Bang!
Just as Putato, thinking he could successfully deceive them, was about to speak again, he saw, to his horror, Oaks pull a small pistol from his fedora and shoot without hesitation.
Putato's right thigh was hit, and he dropped to one knee.
"Putato!"
With a muffled groan, Putato was immediately helped up by Consta. The intense pain from his thigh made cold sweat pour down.
Seeing Mo and Arnold draw their blades, Putato, enduring the pain, immediately raised his hand to stop them. Although Oaks wasn't playing by the rules, his demeanor didn't suggest he wanted to kill him—yet.
"You're lying."
Oaks watched Putato, who was shielded by the two individuals with prosthetics, and slowly put away the small pistol. His subordinate immediately took the fedora and weapon.
The androgynous voice changed the atmosphere of the scene instantly. Naoki and Tae-in, who had summoned the Axe Gang, wore ugly expressions.
"If you only suspect me, you can take me hostage. I can lead you into Yun's Office and wait for Gyeong-mi to appear."
Putato gritted his teeth, clutching the bleeding wound on his leg. The Bloodfiend tattoo on his kidney was already taking effect to staunch the flow.
"Is that so? Prove you're from Yun's Office, or I'll hang your head on a telephone pole."
Putato, having made complete preparations, immediately held up his Fixer contract. The executive with two axes at his waist snatched it and presented it to Oaks.
Oaks' lips, as crimson as his hair, curled upwards into a smirk.
"Prove you're from Stray Dogs, or I'll force you to consume your own internal organs."
"The Hook Gang members can testify. At that time, I went with Syndicate Executive Zulu to deliver goods to The Backstreets Butcher. If that's not enough, you can also ask those chefs. I'm their contact."
Tae-in stood to the side with his arms crossed, sneering. The other assassins couldn't say much in this tense situation.
Realizing this group was remaining silent, Putato cursed inwardly. He quickly turned to Naoki, whom he hadn't offended. This girl seemed to still be weighing the pros and cons.
"I told you, Yun's Office only wants the reputation of eliminating Stray Dogs. You can split everything else among yourselves!"
"Gyeong-mi's negotiation with Yun's Office is tomorrow. If you keep dawdling, you won't even catch the corpses while they're warm."
"If it weren't for Yun, I wouldn't cooperate with you scum!"
With things having reached this breaking point, Naoki, meeting Putato's gaze, finally stepped forward to corroborate his story.
"That's right. Our informant at the time confirmed The Backstreets Butcher had a transaction with Stray Dogs. We originally intended to rob them of their goods, but something unexpected happened."
Hearing this, Oaks nodded slowly and showed a gentle smile.
"Sorry, I don't really trust soft words. Only blood and fear can make people tell the truth."
"I really appreciate that your loyalty to the Office can surpass these two things. Sister, bandage our cooperating partner."
A long, straight-haired woman carrying a medical kit, who had been standing silently behind Oaks, obediently stepped forward upon hearing this.
"Get lost!"
Mo immediately placed her horizontal blade against the woman's neck. She hesitated for a moment but continued to advance.
Putato, from behind, patted Mo's shoulder, signaling her to stand down. In the current situation, he had no choice but to accept Oaks' "goodwill."
Oaks turned and commanded his subordinates.
"Alright, this time our Axe Gang has encountered a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. Not only can we expand our territory, we can even join the long-awaited Thumb."
"Of course, we certainly won't forget your Hook Gang. I will give you a satisfactory reward."
The situation was compelling; Tae-in nodded in agreement. Their original plan was just to rob them properly, but Syndicates were much richer than mere rats.
They excitedly prepared the vehicles.
Putato, who had just had the bullet extracted, clenched his fists, wishing he could sever his own thigh to stop the agony.
"Can't you just give me some anesthetic?"
"I can."
Putato hadn't expected her to be so agreeable. He quickly refused, remembering he still had to deal with the unpredictable Oaks later.
"Never mind, just handle it like this."
"Alright."
He watched as she methodically cleaned the wound and disinfected it, then took out a spray can from the box. A cool liquid poured into the jagged hole.
