Chapter 246

Thud, thud…!

Out of habit, Hemet wiped the area around the keyboard and shortcut key pad on his desk with a tissue he had pulled out.

Even though there was no time for dust to accumulate on the spot where he worked every day, there was always a chance that spilled drinks or cracker crumbs could be left behind for similar reasons.

Meanwhile, the computer, having detected that a portable memory device had been inserted into the connection port, was running a stability check at an intense speed, displaying a list of files.

Though it might seem like an unnecessary process when dealing with the developer claiming to sell antivirus software, there were occasional cases where intangible products registered at the Circuit Refinery were targeted. For instance, various programs, guest lists, or contracts and ledgers prohibited from being taken outside were sometimes consulted under the guise of advice, with hackers hoping to crack them if they could.

So, even though this office computer used for testing products was separate from the main store network, there was nothing that could be sacrificed if it were to break, hence the precautionary measures.

As someone who favored customizing electronic products to his liking, the thought of disassembling a broken computer and starting over from scratch was irritatingly tiresome.

‘What an atrociously bad naming sense. Ground Zero? Who in the world names a vaccine after a blast center or impact point….’

The word ‘huolongdianjing’ (adding the final touch), often passionately discussed by an Oriental aficionado who frequented the store, came to mind.

After all, naming a work is the act of infusing it with a soul.

It was undoubtedly true that as much time was spent on that process as in the development period—both, in reality, lasted for a similar amount of time in seconds—but the result was this.

– …… –

‘Ew…!’

It was even more perplexing because there was no visible connection outwardly, making it hard to discern if the statement was serious or just a light joke from her. He kept glancing at the girl buried deep in the sofa.

When he received a creepy feeling from the nearby droid, Hemet suddenly face-planted on the monitor.

Unlike secondhand robots that engineers with decent income carry around for multipurpose assistance, this one’s lubricant coating was so pristine that its movement produced no common noise, making it even more unsettling.

Even if bad naming skills acted as a cute sales deterrent in this field, unnecessary curiosity was a sin. It was a shortcut that typically led to a dramatically shortened lifespan.

‘Don’t pry into what you don’t know, and if you do find out, pretend you don’t.’

According to the immortal and greatest saying in the service industry, Hemet adjusted his gaze immaculately.

He would diligently follow his role, receiving commissions and fees without caring if the items were stolen goods. In fact, he preferred items from individuals with verified experience, as there would be no worrying about scary people showing up, and he could collect hush money implicitly, which was quite sweet.

[ Decompression and stability check completed. ]

[ A publisher-unidentified executable file was detected inside. Do you want to launch it immediately? ]

The diagnostic results were normal; damage was 0% and the uncompressed size was… surprisingly large, comparable to some specialized work tools.

There were many parts merged in a way that made it impossible to understand the operating principles or detailed structures. However, since seeing suspicious software wasn’t a rarity, we’ll exclude that.

Though all kinds of files were marked with a creation date of today, which was odd, if we assume they did a major update just before the consultation, it’s not entirely unreasonable.

“Ahem.”

Click. Therefore, no burden in execution.

Hemet kicked off a full scan, including the terminal storage device, as if asking it to show its capability, and crossed his arms.

Since the time required for this kind of program varies greatly depending on optimization, this wasn’t just some act of pretending to focus for the impending awkward silence.

He was currently in the position of an appraiser. He had to assess the software’s objective value based on accessibility, exact actual performance, and the options given to users.

Therefore, for now at least, he wasn’t bothered by the customer’s mood or the sight of himself constantly tapping his chin with his mechanical arm while wearing rubber gloves.

While enhancing the speed of neurotransmission with an implant, he took his time.

He was sufficiently busy savoring the calm, flowing data processing akin to the water of a dignified river, and its astonishing efficiency.

First, ads, including junk advertisements (Junk Ads) that spread indiscriminately via various electronic devices nearby, disappeared completely from the screen.

What? Isn’t it common for antivirus software to block such ads?

Yes, that’s right. And the cleverly bypassed, tricky advertising banners planted by Circuit Refinery were just obliterated.

Thinking the network connection might have been shut down during the inspection, but that wasn’t the case.

The browser windows that Hemet had opened privately were unharmed. Of course, the chaotic ads present there were also blocked.

“Eh…?”

When he refreshed the page a few times out of curiosity,

Even though it supposedly blocks connections unless certain images are displayed properly, the system on that side didn’t seem to recognize that the broadcasting had been cut off.

This… wasn’t it like cutting someone’s nose while they’re wide awake? The rice bowl was kicked away, yet the person had no way of knowing.

“Wow…”

But he couldn’t just focus on that.

The file inspection was progressing at an abnormal speed that made one suspect the lack of serious effort while he was nodding his head.

