Chapter 100 – The Place Reached Against the Current (Two)

An arrow flickering, turning into dots.

That meant there was an executive of Mercread in Sector 46.

“That’s… incredibly nerve-wracking.”

Philip gulped.

So far, two executives of Mercread had appeared.

He had heard that quite a lot of effort went into taking down Walter.

Though that was a story from when Ray’s skills were lower than now.

And as for the person named Curiosa, whom they had encountered relatively recently in an empty lot—

「Can’t win. Even fighting in the optimal situation, the win rate is 0 percent.」

「It was incredibly scary. Black, big, and its eye shape kept changing.」

「What do you mean ‘black and big’?」

「Anyway, it was black and big.」

—it was clear she was an immensely powerful being.

Ray, sensing Philip’s emotions, spoke.

“No need to worry too much. The initiative is on our side.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

The Binding Magic bestowed upon the ring had its settings altered by Curiosa.

They could detect the executives’ locations, but the reverse did not hold.

It meant they could spot the enemy first, gauge their strength, and prepare countermeasures.

“Depending on the situation, we might even avoid fighting altogether.”

“Can we just pass by? Didn’t Curiosa say we need to defeat the executives for the Doctor to appear?”

Veronica, holding Nero, approached the two and asked.

Seeing Nero, Philip immediately grimaced.

“That arrogant cat…”

“She’s not a cat, she’s Nero.”

“Isn’t she mocking me?”

“No? Right, Nero?”

While Philip grumbled,

Ray looked back at the road they had driven on and answered Veronica’s question.

“I’ve started to think it might not necessarily be like that.”

Philip and Veronica focused on Ray again.

“What do you mean?”

“Philip, what kind of person comes to mind when you think of a boss?”

“Uh… the highest person in the organization? In my terms, the top administrator?”

Ray nodded.

“Right. It’s a position that must show an immediate response to all conflicts and clashes the organization faces. That’s how the organization keeps running.”

“……”

“But the Doctor doesn’t seem to be doing that.”

Ray continued.

“After Walter died, I stayed in Sector 49 for quite a while. But the Doctor didn’t appear.”

“Hmm…”

“Even though we made contact with Curiosa twice, no reaction that seemed to be from the Doctor appeared around us.”

“Listening to you, that makes sense.”

“Rather, the trace of the Doctor was discovered when we met Madam Renia, who has no connection to Mercread at all.”

There was another basis for the judgment.

The fact that the Doctor visits the executives every few years, issues a large number of orders, disappears, and never appears before them until the next cycle.

That was the impression.

He seemed to leave all organizational management to the executives, not concerning himself with it at all, and wandering around various places to achieve some kind of goal himself.

“So, the method Curiosa suggested can’t guarantee success.”

It meant that even if they went around defeating Mercread executives, the Doctor might not appear.

Therefore, it could be the right judgment to obtain information about the Rainbow through negotiation rather than combat and then move on.

If the opponent showed emotional abnormalities like Walter or Curiosa.

Then there would be plenty of room to exploit.

So the priority was set.

First, to figure out what kind of person the executive staying in Sector 49 was.

Upon entering the sector, the group soon sensed something strange.

“The streets are oddly quiet.”

“Right…? Did something happen here…?”

The streets were desolate and silent.

Most shops and stalls had their shutters down or were covered with cloth.

The few pedestrians hurried with quick steps as if being chased by someone.

The peculiar tension permeating the streets made Philip and Veronica unconsciously shrink back.

Step— step—

Due to the stillness pooled everywhere, the group’s footsteps sounded louder.

At first, they thought it was only one part of the street.

But while looking for lodging and touring the sector, they realized this phenomenon was occurring throughout the streets.

“……”

Ray’s calm gaze swept the surroundings.

Shattered shop windows here and there caught his eye.

The side mirrors of cars parked along one side of the road were broken, and shattered streetlights sizzled, groaning.

The proportion was excessively high to simply blame it on this being the outskirts of the sector with particularly poor security.

