There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 363 - 355. Honor and Respect

Chapter 363: Chapter 355. Honor and Respect

"Your foolishness knows no bounds," Han Gyeong narrowed his eyes as he gripped his son’s neck. "You should know not to face a battle you couldn’t win."

Han Joon had countless nicks, bites, and slash wounds all over his body; a testament to the mountain of hounds corpses behind him. He barely had any energy left, his wires had lost their durability after a hundred hounds, and he could feel the heaviness from the accumulated corrosion.

But even then, as he had his father’s fingers around his neck, his lips parted into a smile, and there was no sign of defeat in his eyes.

He had used to this; so used to have those fingers hurting him. Long had he given up on any semblance of fatherly love, and when he knew there was none left, he did not feel the slightest disappointment.

"How weird," he said, gripping Han Gyeong’s arm to lessen the pressure on his neck. "I thought...the teaching of our people was...to never give up on fighting for what we know is right."

"It is," the coldness in Han Gyeong’s face was familiar. "But you should know which one is right first."

Han Joon laughed--a choking, gurgling sound from deep within his lungs. "So killing people for their great potential is right?"

"That potential doesn’t mean a good one," Han Gyeong clicked his tongue and threw his son to the pile of corpses as if he already considered Han Joon to be one of them.

Swallowing his groan and propping himself with his elbow, Han Joon coughed up the blood pooling in his mouth. "You are cooperating with the very power that wants to annihilate us!" he gritted his teeth.

"So what?" Han Gyeong shook his head. "This is why I said you are dull, Joon. There’s nothing wrong with using the power of your enemy. Once we are strong enough, we only have to annihilate them before they do it to us, using the very power they gave us."

Han Joon would have laughed had his organs were still functioning properly. What kind of self-righteous delusion was this? Killing potential people so they could monopolize power and authority for themselves, and yet talking about empowering humanity to get back at those monsters?

He chuckled, spluttering more blood that painted his lips red. He pulled himself to a sitting position, leaning against the pile of corpses he made himself. "Is that power...include controlling these beasts?" he asked while patting one of the dead hounds.

"Of course," Han Gyeong answered proudly, weirdly so. "Think, you foolish brat. If we can control these beasts, we will be able to control the ones in the Deathzone," the old man said condescendingly. "Rather than that suicide project the government concocted, we will have a much higher chance of success!"

Oh, Gods--Han Joon had a hard time holding back from rolling his eyes, even in this dire moment. This old man truly believed he would be able to control those creatures. Corrupted hounds were nothing but fodders in the Deathzone, and yet what? He thought he could increase that control to a hundredfolds in his lifetime?

Don’t tell me he thought he would get immortality from them too...Han Joon shook his head and sighed at the utmost foolishness of it all. This old man even needed to use those hounds to beat him and he thought it was...power?

Even those guards from earlier could do it if they got to control more than a hundred minions.

"You’re just a senile old man."

"And you’re just a stupid brat!"

Twelve swords floated and rushed toward Han Joon, but they struck the lifeless body of a beast instead. The soldier had vanished using his stealth ability, but Han Gyeong did not look alarmed. He knew the soldier almost exhausted his mana at this point, so he was just humoring his foolish son.

He simply flicked his hand and the swords floated again, each one pointed toward different directions and moved to stab and slash the air. "Just surrender, Joon. I don’t have to kill you if you stop being stupid."

Han Gyeong swept his gaze across the floor. He never liked his sons’ choices; one doing stealth, and one was a healer. Disappointing. For him, there was no honor in sneaking around and staying at the back of the battlefield. He would rather tell people he had no son at all.

He snapped his fingers to retrieve the swords again and flicked his fingers to send them stabbing in intervals in the direction of the exit door. None managed to reach Han Joon, but his eyes caught a drop of blood not far from the fifth sword. Swiftly, he sent the remaining swords stabbing in that direction.

"Ugh--" a restrained groan later, Han Joon got himself pinned to a pillar by a sword piercing through his shoulder.

"Must you act so difficult?" Han Gyeong let out an exasperated sigh as he walked toward his stubborn son. "Stop being an embarrassment."

