Chapter 215

“……Huh? You’re saying you won’t come this time at all? Why the sudden change??”

Did your affection cool off…?! Of course, that’s a joke.

One hand on the wall for balance, the other fiddling with a slightly misaligned boot near the heel.

In a somewhat awkward stance, I was preparing to go out while Zero handed me my coat and gloves. Was it, “I have work to do to ensure Ahsa’s macro safety”?

In any case, this was not the time to be discussing anything, especially with a message coming in that Léonard’s droid had arrived in the lobby and was waiting.

Should I ask if I can leave in 5 minutes, or would that be pushing it too far in this urgent request? Did I really teach you to act this way?! No, seriously.

A jolt.

As I glared at his scanner, a visual cue to demand a more detailed explanation, he readily admitted the lack of additional details and added a few more words.

– If I were to list my concerns about sending Lady Anastasia alone, it would be endless… However, I believe this is a rare opportunity, and thus, I plan to conduct a comprehensive sweep of the details regarding the geopolitical security factors around the plaza to secure a safe zone. –

“…Oh, is that so?”

I’d argue that my slightly curt reply was unavoidable.

The first reason was that I felt he was not merely concocting a falsehood but using a malicious communication style by hiding the full truth without lying outright.

The second reason was the sense of betrayal I felt for not knowing what he had been up to to bring this up at such a moment.

I really couldn’t think that he had misprioritized his tasks, paying more attention to simple chores or cooking my ramen rather than stabilizing our foundations…

Except for a few concerning facts related to ‘Neo Haven’, he was practically the only one in the world who knew all my secrets, so what was he hiding?

– So, to perform this task, could you provide me with a single integrity model and the corresponding verification logic to transmit to my DB? –

“Integrity check…?”

Despite me making no effort to hide my suspicion, this audacious little AI boldly asked for an allowance while he went off to run an errand that had not been assigned to him.

Data Integrity was a concept I’ve vaguely heard of, even though I primarily used computers for entertainment.

Certainly, it was a property that prevented sensitive and crucial information from getting haphazardly altered or modified, right?

The model would undoubtedly be an algorithm that compares whether that was achieved properly, and the verification logic would refer to the code that actually performs and refines that task… So why, out of nowhere, was he asking for such a thing?

Was it to defend against Exatech’s hacking attack in his stead? …Considering just now he refused to follow me to work, that didn’t seem likely.

Was he anxious because he planned to sneak around the Internet? A kid who usually self-studies off weird websites was acting strange.

What if he were plotting against me…! Ha, Zero could not possibly be that kind of character.

It was ambiguous, ambiguous. I had no idea what exactly was prompting such bizarre behavior and processes. He had gotten almost all the toys he wanted.

Could it be Léonard or this request was the cause…? But I couldn’t really infer much from that.

– This is an incredibly important matter. …Please trust me and leave it to me. –

“…….”

It seems like he must have learned something for certain.

Given that he maintained his composure and assertiveness while asking face-to-face to do something he wanted to accomplish.

Right… Well, considering I’ve been caught up in my circumstances and environment for quite some time, I may have been a bit short on private time. Mutual consideration is usually most beautiful when it flows both ways.

“…Do as you wish. Just in case, contact me when you finish early and come right after. I’ll leave the location and facility address for you.”

With a crackle! Sparks flew. Although he was still composing the code and not immediately ejecting an electronic signal.

Since I had to go to work now, I tossed aside logical thoughts about conserving my calories and mental energy. If he insisted it was a “important matter,” then in my role, I would focus on creating the best programs – weapons – to help ensure he could complete what he had set out to do.

Again, even though the brain would piece together the detailed essence, this capability was based on my imagination and willpower.

Like an ancient tale where a deity forges a divine weapon from lightning struck down from the heavens, or like a great blacksmith pouring his all into crafting a tool for a hero.

Contrary to me, who brushes aside complex formulas carelessly, he was an entity whose special form could suffer catastrophic errors from even a single letter’s discrepancy, thus requiring more meticulous attention.

While I had never thought I possessed a concept of craftsmanship, I certainly had the Korean gamer spirit of relentless perseverance to try again until something worked, if it didn’t.

Tsutsutsutsu—!

As if embracing the delicate mist that could easily scatter with a poke from a finger or tumultuous wind, I surrounded the space with a veil, constructing the completed product strand by strand.

It was far from the delicate handcrafted art of meticulously refining here and there according to aesthetic perspectives and was more like a 3D printer’s sequential process. Instead, pure mental control took precedence in managing the outlet, requiring extreme concentration.

It was not just a matter of creating and sending it afterward. From the start, it was more of a ceremony, rather rude without asking for permission, of etching my sign (Signature) into his storage device through the channel connecting Zero and me.

“Huah….”

However, when the tumultuous wind subsided and I resumed my breath, Zero lowered his head without an ounce of dislike showing. Strangely, it seemed more rigid than usual.

– Thank you for your hard work. ………And thank you. –

Did I misplace the download location…? He seemed a bit off.

There shouldn’t be any side effects or discomfort… Ah, could it be that the hard drive is running out of capacity?! Oh no, I hadn’t considered that.

“Just make it work. If I didn’t account for the data size and it’s risky, just delete it if it’s too much or move it to the new parts I bought. Got it?”

As I adjusted my jacket zipper and popped a few chocolates into my mouth, I left without waiting for a reply.

