Three years ago, in the Gulf of Aden—
A massive ship lay littered with bodies, their necks twisted at unnatural angles. So even had their eyeballs gouged out.
A group of pirates stood trembling on the deck, guns pointed at the soaked, muscular Black man who had just swum over from the sea.
"Hmm… fifteen left? Doesn't seem that hard."
The man didn't seem to be focusing on the pirates—or rather, he couldn't see them.
"D-Don't panic! He's unard! We have guns!"
"Open fire!!"
The leader had barely shouted before the man was upon him, grabbing his throat and twisting it violently.
Crack!
The man's neck snapped instantly. Amid a flurry of gunfire, the Black man used his body as a shield, charging into the group and unleashing a massacre.
Bullets are designed with sothing called "stopping power"—ant to lodge in the body rather than pass through, disabling the target even if not killing them.
And that stopping power allowed the man to use his body as a shield.
After killing all fifteen, the man finally exhaled.
His na was Muteba Gizenga, a well-known local rcenary who had never failed a mission.
"Hmm?"
Muteba twitched his ear. Sothing felt off. He looked around cautiously.
"Damn, looks like their backup boats are coming."
"They won't make it."
"!?"
Muteba flinched at the voice—no one should've been able to sneak up on him.
"...Height: 148 centiters… a kid?"
"Just like the rumors said—you can't see, huh."
A blond boy walked up to Muteba, smiling as he observed him.
"I heard there's a powerful rcenary here who once took down a local squad alone. Looks like the rumors were accurate."
"Who are you?"
"Let introduce myself. My na is Takamine Rinji, currently with the 5th Coastal Defense Division of the IW Somali war zone… basically, my job is to get rid of trash like these guys who interfere with our business."
"Interfere with your business? You an them?"
Muteba pointed toward several boats approaching from the distance.
Though blind, his directional sense was sharp.
"Yeah. Somali pirates. These guys just won't quit. I wonder how many more idiots I'll have to kill today."
"Kid, I don't know how you managed to sneak up on , but in this situation, you'd better run." Muteba began walking to the other side of the ship. "Looks like this job's a bust. Total waste of ti."
"No, the mission must be completed."
Rinji smiled, pulling a remote from his pocket and flipping a switch.
BOOOOMMMMM—
A massive explosion roared out, engulfing the approaching boats in flas.
"That..."
"My goal's the sa as yours—kill every enemy in sight," Rinji said, grinning at the burning ships. "I used extra explosives to make sure no one could jump ship and escape."
"Is that so..."
Muteba chuckled. He found the kid... interesting.
"But was that really okay? I heard one of those ships had hostages on board."
"Doesn't matter. My mission is to kill, not rescue. Protecting hostages isn't part of my job." Rinji smiled. "Besides, they fed our side false intel. If they didn't die today, I'd probably blow up them and their families another day. Lucky them, really."
"..."
Now Muteba thought—this kid was terrifying.
Rinji turned to him and asked, "Muteba Gizenga, do you think life has value?"
"...Depends on the place. In peaceful regions, life is precious. In warzones, it's worthless."
"That's your take? Mine's a little different."
Rinji stepped closer and placed his small hand on Muteba's arm.
"Everyone's life has equal value. A life in peace is a life. A life in war is still a life. That's why I can kill in warzones or in peaceful places—life is equal. When it's ti to disappear, no one escapes."
"..."
"The so-called unit value principle is just a fantasy cooked up by economists. In reality, there's sothing called disparity. So are rich beyond belief, others die for a single dollar. For soone dying of thirst in a desert, a cup of water is worth more than its weight in gold."
Rinji's words sent chills down even the experienced Muteba's spine.
"In other words, it's not others who determine value—but oneself." Rinji's smile twisted. "'Life is precious' is sothing I say for others. If I decide soone's life is worthless, then when I take it, I don't feel guilt. Because it's trivial."
"..."
For so reason, all of Muteba's rcenary instincts were screaming for him to run. The true danger wasn't the pirates—but this boy.
"Gizenga, I see value in you."
Rinji extended his hand.
"My teammates died because of false intel from these scum. I need replacents. A rc like you is exactly what I need."
"I'm… valuable to you?"
"That's right. Irreplaceable."
Though blind, Muteba could feel a crushing pressure from the boy before him.
And within that pressure… was an irresistible pull.
As if possessed, he placed his hand in Rinji's.
---
"Second Lieutenant Rinji, you..."
"I'm not a second lieutenant anymore. Just a high school student," Rinji smiled.
For so reason, Muteba couldn't sense that overwhelming killing intent anymore.
How to put it... even though he knew this was the sa superior officer from back then, he felt completely different.
Like... a girl in love?
"Were you just thinking sothing rude?"
"Absolutely not!"
Feeling the familiar bloodlust again, Muteba replied instantly.
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