Han Joon laughed; laughing so heartily as if he didn’t have a sword pining him to a pillar. "I’ve never once done something embarrassing in my life," he said with an unbroken conviction. "Unlike you," he raised his gaze and smiled deeply. "Han Gyeong."

"Unfilial dog!"

A loud slap struck Han Joon’s cheek, but it did not wipe the smile on his face. Unfilial? Did this old man think he had the right to expect the respect a good father should receive? He glanced at the man, who finally shed the calm facade and filled with anger.

He wasn’t fazed being called out on his crimes, but the moment Joon called his name instead of ’father’ he went livid.

How ridiculous. Han Joon chuckled, but he knew that it meant the old man no longer had any thought of sparing him.

Ah...at least he managed to send even more data, not just about the target. He had also sent pictures he took of the building, including this room and that black core in the pedestal. He had done what he could, so others could continue where he left off.

He would have liked it if everything went smoothly, and he could come back to his darling, but...

Well...it was better than seeing his precious people get taken away from him again. Bassena and his guide would be able to protect Shin and help Radia expose everything.

"You left me with no choice, Joon." Han Gyeong raised his arms, and the swords floated behind him, pointing at the soldier.

As death loomed in front of his eyes, all Han Joon could think was how nice would it be, if he could kiss his darling and embrace him one last time...

Hah! What a joke. How could he stay still like a cattle waiting to be slaughtered when he still had this kind of thought?

With a deep growl, he summoned every ounce of energy he still had and gripped the hilt of the sword stuck in his shoulder, swinging it to repel the incoming swords. With a loud clattering sound, he deflected the swords and used the inertia to propel himself closer to the door.

His shoulder burned, aggravated by his low body temperature. But he got on his knees in a defensive posture immediately, knowing that the attack wouldn’t end there. He gripped the sword tightly, but it vibrated, struggling to come back to its master. Clicking his tongue, he let the sword go and grabbed a mana gun lying nearby.

"Stop your futile struggle, Joon," Han Gyeong said dryly, "while I’m still willing to grant you a swift death."

By being pincushioned? Han Joon willed his legs to shift back, calculating whether the distance to the door was enough for one leap. All the while, he kept pointing the gun at the old man, keeping his eyes to the front.

"Truly," Han Gyeong clicked his tongue. "You remained a disappointment until the--"

A cracking sound of explosions rang in the air, cutting the Major General’s words short as the force of charged mana bullets scratched his temple and struck his shoulder. It wasn’t enough to fatally wound him, but the floating swords dropped from the broken concentration.

Han Joon turned around to be greeted by a pair of crimson eyes. What he felt at that time, however, was dread. He threw the gun in his hand away and pushed his barely stable body up. Ignoring his screaming organs, he ran toward the summoner and snatched the gun already fully charged with mana.

"You--"

Before Han Gyeong could make another move to lift his swords, Han Joon pointed the charged gun and pulled the trigger with precision; each striking the old man’s limbs and shoulder. With another hand, he pulled Radia into him and pressed the summoner’s head onto his shoulder.

"HAN JOON!!"

Han Gyeong’s roar of fury was drowned by another crackling sound of a traveling bullet, this time finding its way to the old man’s spleen.

"It’s not you," Han Joon whispered. "You did not hold this gun."

Han Gyeong coughed, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. His eyes started to be blurry, but his vision was strangely clear around his son.

"Honor and respect," Han Joon. chuckled lowly. "Until the end, that name did not suit you, Han Gyeong."

It was his last farewell to the man he once called father.

Han Gyeong blinked, the last thing he saw that day, was the unfamiliar eyes of his son--the cold star blinking inside the black void--before a burning pressure pierced his skull.

With a bated breath, the gun clattered to the floor, leaving the soldier’s trembling hand. But he had no chance to catch his breath when a middle-aged man’s voice came behind him.

"What the hell is this place?"

When he glanced back, there was a man that every citizen of the Eastern Federation had to know, even the children. It was Li Caishen.

The President.

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