Chapter 11

Hod’s combat power was overwhelming.

The gorilla’s plasma cutter, which had been cutting the police in half, aimed for the lips of the Hod operator but was blocked by a magic barrier.

His sturdy arms, which had been tearing cars in half, were cut off at the three-finger line of the operator who appeared to be a tanker.

The gorilla pushed his magic tattoo to maximum output, but a silence field was laid over him, rendering him powerless.

The highest-level operational police special forces, Hod.

Each one of them was an unstoppable disaster in itself.

If Hod had arrived, the situation was as good as resolved.

Amon put down his weapon and slumped to the ground.

The surviving police officers also put down their weapons, just like Amon.

Even though the gorilla was still intact, they felt at ease because they knew just how overwhelming Hod’s combat power was.

To borrow Amon’s expression, Hod were the veterans of achievements.

They were the kind of people who had to record 0% mortality and 0% property damage rates after they arrived on the scene.

Not out of any sense of duty, but for the simple reason that bonuses were based on achievement rates.

That’s why Hod’s suppression was so obsessive.

A reverse field was laid down, as if to ensure that not even a stray bullet would cause casualties, and there was even a barrier master prepared for any self-destruction.

There was even a mind reader to anticipate any traps.

They were literally perfection itself.

‘To break through Hod, you’d need the personal bodyguard of the chairman of a major corporation, or the head of the top security department… or maybe …’

As his thoughts reached that point, Amon’s brain started to spin.

Like a dog’s bad habits, the gamer’s unique habit of estimating and re-estimating began.

He first imagined his combat power when he had obtained ‘that long thing.’

At that time, he had annihilated a Hod battalion and simultaneously taken on two major corporations.

And the ending he ultimately achieved was a bad ending.

An ending named ‘The Great Catastrophe.’

‘Of course, I’m not going to do that long thing in this lifetime.’

Based on Hod’s combat patterns from that long thing playthrough, Amon recalled how far he could go now.

‘First, I need to take out the networker.’

In Hod’s rear, there was a hacker who linked their minds like a hive mind.

Besides linking their minds, the hacker also hacked CCTV to cover blind spots, opened locked doors, and froze enemy radios and communications, exerting an overwhelming presence from the rear.

Therefore, as long as the networker was alive, it would be too tricky for Amon to deal with Hod.

Fortunately, or perhaps not, he knew exactly how to neutralize the networker.

First, destroy the special router on the plane to weaken the communication signal, then obtain a terminal and attempt reverse hacking.

Of course, Amon had no reverse hacking skills, but he knew the police station’s security code.

After isolating the networker with admin privileges, that person would no longer be able to exert influence on this battlefield.

‘Then even the mighty Hod would be flustered.’

With their linked minds suddenly severed, they couldn’t help but be flustered.

Meanwhile, Amon infiltrated the flying vehicle.

It was close enough to reach by jumping from a nearby building’s window.

If the sniper manual hadn’t changed, there would be a barrier master nearby.

If he ambushed the two from behind while they were flustered by the severed communication…

‘Yeah, right.’

He’d get reverse-trolled.

Hod wasn’t stupid.

Even if they were in the rear, they wouldn’t be weak enough to be taken down by the current Amon.

Snipers were never weak in close combat.

Their bodies, trained for sniping, had the combat power to turn mediocre opponents into paste.

What about the barrier master?

One punch from the barrier master, and Amon would die without even reacting.

That’s how vast the gap in skill was between Amon and Hod.

‘Conclusion. Can’t win.’

There’s no way.

No matter how much of a veteran you are, there’s a limit to control.

Unless you have a fully developed character and enough preparation time, the current Amon stood no chance against Hod.

As he thought that, Amon’s vision flickered slightly.

At the same time, his brain itched.

A sensation he was experiencing for the first time.

But somehow, he felt like he knew the cause.

‘Right. There’s probably a mind reader too.’

Only then did Amon recall the existence of the mind reader.

