Content Warning: Mild profanity, cybernetic themes, sci-fi violence

‘Jeongin, I know you’re angry, but at least, let me tell you, the mafia here is from your country, Najoemguk.’ Rowan added.

‘You know something rare? And it’s not about country, well… yes, but listen, I’ve been listening to the news; they talked about us, about the mafia, but they focus more on us than them, and my point is, they’ve never mentioned they captured Vũ, and nothing about that place,’ Paulina reported.

Rowan was capturing Jeongin’s attention and pointing at Paulina, but he looked in another direction.

They crossed the forest and walked on the springs, taking care not to fall in the estuaries. There was a woman with a long skirt, some bronze items in her abbs, sleeves only in her arms, and she was naked above her waist, but her nipples were covered by a thin fabric.

The light of the sun was covering the whole place, nice sunshine to hide the mafia; the water was dancing with the springs, the smell was provided by humidity, the estuaries tasted sweet like rivers, but the temperature was hot.

‘You cannot enter, at least—,’ said the woman, and Rowan interrupted, saying he was for talking about a guy called Rowan, so she let them walk, and they watched the big house on the quay, similar to an old temple.

They entered, and the structure seemed to smell like refined wood, and the temperature was mild. There weren’t any armed people; this time, it was strange, just a man appeared.

‘OH, he’s the person… who I mentioned before’.

‘Who are you?’ added the man, with a black suit and Hishangdan eyes.

‘I’m here to announce Rowan, sent me to…’

‘Đậu má! Hahaha, you’re that fucking person from Kandluasert, isn’t it?’

‘Ehm…’

‘Come on, don’t play the fool with me, it’s the same voice,’ sang the man, closing in on them.

‘Listen, Hải, I… fed up of this shit, I’m done, ok? If you want, I can pay the money I owe you, but tell him I’m free now, or I’m dead’

‘You know I can’t do that. What is more, now he will be happier when he notices you’re a phadwimb, man! This is going to be flawless’

‘No!’ screamed Rowan and aimed him with his two shovels.

‘What is this? Hhahaha, so now you prefer to work for me as gardener?’ ordered  Hải.

‘I’m gonna kill him,’ whispered Rowan.

‘I heard that, and let me explain something to you: if you do that, nothing will change. He already knows about you, so yes, you can try’. Marveled Hải, and raised their arms with total confidence.

The group started to feel observed, and heard how the woods creaked; now a lot of men were on the second floor, pointing at them, and from the door, the first woman they saw, it was there, waiting for them, and raising her hands in green light colours.

‘We kill them, and I join your crew, my mate’.

‘No, Rowan, and it’s not because I don’t want to kill them; it’s because there’s no point in fighting here.’

‘Rowan, Jeongin is right; this time we are like antelopes surrounded by wolves, just go, we won’t leave you.’ Dilka trembled.

The tension was increasing when the mercenaries were closing in and reloading their weapons; Paulina was moving her fingers, and her fire was shiny.

‘Ok, just go,’ Rowan trembled, seeing the floor so disappointed.

The woman from the entrance didn’t move, but she looked at Hải, and he gave the signal to let them free.

The group felt the warm weather again, as if the weather were the feeling of being defeated. They continued until stay in a little palapa; they were accompanied by the boat’s movements and the wooden seats.

‘So what now?’ asked Dilka.

Rowan was looking at the floor; no one could guess his real expression, due to the big tray on his head.

‘Are you ok?’ Paulina inquired.

‘You know what? Fuck’em, I won’t do whatever they’ll tell me. I won’t be his guinea pig, and if they want to kill me, nice try; I have people who can protect my back,’ Rowan remarked and raised his beer to celebrate.

‘Oh… yes, you mean…’ Jeongin wondered.

Us… of course.

‘Yeah!’  rejoiced Paulina, and when she raised her drink, everyone followed her.

‘So, Jeongin, that resolves all your questions about us; now we’re officially in a team,’ Paulina added, and Rowan nodded.

‘I’m glad to hear that, and as Jeongin’s best friend, I have the power to decide the group name,’ Dilka laughed.

‘I’m glad you said that. I was hoping for you to create it, also our names…’ Paulina looked to Rowan, ‘well, my—‘.

