episode_0034

As they drew closer to Scarlet’s workshop, loud shouts could be heard.

Five or six mercenaries with menacing expressions were banging on the closed door, causing a commotion.

Their clothes bore the sharp molar insignia symbolizing ‘Steel Fang’.

As soon as the transport vehicle we were in stopped, a burly man among the mercenaries shouted.

“Scarlet! You wretched bitch, how much longer are you going to make us wait?!”

His face was flushed crimson with anger.

Scarlet got out of the vehicle and retorted without backing down an inch.

“I clearly told you before starting the work, didn’t I? That I don’t know when it’ll finish or how many days it’ll take! I told you to find someone else if you were in a hurry!”

“Aren’t you going too far?!”

He vented his frustration.

“I heard your work speed is the fastest, so we came to you to properly upgrade the vehicle’s performance, especially since we have an important request already accepted!”

The fellow snarled, approaching Scarlet as if to press his nose against hers.

“But because you keep delaying, my client is now saying that if we don’t deploy it immediately, not only will there be a penalty fee…”

He raised a finger as if in warning.

“They’ve been badgering me since yesterday, saying they’ll make it impossible for me to work in this industry from now on! Do you know how much abuse I’m taking because of you?!”

His voice carried not just anger, but desperation.

“If you were that urgent, you should have solidified the schedule from the start, or canceled that important request! Why are you acting crazy towards me now?!”

Scarlet shouted, not backing down.

“You dog-like bitch, I was willing to overlook it with just one apology, but you keep running your mouth until the very end?!”

His hand went to the pistol grip at his waist.

In an instant, the tense atmosphere escalated.

“That’s enough.”

A low, calm voice, yet imbued with a weight no one could ignore, interjected between them.

Everyone’s gaze turned towards where the voice came from.

Mine did too.

From a dark alley next to the workshop, a woman slowly walked out, leading men.

Bright yellow hair that reached her shoulders, and a black eye patch covering her right eye.

“Kaien!”

Scarlet spotted her and cried out in a voice mixed with relief and welcome.

The woman called Kaien gave Scarlet a slight nod, then swept her gaze over the Steel Fang mercenaries, one by one.

“Well, well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you lackeys. What’s all this commotion in front of Scarlet’s workshop?”

At her words, the mercenaries involuntarily flinched and removed their hands from their weapons.

“K-Kaien-ssi. This is a personal matter between us and Scarlet. The vehicle modification she was in charge of is delayed, and we’re facing a huge loss. An important request hinges on it.”

The mercenary spoke defensively, his earlier momentum completely gone, observing Kaien’s expression.

“Everyone in Terminus knows Scarlet’s working style, don’t they? She’s fast, but she does things her own way.”

As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the pistol at the mercenary’s waist, where his hand rested.

“More importantly. Drawing a gun first in Terminus doesn’t seem like a very wise action.”

“But we truly are in a desperate situation!”

“Everyone has a situation.”

Kaien cut him off.

“If it’s a request problem, you should formally request mediation, or come to an agreement here and now.”

“This matter is clearly that bitch— I mean, Scarlet’s fault, and it’s unfair!”

Another mercenary shrieked.

“An important request is at stake! If we handle this well, we’ll gain enormous profit….”

“Shut up, you idiot! How much more do you plan to say?!”

The burly man glared at him and spoke.

Clap-!

Everyone looked at me at the sudden sound of clapping.

I smiled leisurely and looked at the burly man.

“Who are you? Sticking right next to Scarlet.”

“So, to sum up the situation, you guys are being pressured by your client to the point of having to pay a penalty fee. And you can’t go out on the request because you haven’t been able to upgrade the vehicle. Is that what you’re saying?”

“If you’re going to interfere, buzz off. I haven’t seen your face before.”

Kaien glanced at me, then whispered something to Scarlet next to her.

Their conversation bothered me, but dealing with the immediate issue at hand was a priority.

“Are you guys idiots?”

“W-what? What’s this snot-nosed brat saying?!”

“If you have a request, you just do it. What’s this about doing it after an upgrade? It’s no wonder the client is angry.”

“You know-nothing! It’s that high-difficulty a mission. Brat! All talk and no action.”

The burly man crossed his arms and glared at me as if to kill me.

If Kaien hadn’t been here, he might have pulled the pistol from his waist and fired.

However, with her, the inhibitor of this situation, present, what could he possibly say that was off-limits?

“Big Guy, I have a proposition.”

“B-big Guy?”

“Hand that request over to me. Then you won’t have to pay the penalty fee, and it’ll be a happy ending, won’t it?”

The fellow took a breath, as if trying to think rationally, then spoke.

“Even if I hand it over, I won’t do it for free.”

“Wow, your brain’s not working, is it?”

“Watch your mouth. Unless you want to die.”

“Is this the time for you to be picky? You’re trembling in fear because of that penalty fee, aren’t you?”

