"Huh? Who threw that banana?"
Just as the beggars were starting to daydream about their bright future, a banana suddenly came flying in from who knew where and landed right in front of them.
One of the beggars, who had clearly been craving food, reacted fast and crouched down to snatch it up, grinning stupidly as he did.
But just as he was about to peel it, a burst of fire suddenly swallowed his entire field of vision.
Boom!
The ordinary-looking banana exploded on the spot.
The deafening blast and rising smoke sent plenty of nearby people into a panic, and they all fled in terror. But one figure moved in the exact opposite direction.
"Why did you have to force me to do this?"
"If all you wanted was revenge, maybe not so many people would've had to die. So why did you have to notice something you shouldn't have noticed? Why did you have to insist on hunting us down to the end?"
August stood at the mouth of the alley, looking at the gruesome aftermath of the explosion inside, his expression completely unchanged.
No one would have guessed that he would actually circle back and strike again.
Originally, August had only planned to follow them, find their hideout, and quietly get rid of the long-haired beggar who clearly had no intention of letting things go.
But instead, while hiding near the alley entrance, he accidentally overheard their conversation, and killing intent immediately rose in his heart.
If they really succeeded, then he and Law would most likely never escape this country alive.
So for the sake of protecting himself, and to get revenge for Law as well, he had no other choice.
There had been eight beggars total. Seven were blown to pieces on the spot. Only the long-haired one survived because he had been standing a little farther out, and two human shields had happened to be in front of him.
But the moment he saw August's face, terror instantly filled his eyes.
"Don't... don't kill me, please!"
"I swear, I really won't say anything... sob..."
A grown man was actually crying for his life.
August stood there in silence for a moment, then turned and walked away, as if he were really going to spare him.
But just as joy appeared on the long-haired beggar's face, a banana dropped neatly from above and landed right in his lap.
"No...!"
Boom!!!
Since things had already gotten this big, what difference was there between blowing things up once and blowing them up twice?
August's cold figure quickly disappeared into the distance.
By the time the security force arrived, the scene was already total chaos.
Severed limbs and collapsed walls were mixed together everywhere. There was not a single intact corpse left to piece together.
The smell of burned flesh was especially horrific. Many people turned pale and nearly vomited the moment they got close.
After some investigation, it was confirmed that the dead were all insignificant beggars nobody cared about.
But because the method of murder was so vicious, and because bombs had been used, the higher-ups issued a strict order that the culprit had to be found.
Otherwise, what if one day the killer felt a little unhappy and tossed a bomb into a crowded place? That would be a disaster.
Captain Jess, who had received the order, looked ugly as well.
Those beggars may not have mattered much, but they paid him tribute every month, served as his informants, and occasionally handled dirty work for him that could not be brought into the open.
Now that most of them were dead in one shot, how could he not be furious?
"Investigate! Tear this place apart if you have to!"
"First, bring in everyone nearby who might have witnessed the crime scene!"
"And send someone to the black market. Ask Old Jack who he's been selling bombs to lately. Does that old bastard have a death wish?!"
As the whole place descended into chaos, August and Law's situation became even more dangerous.
...
Late at night, August secretly slipped into a hospital and stole some medicine and bandages. He almost got caught, but fortunately, he managed to get away without incident.
By the time he returned to the forest where they were hiding, dawn was almost breaking.
"I don't know which of these medicines actually work, so I grabbed a little of everything. Can you tell them apart?"
By now, Law was awake. Although his injuries looked frightening, most of them were external wounds. It was a good thing he had done everything he could to protect his vital areas. Otherwise, he might have been beaten to death back then and never lived long enough for August to find him.
"These two are for external use. This one is taken orally. And this one reduces inflammation..."
"Good enough. As long as they can be used, then the trip wasn't a waste."
Since Law could barely move right now, August had no choice but to apply the medicine for him.
And at a time like this, there was no point being delicate about it. So August simply wrapped Law up like a mummy and used every last bandage he had brought back, never even considering what they would do when it was time to change the dressings again.
After all, he had already done more than enough. If Law still could not make it through this, then it would just mean August had been blind and invested in the wrong person.
"Thanks."
Even though August's movements were rough and he had turned him into a mummy, Law still thanked him seriously.
This was already the second time August had saved him.
August did not act modest at all. He just lay down on the grass and stared up at the stars overhead.
"You can skip the thanks. Just remember, you owe me two lives now."
"Take them whenever you want. My life wasn't worth much to begin with. Your family used to do business, right? So how come you keep making these losing deals?"
"It's only a loss right now. Later, maybe not. This is called long-term investment. What would the son of a doctor know about that?"
August scoffed, then pulled out an apple and bit down hard.
Damn, it was sweet.
Grrrr...
Law's stomach immediately let out a loud growl. He was obviously starving too.
But he still stubbornly said nothing. It was not because he was embarrassed. He just did not want to make things harder for August.
After all, he could barely move right now and was no help at all. The correct choice was obviously to leave the limited food to the only one who still had mobility.
To put it simply, feeding him would be a waste.
Law said nothing, and August acted as if he had not heard the sound either. In just a few bites, he finished off the big apple cleanly without wasting a bit.
Then he pulled out a second apple.
Law quietly swallowed several times.
August, as if he had noticed nothing, kept eating by himself.
Soon, the second apple was gone too.
Then...
As if performing magic, he pulled out a third apple.
At that point, Law finally could not hold back anymore.
"That apple... is it sweet?"
"Of course it's sweet!"
As if afraid Law would not believe him, August immediately took another huge bite right in front of him. Juice burst everywhere. It looked unbelievably fresh.
"..."
Lying on the ground and cosplaying as a mummy, Law instantly sank into silence.
When I asked if it was sweet, did I actually mean I wanted a review of the flavor?!
How could this idiot not hear the subtext?!
Seeing the depressed look on Law's face, August finally could not stop himself from laughing.
And hearing that laugh, Law finally realized that this bastard had been teasing him on purpose the whole time!
"You jerk... mmph!"
A big, round apple was suddenly stuffed straight into Law's mouth, cutting off everything he was about to say.
"Just eat your apple. Next time, remember not to play tough."
August had no idea who had brought those apples for the doctor, but no one at the hospital had touched them at all. He happened to notice them while passing by, so he had simply helped himself.
(End of Chapter)
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