chapter 8
< Episode 8 >
“You damn kids! Come all the way here to get something to eat!”
The appearance of Carpaccio, who dyed his face red and moved roughly, and the image of the gang following him were not very different.
The fact that the Carpaccio gang, which is quite mild for a gang in the slums and is supported by the locals, went to battle with the Gulag family was due to sheer luck.
Area 63 is made up of five large gangs and small organizations under them, but it is because the direction the Gulag family came over was the area of the Carpaccio family.
“There is another one! The Behiman area is closer to Jidul, so why are you coming this way!”
But if it was simply that, Carpaccio wouldn’t have been so angry.
A gang of slums, albeit on the mild side.
It was the Carpaccio gang who could do it for fun by soaking a person in it, and they were the ones who smiled and accepted the disputes that came along.
The problem is that he went around the Behiman gang, which was closer than them, and entered the territory of the Carpaccio gang.
“Looks like we’ve been all right!”
“Damn it! Shouldn’t you catch me and have a chat?”
The subordinates also shouted in a rough voice, as if the boa was elaborate, but Carpaccio was of the same mind, so he did not stop it.
Yes.
They are ignored, and being ignored among the slum gangs is an important matter directly related to survival.
“Couldn’t the Behimans have negotiated? If you do this wrong, you might get stabbed in the back of the head.”
At least the subordinate with a spinning head spoke cautiously, but Carpaccio, whose tap had turned, didn’t care.
“Then you can soak them too!”
Carpaccio’s harsh words made the subordinate look worried, but the rest of the men nodded in agreement with their red faces.
They value closeness with the local community, and – Protection fees and usury are the main source of income. – The Carpaccio gang, aiming for a small elite, was smaller in number than other giant gangs, but had overwhelming fighting abilities.
They were raised with an emphasis on quality rather than quantity, and thanks to this, they are almost invincible in small-scale conflicts, but the area they dominate is small to be called a giant gang.
“I need to increase the size of the organization at this time.”
“I see. If you lower the threshold a little and accept the lower ones, it will grow bigger soon.”
The other gang members, who knew that Carpaccio was not the type to start a fight first, did not touch the Carpaccio gang at all, and lived like a king in the district, but when he thought that he was insulted like this, Carpaccio’s thoughts began to change.
I didn’t touch it because it didn’t fit my personality, but if I put my hands on drugs and smuggling, it wouldn’t be a job to change the appearance of the organization.
“I see!”
Beyond the artificial eyeballs, various reconnaissance sensors and implants were applied, and more than half of the face was covered with lenses, shouted an organization member.
“How many are they?”
Carpaccio’s flushed face subsided for a moment, and a cold voice came out.
To be angry is to be angry, and to fight is to fight.
At least that’s how Carpaccio learned, and that teaching was the driving force that made him what he is today.
click. click.
The lens turned back and forth as if trying to focus, and soon the member of the organization opened his mouth after confirming the enemy’s appearance.
“… ten people.”
“···what?”
“Ten people!”
“yes?”
There was a chill in Carpaccio’s voice.
“You mean ten guys? Against this Carpaccio?”
It is not unknown that the momentum of the Gulag family is great.
But that’s it, and even in District 63, the fact that only ten people came over against them, who were notorious fighters, doesn’t mean they didn’t care about them at all.
Carpaccio’s anger was transmitted to the members of the organization as it was, and the reddened faces were distorted viciously.
The Carpaccio gang isn’t just an ordinary gang.
When Carpaccio was a scavenger, he was able to receive instruction by chance, and the current Carpaccio gang is the one who shared that teaching.
They are a group closer to a mob rather than a gang, and that’s why they have a strong sense of pride and have lived a quiet life without touching on trivial things, but their pride was properly hurt.
Before they knew it, the image of the Gulak family entered their field of vision.
All of them were men with unusual appearances, but where are the guys from the slums that aren’t like that?
“Go and kill me.”
“let’s go!”
“Kill!”
With Carpaccio’s voice like a growl of a beast, dozens of gangs ran out.
***
It was a slum street full of people who not only aimed at the pockets of people passing by, but also dragged them into the alleys if they seemed easy enough, leaving no bone meal behind.
The residents of the slum, who valued survival the most, felt the unsettling air and hid in their own shelters.
The stalls that threatened customers with a threatening look did not show up, and the scavengers whose eyes were shining in the depths of the alley also disappeared.
“…it’s nice that it’s clear.”
Although he had lived in the slums for three years, John hurried his steps, sticking out his tongue at the sight of the street he had never seen before.
“…Please, I’m asking you to solve it on your own.”
John had heard the rumors of the Carpaccio gang.
The Carpaccio gang started with the boss, Carpaccio, learning a piece of martial arts from somewhere and gaining strength.
Of course, it’s not true that they’re martial arts since they covered their bodies with implants and changed their bodies, but it’s true that they learned skills worthy of being called martial arts anyway.
It’s because Carpaccio, who has a policy of not passing on martial arts to anyone, hasn’t grown in power, and no one knows about its potential.