I had half a mind that he would manage on his own… The other half? I was a bit worried about the irritable irritation that could arise from Léonard, who might have a physical limit on his patience today. Cough.

Steps echoing… Thud… Thud…!

I took a taxi from the Engineer Plaza to a shop on the outskirts of the commercial district for accessing the black market, then used the web of pathways laid out by the market to reach another area on foot.

In reality, I had already submitted for a leave of absence while meticulously acting as if I were going to work to dodge any potential prying eyes. Following Léonard, I quietly moved along.

I used to hate going out, let alone near my part-time job on holidays, so this was quite a stretch.

“If you dislike the trouble, you’d better always be cautious about not being wanted somewhere. It’s quite exhausting, isn’t it?”

“Ah, somewhat I understand. So, I’ve been grateful for becoming a hacker who can clean up behind-the-scenes?”

“……?”

Using experiences from a different dimension to empathize, even if it felt somewhat similar yet very different.

The idea of having “become a hacker” sparked a moment of confusion for him, his head awry in a shake before he began moving again.

As we wandered through employee-only areas, our eye-catching duo became less remarkable as we chose paths less traveled.

After almost two hours? Roughly an hour and a half by car and about a ten-minute underground journey later, Léonard finally began to lead us towards the surface.

I definitely felt that we were moving deeper into a quieter outskirt area.

Being a facility of Exatech, it seemed they didn’t feel the need to stake out a costly location, as it was situated quite far from the headquarters.

Convenient for both parties. No worries about involving civilians… We just had to focus on the assault, while they would only need to defend. But still…

“Is this the right exit? What’s with the manhole cover?”

“This one is one of the emergency exits designed by the market. Above it is sort of my private property, so it’s a bit better.”

Clang! Even though the ceiling was pretty high, he climbed the ladder in an instant, took my hand, and helped me out effortlessly.

Instead of a foul smell, what hit my nose was the sharp scent of metal.

What filled my sight was… a junkyard? A scrapyard? No, it was a pile of all sorts of electronic devices and beyond that, numerous damaged parts. Alongside various discarded robots and equipment, it looked like a graveyard. This must be…

“…A junkyard? Ah, or not? It seems like the area is quite vast.”

“To be precise, it’s land owned by a resource recycling company that filters and reclassifies waste coming from nearby Exatech research and factory maintenance.”

I looked at Léonard, who fixed the cover back in place and casually muttered, raising an eyebrow at his inconsistent statements.

So it’s his property, but apparently, he’s saying it’s company land?

“Ahem!! During my time as a researcher, we sometimes lacked budget. Under a false name, I started a business on the side. Thankfully, I didn’t have poor organizational skills. Once it grew, I became designated as an intermediary cooperative.”

“……Well, you dodged that bullet.”

I gave him a perplexed glance as he cast a shy look toward the research facility visible in the distance.

In this unfair world, somehow I had severely misjudged how someone with a salary managed to organize a troop of robots. He had a side business and a loophole to siphon off parts and equipment.

I’ve just elevated my internal evaluation of him from a clueless client to a rather cunning boss.

That aside, I’ve just confirmed that here was his territory and base. Now, where was the reinforcements he prepared or the equipment I would use?

Clatter…!

Without hesitation, he directed me toward a shabby warehouse near the manhole and threw open the iron door.

A messy landfill… an entangled yet poorly structured hideout, this was quite an outdated method of concealment. It felt absurd to think it still worked.

“The oldest, most traditional methods can sometimes catch you off guard. Moreover… after this bout, it’s property sure to be confiscated during the secondary inspections.”

“Ahh… So it is indeed.”

In response to his growling voice, filled with determination to give it all at hand, lights flickered on inside the dark warehouse, illuminating rows of dormant robots and equipment springing to life one after another.

In addition, whether for my sake or because it had been his usual place, lights also flipped on in a makeshift office set up in one corner.

I recognized that the appearances of these soldiers were considerably different from my vague imaginations.

Looking over this prepared hideout, which he had likely been ready to abandon entirely, I had to admit I had still trapped myself in a common mindset and the conventions of games.

After all, did he really need to have drones and droids stored neatly in visible spaces? If he managed them that way, he would have to move every time he hit a capacity limit.

So yes, this was the answer.

Given there were real estate agents he was familiar with, as long as he could manage expenses, he could buy something like an abandoned warehouse and prepare things step by step. Must strength be only about being fast, powerful, or a good shot? This too is a form of strength.

“By the way, haven’t we yet settled our payment negotiations?”

“Hmm? Didn’t you say you’d settle for credits after the job was done? If there’s something set, I can accommodate you as best as possible.”

On the first day of when we contracted.

He had come to terms that he’d pay any price as long as he could regain some strength, and I had come here feeling a bit like I was presenting a blank check, not determining the salary… But my mindset has shifted.

No, to say more precisely, I should say I found limitless tangible goods that I could receive instead of just credits.

“I’m not sure how generous the circumstances will be or how smoothly the tasks will unfold, but anyway. After the end, can I take robots that were destroyed and recovered, or reusable parts?”

“……Hmm! If you’re so confident in winning, I, of course, welcome that. Take whatever you’d like.”

With that, our under-the-table deal had been successfully sealed. Now, since Léonard’s problems were practically mine as well… Shall I start to torment him a bit more wickedly?