◈ Episode 29.

"The situation is over. This is our victory, Leila."

There was a sound of breathing mixed in with the good news of victory. Even Ghost, who was usually asked by his colleagues if his body was a machine, could not hide his tired expression.

Leila turned her head and stumbled. Her head spun. Her vision began to blur, and the ground began to get closer.

"Are you okay?"

Leila's body, which was about to fall, was caught by Ghost. Only then did she realize that she had almost fallen. Leila nodded slightly.

"I… yes. I'm a little dizzy, but I'm okay."

"Let's go back to the embassy and rest for now. The guards here will be busy with post-war processing, so they won't have time to pay attention to us for a while."

The word post-war processing belatedly brought home a sense of reality. The battle was over. After leaving terrible horrors and countless tragedies in this land.

Leila sank to her knees on the broken tiles, her vision filled with signs of destruction.

A guard with permanent burns on half his body. Legion's corpses hanging like laundry in the rubble of a building that collapsed in an explosion… … .

It was a terrible sight.

"Can we call this a victory?"

"They died, and we survived."

"We couldn't all survive either."

There were also two deaths among the rap agents.

The street fighting with the Legion was fierce and chaotic. It could be said that only two people were killed, and that it was a stroke of luck.

Leila couldn't do that.

"...Leila. Who are you blaming for that?"

A voice mixed with a sigh flowed out.

"Is it the Legion? The professor who gave command? Or some other agent who didn't move as you expected?"

Leila suddenly raised her head. She was about to say that it was a misunderstanding, but then closed her mouth. It was because she read worry and regret in the eyes of the Ghost looking down at her.

"I, the professor, and the other agents all respect your wishes. No matter what your intentions are, we cannot help but think deeply about it. So, what you have to say now must be different."

It was a stinging piece of advice.

Leila looked back, her hand pressed against her chest. The professor was the first. Behind her, agents were seen gathering one by one.

They were those who fought with bandages wrapped around their wounds and with soot and dust on their faces.

"Thank you all for your hard work. Thanks to you, we were able to protect the city. If it weren't for you, many innocent people would have lost their lives."

The agents shed blood to save strangers in a foreign country, not even their own. She understood well how difficult it was.

"Professor, that was a great performance. And… I'm sorry for putting you in such a dangerous situation."

"It feels a bit new. It was similar at first."

Leila laughed weakly at the professor's joke. Naturally, she recalled that time. The short but dangerous, arduous and mysterious journey.

"I hope Mr. Hyun is doing well."

"No matter how bad he is, he's better than us, right?"

"Ahaha…. That might be true."

Pablo's teasing gave her a little energy. Leila struggled to get up from her exhausted body.

Ghost had told him to rest, but there was still a mountain of work to do. He had to rescue civilians and administer first aid. He had to double-check the injuries of the agents and send a message to the lab.

It was something I could do because I survived.

* * *

Daughter.

The bell on the door made a clear sound. Kim Lee-hyun entered the cafe, looked around the seats, and then headed to the corner.

As I sat down, I checked the current time on my terminal. It was 2:54 PM. Even though it was 6 minutes past my appointment time, the seat across from me was already occupied.

"That's unexpected. I thought you'd arrive right on time."

"Is that so? I've been paying attention to your actions from 10 minutes ago. But sometimes I forget, depending on who I'm meeting."

Is this the selective forgetting I've only heard of? Kim Yi-hyeon agreed, convinced that it was so.

"So does that mean I'm the kind of person who can make you wait for ten minutes?"

"I can even pay for your coffee there."

"I'll have a chocolate latte, please."

When I said something roughly, the other person tilted his head. It seemed like the order was different from what he had expected.

"Do you like sweet food?"

"I've been feeling dizzy lately. I'm going to try to replenish my energy."

Lately, I've only had alcohol and meat. I feel like oil and alcohol are flowing through my body. All the surviving White Fang members are drinkers.

Kim Yi-hyeon sighed for no reason and looked around the room. The interior was quite familiar. The modern atmosphere reminded him of the franchise cafes that are common in Korea.

"It's a place I frequent, isn't it pretty?"

The man who had finished ordering from the terminal while sitting asked. He was a congressional staff member I had met the other day. He was a young man with an unusual name, Kabak.

"I think this kind of old-fashioned interior design is more comfortable. The bright neon lights aren't bad either, but they don't really make me feel at ease."

"You don't look that old."

"Is it possible that young people wouldn't like old things?"

This place was a place that was dear to Kim Yi-hyeon. However, by Cilicia's general standards, it was a run-down place.

Thanks to Kabak's old-fashioned taste, he found a good store. Kim Yi-hyeon saved the location information on his terminal and opened his mouth again.

"What brings you here today?"

Two weeks after the occupation, or rather, defense, of Cilicia, the battle that took place in Metro City became known to the ground and caused a great uproar.

There were brave bounty hunters and corporate mercenaries fighting together, and the intervention of the security forces was able to suppress the brutal mob… … .

It wasn't a lie.

The operation was a success in that the mutation did not reach the ground. Even though the security forces' public service announcement may seem excessive, there is no reason to complain. They didn't just play around.

