Chapter 119

“……They’re unusual creatures.”

I admired the blonde duo, LeeInJo, who were busy huddling in the corner after being intellectually pummeled by Sir Léonard.

The two seemed to have so similar emotions and thought processes that even in the midst of their humiliation, they leaned their heads together and muttered to each other. It created an illusion as if the same person had doubled in an invisible mirror.

The earrings jingled as their faces moved at the same time… Ah, our eyes met.

Isn’t it said that anger caused by hormonal actions lasts less than a minute? Then I’m willing to say that the negative emotions you’re feeling right now are far more the responsibility of Sir Léonard than mine.

…Anyway! That’s a logically flawless argument. Um….

“Um… over there….”

If I were to believe our little Kên’s explanation, the named hacker duo, Gemini Node (the connecting point of the twin womb), who are in Holtz Colony and can only be reached by a high-speed train for half a day, are siblings.

I’m not sure if they’re biologically true siblings, if their identities claim to be siblings, or if they’re simply pushing the concept because they want to assert it.

It’s said that they unify their clothing, accessories, and even minor habits or styles to maximize collaboration efficiency and aim for more extreme enhanced effects….

I have doubts about how solid the scientific basis of that claim is, but since they are said to be high-level talents competing in rankings at their base of operations in Holtz Colony, there’s definitely an advantage beyond just confusing the observers.

But… then who is the man and who is the woman?

…Ah, come on. If they went that far, they might not even be ‘siblings’ at all.

“Hey…!”

“…?”

Only then did I notice that the small mumbling that seemed could be covered by the sound of swallowing was calling for me.

Even that wasn’t exactly what I heard, but I inferred it when Marina tapped my shoulder and I saw Kên’s lips opening and closing while looking up.

“What?”

I replied to the call in a daze, resting my chin on my arm that was crossed over my knee.

I don’t mean to act all cocky in front of the kid; it just seemed weird to change my sitting posture just because my name was called… it’s not like our relationship is that rigid.

The little one with the extremely Japanese name Takekura Kên amusingly didn’t look very Japanese at all.

His weakly curled brown hair covered his forehead, eyes, and the upper part of his ears, contributing greatly to his innocent appearance. And glancing at his sparkling eyes… bright? sparkling…?

…To think such a kid was actually the person who bested those blonde punks several times, I felt like I was glimpsing the harsh industry logic where not only gears matter, but youthfulness of the brain and high synchronization with the virtual world are more advantageous. Good grief.

“Are… are you really 28 years old? But… you don’t look like you’ve taken growth hormone suppressants…”

“…Haha, you’re saying that while looking like that too.”

I scolded Kên, who seemed to be looking for some drug side effects.

It wasn’t a lie.

The sun had set, I didn’t know my physical age, and my ID was fake, so the mental age of the actual content would have to be my benchmark, right? I think that’s a very reasonable appeal.

No, more than that, suddenly mentioning hormone suppressants? The fact that he immediately associates that with bizarre drugs and frightening possibilities shows that, contrary to his appearance, he is indeed a proper black market hacker….

“I… had some difficulties in getting the necessary nutrients when it was really essential…”

“Ah.”

It was a surprisingly sad and realistic reason, so I was momentarily at a loss for words.

In the absence of anything soft to return, I thought of my own wishes.

Doctors-scientists that were stationed around, cool cylindrical test tubes, and a culture medium that, despite its appearance, had almost no viscosity. It might be a more perfect growth environment than the outside, filled with all sorts of contamination and danger.

“……I guess I also haven’t been eating sufficiently.”

I hurriedly wrapped up the conversation, which had become uncomfortable in many ways.

I was awkward with handling my body, and just remembering the times I hastily rushed in with the sense of playing a game while staring at a monitor was embarrassing.

Entering into risky large-scale battles without even knowing whether other enemies were present or not… Back then, I thought I was doing my best and played my cards, but looking back, I could clearly see the many immature points.

“So, little Kên here is a rising new hacker in Holtz Colony, and I can believe that was intentional. But why did I get suggested?”

“Hmm?”

I turned my piercing gaze towards Marina, who had her face buried in a small handheld device.

Just me? I glared at her, who showed a puzzled expression as if asking, “Me?”

It was a fact I had just confirmed while chatting with Kên. No matter how harmless a person may seem, the fact that they are here proves that they have at least a trick or two up their sleeves.

So rather than using our given free time to devise strategies for the assignments, it seemed like this person was happily playing a shooting game while we chatted, suggesting she must have some exceptional qualities….

“Why, you ask? Because it’d be foolish not to coax someone capable of operating a droid alone, wouldn’t it? Thanks to that, I feel very assured?”

“……Ha.”

I recalled the receipts I would receive each time after a battle at the maintenance station. …Damn it.

I was sure I had more questions to press this hacker-like cheerful fugitive about, but seeing her smiling face made me feel truly foolish for wanting to interrogate her point by point.

