Chapter 259

“Hmph, uh…”

“Well, Plan B. Publicly, it hasn’t even come to a proper introduction with a pretty, mysterious wealthy young lady, but begging for mercy from her. It’s spontaneous, but it might turn out to be a good method.”

“Ah… Um, first of all, I sincerely apologize for causing you trouble and inconvenience because of me… By any chance, wouldn’t it be fine if I just followed you quietly now? Crunch!! Yes, it would be tough, right!? Eh…!!”

Unlike the main roads coated with high polymers or those containing carbon steel, the floor here, filled with old-style recharging materials, split apart like a fruit being cut in half right in front of him. He hastily gathered his thoughts and wriggled his body.

The sidetrack I just entered… is full of familiar woof woof. They’re pretty fast too.

In the 21st century, hunting scorpion tails with manhunts would be better than killer spiders, even for a butcher shop where employment would have been refused due to danger. But, jumping into her arms like that might just result in “What a good boy. I’ll give you all the rewards~”. That said, I wasn’t immediately feeling any affection.

Cang Cang Cang Cang!!!

“Isn’t this a bit much?!”

Firstly, rather than giving this thing space to jump around freely, wouldn’t a tight spot be more advantageous, even by a speck of dust? So, I dashed into a building crevice where my shoulders could barely fit.

Instead of stomping the ground with so many blades, the stalker extended its legs vertically and horizontally, settling between the two parallel surfaces and madly flailing its legs as it pursued.

Considering that the theme of some horror games originates from an irresistible sense of powerlessness, this was less a cyberpunk experience and more like a horror game. Or rather, without being able to use even a single gun, it was only natural to lean towards the horror genre in a first-person shooter scenario.

Teng, Terrang!

“Huh. Aahh!!”

Pipelines obstructing progress and iron structural objects installed according to fire regulations were being sliced off in chunks.

The cutting power of the vibrating blades was unimaginable, almost making me yearn for armor more than a gun. Every time the chopped alloy fragments fell to the ground and erupted with shockwaves, I felt the threat of death touching my skin.

Though I wanted to throw off the damn gas mask to at least breathe comfortably with the little breath I had left, I didn’t want to willingly provide a means of identification, even if I was caught and forcibly disrobed.

There was a money issue too but, even in this world where plastic surgery is common, the instinctive repulsion to the word surgery remained… Ah, except for implants. I can’t bear missing out on awesome cyborg upgrades.

Cang Cang Cang!!

“Huh… Huh-eh…”

But forgetting the reality of pain and hardship with such impractical fantasies was nearing its end.

Each of my excessively strained limbs was questioning me each second: “Is it okay to just act like this without even smoking this time?”

Why am I going through such hardship when I haven’t done anything particularly wrong? Nonetheless, in order to ultimately persuade Anastasia, it’s advantageous to follow the same approach as in the game…

“…But am I not just annoying her more by constantly scheming like this?”

Ideas usually disappear naturally as the body rolls, but not this time.

Obsession with the mirage-like message that was only supposed to be a guideline led to a false sense of superiority, the subtle arrogance I had as a player evaporating like melting ice in the summer heat.

Not extraordinary but also not common.

It’s not simply retracing an old path but using it as a benchmark to explore new territories.

Isn’t it clear that this isn’t some character in a game that can be repeatedly reset but rather the real you?

By the time these thoughts crossed his mind, the edges of his vision, reached their limit, were gradually blurring.

The light from the edge of the distant main road hurt his eyes but also made him unusually relieved, since his belief in herself—no matter how angry she might be—she wouldn’t let a stalker loose in a public place still stood strong.

However, terruk, and…

His misstepped leg wobbly, his upper body lost balance tilting over.

The bad ending reached here… Such idiotic thoughts briefly crossed his mind, but the nightmare that materialized disappeared abruptly just as it had arrived.

“Ugh, what?”

The fierce momentum that was tearing apart heaven and earth nowhere to be found, as the spider legs which had stopped vibrating gently supported the tilting body and gently laid it down on the ground.

Like a ghost disappearing into the shadows of the evening when the night lights started to turn on, it vanished without a trace.

Barely opening his eyelids, before him stood… a cute but sturdy-looking pair of boots.

Above it, a pale and dark tycoon girl who was holding a gaze that was serene and graceful, unlike the baffled blinking he was doing.

On one side, the careful observer stared up, while on the other side the person lying sprawled on the ground was looked down upon with a deep sigh.

“…So, I guess you’ve now come around enough to look at me?”

Silence didn’t last very long.

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

It’s kind of awkward for me to say it, but from time to time, you see people hanging around near alley entrances on the street. It’s an experience most people would have had once in their lives.

It’s not that the people engaging in conversation there are likely to pick fights or harm random individuals. It’s more about the sense of avoiding places where it looks like something bothersome might happen.