Even the fixers don’t easily accept requests if the Carpaccio gang is involved.
It would be a lie if I said I didn’t think of it because it’s such a Carpaccio gang.
“…Of course you can say something to me, but it’s better than dealing with a wizard.”
In addition, John will be out of the zone tomorrow.
If you rub it well, you will be able to get out of the slums and find a new life.
It wasn’t John’s business to know what would happen after that, and it was clear that it wouldn’t be difficult to dispose of enchanted items in the upper section.
“Information is money. If you do well, you can make a fortune.”
As I gradually inflated a ray of hope, it seemed that my body, which was full of tension, was relaxed little by little.
The time when the happiness circuit was spinning rapidly and in John’s imagination he was drawing a picture of himself occupying a position in the upper section.
“···Damn it.”
Arriving at the outskirts of the district, where the Carpaccio gang and the Gulag family are clashing, John’s impression was horribly crumpled.
– Can you hear me? zone? The situation is not good.
“···I know.”
Gilbert’s urgent voice could be heard through the receiver in his ear, but John seemed to know without listening to the whispers.
Because the scene he could see with his eyes said it all.
***
Carpaccio couldn’t believe the current reality.
– It’s kind of catchy, but it’ll be useful anyway.
A man I met as a child.
For Carpaccio, who was hiding deep in the alley and searching for the body, the man who was a fugitive from the upper district was like salvation.
It was a skill too great to be dismissed as catching, and at least no one in this slum could block the two fists of Carpaccio, who had been dutifully trained based on that skill.
Carpaccio’s fist, which was strengthened with rare metal and even applied skills through training, shattered everything in the world.
“It was quite.”
But it didn’t work.
The skills he had honed every day did not work, and his arms, which had been reinforced with rare metal, had already lost their shape.
Not only him, but dozens of subordinates who were all thoroughly crushed and scattered on the floor did not look like reality at all.
“···ah.”
The signal that floated in the artificial eyeball did not go away, and the alarm sound from the whole body was so loud that it made his brain tremble, but now he could not recognize anything.
Tears mixed with blood and oil flowed down both sides of Carpaccio’s eyes.
Kwajik.
And that was the last memory of Carpaccio.
There’s no way a person with a crushed head can think.
thud!
Gulak, who threw Carpaccio’s corpse on the floor, stood up, and the men who had been watching him gathered around him.
“It’s okay.”
There were no casualties, although there were signs of damage here and there on the body that had been treated with machines, and that made Gulak’s heart a little happy.
Originally, he should have brought hundreds of gang members.
However, those who had been hiding like rats wanted it to be this time and got up, and Gulag had no choice but to gather the best and go out on his own.
But I thought that was enough.
It was appalling and always risking one’s life to take care of a wizard, but the price was clear.
Carpaccio, who is rumored even in his own district, is lying crushed at his feet.
It was clear that Gulak would make the same decision again and again if he was crossing a dangerous bridge, but had power in his hands in return.
In addition, the wizard is a fearful being, but the reward and punishment are sure, so if he handles this job well, another power will come into his hands, and he will be able to take over the area soon.
king.
Gulak would be the king of Area 67, and for now, I thought that was fine.
I don’t know what kind of feelings I’ll have after that, but I did for now, and in order to do that, I had to deal with this matter with certainty.
“Come out there.”
Carpaccio’s gaze, looking at his subordinates, turned to a place in the clearing, but there was no response.
“It’s no use.”
Gulak smiled and raised the back of his hand, revealing intricate patterns floating on his steel knuckles, covered in oil and blood.
“You can’t escape as long as you have that item. Can you guess too? I mean, it’s magic.”
“Cheack.”
“I’m good at hiding, but it’s a pity.”
At Gulak’s words, his subordinates laughed and mocked him, and only then did John appear from behind the collapsed wall in the clearing.
“Hoo.”
Gulak quickly glanced at John, who had a stiff face, and let out a small exclamation.
“I heard the news, but it’s a real living body. I didn’t even put a communication module in it. This is precious in a different way.”
Compared to Gulak, who was nearly 3 meters tall, and his gang, who were no bigger than him, John looked so small.
“If I give it back, will you just leave?”
John pulled out a box from his chest, and Gulak’s prosthetic eyes emitted light as he confirmed the box.
“no way.”
A ferocious smile appeared on the lips of Gulak and the men.
“You know what you shouldn’t know. The person in the back is someone who prefers a sure way of doing things.”
The gang, who had been playing with their feet, naturally surrounded John.
Gee ying!
It was quite a fierce battle, and it looked like it was covered in blood and oil, but the sound of the body spinning vigorously resounded as if there was no problem with the operation.
“Make it easy. Blow someone who knows about things. Then let me go without pain.”
It was a heinous thing to say in a patronizing tone, but this was a slum, and Gulak was right to be considerate of John.
Being in a situation worse than dying is just like everyday life in a slum.
“ha.”
John let out a sigh at the sight of Gulak and the men surrounding him.
“That is troublesome.”
bang!
Dust rose from under John’s feet with a loud explosion.
< Episode 8 > End