Chapter 157: Were You Just Thinking Something Rude?

Three years ago, in the Gulf of Aden—

A massive ship lay littered with bodies, their necks twisted at unnatural angles. Some 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 unarmed! 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 something called "stopping power"—meant 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 name was Muteba Gizenga, a well-known local mercenary who had never failed a mission.

"Hmm?"

Muteba twitched his ear. Something 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 centimeters… 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 mercenary here who once took down a local squad alone. Looks like the rumors were accurate."

"Who are you?"

"Let me introduce myself. My name 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 mean 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 me, 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 time."

"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 flames.

"That..."

"My goal's the same 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 time to disappear, no one escapes."

"..."

"The so-called unit value principle is just a fantasy cooked up by economists. In reality, there's something called disparity. Some are rich beyond belief, others die for a single dollar. For someone 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 something I say for others. If I decide someone's life is worthless, then when I take it, I don't feel guilt. Because it's trivial."

"..."

For some reason, all of Muteba's mercenary 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 replacements. A merc 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 some reason, Muteba couldn't sense that overwhelming killing intent anymore.

How to put it... even though he knew this was the same superior officer from back then, he felt completely different.

Like... a girl in love?

"Were you just thinking something rude?"

"Absolutely not!"

Feeling the familiar bloodlust again, Muteba replied instantly.