Chapter 85 - Sorry
"Huff, huff."
D'Andre panted heavily.
He had just dragged out a dumb audience member who, until the very end, had thought this was all part of the performance.
At times like this, having a rough appearance was useful.
A burly frame worthy of the nickname "Tank," chrome-plated teeth, and long dreadlocks.
Just furrowing his brows a little was enough to make most people shrink back.
Though personally, he wasn't a fan of looking like a thug.
At any rate, the audience had been evacuated.
D'Andre turned his head to assess the situation.
As expected, there were no problems on the other side.
Despite her airheadedness, the combat android Hooker and the battle-hardened mercenary Greg were skillfully navigating the arena, now filled with rampaging steel tentacles, guiding the injured and stragglers to safety.
Since they had things under control, he needed to focus on himself.
Without hesitation, D'Andre sprinted through the steel framework, now swirling with crimson dust.
It was like a scene straight out of a disaster movie.
"Is anyone there?!"
He coughed as he pushed through the chaos, searching for any survivors who might still be inside the wrecked arena.
RUMBLE—!
A heavy, deafening noise rang out from all directions.
At last, the steel tentacles lost power and collapsed.
D'Andre's eyes widened.
Had Jin subdued Elina?!
He exhaled in relief and shifted his gaze toward the stage—
Only to freeze.
A beastkin with a wingspan of at least three meters was stomping on the back of Elina's head.
And he wasn't stopping there—he was pounding her into the ground like a hammer.
What the hell was this now?
D'Andre barely had time to process the sudden turn of events before—
CRACK!
A streak of lightning shot through the air as Jin charged, ramming into the beastkin.
In an instant, the two superhumans clashed midair, tearing through the arena in a violent struggle.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Thunderous impacts echoed.
SCREEEE—!
A predatory screech followed.
Lights shattered, walls exploded, and vivid streaks of blood splattered across the destruction.
This was a battle only monsters like them could have.
D'Andre averted his gaze from the fight and dashed toward the stage.
"Big bro!"
"What the hell is that thing?! I'm losing my damn mind!"
Hooker and Greg had joined him in the sprint, each shouting their own reactions—
CRASH!!!
Something slammed down from above, skidding dozens of meters across the floor, leaving a long trail of blood.
The bird-headed beastkin lay there, coughing up its last breaths.
And above it, Jin stood with a clenched fist, finishing the job.
D'Andre widened his stride and shouted.
"Grab both of them, we're getting out!"
But surprisingly, his feet didn't take him toward Elina.
"JIIIIIN!!!!"
A panicked voice screamed.
Greg smirked at the sight of a flustered Linker and hurried toward Elina.
***
For the first time in a while, Jin was confined to a hospital bed.
And the list of injuries was long.
Let's go through them one by one—
Multiple closed and open fractures.
Pancreatic rupture.
Spleen rupture.
Abdominal and diaphragmatic damage.
Internal bleeding in the abdominal cavity, and so on.
A single one of these injuries would be enough to send a normal person straight to the underworld.
Yet Jin had somehow survived.
Mama, who had been preparing for an open surgery to prevent multi-organ failure (MOF), was left completely dumbfounded.
"Goddamn it. What the hell is his body made of...?"
"Why are you so worked up? He made it out alive, isn't that what matters?"
"Matters? Aren't you freaked out at all? His abdomen was swelling from internal bleeding, but it just… went away on its own! Do you even get what that means?!"
"Not really. What does it mean?"
"I don't know either, you idiot!"
Khalifa gave the exasperated middle-aged woman a weak smile as she stormed off.
Then, turning her gaze to the hospital bed, she spoke.
"…Didn't expect you to call me."
D'Andre, who had been wringing out a damp towel, responded.
"I don't have many connections in the medical field."
"Is that so?"
Kalifa glanced sideways.
Honestly, she was surprised.
When she heard that a terrorist attack had suddenly broken out at Stray Stadium, she had been about to head over—
But D'Andre had contacted her first.
'We need a healer!'
'Two wounded!'
'It's Jin and Elina!'
Recalling the urgency in his voice, she crossed her arms.
