Chapter 13 : Correct Answer

“Well, this is where we part. Take care, David.”
“…Why only drop me at the station?”
“Arasaka’s goons would have to push through crowds to find you here. Plus, all their attention’s on us now. Ride with us longer, and you won’t make it home tonight.”

It’d be a hassle for both of us.
Sure, David’s ties to Dokkaebi draw eyes, but that makes him untouchable for now. All that heat’s shifted to us, the new target.
Sticking together any longer is risky

“They’ll chase this car like their lives depend on it. So, we say goodbye here. That’s it for questions. No more time. See you later.”
“Wait—”

Nope, can’t hear you.
Dragging this out just makes it messier.
More questions, and I’ll end up a worn-out dad babysitting all day.
Better to cut it short and bolt.

Through the closed window, I catch David’s grumpy glare.

“Ungrateful brat doesn’t even know I’m saving him.”
“Boss, looks like they’re tailing us, as expected.”
“And the kid?”
“No sign of him.”
“Good. Let’s head home, then—to our trash-filled dump.”
“Understood.”
“Finally moving.”

This is Arasaka’s turf. I’m not scared, but starting trouble here now means folding too many cards.
If they follow us home, I’m ready to gift them a lead-heavy welcome.

“If they keep tailing…”
“Then they’re expendable. Typical Arasaka trash.”
“Can we crush them, then?”
“Yeah, yeah. Do what you want.”
“Hell yeah!”

The big guy reacts the second I greenlight their fate. Hating everything Arasaka, he’s clearly thrilled at the thought of crushing them.

Whatever. They’re still scum.
Corporations first, money above people.
Fools who built an era where human worth’s gone, so damn stupid.

“By the way, Boss, did you give the kid your contact?”

The guy’s dead-serious tone, with zero real concern, sets a heavy mood.
It’s his unique way of worrying, honed over years.

No answer. I exhale thick smoke, filling the car with gray haze.
My blue eyes glow in it, proving I’m thinking.

“Sh*t, forgot.”
“Knew it.”

That’s why David was yelling at the end.
No wonder he looked so pissed. Damn it, that’s the issue.

Sighing, I dig through my coat, pulling out a thin sheet.
Something this era’s people wouldn’t recognize, but instantly clear to those who’d know.

A business card.

Not just any card.
The direct line to Dokkaebi’s boss.

One call, and we protect, fight, or grant any wish, no questions asked.

“Damn, this was expensive to make… Screw it, I’ll find him tomorrow.”
“Starting location tracking.”
“Yeah.”

Talk about going all in.

Black base, sleek with gold electronic stripes.
Dokkaebi’s blue emblem adds a fiery flourish, but forgetting to hand it over makes it f*cking useless.

“Boss, memory slipping with age?”
“Should I book a hospital nearby—”
“Shut up!”

I’m a bit old, sure, but still good… probably.

“David Martinez has left the designated zone.”

Weird. Why’s this kid in some random place?
He doesn’t have to stay in Santo Domingo, but there’s no real reason for him to leave.

Something’s up.

“Looks like he’s in an ambulance heading out of Arroyo. That normal?”
“Normal? Some passengers aren’t seen exiting the ambulance. Plus, it’s off-route from the designated hospital.”

A scanner projects a 3D map from his palm, red dots moving.
Definitely heading out of Santo Domingo.

“This kid’s got a disease—can’t avoid trouble or he dies.”
“How many should we send?”

I raise a hand, stopping the guy mid-call.

“Nah.”
“What, losing interest?”
“No.”

Send those guys, and they’ll kill everyone without blinking.

They’re broken by injustice, a bit unhinged, but the ones he’s suggesting are next-level.

The Boss’s personal guard.
The most lethal, loyalty wired straight to their brains.
They “delete” anyone in my way, leaving no trace.

An execution squad.
Rumors swirl, but no witnesses—obvious why.

A few grunts would do, but then I’d only hear the aftermath.
So—

“I’m going myself.”
“You, personally?”
“What, wanna die, you bastard?!”

This guy’s asking for it.

I grab his neck, tossing him back as he taps out, then yell at the quiet one nearby.

“Stop yapping and get the car ready!”

Gotta get hit to listen. Typical.

“What’re you gonna do?”

