan frequently drank tea too... It must have been a routine to stop his thoughts.’

I was following Kinuan’s example. Tranquilizers would be the most effective, but if I took drugs every ti I needed to stop thinking, the side effects would be unbearable.

Drinking tea with mild sedative properties was a way of sending a signal to the brain. A ssage that it was ti to rest. Fortunately, my brain understood my intent.

’I’m still learning from Kinuan.’

A chuckle escaped , triggered by an old mory. I suddenly recalled the initiation requirent for Akies Victima.

’Steal to learn.’

There had been a reason Kinuan always offered tea whenever I visited.

’Regardless of his intentions, he really did teach well.’

For a week, I didn’t push myself too hard. No one understood my unstable condition better than I did.

I rested, reviewed my predecessors’ records, and absorbed information about Border City. I also kept myself updated on the Empire’s movents and any news I could access.

Then, I visited Lapis to have my new prosthetic checked.

In the corner of the machine maintenance room sat an old, worn-out monitor. Lapis always had the television on while working. Border City had hundreds of broadcast channels.

—Snake, snake, snake! Healthy and delicious snake at! So tasty! Snake, snake, snake! Raised in sterile farms! Even the skin is fried into snacks! Did you know? I like n who are like snakes! La-la-la-lalala!

I frowned while sitting in the maintenance chair. An advertisent was playing on the monitor.

A human woman, barely covered with snake leather in critical areas, was dancing and singing. To soone from the Empire, Border City’s broadcasts were unbearably unrestrained.

To put it bluntly, every channel felt like a brothel advertisent. The lack of regulations was painfully obvious.

"La-la-lala, snake, snake, snake..."

Lapis humd the tune while inspecting my prosthetic. Tarfa’s physique, when compared to a human, was childlike, making her about the sa height as while I was seated.

"That song is driving insane. Turn off the broadcast."

"You’ll get used to it whether you like it or not. Anguis Regina is the hottest singer in Border City right now. Jafa Trading Company raised her as their top idol..."

Lapis chattered on endlessly, sounding like a devoted fan of Anguis Regina.

“What about the retinal display?”

I cut her off. Lapis grabbed a tal case from the table.

“I ordered a combat-grade model, as you requested. But it won’t be as responsive as cybernetic eyes.”

She took out an ampoule filled with a nanomachine solution. Nanomachine procedures were notoriously expensive.

Drip, drip.

Lapis dropped three droplets of the liquid into each of my eyes. As it spread thinly across my corneas, a faint crackling sound followed.

I blinked a few tis. My vision distorted with light refractions.

“Hmm, looks like it’s settling in well. Now for the chip. It might sting a little.”

Holding an injector, Lapis lifted the hair at my right temple.

Pfft!

A thin chip slid beneath my skin. It was a subdermal implant that would control the retinal display.

Ssshh...

As the chip connected with the nanomachines, the distortion in my vision vanished. Soon, a virtual interface flooded into view.

It was a familiar sight in many ways.

“How do I remove it?”

“You’re asking about removal the mont the procedure’s done? That’s a little hurtful.”

“If I get hacked, I’ll lose control of my vision. I can’t just blindly trust it.”

Unlike cybernetic prosthetics, chips were vulnerable to hacking. They didn’t receive direct signals from the brain or function under its control. Unless it was a fully isolated, offline device, the risk of hacking was always present.

“If you destroy the control chip in your temple, the whole system will detach.”

My pupils must have been darting around rapidly. There was a lot of information to check. The synchronization between my retinal display system and my belongings was nearly complete.

The auto-tracking pistol and terminal, which took longer to sync, were finally finishing up.

Beep.

A ssage popped up in the corner of my vision. It was a call from Jafa.

* * *

I headed to Jafa’s office at the top of the building.

Jafa stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing down at Border City. His silhouette seed gloomier than usual.

“I have a job for you, Luka.”

“I thought I was only supposed to be looking for Kinuan?”

I slumped onto the sofa as I replied.

On the table, a basket of candy sat overflowing with *Deadly Poison Flavor* sweets. The label claid a 1 in 1,000 chance of fatality.

