Chapter 150

“Ah… really…!!”

While maintaining a slight distance, I glared at the back of the figure walking ahead.

The connecting corridor, spotlessly clean without a speck of dust, couldn’t be more opposite to the pitch-black combat armor that somehow perfectly embodies Enema’s signature color contrast, further ruining my mood.

Currently in the corridor, it’s just me, Zero, and that annoying tracker.

The other two have already disappeared somewhere, guided by a regular staff for procedures and an exciting fee settlement.

Just the thought of brain surgery is enough to send shivers down my spine, and though I’m grateful to have skipped it, there’s no guarantee that my path will only have lesser hardships—actually, the likelihood of worse scenarios is quite high, and that’s the biggest problem.

“Hmm…”

Recalling the building’s exterior as I took a deep breath upon entering, it struck me.

Before categorizing it as rectangular or hexagonal, this headquarters is expansive not only underground but also above and to the sides, making it feel more like a continuous wall than a single independent structure when viewed from the outside.

Considering all that… the situation of me walking like this feels incredibly uneasy right now.

Though Zero must naturally remember the way out, every moment of hesitation feels like an increasing escape route getting longer and the risk rising, making my spine tingle.

Then my first priority is understanding the true intent behind the sudden change in attitude of this human weapon. That’s the most urgent task.

With a glance at Zero, filled with the meaning of “I’ll leave it to you if anything happens,” I tried narrowing the gap to observe the tracker’s face, but what could I possibly see with that damn black visor helmet entirely concealing it? It’s quite convenient when I use it since I don’t need to manage my expressions.

Meanwhile, I realized I don’t really have a proper title to call this guy when trying to get his attention.

Ironically funny, I’ve worked closely with this guy for months, but our relationship, standing as employee and monitor, barely allowed much conversation, and our faces remain unknown to each other.

And what about meals, you ask?

Inside that helmet, calories seem to be managed with candy without ever taking it off, what can I do?

On the contrary, isn’t Marina, who enjoyed pushing boundaries with jokes and extreme sports, closer to being friendly? Sure, she was freaked out every time, but she did casually call him “Brother” and all.

Regardless of what I think…

Apparently, understanding Enema’s benefits, he also seems to have some kind of plan or response based on the lobby announcement, because after my awkward call, he politely replied with utmost respect.

“Is there anything… bothering you, Senior Researcher Gong? Your pulse seems quite disturbed.”

“Ah…”

This is too polite. Why are you being like this? I dislike it. Please stop.

With his slightly bowed head, straightened arm crossing his abdomen, and gentle tone, it’s a greeting that even someone unfamiliar with his original attitude would perceive as respectful at first glance.

If the intention is to make someone uneasy and exploit that, it’s working perfectly.

No matter what, to blindly believe just because it’s broadcasted somewhere—do I really…

It appears that Enema’s system construction has considerable trust, or the option of doubting was completely excluded from my mind from the start.

I quickly understood the reason for being taken separately without much probing.

Probably because of being assigned a high priority on the rank scale as a research staff member, rather than making an independent judgment, the intention seems to be to bring me to higher authorities for proper handling.

If that’s the case…

‘…Have my skills rusted?’

– Always ready for orders. –

Frankly, considering my short urban life experience, is it due to bad luck or an accident-prone nature?

Having experienced multiple instances of being stabbed from behind while sticking my nose in various places has taught me how dangerous and dirty a sneak attack can be.

However, when it comes to balancing the intangible value of trust, the return on investment when the deal goes through seems to guarantee an absolute advantage.

Meaning, I am sorry, but even if the Tracker pops up, I can’t withstand the lead strike.

Chang—!!

Anyway, since entering the employee section after leaving the main lobby, the number of people has drastically decreased. It seems there are no noticeable surveillance eyes in the corridor we are passing through right now.

In other words, this isn’t about innocently walking into the judgment seat. If I can shake off this tracker here, we can escape before the enemies regroup.

What about ending up right in the middle of the medical area?

Don’t know! There’s that Five Eyes hideout somewhere nearby; I’ll just barge in and hide if necessary.

Please don’t denigrate me for learning only rough-and-tumble tricks and nothing else.

I am not a cow knowing its fate of slaughter, willingly going to the slaughterhouse. I am not that kind of innocent conformist.

Even if my future plans go haywire, even if I have to suffer from dealing with someone I don’t like…

I’d rather claw and fight with all my strength, ending up blowing myself up messily if necessary, rather than becoming anything less than this stubborn type dying here again.

There was no need to send a separate signal for the preemptive attack.

The moment my hand went for the holster, Zero’s blade was already in the process of being deployed to slice through the guy’s spine.

The gun is always the last option, only to be used when delivering the final blow in a hurry.

I’ve experienced fighting in the lab before too. Maybe it’s specially designed anti-ballistic gloves but trying to pierce through and inflict a fatal injury is quite difficult, plus it causes loud, conspicuous battle sounds, losing the advantage of surprise and guaranteeing the loss of the objective.

So here, we instead close the distance. Preventing the tracker from retreating or regrouping hastily, with the intention of diving my head into an alligator’s jaw!

“!!”

Kwa-chijik!!

Did I penetrate it?! No, it’s shallower than expected.

I almost celebrated prematurely based solely on the sound.

It’s not the quality or material of the blade that’s the issue, but rather, before even reaching the flesh by cutting through the armor, the blade hit and cracked the rifle strapped to its back, and the figure was already retreating.

Did he anticipate the attack? Or was he focused because I had called out just once? Regardless, which side it was doesn’t matter.

