There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 360 - 352. Reel the Deal

Chapter 360: Chapter 352. Reel the Deal

"Here’s everything we managed to get today," Bassena took out the digital map he drew after questioning the other Vaski. "This is not the whole compound, but we get the map of the area he’s allowed to be around, including the route to the ’training’ room."

"Why the emphasis? Is there something different with the training?"

"Yeah," Bassena sighed and Zein narrowed his eyes as they recalled what Juna Vaski said. Even when they first heard it, they were surprised. If they didn’t know anything about the link House Horin had with the Deathzone, they wouldn’t believe it. "They can summon miasmic beasts."

"What the fuck?" Han Shin parted his lips in shock.

There was a reason why the simulation program was created for training outside of dungeons. Catching miasmic beasts was problematic; the miasma coming out of the beasts was poisonous to the environment. The only instances miasmic beasts got caught was to use it for research purposes, and by rules, they had to be placed in a containment glass that prevented any leaks from the miasma.

So summoning miasmic beasts to a place outside of dungeons was beyond crazy. It was basically unleashing an outbreak.

But that wasn’t all.

"And generate dungeons," Bassena added.

"Fuck!"

"He was supposed to drop me in one of those dungeons after pulling me inside his dimensional room," Bassena continued his report. "He doesn’t know where the dungeon led, but it might be straight to the Deathzone."

Radia tapped on his temple and nodded, a subtle satisfied smile formed on his lips. "So that’s why they were confident facing you with just two five-stars."

They had been thinking that Varion and the Horins were too foolish in their endeavor and took Bassena too lightly. But it seemed like they did have a sound plan to make Bassena out of commission, their only mistake was not knowing Zein had a summoning item.

But now that they lost Juna, who had the means to transport Bassena to a dungeon, they had to cease their plan altogether--at least until they found another way. They probably wanted Varion to cause chaos and took advantage of it, but the plan was thwarted when Varion went ’missing’ instead.

"Anyway, we get the confirmation that they are truly able to generate a dungeon."

Han Shin frowned and asked Bassena sharply. "Does that damned Varion know about this?"

"No," Zein shook his head. "We came to him after the interrogation to draw another map, and when we asked him about it, he looked genuinely shocked."

"Hmm..." Radia looked over the two maps and put both of them in his commlink to be merged with the crude old map drawn from Darleon’s memory. And then he shifted his gaze to Han Shin. "What about your father?"

"They said he’s in Rexon," Han Shin replied, before proceeding to tell Radia what he had conveyed to Zein and Bassena earlier.

"Mm, good enough," Radia nodded. "We’ll put a tail on him."

Radia tapped on his commlink to put some orders immediately, including the merging of the maps. He later took out the boxes he borrowed from Han Shin and returned them to the healer.

"And your visit? Did you get anything?" Zein asked curiously, now that they had given all the report. Looking at the calm on Radia’s face, he presumed the visit at least bore some fruit instead of becoming another bad news of colluding power.

"Sit down, I’ll tell you about it while we eat," Radia cocked his head toward the couch, just as his summoned secretary opened the room for the staff of the restaurant below.

It was perfect timing for dinner, but the topic around the table honestly wasn’t fit for a meal. These people, however, had been battered with shocking after shocking revelation in the past few days that almost nothing could faze them anymore, even for the fairly innocent Han Shin.

That being said, when Radia finished telling them what Yuria had told him, they couldn’t help but curse.

"Damnit!" Han Shin groaned. "Why do we have to face this when we already have the whole reclamation project to think about?"

"Because the reclamation project is the bane of their effort," Radia replied easily.

"I just don’t understand," the healer sighed while throwing his chopsticks to the empty bowl in front of him. "What do they gain from colluding with those...vile creatures?"

Those entities’ interest was obviously not anything where humans could live peacefully. Did these people who were cooperating with that force think they would be spared after the Deathzone spread throughout the Federation--no, the continent?

"They get power and authority now, aren’t they?" Bassena shrugged. "Perhaps they just think the destruction will only come a long time after they’re dead, so..."

Radia patted the healer’s head. "Not everyone is capable of thinking beyond themselves or their time."