Yeah… when our turn comes, I’d just have to wait for her to show her own skills.

…Don’t give me a thumbs up. Don’t praise me for saying something savory just a while ago. And definitely don’t ask me how much I earn!

Guhm…!!

Did I dawdle for about ten minutes?

A heavy impact sound reverberated from across the corridor.

That was quicker than expected. It might make sense to respond appropriately since if they moved too quickly, not only the people gathered here but also the higher-ups could get irritated.

“Ugh… let’s wrap this up quickly!”

“I feel sorry for the poor souls we beat up first.”

“…….”

Those who sensed the arrival of requested additional equipment and personal belongings stood up from various places in the plaza.

It was generally uncommon to work with just one’s body, or at most cheap devices, so it didn’t resonate with me, but judging by their reactions, the level of difficulty in the work was evidently going to drop exponentially.

Rattle, rattle! As they made the sounds of the street noise, the staff from the market, dressed in wrinkled suits, began bringing bags and boxes inside.

Looking at this equipment that, I presumed, was what current hackers use, I opened my eyes wide.

Only large pads and devices seemed normal, but gloves with wires sprouting out of them and brick-like objects with LED lights were peculiar.

There were even some mysterious medical inhalers and balls that looked like grenades. And what’s that, a dowsing rod?

“…No, this is ridiculous.”

If you can guess its use just by looking at it, does it mean you lack professionalism? The strange tools kept coming out, and my motivation to learn anything faded away.

And after putting all this out, when it comes to the actual situation, would there be no visible information, and would I have to waste time sitting still?

Is there a way to sneak a peek at the screen without Sir Léonard noticing? It seems impossible, considering how many eyes are on me here.

Anyway, regardless of that. The twins, having finally found the auxiliary devices they desperately sought, were on stage, and I was in deep contemplation about whether I would wake up from a long nap…

“Hey, you there! The rude team! We’ll show you the difference in skill, so take a good look…?!”

“Ah, sure.”

I barely managed to swallow back the retort that I’d have to wait quite a while to objectively see how big the difference is. They weren’t unaware that we were the last to go, but their determination to continue the mind games was commendable.

There might be other things to praise as well.

Ziiiiiing…!!

“Oh?”

An exclamation escaped.

The Gemini Node twins, standing side by side across the vault, inserted connecting wires they pulled from their devices into the vault simultaneously. They didn’t need a separate initiation signal and began hacking right away.

Excluding myself, the rest seemed to anticipate the scene about to unfold, just from the electronic headgear fitted on the twins’ foreheads and temples. There wasn’t any special reaction, but it was clear they were fixated on the fact that an eye-catching spectacle was about to occur in the previously dull testing field.

Intense electronic sounds assaulted the eardrums, and the beams of light emitted from the gear projected holograms around them.

The brilliance embroidered in the air illustrated a picture of numerous graphs and an overwhelmingly dense virtual data library. Soon after, each of their fingers began to rage across the keyboard, signaling that a battle of spear and shield was occurring.

Instead of connecting consciousness directly, the technician remained purely external and competed with pure skill and cracking speed in an old-fashioned way.

If that’s the primary hacking technique, it’s unpredictable how many shortcuts and macros are registered in their memories. I could confidently say I would never be able to keep up.

“Damn… packet filtering disruption successful…!”

“…Only the header data was breached and the payload was lost. Do it again!”

Their focus became a whirlwind, blinking faster than the eyes could keep up.

From above to below, left to right. The intruders continued their struggle to catch up with the chaos changing wildly.

As time passed, the annoying mumbling gradually diminished, and instead, the sound of keyboard input began to fill that void.

Five minutes, ten minutes, and twenty minutes passed, and I caught sight of spasms not only in their jaws but also in their fingers manipulating the device, making me wonder if they would inevitably fail.

Clank!

“Ughh…!!”

“…Twins number 9. 23 minutes and 41 seconds! That whimpering was worth it.”

Fast. Even though they brought this and that in between, it was even quicker than the last team that was surrounded by a unit.

Finally, the brilliant performance ended, and they tossed off their headgear with a flourish, so I really thought I would just clap for them this time.

““Uweeeek—!!””

“?!”

Without him having to wait for anyone, the Gemini Node twins suddenly grabbed the floor and began vomiting.

There was a bit of blood, but fortunately, it seemed they were on an empty stomach, as most of the liquid seemed to be gastric fluid, but their finishing touch was a complete mess.

Seeing such a desperate sight made me unable to mock them, so I decided to pretend I didn’t see it.

As one of them passed by with a bout of retching and hands like stone, they raised their heads with a look filled with rage, and I thought they would start lashing out at us or Léonard.

But what is this?

This time, the target was completely different.

““You… you fucking bastards—!!””

“…….”

The eighth team, which had been silent until now, and managed to successfully open the vault, was showered with coarse curses despite having come in without even decent equipment and making sacrifices for their testing.