As if confirming his thoughts, a ‘ding-dong!’ sound echoed in his head.

Amon’s reaction to the mind reader’s service was—

“Fuck.”

A curse.

However, it wasn’t directed at the mind reader who had read his thoughts.

The curse was directed at himself.

Cold sweat dripped down Amon’s back.

‘Damn this gamer brain!’

What luxury was he indulging in by estimating how to take down Hod in front of Hod, who were surely on edge right now?

Especially with a mind reader present, how would they view Amon?

‘You should’ve just stood around with a gun at the suppression site, Amon!!’

Countless thoughts flooded Amon’s mind.

His mind split into multiple parts, engaging in fervent Q&A.

Should I beg for forgiveness now?

But would they even grant it?

Even so, they’re mind readers, so they’d know if my plea for forgiveness was sincere, right?

Wait, is execution possible just for thinking? Even if it’s just thoughts…

Ah, right. This is cyberpunk.

Wait, wait.

They read my thoughts?

How much did they read?

Did they read my past life knowledge too?

No, then did they read what I’m thinking now?

But my past life knowledge includes Pentagon secrets!

Ah, this is a gem….

Amon tightly shut his eyes.

He tried to control the overflowing thoughts, but it was no use.

Like how telling someone not to think of a pink elephant makes them reflexively think of it, humans can’t control their thoughts.

‘This is why I hate mind readers.’

Depending on the mind reader’s skill, their ability to read uncontrollable thoughts was the ultimate weapon in this information-driven era.

Though there were various countermeasures, at least Amon had never prepared for this.

‘I’m screwed….’

What a ridiculous reason for the world’s secrets to be exposed.

Amon apologized in advance to the goddess for the global chaos that was about to ensue.

Like a death row inmate awaiting execution, he waited for Hod’s enforcement.

Whether it was the CIA, the police station, or the Pentagon.

The thought of being taken somewhere was utterly terrifying.

Just as the analysis of the gorilla’s corpse was completed, an operator approached Amon and the inspector.

He introduced himself in a low, mechanical voice.

“Hello. I’m the team leader of HOD Team 14. I’d like to thank you for your cooperation, but due to regulations, I can’t reveal my real name. I hope you understand.”

Amon hid his anxiety in a corner of his heart and forced a nod.

The low voice struck Amon’s ears.

“Interesting strategy. Destroy the router, neutralize the networker, then target the sniper in the flying vehicle. A really good approach.”

‘I’m dead.’

“What you just thought was also relayed to our mind reader.”

‘Oh, Lord.’

“Seeking God in this situation, you must be a deeply religious friend.”

‘Sorry, my past life knowledge is uncontrollable.’

“Thoughts are inherently uncontrollable.”

‘They must’ve read all of America’s top secrets… I’m screwed.’

“What do you mean by ‘screwed’?”

‘…?’

A question mark floated above Amon’s head as he heard the team leader’s last words.

Suddenly, things felt oddly mismatched.

Just in case, Amon brought up various thoughts.

Starting with thoughts from this world to past life knowledge.

Just in case the team leader didn’t react, he even thought of this world’s horrific bad ending.

He also thought of the police station’s classified documents that Hod belonged to.

He even thought of the world’s most terrifying information contamination tactical nuke, ‘HAL-KAS.’

‘Gulp!’

The tactical nuke’s power was overwhelmingly strong.

Even the caster, Amon, would be affected.

But the team leader in front of him just blinked, not moving an inch.

Seeing the reaction, Amon was convinced.

‘They can’t read past life knowledge.’

Probably, all related thoughts were naturally edited or censored from being read.

The tactical nuke was knowledge from a past life forum, so they couldn’t read it, hence the calm reaction.

Thinking about it, it made sense.

‘The goddess is omnipotent.’

There’s no way she wouldn’t have prepared for this when sending me down.

No mere human mind reader could pierce the protection she bestowed.

Only then did Amon relax and recall his past life memories.

‘Hallelujah. I always worship you, goddess.’

