#116. The Flower That Blooms in the Mud (5)
—
Ray’s hand emerged from within his coat.
In his palm lay a gemstone worth a staggering 4.2 million shillings.
— P-please return it without any damage if possible!
Jade’s urgent plea echoed in Ray’s mind.
But that was unlikely to happen.
What he wanted was for the gemstone to ‘accidentally’ fall in a way that appeared completely unintentional.
This would naturally expose its existence.
‘I can’t afford to act poorly. It must not feel unnatural.’
Gently placing it down out of concern for damage or flaunting it before tucking it back in—these options were unacceptable.
In a split second, he made his decision.
*Whoosh—!*
Ray let the gemstone slip.
More precisely, it was closer to throwing than dropping.
*Clang!*
The gemstone hit the ground and bounced into the air.
Sparks flared around it as it struck, triggered by Ray.
“Ah!”
With a mechanical reaction, Ray swiftly snatched the gemstone back and resumed running toward his allies.
*Taptaptaptap—!*
The boy was not a good actor.
‘That’s fine.’
He was simply unaware of that fact himself.
Fortunately, the urgency of the situation meant that no one noticed the unnatural slip.
Ray discreetly glanced back.
He could see enemies urgently making calls.
“Board quickly!”
Squad One had finished loading supplies and was on standby.
*Rattle—! Clank!*
Ray climbed aboard.
With a roar of the engine, they took off.
“How did it go?”
“Flawlessly.”
Ray’s response was filled with conviction.
MacCurley nodded with unwavering trust and continued his report.
“We received word from Codename Honeyflower(Collin). During combat, they dropped a wooden box containing a knife from the driver’s seat. The enemy saw it and urgently called someone.”
“Are they still in pursuit?”
“Yes. They are drawing in all nearby enemies along Route A.”
“Good. We’ll take Route B. We need to lure the enemies in this area too.”
*Thudududu—! Thudududu—!*
Gunfire erupted from behind the vehicle.
Multiple enemy cars were in pursuit.
Their occupants leaned out the windows, weapons raised.
These figures reflected in the side mirror.
They were on a wide road between city buildings.
“Hold on tight!”
At the driver’s shout, the van started weaving in an S-pattern.
*Screeech—! Screeeeech—!*
The steering wheel spun wildly.
Each time the van tilted, the passengers were thrown sideways, flattening against the interior.
Bullets from the enemies barely missed the windows.
After one intense round of gunfire, the van returned to a stable course.
“Everyone okay?”
“Davis! Damn, your driving is insane!”
“You jerk, you totally turned the wheel harder on purpose! This was something you always wanted to try, wasn’t it?”
McCurley and the squad laughed as they adjusted themselves.
Phillip, who had been half-swallowed by a seat gap, pulled himself out.
‘I feel like this has happened before…’
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.
And as he got lost in thought for a moment—
‘I should ask the driver later if he gives lessons. If I can master driving, I’ll be more useful to the team…’
Phillip briefly imagined himself drifting effortlessly with one hand on the wheel, sunglasses on.
Then he turned to the passenger seat.
Ray had his eyes closed.
His posture was straight, as if completely detached from the chaos moments ago.
‘He’s started.’
That was why Ray wasn’t using magic to shield the vehicle.
He needed absolute focus for the spell he was casting.
───────
Behind his closed eyelids—
Instead of darkness, hundreds of images flickered past at high speed.
Like the view from a moving train.
But the images moved precisely according to Ray’s will.
Pausing.
Skipping some.
Rewinding others.
What he saw were the sights of the hundreds of mice he had secretly deployed among enemy ranks.
There were limitations—
He had to avoid detection, so he could only distribute them in select locations.
And because they weren’t deeply bonded to him, the shared vision wasn’t crystal clear.
But it was enough.
Enough to predict enemy movements and carve a path forward.
“Turn right. The road ahead is being barricaded.”
“Understood!”
*Screech—!*
The driver immediately turned the wheel.
“Squad One, watch out for an enemy transport truck appearing from the right at about 50 meters ahead. Squad Two, move left in 30 meters and take the ramp onto Street 33.”
He issued orders to both squads simultaneously.
Phillip, taking over for the deeply focused Ray, relayed them through the radio.
“Squad Two! Turn left at the fork in 30 meters, take the ramp, and enter Street 33!”
Under precise command, the two vans barely evaded capture while causing chaos in enemy lines.
Meanwhile—
*Thudududududu—!*
The pursuing enemies numbered over twenty vehicles per squad.
*KABOOM—!*
Explosions roared.
Enemy mages, stationed in vehicles and on rooftops, hurled fireballs.
