Chapter 14

“I’m advertising my skills everywhere. That’s a foolish thing to do.”

“…But sometimes it’s not bad to clearly imprint on your enemies what a crazy bastard you are and what you’re capable of.”

“…Unfortunately, I realized that too late.”

“Remember, young friend. This world… is a place where it’s hard to pick up what you’ve once held.”

Inside a quiet bar in Neo Haven, these words can be heard when speaking to the man cleaning the glasses.

Usually, he’s just an NPC selling liquor items. But sometimes he introduces dangerous jobs, arranges meetings with competent colleagues, or sets up opportunities to buy covert equipment. The shop owner, Schneider.

He is a character who helps in the main story in his own way, and given that his location is a bar where many things are often heard, he is considered a likable character among users, known as “middle-aged cool guy” or “normality detector.” The specific background is never responded to even by the developers, but there is sufficient evidence provided within the game for speculation.

When fighting against enemies that come crashing down during a raid event, his overly proactive attitude is noticeable.

The family photo, blurred and stained with blood, always decorates the interior of the shop.

…Oddly enough, Bloody Mary is a strange bug that doesn’t get made no matter how many times it’s chosen among the cocktails.

“…? Why, sister?”

“……”

The little lady, Mary, stared blankly at her mother, Schneider’s wife.

Even though I helped tidy up the disgusting intruders, I’m still a stranger myself. It’s best to make a graceful exit to avoid any misunderstandings for later… but I really wanted to express my gratitude before leaving.

“Huh?!”

“…Yes?”

I slowly approached Mary once. …Despite the height difference, I gave her mother a warm hug.

“……I’m so glad you’re safe.”

They might take offense if they knew, but it felt as if… I had received immunity.

This raid might have happened because of my existence, but my actions had meaning. This may just be a scenario of a game called Neo Heaven Prime, but if I could save such innocent people… I would follow without hesitation.

After a short but warm hug, I pulled away.

“…Ah!”

“Oh. Sorry…!”

I suddenly hugged them and tried to brush the blood off Mary and her mother’s clothes… But thinking about it, blood is something that only comes off my battle suit.

I felt my face heat up from the foolish action. …I should make a stylish exit now. It isn’t too late yet. …Maybe.

Quickly turning around, pretending to check my ammunition… No, really checking! I exited the house. After experiencing an unintended brawl, I had a rough estimate. Instead of jumping into the battlefield with this body like a fool, it would be better to go to a junk shop and tow the hovercraft that’s left behind. I should probably also argue about the deal with the shop owner.

…It was drama for sure, but didn’t that famous general say something?

To immediately drive a tank and blow off the enemies’ heads.

Shuffling…

Shuffling… shuffling…

However… the sound of footsteps stirring up the sand increased.

Glancing back, I saw little Mary still bright-eyed, and her mother, who had seemingly put her guard down, smiling contentedly.

“Um… since we’ve dealt with the enemies, shouldn’t we stay safely at home…?”

“If there are black society bastards left somewhere in the village, it might be better to follow someone trustworthy.”

“Then… can I go next to the pretty sister?”

“No. While I can’t help the pretty sister, I mustn’t hinder her, okay?”

I won’t impose any burdens. I won’t ask her to protect me either. However, I won’t hesitate to make the best choice for the safety of the girl. Really… Mrs. Schneider is as charming as Mr. Schneider himself. I can’t even imagine how attractive and intimidating the main characters would be when faced directly.

Chiiiing…!

“Wow…!”

“…This has bulletproof performance. This time, Mary, stick close to your mom and protect her, okay?”

“Yes! Yes!!”

I took off my jacket and covered the little lady like I was dressing a doll.

The cyberware screamed that vital organs were being exposed, but… what can I do! Once I laid eyes on it, I couldn’t turn away.

I didn’t know what classes of ammunition it could block since I hadn’t seen this armor in the game before, but at least putting it on made me feel a bit relieved.

Creak… crreeeak…

After confirming the mother and daughter sticking to each other, I slowly pushed through the wrecked junk shop’s wire fence and entered.

A heap of scrap metal and waste lay before me. Sleeping large compressors and robotic arms.

The owner wouldn’t be foolish enough to leave a perfectly good hovercraft in an open place, so he must have emptied the large warehouse next to the shop and stored it there.

However… judging by the state of the entrance, it was certain that there were unsavory customers inside.

Rather than the shoulders I was worried about at first, my arms were going numb from holding up the rifle in a tense state. I had to finish this as quickly and accurately as possible.

“Fucking hacking specialist…! While the others are fucking around, I thought I was having a good time, but if I go back like this, the boss will be really pleased, you bastard!”

“No…! This isn’t just a hovercraft, it’s company property?! Damn it! If it were some shit car lying on the roadside, I would have broken in ages ago!”

“…What kind of idiots are these…?”

