Tech Hero in Another World
Chapter 78: [77] Who is Khan?

Chapter 78: [77] Who is Khan?

Seeing that the situation in the village was only growing more tense and the misunderstanding showed no signs of clearing up, Ren finally decided to pull out. He climbed back into his van slowly, turned the vehicle around without saying a word, and drove off—leaving behind a crowd of villagers still watching him with tightly held suspicion.

"What the hell’s their problem?" Ren muttered, tapping the steering wheel in frustration. "I showed up politely, just asked for a place to rest, and they treat me like I’m some kind of demonic envoy."

In the rear cabin, Bella—the female Penal plains tiger—was still growling softly, while Alfred sat on the dashboard, his tail flicking irritably. Their three cubs huddled together in one corner, fur still bristling from the defensive instincts triggered by the earlier standoff.

Ren glanced at them through the rearview mirror and let out a sigh. "Yeah... if Bella and Alfred are already baring fangs, there’s no point pushing it. Staying there would’ve only made things worse."

『Master... based on the surrounding topography, the area two kilometers east of here is safe. No large monster movement or dangerous life signals detected. Suitable for camping.』

Ren nodded and steered the van eastward at a moderate pace. The headlights swept across the sand dunes, casting long shadows across the quiet, seemingly endless desert night.

The sky was growing darker, and the temperature dropped sharply, as it always did in the desert. Cold night air slipped in through the vents, carrying the dry, sharp scent of sun-scorched rock now cooling in the freezing air.

After a few minutes of driving, Ren found a flat area surrounded by natural rock formations that could serve as windbreaks. He parked the van in the center of the formation and began setting up camp.

With a single touch on the control panel, the van’s roof unfolded into a transparent magical canopy, resistant to extreme temperatures. A soft blue glow pulsed along its edges, creating a warm and calming atmosphere in the middle of the cold expanse.

Ren stepped out from the driver’s seat and opened the rear door. "Alright, everyone out. We’re camping here for the night. No sniffing sand, and Alfred—don’t eat any bugs."

Alfred just licked his nose and let out a loud meow like a cat, while Bella stretched like a lion waking from a long nap. Their cubs immediately leapt out of the van, bounding around with the uncontainable curiosity of youth.

Ren activated a portable heater and set a kettle to boil for tea. As the water started to heat, he sat on a large rock, gazing up at the Mandaley night sky—clear, vast, and filled with stars.

"Well... no soft bed tonight, but at least we’re not hanging in the village square," he said, raising his mug. "Cheers, to a night that didn’t end in a riot."

---

Night had fully descended on the Mandaley plains, wrapping everything in a fragile stillness. The desert wind whispered softly, sweeping grains of sand and stirring the cool air within the faintly glowing tent.

Ren was asleep, slouched in a folding chair outside the van. A thin blanket covered half his body, and an empty mug of tea dangled loosely from his right hand. His face was calm, unaware of the world around him—despite being a genius technician, his danger awareness dropped to near zero the moment he fell asleep.

But that wasn’t the case for Bella.

The tigress from the Penal Plains stirred quietly, her ears twitching before she slowly rose without a sound. Her golden eyes narrowed, fixed on a faint shadow moving near the side of the van, her body tensing into alertness.

Light footsteps echoed softly among the whispers of wind—barely audible to human ears, but impossible to slip past a predator’s instincts. A small hooded silhouette crept along the vehicle, its movements hesitant yet still drawing closer.

Bella growled softly—a low, vibrating sound that trembled in the air around her, careful not to wake her cubs. She crouched low, ready to pounce if the threat stepped too far.

Ren, though still asleep, furrowed his brow. His subconscious picked up on Bella’s growl more than the footsteps, as if his body knew something was wrong the moment his partner signaled alarm.

『Master, movement detected within a three-meter radius. Source: biological, small to medium size. Not listed among common Mandaley fauna.』

Ren slowly opened his eyes, still half-lidded, and groaned. "Ugh... What now? Sand weasels? Or armed rabbits...?" he mumbled groggily.

He sat up gradually, pulling a compact shock pistol from under his blanket. A soft light glowed from his palm, bright enough to reveal the silhouette, but not enough to give away his position.

As the light passed over the van’s edge, it revealed a small figure in desert garb, a large hood covering much of her face. Big silver eyes reflected the light like moonstone, and a pair of long ears poked out from beneath her hood.

Ren held his breath. "Ah... not a weasel. A rabbit..."

The small figure flinched at the beam from Ren’s hand. She quickly raised her small hands high, showing she was unarmed and meant no harm. "Wait! I—I don’t mean any harm!" she stammered, her voice panicked but clear, laced with tension.

Ren dimmed the glow in his palm, lowering it just enough to see her face clearly. Even so, his eyes remained sharp and wary, like a mechanic staring at a busted engine that might explode at any second.

