Chapter 46 - Three Legs
Around the burning transport ship, shadowy figures gathered in a restless manner.
Their clothing was ragged, yet they were armed.
They were scavengers.
These were the parasites dwelling on the outskirts of the city, in an area known as the Outlands.
Having settled in uncultivated lands, they had developed their own distinct culture, separate from the civilized zones.
Their sense of unity was weak.
Although they shared a name, outside of their designated territories, they rarely banded together or came into conflict.
In other words, each group had its own varying tendencies.
For example, the scavengers near downtown were known to have no qualms about entering the city, often forming pairs to commit crimes together.
This was exactly the situation when Jin was ambushed while staying in a motel.
Here, in Zone 41, the scavengers were a little different.
They had a much stronger tendency towards isolation.
Had they cut themselves off from the rest?
It was rare for them to even approach the city.
Aside from a basic form of self-sufficiency, their primary source of income was robbery.
They spent their days wandering around highways, looking for vulnerable vehicles or drivers to target.
Today, however, they had a special reason for gathering.
It wasn't just any day—an airplane had crashed in their territory.
Depending on the circumstances, such wreckage could be valuable, even just selling the outer shell for parts.
The scavengers from nearby areas started to converge one by one.
Some of the less experienced ones were focused on extinguishing the fire, while the more seasoned ones eyed the wreckage of their former "brothers," licking their lips.
"Those idiots. They all died for nothing?"
A frustrated mutter.
Followed by a chorus of agreement.
In the midst of this, someone tilted their head and crouched down.
"Why does this guy's face look like that? He got really messed up, like he was hit with something else."
"You're right. What the hell happened?"
As some of the scavengers began inspecting the mutilated corpse, one of them pointed to a long trail of blood on the ground.
"What now? Should we chase him? Looks like it's just one guy."
"If it's a man, it's a loss for us, right? And look at the blood. He's probably already dead. Do we really need to bother?"
"He's the one who killed the kids and ran, though. We should check."
"It's a bit unclear. Who knows where he could've gotten already"
In the uncertainty, one of the scavengers scratched his head before snapping his fingers.
"Let the kids deal with it."
"Right! Right!" came the chorus of approval.
Strangely, no one even mentioned, "They're busy putting out the fire."
This was the reason the youngest always suffered, regardless of time and place.
As this went on, the loudest scavenger, as if this was all perfectly normal, turned his attention toward the wrecked transport ship.
"Anyone!! Over here—"
But his words were abruptly cut off.
"Huh?"
"What's going on?"
The rest of the group, following his lead, turned their heads as well.
What they saw was:
A dismembered body, blood splattering onto the ground, and boiling guts, with flesh and bone once belonging to a human mixed in a grotesque pile.
Was the red they saw in the sky the glow of the sunset, flames, or blood?
None of them even looked at the other craft floating silently in the air.
The only thing that caught their attention was the man walking, stepping over the remains of their fallen brothers.
He looked their way.
In that moment, every scavenger felt something in common.
Their insides stirred.
It was as if their bodies were aching for freedom.
It was as if they might burst out of their skin at any moment.
And that was exactly what happened.
Bang!
With a burst, their skins split, and blood splattered everywhere.
A surreal silence followed.
And at the center of this, the man looked into the air and spoke.
"Looks like he's already run."
It wasn't a mutter.
In the next instant, a light blinked on his brain port, and a voice echoed.
[Oh, really?]
If Jin had heard it, he would have shouted, "Wait, this voice?! That bastard! The half-dead guy!" but—
The man casually opened his mouth.
"Should we chase?"
[No, it's fine.]
"Why?"
[The pretense of trying is enough. To be honest, it wasn't even that much of a pretense. We hit the escaping transport ship, and it even crashed. So, let's stop here. It's troublesome if we easily give them what they want. There's still more research to be done on the Black Flame.]
"You don't think Killgit will just let it go, do you?"
[It's fine. He's severely injured, so he'll be too busy taking care of himself for now.]
"Killgit?"
The man furrowed his brow.
A strange tattoo that covered his forehead twisted along with the frown.
"I can't imagine that."
[Neither can I. Seeing that monster finally fall ill was one thing, but seeing him happy about finally finding it, I can't even describe the absurdity.]
"Found it? The complete flame or whatever? This is crazy."
[Well, you have to understand. His goal is to devour all flames in the world. That's the power that has been passed down for that purpose. Anyway, you can return now. Thanks for the work. Though, you didn't really do much.]
