Bad Born Blood Chapter 286

Chapter 286

I looked at the mirror hanging on the wall.

‘Damn, what a rough and dreary face. Like soone who’s had the hardest life in the world.’

A stark and gloomy guy stood there. My eyes were sharp in a way that made it hard for anyone to find likable.

‘Still, the Empire’s prosthetic technology really is impressive. Everything’s so seamless.’

I pulled my lips apart with my fingers to check the state of my teeth.

The front tooth I had lost on Kashura’s spaceship had been replaced with the Empire’s artificial one. The sensation when chewing was vivid, no different from a real biological tooth.

Walking backward, I sat down on the dical chair, waiting for soone. My eyes scanned the room—gleaming white tal tiles covered the walls, tightly arranged. A sanitation asure.

Ssshhh.

The door opened, and a familiar man looked at before breaking into a grin.

“This is unbelievable! Lukaus Custoria! You actually made it back alive—truly astounding. My god, what in the world happened?”

Jin Gaw, the director, spoke in an exaggerated tone, his white coat fluttering as he strode toward . With his usual laid-back deanor, he casually inspected the devices monitoring .

I was undergoing a final check-up with Jin Gaw. He was undoubtedly the Empire’s greatest scholar—not only in biology but also in cybernetics and even matters related to the Arcane Civilization.

“It just ended up this way.”

I kept my response brief. Jin Gaw wasn’t the type to obsess over unnecessary details. His indifference was probably part of what had helped him survive so long in the Empire.

‘Jin Gaw might have his odd monts, but in the end, it’s all for the sake of his research.’

He had no interest in politics or power. As long as he received massive funding for his studies, that was enough for him. That was why the Imperial Court overlooked his many eccentricities.

“Never thought I’d see you again like this. You really can’t predict a damn thing in this world.”

Technically, this was our second eting.

I had once infiltrated the Deus Ex Machina organization in Border City. That was when I first ran into Jin Gaw. I had blown off his arm with an energy weapon back then.

But Jin Gaw still didn’t know that I was the one who had done it. There was no need to bring it up right now.

“I agree, it’s impossible to predict what’s ahead. I never imagined I’d be here either.”

“Alright, lie down for . By His Majesty’s command, I need to get you into optimal condition before sending you out. You know as well as anyone—it’s a trendous honor to have as both your physician and chanic.”

“Hmm, I’m so honored I might just pass out.”

I reclined diagonally on the dical chair.

“Hah! Who would’ve thought I’d be glad to hear your sarcasm? I must be quite fond of you.”

Jin Gaw began operating the dical equipnt.

Whirrr—

Devices descended from the ceiling, scanning with a grid-pattern laser. Then, an arch-shaped machine shot up from the floor, emitting a deafening noise as it swept over from head to toe.

Beep.

On the monitoring screen, the back of my neck lit up red. It was because of my neck brace.

“Hmm…”

Jin Gaw glanced at my neck brace but said nothing. Instead, he changed the subject.

“…You must have spent a long ti outside the Empire. The Bellato Federation, perhaps? No… this prosthetic follows the Tarfa species’ design. The component standards, the nanotechnology…”

“…It’s a custom prosthetic made by a Tarfa master craftsman. If possible, I’d prefer to keep using it with so repairs.”

I liked the prosthetic from Lapis Lazuli. As embarrassing as it was to admit, Lazuli-21 was a machine imbued with ‘care.’ In fact, it was a masterpiece.

Lazuli-21 excelled in ways that couldn’t simply be asured by specs or output. Simply put, it felt smooth and intuitive to use.

“The Empire’s engineering, though now on a different path, was once influenced by the Tarfa species. Even now, so Tarfa serve the Empire. This won’t be a problem. But what I’m more curious about is—who treated your brain?”

Jin Gaw adjusted his glasses, lost in thought. I, too, fell silent for a mont.

‘Lazarus, under NewGen.’

NewGen was a biotech corporation, and under its umbrella was Lazarus, a facility specializing in extre treatnts.

I debated whether to tell him or not.

“La…”

Before I could finish speaking, Jin Gaw snapped his fingers.

“Lazarus, wasn’t it?”

As expected, his knowledge was vast. He pondered briefly before continuing.

“At the ti, there were only two ways to treat you. Neither was possible within the Empire. As you know, the Empire doesn’t invest much in biological restoration or healing. It has no need to. We lag behind in that field.”

“Well, if treatnt had been available in the Empire, soone around would’ve managed to arrange it sohow.”

I shrugged.

“The first thod is through the Arcane Civilization and Force abilities. That field produces phenona that defy our understanding—miracles, even. If they had healed you, it wouldn’t be surprising. But that doesn’t seem to be the case…”

“The organization that treated was Lazarus.”

“Right. The Bellato Federation is actively integrating alien technology. An experintal treatnt facility like Lazarus, which adopts various new technologies, might have been capable of treating you. Though, the odds wouldn’t have been high. Either way, from the Empire’s perspective, it’s sothing to be wary of. But you sohow managed to receive treatnt. Hmm… I didn’t expect Lazarus’s technology to have advanced this much.”