But thanks to Ray’s predictions, there were no fatal hits.
*Crash!*
A door flew off.
*Thud!*
The roof caved in.
But they kept driving.
Each moment felt like they were on the verge of being caught.
The enemy’s pursuit was relentless.
“R-Ray! Your nose—you’re bleeding!”
“I’m fine.”
Without opening his eyes, Ray wiped the blood with the back of his hand.
Controlling hundreds of familiars simultaneously wasn’t easy.
Even if they were small, and even if their bond was weak.
‘We’ve drawn in enough of the enemy. It’s time to break away and head to the final destination.’
Truthfully, this had exceeded expectations.
Ray had hoped to lure even half of the enemy forces.
But at this point, it seemed like nearly all their combatants were in pursuit.
Were they willingly playing along?
Or had their bait worked too well?
‘…Could be both.’
One thing was certain: the enemy was far more relentless than in previous engagements.
At this rate, they would chase them all the way to Sector 50.
They could successfully lure them to the final destination.
Ray opened his eyes and spoke.
“Let’s break away now.”
*
*
*
“Shit! Step on it! Faster, damn it!”
“I-It’s dangerous! If we go any faster and the car shakes—”
“Fuck! Move it! You useless bastard!”
Brook shoved himself into the driver’s seat, gripping the wheel with bloodshot eyes fixed ahead.
Not far in the distance, a van was speeding across the bridge, with allied vehicles in pursuit.
“Colin! You worm! How dare you steal from me!”
Screaming in rage, Brook stomped on the accelerator with all his might.
VROOOOM!
The four-seater jeep swerved dangerously through the packed road, weaving between cars as it shot forward.
“You thieving little shit! When I catch you, I’ll cut off your hands!”
When his subordinate had radioed in, Brook had been genuinely shocked.
He thought the ‘key’ had been lost during the raid on the Pro faction. It never even crossed his mind that Colin had it.
**‘I can open it. That bastard Niles’ safe—I can open it.’**
[Click.]
Brook licked his lips with a saliva-drenched tongue as he imagined the key sliding into the safe’s keyhole.
There would be an enormous amount of money inside.
Even if the protection fees collected from the merchants were low, Niles’ syndicate had controlled the entire sector.
Even after deducting the salaries of his men and the cost of maintaining their equipment, a substantial sum would have remained every month.
**‘And you planned to keep it all for yourself? You conscienceless bastard, Niles.’**
Rage surged within him, but it didn’t matter.
Soon, that money would belong to him.
And at last, the long-awaited full-scale attack order had come from Murcred, the one who had constantly restricted his actions.
**‘Kill them all—except for the white-haired brat. Bring him back alive. And take whatever that gemstone is.’**
Brook would wipe out the Pro faction.
Murcred would get what he wanted.
A perfect deal.
VROOOOM—!
The jeep reached its top speed, closing the distance until it was running parallel to the van.
Only one lane separated them.
Brook rolled down his window and shouted.
“Coliiiin! No wonder I couldn’t find the key anywhere—so it was you who took it, you thieving bastard!”
The rushing wind made his face ripple like laundry hanging on a line. His voice was nearly drowned out, but the van’s passenger-side window slid down in response.
Colin’s cold, unreadable face emerged.
“……”
“Coliiin—!! Give me the keeeey—!!”
Colin gazed at him indifferently, then lowered his head to grab something.
A moment later, something rose above the window frame.
A middle finger, held straight up.
“You little shi—”
Just as Brook was about to curse—
TUDUDUDUDU—!
Colin’s gun muzzle suddenly appeared outside the window, spitting fire at the jeep’s front wheel.
BANG!
A deafening gunshot.
The tire burst.
Brook, caught off guard, slammed on the brakes, gripping the wheel with clenched teeth.
SCREEEECH—!
The jeep swerved wildly like a drunkard.
As it finally slowed down, it crashed into the bridge railing.
BANG—!
Thick smoke rose from the half-crumpled engine.
The vehicles following in the same lane barely managed to swerve around it, narrowly avoiding a pileup.
WHOOSH—! WHOOSH—!
The van and its pursuers rapidly disappeared into the distance.
Watching them vanish, Brook slammed the horn with all his might.
BANG! BEEEEEEEEEP—!
“YOU MOTHERFUCKEEEERRR—!! I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU—!!”
His hoarse screams were laced with searing pain radiating through his entire body.
—
A minor accident occurred on the bridge, but the chase had ultimately been successful.
They had cornered the two fleeing vans in a dead-end alley.
“So.”
Click.
Brook bit down on a cigarette.
One of his men quickly lit it for him.
“That means those fuckers have nowhere left to run.”
