Chapter 31

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Chapter 31: Reasons

Bhatia Island, Hospital.

"Although the head was impacted, the strange thing is that the impact isn't strong. Rest for a while and everything should be fine," said the doctor.

"I understand. Thank you, doctor," replied Flying Squirrel, his expression blank.

After a sympathetic glance, the doctor walked out, leaving the room in a somber mood.

Alone in the ward, Flying Squirrel looked at the unconscious man on the hospital bed, pursed his lips, and sighed deeply.

"Damn! Damn! Damn it!" Nearby, Kake roared, his eyes red, as he punched the wall repeatedly, causing dust to shake off. The gray and white wall now marked with punched holes and streaks of blood.

"She calls me uncle... she calls me uncle!" Kake's roars resembled those of a beast. His fists bled without his notice.

Gion sat silently beside the bed, eyes closed, fingers pressed between her brows. Abruptly, she stood up, her eyes bloodshot, and turned to face Darren, who stood by the window smoking.

"Darren!" she said angrily. "Why do you still have to smoke?"

Her anger pushed her voice to hoarseness. "Didn't you say you are the overlord of the North Blue? Don't you think you're so great?" she confronted him, tears filling her eyes as Darren continued to smoke, one cigarette after another.

"Please speak!"

She bit her lip so hard that it nearly bled.

Darren exhaled a long puff of smoke and flicked the ash silently, as though he heard nothing. The ashtray on the windowsill overflowed with cigarette butts. The silence in the ward was chilling, like a tomb for buried hearts.

Flying Squirrel watched Gion lash out at Darren, wanted to speak, but in the end, he couldn't find the words, looking troubled.

"If not?"

The Rear Admiral Marine's voice shattered the quiet. Gion froze as she saw a mocking smile spread across his face. Darren turned, sneering at the wall clock.

The color drained from Gion's face. She stood speechless.

Yes, what else could be done? Whether it's just a North Blue admiral, the colonel of headquarters, even if it was Sengoku himself, they couldn't change how this story ends. The offenders were Celestial Dragons, the world's noble class with untouchable privileges. Any attempt to intervene could endanger the lives of everyone on Bhatia Island.

"I... am I still alive..."

A feeble voice suddenly cut through the tension. Gion and the others turned quickly to see the man struggle to open his eyelids.

"Lia... Lia..." he mumbled, his gaze landing on Darren. His body shook with recognition.

"Master Marine... Master Darren..." he tried to rise but fell to the floor.

"Rest for now," Gion began, moving to assist, but he waved her off.

With eyes bloodshot, the man looked desperately at Darren.

"Master Darren... you saved me..."

Hearing this, both Gion and Kake stiffened, recalling the doctor's words. The impact wasn't great. Could it mean...

They noticed the man's metal buttoned clothes and came to a realization.

"If you've survived, then live well," Darren spoke calmly, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Under my rule, no civilians will die unnaturally."

"No, Lord Darren..." The man knelt, pleading with the Rear Admiral Marine. "Please save my daughter... She's been well-behaved since her mother passed when she was young, never crying, always helping by selling flowers..."

The realization hit him like lightning, and he slapped himself, weeping.

"It's all my fault... If I had been able, hadn't let her sell flowers on the street... none of this would've happened..."

He cried, banging his head on the floor.

"Please, Lord Darren... save Lia... she is my everything... I'll do anything if you save her."

"I can be your servant. I can kill for you. Take my garden, my money... you can have anything," he pleaded. He frantically searched through his mud-stained clothes, extracting a few crumpled banknotes and a handful of coins from his pockets. His trembling hands, weakened by his frailty, caused the coins to slip, jingling as they scattered across the ground. A coin spun on the ground, smeared with mud and blood, before toppling over. Its smooth surface caught the fleeting light and shadows, reflecting Rear Admiral Marine's stern face.

"No, you haven't understood me," Darren said lightly. Once again, he glanced at the wall clock, then extinguished his cigarette, took off the white cloak hanging on the coat rack, and draped it over his shoulders. The words "justice" unfurled across his broad back, grand and cold, surging like waves in an ocean. He spelled out the promise of iron and blood in the making.

The man gazed at Rear Admiral Marine with a bewildered and pale expression. Darren sighed and looked straight into the man's eyes. "Let me say it again... under my rule, no civilians will be allowed to die unnaturally." Darren glanced at the banknotes in the man's hand and the coins scattered on the floor. With a smile, he added, "As for the money, I've already received it."

Darren then started walking towards the hospital ward's door. "Where are you going?" Gion couldn't help but ask. A sense of unease filled her heart. Gion and Kake stared at Darren's departing figure, blood dripping from Kake's clenched fist.

"It's almost time," Darren said in an even tone, without looking back. Gion and Kake were stunned, suddenly reminded of a detail. Ever since their entrance, Darren had been checking the clock, as if anticipating something. Before they could further ponder, Darren had already exited the ward.

His military boots echoed crisply through the hospital's cold, lengthy corridor. Darren's eyes hardened with a cold, rebellious glimmer. "Darren!" A voice called out from behind. He stopped and turned to see Flying Squirrel rushing to catch up.

Flying Squirrel hesitated, then spoke, "Before the incident, Major Gion had interactions with that little girl, buying flowers from her... She didn't mean any harm..."

"I know," Darren cut in, smiling at Flying Squirrel. "It seems you think highly of Gion."

Flying Squirrel gave a wry smile, emotional warmth in his eyes. "In this sea, people like her, who stand for justice purely, are too few."

Darren remained silent, acknowledging the truth in those words.

Flying squirrel continued after a pause, "Are you sure you want to go? No Marine has dared such a thing before. You don't have to do this…"

He struggled to find the right words. Darren laughed, "Flying squirrel, do you know? You're right. I have many reasons not to go, and I can list dozens off the top of my head."

"The world is filled with tragedies; the Celestial Dragons cause countless. I'm just a North Blue admiral, and I can't control everything. If I act, I could be burned. Once it's discovered, no one can protect me. I should've realized long ago that Marines serve the World Government. While angry, I should just get used to it; there's no need to risk so much for a stranger. One misstep could undermine all I've built in North Blue..."

"Yes, there are too many reasons not to go," Darren continued. "But I can think of only two reasons to go, yet they outweigh all the reasons to stay."

He spoke firmly, every word like a cold nail driven into the air. "First, North Blue is my domain, and I won't allow such atrocities under my watch... even if he is a Celestial Dragon. Second, that man's face is so repulsive, it ignites a killing urge that I can't control."

Darren's smile grew almost cruel. "It's the uncontrollable kind."