‘No, it’s ok, I’d like to let you do that task, guys’.

‘Good, so Jeongin…’ Dilka was watching Jeongin so animated.

‘Wait a moment, guys, who are those guys?’ Jeongin pointed to a group of different Hishangdan people.

There were some groups with elegant suits, and the other were casual, wearing leather jackets and normal trousers.

‘Look, the people with jackets seem to work for Shuogon’an, because of the boat, and the people with suits…’ Rowan quaked.

‘What?’ Jeongin begged, turning his view between their friends and the unknown men desperately.

‘Jeongin, stop doing that shit, or you gonna catch their attention,’ Paulina demanded.

‘But why? I just want to understand what—’

‘Shhh!’

The group was trying to conceal themselves, and they left. Jeongin tried to whisper again, but he was quieted by Paulina. Until they waited some minutes, Rowan finally talked.

‘They work for the government, your country.’

‘No, that’s impossible; it can’t be’.

‘You don’t believe, huh? Let´s move around.’ Rowan directed the group to the quay, then they stopped when they saw a boat similar to a flat, with neon lights, and armed with guns and soldiers.

The group was hiding behind some metal boxes.

‘So, now you believe your country is not different from us?’

‘Don’t worry, Jeongin, I think corruption and drugs are everywhere; you’re not the only one special.’ Dilka cheered.

Jeongin was sitting on the floor, his back against the metal box, looking at his gadgets and hands. No one in the team said anything else; they just helped Jeongin to stand up and go.

When Jeongin left, Paulina was so excited, ‘Is he—?’

‘Yes, the singer Sujung Myórtsiche’. Said Rowan, looking at how he left the boat with elegance and confidence, walking, avoiding looking at the floor, a handsome and tall man.

In the old temple, Hải was sitting and drinking with some of their men, until he received an announcement, ‘Hey boss! They have arrived’.

Hải stood up and went to salute him, doing a reverence, and avoiding any type of physical contact. ‘I’d like to tell you, I got a wonderful phadwimb for you, and probably, it’s one of the people who made that fucking disaster in the flat’.

‘Before continuing, give me a drink,’ said one of the Shuogon’an members, and people with suits agreed.

In another place.

Lâm was walking in the estuaries, in another region, when he saw a golden temple; it was small, and the only noise was the wind. Even if the place looked pretty, the smell was pretty disgusting, like oil and old oxidized cars. When he entered, the place was clean, but after he passed another room, it was a whole mess, tasting like rubbish, and his prosthesis felt vibrating due to some mysterious artefacts.

‘Oh, the Vũ’s man, right, Tam? How is your product, is cool, right?’ talked a man who didn’t have half of his body. His legs were replaced by a desk chair with two wheels and propellants. He had blonde hair, with a coconut-style haircut, and bangs. The most ridiculous part of his appearance was his glasses, which were bigger than his hands.

‘Lâm, Em? Do I know you?’

‘What are you talking about, man? I´m Do-hyeon, and I made you, well… not exactly that shit, just look at my balls…’

Lâm was doing exactly what he said, and got confused, with his head tilted to the left.

‘No, hahaha 좋아요 (Jo-a-yo), I don’t have ones, as you can notice, but I see you very well’.

‘Hahaha, yes, but, huh…’

‘Let me guess, you don’t remember anything, but why?’

‘It’s understandable; what you’ve experienced is a secondary effect. You knew it; I told you when you came with Vũ men, so what exactly don’t you remember?’

‘Everything, no!—’ his head was shaking like a mechanical toy.

‘Oh, man! You have that shit yet? I told you to take your fucking pills to avoid that shock’.

Lâm was touching his head so calmly, like if it really hurts; the feeling was similar to someone who wants to break his neck. After that, Do-hyeon gave him some pills, ‘ok just for now; these are free, now you’re free to go’.

‘Wait, please! Explain, need to know,’ stammered and put hands over ears.

Something caught Do-hyeon’s attention on the TV.

New reports inform that the revolutionary Kim got important data about the government plans; he can’t explain where he got it.

‘What? I wonder where he got this, and if it’s true, he’s dead’

Lâm was quiet, looking at him like a fish corpse.

‘Oh yes, you can’t wait’.