Chapter 114

Thick eyebrows and a contrasting gentle expression drift before my eyes.

To put it precisely… should I call her a healthy beauty boasting a bizarre hairstyle? The sheen on her muscles and skin, along with the overall vigor radiating from her, subtly revealed the personality of the woman who referred to herself as Marina.

Marina Serrano… for now, I’m sure she isn’t an original character. Even though my memory wears down little by little each day I wake up here, I haven’t forgotten them to that extent.

Yet, it seems I’ve never encountered someone so distinctive after becoming Anastasia.

“Without a reliable background, it’s still better to come prepared with something, just like a lady or that young master over there! Don’t you think?”

“……”

She scanned Zero from head to toe once, then flicked her thumb, pointing over her shoulder.

Indeed, there was a boy hiding behind a carry-on bag that was about his height, peeking this way, but he didn’t seem remotely connected to Marina.

Rather, she was treating me like one of her companions.

– If you know someone personally, I’ll lower the level of my vigilance. –

“No? He’s a completely suspicious person, so don’t let your guard down.”

Still, it wasn’t something to say right in front of someone trying to present a friendly front, so I whispered to Zero…. Regardless, as I showed clear disapproval, she finally noticed the sullen expression on my face and murmured with a hint of embarrassment.

“…Huh? Huh? Did I see wrong? I thought I recognized your face…”

‘I’m very grateful for you recognizing me so quickly,’ I muttered internally.

Though I’m not sure how to go about it, I appreciate that they’ve created an impromptu clean zone for communication and included me in it, but if Marina isn’t that clueless cyber terrorist, I hope she steps aside now. Because the fundamental issue remains unresolved.

At least it’s a relief she’s someone who can quickly acknowledge her mistakes and back down…

“It’s strange… I’m sure I saw you at the Harvest Planet police headquarters back then.”

“Wait! Who are you?!”

Hearing her last muttering as she tilted her head, I hastily grabbed her.

With such a specific place name, the scale of truth or falsehood immediately tipped toward the former.

I calmed my startled heart, mentally reviewing my itinerant history.

The police headquarters would be the engineer interview site. Dismissing the blurry faces, I recalled the key detail—hairstyle—and a vaguely forgotten memory surfaced.

“Could you be… the person who fled the interview site while still under police custody? Did you escape safely without being caught…?”

I probed her with that questionable guess, and she completely agreed.

“Right! Looks like you managed to run away somehow too? I thought you’d get caught, sitting in a corner clueless about the atmosphere!”

“Ha….”

Then we never even brushed shoulders or exchanged a word!? It’s no wonder I can’t recall…!

Moreover, unlike her, I barely swallowed down my forthcoming response about how I passed and worked until retirement.

Considering it was quite an old incident, it was possible she had either completed her sentence or received a fine, but based on the way she’s hanging around here, I suspect she might have fled in the night.

In truth, what bothers me more is Marina’s unnecessarily precise and elaborate description…

“I make a living with my memory and observation skills!”

“Ah, yes….”

By this point, I had nothing but lackluster remarks to offer her.

Even though I only glared without any questions or praise, she seemed to feel embarrassed enough to explain on her own, indicating she might often use such absurd encounters to get to know someone.

If I had felt any malice, I would have cursed and told her to get lost right then, or pushed her away to keep her distance.

You can’t just spit on someone’s smiling face. Emphasizing an innocuous demeanor and all, it was tough to respond harshly.

…How would I know if she harbors any ulterior motives? Um… I might not be very perceptive, but I’ve had enough experiences tangling with Aaron, a pioneer in the art of sweet-talk and hidden daggers, that I wouldn’t be caught off guard?

Even experiences I hadn’t wished for turned out to be surprisingly helpful. How touching. Yes.

“Ahem! So why? Do you have something you want to discuss with me?”

Even if it feels like I’m holding onto a departing person, after all, it was the other party that approached first.

Assuming there was a purpose, I took a stance urging her to unveil it, and sure enough, Marina slightly lowered her head towards me.

“…The air quality here is horrendously bad, right? I hastily switched on the signal jamming device, but I’m not sure how much longer we’ll have to wait in this state. There are those making ad-hoc teams inside, so I thought I’d better increase my chances of success.”

“You’re forming a team?”

Her secret shared in a tone barely audible to those glancing our way was quite intriguing. Furthermore, even though she hadn’t explicitly stated it, it seemed she might have some suspicion about the origin of the interference.

What a good head on her shoulders. I found it chilling and blocked the signal without fully analyzing it.

“With the portable devices stashed in my pocket, there are limits to memory! Even if the market provides equipment kindly, to gain even a slight advantageous position, I need to find like-minded folks and stick together.”

“Hm…”

I fiddled with my lips, scanning the surroundings.

It’s true, even in this basement with only about ten people, there appears to be a hidden division among the groups. Some are gathered talking in groups, while there are voluntary outsiders like us… well, it’s just me, Marina, and that boy I saw earlier, but still.

That’s not a bad proposal. Additionally, it’s quite clever.

“You think I’m competent? You can trust me even if you’re just assuming! My memory and observation skills are really good!”

“…You seem that way.”

A peculiar gaze crossed in the air. She definitely claimed to have no malice, right? But she doesn’t seem particularly innocent either.

She approached while pretending to know something, and since I ended up holding onto her, if I were to separate from Marina, it was clear how it would look in the eyes of others.

