Chapter 96
Iskan sprinted as if gravity had vanished. He kicked off the edge of a building once more and leaped. His movements didn’t slow down in the slightest. Even when faced with narrow gaps, he didn’t detour—he dove straight through them.
‘He’s going to crash into that…’
My expectations and reality were completely misaligned. Iskan slipped through the gap without a sound.
His entire body was a full-body prosthetic made of hard metal. Yet, he squeezed through the gap as if his body melted into it, moving seamlessly. The hem of his clothing trailed behind him like liquid.
Yeah, I had no choice but to admit it.
Just keeping up with him was exhausting. Iskan’s mastery of adaptive three-dimensional maneuvering was far beyond anything I had imagined.
‘At least when it comes to three-dimensional movement, Iskan is probably better than Hemillas.’
Hemillas wasn’t omnipotent. There had to be Imperial Guards who surpassed him in certain aspects.
‘And combat skills aren’t the only thing that matters for a Commander of the Imperial Guard.’
The ability to earn his subordinates' trust and lead them—that was even more crucial.
Crunch!
I launched my body into the gap after Iskan. Even though I was smaller than him, my shoulders and knees scraped against the walls.
‘Damn it.’
I cursed instinctively. It was embarrassing to show such clumsiness in front of Iskan.
Emerging from the gap, I saw a towering boundary wall rise before me like a fortress.
‘The border between the upper and lower districts.’
Above it, surveillance equipment and drones moved back and forth.
Bao Zakanan’s black-class taxi passed over it effortlessly. It seemed he had received prior authorization for unrestricted passage.
But Iskan and I were in the middle of a classified mission. Naturally, we had no such authorization.
Upon seeing the security wall, Iskan slightly slowed his pace and reached into his inner pocket.
Clatter.
He pulled his hand out, revealing several small orbs nestled between his fingers.
Whisk, whisk.
Iskan swiftly flicked his wrist up and down. The orbs glowed blue, as if suddenly ignited.
“Luka, once I throw this, we have five seconds to get past the security wall. If you need a break, say so now. You’ve got about a minute to catch your breath.”
The light inside the orbs was becoming increasingly unstable.
“Let’s do it now,” I gritted my teeth and said.
Iskan’s orbs were most likely electromagnetic bombs designed to cause electronic interference and disruption. I had never seen such a miniaturized version before.
“Keep up. If you fall behind, I’m leaving you behind.”
Iskan took a step back, preparing to leap. Surveillance drones hovered near the security wall.
He took off, almost as if demonstrating the technique for me. I watched him with the focus of a camera lens, determined not to miss a single detail.
Whoosh!
Midair, Iskan spun gracefully. The orb bombs spread out in all directions with the precision of a specialized launch system.
Crackle.
As the orbs detonated, brief electric pulses flashed, creating a momentary gap in the surveillance system.
Iskan used that instant to hook his fingers onto the edge of the security wall. Using only the strength of his fingers and wrists, he propelled himself upward again and disappeared over the opposite side.
…And I was already following in his footsteps. Unlike him, I didn’t need to throw any orbs—I just had to jump.
As I soared through the air, the security wall loomed closer.
‘Damn it!’
I wanted to scream.
Had I miscalculated my takeoff by half a step? Was it the rain? Or was it because it had been too long since my prosthetic body had last been recalibrated? Or maybe the electric bomb had caused a slight disruption in my system…?
‘Either way, I’m screwed.’
I knew before even reaching the wall—I was going to fail. I was short by the length of an arm.
‘What now?’
Think, Luka.
Iskan had already descended on the other side of the wall. He couldn’t help me.
At this rate, I was going to slide down and crash into the wall and ground. Should I try scraping against the wall to slow my fall? That might keep me alive.
But even if I survived, I’d be out of the mission. And that was worse than dying.
Rip!
Without hesitation, I tore off my coat and lashed it out like a whip. For once, I was grateful for the rain—the soaked fabric had just enough friction.
Whoosh!
The sleeve of my coat caught onto the railing of the security wall. But it would only hold for a fraction of a second.
Please, please!
I yanked on the coat, pulling my body toward the wall as fast as I could.
Grit!
My fingers barely hooked onto the ledge. The sudden impact caused the shock-absorption mechanisms in my finger joints to separate slightly.
“Haa… haa…”
I pulled myself up over the railing. I wanted to catch my breath, but there was no time.
‘Move.’
I forced the command into my body.
Two seconds left. I had to jump immediately. There wasn’t even time to scan the terrain below.
Whoosh!
I flung myself downward, falling headfirst into the rain and darkness. My vision cleared just as I was descending.
Ah, what a familiar sight. From here on, this was the lower district.
Screeeech! Thud!
I slid down, scraping my heels against the wall, and finally landed on solid ground. Somehow, I had made it through. Even I found it hard to believe.
Creak, creak.
I twisted my dislocated fingers slightly and pressed them back into place. The internal components clicked together, and the unpleasant sensation disappeared.
Whoosh.
I threw my tattered coat back over my shoulders and pulled my hood down low. In the alley ahead, I spotted Iskan.
"A second later, and I would've left you behind, rookie."
