There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 150 - 145. Dangling Thread

Chapter 150: Chapter 145. Dangling Thread

Zein wasn’t a picky eater, or rather, someone who grew up without barely any food couldn’t afford to be picky.

That being said, his tongue had been spoiled with many delicacies in the green-zone, things that he had never tasted before. From the cafeteria’s food to the more delectable meals that Bassena or Radia took him to, even the junk food that Han Shin ordered for him from time to time.

Among those foods, there was something that he had craved yet hadn’t gotten in a while; the taste of a home-cooked meal.

Zein could cook, just about. But his cooking skill was derived from survival; how to utilize nearly expired canned food and hunted game, or how to fix a meal in the dungeon. He could barely call it cooking, honestly--if someone should throw him a bunch of normal ingredients and seasonings, he would get confused, much more the fancier version.

But Zein also had no grandiose vision of home-cooked meals. It was just whatever the grandma next door shared with him. The watery soup with barely any substance, and toasted stale bread. It had minimum seasoning, since those were crazy expensive in the red-zone, but the first time Zein tasted it, it was the best thing in the world for him. It chased away the harsh cold and loneliness.

It was the taste of warmth and sincerity.

The lunch reminded him of that feeling.

The daughter’s husband owned a small eatery that provided a buffet of home-cooked meals for a low price. It was the favorite of students and drivers, for the cost-effective yet still tasty food. At the end of the day, they would donate the leftover to the food bank, and the husband cooked free breakfast for the homeless shelter on the weekend.

The lunch that the husband cook wasn’t anything fancy, just what one would find in normal households, really. So he was trembling at first, knowing that the Bassena Vaski was tagging along. While Zein was becoming famous, the daughter already knew that Zein was a red-zone dweller, and the old man told them the guide wouldn’t mind eating a home-cooked meal.

But what about Bassena Vaski? Someone born and grew up in the upper class of the green-zone?

So they were nervous and frantic about everything, which was quite useless, since Bassena ate everything without a fuss, even looking like he actually enjoyed it. Whether the esper truly liked the food or was just being polite, it slowly chased away the anxiety gripping the foundation’s staff, and the lunch became more cordial and warm in the end.

And it did taste good. Fresh ingredients, perfect seasoning, with a bunch of sincerity. It truly spelled home-cooked meal, and reminded Zein of the time he ate the grandma’s food when she was still healthy.

The closest he had to that sensation, surprisingly, was the breakfast he got this morning, although it was just simple toast and fried egg. Unfortunately, they were rather in a hurry this morning, so Zein had no time to savor what it felt like to have someone fix him a meal; not out of duty, not for profit, but just because.

They probably didn’t know, but the lunch had a great role in convincing Zein to sign a contract with them.

He did go there because he felt the work they had done with the proposal was adequate. But the reason why he came in person was also to see if he felt he could trust these people with the project. That it wouldn’t just be a group of people who kept faithful appearances while siphoning the money into their own pockets.

He wanted people who would carry his intention well, and fulfill it to the best of their ability. Because what Zein wanted was simple, yet at the same time hard to provide.

He just wished that those kids in the red-zone could taste warm meals too. Ones that weren’t just hot, but also made with warmth.

Because more than anything, the grandma’s meals were what made him still hold into the thread of humanity. The flickering warmth that kept his numb, frozen heart from shattering. Without that occasional spark of kindness, he didn’t think he could weather the storm of life that well. He would probably abandon the twins, or perhaps his life already.

"The management plan and fund distribution are fine," Zein said once they seated in the Director’s office after lunch. There was the Director, the old man’s daughter, and two other men who were part of the team handling the project. "But I heard you face some difficulties."

The Director turned to look at one of the men, who introduced himself as Reed. The man started to explain calmly, albeit with a troubled face. "As you know, Sir, when it comes to building something permanent, the hardest hurdle was to acquire the land and the license," Zein didn’t know, but he just nodded and let the man continue. "Regarding both, the red-zone had different rules."

"I know that," Zein hummed in response. "I don’t think acquiring land would be difficult. There’s no way Araka would have finished rebuilding the destroyed residential area. The leftover miasma from the outbreak five years ago would have only dissipated after two years, and with so many owners dead, lands would be available for purchase from whoever claimed ownership over it."

The people looked stunned at Zein’s deep understanding of the place. Perhaps because of his softer eyes and cleaner appearance, as well as his reputation as one of green-zone’s most coveted guides, they forgot that the client used to live there.

"Y-yes, if it’s about the land, we already made a survey and found a suitable place. We also had tried to talk to the owner about a purchase and gain a favorable reaction," the man replied. "As you said, there’s a lot of vacant lot because of the last dungeon break, and rather than keeping an empty land, the owners would rather receive money for it."

