Chapter 82: Cold War

Ending the sudden meeting with the doctor, Amon and Sonia headed back to their lodging.

As they made their way to a luxurious hotel in Paris, Sonia whispered just loud enough for Amon to hear.

“What do you think of the doctor?”

“As a potential boss?”

“Yeah.”

Amon shook his head.

“He’s a good person, but not for the boss’s role.”

“I agree.”

The doctor was certainly a good person.

From Sonia’s perspective, he seemed like someone you could trust and rely on.

Amon, too, had no objections to the idea that the doctor, in terms of integrity, was someone dependable.

However, that didn’t mean he was suitable for the position of a leader.

‘The role requires more than just a good heart.’

To counter the pharmaceutical companies, the leader had to possess not only trustworthiness but also impeccable competence.

Surely, the doctor must have accumulated immense knowledge and wisdom over his thousand years of life.

However, that knowledge pertained to his expertise as a doctor and his wisdom as a person, not as a company leader.

Frankly, putting him in the position could lead to unhappiness for others in a different way.

In the worst case, it could pave the way to a hellish situation wrapped in good intentions.

Moreover…

“The doctor himself said he wasn’t interested.”

They had already asked him directly, and he had declined.

Although it wasn’t a straightforward question, when casually asked if he was interested in a high-ranking position, the doctor had refused with a smile.

“I’m just an old relic of the times. I’ve abandoned all lingering attachments to the mortal world. I’d rather remain a doctor,” he had said.

Forcing him into the role against his will wasn’t an option.

Hearing Amon’s explanation, Sonia nodded in disappointment.

“Then we’re back to square one.”

“Not entirely.”

Amon pulled out a business card from his pocket.

“It wasn’t a waste of time.”

Between his index and middle fingers, he held the card given to him by the doctor.

[Coen Ulrich Blacksmith – Representative: Yotron]

Even with the doctor’s introverted personality, a thousand years of life inevitably led to many connections.

According to him, this blacksmith had been passed down for centuries without ever “corrupting” itself.

This integrity applied not just in a spiritual sense but also to their technical craftsmanship.

Of course, things could change if they gained power, but…

“That won’t happen. I guarantee it.”

With the assurance of a doctor who had lived a thousand years, they could trust it.

“Let’s visit this person tomorrow.”

With such a gain, their meeting with the doctor hadn’t been a waste of time.

Amon tucked the card back into his pocket and resumed walking.

The two strolled quietly through the streets of Paris.

Crossing the Seine bridge, they headed into an alley.

***

They each drew their pistols from their pockets.

“This spot should be sufficient.”

Bang!

The trigger was pulled, and a sound like air escaping a balloon echoed.

At the same time, the shadows on either side of them collapsed.

Thud.

Bodies, camouflaged in black stains, fell onto the street, forming pools of blood.

Each had a bullet hole in either their throat or their eye.

“An eye shot? You’ve been getting sharper lately, haven’t you?”

“I’ve always been a sharpshooter. But you’re the impressive one. When did you have time to practice shooting?”

“I picked it up over someone’s shoulder.”

Exchanging trivial remarks, they each readied their weapons.

Amon wielded a pistol in his left hand and a sword in his right.

Sonia held an assault rifle.

Amon called out to the shadows.

“If you don’t come out, we’ll come to you.”

As if responding, the shadows stirred.

Soon, figures draped in black fabric stepped forward.

Sonia glanced at Amon and asked, “Could this be Miller Pharmaceuticals?”

“I doubt it. My gut says otherwise.”

Logically, it didn’t make sense to Amon.

He guessed…

“A third party, perhaps.”

“Suddenly?”

“Coincidences are rare in this world. When something appears random, there’s usually a reason behind it.”

Amon reversed his grip on his sword.

“I don’t know, but we can always ask them directly.”

With that, Amon vanished.

“What?!”

The attackers trembled slightly.

“Where did he go?”

Their eyes darted around rapidly.

Suddenly, a chilling sensation came from above, drawing their gazes skyward.

‘Above?’

Recalling that Amon possessed Sky Step, they aimed their weapons at the sky.

However, what they saw was a single sword spiraling toward them.

“Faint—”

Thud!

The blade embedded itself in the thigh of a figure who seemed to be the tank of the group.

The tank drew a dagger and swung it backward, but Amon leapt over his head.

From midair, Amon fired his pistol twice at the tank’s shoulder.

However, the bullets bounced off harmlessly.

He wasn’t surprised—it was expected.

In fact, it was part of his plan.

The bullets deflected from the tank’s shoulder toward the faces of the other attackers.

Startled, they quickly turned their heads away.

“Impossible!”

‘Was such a technique even possible?’

Of course, it was their own misunderstanding.

Amon had only aimed for the ricochet and hadn’t calculated where the bullets would bounce.

