Bad Born Blood Chapter 85

Chapter 85

A massive boulder jutted out like a rocky mountain.

Beneath it, two Arachne units lay wrecked and entangled. One belonged to Giselle, the other to Enrico.

Judging by the impact, the legs of the Arachnes were twisted and bent at odd angles, scattered haphazardly.

“Descending. One, two......”

Before the rescue team even landed, they jumped down. Sliding down ropes with ease, the first thing they did was check on Giselle and Enrico’s condition.

I grabbed a rope with one hand, sliding down and setting foot on the ground.

Ilay refused the paradics’ examination. Dusting off his palms and clothes, he walked toward . Looking closely, faint traces of battle remained on his body. Others would assu they were just signs of an accident.

As Ilay approached, he explained the situation.

“Our Arachnes suddenly lost control and flipped over on their own. The mont a blind spot was created as we tumbled beneath the rocks, they attacked . I got hit by three or four shock tranquilizer rounds—I nearly died.”

Despite his words, Ilay wore a relaxed smile. He forcibly pulled the tranquilizer darts from his arms and legs, then stuffed them into his pocket. He must have taken the shots while shielding Giselle.

Our high-performance combat prosthetics wouldn’t be neutralized by just one or two shock tranquilizer rounds to the limbs. At most, they would cause so sluggishness. For real effectiveness, they had to hit the central nervous system.

A sudden accident, being unard, prosthetics dulled by shock tranquilizers.

Ilay must have had a tough ti.

‘Bringing Ilay was the right call. If soone else had witnessed the fight, covering it up would’ve been a hassle.’

Giselle and I were on an unofficial private mission. What happened here had to be passed off as a simple accident.

We swiftly disguised the attack as a mishap. Ilay, quick to catch on, coordinated with us, hiding and disposing of the evidence.

The only ones left were Enrico Lagan and Barbara, who was disguised as Nedder Along. Both lay unconscious in a corner. Ilay’s precision was impressive.

“I didn’t kill them. Giselle told to take them alive. Not killing them made things a lot harder.”

Ilay gestured toward Nedder Along with a nod.

“Ilay, head to the rest stop building. The Empire’s wanted fugitive ‘Barbara’ is there. Use the Imperial Guard’s authority to confirm her identity and bring her here. I’ll explain later.”

To be precise, it was Nedder Along trapped in Barbara’s body.

A high-ranking executive from Autonovus even arrived at the scene of the accident. The mont he stepped out of his aerial vehicle, he rushed over, wiping away cold sweat in a panic.

“I-I sincerely apologize! We’ll find out exactly what went wrong and hold the responsible party accountable imdiately......”

He repeatedly bowed in apology, which made feel a little guilty.

There had likely been nothing wrong with the Arachne units. Barbara must have manipulated them by so ans to cause the accident. Thanks to her little stunt, several people were about to lose their jobs.

The paradics were approaching to transport Enrico Lagan and Nedder Along.

“Ah, wait a mont. We’ll take custody of Enrico Lagan and his bodyguard.”

Ilay stepped in, stopping the paradics as they unfolded a stretcher. They looked at him in confusion.

“Our dical team should at least—”

“It was your company’s mistake that led to this accident in the first place. I’d be uneasy entrusting them to you as things stand. Or do you have so other motive? I’ve heard rumors about groups across the Empire that specifically target nobles for abduction.”

Ilay’s tone turned icy toward the end.

“We are certified dical professionals under Autonovus. We’ll conduct a thorough examination first, then hand them over to you.”

The man who seed to be the lead paradic refused to back down easily. Ilay’s expression hardened even more.

Just as the situation was about to escalate, the high-ranking executive rushed back over to intervene.

“W-wait! Do as they ask. You can still perform a basic examination here, can’t you? They just seem to be unconscious, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.”

“But if sothing happens later......”

The lead paradic continued to argue persistently. I respected his professionalism and sense of responsibility. But right now, he was just an obstacle.

“If anything happens to Enrico Lagan or his bodyguard, we’ll take full responsibility. You can even record this conversation as official proof.”

Giselle stepped forward.

At those words, the executive’s face lit up, and he imdiately pressured the paradic.

“They said they’ll take responsibility! That’s enough!”

His strong sense of duty was drowned out by shortsighted self-preservation. And with that, the situation was resolved.

We successfully took custody of Enrico Lagan and Nedder Along, seizing them from Autonovus. Ilay then left to secure Barbara.

999

Autonovus’ prototype exhibition ended in complete disaster. Even after the accident, they continued the Arachne demonstration runs, but almost no one was willing to ride them.

The Arachnes involved in the accident were transported to the research lab in their entirety. Autonovus would review the internal records of the vehicles, but if Barbara had tampered with them, all data would have been wiped. She wouldn’t have left any traces of herself behind.

We boarded an aerial vehicle with Enrico Lagan, Nedder Along, and Barbara. All of them were still unconscious.

“The Lagan family is on their way to retrieve Enrico. They’ll be here in an hour. If you need to cover anything up, do it now.”

Ilay spoke while operating his terminal. He was reporting the situation through various channels, including the Imperial Guard.

“You never ask us anything, Ilay. Even though you know this isn’t just a simple escort mission.”

Giselle watched Ilay in silence. He shrugged and turned his gaze toward as if passing the question along.

“I owe Luka a lot. I don’t know what’s going on, but as Luka’s friend, I’ll keep my mouth shut. For the sake of my own future career, too.”

Ilay firmly promised confidentiality. He wouldn’t reveal anything about the Custoria family’s private mission.

“Giselle, how much does Enrico know and rember?”

I asked calmly. It was ti to organize the situation, and covering up things for Enrico was the priority.

“I’ll handle it. He was the first to pass out, so he barely rembers anything. And honestly... Barbara looks like a ss.”