To Putato's surprise, the wound, which had been a bloody mess from the bullet, quickly closed, and in an instant, began to scab over.
"What is this? The effect is so potent?"
"I don't know, I just use it."
Putato looked at her delicate side profile with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. Her gentle temperament was completely out of place in a ruthless Syndicate. And she was staring intently at his wound.
"What are you looking at?"
"The way the wound heals... it excites me."
"Damn it, you bunch of murderous maniacs are all shitty people!"
"I've never killed anyone. The healing of a wound makes me feel that you're still alive, and if I heal you, I feel that I'm also still alive. I like this feeling."
"I'm very sorry about your gunshot wound. My brother can be a bit rough."
Putato, standing up again, watched her pack up her medical kit and return to Oaks' side, at a loss for words.
"Thanks."
In Backstreet 23, it was hard to believe someone had never killed.
"Oaks, can we go now? We'll arrive just in time to get some sleep before tomorrow."
"I should leave. Since your Axe Gang has chosen to join, I need to inform Yun to prepare the trap."
"Don't worry, in the Office, only Yun and I know about this. The secret won't be revealed. You just need to wait outside the Office tomorrow morning."
"Take the closed lights as a signal, then you can charge right in. But be careful not to harm the Office Fixers."
"Of course, no problem. Our Axe Gang is very experienced and reputable when cooperating with Offices."
Putato limped into the car. It was a sports car, a "friendly gift" from Oaks. Mo immediately stepped on the gas.
Looking back at the gang members transporting weapons, Putato finally breathed a sigh of relief.
...
Yun's Office.
Thump, thump, thump.
Yun, who was in the middle of a harsh berating of Finn, stopped abruptly at the sound of the rhythmic pounding on the door. He dismissed the kid with a sharp flick of his wrist, telling him to vanish.
The moment the door swung open, both Finn and Yun were momentarily paralyzed by the sight of the man standing there. It was Putato.
"You're back?"
Finn started to chirp an eager question, but Yun cut him off with a cold, jagged edge to his voice. "Finn, get back to your Commission. Now."
"And shut the door on your way out."
Putato stood in silence, watching Yun move toward the window to retrieve a cigarette from his case. He still felt a lingering sense of attachment to this Office; after all, it was here that he had earned his first real sum of credits.
"Well? Did you manage to embed yourself within the Stray Dogs?"
Yun was already calculating the best time to sell Putato out. To a man like Yun, people were merely assets—volatile stocks to be traded when their value reached its peak.
"I've uncovered something," Putato began, his voice low. "The Axe Gang and the Hook Gang are planning a coordinated raid on Yun's Office."
"What?!"
The cigarette nearly tumbled from Yun's lips. He pivoted, pinning Putato with a gaze sharp with suspicion.
The Axe Gang was a savage Syndicate, operating on the same tier as the Stray Dogs. Why would they waste their resources targeting a mere Grade 7 Office?
"While I was running errands for the Stray Dogs, I picked up a lead. The Axe Gang is looking to dismantle the weakened Stray Dogs, and they've decided to seize Yun's Office first to use as a tactical forward base."
"You know how it is when Syndicates go to war—no rules, no mercy. I came as soon as I heard."
"The plan is set for tomorrow morning. They're sending a mole disguised as a client to infiltrate the Office and kill the main power. Once the lights are out, that's when the invasion starts."
"You might have a lot of Fixers on payroll, but I doubt they have the grit to hold off a full Syndicate assault in the dark."
Was he lying?
Yun searched Putato's face for a tell. No, it didn't add up. Putato gained nothing by fabricating a threat this massive. Besides, with the clock ticking toward morning, Yun had no time for a thorough investigation.
"And why risk your neck to tell me this? Afraid that the collapse of the Office will void your Fixer status?"
"Because I want to be a good person."
Putato let the silence hang for a moment. "Now that I have Gyeong-mi's favor, life is actually easier without the Fixer tag. But I haven't forgotten that day you gave me a chance."
"Everywhere else I went, people just sneered. They told me a rat from The Backstreets could never be anything more than a criminal. They said a 'good person' didn't exist in a place like this."
