Mercenary Black Mamba

Those were pheromones any male wouldn't be able to resist. Blond hair turned into black. Clear lines turned into small, compact sizes. With long inner eyelids that shaded the eyes, a long neck like a deer, and a detailed collarbone, Hae Young came to mind.

The slight glimpse of white teeth between two ripe, cherry-colored lips caused a deja vu. He was in Bijindo's guest house. With a heated collarbone and a curved naked silhouette that shone underneath the morning sunlight, which came through the window like arrows, that was Hae Young. His male instincts twitched.

He wanted those lips. He wanted to ravage that weak body. He approached unknowingly. His back slowly bent. There was a cherry right before him. Black Mamba, enraptured in his own hallucination, couldn't see Edel's trembling eyelids.

Crash—

Suddenly, there was a small noise and vibration. It was the sound of a heavy object falling onto the floor.

Hm?

His consciousness, which had been roaming, returned to reality. The woman who was sleeping, leaning across the table, was Edel. He looked down at his lower body, which was nearly tearing through the patient's gown. It was the first time he had lusted for someone since coming down from the mountain.

Black Mamba stared at Edel for a while before draping a shawl over her shoulders and leaving the medical office.

Bang—

It was the sound of the door closing. Edel's eyes twitched open. She glared fiercely at Sun WooHyun, who'd fallen off the bed. Sun WooHyun had gained the ire of a female lion unknowingly. Sun WooHyun, who had no idea about the turnout of his future, climbed back underneath the bed and slept peacefully. Black Mamba twisted into a lotus position on the roof of the hospital.

You damn idiot, why is your mental strength so weak!

His master's chiding remarks rang and pounded in his head. A Paranthropus, with its strong physicality, also possessed a strong lust. The combined repetitive expelling theory focused on calming the mind and stabilizing the heart. His teacher had controlled his disciple's lust by using a method of illusion called "Expelling All Meetings."

Expelling All Meetings was, as it said, meeting all kinds of beauties throughout the night then expelling them by vomit. It was the kind of illusion that made one think s*x was troublesome. One wouldn't even be moved by the most beautiful person, due to several horrible experiences. The person under the illusion was tortured, but the person casting the illusion also had to pour immense amounts of ki.

"Namoradanada-ah-yaya-namakal-ya-barokiche-se-bara-ya-mojisadabaya-mahasadabaya…"

The recitation of the heart-stabilizing chant continued throughout the night. Black Mamba was taking the hard way around, leaving the easy way aside. The conditions of being a human were that hard.

No matter what happened throughout the night, the sun rose. A missive found its way into the hospital room early in the morning. It was in an aluminum case sent by the DGSE. Black Mamba sent the messenger away before pressing his left thumbprint to open the case.

There were three types of documents signed by the president, the Department of Defense, the guards, the minister of culture, and the commander of Legion Etranger. There was a calculated check, a notice of an order of merit, and a noted order.

"Why's it this fast!"

It was way too fast. It hadn't been a week since he flew over from Chad. Korean officials were slow at processing their work but were far better than the French officials.

The work of French officers had an infamous reputation. They had low wages, low wills, and low responsibility. According to their normal work processing times, the reward would have taken shape at least three months later. It was obvious how Bonipas had rushed those workers.

He pushed aside the thick documents and checked every billing statement. He didn't have much interest in a metal piece of badge or the orders from above. Of course, that was because he didn't know its value.

"Ha!"

He checked the billing statement once more.

20,182,000 francs!

He multiplied the official exchange rate by 213. His brain rushed to calculate the unrealistic number. It was 4,300,000,000 won. He had threatened Bonipas for 50,000,000 and 10,000,000 dollars, but he hadn't been able to grasp its volume.

The eye-dropping number turned Black Mamba into the countryside Mu Ssang. In 1981, when he left Korea, one average sack of rice had been 12,800 Won. 4,300,000,000 won meant 335,937 sacks.

How much was the jja-jang again?

It was around 360 Won, which meant 12,000,000 dishes.

"Hehehe, it's an amount the Ha-Dong's family wouldn't be able to finish for the rest of their lives. I wish I could send it to my father in the underworld."