"…Ah, dammit. Ahh. Ugh. Ow."
A groan suddenly came from the hospital bed.
Jin, who had been lying motionless like a corpse, had begun mumbling to himself.
"…A strange ceiling? No, not really. Actually, it's kind of familiar."
He glanced around, then spotted the two Linkers approaching.
"Why are you two together?"
His naive question made Khalifa chuckle dryly.
Then, she gave him a brief explanation of the situation.
"D'Andre?"
Jin blinked at him in surprise.
The Black Linker simply waved a hand, as if telling him not to worry about it.
"It was nothing."
Of course, that was just talk.
His nostrils kept twitching, making it obvious how excited he was.
But today, he could enjoy it as much as he wanted.
He had earned that right.
"Good work. Call me anytime you need me."
Jin gave a thumbs-up.
D'Andre's smile deepened even further.
Just the fact that his connection with a rising star, one heralded as a supernova, had grown stronger made his exhaustion vanish.
Today, D'Andre was happy.
"…Kuh, kuh…"
Jin passed by Drandre, who was hunched over, chuckling like a villain, and his gaze landed on Khalifa.
"Where's Elina?"
"There."
Khalifa pointed toward a private room separated by a glass wall, where Elina lay on a hospital bed, just like him.
Her voice followed soon after.
"Her nose is broken, and several ribs are fractured. Other than that, she's fine. For now."
"…For now?"
At Jin's question, Khalifa pulled up a backless chair and sat down, leveling their eye contact.
"She's a rampaging Psyker. I'd guess this isn't the first time. I wonder what the people around her were doing while things escalated this far…"
"Hmm…"
Jin trailed off.
Did she sense something from him?
"Do you know something?"
"Ah, well—"
Khalifa asked, and Jin, clutching his throbbing stomach, opened his mouth.
The story he naturally pieced together was all from the ramblings of a Malcom consumed by madness.
"…What?"
Even though he toned it down, Khalifa's face still twisted in disgust.
"He really did nothing but despicable things."
"I told you I didn't fight that birdbrain for no reason."
"…Yeah, I can see why you did."
Khalifa muttered softly, glancing between the unconscious Elina and the monitor displaying her vital signs.
Then, after a moment, she slowly spoke.
"She bent a 30-meter steel beam like taffy with psychokinesis. There are too many witnesses and too much evidence to cover it up."
"What happens now?"
"The city government will come for her."
At that calm conclusion, Jin blinked.
"…And if they do? Are they going to torture her? Crack open her skull and cut into her frontal lobe?"
"No way. She's too famous for that. Besides, they stopped using brute force to study psychic abilities a long time ago."
As Khalifa said this, she pressed her fingertips firmly into Jin's shoulder.
He naturally collapsed back onto the bed, groaning in pain.
Crossing her smooth legs, Khalifa continued.
"Instead, they'll put her under supervision. No matter what, Elina is an exceptional Psyker with immense potential. They might even teach her how to control her powers and then recruit her."
"…That makes sense."
Jin nodded.
If they found a dazzling gemstone, the city government wouldn't be stupid enough to just smash it.
"Does this mean her career as an entertainer is over?"
"Maybe. Or maybe not. At least she didn't hurt any innocent people."
It was an uncharacteristically vague answer from Khalifa, but then again, she was probably just as unfamiliar with this situation as he was.
Jin, understanding that, simply shrugged.
"Well, they'll figure it out."
"Yeah. So for now, focus on healing. You haven't forgotten about the family tournament, have you?"
"Come on, of course not."
"And don't forget to stop by the shop before you leave. Until Mama says you're okay, just lie down and behave, even if it's frustrating."
Leaving behind her usual nagging, Khalifa got up.
After lightly patting Jin's shoulder, she nudged the still-chuckling D'Andre out of the hospital.
"…"
Left alone, Jin stared at the ceiling.
"The city government, huh…"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he reached out and rummaged through the items on the bedside table.
Finding his terminal, he made a call.
"Hello? Hey, Old man I need to talk—wait, are you drinking again?"
***
Elina's past was ordinary.
At least, if you lowered the standard of "ordinary" to fit the conditions of District 40.