"Not a chance."
I bared my teeth as I replied. But I honestly couldn’t tell if the liquid running down my back was rain or sweat. I had just come dangerously close to dying.
* * *
Even after replacing their bodies with full-body prosthetics, human desires remained the same.
I figured Bao Zakanan would head toward the red-light district in the lower district. Sure, the upper district had prostitutes too, but some cravings couldn’t be satisfied up there.
I recalled the holographic ads I had seen in the brothels of the lower district. Just thinking about them was sickening.
Whoosh!
Iskan and I leaped across the rooftops of the lower district. The haphazardly expanded buildings made movement far more unpredictable than in the upper district. Even Iskan, a master of three-dimensional maneuvering, hesitated now and then, slowing his pace.
"The red-light district is this way. Bao Zakanan is heading in a completely different direction," I noted. I had a solid grasp of the lower district’s geography.
"Let's just hope he doesn't leave Akbaran. No, actually, it’d be better if he did. That way, no one would notice if we kidnapped him."
Iskan muttered to himself. He must have found it odd that the black-class taxi had bypassed the brothels.
"He won’t get too far, though. Considering the cost of a black-class taxi, even for something as secretive as indulgence, no hobby is worth spending that much on."
During the Ken Noma arena ambush, I had taken a black-class taxi myself. Even for a short ride, the fare had been... well, just thinking about it made my stomach churn. Even high-ranking officials would find it expensive.
"He's already traveled a significant distance. Whatever he's up to, he must think it's worth the credits."
Iskan stared at the black-class taxi, now just a distant speck. Occasionally, passing aerial vehicles blocked our view. Without a tracker, we would have lost him a long time ago.
"The black-class taxi is heading to the outskirts. It might even leave Akbaran. Should we prepare a vehicle?"
"This is getting troublesome. I wanted to avoid using one if possible."
Even with a private vehicle, any kind of transport made it difficult to move discreetly. If we wanted to tail the black-class taxi without being noticed, going on foot was the best option.
Iskan seemed deep in thought. But just then, the black-class taxi began to slow down. He had been frowning, but now he let out a small sigh of relief.
The taxi landed in the ruins on the outskirts of Akbaran. I had been to those ruins before for a mission. Naturally, I had no fond memories of the place. The ruins were infested with twisted creatures—both in mind and appearance.
‘The ruins of Akbaran. A place where the worst of the underworld gathers. A lawless zone that goes beyond the gray areas.’
And now, a high-ranking imperial official had come here.
"This isn’t normal."
Iskan narrowed his eyes as he confirmed the location.
"It might not be for indulgence—it could be a meeting with terrorists."
At my words, Iskan immediately shook his head.
"No, that’s unlikely. Even a black-class taxi wouldn’t protect someone committing treason against the Empire. No matter how powerful it is, it’s just a corporation at the end of the day."
Thinking about it, he was right. Maybe, as someone born in the lower district, I had a certain misplaced awe for black-class taxis.
I pushed aside that illusion and focused on the distant taxi. It hovered slightly off the ground, likely in the middle of a payment transaction.
We moved slowly, keeping our bodies hidden among the wreckage.
"Luka, I heard you've trained in Akies Victima. Users of that combat technique are known for having an uncanny sense of intuition. Can I trust yours?"
"My instincts are sharp. I trust them enough to stake my life on them."
I didn’t bother being humble. I simply stated the truth.
A soldier should never exaggerate their abilities. But downplaying them to avoid responsibility was just as wrong.
"Then I’ll leave detecting anomalies to you. The ruins of Akbaran are beyond the Empire’s surveillance and control. Anything could happen here."
The lower district, where people like Gabriel, the arena gangs, and La Vie en Rose operated, was at least monitored by the Empire.
But the ruins—an abandoned wasteland with no clear borders—were completely different. Even the Empire couldn’t track everything that happened here.
‘A place where even the thin veneer of morality and ethics found in the lower district doesn’t exist.’
The ruins were full of abandoned buildings. A ruin wasn’t necessarily a wasteland—entire urban districts had been left behind, either because development had been halted or because they were simply discarded. Vagrants and outlaws used the remaining structures to survive.
Bao Zakanan stepped out of the black-class taxi. As soon as he did, the taxi lifted off, passing right over our heads.
Viiing.
Iskan manipulated his terminal, sending a signal to the tracker. A fingernail-sized tracker detached from the taxi and dropped into his palm.
Crack.
He rubbed it between his fingers, reducing it to dust.
"Bao Zakanan entered the building."
I murmured as I observed him.
After stepping inside the ruined structure, Bao Zakanan didn’t reappear for over two minutes. From the outside, it was just a desolate, abandoned building.
"We have no choice but to follow. Luka, take the lead."
At a glance, it sounded like he was shoving me into a death trap. But having me go first as an Akies Victima combatant was a logical decision.
I didn’t mind taking the risk. In fact, I welcomed it. Until now, I had been practically dragged along by Iskan. But this time, it was my turn to demonstrate my abilities.
At the very least, when it came to detecting anomalies and danger, I was confident I could match Iskan—no, I had to surpass him.
It was time to prove my worth.