'Well, I can't just say I got beat up by Snowfield without any results.'

They also captured a large number of prisoners and punished them on a daily basis. Most were executed or sentenced to spend their lives as slaves in the arena.

'If I'm lucky, I might get stuck in a mine.'

It was a reality far removed from the bright future Outlaws had envisioned. Of course, there was not even a shred of sympathy. It was all their own doing.

"I thought you called to say something regretful, but it doesn't seem like that's the case."

"Is that a pity?"

"For example… I want my colleague to pay for the material damage he or she caused because he or she had no choice but to do so."

"Oh my, what are you talking about?"

Kabak waved his hands in embarrassment.

"Although I wasn't there, I heard the story. It was touching. Immigrants like you worked so hard for Cilicia."

It was not an empty promise, but Kabak's attitude was noticeably more polite than before. From the vanguard of the Legion to the hero of Cilicia. It was a remarkable rise in status.

Asterike, the first-class contributor, woke up after sleeping for three days. Although his body was in good shape, he seemed mentally exhausted, so he was told to rest for a while.

Kim Yi-Hyeon also needed a break. He went around Asterike and tourist attractions, and also spent time with the White Fang members.

The plans for the future have also been outlined.

"I have called you today because I have something important to propose to you. Originally, I should have come to see you..."

"No, it's much easier for me to come out."

I didn't want to meet a member of parliament near my house, much less bring him into my house. It was a matter of mood.

"Anyway, what's the story? If you have business with Asterike, it would be better to go to the manager."

"No, you were definitely planning to take a break and focus on the league, right? I don't want to disturb you. I'm personally rooting for you too."

Soon, a serving machine delivered our drinks. This cafe may have an old-fashioned design, but its system was no different from other shops in Cilicia.

"This is a proposal to you personally, Mr. Hyun."

"What about the maintenance?"

He asked, putting his mouth to the straw.

"I have to make sure you don't feel disappointed. I don't know how much you received when you were a guest at White Fang, but I'm sure it wasn't less than that."

"Oh. It must be quite a lot, right?"

"That means I value it that highly."

Kabak continued with a faint smile.

"Since that day, the city has been in an uproar. The voices denouncing the Outlaws have grown louder, and a large number of workers have gathered at Metro City Station. Construction companies, odd-job workers, and even reporters trying to squeeze out one more sensational story."

"Ahem."

Kim Yi-hyeon nodded and drank the beverage. The sweetness seeped into his body. It wasn't something he would seek out often, but it was a good taste once in a while.

"Of course, it's just chaos now. In a month, it will cool down as if it never happened. That's what the Congress wants."

"So far so good," said Kabak, pressing his eyes as if he was tired.

"But of course there was a problem. In the reconstruction work that was currently underway, there was no place for a bounty hunter."

"I guess so."

The bounty hunters who participated in the war were given free medical treatment and regular compensation. They must have had new ideas in the midst of the tragedy, so they are unlikely to cause trouble.

'There were few survivors in the first place.'

The problem is the ones who aren't involved in the operation. They wake up one morning and find their jobs are gone.

You can do things like moving rebar and spreading cement. Even construction companies don't pay you for being a bounty hunter.

It's just because they didn't do it.

"People who can make a living doing such normal things never thought of becoming bounty hunters in the first place. Is that what you're saying?"

"Uh, hmm."

Kabak coughed in vain at the prejudiced remark. He did not refute it, because it perfectly represented his thoughts.

In fact, it was like spitting in my face. Kim Lee-hyun himself is a bounty hunter after all.

"It's not at a serious level yet. Let's say... it's like walking a tightrope between legal and illegal. They probably don't want to be outlaws in the current atmosphere either."

The balance is very precarious. It is easy to predict that sooner or later, those who will get involved in bad things will emerge.

We need to prepare countermeasures in advance.

"So, to sum it up, you're asking me to do the same thing I did underground on the surface?"

"It's probably less extreme than that."

"I understand. But what about the police? I don't know if it's something that a civilian can take on."

"You've probably already guessed it. The police are not a very free organization. Order in Cilicia is maintained thanks to the cooperation of individual citizens, as you mentioned."

The police force is only the minimum safety measure for maintaining the city. If they were to wield their power actively, the companies would not sit idly by.

The power of the council is considerably limited, as many of the city's foundations, including the league, are run by corporate power.

It is an environment where we have no choice but to keep each other in check.

Knock, knock.

Kim Yi-hyeon tapped his fingers on the table. The promised high salary. If he had the support of the National Assembly, he wouldn't have to worry about suddenly being turned into an outlaw.

It was a tempting prospect. I also needed money to move on to the next level.

'No, we could do it all at once.'

The hand movements stopped. The bull's horns snapped. He decided to use this opportunity more effectively.

"Okay. Let's think positively. Can I make a suggestion?"

"We will accommodate most of your requests."

"Then that's good."

I put the disposable cup down on the table. The ice cubes inside the cup clinked and clanked.

"Actually, I know some guys who are quite skilled. They just happen to have free time."

"You mean like that?"

"How about just increasing the scale?"

Now it was time to build up power.