His eyes wavered, as if struck in his weak point.

“Hyung-nim, we only have two days. Even if that bitch Scarlet is fast, she can’t possibly finish the modification in two days.”

“How about we just give up on this request cleanly? We can’t even afford the penalty fee.”

“Are you telling me to tarnish our mercenary group’s name? What about the Big Boss? You think he’ll look favorably on us, huh?”

When the burly man shouted, the other mercenaries fell silent, as if dead mice.

“Alright, just let me collect my thoughts. Phew.”

The fellow took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

“Alright, fine. Brat.”

The fellow exhaled smoke and nodded his head.

“What’s your name? I’m Dutch.”

“I’m Kang Jin-woo. Dutch.”

“Jinwoo, Kang Jin-woo. Alright. But I have one condition.”

“A condition?”

“I don’t mind going back empty-handed like this. We can earn money with other requests. But.”

Dutch sighed deeply and continued.

“If the Big Boss finds out that I did anything that would harm our mercenary group, I’m a dead man. I won’t die gracefully.”

“So?”

“I’ll hand over the request, but instead, do it under the name of the Steel Fang mercenary group.”

“That’s fine. And the payment is all mine?”

“Yes, damn it, it’s all yours. Although I doubt you’ll succeed.”

Dutch threw his cigarette to the ground, then flicked a data chip with his finger.

“That’s the client’s contact info. Contact them and tell them you’re doing it right now.”

His attitude was almost a command to do it immediately.

“Alright, fine.”

I connected the received data chip to my terminal and immediately contacted the client.

*******

Alexander Valentine paced nervously inside his private room.

It was a spacious room finished with top-grade wood, but at the moment, his nerves were entirely focused on the personal terminal on his wrist.

For several hours now, there had been no contact from that fellow called Dutch of the Steel Fang mercenary group.

The promised mid-report time had long since passed.

“These damn third-rate mercenaries!”

Perhaps entrusting such an important task to a recently rising rookie mercenary group was a mistake from the start.

“Falling for useless rumors!”

The root of the problem was hearing that, ever since their new leader joined, their work was smoother than most elite mercenary groups.

“That damned vehicle upgrade, upgrade! They should have just done it!”

He thought it would be fine since there was ample time, but how many weeks has it been already?

“That Dutch bastard, surely he didn’t just take the down payment and disappear? No, that can’t be.”

He was so nervous that even the worst-case scenario flashed through his mind.

Ding-!

A short incoming sound from the terminal was accompanied by an encrypted communication request.

The caller was not Dutch, but an unregistered codename.

Alexander furrowed his brow and accepted the call with a tense heart.

[Is this Alexander Valentine-ssi?]

“That’s me, but who are you?”

Alexander asked calmly.

[I am the one who took over the request from Dutch. On behalf of the Steel Fang mercenary group, I will proceed with the request starting now.]

“What?! Took over the request? What do you mean?! Where is that Dutch fellow and what is he doing?!”

Alexander unconsciously raised his voice.

Handing over such an important matter to someone else arbitrarily was an unacceptable action.

[I’ll omit the detailed explanation. What’s important is that I can retrieve your item, the client’s, as promised. Of course, the existing contract terms remain the same.]

“Who exactly are you?”

[Kang Jin-woo, a freelance mercenary. And I am the person who will be responsible for your request from now on. Please send the request coordinates first. It seems there isn’t much time.]

Kang Jin-woo. It was a name he heard for the first time.

Could he trust this unidentified freelance mercenary?

But did he have any other choice now?

If he delayed any longer, the chance to recover the item might be lost forever.

‘Ah, screw it. I don’t know.’

Alexander squeezed his eyes shut then opened them.

He had nothing to lose anyway.

Could things get any worse in this situation?

“I will trust you. I’ll send the relevant information and location coordinates immediately.”

He quickly manipulated his terminal and sent an encrypted data packet to Kang Jin-woo.

The packet contained fragmented information about the item he wanted to retrieve and its coordinates.

“So, what’s the total number of personnel? I requested Dutch to move with at least three squads. Has anything changed?”

His voice was mixed with natural concern.

No matter how skilled a mercenary, the risk of this mission was too high for one person to handle alone.

[It’s just me.]

“W-what did you say? Alone?!”

Alexander doubted his ears.

He barely managed to suppress a hollow laugh born of incredulity.

“Are you joking right now? Do you even know how dangerous this mission is?!”

He unconsciously raised his voice.

This person was likely either a brat who couldn’t grasp the situation, or a lunatic desperate to die.

[Put your worries aside. I’ll show you with results.]

Kang Jin-woo’s voice remained unshaken and confident.

And with that final remark, he unilaterally cut off the communication.

“Th-this crazy bastard.”

He sank weakly into a chair and dry-washed his face.

‘Show me with results? By himself? What gives him that confidence?’

Alexander let out a deep sigh and looked out the window.