Huff—
A plume of gray smoke wriggled up toward the clouded sky.
As the nicotine settled into his system, Brook’s twisted expression gradually eased.
They were at the outskirts of Street 38.
A barren landscape with a few dilapidated buildings barely standing, surrounded by sheer cliffs that acted as natural walls.
And behind Brook—
VROOOOM—!
The only road leading from the valley to the city.
Cracked asphalt covered in dust.
VROOOOM—!
VROOOM—!
Trucks, buses, jeeps, cargo vans—
At least forty vehicles had lined up, forming a barricade.
Click! Click!
His men finished parking, slamming their doors shut as they approached.
“Those bastards still think they have a way out?”
“They’ll realize soon enough that there’s nowhere to run.”
Brook and his subordinates all turned toward the two battered vans in the distance, circling the base of the cliffs.
“Maybe they thought we’d just rough them up a little and let them go, like usual.”
“The idiots got their wires crossed during the chase, making our job even easier.”
Laughter erupted among them.
The two vans, desperately searching for an escape, looked just like trapped rats.
Click! Click!
Even members of the neutral faction began gathering.
Unlike Brook’s men, their expressions were grim.
One of Brook’s subordinates spoke up.
“Boss, we’ve blocked the road, but shouldn’t we attack now? What if there’s a hidden path behind those buildings?”
The others murmured in agreement.
Most of them hadn’t even known a place like this existed in Sector 46.
“The back is all cliffs. The slope is too steep, and there’s nothing to grip onto. There’s no way they can climb up.”
Brook exhaled a puff of smoke.
His men nodded in admiration.
“Whoa! As expected, Boss! Have you been here before?”
“Sector 46 really is in the palm of your hand!”
Without answering, Brook crushed his cigarette and lit a new one.
Click. Hooo—
He had come here often as a child.
Even back then, this shopping district had been in ruins.
Just as he was frowning at the memories, a startled voice rang out.
“Oh! They’re heading into the building!”
It was true.
The Pro faction members had parked their vans by the central building and were streaming inside through its shattered glass doors.
“Are they planning to fortify themselves?”
“A last-ditch struggle, huh?”
Most of them scoffed, but one looked concerned.
“Boss, could it be… a trap? It’s odd that no reinforcements arrived for them, and considering Colin’s personality—”
Brook scowled and gestured the man closer.
The subordinate cautiously approached.
SMACK—!
His head snapped to the side.
Brook grabbed his collar, snarling.
“What, you think Colin is some kind of mastermind?”
“I-I just meant…”
“If it’s a trap, so what? You scared?”
“N-No, sir!”
Brook’s emotions churned violently.
Red-hot rage. Annoyance.
Sticky, festering resentment.
Shoving his subordinate away, Brook raised his voice for all to hear.
“The key and the gemstone. And Colin. Once we take him down, the Pro faction collapses. Even if they’ve set an ambush, our numbers are **three times** theirs!”
Brook seized his subordinate’s collar again, bringing their faces close.
“I know Colin. He’s sacrificing himself. He’s luring us in while his men gather supplies without interference. He always pretends to be so noble. Get it?”
As Brook ranted—
SCREEECH—!
Several more vehicles arrived at the barricade.
Men in rust-colored coats poured out.
The air turned deathly still.
Murcred’s mages.
Even though some had already been present, their numbers had suddenly **doubled**.
‘Thirty of them, at least.’
Brook gulped, releasing his subordinate as he straightened his clothes.
Thirty mages.
Enough to reduce all 240 of them to **ash** in an instant.
‘But there’s nothing to worry about. Murcred is on our side.’
Brook smirked, masking his nerves.
He approached the newcomers.
“You’ve arrived! Just as you ordered, we’ve cornered the prey and are waiting.”
The tallest, broad-shouldered mage looked down at him.
“Allager has given the command. Move in. Secure the gemstone. Capture the white-haired mage—preferably alive.”
Disrespectful.
Ignoring Brook’s greeting entirely.
But Brook wasn’t offended.
“Understood. But if we capture him alive, injuries are fine, right…?”
“As long as he’s breathing. Allager wishes to have a word.”
Brook grinned.
In other words, they could **beat him to the brink of death**.
No need to hold back.
“Then we’ll begin the assault—”
After a few more exchanges—
STEP. STEP.
The entire force began advancing.
Nearly **270 men** marching at once, their footsteps shaking the ground.
STEP. STEP. STEP.
Their expressions varied depending on allegiance.
And under the thickening storm clouds—
A boy stood on the rooftop, watching with his usual indifferent gaze.
──────.
Watching the oncoming tidal wave of **emotion**.