It simply didn’t matter because the tank was positioned at the center of the group, ensuring the bullets would hit someone regardless of where they went.

However, to an outsider, it seemed as though Amon had calculated even that, solidifying his image as a monster.

The feint with his sword followed by his elusive movements added to that perception.

And that was precisely what Amon wanted.

The more his enemies misunderstood him, the more his advantages as an assassin were amplified.

Exploiting misinformation and playing dirty were his weapons.

Amon swiftly sliced under the knee of one of the attackers who had been keeping an eye on him.

“Argh!”

The cut was so clean it was as though the leg was made of tofu.

The attacker’s vision dropped as he screamed in pain.

Fear gripped the group.

Sonia didn’t miss the brief moment of hesitation caused by the panic.

Rat-a-tat!

Her rapid-fire destroyed the weapons of four snipers, disabling their hands.

In an instant, the tides of the battle turned.

The predators they thought they were became the prey.

The attackers’ chances of victory faded quickly.

Even so, they didn’t flee but instead confronted Amon and Sonia head-on.

The two, however, subdued them without killing them.

While part of the reason was faith, gathering information was the primary goal.

The gap in skill between the two groups was so vast that it wasn’t a risky decision.

Eventually, the attackers were completely subdued.

Most of them were left maimed, with missing lower limbs or arms, but they were still alive.

Amon approached the sprawled attackers.

“So, where are you all from?”

But before Amon could finish his sentence, the attackers simultaneously bit down on something.

They began to spew blood and collapsed lifelessly.

“Suicide?”

Though their faces were hidden by their cloaks, they likely bore smug smiles.

However, they had made one critical miscalculation.

“Ferniques.”

Sonia murmured a word, and a warm light enveloped them.

Their pupils trembled as they realized vitality was returning to their bodies.

Even those who had been bleeding out in anticipation of death were shocked to find their bleeding had stopped.

A few tried to bite their tongues again.

“Tsk, that won’t do. You won’t make it to heaven that way,” Amon said coolly, grabbing their lower jaws.

In the end, they couldn’t even succeed in taking their own lives.

Looking down at the subdued attackers, Amon gave them a warm smile.

“Now then, let’s have a proper conversation.”

He straightened his clothes and adjusted something on his chest.

He propped one of the attackers up and leaned another, missing his arms, against the wall.

Amon began his questioning.

“First question: Who sent you?”

[Silence.]

“Please, just tell me.”

[More silence.]

“Look, I’m a devout believer. I won’t torture or kill you, so just answer me, and you’ll be free to go.”

He was sincere.

As a man of faith, Amon had no intention of inflicting further harm.

‘Nobody puts down a cat just because it hissed at them.’

The attackers were no more threatening than that to him and Sonia.

Though they’d likely rot in prison for the rest of their lives, Amon had no intention of exacting revenge through torture or murder.

“You see this cross? I swear on it—I won’t harm you. Just tell me the truth.”

However, his actions had the opposite effect.

To the attackers, who were already missing limbs, a man speaking of faith sounded utterly deranged.

Their long-forgotten fear resurfaced.

Moreover, Amon overlooked one crucial fact.

Eighty percent of all torture methods in existence originated from religion.

The attackers clamped their mouths shut even tighter.

Frustrated, Amon sighed and gave up on questioning them cleanly.

At that moment, one of the attackers spoke up quietly.

“If I talk… will you protect me?”

Amon’s expression brightened as he nodded.

“At the very least, I’ll ensure your life is spared.”

The other attackers glared daggers at their comrade, but he ignored them and began to speak.

“Actually, we’re—”

“Don’t!”

“You idiot!”

The attackers’ fierce reactions puzzled Amon.

‘Why were people who weren’t afraid to kill themselves so terrified of something?’

Something didn’t add up.

Suddenly, sparks erupted from the heads of the attackers.

With crackling sounds, they convulsed and rolled their eyes back.

Smoke rose from their heads, accompanied by the smell of burning flesh.

“Well, that’s unfortunate.”

Their bodies, now crispy on the outside but normal-looking within, no longer moved.

It was a string of mysteries.

‘Poison and electricity?’

‘Why both methods?’

‘If they had poison for suicide, why also prepare an electrical device?’

‘And why use it after the poison?’

‘It was a sequence of inexplicable actions.’

Amon tilted his head in confusion as he began cleaning up the bodies.

Once he finished, Amon looked at the body cam attached to his chest.

“Cassie, did you catch anything?”

A voice came through his earpiece.

[It was hard to see through the cam, but…]

“Any findings at all?”

[Not nothing. There was some interference, but something stood out.]

The voice on the other end paused for a moment.

[It seems we’ve stumbled into a Cold War between pharmaceutical companies.]