Amon began to worship the goddess.

The team leader, who had been editing and peeking into Amon’s mind, couldn’t help but be appalled by Amon suddenly praising the goddess out of context.

Seriously, Amon’s mental state seemed more dangerous than the gorilla’s corpse.

The team leader hesitated and distanced himself from Amon.

Meanwhile, Amon recalled his current situation.

‘Right. Past life is past life, and Hod is Hod.’

The fact that he had been estimating how to kill Hod hadn’t disappeared.

Cold sweat soaked Amon’s back again.

Amon rolled his eyes, choosing his words.

With the thought that a sincere apology might earn forgiveness.

Seeing Amon like this, the team leader—

“Pfft!”

Finally couldn’t hold back his laughter.

While Amon was still processing the team leader’s change, the team leader patted Amon’s shoulder and spoke.

“Kids like you are common on the field. Teenagers are all like that. Watching us work, they think about how they’d fight, what they’d do. Even mercenaries do that. Even the police officers behind you are thinking the same thing.”

“….”

“Don’t mind what I just said, I was just teasing. You can’t mistake killing intent for competitiveness, so don’t worry.”

The team leader amiably patted Amon’s shoulder.

A heartwarming scene of an adult comforting a teenager unfolded.

The police officers, who knew this was Hod’s way of joking, looked on warmly.

But Amon was the only one who couldn’t relax.

‘What are these murder machines saying?’

Amon automatically recalled Hod’s settings.

Behind these amiable people’s demeanor was no sense of justice.

They had no sense of duty or being the people’s staff.

Common sense dictated that Hod could never be normal beings.

With this level of force, why weren’t they hired as mercenaries, corporate agents, or government operatives instead of being police special forces?

The work was harder than elsewhere, and the rewards were much less, so why were they still here?

There was only one reason.

‘To legally kill people.’

Trigger-happy, murderous impulses, assault impulses, memory voyeurism, sadism, etc.

They were humans faithful to twisted desires.

They simply knew that living faithfully to their desires would lead to short lives, so they stayed in Hod to legally kill people.

Less pay?

No problem.

More work?

Even better!

0% mortality rate?

Might as well make achievements for satisfaction!

Hod was a team the police station had somehow managed to pick out from such tendencies.

Of course, this fact was a secret to the general public, and externally, Hod was just an elite special forces team with a strong sense of service.

An ordinary citizen might not know, but Amon, who knew this setting, couldn’t trust the team leader patting his shoulder.

These murder machines could suddenly turn and try to blow Amon’s head off, and it wouldn’t be strange, given their hedonistic nature.

Since this thought was related to his past life, it seemed the team leader didn’t read it, as he continued to speak to Amon with a hearty laugh.

But even so, seeing Amon not relax, he scratched his cheek and pointed in one direction.

“Well, we’re not taking you in. If we did, your girlfriend wouldn’t let us off, right?”

Girlfriend?

Following the team leader’s words, Amon looked in the direction he pointed.

There, Sonia, looking extremely displeased, was glaring at the team leader.

According to the team leader’s following words, she had become like that because she thought Hod was trying to arrest Amon. (The mind reader had relayed this, so it was certain.)

The team leader, fed up, decided to end the conversation with Amon.

He pushed Amon’s back toward Sonia.

“Ugh, I’m too burdened to go further. Go comfort your girlfriend.”

With those words, the team leader left.

Left behind, Amon awkwardly approached Sonia.

As Amon got closer, Sonia’s face gradually brightened.

And when Amon reached right in front of her, her arm wrapped around his.

At that closeness, Sonia’s face returned to normal.

She tightly hugged Amon’s arm, as if she would never let go, and checked his condition.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Just a scratch.”

“What was Hod trying to arrest you for?”

“It was a joke, a joke.”

“Phew…”

Only then did Sonia relax.

The faint killing intent she had felt from behind disappeared, and only the usual Sonia remained.

Bright, cheerful, and kind to everyone, though quiet.

