Chapter 52 – [What Is Life, Just Live the Way You Live]

I took the Raccoon Man mask headphones out of my pocket and put them on my head.

“I’ll go and take a look. Tell Shion that.”

“Wait, hyung! Shouldn’t I be the same? It’s not completely unrelated!”

“Hey, those over there are garbage that is not exposed to the world and conducts human experimentation on people. If you interfere, you should rather interfere.”

“It’s still better than nothing, right?”

“And you’re going to take off your face? Then it’s only a matter of time for you to be fucked?”

“…….”

Baekri’s heart understands. You want to somehow catch the tails of the guys who almost killed their dad and turned the kidnapper who kidnaps kids into monsters and gave it all a start.

He has power in him, but it is still a feeble force. Barely that kind of power can’t help me.

Looking at Baek-ri’s expression, sadness and helplessness passed by. I know that feeling all too well.

“If you really want to help me. Maybe it won’t be too long.”

“…So what?”

“At that time, I’ll make it right for you”

I put on the Raccoon Man mask by pressing the button on the headphones. Then, he kicked off the ground and started running in search of a place where people were rare.

In the first place, there are no crowded places in this area other than military bases. Moreover, even Friday is a weekday. People who have already gone on vacation have already gone out on the terminal bus, and there are few soldiers to be seen.

He climbs the mountain quickly without worrying about the eyes of others. There are more obstacles like trees and bushes than flat land, but they don’t bother me much. If you jump over, break through, and break through, you don’t have to worry about people’s eyes, so it’s rather faster than running in the city.

Returning to the campsite where we used to play, I was excited. Even if I opened the field lightly using my abilities ‘interference’ and ‘sensation’ at the same time, everything around here came into my senses.

There were a dozen signs of people and dozens of signs of creatures, and among them, excluding small animals, I looked for signs of a guy who was flowing Gaia Force.

The guy wasn’t moving. And another small presence that is right in the middle of his presence.

“Is the original species countermeasure team still in search?”

It hasn’t even been an hour since we met at the campsite earlier. It is only natural that even a Force user would take time to search in this vast mountain.

Now was the right time, as the original species had not yet been discovered. I quickly climbed the mountain looking for a route that didn’t run into them.

It wasn’t open, but we arrived at a place where there was a big rock on the slope. I could feel the presence I had sensed in the narrow gap created by the accumulation of three or four large rocks.

“Kreung!”

Perhaps because of his growing body, his cry was different from that of other foxes, and he appeared in front of me with a growl like a tiger or a lion.

It is bristling and alert. The appearance of emitting Gaia force from the body is much different from the hostile attitude.

If you come a little closer, there is a clear indication that you will bite and kill.

I stood there and took out the beef jerky I had packed before coming.

I opened the bag, took out the contents, and placed it in front of the rock cave to wait.

Did you wait 5 minutes? Something crawled out of the burrow, drawn by the smell of beef jerky.

“Kkiing, kiing!”

It was a little fox. The fox, just a few months old, wasn’t quite a baby, but she was small enough to hold in her hand.

The fox cub, unaware of her mother’s feelings, bit off the jerky I sprinkled on her. Omnyomnyom, eat deliciously.

After finishing one small piece of jerky, the fox cub came up to me smelling the jerky.

Foxes are naturally curious creatures. What’s more, if you’re a kid, everything is amazing.

I carefully stroked the fox cub.

“This is the reason why I didn’t run away even though I sent out a kill shot earlier.”

Women are weak But mom is strong. Motherhood is another word that can work miracles.

The lifeblood I sprayed on that progenitor earlier was at a level that a normal person could die of fear. If it’s a wild animal, it’s natural to get scared and run away.

However, even if he was a progenitor, he did not run away even when he was scared.

Because he had a baby.

This periphery is the realm of that ancestor. Even if threatened, it would remain until the end for its offspring.

As soon as I pet him, Wonjong stopped growling. I was wary, but the reaction was better than before.

I gave him another piece of beef jerky and petted the fox.

“But there is only one…”

The baby fox had dark red stains.

