There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 541 - 534. The Power of Connection

Chapter 541: Chapter 534. The Power of Connection

When Han Joon came out with a big tray of food, the old man was in the middle of a rather passionate storytelling, while Zein listened calmly with his tea in hand.

"So I told him he needed to change his old way, but he stubbornly said it was his clan’s teaching," the old man grumbled. "Such a stubborn mule. I had to prove to him that his was was flawed."

"Did you beat him up?"

"How else should I do it?"

Zein chuckled softly; his eyes were shining brighter with every story he heard about his father. It was a story that Senan or the Elder didn’t know, so it was precious to him.

"He had such a huge potential! If only he let go of his restraint..."

"But that restraint was what made him who he was," Zein replied with a smile. "Someone like you...wouldn’t just take someone as your disciple simply because of innate talent, would you?"

The old man’s eyes twitched. "How are you so sure?"

"Because you entertained my request, old man," the reply came from Han Joon, along with the tray of food in his hand. "Even though I don’t have much talent."

Unlike the people around him, who could be said to be geniuses in their own field--even his younger brother--Han Joon was definitely less talented. It was a fact he had accepted and made peace with. What he couldn’t achieve without talent, he did with hard work. If there was something his accursed father was useful for, it was the status that gave him the facilities to raise his skill.

The old man glanced at the smirking esper, before mumbling quietly behind his cup. "Cheeky brat..."

Zein got rid of the teacup and put the tea tray below to make room for the food. He had thought Han Joon would only make three bowls of congee, but he came with a wide array of side dishes that filled the table between them.

Felt like an extravagance, but Han Joon said it was how his family usually ate. Not that Zein minded, since everything smelled delicious despite looking humble. He wondered if part of Bassena’s strive to be able to feed Zein by his own cooking also came from Han Joon.

While Han Joon placed the plates on the table, the old man muttered. "A strong desire to protect something."

Zein shifted his gaze from the food to the old man, tilting his head. Tian Yu was crossing his arms, looking at the guide’s eyes with a rather bitter gaze.

"How many people do you think have that kind of desire in this world nowadays?" he asked. "In this day and age, it’s hard to find someone who wants to use their power to protect someone rather than just utilizing their gift and being paid for it."

"Mm..."

So...was the old man saying that he accepted Alteroan and Han Joon because both men showed that they had something they wanted to protect with all their being?

Well. Han Joon did arrive in the mountain because he was looking for the server’s whereabouts.

"Let’s forget the heavy stuff for now, and please don’t let my cooking go to waste," Han Jon tapped the table and looked at the old man, waiting.

With a scoff, the old man took up his spoon and started eating his congee. Only then did the esper tell Zein to eat and pick up his spoon, enjoying the food himself. To Zein’s amazement, it tasted even better than it smelled, and he had to admit that it tasted better than Bassena’s cooking.

For the sake of his jealous boyfriend, he’d better keep it to himself.

"Did you learn this in the military?" Zein asked curiously after devouring half of the warm, savory congee.

"No, my mother’s cookbook."

"Heh," Zein chuckled, recalling his two aunts’ stories. "My mother couldn’t cook anything."

"That must be because your clan treated her like a Princess."

Zein smiled softly. "I guess."

The old man, who had been listening to the conversation, stared at Zein. During their story exchange earlier, the guide only mentioned his mother in the passing. "Are those eyes from her?" the old man asked.

"Yes," Zein answered with a soft smile. In the past, the question would make him either bitter or sad, but he was alright with it now.

The old man grumbled while getting back to his congee. "What a lucky brat for a stubborn mule."

Pfft--Zein chuckled and continued with his meal. In that lighthearted manner, they continued to talk about the past, now including how Han Joon was pestering him about training. The talk went a bit grim when it came to House Ishtera’s downfall, and the old man got worked up when he knew about what House Horin had been doing.

"So," the old man brewed another tea and served them after they finished their meal. "When do you want me to hit this Fallen Star thing?"

Zein paused and turned to look at Han Joon. He had tried to keep his poker face all this time, but he couldn’t hide his surprise then. And neither did Han Joon.

"Why are you surprised?"

"It’s just..." the esper rubbed his chin. "I thought we’d need to beg first."