Click.
The communication was cut off.
"······"
The man stood still for a while, then reached into his coat pocket.
He pulled out a long rectangular foil package, unwrapped it, and brought the contents to his mouth.
Chew, chew.
Puh-hew-
His face was as calm as ever, even after killing dozens of people, as he inflated a gum balloon.
He turned his head to somewhere.
The bloodstains that stretched straight along his line of sight were visible.
There were also marks that seemed to indicate someone had dragged their legs painfully.
Then, with a bang!
The balloon burst.
The man leisurely walked toward the transport aircraft he came on.
***
Controlling variables, something about personal ability…
He didn't care about all that.
Is Khalifa a god?
Jin was amazed.
How did she know and find them?
Is this what a linker is supposed to do?
There were many things he wanted to ask, but his mind was already starting to sink.
As he slumped down and lowered his head, the last thing he remembered was a white hand supporting him.
It wasn't until three days later that he learned the full story.
Khalifa was able to arrive on time, thanks to Eric.
When he realized there were no employees inside, when he confirmed the mercenary infected with Berserk, and when Killgit appeared.
He had contacted the Anekdote three times.
And the contact wasn't some long-winded message, but rather a sort of navigational data that could pinpoint his visor's location.
Khalifa, after interpreting this, had already marked the coordinates and moved before the second contact even arrived.
"Of course, if it wasn't for you, it would have been completely meaningless."
Khalifa said, looking at Jin lying on the bed.
"How did you manage to bring Eric along in that condition?"
Normally, Jin would have mocked Khalifa, talking about the dignity of the future Solo King, but at that moment, he could only weakly raise his thumb.
He didn't even have the strength to respond because the pain was unbearable.
Isn't it unfair that just breathing hurts?
Maybe it was because he was so sad and exhausted.
His eyes were getting teary.
Khalifa gave him a somewhat uncomfortable look as a middle-aged woman approaching them sniffed loudly.
"Well, who told you to keep pushing your body to that point?"
She muttered as she checked the vital signs on the monitor.
"HR is normal, NIBP, ABP is a little high but nothing serious, SPO2 is fine, RR is fast but this level is…."
While the woman focused, Khalifa opened her mouth.
"Is he really okay?"
"Yeah, I don't get it at all, but…"
The woman turned away, muttering to herself, 'What's wrong with this body?'
Jin stared at her retreating figure.
Is it okay for a doctor to be like this?
"Kind of prickly, huh? The way she talks is always like that."
Khalifa nodded, as if understanding, and smoothly continued the conversation.
"Eric is recovering somewhere else. He has a doctor who's been in charge of him for a while. I'm not sure if you can really call him a doctor though... Ah, and Anna has returned to her family. I guess her little rebellion lasted too long. She seemed in a hurry," Kalifa said, making eye contact with Jin.
"She said she'd visit soon. What promise did you make?"
Khalifa asked, raising her thumb quietly.
"Are you curious about what it is?"
There was nothing Jin couldn't say, but unfortunately, words failed him.
As he weakly lowered his thumb, Khalifa, who had been watching quietly, slowly opened her mouth.
"Now doesn't seem like the best time to talk. Once you're better, come to Anekdote. We can discuss the rest then. For now, just rest."
With those words, Khalifa stood up and, after telling the middle-aged woman at a distance to take good care of him, left the building.
"She's giving me the cold shoulder. Seriously."
As Khalifa's footsteps faded, the doctor let out a bitter laugh, and Jin finally closed his eyes, exhausted.
***
Ten days.
It took Jin ten days to get out of bed.
To others, it seemed like a miraculous recovery, but Jin kept scratching the back of his head, wondering why it took so long.
He was still in pain!
It was just that he could move enough to get by, but even that was only on the outside.
His mana circuits were barely better than before, still in a barely usable state.
Wouldn't it be better to just lie down and get more treatment?
No!
Absolutely not!
Jin was resolute.
"I'm discharging myself!"
"Who said you can!"
Jin, deciding to escape the hospital, was chased by Mama, the middle-aged woman.
Of course, Jin wasn't the type to give in easily.
Even with the pain, he was a superhuman.
As he dashed down the stairs like the wind, he turned around and yelled.
"I'm starving, I can't take it anymore!!!"
Then, turning his head quickly, he saw a familiar face.
"Ugh!"
Jin, barely managing to stop in time, looked at Anna.
"Why are you here?"
"...I heard you were here."
"Mm?"