Amon stroked Sonia’s head as they left the scene.

***

Later, the two left the gruesome scene and headed to a new bus stop that would take them to the orphanage.

On the way, Amon belatedly remembered the old man.

“How’s the old man?”

“He got a blood transfusion and is much better. Fortunately, there was no organ damage, just chronic fatigue and anemia that made him drowsy.”

“That’s a relief.”

More positive news was that the old man had insurance.

Thanks to that, he wouldn’t have to worry about dying again from financial issues after surviving death.

For now, the outcome of this incident was the best for Amon and Sonia.

Though not entirely satisfying, it was an acceptable result, and the two chatted amicably.

Before they knew it, they had gotten off the bus and were walking toward the orphanage.

Normally, Sonia would have pestered Amon endlessly on the way in a cheerful mood, but today she was quiet.

‘Did I worry her too much…’

Amon sulked internally, constantly watching her mood.

Sonia’s arm, tightly hugging his as if she would never let go, began to go numb, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask her to let go.

When he turned to her to ask her to let go because his arm was going numb, Sonia, with her arms crossed, silently looked up at him.

“Why?”

“Ah… nothing.”

Wondering why he couldn’t speak while making eye contact, Amon moved his steps.

Meanwhile, on the way to the orphanage, Sonia looked up at Amon’s face and fell into thought.

The small wound on his cheek.

A wound from rolling on the ground while fighting the gorilla.

Seeing that wound, Sonia bit her lower lip without Amon noticing.

‘I’m too weak…’

When she had to leave Amon alone today, she realized.

She was too weak.

If she could have taken down the gorilla alone, she wouldn’t have had to put Amon in danger.

Being good at recoil control was a talent that meant nothing in this harsh world.

To protect Amon, she needed more strength.

‘And that Hod…’

When Hod acted as if they were going to arrest Amon, Sonia’s mind went blank.

Fortunately, it was a joke, but the lingering feeling was too intense a sense of futility that settled in her heart.

‘I’m lacking.’

There are too many beings she can’t defeat in her current state.

She can’t defeat the police, the gorilla, or Hod.

She can’t protect Amon like this.

In this evil world, she can’t protect Amon.

She thought about how long it would take to become strong enough to defeat a Hod squad.

‘Maybe a few decades.’

Maybe even a lifetime.

But even so, it didn’t matter.

Amon had said that a gentleman’s revenge is never too late.

If protecting Amon was delayed, she had to keep getting stronger, even if it was for revenge.

‘I’ll show them what happens if they mess with the muzzle.’

If she were to take revenge, how should she do it?

First, annihilate the team that framed him.

If someone ordered Amon’s arrest, deal with that person too.

If by any chance he ended up in prison, don’t let the judge who sentenced him off either.

As her thoughts reached that point, Sonia’s eyes darkened.

But the negative thoughts didn’t deepen further.

Feeling Amon’s warmth in her hand, the negative thoughts melted away like snow.

‘No. This isn’t what Amon would want.’

Amon is kind.

The Amon Sonia knew would be heartbroken if he knew Sonia had changed because of him.

That was something Sonia never wanted either.

To love someone is to respect them that much.

Forcing one’s feelings on another is nothing but selfishness.

She respected Amon, so she shook off the negative thoughts.

Instead, she thought of a peaceful and happy daily life with Amon.

‘Right. Amon would want this too.’

On the way to the orphanage.

That day’s incident left a deep mark on a young girl’s heart.

Not just on her, but on Amon and the city as well.

The bereaved families of the dead citizens wailed, but the indifferent city showed them no sympathy.

To be precise, it ignored them.

Sympathy would lead to expenditures under the name of compensation, so they treated it as just a tragic accident.

If it had been election season, they might have hoped for hypocrisy, but it wasn’t, and so the bereaved families had to bury their sorrow deep in their hearts under the indifference.

Everyone gained unspoken scars and wounds from the incident, but time flowed on indifferently.

Soon, Christmas Eve approached.

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