Bad Born Blood Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The climate of the Accretia Empire was desolate. It didn’t rain often.

I looked out the window from Gilda’s repair shop. Murky rainwater was tapping against the windowpane.

Swaaaaaaa.

Occasionally, rain poured down like this. It wasn’t pleasant weather. When the rain dried, dark, grimy stains remained like mold. The rain was toxic, mixed with impurities to that extent.

“When it rains, my prosthetics ache for no reason.”

Gabriel grumbled while sitting in the repair chair. It wasn’t just a feeling. The rain in the capital, Akbaran, carried a lukewarm warmth. It negatively affected machines and prosthetics.

Machinery and prosthetics with inadequate waterproofing would break down if exposed to rain for long periods. Indeed, after rainfall, noticeably more people visited the repair shop.

“Gabriel, it’s been a long ti since your last waterproofing, hasn’t it?”

Wearing her work clothes, Gilda spoke as she repaired Gabriel’s prosthetics. Gabriel’s limbs were wide open, clearly revealing their internal components.

eting after such a long ti, Gilda welcod warmly as if seeing a real brother. I had almost forgotten her face as well.

Right, let recall Gilda once more. She was the woman I rescued from that gang’s office. She had endured miserable months, confined by those lowlifes. Perhaps due to her bright and resilient personality, she overca it and was now running this repair shop well.

“Waterproofing? My limbs are models that already have waterproof features. Do I really need to spend more money for extra waterproofing?”

Upon hearing that, Gilda slapped Gabriel’s chest.

“Of course, everything has waterproofing. The issue is the grade. And no matter how carefully the manufacturer makes it, impurities get in over ti. Especially when exposed to Akbaran’s rain. At least once every half-year, it’s better to redo the waterproofing. Unless you want to get into debt later due to repair fees.”

“But it’s expensive. I’ve never had issues without it.”

“It doesn’t break down overnight. But if you don’t maintain it properly, the function gradually deteriorates.”

“It’s natural for performance to drop with age.”

“It’s not natural; it’s a matter of maintenance. With proper care, even after ten years, it can stay good as new!”

Gilda slapped Gabriel’s chest once more.

Listening to their conversation, I took out my credit chip and tossed it onto the table.

“Use this to overhaul Gabriel’s prosthetics. Include additional waterproofing as well.”

“Oh my, Luka, you really understand.”

Gilda laughed while carefully pocketing the credit chip. Even though I was her savior, she still charged without fail. Rather than being resentful, I found her determined attitude quite pleasant.

“Luka, this woman just scamd you! You could’ve upgraded with that money instead—”

“Quiet, idiot. If you don’t know better, leave it to an expert.”

It wasn’t as if I couldn’t understand Gabriel’s feelings.

In the lower districts, blindly trusting a chanic’s words could easily cost you your entire household savings. If they spotted weakness, they’d inflate the fees by piling on unnecessary repairs and options.

But Gilda wouldn’t overcharge Gabriel or . If she did, it would be her limbs that ended up broken by my hands.

Crunch.

I bit into a cookie that Gilda had placed out.

“Tasty, right? I baked them myself. Even though I used an industrial oven, eating them won’t kill you.”

Gilda watched with a pleased expression, as if looking at a child. Still, the cookie itself was innocent and tasty. Feeling childish wasn’t a good enough reason to avoid it.

“Give one of those cookies too.”

Gabriel opened his mouth wide. Both his arms were still under repair.

“Gabi, you’re a grown-up.”

Gilda called Gabriel by his nickna. It took remarkable courage to call that fearso slab of muscle ‘Gabi.’

“Adult or not, I know how to eat cookies.”

I flicked a cookie with my finger, tossing it into Gabriel’s mouth. He caught it with his broad mouth and chewed roughly.

Beep.

I drank so milk and wiped my mouth. A ssage arrived on my terminal.

Tap.

I tapped my terminal, projecting a hologram. Information sent by Aleph appeared. He must have been quite thorough, as I had to swipe the hologram four tis just to see it all.

‘Forr arena manager, Tora.’

This was the information about Tora I had been seeking.

The underground market’s arena was a business involving huge profits. To beco the arena manager, maintaining good relations with other gangs was essential. Amateur skills wouldn’t suffice.