And above all, the notable point was:

‘No children are visible on the streets. Not a single one.’

Shoeshiners. Newspaper sellers.

Delivery boys. Match sellers, etc.

Orphans occupy the lowest tier of the street ecosystem.

Whether they can work on the street or not determines whether they fill their stomachs or go hungry that day, so they never leave their spots.

The moment they leave, their territory gets invaded by other gangs.

Therefore, depending on the gang’s size, there are slight differences, but it’s common to station a minimum number of members on each street.

But not even those members were visible.

“…War.”

“It’s like a war.”

Ray and Philip muttered simultaneously.

“The scale doesn’t seem small, does it?”

“It looks that way. Considering the sector’s size, for this many streets to be this quiet…”

Ray and Philip’s thoughts aligned.

The taut air drifting through the streets was a familiar kind to the two boys who had lived on the streets for a long time.

“…War? Are you talking about the war I know? The one between gangs.”

Veronica cautiously asked.

She grew up in an orphanage and was taken in by Graham.

Therefore, she didn’t have detailed knowledge or close experience with wars like the street children.

“Right. That war. Judging by the atmosphere, it doesn’t seem like a war that breaks out for a day or two among miscellaneous organizations.”

Ray agreed with Philip’s words.

Wars usually break out on streets occupied by each organization.

But among the streets they had passed so far, it was hard to find one not steeped in thick tension.

‘It’s a war between organizations of considerable scale.’

He naturally associated.

The organization that would be one of the axes.

「Still, the organization I led wasn’t small in influence. Rather, it was big.」

Niles was a man who couldn’t be said to be free of boasting.

That he had seven lovers.

That he beat up twenty big guys bare-handed.

There was no sign he was seriously trying to deceive, but the frequency wasn’t low.

「We controlled over three-quarters of the sector, and it was a timing when the growth trend hadn’t stopped. At that time, the members easily exceeded 200.」

But he had a sort of habit of not boasting or exaggerating when smoking.

「I went through a lot. It was when I was overflowing with energy and passion. Many of the subordinates were capable too.」

When telling that story, Niles blew out thick cigarette smoke.

The man’s somewhat troubled face and the boy’s expressionless face were reflected in the murky river flowing under the bridge.

「Well, it’s all in the past. Since I’ve already left that place, I have no regrets. Whatever happened to the ones left behind is not for me to care about.」

A lie.

He was a boy who, while immature at reading facial emotions, was unsurpassed at reading emotions of the heart.

The emotions filling the man’s vessel were regret and attachment.

“……”

Ray snapped out of his thoughts.

It had already been over a year since Niles drifted down the Elton River to Sector 50.

In truth, he couldn’t guarantee that the organization from back then had survived until now.

Fierce power struggles and conflicts, disputes.

Continuously rising new organizations.

For any organization, the moment it slips, it stops its gallop.

The street’s physiology was the endless repetition of countless organizations being created and destroyed.

But Ray had a premonition.

A premonition that Niles’s organization still existed and was wielding very great influence.

‘Because it’s an organization built by none other than Niles.’

Thinking that, he continued touring the streets.

For activities in the sector, it was necessary to accurately grasp the situation here.

He tried to find street children to get information, but couldn’t find a single one, as if they had all hidden in their hideouts.

‘Looks like I’ll have to do the legwork myself.’

Ray, who had paused his steps for a moment, looked back and spoke.

“It seems better to split up and gather information. Philip, Veronica, you two go up towards 32nd Street. I’ll check the opposite side.”

“Got it.”

“Okay.”

The two nodded and disappeared towards the far end of the street.

It wasn’t too far to send them, and with Veronica’s Magic, it shouldn’t be too dangerous.

Tap—

He started walking again.

After orphans, merchants were the ones most familiar with street affairs.

He tried to make direct inquiries, but it wasn’t easy to find shops with their doors open.

While touring the silent streets, Ray noticed one fact.