The dried bloodstain is not human. Only the mother, the original species, is stained with human blood.

Foxes don’t give birth to just one cub. Just as dogs give birth to multiple puppies, foxes in the same canine family also give birth to multiple puppies.

However, the fact that one baby has blood other than human blood on its body… Means that all other babies are dead.

…..There’s more.

I thought quietly. Let’s think a little more, a little more.

Originally there were several pups of the original species, but all but one died.

So who killed it?

Are you human? No, there is no such thing as an idiot who wants to bleed for nothing.

Is it another wild animal? No, there won’t be a predator capable of killing the offspring of the one who became the original breed and became the owner of the mountain.

There is something else, a third party.

I focused my consciousness again. Previously, she did not know it because she had been looking for it, but this time she focused her senses properly and looked for the person who was suffering from a sense of urgency.

One there.

The presence of something that was neither a force user nor an enemy species was felt from a distance away.

“……The evidence is still a bit lacking.”

I contacted Zion for more reassurance. When he used the contact function attached to the Raccoon Man mask, he was immediately connected to Shion.

[What happened?]

“I’m sorry while we were playing, but there’s something I want you to investigate for a while.”

[What is it?]

“The first person to report the sighting of the original species. And about the deceased”

A person who witnessed this original species and suffered damage by someone dying. I needed information about them.

After a while, Zion answered.

[I don’t know the first reporter. There is no information because it is anonymous… But there is information about the deceased]

“Who?”

[For now, I am an employee of a nearby research lab…]

“Isn’t it like a force user belonging to Leverage Company?”

[That’s right]

The puzzle pieces are all put together.

It was understandable that the original species attacked people and that there was only one baby.

If not already, the guy who awakened as the original species a few months ago must have lived quietly as the owner of this mountain and met the same experimental subjects as Chae Jeong-hyeok in the department store fire case and Kim Jeong-soo in the child abduction and murder case.

The guy on this mountain right now is proof of that.

And Wonjong, who lost his cub while fighting it, took the remaining one and took refuge.

…..There is a misunderstanding. An official from Leverage, who came to capture the experiment again, encountered Wonjong.

“Did you kill them?”

Even if it’s another person, if the place they belong to and the place where the test subject was made are the same, there is a possibility that they will smell the same. And Wonjong bit and killed those who smelled like the one who killed his baby.

Or maybe I stumbled upon them while running mad with rage from the shock of the death of a baby.

A few may have escaped. And they would have reported that they had to deal with the original species separately because they lacked manpower or lack of know-how to deal with the original species.

“It looks like those children are also subcontractors. What will they do if they discover the test subject while looking for you?”

No, it might not have been a problem even if they were caught. It would have been possible to keep your mouth shut if you saw what they were doing.

The original species was the victim… No, it was not a person, it was a victim animal.

The guy who lived quietly lost his offspring due to the test subjects made by Leverage, biting and killing the guys from there, and because of that, he became known to the world and died.

It’s a sad story. I had been living quietly until now, but everything got messed up because of their gang. He lost his baby and lost his own life.

Although killing a person is unforgivable, the anger is understandable.

The pain and anger of losing a child does not fade even if the world is burned.

“Kki-ing, ki-ing…”

When the baby cried, Wonjong carefully started licking it. It is a picture of a harmonious fox family, so a smile is built on its own.

In the end, the mother, Wonjong, must die.

Animals that kill people should be killed. A person who kills a person is also punished appropriately.

“You killed a human, so you must die”

“Kang!”

Wonjong cried with a snort characteristic of a fox. It seems that he understands simple words, as if his intelligence has also increased due to the awakening of the force.

I want to take you with me. However, can this child, who is a wild animal and a native species, live contentedly in a small house? Does she remember playing in the mountains?

“It’s a natural logic. If you kill, you should be prepared to die.”

Guys like me do it too. I always keep the thought of dying in mind. There is a death I want, so I insist on it.

How many lives have I killed while reincarnating so far, but do you think you can live and be judged by the law? Absolutely not.