"Recruiting me might have been a trivial decision for you, but it meant everything to me. That's why I broke protocol and risked my mission to warn you."
A strange, complex wave of emotion washed over Yun. He had never considered that his cynical, bottom-line business decisions could be interpreted as an act of profound altruism.
He stood in a rare daze. Seeing the dried blood and the jagged tear in Putato's trousers—physical proof of a recent struggle—only served to validate the story.
Sigh. Perhaps a loyal spy is worth more than a dozen faceless mercenaries.
A long-dormant sense of guilt stirred within Yun as he extinguished his cigarette. His gaze toward Putato softened into something resembling genuine respect.
...
Putato stepped out of Yun's Office, feeling the weight in his chest begin to lift. His three companions materialized from the shadows of the alley immediately.
"Senior Putato," Mo whispered, her voice tight with anxiety. "I don't know what you're playing at, but this plan had better be airtight."
"I hope the payout for this suicide mission is worth the trauma," Mo added, her habitual greed acting as a strange, grounding comfort for the stressed Putato.
He knew he couldn't maintain this elaborate deception forever. That was exactly why he had engineered such a frantic timeline for tomorrow morning—to ensure there was no room for second-guessing.
Now, he needed to use the emergency funds Yun had just provided to scavenge what he could from the Stray Dogs' marketplace.
Even the most fearsome Syndicate leader would be reduced to nothing more than a memory if caught in a confined space with a few strategically placed gasoline barrels.
He also had to convince Gyeong-mi to make a personal appearance. Without him as bait, the Axe Gang, ever the opportunists, would likely hang back and refuse to commit.
"Looks like the Axe Gang is already here," Putato noted, glancing at the unfamiliar vehicles lining the alleyway. "We can't go back to the clinic. Too much risk of being seen."
Fortunately, his plan was still on track. He spotted Oaks' sister standing by one of the cars, idly petting a stray cat.
The calico seemed to sense an unwelcome presence, darting away from her outstretched hand and onto a nearby rooftop. It paused for a beat, its gaze locking with Putato's, before vanishing into the shadows.
An alarm blared in Putato's mind. He knew what that was: the Bloodfiend, delivering a silent reminder of their pact.
In truth, Putato had never bothered with a deep dive into the game's lore before his transmigration, so his knowledge of Bloodfiends was dangerously incomplete.
He could only play the hand he was dealt.
Suddenly, one of his companions whispered, "It's that red monster!"
"Wait, Putato, didn't you promise it a tribute of blood?" the woman interjected smoothly, as if reading his mind. "I believe I have a test tube. Allow me to deliver it. You should go; it's far too dangerous."
The tall woman with straight, black hair stood up, her gaze following the cat's path. She then turned her unhurried attention to the visibly tense Putato.
"My brother mentioned that Gyeong-mi will be at Yun's Office for negotiations tomorrow morning. He will be present, which is the only way he'll agree to participate."
"Should things go sideways, your new orders are to eliminate everyone inside Yun's Office. That way, the trip won't be a total waste."
Putato, having already steeled himself for this, simply nodded. He looked at the gentle smile on her face and felt a hot surge of anger, a bizarre reaction to her casual discussion of mass murder.
He remembered her claim of never having killed anyone.
Though it was a trivial detail in the grand scheme of things, it stuck in his mind like a shard of glass.
"What are you even doing here?" he snapped. "You told me you've never killed anyone. Are you some kind of combat medic?"
"If your brother gave a damn about you, why wouldn't he keep you somewhere safe?!"
More than a pacifist, Putato was beginning to believe she was a monster who reveled in acting contrary to her own vile nature.
"I do not know. I am a protected individual. My role is to be obedient."
"I lack the courage to kill. I cannot protect anyone."
The three chrome figures beside him exchanged glances, finding Putato's sudden obsession with this woman's morality completely baffling.
"Putato, it's getting late," Mo interjected.
The reminder was enough to douse his sudden flare of anger. He told the woman to get back in the car, his voice tight.
Left alone with his thoughts, Putato tugged irritably at his collar, his mind racing over the Bloodfiend agreement. He pulled out his communicator.