Fast. Yet precise and ruthless.

All the malicious codes that were stored in a dormant state to avoid deletion by the existing antivirus software were isolated and added to the deletion queue with a single click.

An alarming notification even appeared, indicating that a fluid monitoring system had been applied to the system backdoors that usually exist for maintenance.

Frankly speaking, even scripts with keylogging and cryptojacking functions in some programs whose existence he didn’t know about were deactivated, and the list unfolded with a high-pitched sound like magic.

…Setting aside the fact that running it as a trial felt like being lectured on housekeeping.

“Cough!”

Looking a little awkward, he cleared his throat and glanced at Anastasia, who had her legs crossed.

If she was bored, she could do something else with cyberware. This wasn’t out of mutual respect, was it? Nevertheless, the girl, dark but fair, sat there obediently waiting, looking like a fairy who could perform such magic.

…Alright. Judging from her presence alone, an important figure had come with an extraordinary product seeking a collaboration, and he should treat her with sincerity.

Clunk!!

Crumble…

Roughly and forcefully unlocking a drawer that had been locked, Hemet started pulling out neatly arranged data chips stored in the dedicated preventive shield.

What was inside? None other than various viruses floating around in the network world and some highly aggressive works of some customers that were officially never ‘purchased’.

If we want to understand their advantages and disadvantages and evaluate them, wouldn’t it be the most clear and logical preliminary work to check and break through the strength of the subject?

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

“Hey, hey! Miss!”

“Eh…?”

The firm but gentle touch on his shoulder felt pleasant.

The distorted and dim cloud-like patterns floating around in his vision gradually settled into place, like paint sticking to a canvas.

What is this situation?

This is… the office. Come to think of it, we were still in the middle of estimating, weren’t we? Gah.

“…Ah? Sorry! I fell asleep? You should have woken me up earlier… No. Did this guy stop me from waking up?”

-!?

“Just… I’ve been stubborn and it took too long, nearly three hours. Sorry about that.”

Beyond apologies… it’s spinning out of control.

Instead of carelessly massaging his shoulder, Hemet grabbed his wrist tightly and glared, only to be met with Zero shaking his head, looking wronged, before the shop owner, Mr. Hemet, apologized.

Three hours? No, no wonder. His face, which looked like it had already been stretched, now seems to have lost weight, looking emaciated. It’s true then?

But even after working so long, falling asleep during a consultation is a clear mistake. There’s no other way to explain it besides underestimating the time it takes for the expert’s “comprehensive evaluation.”

In the game, the process without consultation is simple: you bring in the item containing the program, an “Uuuuuh…” pops up indicating appraisal, and within moments, the final valuation appears like a lottery. Of course, reality isn’t that straightforward, huh? Hmm.

“…I got plenty of rest, so I feel better. No apology needed.”

It’s embarrassing, but since the person involved is fine, we’ll let it slide.

Thanks to the short nap, the nagging sensation that was starting to bother him was gone, which was appreciated.

Even if it wasn’t a fierce battle, we still have money talk ahead of us. If my mind is clear, it’ll be better.

“Ahem…! Alright, so…?”

“…”

I came to wake you up because I thought I couldn’t do the rest without you.

Of course, asking directly for feedback would be a bit… well, embarrassing. So, I phrased it indirectly.

Twist and control the virtual world as we please.

No matter how sophisticated a fortress we try to build, if it looks magnificent from our and Zero’s perspectives, it was ultimately all imagination.

So it wasn’t as if I was fishing for compliments. I needed to know what the expert saw, and if commercialization looked difficult, what should be corrected clearly before re-releasing.

But the small figure in front of me squeezed his face tighter, making it even thinner, and pouted his lips even more.

It was as if answering straightforwardly would hurt his pride.

“Excuse me…?”

“…%@#$%.”

Wanting to hurry the story along because my schedule was delayed, I rephrased the question, but he only mumbled like a mosquito, not providing a proper response.

Did he perceive my pressing as bothersome and was now offended? I don’t think the atmosphere was like that.

Looking perplexed, he suddenly heated up and let out a loud shriek with a beet-red face.

“You! Your team made it clear you were fooling around on top of my head! If this was a complete comprehensive nuclear bomb of a program, couldn’t we have discussed it earlier, or tested your creation a bit?! You just teased me and then went back on it!!”

Excuse me, I wasn’t doing it with any devious intent…

“From the middle, I wasted my hard-earned cash buying infamous data viruses, trying to pin down something that kept getting wiped away! My credits vaporized each time I tried, but regardless!”

Ignoring whether Zero held back Hemet’s forehead as he tried to lunge forward.