They did wait until the Iron Mountain mentioned the topic himself, but they thought it would start with the old man asking them what they wanted. Wasn’t this more like he already agreed?

But the old man smirked cheekily. "You can get on your knees if you want."

Han Joon raised his hand in rejection. "I can only get on my knees in front of my husband."

Zein almost choked on the newly brewed tea. The old man would have too, if he was anywhere near his cup. He looked at the nonchalant esper and asked in surprise. "You’re married?"

"A week ago."

"Hah!" the old man laughed and shifted toward Zein. "What about you?"

"Not yet."

"’Yet’...huh?"

Zein smiled and shrugged. "Because there’s something more pressing for us."

"You mean clearing the Deathzone?"

Again, both Zein and Han Joon smiled without saying anything explicitly. It was clear anyway, and all they needed right now was another agreement.

"Then perhaps I should do this so Alteroan’s son can get married faster," the old man said with a scoff and a little smile.

Zein bowed his head, still feeling rather dazed that everything seemed to go so smoothly. "Thank you very much."

Perhaps...perhaps if his father did ask for help in the past, the old man would really come to their aid. But it wasn’t the time to cry over spilled milk, and they were lucky that the old man did not decide that he was done with everything regarding dungeons and miasmic threats. Would it work as well if they went straight to begging instead of going down memory lane first? Who knows.

"As of right now, we are yet to find the Fallen Star’s real body," Zein explained before the old man changed his mind. "You don’t need to exert yourself before then."

The old man stroked his beard and nodded. "So you only need me for the big one?"

"We don’t have any problem with little skirmishes. We have managed to avoid casualties before the last ambush," Zein shook his head. "There’s nothing we can do about it too, except to increase the detection system."

But even the mighty Iron Mountain wouldn’t be able to detect everything in the Deathzone, so they still could be blindsided even if he joined them from the start.

"So..." the old man tapped on his knees as he realized the hidden thing Zein implied. "You are planning to attack first this time?"

Zein nodded. It was what they had discussed before while waiting for Nyz to charge his energy. "The Fallen Star must have used a lot of power to send that many fragments and create a clone," he said. "Rather than letting it slowly heal and attack us again with full power, it would be better to get it as soon as possible."

"I see..."

"But we can’t do that with our current manpower," Zein let out a sigh.

That was why they needed another power, and not in quantity. What they needed was something big, as big as Bassena.

"Who else are you calling?"

"We’re in the middle of negotiating with Eastern Star."

"Hmm...I don’t know who that is..."

Honestly, Zein also had no idea, since he was never interested in the Rankers. He didn’t even know Bassena before. Naturally, the old man who had been living in the mountain for almost forty years would be even clueless about the current rankings of the espers.

"What will you do if no one heed your call?" the old man asked; not to belittle them, but to see if they had a more realistic approach.

"Then we can only bid for time while strengthening ourselves," Zein shrugged, answering with a nonchalant tone that showed they weren’t that desperate. "Still, we should try to look for as many ways as we can."

"In the end, even if no one answered our call now, the moment we failed, they would have to make a move whether they liked it or not," Han Joon added, and Zein smiled at the way the esper saying it as if he was part of the operation already. "Whether people are paying them or not."

The clip they sent to the media was enough warning. It was no longer a matter of private-sector contracts or silly competition. It had nothing to do with pride, but survival.

"But why wait until it’s too late?" Zein shrugged.

The old man took his cup and drank the rest of his tea before nodding. "Alright, I will help you," he gave his third agreement. "It’s been a while since my last raid, however, so I’ll need some exercise first."

Zein did not waste the chance and asked. "May I send a few people to be your punching bag?" he cleared his throat. "I mean exercise partner?"

Both the old man and Han Joon looked at him curiously. They watched as the blue eyes gleamed and a charming smile bloomed across Zein’s lips.

"There are a few people who are trying to follow my father’s steps, you see..."

The sound of the old man’s laughter reverberated in the mountain within the tranquil retreat. That was, until he snapped his head up and narrowed his eyes.

"What happened?" Han Joon stood up in alert.

"We have a guest," the old man frowned, still looking up. "The kind I can’t just throw out."

"...from above?"

"Yes," the old man clicked his tongue. "It’s from the Temple."