Chapter 256

‘Sigh… gulp.’

The situation is quite unfavorable.

No… Actually, it’s just that the man is trying to think positively, but it’s wrong to say it’s merely unfavorable; it’s fundamentally bad.

Normally, when a rival is rehabilitated and becomes an ally, they tend to get really weak. But when a comrade turns bad or changes sides and becomes an enemy, they become incredibly strong to the point of being ridiculous.

In the case of the back-end support operator and hacker colleague, Anastasia, the degree of this phenomenon is somewhat severe, leading to outbursts like, “Why did you pretend you couldn’t fight when you had this prepared!”

Of course, some perverts actually like it more, exclaiming, “What? There’s even a hidden boss route?”

But those types would surely shift their attitude immediately if they found themselves confronted by a mad AI who cared little about anything except for their master, even if the whole world burned.

The artificial intelligence, Zero.

Since the names of AI in the Neo Heaven Prime universe are mostly abbreviations, many speculations surrounded this self-proclaimed assistant AI, who tagged along with Anastasia, akin to a two-for-one deal.

What is its hidden principle that gives it the ability to move bodies as it pleases?

Could it be that the berserk mode Anastasia infiltrated a military facility and stole it?

Given the fact that they both seem to be very dedicated to each other, could she have inadvertently created it herself?

Biological androids, independent robots, and sometimes random mechanical sounds.

So this… or is it a she?

Anyway, this combative Zero, who also serves as a bodyguard, chasing after him as a simple combat droid is quite reassuring. At least that’s how he felt.

Based on his numerous saves and experiences from boss battles in games, it’s hard to gauge how well-prepared they are right now since it’s still early, but seeing that only one of the two droids accompanying them managed to keep up gives him a glimmer of hope that he might escape if he can handle things properly.

-…I don’t know what your motive is by standing still, but since you’ve already been detected, there’s no way for you to escape from this distance. It’s best if you give up now. –

“Uh… I might not be in a position to say this while being in this situation. I was just really flustered. So, um, could you please stop threatening me…! Ah, teacher!!”

Thump, thump—the sensation of the barrel brushing against his chin made the man flinch and shout.

Thanks to the PDA that interprets the droid’s voice in real-time, he could mix his words…

But ironically, the person he was dealing with was someone highly unlikely to engage in conversation.

‘This is really freaking scary…!’

His complaints were kept firmly in his mind.

Slowly, he raised his hands to show he had no intention of resisting, twisting his body to escape without knowing exactly what he was stepping on, thinking hard. Literally thinking hard.

In strict terms, this wasn’t even a fair one-on-one situation; there might even be a force behind him that would dwarf any ordinary criminal organization.

But thinking about it from a different angle… ultimately, Zero operates according to Anastasia’s intentions, respecting her will within a defined framework.

Even though it can become violent and scary when corrupted, is she a cruel person who arbitrarily grabs innocent bystanders?

If he believes she isn’t that kind of person… he should be able to differentiate between a real crisis and a false threat, right?

…Rustle!

Peeking from his almost crumpled position behind a pile of rubbish, the man glanced sideways.

The droid was still looking down at him in an upright position but didn’t seem to have any intention of taking direct action.

Isn’t that weird? Why isn’t it grabbing him?

No, wouldn’t it make sense to catch him by the neck and pull him out to ensure a solid capture? This feels like leaving everything to the prey.

Though his situation seemed set as he was dragged unceremoniously, it felt like this too was part of the psychological battle unfolding in view of Anastasia, who must be watching from beyond.

It could be a foolish experiment based on flimsy reasoning, for a single wrong move could crush his skull, but… it would be fine. It would work out.

Believing in her character, rather than his own pathetic physical abilities, felt like a gamble he could take.

Alright, then… please, just don’t kill me…!

“Ah, damn it. There’s no solid ground, so I keep slipping… Jinette!”

-!? How dare you do such a filthy thing! –

Whud!! The thrown trash bag and something like sticky jelly were hurled at Zero.

Wobbling as if caught on something, he twisted his body out of the trash can and, pretending to regain his balance, threw whatever he grabbed toward the scanner area without checking the result and dashed away.

The sound of his ludicrous reflex—being a robot after all—could be heard as he deflected the thrown items, but somehow, the bag’s contents seemed to successfully disrupt the sensors due to his superior basic strength.

With results exceeding expectations, he praised himself and sprinted down an alley.

Farther, farther. He squeezed every ounce of strength to increase the distance, to keep moving until he saw the ground ahead breaking apart, and hit the brakes.

*Thud—!*

“Gah!”

The sound of popping gunfire reminiscent of a cartoon, a dull echo of a rifle he heard in the military.

That boom, unlike any he had heard before, sounded similar to a mortar explosion.

Swallowing his own saliva, he stared at the shattered ground. It seemed to quiver as if someone had scooped it up with an ice cream scoop.

He turned his head slightly to observe the smoking muzzle, confirming what he felt earlier; the firepower of the large-caliber weapon designed for droids was indeed excessive and beautiful.

Typically, even a regular bullet doesn’t just go through a person. Instead, it spirals and spews fragments, tearing through organs and flesh. What would it feel like to be hit by something like that?

Undoubtedly, one would suffer wounds that one couldn’t even stitch up without this neighborhood’s technology.