A heavy voice, conjuring a massive figure, brims with excitement, demanding answers.

“The Sandevistan was mine. How’d this happen?”
“Removing it costs money.”
“Damn it! Messing with someone’s gear’s a pain.”

A playful, taunting voice eggs him on, and the angry man spits curses, fuming.

Funny thing: installing it cost nothing, but removing it’s pricey.
The huge man, Maine, looks ready to rip the Sandevistan off David’s back barehanded.

“Why not kill him? Pull it off a corpse—cheaper?”
“Hey, hey, joking, right? Do scavenger sh*t here, and we’re gone… poof!”

Despite the lanky, ape-like figure, fear seeps through Pilar’s voice, turning his teasing sharp.
The neck-slicing gesture is clearly to mess with Maine, but no one laughs.

“Tch, then drag him outside the city.”
“That’s kidnapping. Out.”
“Security’s better, sure, but this part’s maddening.”
“Taking it off a corpse isn’t much cheaper, and not worth the risk.”

No good options.

“If they know it’s stolen, they can’t complain.”

A massive woman, Dorio, speaks calmly, observing. Maine grins, nodding.

“That’s why you’re the brains, Dorio.”
“Maine, you just don’t think enough.”
“Details, details. First, we rip this off.”

Maine grabs David’s legs, hoisting him upside down, growling threats at the barely conscious kid.

“Hear that? I’m tearing it out. You’ll regret stealing my implant.”
“Don’t make my room a bloodbath.”
“Shut up!”
“What? I found him.”

David, half-dazed, glances over and realizes Lucy orchestrated this.

“…You tricked me?”

He thought a day working together, saving his life, meant something.
The BD moon trip showed him her dream, magical.
After that time, betrayal stings, and his voice breaks.

“Shut up!”

Lucy turns away, ignoring him, while Maine answers with a backhand from an arm so thick it should be illegal.

“Kid, why’ve you got my Sandevistan?”
“Your Sandevistan?”
“Yeah, I bought it from a supplier. Paid, and they ghosted.”
“Pay upfront, and that’s what happens.”
“Pfft, unbelievable.”
“Quiet!”

The crew’s jabs at Maine’s dumb move lighten the heavy air.

“He was a trusted supplier. Needed cash, so we dealt. First time it went like that.”
“Wait. Supplier…”

David, unfiltered, voices his doubt toward Maine’s excuse.

“Ever heard of Gloria Martinez?”
“She’s my mom.”
“What?! Gloria’s son? Why sell to your own—”
“She’s in a coma… or dead, maybe.”

His raw shock quiets the group that was just hounding him.

“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday?! We dealt two days ago. What’s ‘almost dead’ mean?”
“Her body’s alive, but her brain…”
“What happened? Cops?”
“Traffic accident. Caught in a gang fight.”
“Ugh, those ghosts’ll be wild for a while!”
“Guess that’s why things are noisy lately…”

The heated talk cools.
It feels like things might end smoothly.

Then—

Knock, knock.

“What? Lucy, you call someone?”
“No way. At this hour—”

“Hey, I’m here for a friend. Name’s David, short kid.”

“Someone’s tracking us.”
“Damn it! Tailed? Everyone, gear up—”

BOOM—!

A tremor shakes the building, smoke billowing as a massive figure shoulders through where the door was, creating a cloud.
His toothy grin looks beyond feral—downright monstrous.

The hulking mass, blocking the hole, wordlessly brushes himself off and steps back.
As Maine’s frozen crew reacts, long blades—too big for daggers—gleam at Dorio and Pilar’s throats.

“This is the Boss’s turf. Lower your weapons.”

A chilling sensation at their necks hits before they process it.
They see themselves dead in a flash, outmaneuvered.
No choice but to comply.

“Yo, looks like we hit the jackpot, Boss.”
“Cough, cough. Damn it, I said just break the door quietly.”

A figure emerges from the smoke.
Nothing special—average hoodie, standard adult build.

“Whoops, my bad. Was gonna apologize, compensate, take responsibility if it was a mistake.”

But the eyes.
Not a killer’s or a ruler’s.

“Guess I don’t need to.”

Maine’s grip on David loosens.
Only those deep, burning blue eyes blaze, a fierce azure flame.