I couldn’t help but wonder what they tasted like. As much as I hated to admit it, Jafa Trading Company’s products had a way of provoking curiosity and the urge to take risks.

If I were ten years younger, I probably would have lost my mind over them.

“It’s a search job. Difficult for others, but for you, it should be as easy as a stroll. It’ll help with your rehabilitation too.”

Jafa slowly turned to face . With the backlight casting shadows over his face, his expression was obscured.

“If you’re assigning a task outside our contract, there should be compensation.”

“You’re surprisingly stingy. Considering how much you’ve taken from ... Hohoho... For the record, it’s extrely rare for a Tajirun to call soone stingy.”

Hearing that pricked at my conscience a little. Finding Kinuan was proving to be a difficult task, but Jafa’s material support had been substantial as well.

“You already know I’m not after material support.”

I braced myself as I watched Jafa’s tongue. He always flicked it out three tis before saying sothing important. *Flick, flick, flick.*

“At the ti of Giselle Custoria’s disappearance... there was a security chief by her side. That person is still in Border City.”

Good. I had prepared myself for this.

I nearly flipped the place over, shouting, *’You really kept that hidden all this ti?!’*

But, of course, Jafa had never ntioned it. Information was a valuable bargaining chip, a ans to keep tethered.

There was no reason to be angry. Jafa was a rchant, and our relationship was purely transactional. In fact, I was the one benefiting the most from this trade.

‘Stay rational. Stay rational.’

I took a slow breath and interlocked my fingers.

“You must have been close with your stepsister.”

Jafa picked up on the shift in my emotions.

“We went to school together. There was this guy who kept harassing Giselle, so I put him in his place. We beca friends after that.”

...That was *mostly* true.

“Anyway, if you do this job for , I’ll tell you where the security chief is.”

It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Jafa was a seasoned businessman.

* * *

Even in Border City, there were exclusive residential areas for the wealthy. The place I had just arrived at was one of them.

A high-end 21-story mansion, with tight security starting from the ground floor. Heavily ard guards in full-body combat suits patrolled the premises. It felt more like a military base than a residential building.

As I approached the entrance, one of the guards silently stared at .

“This is a pass endorsed by Jafa Trading Company.”

I held out a liquid-crystal access card, security codes flowing across its surface like water. Jafa had issued it to in advance—he was one of the investors in this luxury mansion.

While my pass was being checked, a commotion broke out.

“I-I-I-I’M! ANGUIS’S BOYFRIEND! ASK HER! JUST ASK HER! ANGUIS, I’M HERE! ANGUISSSSSSSS!”

I turned around. Several guards erged and imdiately started beating the screaming human man with tal batons. The sound of bones breaking echoed through the air.

“He’s gonna die at this rate.”

I muttered, and the guard in front of chuckled.

“He’ll be back once he heals. If we just let him go, he’d show up every day. He’s not the only one. Half of our security work is dealing with Anguis Regina’s stalkers.”

“She’s *that* popular?”

When I asked, the guard looked visibly shocked, even through his helt.

“Did you just ask about Anguis Regina’s popularity? You’re definitely not from Border City. Snake, snake...”

“No singing, please. What is this, so kind of mass hypnosis...?”

Grumbling, I walked past the guard. Then, I hit a temporary roadblock.

The 21-story mansion had *twenty elevators*. One for each floor. If this wasn’t the peak of financial absurdity, I didn’t know what was.

*Hiss.*

I stepped into the elevator leading to the 19th floor. The interior was the size of a small room.

As expected of a private elevator, it was packed with personal belongings. Shelves displayed vibrant accessories and costics, while one entire wall functioned as a built-in wardrobe.

*Vrrr.*

As the elevator doors closed, I found myself surrounded by *countless* photos of Anguis Regina. She was Jafa Trading Company’s exclusive idol—the very sa singer responsible for that song I found unbearably irritating...

...And the very person I had been tasked to find.

‘Anguis Regina was missing.’

The tifra? Either yesterday or the day before.