Just removing his primary weapon was nice.

The blade has been pulled, the dice thrown; no matter what the result is, adjustments need to be made accordingly.

“This is gonna—! Ah, damn!!”

“Ah, I apologize!”

The sparks flying from my fingertips barely grazed his body and were instantly shrugged off by the tracker’s swift upper-body twist.

I intended to disrupt muscle movement and hinder his actions, but perhaps the material was a non-conductive grade with low electric conductivity; it had a minimal effect.

Hey, damn it. My ability is so lousy!! Isn’t the advantage of electrical power users typically overwhelming output that burns everything to oblivion regardless of insulation? The output limit is way too high!

While cursing internally, I vigorously kicked my legs.

With the contract nearing its end and the hacker’s usefulness fading, I assumed entering this monster’s firing range would cut my life short even with just slight restraint, so I didn’t even consider such a thing.

Cjeong!!

Karaaddeuk. Ggi-geok…!

Kwa-chijik!!

“Groo-huhk!?”

Unlike Zero, who effortlessly drew two long execution swords by simply activating the power to the components, the tracker, having been suddenly attacked, lacked the leisure.

The ceremonial combat knife couldn’t even be drawn as he was entirely on the defensive.

Having some expertise in hand-to-hand combat, the sound of smashing air echoed as their limbs crossed—but Zero was armed additionally in hand-to-hand combat.

Roughly shredding the combat armor’s impact-dampening surface designed with uneven textures, the edge scraped across.

Sensing the danger, the tracker ducked to avoid the high, sweeping overhead slash, only to be delivered a powerful knee strike straight to the face, shattering the helmet into pieces, and doubling over like a bow.

With a single blow, the posture and balance of the fight completely collapsed.

The legs, staggering from the impact, were on the verge of collapsing.

The cracked visor, now resembling a spider web, ironically became obstructive to his vision.

Leave formalities for the protagonists; I intend to take advantage of this situation in the sleaziest way possible.

Kang!!

“Oof…!! Damn, for real!!”

– Be aware of counterattacks! –

Trying to sweep-kick his inner calf with all my strength to knock the tracker down, embarrassingly, I only felt the tingling vibration reverberating back.

Even amid all the chaos, he confirmed the oncoming kick and braced against it? This guy has genuinely inhuman specs. I idly wondered if, in an age of stone and branches warfare, Enema would undoubtedly reach the summit.

With a resonating thud, Zero rushed forward, pinning the struggling figure down with his weight.

In the midst of falling, at the critical moment, the tracker instinctively reached out his hand to catch the swinging blade. The moment he did so, another sword was swiftly adjusted into place from the other side in perfect response.

The moment the two collapsed into a deadlock, I jumped into the fray.

I outright plopped myself onto his chest riddled with slashes, slamming the Peacemaker’s gun against his faceplate now crumbling to dust.

Zero’s surface and edges were somewhat damaged from the impact but seemed intact enough for mobility, essential for escaping. Now, with this deadlock resolved, either carry him on my back or wedge him under my arm—it’s time to escape.

It’s as simple as unloading the entire magazine with the trigger depressed in a burst of continuous fire.

There’s no reason to hesitate… there shouldn’t have been.

“…What is this? Why did the resistance suddenly stop?”

Though my arms were still spread, occupied with restraining the blades, it was clear that the sharp metallic taste of blood was swirling around, the daggers surely piercing into my palms by now.

But the wild kicking intended to shake off Zero suddenly stopped the moment I climbed on top—an inexplicable situation.

It wasn’t like he’d outright accepted his death, as his arms were still resisting, but at the same time, it wasn’t hostile aggression anymore… Why is there no animosity?

“…It would be unacceptable for the senior researcher to get injured due to my brutal actions.”

“No… my goodness.”

The stiffness was on par with an artificial intelligence, perhaps.

Previously, the trackers I fought showed some human-like reactions, falling for taunts and using foul language, but this one… was it just a personal trait, or had a generational change and upgrade occurred? Except for the distinctive tone, this guy was relatively closer to the original tracker I had dealt with.

“Such data… was obviously manipulated behind my back while I was working, right? Enema’s security isn’t anything great.”

“…Hmm… Is that so? When I fetched you earlier, you displayed quite strong resistance, so I assumed you had some special circumstances.”

Suspicions from that point…? A surprisingly well-reasoned answer came back, momentarily leaving me speechless.

An intelligent judgment of what’s the point of defending against someone about to die also wavered in the wake of the following response.

“Even if Senior Anastasia is a fake, I cannot act in a manner that tarnishes Enema. Rather, I’d prefer to die cleanly…”

“…Die cleanly??”

Crack!

Unable to move his arms, and trying to trail off, I pushed the gun slightly further to push for answers.

“Enough wasting time.”

– …Asha, many footsteps are approaching. Hard breakthrough?”

“Hah… No. Fine. Surrender first, put down your weapon.”

The absurd scenario where I exerted my all to subdue an adversary only to realize he was letting me—experiencing it firsthand, this is rather absurd. Having planned a major break from the beginning, I now realize I was in the midst of the enemy lines where a swift operation was quite reckless. I admit that.

Although I am a woman now, I admit what needs acknowledging with style.

But you, if not for me saving you earlier, you would have been killed easily. Aggh…!

Sighing, we stood up, slowly raising our hands to show we have no fighting intentions.

Across the corridor, already armed guards lined up, aiming their weapons at us.

…Don’t shoot. I am a research team member.

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