"No harm, huh?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "You’re one of the villagers, aren’t you?"

The rabbit girl gave a small nod, then nervously introduced herself. "My name is Nea... and I heard you have one of Khan’s friendship pendants."

Ren raised an eyebrow and instinctively reached for the fang pendant around his neck. "Miss, most people don’t go around sharing their name with strangers in the middle of the night—especially not when they come in throwing around claims like that," he replied dryly, never taking his eyes off her.

But Nea didn’t flinch, even though the fear was clear on her face. "But I believe... you’re a good person," she said softly, as if trying to persuade Ren not with proof, but with sheer trust.

Ren paused, then let out a long sigh and rolled his eyes. "That’s even worse," he muttered, leaning back into his chair, one hand slipping behind his head. "Trust without reason is dangerous... especially when directed at someone like me."

But his tone was beginning to soften. He knew she wasn’t a threat. And if by some slim chance she did harbor ill intent, Alfred and Bella could take her down before she even drew a final breath. He relaxed his shoulders, letting his hand drift from his weapon to the tea cup near the fire, reigniting the campfire with a casual lighter.

Nea stood still, her eyes flicking nervously, small hands gripping the edge of her now-dusty cloak. The distance from her village to this camp wasn’t a joke—she had walked seven kilometers through the night, driven by little more than a vague hope and a sudden impulse.

Now, face-to-face with Ren, doubt began to creep into her mind. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. The night wind tugged at her hood, as if urging her to speak before her chance slipped away.

Ren watched her hesitation with half-sleepy, half-sharp eyes. He wasn’t fond of puzzles that dragged on. "Speak," he said at last, his voice flat but carrying weight. "What is it you actually want?"

Nea bit her lower lip, pushing down the fear and uncertainty that still lingered inside her. But after drawing a deep breath, she finally looked Ren in the eye with a courage born from desperation. "I want to leave... Khan," she said quietly, but with resolve.

Ren, who had just settled back into his chair, immediately sat up straight and stared at her. "Huh? You people keep mentioning this Khan guy like he’s a big deal... Who the hell is he, anyway?" His tone spiked—not with anger, but out of sheer frustration at being kept half-informed.

Nea looked stunned by the question, her brows furrowing in disbelief. "You... you seriously don’t know who Khan is, even though you’re wearing his friendship pendant?"

Ren gave a crooked grin and tapped the fang pendant dangling from his neck. "I got this from an elf. His name was Ryul—not Khan. So if this thing has some special meaning to your people, believe me, I just found out about it tonight too."

Nea fell silent. Her gaze fixed on the pendant, as if trying to decide whether her memory had betrayed her. But the carving was too distinct to mistake.

Khan... is the leader of a mountain bandit group," Nea finally said, her voice steadier now, though heavy with history. "That’s just his title. It doesn’t really capture what he is anymore. He’s the head of the ’Band of Massiah,’ the most powerful mercenary force in the Mandaley desert."

Ren furrowed his brows, then shrugged like someone who had just been told about a local celebrity. "Alright, so we’ve got ourselves a big shot. Bandit leader, mercenary, who knows what else. What’s next?"

"Recently," Nea continued, her eyes drifting toward the eastern horizon, "he led an expedition to the ancient ruins—the tomb of Pharaoh Mezes."

Ren gave a small nod, piecing together the fragments of information that were slowly forming a larger picture in his mind. He tilted his head, staring at Nea with eyes that were sharp yet laid-back. "Let me guess... your village is near those ruins?"

Nea lowered her head slowly, as if the admission weighed heavily on her. "Not just near... our village has been the guardian of Mezes’ tomb," she said, her soft voice nearly lost in the whispering night wind. "We’ve protected it, preserved it... even worshipped it. Mezes is considered the guardian god of our tribe."

Ren leaned back in his chair, briefly glancing up at the sky as if checking whether the stars were mocking him. "Okay... So then what’s with all the hatred toward this Khan guy?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. "Let me guess—he destroyed the tomb?"

Nea didn’t answer. She simply bowed her head further, her hands clenched tightly atop her knees. Her silence spoke louder than any words could, and in an instant, Ren knew the answer without having to hear it.

He stared at the dying fire, its flickering light casting shifting shadows across his face—now lined with exhaustion and disgust. He let out a long sigh, the kind that sounded like it had been waiting to escape for far too long. "Of course he did... of course he destroyed it," he muttered—his voice a blend of frustration and resignation to the twisted logic of this world.

But unexpectedly, Nea replied, her voice soft yet clear. "Yes... but he did it fairly."

Ren slowly raised his head, his brow tightening in an expression of confusion laced with concern. His eyes locked onto Nea’s in silence, trying to make sense of a statement that sounded deeply contradictory. "What do you mean?" he asked at last, his tone caught between suspicion and the uneasy sense that those words carried a wound far deeper than they appeared.