Happiness rushed into him like the tide. He could find his mother without worrying about expenses. He could send the Jin Soon siblings their school expenses and pocket money. It was also enough for university registrations. He could also fix the temple's leaking roof at Mt. Chung Saeng.

The notice of merit and telegram order didn't even reach his eyes. The devil Kanma of the Sahel, the Angel of Death—Black Mamba's origin was the bridge village's Mu Ssang. Mu Ssang was a poor boy who had grabbed the gun to make money.

Compared to the French people, the Koreans led extremely packed lives. A vacation? That couldn't even be dreamed of. One had to work like mad to eat and live. 12 hours of labor was the average. If one acted like the French and ate lunch for over one to two hours, they would be fired immediately.

They also worked on Sundays. The reality of Korea was that large companies could provide at least a half-day and Sunday's rest, but a medium-sized company could only allow the staff to rest once or twice per month. There were several cases when a midnight call was made to request staff to report to work.

In terms of working hours, Koreans worked triple the amount compared to the French people. That didn't mean they lived in luxury. They aged as they worked to their bones. Retirement plans? That was a dream. They were too busy paying for their child's education.

He'd worked for 45 days and earned 4,300,000,000 won. It was astounding.

"500 francs per corpse!"

One life was equivalent to 500 francs. Converting that amount to won gave him 100,000 won. In 1981, a first-time worker's pay at a market bank in Korea was 180,000 per month. This meant that life was no less than a month's check. It was a black comedy.

He had officially killed 1,996 FROLINAT FAP soldiers. The result of killing 1,996 soldiers was 998,000 francs. There was no other black comedy than receiving money per corpse after herding several people to their deaths. Sour bile crawled over his throat.

"1,996 people!"

He'd killed many. He sighed. He had killed 2,000 people trying to save 10 people. His master had said that there was no difference between the lives of humans and ants. He had weighed every comrades' lives with the other 2,000 lives. He couldn't even guess how much karma had been piling on him.

"Is this the gift that Bonipas was talking about?"

It was 2,000 francs in estimation. He was someone who received what he deserved but refrained from getting attached to money. He'd once entered an acting troupe to earn some money for his education and wandered the mountains.

If this was how they were going to pay him, he could forgive the Oecophylla smaragdina, whether they'd betrayed or cheated him. Of course, that was on his terms. He was going to make them pay for his comrades' debts separately.

Being betrayed and fooled didn't feel good, but compared to how he'd lived until now, it was on the level of cuteness. There was a human who'd used his cousin as a slave for five years without offering a single cent. He was a mercenary. He obviously had to bleed to earn money. Complaining about being fooled and betrayed was just the complaints of a picky person. That was why he'd ripped off as much as he could.

On the other hand, the Oecophylla smaragdina were doing what they thought was the best on their level. According to Bonipas' excuse, he was twisting an uncertain hand together to make it certain.

The straight attack which Bonipas had thrown had definitely worked. Black Mamba had handed him a greater bunch to squash any complaints. He was, as expected, an abnormal person.

He could almost imagine the man's next steps. He was going to send a hook, an uppercut, then a clinch. There wasn't anything bad in his view. He'd taken as much as he could for his comrades. Avoiding someone because of dislike only made it harder for a person to live.

Black Mamba thought hard about why his anger cage wasn't surging. It was leisure for the strong. He could let things flow as it did as he felt leisure in his heart. He could simply erase things from existence if things went wrong.

Erase things from existence if I don't like them? Did my thought process change?

Black Mamba flinched. It was a dangerous way of thinking. It was the thought process of a beast.

The 45 days he'd spent in the Sahel passed by his head like a panorama: A hunger which beetles and scorpions couldn't fix, dehydration from a brain on fire, endless battles and killing, horrible flies and mosquitoes, the calm night sky, the annoying sandstorms, young soldiers who begged to live, and old guerrillas who called for Allah, even in the moments when their heads were torn off.

I'm a human as long as I can think and look back. He screamed in his mind.

Black Mamba threw the documents in the safe and jumped to his feet. The matters of the living had been settled, so now it was time to clear the debts of the souls who had died.