Giselle looked at the restrained Barbara with a mix of unease and caution. Barbara lay unconscious, her ankles and fingers broken—traces of the torture I had inflicted.

‘That fake Barbara’s real identity is Nedder Along, but...’

The one I was truly keeping a close watch on was ‘Barbara, who was using Nedder Along’s full-body prosthetic.’ That was the true mastermind behind this incident.

“For now, let’s start with Enrico.”

I lifted Enrico and moved him outside the aerial vehicle. Giselle followed .

She pulled out a stimulant injection and pressed it against the back of Enrico’s neck. Though called a stimulant, it was actually a mixture of cardiac and wakefulness agents.

Hiss.

The liquid rippled as it seeped into Enrico’s body.

His fingers and toes twitched first, then his eyebrows began to tremble rapidly.

“Enrico, wake up. I am Giselle Custoria.”

Giselle spoke in a gentle voice.

“Hhhhuuuaah! Hah, haah, haah—”

Enrico woke up gasping, nearly screaming as he sucked in deep breaths. Clutching his pounding chest, he scanned his surroundings.

“It’s , Enrico.”

“G-Giselle? W-what happened?”

“There was an accident during the test drive. How much do you rember? I’m asking because I was worried.”

“Wor... worried? My bodyguard—what about my bodyguard?”

Still in shock, Enrico couldn’t fully grasp the situation. Giselle’s warm and affectionate deanor probably only added to his confusion.

“Nedder Along unfortunately just passed away. Were you close?”

“No, not particularly. I hadn’t known him long. He offered his services at a low price, so I just hired him. I suppose he was trying to win favor and beco part of my household...”

Hearing his explanation, it was clear that Enrico’s judgnt had been unbelievably careless. He didn’t seem to understand just how dangerous the world truly was. If soone had set their sights on him with ill intentions, he could have disappeared without a trace.

“We’ll handle the remaining matters, so you should return to the Lagan household. It’s unfortunate that an accident occurred, but I’m glad you weren’t seriously hurt. Let’s have a al together soti.”

“O-Of course! Giselle! I’m perfectly fine.”

Regaining his composure, Enrico stood up. That’s when he finally noticed , staring in brief surprise.

“She’s my handmaid.”

Giselle swiftly interjected.

“Ah, I see. She looked strangely familiar—I thought I might have seen her sowhere before.”

Enrico’s eyes weren’t just for show, it seed.

“She’s a child who only recently ca up from the lower districts. You wouldn’t have seen her before.”

“Well, that’s true. There’s no way I’d know so low-district commoner, hahaha.”

He was still the kind of person who made want to punch him.

Before long, the Lagan family’s aerial vehicle arrived. As the doors opened, two of their retainers stepped out.

The retainers approached us. They looked like they had a few questions, but wisely chose to remain silent, rely bowing their heads.

“Ah, Giselle. About that m-al you ntioned earlier—when would be a good ti...?”

“I’ll contact you soon.”

Giselle replied with a practiced, artificial smile. That alone seed to satisfy Enrico, who nodded eagerly.

He and his retainers boarded their aerial vehicle.

“You’ve beco quite the sinner, Giselle.”

I muttered casually. Now that we had secured Barbara, there was no need for any more acting.

“You’re no different, Luka.”

Giselle replied curtly as she stepped into the aerial vehicle. It was ti to interrogate Barbara and Nedder Along.

Creak.

The door of the aerial vehicle shut.

“So, what’s the plan now, Luka? Just say the word—I’ll help.”

Ilay, who had been keeping an eye on Barbara and Nedder Along, leaned against the wall as he spoke.

“...There’s sothing I need to explain first.”

I approached Barbara’s body, lifting a handful of her red hair to expose a faint surgical scar.

“Brain surgery?”

Ilay tilted his head slightly.

“It’s surgery, yes, but...”

Even I hesitated to explain. It was sothing that could only be done by soone far beyond the limits of sanity. Taking a deep breath, I spaced my words out deliberately.

“...Barbara removed her own brain and implanted it into Nedder Along’s full-body prosthetic. anwhile, Nedder Along’s brain was placed into Barbara’s biological body. She swapped bodies to deceive us. Do you understand now?”

The mont I finished speaking, Ilay’s expression hardened. Giselle, on the other hand, rely widened her eyes before covering her mouth.

Stagger.

Realizing the full implications, Giselle nearly lost her balance. I reached out and steadied her.

“T-this man... is Barbara?”

“I’m sure of it. She went as far as swapping bodies just to et you in person. I’m going to wake her up now. If it’s too much, you can step out for a while.”

Giselle had deep-seated trauma when it ca to Barbara. And now, that sa Barbara had reappeared through an utterly grotesque thod.

To Giselle, Barbara must have seed like a monster from her worst nightmares.

“...I’ll be fine. You’re here with right now.”

She gripped my hand tightly, her trembling clearly reaching .

“I’m waking up Barbara—aning, the full-body prosthetic that houses Nedder Along’s brain.”

Saying that, I ran my fingers over the back of “Barbara’s” neck. Since this was a full-body prosthetic, the drug had to be administered in a rather forceful manner.

I retrieved a syringe that looked more like a weapon and loaded it with the necessary stimulant.

Crunch!

The needle, long and rigid like an awl, pierced deep into the back of the prosthetic’s skull.

Gurgle.

The drug coursed through Barbara’s brain.

Twitch.

Her eyelids fluttered before slowly opening. Her pupils spun wildly, as if experiencing a malfunction, before finally settling. However, her eyes remained unfocused, with each pupil looking in a different direction.

“A-Ah, n-nice to seeee youuu... e-everyone.”

Barbara spoke. It was the voice of a man, yet both Giselle and I could see the woman lurking beneath it.