Zein nodded in agreement. They could probably buy it for cheap too, since no one in their right mind wanted to buy some lot in the red-zone. So whoever owned the land would be happily parted with it even if they go with the cheapest offer.

Bassena, meanwhile, stared at Zein more because the guide could talk about the red-zone’s destruction nonchalantly. He knew Zein had forced himself to forget about the place and that accident, and had avoided talking about anything related to that. He remembered the way Zein turned cold when Sierra mentioned it in the borderland, and while it had gone better, the guide still made an uncomfortable face every time he talked about the twins.

Was Zein finally...got over it? He at least didn’t look like he felt disturbed anymore regarding the topic.

Probably feeling the prickling stare, Zein glanced at Bassena and raised a brow, before scoffing and tapping the esper’s cheek twice. But the guide soon shifted his attention back to the staff. "So your problem is with the license?"

"Getting a license from the government is not a problem, as long as we provided a clear source of the money and paid the registration fee," the other man, Kale, explained this time. "The problem comes with the tax and the landlord’s permission."

Zein raised his brow, before leaning on the couch and chuckling. "Right, the ’tax’."

He forgot about this. No, the red-zone had no official governmental tax. In the first place, there were no government facilities there. What they called a ’tax’ was simply a stipend they needed to pay to the ’landlord’, who in turn was charged with security.

In simple terms, it was a ’protection’ fee.

It didn’t sound so bad initially, since the rule was made due to the many dungeons appearing in the red-zone. The ’landlord’ was responsible to manage the clearing of these dungeons, whether it was by themselves or delegating it to the other guilds and mercenary groups.

Unfortunately, this ’security’ measure did not include keeping the people safe from the ’landlord’ themselves. The landlord, in this case, was whoever reigned king in the red-zone. Zein, as it happened, worked for them before, the rogue guild Umbra.

The landlord, as the one who managed the red-zone, also had the right to accept or reject any outsider who wanted to establish their business in the red-zone.

"You must have known, Sir, that the problem with receiving permission couldn’t just be solved by offering a lot of money," Kale said. "As an outsider, the most important thing is connection. Unfortunately, this would be our first time in Araka, and we don’t have that kind of link yet..."

Right--Zein tapped on his chin to contemplate. He could try using his name, but if the one in charge of the place was people who held contempt against Umbra or him in particular, it might prove detrimental to the progress. As a member of Umbra, Zein wasn’t exactly popular there, especially with his brash and cold attitude.

"So what guild is in charge now that Umbra was gone?" Zein asked.

The old man’s daughter, Aida, tapped on the tablet to look at the finding that the team had made after surveying Araka. "Umm...it’s not a guild, Sir, but a mercenary group," she said. "It’s called the Scarlet Moon."

Zein paused for a few seconds, before laughing. It was a short laugh, but sounded free of worry. "If it’s them, it should be alright. You can try and ask for a meeting with them regarding the permission and the tax. Use my name--no, tell them it’s a request from [Zen]."

"Oh, so you know them, Sir? That’s fortunate," the daughter let out a sigh of relief.

For a charity foundation that was true to their principle, these people had been wanted to make an effort in the red-zone. The project from Zein was like something they had been waiting for, which was why they were determined to make it a success. But aside from finding any donor, the difficulty lay in breaching the red-zone’s system itself. With this, however...

"Were you close with them?" Bassena asked curiously. Zein’s reaction earlier indicated that the guide was sure the group would give permission if it was he who asked for it.

"Well, more or less," Zein nodded. "I used to hang out in the previous leader’s place. The current leader’s older sister was the one who taught me how to fight."

The others started to nod in understanding. Indeed, teaching someone to fight in the red-zone was a show of care, since it meant the other party wanted him to survive. So saying that he was close to the group wouldn’t be an understatement, especially because the one he made a connection with was the higher-ups.

"And the Leader?" Bassena, strangely, looked at Zein with keen eyes and asked again. "Did he teach you too?"

Zein, who was in the middle of reading the survey report, paused and turned to look at Bassena. The amber eyes were blazing quietly; in curiosity, in anxiety. Zein could see what the esper wanted to know, what the esper worried about. But while it was cute of him, Zein didn’t feel the need to baby the esper about this. Bassena should learn that being jealous of every man who had a past history with Zein was stupid and useless.

"He taught me something else," he said, flatly, nonchalantly, before shifting his gaze back to the report. There was no change in the blue eyes while he said that.

"Ha ha..." Bassena let out a heavy, short laugh, before turning his face away.

If the other people in the room felt the room became heavier and colder, they said nothing about it.