A life of poverty, misfortune, and loneliness, just like everyone else's.
The one who pulled her out of that life was a fat man.
A big shot from District 10, he had shown up at the bar where Elina worked as a menial laborer.
His rampage ended only after all six of the hostesses—his personal sex toys—were completely broken, their screams lingering in the air.
Then, unexpectedly, he noticed Elina, who was scrubbing the floor, and handed her his business card.
The bar owner whispered that it was a golden opportunity she must seize, but she didn't care.
She simply weighed her options.
Between her alcoholic, violently abusive father and this crazy pig, who was the better choice?
Elina chose the pig.
She learned later that he was a famous producer.
Around the same time, she also realized she had a remarkable talent for music.
From then on, the story was predictable.
She was forced into an unfair contract, worked to the bone day and night, beaten, drugged into dependency so she couldn't think straight…
And one day, she found herself in space.
An endless ocean of stars, without any rhyme or reason.
She couldn't breathe.
An overwhelming terror crashed over her like a tidal wave, and she screamed.
Begging for help, pleading for someone to get her out.
She struggled with all her might, screaming until her throat was torn.
But such resistance was nothing more than a speck of dust—insignificant against the vastness of the universe.
How much time had passed?
Just as Elina felt her parched heart crumble into dust and she resigned herself to despair—
Fwssh.
Warmth suddenly enveloped her.
How dramatic it was.
And how much she had longed for it.
Tears poured down her face as she flailed her limbs, then threw herself toward the flames before her.
And she clung to them, tightly.
"Gahk!"
A choked metallic groan escaped Jin's lips.
Elina had sprung up like a coiled spring and suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck.
Well, if someone asked why he was standing next to her, he certainly had his reasons.
Beep, beep, beep—
The heart monitor spiked erratically, peaking high and plunging low in a chaotic rhythm.
And then, the cabinets around Elina began to buckle and warp.
So, what choice did he have?
"Damn it!"
Even the healer, Mama, was startled.
Someone had to do something.
So, as he had done before, Jin grasped her pale, trembling hands and ignited his flames.
And this was the result.
"Hey. Why the hell are you so—"
Was this what a standing guillotine choke felt like?
No joke, for a split second, his vision swam.
Jin shoved Elina away with all his strength.
And then—his eyes met a beautiful face…
Well, not quite.
Her nose was broken and swollen beyond recognition.
Hmm.
So, noses really do make a difference, regardless of gender.
As Jin pondered that thought—
Elina's eyes regained their focus, and she gasped.
"Y-You?"
Like many who experience memory gaps after a great shock, she launched into a barrage of confused questions.
"Where am I?" being the first of many.
So, Jin waved his hands animatedly, explaining.
Because of her sudden psychic awakening, the performance had been abruptly canceled.
But, fortunately, there were no casualties.
Though the city government would likely get involved, he had already contacted someone reliable using his connections.
Elina fell silent for a long while.
Her eyes darted around as if processing something complex, and then, at last, she bit her lip and whispered—
"…I remember now."
A single tear traced a long path down her cheek, making Jin flinch.
Wait, was she crying because he had hit her?
Of course, that was part of it.
But as a newly awakened Psyker, the memories she had lost—memories that were hers, yet not entirely hers—began to rewind vividly in her mind.
Among them, she recalled turning her producer and bodyguard into red orbs.
Yet, there was no guilt.
Only relief—immense relief—that innocent lives had been spared.
The problem was that Jin didn't know any of this.
Watching Elina's quiet sobs turn into full-blown, childlike weeping, he turned to the healer beside him, lowering his voice urgently.
"…Did I—Did I hit her too hard?"
Mama, who had been momentarily dazed by his panicked whisper, blinked and then, as if finding the answer, patted Jin's back with a knowing look.
"Hug her."
"H-Hug her?"
"Yes!"
After a brief, hushed exchange, Jin hesitantly pulled Elina into an embrace.
And, as if she had been waiting for it, she buried her face into his shoulder.
"…S-Sorry."
Jin murmured as he felt the warmth of her tears seep into his skin.
Accompanied by his awkward, hesitant pats.