Chapter 136
Chapter 136
In Kairus’s Case (1)
While Irena was meeting with Lukas, I sat at a café in the Upside, sipping coffee and deep in thought.
The most surefire way to catch Marlon was to use a woman.
The bastard wandered the red-light district so much, yanking open women’s bellies like they were his personal wardrobe, that there were barely any prostitutes left out at night.
In this kind of situation, if a woman in revealing clothing walked around the red-light district at night, he would almost certainly approach.
“The problem is, I’m a man.”
To be perfectly objective, the most suitable person for this job wasn’t me—it was Irena. But right now, Irena was targeting someone else.
“It’s not like I can dress up as a woman, either.”
Anyone with eyes would see through it right away. Sure, I could just hire any prostitute and say, ‘Here’s money, walk around outside at night.’ That was possible.
‘But I bet everyone’s already tried that.’
Thinking that far, I started to wonder if the entire premise of luring Marlon out with a woman was flawed.
Any guy trying to catch Marlon would’ve already thought of the same tactic.
And yet, why hadn’t anyone caught him yet?
‘His instincts must be freakishly sharp.’
He had a good sense for telling bait from the real thing. Honestly, considering that this bastard Marlon had become famous and the number of women who ended up with opened stomachs exceeded a hundred, it would be strange if he hadn’t developed a knack for picking his victims.
“I’ll have to try a different method.”
I’d seen my fair share of madmen, but a search operation for a hidden psychopath like this one was a first for me too.
“Well, first things first.”
I was a little late because as soon as I got back to the city, I saw a gruesome scene and a bunch of urgent matters came up.
There were a few things I needed to deliver to Melvin. I stopped by the office and picked up the books.
“Kairus!”
When I arrived at Melvin’s place, I let out a low whistle.
“Now you really look like an archaeologist, Dr. Istovan.”
The building Melvin Istovan acquired through a deal with Cecilia had completely transformed—it barely resembled its former self.
Glossy ceramics, aged paintings, piles of old books. Objects that had weathered the passage of time now basked in light again, filling the space with the scent of ink and earth.
“Oh come on, don’t say it like that. I am a real archaeologist.”
Melvin had been through a lot—he’d even been threatened by me—but now, he’d moved past those old feelings. In the end, he’d succeeded in establishing himself in this city.
“Doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, but you’ve collected quite a lot.”
“Right? A bunch of these can’t even be bought with money.”
Where had he gotten the money to purchase all this, and how had he acquired the things that couldn’t be bought even with money?
“Are you sure you’ve got enough space for all this?”
At my words, Melvin let out a hearty laugh and smiled good-naturedly.
“I’m thinking of saving up and opening a museum.”
The same question crossed my mind again.
“You’re gonna need a lot of money.”
“Guess I’ll have to work hard.”
I decided not to ask what kind of work he meant. He was still wearing that ever-friendly smile.
But he already seemed perfectly adapted to this city. And that meant he had likely broken quite a few moral codes.
‘An archaeologist who sheds blood, huh?’
What a ridiculous combination. At that point, he wasn’t an archaeologist—he was basically a grave robber.
“What about donations?”
“Donations? Don’t make me laugh. They wouldn’t even manage them properly, and they wouldn’t know the value of these things in the first place.”
Melvin wasn’t just cursing at this city.
“Well then, I’ll be cheering you on.”
“Thank you. By the way, what brings you here today?”
Instead of answering, I pointed at the bundle I’d brought.
“You helped me out with this one. It’s your payment. If you don’t like it, let me know. I can give you cash instead.”
Melvin opened the bundle and checked the books inside, eyes widening as he responded.
“You’re giving me something more valuable than money. This is almost too much to accept.”
“Glad to hear it. Means I didn’t waste my time.”
Hearing that I’d given him something more valuable than money, I was satisfied for now. Melvin began sorting through the books I’d given him. Just from the look in his eyes, it was like he wasn’t handling books but caressing a lover’s hair.
“The city’s in quite a mess right now.”
“Tell me about it.”
Melvin had stayed in Bennett City while I had just returned, so of course he knew more about what was going on.
“Even the Operations Committee members seem to be forming their own teams to search their respective zones.”
At my words, Melvin nodded.
“I don’t fully understand the ecology of this city yet, but I did take a look at how they’re organizing their people.”
“I’m curious to hear an archaeologist’s expert opinion.”
“It’s a bit vague. It’s not like they’re not trying to catch the guy… but I wouldn’t say they’re being proactive either.”
I let out a low hum and looked at Melvin.
“And why do you think that?”
“Because even a newbie like me could figure out their search teams’ skill levels with just a bit of legwork.”
Only guys at that level were conducting the search—each organization was keeping their main forces in reserve.
‘They’re still taking it easy.’
The people were cautious, but not afraid. The city’s rulers were aware of the situation but not all that proactive.
What I saw when entering through the canal looked like some plague-level disaster, but in this city, it seemed to be treated like a seasonal flu. They saw it as something that would naturally die down with time.
