"And that's it," the Inspector concluded his explanation, his voice carrying the weight of authority. He took a deliberate sip of water, his eyes never leaving Isshin's. "This is quite a quest you're giving me."
Isshin leaned back, his expression calm but his eyes as sharp as ever. "So, what you're telling me is to investigate the island where Tengen detected abnormal curse energy mixed with some other sort of energy?" His voice was casual, almost dismissive, as he summarized the mission that had just been laid out for him.
'To be honest, it's quite vague and could be dangerous,' he thought to himself, though his face betrayed nothing.
The Inspector, sensing his hesitation, leaned forward and provoked him. "Are you in or out? I can understand if you're afraid—"
"I'm in," Isshin interrupted, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "It's been so long since I put my life in danger. Besides, I'll do the work later."
The Inspector's eyes narrowed, his tone becoming sharper. "What! Don't you understand that this mission is important?"
Isshin shrugged nonchalantly. "See, you don't have an option here, do you? No one in current times will help you apart from me."
There was a pause, the tension between them thickening. The Inspector's authority clashed with Isshin's unyielding confidence. He knew Isshin was right—there wasn't anyone else capable of handling such a mission, let alone willing to take the risk.
"Aren't you afraid of getting demoted?" the Inspector asked, his voice laced with irritation and a hint of desperation. Isshin chuckled at the statement, the sound low and dangerous. "I could say the same to you. Aren't you afraid of death?"
The Inspector's hand tightened around his glass, the arrogance that usually cloaked him like armor cracking under Isshin's steady gaze. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, the weight of their dynamic hanging in the air—authority versus raw power, arrogance versus indifference.
"You!" the Inspector spat, his frustration evident.
"Yes?" Isshin replied calmly, his tone mocking.
"Fine, do what you like," the Inspector finally conceded, his voice barely hiding his anger.
Isshin stood up, his movements fluid and purposeful. "I always do." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the Inspector alone with his thoughts.
---
With that, I notified everyone (closer friends) through a phone message that I would be busy for a month instead of a week. Since my ticket and all the essentials were taken care of by the association, I took the plane and reached Korea first.
"Where is my caretaker?" I asked, slowly making my way through the exit gate. I found no one there to pick me up. I waited for a while and eventually saw a woman holding a banner with my name on it. "Good evening, Sir Isshin. I apologize for my late arrival; the traffic here is—"
"Don't talk. I'm in no mood to speak. The flight wasn't good enough, even for a first-class flight," I complained. She nodded in understanding and refrained from speaking further. I followed her and entered the car.
"Turn on the TV," I ordered the driver. Without hesitation, he immediately pressed the button. The drive was about an hour long, so I thought I should watch something to pass the time.
"Breaking news! The World Health Organization has finally broken its silence on the reducing number of male births and the declining population, which has dropped from 40% to 36% according to new reports.
And according to these reports, the cause is a meteoroid that was destroyed in Earth's atmosphere. For more information—wait, the Director General of WHO is speaking. Let's hear them," the news anchor spoke in Korean, explaining the second biggest pandemic issue. Then the news anchor began to play the live telecast.
I understood everything because, in my free time, I study languages. So far, I am proficient in English, Russian, French, Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish.
"Hello, everyone. The problem we scientists found is that the meteoroid, which was recently destroyed by the world leaders' agreement, is affecting childbirth. According to theories and experiments, there will be no cure for it," she elaborated. The use of nuclear weapons to destroy the meteoroid created a special chemical in the air that directly affects women and specifically impacts the birth of male children.
As WHO has called this a global pandemic without a cure, 16% of the male population has been lost worldwide, and the effects are still ongoing, though the gases are no longer present, which can be considered a relief.
"However, there is still hope, as these molecules or phenomena have dissipated, and no more of this substance is present in the atmosphere. As you all know, it's been a year since—"
"What the fuck!" I reacted to the news, surprised that there was still no cure even after two years.
"Boring!" I muttered, tapping the next button on the remote.
"A world treaty has been signed by the world leaders to help mutants or metahumans lead better lives. Many new international laws are being passed one by one in every country due to the rise of X-genes."
Skipping the ads, I paused at the new news channel.
"We have an expert with us. Dr. Jean," the anchor announced.
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Other title:
You threating me!
Another pandemic!
Bad flight experience?