As I got closer to the warehouse, the conversation I heard made me lose all motivation.

I began to think that, like the voyeuristic freak I killed earlier, maybe someone was using a not-so-bright comrade to set a trap.

“!!”

No, it was too early to let my guard down.

Peering through the slightly ajar warehouse door, I saw a guy wrestling hard with a wire he’d plugged into the external panel of a vehicle from behind his neck.

His implant looked downright shabby, so I hit him with my special from the very beginning… but if he’s a hacker from Metropolis, there would definitely be traces of surgeries that are almost essential for fingers and other parts. If he was a hacker from a gang, that would make him a decent talent, and who knows what cute modifications he has received…

Bang!!

Crack…!

“……What the fuck?!”

The muzzle erupted. The expensive hacker buddy took a long journey.

In the midst of that, due to the wobbling aim, I aimed for the torso, but luckily hit the head, causing a burst. Thanks to that, the other guy couldn’t even pull out his gun in surprise.

Before the remaining ones regained their senses, I pushed straight in.

“You’re from the black society gang, right?”

“……I heard city boys walk around in nothing but underwear… and it turns out to be true.”

“….”

Bang!!

“?! Aaaaah—!! Fuck!!”

He seemed too dazed, so I created an opening for him to breathe clearly by using my thigh.

In front of him, a comrade died, and in front of me stood a gun-wielding killer, and yet, his priority was to gawk at other people’s underwear…? The hedonism pervasive in this world is truly insane. I felt a headache coming on.

Trying to stop the bleeding at all costs, his thick hand pressed firmly against his thigh.

It was somewhat disheartening, but now I had to utilize every means at my disposal.

“Fuck… fuck!”

“…Hey. That tattoo on your forearm… what’s that glowing implant? Is it a phone or a communication device?”

“……That’s a message from the boss, telling me to come back in front of the bar.”

Maybe it was because I had experienced a difference in status… Seeing him obediently comply made me feel a bit weak.

If letting this little villain live would cause a catastrophic outcome…

“Tell your boss that I’m taking the hovercraft back. Oh, and Mary and your mother shouldn’t stay there, they need to get in quickly.”

“…Understood.”

Seeing my hesitation and the mother and daughter entering the warehouse, the guy instinctively followed the threat when he sensed a chance for survival.

Until the original work starts, of course, there are people I can save by taking action myself, but I also have to consider how huge the resulting butterfly effect might be… Or maybe not? If I think about it that way, wouldn’t it be a bigger issue for someone with a grudge to survive and cause trouble?

Beep beep…!

– Enema Corporation, Miss Anastasia confirmed. –

“……Ah. That’s right.”

“?!”

As I scanned my biometric information to open the hovercraft door, a clear mechanical voice revealed my identity. This is… a fake identity that Doctor… whatever-his-name registered without my permission, but now that it has been revealed, there’s no helping it.

The world pushes me by the finger… blaming me for wanting a corporate product that is too high-performance.

“W-wait! I won’t say anything to anyone…!! Credits! Yes, I have some credits saved up…!!”

“…I don’t want to leave a connection link behind clumsily now. You have no idea how annoying a tracker is.”

Confirming that the perceptive mother had covered Mary’s eyes and ears before boarding the hovercraft… I pulled the trigger. I had seen enough disturbing scenes already, but it wouldn’t hurt to lessen the frequency a bit.

“Ugh… my arm hurts…”

“Sister! Are you okay? Can I tell Dad about you? Okay?”

“Yes, yes….”

Vroom…!! Bang!

The ascended hovercraft blew apart the warehouse door as it took off.

Still, curses dominated the networks, and there was no news of deaths at all. Well, given the high encounter rate with enemies, this would be quick enough to become reinforcements.

Brrrr—!!

“!! Here it comes! It’s the hovercraft!”

Even though gunfire had rushed into the empty lot in front of the bar, the shabby human turrets didn’t seem to have any intention of shooting at us. Instead, they treated us as allies and welcomed us.

Thus, without any notable resistance, we successfully stopped in front of those with better equipment and flashier clothes.

Originally, I planned to smash through with the vehicle itself…. but given such a warm welcome, I had a gift in hand too.

Operating the controls to open the access door, I moved towards it.

“Hold on tightly to the seatbelt…!!”

“Yes!!”

“…Be careful.”

Ping…!!

With that solemn warning to my two passengers, I pulled the pin from the fragmentation grenade.

The door opened, and the thrown green death soared into the sky.

“Fire in the hole, you bastard…!!”

This bunch of fools was finished, so all that was left was to tidy up the remaining guys and the chaos would end…

…Wait a minute, that grenade. I heard it was a fragmentation grenade, but how many more seconds does it take to explode…? No, what model uses what kind of fuse? Cyberware…?

[M85 fragmentation grenade uses an H320 impact fuse model, which explodes immediately upon impact.]

Ah. Damn.