A doctor would probably say, “Ha ha, let me see. What kind of guts does this idiot have to challenge a heavily armed droid with a shootout? Heh heh.”

– Have you lost your mind? Do you truly understand how gentlemanly the initial proposal was, asking you to behave and not get hurt? –

“Ha. Heh, phew…!”

The tone remained polite, but there was an undercurrent of anger as the droid spoke while he gasped for breath.

– To think you’d throw such filth at a body meant for close protection of Lady Anastasia, with special anti-dust coating… This crime is serious enough for a death penalty, but this time I’ll lower the sentence to destruction of property. –

“Wow, thanks for the tearful gratitude!?”

It seemed he had been careful not to get anything directly on him out of a dislike for dirt, and Zero expressed his displeasure at receiving trash in return for that kindness.

He had the missed optimism that they might just be pretending to chase him, but the man internally lamented that it seemed like that optimistic hypothesis was wrong… however, it led to discovering something even more important.

The droid’s shooting capabilities are incredibly precise. Unlike mundane mass-produced military ones.

Without any hand tremors or psychological factors, unless fundamental issues like defects in their weaponry arise, they could shoot a target in a straight line, hitting ninety out of a hundred shots at maximum auto-fire capability.

Thus, the man felt some relief.

Did it intend to hit him from the start? And its firepower was too strong for mere warning shots?

In other words, unless he acted like a madman risking his life, it would find it difficult to subdue him unless it pinned him to the ground and cuffed him.

If he clung to the act of knowing nothing, she would have no choice but to be helpless as well. No doubt.

“Hey, teacher? Why don’t we talk it out…! I’m really grateful for what you brought me, but I never agreed to be kidnapped!?”

– This isn’t kidnapping; it’s an invitation. Furthermore, this kindness does not bear any ulterior motives. If you keep acting like this, the next shot will be aimed to inflict severe damage. –

He understood. He knew that refusing with such excuses continuously would be unreasonable. But what could Anastasia or Zero do if he insisted he didn’t want to believe it?

He couldn’t simply share all his future knowledge with her.

He couldn’t use the emergency stop codes for the programs, including Zero, that he had to save for boss battles.

“All you’ve got is the balls to try to shoot me! So go ahead and fire if you want! You’re not planning to kill me anyway!?”

– ……. –

The scanner lens attached to the droid’s face narrowed.

It was observing him, expanding the image as much as it could, noting down the intentions of the man, who appeared somewhat anxious yet quite confident about his safety.

An awkward silence filled the air—an intense, almost profound stare-down.

The tension between them, like gauging each other, broke when Zero, having received orders from its master, calmly stored the anti-area weapon it had been holding.

*Bang!!*

– It seems a contemptible human, trying to secure their life by making a fuss over someone’s kindness, could do well with a small punishment. –

“Ughhhh!?”

Along with the noise of the air splitting.

As the droid rushed at him, arms outstretched to subdue him, he barely collected his breath and began running. More accurately, he started.

But due to Zero’s overwhelming time advantage, the trailing edge of his long coat was caught by the advancing droid.

Screech…!

If his outfit had been in better condition, he would have fallen, and if it had been worse, the AI would have anticipated its destruction.

Yet, through coincidence and effort, the man miraculously escaped. He quickly opened space between him and the droid, who stumbled slightly.

Despite the speed difference, he had bought a precious few seconds.

Or perhaps… he had succeeded in feigning his escape as she had intended.

‘Nice, nice…! I was really lucky!!’

Hearing the pounding footsteps close behind, he hastily turned a corner.

When he felt a slight relief, he consistently surveyed the surrounding terrain, comparing the game map with his current position. If he missed a potentially useful shortcut now, there would be little chance of victory.

His breath was reaching its limit, and it felt like every muscle in his body was paralyzed, yet instead of living just to survive, there was a sense of exhilaration in the middle of risking it all to achieve something.

The adrenaline coursing through his brain naturally helped his limbs move.

If he maintained an attitude akin to “I know nothing,” perhaps if he dodged this chase a few more times, she would lose interest. Hopefully.

And…… from earlier, he felt like he kept glimpsing drones with long barrels hovering near the rooftops of buildings. No way… it can’t be that. Damn, it shouldn’t be.

“A-just a little bit more. Breathe… ughhh…!”

Thud. While he wasn’t paying attention, he sensed the droid fading away into the distance and leaned his hand against the wall, gasping for breath.

Even with all his efforts, he couldn’t contemplate how he had managed to fend off the robot’s pursuit in a state with no real implants and just his meager stamina.

His heart was pounding so violently, threatening to stop, that thinking about anything else felt like a luxury.

Crash!

Climbing over a heap of scrap in the corner, he scaled the barbed wire, somehow landing safely on the other side.

Considering it was apparent he would perish if he wandered aimlessly within the commercial sector, he thought it was about time to cross the boundary, but with all the droids watching, it felt burdensome to even act clumsily, so he was relieved.

“…Ah.”

– ……. –

Just as he turned his back, a strange and imposing mechanical hunting dog with an elongated, scorpion-like tail, swaying adorably, confronted him—an ill fate he could have predicted.

Far away, a girl, somewhere operating it, joyfully shouted, “New tag player in!” but that was something he couldn’t emotionally handle, proving beneficial for his mental health.

…Perhaps.