Glancing with the corner of my eye as his mechanical arm flew up, there was a mountain of data chips on the corner of the desk, flowing down onto the floor.

Oh, you’ve worked really hard… but why is it my fault?

Bang!

“Eh?”

Baffling.

Confused as to what he was trying to say, I maintained a dull attitude, and he ended up kneeling. The desolation emanating from him turned his plea persuasive.

“Please, leave the ads alive! Make it softer, at least version-divided so the payment amount can vary! If you sell this thing as it is, all small business owners like us are doomed to starve!”

“But weren’t you closer to a distributor of sales intermediaries!?”

“If you block promotional ads like this, regular customers will just go to corporate flagship stores, why come here!!”

Creak, creak!

Even though he’s a grown adult…

While his crawling around the office floor on his knees was heart-wrenching, the essence of his jumbled-up speech was still hard to grasp.

“Today’s appraisal fees are free, distribution fees aren’t deducted separately, and I’ll cover the advertising costs! Just 0.7%… no, 0.6% off the sales revenue! Anyway, once word spreads, such offline stores won’t even pay employee salaries!!”

“…”

Ah, now I see the outline of this commotion.

The main subject never deviated—it was all about money problems.

He simply thought, as in the usual case, that I planned to go around many stores, including this one, signing consignment sales contracts and planning individual online sales, so he begged for his share of the pie.

It was a silly misconception and misunderstanding.

If I had the intention to go through all that trouble, I would’ve just picked up some out-of-control robots near the accident site, even if it was a bother, instead of coming here in person.

“0.6%, how much do you take from those run-of-the-mill softwares?”

“…10%. If it’s something with a lot of substitutes, 11%, and if you want promotion, but after a fair evaluation, it’s something the store doesn’t want to recommend, it can go up to 15%. We might even refuse consignment outright if it doesn’t meet the standard.”

Sending a positive signal slightly calmed him down as he added an explanation.

What was supposed to be a balanced negotiation now looked less bad since the other side was clinging on.

If viruses were wandering around recklessly and we expected antivirus measures, coming here to rely on his business acumen to spread it further was the hope from my side.

Little Hemet, the owner of Circuit Refinery. Not exceptionally remarkable in personality but often entangled in trouble due to his greed for money, yet his calculations were clear and cheating was rare in his transactions.

If this guy was willing to cling on, it’s certainly reliable enough to consider it a good business opportunity.

In other words, would swiping his face with credits raise the service quality astronomically and clean up the sea cucumber situation in no time?

……However, seeing as they specified resale revenue, they might have also considered setting separate fees for subscription-based monthly payments. Since the clear aim was wide distribution, such a predatory system might be unacceptable?

“10%. Just take the original 10%.”

“!? What…?”

“Not only on sales revenue, but also exactly 10% on the monthly subscription fee.”

Halting Hemet’s outburst with a raised hand while laying down a few more conditions.

Absolutely, this is not me being stupid and giving things away for free; you should listen to the whole thing.

“As a trade-off, I didn’t come here, nor did we meet. Besides, I’m not sure if the general public or corporate kids would use a tool like this that doesn’t have a clear origin, even if they abandoned their usual security tools, but if negotiation is needed, you act as my proxy. If a company is looking for a cure, instead of sitting around waiting, actively sell it with enthusiasm.”

“…Holy crap.”

Turning to Hemet, who finally looked serious, I rested my chin on my interlocked fingers.

If you want to scold me for dumping my responsibilities to someone else, go ahead. When necessary people step forward at the right place and time, what’s wrong with that?

We’re becoming representatives and co-business partners.

Though offering up to a tenth of the stakes in already completed software might sound far-fetched, if the cost is practically nonexistent?

Strictly speaking, if it only costs as much as a custom burger set from some restaurant, giving away such a big favor is entirely possible.

Even without pre-existing trust relationships, knowing his principles makes it a convenient loophole. Even if somewhat sly, whispering this way to give justification and gain makes it… forgivable, right?

– Isn’t this a honor more for him?

…You take a break. I feel uneasy doing this, treating someone who knows something as if I’m bullying them!

“How about it?”

“…”

Cutting off the unwelcome comments from the sidelines, I asked cheerfully as a prompt this time, implying to make a decision quickly.

The stunned man, who had been gaping like a dropped jaw puppet, suddenly stood up.

And then… without even deliberating or giving an approval, he abruptly bowed at a right angle.

“From now on… I shall serve with utmost reverence, President! I’ll bring the authorization for external use right away, not the contract… Please wait a moment here!”

“…Eh?”

Isn’t that a bit too polite all of a sudden?

No, but we’re supposed to be co-owners dividing the take, right? Hey! Where are you going so hastily without hearing?

Hey, Hey!!