‘There are no lookouts.’

During wars, it’s common to place lookouts on rooftops to grasp the opposing organization’s movements.

But right now, not a single person keeping watch was visible on the rooftops of the buildings.

This, too, was one possibility.

That one side already held such overwhelming dominance in the war that there was no need to place lookouts.

‘…The war might end soon.’

Since it meant fewer restrictions on sector activities, that was something to welcome.

Then, a sound seized Ray’s nerves.

Bang───!

A sound engraved in his mind, impossible to mistake for anything else.

At the gunshot echoing from afar, Ray’s head snapped around.

It was inside the alley connecting to the next numbered street, beyond the plaza.

─────.

The gunshot that split the void shattered under the sunlight along with the rising fountain.

The echo repeating in his ears.

Ray shifted his steps towards the alley, focusing his nerves.

Urgent shouts and footsteps from inside the alley faintly reached his ears.

‘A fight is happening.’

He moved his steps as if entranced towards where the sound was coming from.

─Over there… catch…!

─Just… one guy… absolutely don’t miss…!

The sounds gradually taking shape, the moment they approached right in front.

Thud!

A man burst out from the front of the alley and brushed past Ray.

“There he is! Drive him that way!”

“Don’t miss him! It’s just one guy!”

A gang that appeared right after likewise passed by Ray and chased after the man.

In the process, some made eye contact with Ray, but it wasn’t for long.

─Catch…! Don’t let…!

─No more…! Suffer… damage…!

The sounds faded away again.

Ray stopped in place and quietly gazed at the alley entrance where they had disappeared.

“……”

What had seized Ray’s attention was the tattoo engraved on the man’s neck.

A single flower precariously blooming, covered in sticky mucus all over its body.

Nisohwa (Mud-Blooming Flower).

A flower blooming in mud.

Niles also had the same tattoo on his right shoulder blade.

It was an unexpected situation.

Because if Niles’s organization—Nisohwa—was one axis of the war, he had thought they would surely be the dominant side.

‘Too much distance has opened to chase after them.’

Ray glanced around and bounced his body onto a trash can beside a building wall.

Thud!

Then, stepping on the building wall’s protrusions and signs in succession, he quickly reached the rooftop.

Approaching the opposite railing, he looked down.

─Chase! Corner him!

─If we miss him, it’s another damn hassle!

The tattooed man and the gang continuing the chase were visible at a glance.

Ray crossed the rooftop, jumping, and chased after them.

And then.

─You fucking bastard! Huff… huff…

─Huff… huff… He runs like crazy. Is this a guy who got shot?

The tattooed man was cornered in a dead-end alley, and the gang stopped before him, catching their rough breath.

The tattooed man, who seemed to have quickly made a judgment, took out a knife and pointed its tip at the gang.

─Come on if you’re confident, come on! You bastards!

Even though wounded and cornered, the man showed no sign of being intimidated.

Rather, it was the pursuing gang who seemed pressured, showing hesitation in easily rushing at the man.

─Idiot bastards. You chased me all this way, but when it’s time to jump, you get scared?

─Don’t get drawn in. No need to listen.

─Right. Let’s go with the safest method to catch him with minimal damage.

Ray, watching the situation, suddenly noticed one more fact.

‘The tattoo… it’s not only that man who has it.’

All the personnel visible below had the Nisohwa tattoo.

Was it internal strife?

Or were they fake tattoos to confuse the enemy?

While thinking of the more likely possibilities, the gang simultaneously pulled out guns and aimed at the man.

Click. Click.*

─Let’s see if you can still run your mouth after your body becomes a beehive.

Seeing the guns, the man bit his lip tightly.

As if finding this situation extremely frustrating, he spat out his words.

─Fuck, bastards. You’ll have to live with one fact engraved in your heads until you die. The fact that you ruined everything Hyung Niles built.

Niles.

Ray jumped down without delay.

The gang’s triggers were pulled, and gunshots rang out.