“But don’t worry about the bastard”

“Kiyiying…”

Baby can be taken. Because you’re still young

Parents who die at a young age worry about the children they leave behind. I can’t even close my eyes properly because I’m worried about the future of my child who will live in a world without confidence.

At least I plan to take responsibility for raising the baby.

“Do you know what I’m talking about?”

“………”

Wonjong said nothing. However, it seemed that they were connected to each other.

The calf flirted with its mother and rubbed against her ancestor, but after a brief glance at the calf, she quietly pushed it towards me.

Seemingly embarrassed by her mother’s behavior, her calf struggled and tried to reach her mother, but she repulsed her savagely.

I held the baby in her arms.

I’m sorry, this is all because of human greed.

“When you go, don’t get sick.”

I stroked my mother’s hair. Then, a little force was injected to paralyze the pain sensory nerves.

You will feel the touch, but not the intense pain. The pain of being shot doesn’t matter.

“Bye”

When I said my last goodbye, the mother ran out without answering.

Only the cries of the calves searching for their mother echoed through the forest.

*        *    *

Returning to the party again, I handed over the offspring of the original species to Zion.

“Huh? What animal is this?”

“Fox”

“Why! It’s a baby animal!”

“A dog? I like dogs!”

“Fox!”

“What? It wasn’t a doggie, it was Homete Homete? Jjangkeoeop!”

Previously, the topic of pets came out, and I was contemplating whether to raise a cat or a dog, but I unexpectedly adopted it. A fox is a dog in hardware, but a cute animal with a lot of charm and demand so much that it can be called a cat in software.

“Chief Choi? Where is this fox……?”

“I went back there for a while just in case. There was a kid nearby. My mother would already die, so I brought her because I thought she would die if left alone.”

Ms. Seo-ae looked at it a little suspiciously, but passed it over to the way her kids liked it. Foxes are cute, but baby foxes are cuter. Although it hadn’t fully matured yet, it had the characteristic brown fur of a red fox.

“But what are you going to do? Are you going to finish your vacation like this and go back?”

“I have some work to do, so I think it’s better to go back tomorrow as planned.”

“Then let’s find a nearby pension.”

“There’s a place I know. It’s next to the river, and the pension has a separate swimming pool, so let’s find out there first.”

What was the name of the pension there… I went there last summer, but my memory is hazy. However, since I know the location roughly, I think I can find it if I search the Internet.

Around the time when the children were petting the little fox.

Taang, the sound of gunshots could be heard in the distance.

There are many mountains around here, so the sound resonates well, so gunshots can be heard far enough. At the same time as the first gunshot was heard, two or three more shots followed.

And the gunfire stopped.

“Uh……”

Baekli seems to have noticed. She couldn’t have been caught already, I tried to think, but the evidence that everyone had heard was still ringing in my ears.

The children were also silent as if they noticed something. Only the little fox whimpers and pleads for something.

And after a while, a text message came to us again at the same time. It’s the first time I hate texting as much as today.

It is news that Wonjong, who appeared on Mt. Duryu, was killed.

“Baekri”

“Yes, brother”

“There are so many cubs worse than the life of a single fox in the world, aren’t there?”

The fox, startled by the gunfire or realizing that her mother had been lost, struggled and cried even more than before.

There is nothing to say if you resent and criticize why you did not save the mother fox. But I also have my own rules.

I think murder is the worst sin a person can commit. That’s why I think that if you don’t kill someone, whether you commit fraud or cause an accident, you can be judged by the law or live by making atonement for yourself.

But to kill is to cross the line. The weight of a murder that ended a person, whether directly or indirectly, cannot be endured in one person’s lifetime.

At least I know the weight of the murder even if I kill it. To this day, after killing someone, guilt weighs heavily on them.

The same goes for animals. If I hadn’t killed people, I would have helped them by secretly hiding them or letting them run away. But the mother fox killed a man and in the end must be shot for it.

I brought only the baby so that there would be no regrets.

“Baek-ri, you’re a good guy. If possible, don’t kill.”

“……Brother?”

I guess I’ll have to move a little busier tonight.

It’s because I’m thinking of replacing all the cubs who are not even foxes.