“Judging by my condition at the ti, what do you estimate the success rate of Lazarus’s treatnt to have been?”

Jin Gaw hesitated before parting his lips.

“At best? Fifty percent. If I take a more conservative stance—thirty percent.”

I closed my eyes for a mont before opening them again. Another piece of the puzzle was falling into place.

“The more technology advances, the higher the success rate.”

“Especially for organizations like Lazarus. They don’t fear failure, so their progress is faster. At Lazarus, even for the sa incurable disease, the treatnt cost varies depending on the service level. Sotis, they even treat people for free. But if you pay less, you’re basically a test subject. Personally, I wouldn’t take their bargain-tier treatnt for anything.”

Jin Gaw chuckled to himself.

‘Giselle… must have put in cryogenic sleep to increase the success rate of my treatnt.’

She wouldn’t gamble on my life with such low odds.

‘Giselle and Barbara predicted that I wouldn’t be revived until ten years from now.’

Let’s calculate from the Storm Era. Giselle had planned to start my full treatnt more than twenty years later.

Twenty years is a long ti. What was impossible back then might beco possible in the future.

‘On the other hand, Kinuan took the gamble with low odds to wake up. He must have desperately wanted my treatnt to succeed.’

While I was lost in thought, Jin Gaw stroked his chin before clapping his hands.

Clap!

He grinned, rubbing his right shoulder.

“No wonder my right arm started aching the mont I saw you again after so long…”

Well, I figured Jin Gaw would notice. Even if he wasn’t particularly sensitive to other people, he wouldn’t forget the one who blew off his arm. Especially since my prosthetic design must have looked familiar to him.

“…I think it’s best if neither of us bring up that topic, Director. The more secrets you share in the Empire, the more dangerous things beco.”

Jin Gaw had realized that the mysterious assailant who appeared in Deus Ex Machina was . He simply smiled, amused.

“You’ve really grown up. I miss the pure-hearted version of you.”

“You miss it because it was easier to use and manipulate back then.”

I flicked my tongue, lacing my words with barbs.

“Haha, and that’s why adults are the worst. Alright, I’ve finished analyzing the design.”

Jin Gaw projected a hologram. A detailed display of my prosthetics and central nervous system appeared before us.

“Any issues?”

“No, I’m actually impressed by how seamlessly everything is connected. A factory-made prosthetic, no matter how high-end, will never surpass a craftsman’s work. I imagine there are monts when your limbs feel as light as feathers.”

“In that case, we’re done—”

Truthfully, I was impatient. I couldn’t afford to waste even a second. Right this mont, Kinuan was moving toward his goal.

“But your cybernetic nervous system is misaligned. We need to recalibrate and optimize it now. You must have felt your body growing sluggish. If I’m wrong, go ahead and stand up.”

…A professional was a professional. Without complaint, I waited.

Following Jin Gaw’s instructions, I moved my limbs while he conducted the assessnt.

“What about your current retinal display? Are you keeping it? I can replace it with an Imperial model.”

“I’d rather keep it for now.”

“A new model just ca out. The procedure won’t take more than five minutes. No matter what anyone says, you’re a forr Imperial soldier. This one will suit you better.”

Jin Gaw was unusually insistent. I studied him for a mont before giving a slight nod.

Ssshhk.

A faint electrical current surged through my eyes as he dissolved the existing display. The nanomachine-based system lted, running down my cheeks like tears.

Giiiiiik. Ssshhk.

Jin Gaw then placed a lens over my cornea. The foreign sensation faded almost instantly, and a ssage flickered before my eyes.

- Your neck brace transmits eavesdropped recordings at regular intervals. There’s also an explosive embedded. It’s probably a highly stable compound, but you’d best avoid any serious impact to your neck.

I blinked. Jin Gaw’s ssage vanished as if it had never existed. A few strands of data hovered in the corner of my interface before shutting off.

“Well, that’s it. You’re good to go.”

“…Thank you, Director.”

Jin Gaw stood up first and opened the door.

“Good luck, Luka. Hard to believe, but I’m actually quite fond of you.”

“I know. I’m quite fond of you too, Director.”

Jin Gaw sent off with a slightly deeper smile.

As I walked down the hallway, old mories surfaced. In the past, I had thought of Jin Gaw as an extraordinary person. Well, he was extraordinary.

‘But he’s not an extraordinary monster.’

I understood now.

Jin Gaw was an eccentric, but he was still human. In fact, he was as close to an ordinary person as one could get. If soone who had lived for over a century still had a personality like his, I’d call that normal.

‘A man who only offers kindness within the limits of what he can handle. A man who sotis harms others while pursuing his own interests to survive…’

At his core, Jin Gaw was just an average human being—no different from countless others.

Survival or otherwise, we all wear masks. We try to appear greater than we are, and sotis, we pretend to be weak. And then there are those who wear monstrous masks to make themselves seem more terrifying.

But in the end, beneath the mask, everyone was just human.

The only one who remained a monster even after taking off his mask was Mushir al-Kashura.

Now, I intended to remove Kinuan’s mask. Because I believed that, underneath it, he was still human.