Chapter 149: Morning in Muscle City
The morning sun had barely risen.
Kai stepped out of the training hall and stretched.
His entire body still ached from Taai's "gentle" training.
"...Everything hurts."
A nearby soldier overheard him.
"Good."
"It means you're improving."
Kai wasn't sure if that was comforting.
Probably not.
Today, however—
He had somewhere to be.
The residential district.
Or more specifically...
The district where Dr. Z's hideout was located.
Not the hideout itself.
Just the area.
Kai adjusted his jacket and started walking.
Unlike Asphyxia—
Muscle City woke up differently.
There were no elegant cafés.
No scholars discussing research.
No merchants loudly advertising magical artifacts.
Instead—
Everywhere Kai looked...
People were moving.
Running.
Training.
A father jogged while carrying two children on his shoulders.
An old grandmother casually dragged a giant log behind her house.
A butcher sharpened his cleaver using one hand while curling a dumbbell with the other.
Kai blinked.
"...Do these people ever rest?"
Nearby—
Two elderly men played chess.
Except every time someone lost a piece—
They had to do push-ups.
The loser was already nearing a hundred.
He looked perfectly fine.
Kai slowly walked away.
"...Never mind."
Further ahead—
A public training square came into view.
Children were gathered around an instructor.
The man clapped his hands.
"Again!"
The children immediately dropped for push-ups.
One little girl looked exhausted.
"I can't..."
The instructor nodded.
"Then do one more."
She somehow managed it.
Everyone around her cheered.
Kai smiled a little.
This city...
Really did revolve around strength.
Not just physical power.
Discipline.
Persistence.
Everyone seemed to value improvement more than talent.
It reminded him...
A little...
Of the Order.
As he continued walking—
He noticed a wagon parked awkwardly near the roadside.
Several crates had fallen off.
A little boy struggled to push one back.
It barely moved.
Kai walked over.
"You need a hand?"
The boy looked up.
"...Please."
Kai grabbed the crate.
Lifted it.
The boy's eyes widened.
"Whoa!"
Kai set it onto the wagon.
"...There."
The boy grinned.
"Thanks, mister!"
An older man walked over.
Probably the boy's father.
He bowed slightly.
"Thank you."
Kai simply nodded.
"No problem."
The man smiled.
"Muscle City remembers kindness."
"Even if we don't always look like it."
Kai chuckled.
"I'll remember that."
The wagon rolled away.
The boy waved enthusiastically until they disappeared around the corner.
Kai continued through the district.
Laundry hung between buildings.
Small restaurants filled the air with the smell of grilled meat.
Several blacksmiths worked with massive furnaces.
The rhythmic sounds of hammering echoed through the streets.
He noticed something else.
Unlike Asphyxia—
Very few people carried staffs.
Almost everyone carried weapons.
Axes.
Spears.
Knuckle weapons.
Giant swords.
Or simply...
Guns
Their bodies were their weapons.
It fit the city perfectly.
As Kai reached a small plaza—
He overheard a conversation.
"...Another one's missing."
"I heard it happened near the western district."
"They still haven't found him."
A woman shook her head.
"My neighbor says people are disappearing every few days."
Another lowered his voice.
"And the assassinations."
The gossip continued.
"Whatever's going on..."
"It isn't normal."
Kai slowed his pace.
Missing people.
Assassinations.
He quietly filed the information away.
Not far ahead—
A familiar voice shouted,
"Oi!"
Kai looked over.
Andrew.
He sat outside a food stall.
Several empty plates already surrounded him.
Another was in his hands.
He waved with a meat skewer.
"Kai!"
"You eat yet?"
Kai stared.
"...How many plates is that?"
Andrew looked around.
"...Seven?"
"...Eight?"
He shrugged.
"I lost count."
Kai sighed.
"...Of course."
He sat down opposite him.
The stall owner immediately placed another grilled steak in front of Andrew.
Andrew thanked him without even looking.
Kai wasn't sure if the owner was running a restaurant...
Or feeding a wild animal.
Andrew took another bite.
"So."
"What brings you here?"
Kai shrugged.
"Walking."
"You?"
Andrew snorted.
"Working."
Kai raised an eyebrow.
"You call this working?"
Andrew pointed his fork dramatically.
"I'm thinking."
Kai looked at the mountain of food.
"...Looks expensive."
"It is."
"But thinking makes me hungry."
Kai decided not to question that logic.
Andrew suddenly became more serious.
"I've been looking into something."
Kai listened.
"The assassinations."
"The missing people."
"I think they're connected."
Kai nodded slowly.
"You think they're the same culprit?"
Andrew shrugged.
"...Maybe."
"But the timing's weird."
"Sometimes someone disappears."
"Sometimes an assassination happens."
"Sometimes both happen on the same day."
He leaned back.
"It's messy."
Kai folded his arms.
"So what's your plan?"
Andrew finished another skewer.
"I'll focus on the assassinations first."
"That's my specialty."
"The missing people..."
He pointed at Kai.
"You can look into those if you feel like helping."
Kai blinked.
"...Me?"
Andrew nodded.
"You've got good instincts."
"I've seen worse."
Kai scratched his cheek.
"...Guess I'll see what I can find."
Andrew stood.
Finished the last bite.
Then stretched.
"Good."
"I'm heading out."
"If you hear screaming..."
"It might be me."
"...Or the assassin."
Kai stared.
"That's... not reassuring."
Andrew laughed.
"It wasn't supposed to be."
He waved once.
Then disappeared into the crowd.
Kai watched him leave.
"..."
Missing people...
He repeated the words quietly to himself.
"I guess that's where I'll start."
For now, though—
He still had another stop to make.
Kai adjusted his jacket.
Turned the corner.
And continued toward the quiet district where a certain eccentric doctor had told him to return.
The streets gradually became less crowded.
The houses more ordinary.
Nothing about the neighborhood stood out.
Which...
Was probably exactly how Dr. Z wanted it.
Kai eventually stopped in front of a very familiar building.
"...I'm back."
End of Chapter 149