Even in the midst of his confusion, Jin quickly pieced together that Khalifa must have told her.
He added,
"Have you eaten?"
"No."
"Good. Follow me."
Without hesitation, Jin led Anna to Rumpumpumpum.
Since the second floor was still under construction, the two settled in a corner on the first floor.
Perhaps because of the recent trouble, the shop was quiet.
So, Jin ordered food without hesitation.
A mountain of food, too.
"Are you really going to eat all this?"
"It seems like it won't be enough."
Jin said as he unwrapped a hot dog.
He packed it tightly with fries and took a big bite.
Wow!
Salty, sweet, sour(?)—a real mess in his mouth!
Just like Rumpumpumpum!
Jin, overwhelmed by the strange excitement, quickly finished the hot dog, causing Anna to hesitate and reach out.
After trying some pizza, she quietly searched for water.
"...It's spicy."
"Spicy? It's usually salty. Why is it like this today?"
"..."
The next moment, Anna's eyes fixed on Jin, who was stacking five pieces of pizza on top of each other.
Her pupils slightly widened, filled with what could only be described as either anticipation or disbelief.
Whatever it was, Jin satisfied her curiosity.
With a ridiculous bite, of course.
Then he furrowed his brow.
Ah.
It's really spicy.
Why is this happening?
But even so, he didn't spit it out and chewed the pizza with his cheeks puffed up.
Anna, who had been silently watching him for a while, slowly spoke.
"Is this your favorite place?"
Jin tilted his head.
"Favorite place?"
Ah, um... well...
His words got tangled.
It wasn't easy to answer so simply.
He scratched his cheek, awkwardly.
Jin actually knew.
He knew that RumPumPumPum was an incredibly awful place to eat.
But, it was the only place he remembered.
The moment he opened that door for the first time, holding onto a strange bill he picked up from the ground, looking around nervously.
The diligent mechanical arm didn't insult him for smelling bad or kick him out.
Soon enough, he found a warm waffle in his hand.
His gaze naturally shifted to the stairs.
He ran up to the second floor quickly, as if to escape, and sat by the window where an old speaker played songs, munching on the waffle.
To be honest, the taste was vague in his memory.
He had simply eaten with determination, despite the feeling of shame.
It was the first meal he'd been able to eat without worry, a moment that could never be forgotten.
Would he ever forget that moment in his life?
Well, Jin wasn't sure.
"…Seems like it."
After a while, Jin tore his gaze away from the stairs and slowly nodded at Anna, who had been watching him.
"Yeah, it's my favorite place."
"I see."
Anna responded briefly, reaching out her hand.
She began choosing food to eat quietly, without any change in her expression, without complaint.
The meal continued.
There wasn't much conversation.
Only the clattering sound of plates being moved about the table.
Time passed.
When the once abundant food had nearly disappeared, the two of them left the shop.
It was around this time, when they had stepped outside, that Anna spoke while gazing at the deep night sky.
"Walter was a lot like you."
"..."
"He could laugh just fine, but then suddenly disappear. If you looked for him, he'd be trembling in a corner. When I asked him why, he always said the same thing. Don't ask why. Just tell him it's all gonna be okay."
Jin suddenly recalled what had happened on the transport plane.
When panic had suddenly hit him, Anna had said something very similar.
Embarrassed by the memory, he sniffled at that moment.
"Well, I'll get going. Oh, and here."
Anna suddenly handed him something.
When Jin opened his palm, there was a beautifully decorated glass bottle inside.
Inside the bottle, a shimmering liquid swirled gently. Jin asked,
"What's this?"
"It's a gift."
"Can I just drink it?"
"Yeah."
With that brief answer, Anna started walking away.
Her face still facing him, she took one step back, then two, then three.
Then, she turned around, her voice softly lingering in the air.
"It'll be fine. Both for you, and for me."
With that, she disappeared into the darkness.
Jin quietly watched her retreating figure until she was out of sight, then slowly began to walk toward a nearby motel.
Once inside, he threw his tired body onto the bed.
For some reason, he couldn't seem to sleep that night.
After staring blankly at the ceiling for a long time, the thought of the glass bottle popped into his mind.
He suddenly opened the cap and poured the liquid into his mouth.
Before long, his eyelids gently closed, enveloping his world in sleep.
When Jin awoke, his body felt strangely refreshed.
Gasping, he sat up in bed.
There was something unusual about his feeling.
An unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar sensation.
What was this?
He slowly looked down.
Wait, why did he have three legs?