What the city’s rulers prioritized more was the warlike tension that had been simmering until recently.
That said, the atmosphere had definitely shifted. It used to feel like any moment someone on the Committee might stab another in the back. Now, it had the air of, “Go ahead and try something stupid, I dare you.”
No longer offensive, but defensive.
“Would you like another cup of tea?”
I checked my empty teacup, shook my head, and rose from my seat.
“I’ve delivered what I came to deliver. Any longer and I’d just be a bother. Work hard and stay healthy.”
I had no further business here. According to Spring Parsley’s assessment, Melvin was doing architect work. And the word was, getting involved wouldn’t lead to anything good.
I wasn’t the type to believe everything others said, and I didn’t really have the grounds to judge Melvin’s work as an architect.
Still, something about it just didn’t sit right with me. I’d felt that same uneasy vibe a few times during the fight over Pontus too.
“This is my first time working with this group.”
I inspected the ticket from Lumis & Wesson that I’d stopped by to pick up before visiting Melvin, then headed straight for the cabaret.
“They said to get whatever support I needed for the job. That’s what I was told.”
Whistling, I casually scanned the cabaret standing boldly in front of me.
“‘Pure Love’? What the hell.”
The cabaret’s name was “Pure Love.” Pretty words for a place that specialized in human trafficking.
When I opened the door and stepped inside, the place was completely empty—except for one table where a group of people were gathered. Every single one of them wore a pink badge on their chest. About twenty in total.
Seemed like they were in a meeting. Can’t have a gangster meeting without cigarettes, I guess—each guy sitting there had a smoke stick dangling from his mouth.
“How about cracking a window or something?”
Waving my hand to clear away some of the smoke, I walked up to them. I could faintly hear the sound of weapons being drawn.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Kairus. Said I’d handle a bounty, and Onui told me to come here.”
I walked toward them like it was no big deal.
“Onui told you?”
“Go ahead and check if you want.”
Standing at the table, I nodded toward the guy at the head.
“Hey, buddy. Scoot over a seat. I need a place to sit too.”
The one currently taking the lead in this meeting was part of the organization. One of the so-called “Lovers,” I guess. That’s what the inbred Onui called her subordinates.
“...”
Their expressions weren’t exactly welcoming. It was bad enough that I just waltzed in saying Onui sent me, but asking for the head seat on top of that? Yeah, that would piss anyone off.
“Come on, move already. Don’t you all have stuff to do?”
Sad as it was, when guys like me and these Lovers gathered in one place, the first thing to get sorted was the pecking order.
And since I wasn’t someone who lived and breathed inside one single organization, if I didn’t take the head seat now, things would get real annoying later on.
“And knock it off with the smoking, will you? My eyes are burning.”
Flicker leapt from its sheath. The cigarettes in the mouths of the guys at the head table were all sliced in half. No one reacted.
“Check if that bastard’s telling the truth.”
The guy who’d been sitting in the top seat stared at me as he stood up. I didn’t need him to say it out loud—I could read his expression.
[If you’re lying, I’ll kill you.]
Not my problem. I already got the go-ahead. And these guys couldn’t do anything to me anyway.
That’s why they stepped aside. As I approached the head of the table, the Lovers wearing their pink badges backed off and cleared a path.
“Nice to meet you.”
I took the seat that had just been vacated, glanced over the documents in front of me, and began to get a rough grasp of the plan.
While I skimmed through the paperwork, the guy who’d just vacated the seat listened to a subordinate whispering in his ear.
The whisper ended, and silence fell. The only sound in the room was the rustle of pages as I turned them.
“No complaints, right?”
When they said I could get whatever support I needed, that included people. That was why I could act like this.
“You know what’ll happen if you’re holding the sword and things go to shit?”
“Man, you’re threatening me the second we meet? Be optimistic. At least it won’t be your fault.”
Silence followed my words. And it was true. Onui had promised support, and I was the one receiving it.
It’s not the guillotine that executes the convict. It’s the one who pulls the rope.
If anything went wrong, I’d be the one shouldering all the blame.
“You really think we’ll just follow your….”
The moment one of the guys still seated started to talk, I smashed a huge crystal ashtray over his head. It shattered, and his face slammed into the table before he could finish his sentence.
I grabbed a fistful of his hair and drove his head into the marble table a few more times.
“No need to bother. You need a hospital.”
Letting go of his now-bloodied head, I shoved the guy’s limp body off the chair and onto the floor.
Anyone who dared to say another word now would be joining him—arm-in-arm, straight to the ER. The tension in the room spiked; I could see throats bobbing.
Clap!
I clapped my hands loudly. Most of the people flinched.
A little time passed. It wasn’t loyalty from the heart, but… I had clearly secured command over this group.
“For god’s sake. Can we talk business now? It’s not like we’re stuck with each other for life, so what’s with all the posturing? You here to court me or something?”