There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 147

Chapter 147: Chapter 142. Poison In Your Vein

They were quiet during the journey back to the dorm. For the first time, it was Bassena who kept his silence in distress, while Zein waited patiently.

The news about Zein’s father, more than for the guide, was more shocking for Bassena. Knowing that it was his uncle that killed Zein’s father seemed to give the esper a hard blow. Zein understood then, why Radia seemed so hesitant about this piece of information--why he asked Zein if he was sure about letting Bassena in the room.

Ironically, thanks to Bassena’s reaction, Zein wasn’t really shocked by the fact, since his mind was getting preoccupied with calming the esper.

Bassena looked...furious. Even while the esper tried to curb it as much as he could, Zein could see it inside the blazing ambers. During the few months he got to know the esper, he had never seen Bassena this angry. Perhaps because usually, the man would already go through his anger management routine before showing his face.

Radia had said something about this being bad timing too, before telling them to go back. And so here they were, in silence along the road. Zein could see the way Bassena tensed from time to time, and the hardened pair of ambers. He sighed and reached out toward the screen of the GPS system.

This wasn’t Bassena’s private car, but the esper had been using it for a few days to void reporters, so there must be--ah! Zein tapped on the most frequently visited place, which seemed to be located in one of the most privileged areas.

"What--"

"Is this your place?" Zein cut the esper’s confused exclaim, pressing the location to change the car’s driving course.

"...yes?"

"Let’s go to your place," Zein replied simply.

He remembered that Bassena was about to ask him something before Radia told them to come for the meeting. From the mood and the words, Zein felt like Bassena was going to ask him to visit his apartment.

Might as well.

"What..." the esper dumbly responded, couldn’t even manage to think clearly. It was like all the thoughts about the Vaskis and the Golden Viper suddenly evaporated.

"I don’t want to bother the guards so late in the night," Zein made a gesture toward the digital clock on the screen, which showed that it was already past midnight, before leaning back and crossing his arms.

What bullshit. The guards were paid to stay there and welcomed the guild members at any time on any day. And Zein was someone who rather got back to his room than recover normally in the hospital.

Suddenly going over to his place? Bassena couldn’t believe it, if it wasn’t for the navigating voice telling him to make a turn toward his residential complex. He was even expecting the guide to suddenly tell him he didn’t mean it and to turn the car back toward the guild.

But half an hour later, the car drove smoothly through the apartment’s security gate and Zein still didn’t ask to turn back while Bassena drove inside the basement parking lot. The guide even peeked outside to look at the complex.

It was a tall building that seemed to be built like a fortress. Han Shin had told Zein that Bassena lived in a place that catered to famous public figures--like celebrities. It boasted high security and guaranteed privacy. Looking at the menacing black and white reinforced steel wall carved with barrier formation, Zein believed that claim.

Apparently, it also cost as much as his extravagant contract’s downpayment for a year of rent. He didn’t want to think how much it would cost to permanently own a unit. It wasn’t like he wanted to live in this kind of place, anyway.

Zein thought they came to the basement to park the car, but Bassena drove straight inside a large elevator. With a perplexed mind, he just watched Bassena press the highest floor button from the car window, and a few moments later, the elevator door opened and Bassena drove the car inside a garage.

Putting aside the view of several cars and motorcycles parked there, Zein had no idea it was possible to have a personal garage in an apartment.

But what did he know? He never stepped foot inside rich people’s houses except for Radia’s mansion. Bassena probably had a whole-ass gym and swimming pool here too.

Which...he actually did.

Zein suddenly remembered his questions way back when they were in the Deathzone. About how tall a house in the green-zone was. Now he understood Bassena’s skewed perspective about how high a two-story building should be.

Indeed, twelve meters for two-story buildings--or rather, a two-story penthouse unit wasn’t a false measurement in the esper’s eyes.

Zein found out today that an apartment unit could have more than one single floor. That it could have a large garage and a big swimming pool. That it was possible to turn a whole wall into a screen for an entertainment center, and another wall into wine cellars. For all he knew, Bassena might own the rooftop too, for a personal helipad or whatever.

While Zein was busy looking around the place, the owner was busy watching Zein with a frantic mind.

Was this...a reward?

Dazedly, Bassena looked up to stare at the softening blue eyes, and realized that Zein was staring absentmindedly into the distance, at the night sky outside the window. He took the caressing hand off his hair, trailing his fingers along the guide’s steadily pulsing vein.

"How do you feel now?" Bassena leaned his head onto Zein’s shoulder, who turned to look at him in confusion. "About your...that man," Bassena added, not really sure whether Zein was fine with calling the man his ’father’ now.

Blinking slowly at the question, Zein turned his head to look at the window and the night sky again. "I don’t know," he said, sounding genuinely confused and unsure. "I...used to think he was the scummiest person, imprinting someone just to leave her alone and died in loneliness..." he pressed his lips slightly, before sighing. "But now...I don’t know..."

Bassena caressed the guide’s wrist, feeling the slightly quickening pulse and pressed his cheek into the sturdy shoulder. "Do you really hate it?" he found his heart beating faster in anxiety as he asked the question that had been piercing his heart from time to time. "Imprinting?"

Ever since their conversation in the city ruin, Bassena realized that aside from his negative outlook on life, Zein’s apprehension about a possible relationship with an esper stemmed from inherent fear and loathing toward that one concept. He initially thought it was because of how many guides became a victim of non-consent imprinting by espers, especially in the red-zone. But he knew now that the reason was even more personal.

The blue eyes flickered slightly at the question. Of course, Zein knew where this was coming from; attachment, desire...

"I...used to think my mother died from giving birth to me," Zein muttered a reply, with a calm voice that had a tinge of vulnerability within them. "But as I grew up, I found out that she died because she couldn’t bear living without her esper. Even when I was there..."

Bassena slipped his fingers between Zein’s, squeezing the guide’s hand at that weakened voice.

"It’s just...felt like such a cruel practice to me," Zein concluded with a bitter smile.

There was nothing romantic about putting his life in someone else’s hands. Zein, who always lived without guarantee of tomorrow, who struggled hard to be able to survive, loathed the thought of hanging his thread of life in an esper’s hand.

At least, that was what he thought.

But seeing the joy on his mother’s face that got captured too vividly inside that candid shot, and hearing about the way his father threw his life to protect her...

It messed up his head. It messed up his mind.

And the fact that he didn’t even think about pulling his hand away from Bassena didn’t help.