‘After Aleph took over the arena, all of Tora’s close associates were eliminated.’

A complete overhaul had occurred. I looked for survivors among Tora’s inner circle, but Aleph had cleaned up so thoroughly that most were either dead or missing.

...There was one person still alive—but the issue was that he was in a psychiatric hospital.

It seed Aleph had tortured that man to uncover the location of Tora’s vault. Since his life was disposable anyway, Aleph probably showed no rcy.

‘Would he still be capable of conversation?’

I didn’t have high expectations, but it was worth making contact.

“Gilda, can you finish within an hour?”

Without even turning around from her work, Gilda simply raised her thumb. She really was a reliable woman.

* * *

Kwaaang!

An explosion erupted, flipping the taxi upside down. This wasn’t the ti to speak about it as if it were soone else’s problem, because—I was inside it! We were being attacked.

In my eyes, the taxi was slowly spinning. Objects inside the taxi floated in midair, scattering irregularly.

The driver in the front seat was bleeding from his head. He had his eyes tightly shut from the impact. I glanced sideways. Gabriel had slamd his head into the ceiling of the taxi, grimacing.

...Let’s calmly arrange and summarize the current situation.

Gabriel and I had been heading to the psychiatric hospital where Tora’s associate was hospitalized. No need to explain the hospital’s na.

It was a bit too far to walk, and because it was raining, I had called a taxi. A four-seater hover vehicle arrived to pick us up. In the lower districts, taxis were quite a premium service.

It was when the taxi was passing through an abandoned developnt zone. Construction had stopped there over four years ago, and now it was a refuge for vagrants.

‘Grenade.’

At that mont, a grenade flew up from the ground. Even I couldn’t block sothing like that while airborne. I quickly reached forward and manipulated the controls from the passenger seat, but couldn’t entirely avoid the explosion.

Anyway, after all that, the taxi was now plunging downward. Regaining his senses, the driver shouted at us.

“P-passengers! Don’t worry! Our company has a contract with a security firm! A rescue team will arrive within three minutes!”

Even as we fell, the driver tried to reassure us. That kind of professionalism was rare in the lower districts. I liked it—I’d definitely give him a full-star rating.

Kuuung!

The taxi crashed. Airbags inflated everywhere inside, dampening the impact.

“Ugh, my gunshot wound hasn’t even healed yet, you bastards!”

Gabriel, crushed beneath the airbags, yelled loudly.

“Gabriel, you’re not hiding sothing from , are you?”

As I said that, I checked our surroundings. The airbags were deflating. Extending my leg, I kicked open the taxi’s door. The tal door flew about twenty ters away.

“Why the hell would I hide anything!”

Gabriel said as he stepped out after .

“This attack was probably aid at you.”

“Not aid at you?”

“The guy who fired that grenade was dressed like a gangster. Couldn’t this be related to the bullets you took recently?”

“You noticed that amidst the chaos? But really, nothing cos to mind. Have I lived so badly to deserve a grudge like this?”

It seed Gabriel didn’t know either. Anyway, if Gabriel had lied, I would’ve noticed imdiately. He wasn’t exactly skilled at lying.

Drip, drip.

I heard raindrops hitting my shoulders. So much for taking a taxi—we ended up drenched again.

“Gabriel, got an extra gun?”

“Huh? You have your own.”

“My gun isn’t made for capturing targets alive.”

“How powerful can a handgun even get?”

Without responding, I just flicked my finger repeatedly, gesturing for a gun. My pistol could blow Gabriel’s head off without leaving a trace.

Gabriel grumbled, then reluctantly handed over a pistol. I grabbed it and checked its model.

It was a Kaetana-manufactured automatic pistol, the Kaze-48. Though lacking in firepower, it had excellent accuracy. It was highly reliable, rarely malfunctioning, and thus commonly used by civilians for self-defense.

“Hey! Gabriel! So you ended up siding with Aleph after all? Ignoring our warnings?”

Gangsters shouted from behind the steel pillars. They were after Gabriel, as expected.

“I never sided with Aleph!”

“We know you went to Aleph’s office right after getting shot! You think we’re fucking idiots?”

“That was—dammit, seriously...”