However, her boldness in not being afraid of Zero and her quite cheerful demeanor for a hacker, as well as her thorough preparations, merit a lot of extra points.

As for memory and observation… I could ponder that later.

Even if it isn’t pure physical capability and instead a deception using implants or cyberware, she pointed me out herself like this.

I extend my hand.

Marina stood tall for a girl, and it’s a bit annoying that her hand reached out at a slant upward, but what can I do? It’s now one of the discomforts I’ve come to accept.

I’m not sure how much significance she places on the formal act of a handshake, but she had showcased observation as one of her strengths, so I believe she would understand adequately.

“Call me Anastasia; my black market nickname is Ivory, and this lanky one here is Zero. Let’s sort out the compensation distribution after we pass the test.”

“I think it won’t serve much to decide among ourselves. Alright!! Nice to meet you, cutie! Oh, that shy one over there is Takekura Ken. So, do introduce yourselves♪”

“……Huh?”

“……Hello.”

Following the exaggerated gestures of the jester humming a tune, I awkwardly exchanged nods with the little one barely showing his head behind the bag.

Why did she suddenly reveal that kid’s name? The answer was incredibly simple.

…How cleverly I’ve been deceived. I thought it was a duo, but it turned out to be a trio? Amazing.

I realized that our team leader’s negotiation skills were extraordinary, so I resolved to offload everything onto Marina if any situation arose in the future.

Whether it was waiting for the group divisions to finish or the waiting time had reached its end, the organizing team that had gathered these people finally started to move.

Beeeeep…!

Clang!!

“Oh dear.”

“……Was it coming from over there?”

As power suddenly flowed to the skinny, decaying elevator frame in the center, a bright white light emitted, capturing everyone’s attention.

Naturally, if it had only emitted light, they wouldn’t have described it as capturing attention.

The rattling and creaking noises indicated that an elevator box was approaching this floor either with passengers or already containing them. The meaningless chatter ceased.

Creeeak… Creeeak…!

As everyone held their breath, the installed cable moved up and down, drawing the box from deeper underground.

Given the size of the passageway, those who realized not everyone in attendance could fit into the soon-to-appear elevator began to close the distance to the spot they expected the elevator’s entrance to arrive.

In the meantime, the aggressive types discreetly restrained each other’s movements.

As for Marina and us? We were busy watching, arms crossed.

Noting a strong consensus that safety is paramount, it seemed we could achieve this level of unification without a formal exchange of opinions… For a hastily formed team, that seemed like a good sign.

However, the half-Japanese boy named Ken, who had come dragging his backpack, didn’t seem to have the luxury to wait calmly and wore a rather impatient expression as he urged his companions.

“Uh… Aren’t we going to check it out? It might be first-come, first-served!”

“If evaluating a hacker includes running, then I’m all for it!”

“……”

How reliable. It’s clear he’s faster on his feet than most police, so he has every right to be confident.

However, I thought that was already sufficient of an answer and tried to maintain silence, yet he seemed to value everyone’s opinion and this time hesitated while glancing at Zero and me.

Once our introductions wrapped up casually, it’d be time to talk about the tasks. Is it really a group assignment?

“Well, if they end up exceeding their limits and screw things up for evaluation, I can just quit and do something else.”

“Ah….”

There was no need to give the impression of being halfhearted from the beginning. I firmly indicated my refusal of anything excessively risky. The seemingly naive little guy listened to that and obediently joined the onlookers.

Clang!

Amid the chatter, the elevator arrived.

The smooth obsidian-like box that didn’t match the dusty, graffiti-covered construction scene came to a halt.

And when the doors opened… there stood a strange figure with a display panel in place of a face, greeting participants with a pop-up of a famous opera mask on the screen.

“Ah… ah. Ahhh… Putain de Merde!! Why the hell do they have to drag me, an elite like me, for such Chien work…!”

There wasn’t even a proper greeting.

As he cleared his throat, the angry masked figure stomped his foot while fiddling with the steel collar draped over his collarbone.

It looked like a shackle or some sort of reverse bear trap seen in a death game, rattling animatedly with his arm’s movements.

Those who had hastily tried to rush in saw the odd sight and instinctively maintained a safe distance, once again realizing the importance of appearance.

Or perhaps… there was someone here who recognized that friend’s identity.

Having come this far with no familiar faces, I thought no original characters would be involved, but I never expected to encounter one so suddenly.

A named individual associated with the black market, the boss character, Sir Léonard.

Though it’s a structured quest, players are undoubtedly set up to face him as an enemy. However, the boss fight that begins in just two sentences had firmly placed him among the ranks of psycho characters.

‘…Did he just stroll in without disinfecting my control room?’

‘T’es con! …I have no choice. Fortunately, there’s a free spot in the fridge for bugs.’

Regardless of his disgusting paranoia or preferences, it seems he’s indeed our supervisor, and like an insane person, he instantly started issuing directives.

“…Excluding the two little ones, the woman, and those three similar-looking men, please get out immediately. I heard it’s by recommendation, so I wonder how these Sale Bites, who can’t even establish a proper firewall, made it here.”

“……”

Out of about a dozen people, only six remain. Should I be happy I’m included in a filter that didn’t exceed a majority?

Or should I staunchly protest being grouped under ‘little ones’ in such a rude manner? My head already started to ache.