"Ombuti, let's go for a hike."

"Is there a place to hike in Paris?"

Edel tilted her head at the sudden proposal. Paris was a city constructed on plains. All there was, were small rolling hills.

"We're going a little ways away."

"Far? Then I'll get breakfast ready right now."

Edel turned away with light footsteps. Her front apron with frills flapped around. She was vibrant, with no signs of the craziness from the past day.

Ombuti understood quickly like the best butler he was.

"The s*** stick sent some documents to us yesterday evening. It's 2.6 kilometers south, following Province's Annecy lake. There's a wooden two-story house behind the Beograd hotel, 700 meters up the mountain."

"Damn, that b*stard, he's going into hiding at such a far place. It'll be hard to move by car, wouldn't it?"

"It's 630 kilometers by car. I've requested a Gazelle from the s*** stick. I've already prepared hiking clothes and gears. I've also prepared a special 50 meters rope, since it's a cliff region."

As expected of the best butler, Ombuti had prepared for everything.

"Wakil, your mercenary friends are coming over this evening. Should we just go ahead?"

Black Mamba slapped his forehead.

"Ah, I've forgotten. Will there be enough time?"

"With no arms on the Gazelle SA342, it can reach a speed of 300 kilometers per second. We can reach the destination in 100 minutes. There's no reason for Wakil to wait until nighttime."

"Right, we need to drink 'till our belly bursts. Wakil, let's go right now," Sun WooHyun agreed.

Edel glared fiercely at Sun WooHyun.

"No. Don't think about hiking or even walking until you finish breakfast. Black is a patient."

"Ha!"

The three men, who didn't dare to make any sound, sat on the table.

"Huh? Samgye-tang? How did you make this Edel?"

Black Mamba's eyes grew wide. He thought she had prepared coq au vin from the smell of chicken. She'd been skipping around since morning, so he hadn't expected her to brew samgye-tang. He didn't know how it would taste, but it was similar to samgye-tang with its jujube, chestnut, ginkgo, pine nut, and rice.

"There was a Korean restaurant behind the hospital, on saxgar."

"Thank you, Edel."

"It's a rule not to thank each other, between family." Edel smiled beautifully.

Her eye bags had swell, but it only added to her innocent vibe. Black Mamba was suddenly blinded.

Her concern and consideration for him, despite the effort needed, poked at his heart. Gorgeous beauties and good-looking bodies didn't interest him much. It was a love that grew over time that was scarier. This woman had both of Hae Young's grace and innocent beauty. Edel's smile began to grow scarier.

"Miss Edel, where's my samgye-tang?"

"Lackey doesn't have breakfast."

"What? Even Ombuti has one but not me? I like samgye-tang very much."

Sun WooHyun ignorantly tapped on his bowl with his fork as though he was protesting.

Bang—

A plate filled with a few dried sausages landed before Sun WooHyun. They were leftover sausages from yesterday, which had been served as wine accompaniments.

"This is your breakfast, Mr. lackey. If you don't like what I've prepared, you can eat outside. If you do, then Black would also have to eat outside."

She'd given more emotions to the dish in replacement for its lacking qualities. Finishing her speech, Edel disappeared into her bedroom. Sun WooHyun's face crumpled. It was a great threat. If he decided to eat outside because he didn't like the food, she planned on taking Wakil's food away too. If that happens, Ombuti would pull out his gun.

"What the f***, is it that week for her?"

Sun WooHyun grumbled as he chewed on the hard sausages. Black Mamba smiled and placed a chicken leg on Sun WooHyun's plate. It was his generosity towards someone who wasn't aware of his sin.

Kukukukuku—

The Gazelle landed on the hospital's roof at exactly nine in the morning. Black Mamba and Sun WooHyun, who was in their hiking gear, climbed on. The Gazelle quickly moved south with a loud motor noise in its wake.

"Wakil, I'm confident with mountains. Let's go up together."

"I know. We don't have time. We can't have our brothers waiting for me to clean up a single rat b*stard. Tell the pilot. We're getting off 50 meters above the destination. The helicopter will go around the lake once and lower a fast rope at the same location in 30 minutes."