Veins bulged visibly on Gabriel’s flushed face. It was hard to explain clearly in a situation like this.

The gangsters misunderstood. Part of this was my fault, as I’d brought Gabriel along. From their perspective, it appeared as if Gabriel, after being shot, had aligned himself with Aleph for protection.

“Whether I sided with Aleph or not, what’s it got to do with you guys!”

Gabriel shouted out of anger.

“You chose the wrong side, Gabriel! Big Sis sends her regards.”

“Big Sis? Don’t tell ...”

Only then did Gabriel seem to realize sothing, frowning as he thought. But now wasn’t the ti for thinking.

A gangster erged from behind a steel beam, aiming his grenade launcher. Dodging wouldn’t be hard, but then the taxi would explode. And that would certainly kill the driver.

I liked the taxi driver’s professionalism. The lower districts needed more people like him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I fired several shots from the pistol to check the grouping. The bullets veered toward the upper left.

“Ha! Your aim sucks!”

The gangster holding the grenade launcher mocked . Laugh while you can—I’ll tear your mouth open soon enough.

After adjusting my aim, I steadied my breath. My concentration sharpened. My shoulder and elbow stiffened, locking into position like a mounted turret.

Thunk!

The grenade launcher fired.

I shifted only my upper body, adjusting my aim. Shooting wasn’t exactly my specialty, but compared to these gangsters, I might as well be an elite marksman.

Kwa-aang!

As I pulled the trigger, the incoming grenade exploded mid-air. Neither Gabriel nor the gangsters understood what had just happened.

“A dud?”

Dud, my ass. I pulled the trigger again.

“Argh! Kuh!”

With each shot I fired, crunching sounds erupted from the gangsters’ knees and elbows. Like puppets with their strings cut, they dropped their weapons and collapsed helplessly.

My shoulder and elbow didn’t even tremble. A pistol of this caliber couldn’t shake . I repeated my precise shots.

“Aaaugh, ughhh!”

“What the hell is that guy!”

“Gabriel! Who the hell are you hanging around with!”

The seven gangsters scread. With their limbs shattered, none could move.

I tossed the pistol back to Gabriel and walked toward the taxi.

“It’s been more than three minutes. You should cancel your contract with that security company.”

“Th-thank you, s-sir. A-another driver will arrive shortly.”

While I spoke with the taxi driver, Gabriel rushed over to the fallen gangsters.

“I said I never sided with Aleph! Why won’t you believe !”

Gabriel grabbed one gangster by the collar and lifted him up.

“Big Sis is seriously pissed! I-I had no choice either!”

“Big Sis? You an Martina from La Vie en Rose? Just because I refused to join the gang? You targeted for sothing that trivial?”

The gangster’s eyes widened, and his face twisted viciously.

“Trivial? Are you fucking stupid?”

“What? Stupid? You want to die? Want to put an extra hole in your stomach?”

Gabriel pressed the gun barrel against the gangster’s belly button.

“Bi-Big Sis really likes you! That’s why she asked you to live with her!”

“Wh-what? Wasn’t she just asking to be her personal bodyguard?”

“It’s the sa thing, you idiot! You say you hate being tied down, but then you run straight into Aleph’s arms right after getting shot—how could Big Sis not be pissed?”

Gabriel tilted his head slightly and answered stupidly.

“Huh?”

Irritated, the gangster shouted back.

“You bastard who hates being tied down—of course Big Sis would be pissed if you run straight to Aleph right after getting shot, wouldn’t she?”

Gabriel tilted his head slightly and responded dumbly.

“I guess?”

“Big Sis likes you enough to set up a whole ‘hurt then heal’ scenario, and yet you...... Urgh!”

Listening from behind, I approached the gangster. On closer inspection, they all had rose tattoos on their shoulders or wrists—the symbol of the La Vie en Rose gang.

“Tell Martina that Gabriel will visit her soon.”

“Hey, Luka. Who said you could decide that?”

“It’ll be annoying if they keep attacking. I don’t know much, but I’ve heard a woman’s grudge can sotis outlast a man’s.”

I heard this saying from Ilay.

On closer look, the gangsters had rose tattoos on their shoulders or wrists, the symbol of the La Vie en Rose gang.

‘She fell for Gabriel?’

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about what kind of woman she was.