If he could just lure Yixin into this, the Eight Chef could surely handle a wounded Bloodfiend.
But the creature was likely in hiding. The outcome was too unpredictable.
"Do you want a sandwich?"
He ignored the delicious food pictures Yixin was sending and typed a message.
[Putato: I have some thieving rats in my house, messing with my ingredients. What should I do?]
[Pangolin: Rats are terrifying! Quick, eat your food first!!! If you can't finish it, I can help.]
"The ham patties look like they're starting to crack."
Reading that last message, a paralyzing chill shot through Putato. His entire body trembled.
He had been a fool. He'd assumed Yixin, as a fellow connoisseur, would help him eliminate the Bloodfiend out of professional courtesy. But he'd forgotten the cardinal rule of a true gourmand: when you discover another pest eyeing your meal, the first priority isn't to exterminate the competition—it's to devour the meal yourself before anything can go wrong!
That same principle applied to the Bloodfiend!
The Bloodfiend might not be a match for Yixin, but neither was he!
He couldn't let them meet. He had to keep them completely ignorant of each other's existence, or he would be caught in the crossfire!
Panting, Putato snapped his communicator shut, only then realizing he was drenched in cold sweat. A sudden gust of wind felt like ice against his skin.
"Damn it! Why is The City just one big minefield!"
Suddenly, a strong, metallic body wrapped around him from behind.
"Putato, I was wrong before," Mo's voice was soft but firm. "I didn't listen. I was just... having trouble accepting our reality."
"Please don't be angry."
Putato licked his dry lips, the warmth from her mechanical frame a strange comfort.
"I don't have a life force, do I? I've been fine all this time."
"And what about you?" she countered. "Why won't you listen to me? You're just standing here torturing yourself."
"Earlier, at the clinic, when I asked you who Honey was..."
"I know I don't have any special talents, but I'll support you. No matter what you decide to do."
Putato was silent.
"What she said, Mo. Can't you include us?" Arnold grumbled.
"Me too, Senior," Consta added, not wanting to be left out.
"I want to reach the pinnacle of The City," Putato said, his voice deadly serious. "I want to stand on the Wings of the World and put my fist through the Heads. Will you support that, too?"
He stared at them, and for a moment, they were stunned into silence. This was clearly not a joke.
"I believe you," Mo said finally.
A fiercer, wilder anger surged through him. He didn't know its source, only that it had to be unleashed.
"Believe in what?! You're all just a pile of scrap metal!"
"Do you have any idea how big The City is? It has twenty-six Nests!"
"How powerful are the Stars of the City? How many Association Fixers does it take to even dent one? Do you have any concept of how dangerous the Wings of the World are?!"
"You don't understand anything!"
He couldn't comprehend them. How could these three prosthetics so casually pledge their support for such an insane, suicidal ambition?
"You're right," Mo said, her voice unshaken. "The Stray Dogs beat me into scrap metal. But you kept your promise, didn't you?"
"You said you'd get us out in one piece, and you did."
She handed him a ham sandwich she'd bought earlier.
"You delivered. That's all that matters."
"Senior," Consta added, "for us, The City isn't trustworthy. But you are."
Putato, stunned, took the sandwich and looked away, the fire in his chest starting to cool.
He stared at the food, lost in thought.
A promise. In The City, even flesh-and-blood humans broke their word without a second thought. But perhaps... perhaps this was the key. A shortcut to the top.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "I was... out of line just now. I'm sorry."
He ate the sandwich in silence, his decision about the Bloodfiend finally solidifying in his mind.
"It's fine," Arnold grunted. "Mo was like that all the time before her full-body conversion. Always yelling about nothing."
"Yeah, she'd lose her own stuff and then scream at us for it," Consta chimed in.
"You're asking for a beating."
Mo's optical sensor flared from yellow to red. She raised a hand as if to strike Consta, but then, seeming to remember Putato was there, she forced herself to adopt a more "ladylike" posture.
She had noticed him watching the woman with the straight, black hair a little too intently earlier.
"Let's go," Putato said, his voice now calm and steady. "Check your weapons. We're going to deal with that Bloodfiend."