Han Shim clicked his town and shook his head. Well, he was glad he couldn’t understand it. Of course, he wouldn’t understand what these problematic people think--he wasn’t like them, after all.

"So, what should we do now?" Zein asked.

"Ideally, we need to find this dungeon and help Joon, because I’m sure he’ll come back there," Radia said with conviction in his voice, that he pushed out because he needed himself to believe it. It wasn’t just a wild guess too, because why else Han Joon would leave all of these crumbs? The man was annoyingly meticulous like that.

"We still need to go there and expose them even if Joon isn’t going there," Bassena said solemnly.

"Quite right."

"But we don’t know where, do we?" Zein frowned.

The military had a lot of eternal dungeons, and most of them were being protected strictly with guards around the clock. It was almost impossible to enter such a place, unless they had a stealth ability in Han Joon’s level.

"The military owns the most eternal dungeons in the Federation because they use it to train the soldiers," Bassena shared the same concern. "We can’t afford to spread our forces just to observe all of these dungeons."

"Ugh--" Han Shin groaned again, feeling like he was having a hungover even though he hadn’t drunk even a drop of alcohol.

It was frustrating, yes, but Zein observed how calm Radia was. The usual Radia who seemed to have everything figured out already. Looking at that calm demeanor unconsciously made him calm too. "And your plan?" he asked the summoner.

"We’ll bait them to move," Radia answered with a smile. "If they know their operation is compromised, someone will be sent to check on that dungeon. But if it’s a military dungeon, not everyone could just saunter in," he glanced at Han Shin. "It had to be a military officer."

Bassena raised his brow and added. "Or a major general."

Han Shin gasped. And that Major General was in Rexon, being tailed as of right now.

Zein, feeling better from Radia’s returning confidence, asked with a small smile. "And the bait?"

* * *

"Please, please! You’ve got to help him!" Darleon Balthera kneeled on the gravel yard, in front of the main pavilion of the Horin clan’s compound. "Please, help me find my son!"

"I told you it’s useless, old man," a young Horin, who technically should be Darleon’s nephew, replied with an irritated sigh. He stood with crossed arms in front of the pavilion, regretting letting this washed-up old man cross the gate. If he knew Darleon would make a scene, he would rather let the old man pound the gate door unanswered.

But Darleon ignored the young man. He shouted, and pleaded, his voice and desperation were pointed to no one but the patriarch.

"He’s your grandson! Please, Patriarch, you should help him!"

The young man groaned. "Hey, even if you used up all of your voice, it’s useless," he shook his head. "Also--what grandson? You’re not even his son anymore, so what makes your son eligible to be the patriarch’s grandson, huh?"

"How could you say that?! He’s still had the patriarch’s blood!" Darleon shouted angrily. "Please! You can’t just abandon your grandson!"

Darleon bowed his head close to the ground, the anguish palpable in his voice. His plea might be lies, but his feelings--his anger and frustration--were not.

For days and nights he questioned; how could they? How could he? How could the patriarch treat his own grandson like that? Manipulating him from a young age and eliminating him through the humiliation of losing his mind.

But he realized it was a stupid thing to ask, for Darleon had experienced it himself before. Why would he expect compassion from someone who encouraged his children to conquer each other, even by the way of killing?

So he didn’t think what he did right now was hurting his dignity--the dignity he had built ever since he left this compound. He didn’t feel ashamed kneeling in this yard filled with gravel that hurt his knees and clenched fist.

For inside that fist was a stone with an inconspicuous marking. And when one of the Horin told him he was wasting his time and told the guards to drag him out of the compound, Darleon’s smile was hidden beneath his outburst and flurry of yells.

As he watched the stone he brought lying unnoticed among the many, similar-looking gravels, Darleon thought that what his disciple said was right--he had gotten better at acting.

"I’ve planted it," he said briefly to the commlink, which had been connected to a call from the moment he stepped inside the Horin clan’s compound.

[Good job] he heard an answer, before ending the call and exhaled slowly.

On the other side of the call, Radia smiled and shifted his gaze from the screen to the man in front of him. "It’s your turn."

"Yes, Sir."

Sadeva, the man rumored to have the best infiltration ability in the underground scene, answered firmly.