Isn’t preventing tiring situations before they arise good for both sides?

So, surrounding the entrance to a narrow alley leading off from a street corner with many droids, blocking the pedestrians’ approaches and line of sight isn’t a cosplay of delinquents but rather my thoughtful consideration, one might say.

If anyone wants to argue… the Slayer Droid hasn’t retreated to its storage compartment yet, right? If you want to go over there and have a conversation, I’m not stopping you. Yes.

…What? What are you looking at? Mr. Kkang.

“Haa…”

I quickly brought my mind, which was about to wander off towards a far-flung joke, back on track.

My head ached not just because I used my abilities in combat not with a sudden burst but continuously and multitasked extensively in a real battle situation. There was the daily exercise I didn’t do, and snacks I couldn’t take time to eat, but I managed to successfully have the presumably Korean friend sit in front of me despite everything.

There’s no room for wasting more limited time and energy on matters that need all my attention.

“Swoosh, gulp.”

But however that might be, it was clearer to see up close than from a distance with various surveillance devices. The man’s condition looked worse than anticipated.

Because of rolling around on the ground and not hesitating to hide in a trash can, his clothes and appearance were remarkably rumpled. The gas mask—already more of a face lid—is rather in shreds rather than just dented.

And yet, he didn’t forget that betting his future on it, the PDA secured to his chest hasn’t been scratched at all, which made me smirk.

Still, there were still points left to verify, or rather, address.

Clang!

“Uah!? Teacher, miss! I’ve done something wrong, can we handle this in conversation…!!”

“Shut up, you idiot moron. Is anyone going to eat you? Stay still. If you keep shouting, you’re really going to get more hurt?”

Unable to get close to my side, 1st unit who was managing the outer perimeter, the ever-attached Zero No. 0 sprouted a blade from its forearm as it approached this one, ready to raise a fuss.

Did someone stab or tear anything?

…No, it’s the tearing part, but only clothes!

Fuuuuuuuk! Don’t you make more unnecessary noise. Unfurling my coat, I carefully split my slightly pink-stained blouse, and the sight of some bandages covering part of the chest and the smell of congealed blood made me frown.

Did your adrenaline get the better of you in a game of tag and fire off a round?

No, it’s not like that.

It wasn’t that I made a mistake and stabbed or pierced him with a splinter, but it must be true that by forcing excessive exercise, I had caused the stitched area to reopen. Probably.

How much was the primary budget he brought into the store? Was it about 150,000 Credits?

This wasn’t a huge amount of money, but for an East Asian man with evidently poor English fluency, the source of this amount was clearly questionable.

Back in the day when I was contemplating ways to earn money, I briefly glossed over the relatively easy method of acquiring initial funds in games.

Folding one’s pride and briefly engaging in one of the oldest professions in human history—essentially selling the body—is the first option.

The second option… isn’t that different either. It is also about selling the body. But in this case, it literally means cutting a part of oneself physically and selling it.

“Hey, you’ve got some guts?”

“Huh… Thank you?”

Perhaps if it really touched me, it would hurt a lot. I hastily withdrew the hand that unconsciously reached towards his flank.

It seemed that he doubted whether I was mocking him or truly amazed, but I was sincerely praising his courage.

Human organs are cheap. Supply from the population is supply, but especially with the introduction of initial recovery drugs and body regeneration technologies into civilian areas through Enema, it has no reason to remain expensive.

Even Paradise, who reigns supreme in Harvest Planet, only considers the pure protein vessel value of outsiders during reclassification as a last resort.

If dangerous tissues were filtered out during an anesthetized state, perhaps they dealt with it by handing out prepaid cards in advance to disgusting but trustworthy “gourmet clubs”?

How long he’s been in this neighborhood is hard for me to discover until he tells me directly.

Did he make such a risky decision, clutching this money, to invest again in the future by deliberately traveling to a refinery circuit?

I would like to embrace him and pat his back for enduring such hardship, but it could only lead to sympathy from some unknown woman. Therefore, if I am to console him…

Slyly.

I carefully withdrew his prepaid card, which was practically all his fortune, from the inner pocket of my coat.

Regardless of how you look at it, this is almost as good as robbing someone while they’re unconscious, yet he seems busy gazing blankly at me, without even trying to resist.

Well… With Zero pressing down indifferently on the other shoulder, it would be hard for him to move, wouldn’t it? Hmm.

After briefly considering the amount and seeing his ragged state again, I quietly linked my account and the card’s magnet, then transferred an appropriate amount of credits neatly.

Savings that are carelessly spent would run out quickly, but this guy is starting from scratch, so it’s appropriate for me, who’s already established, to take care of this.

“1 billion credits, I’ve put it in for you. I won’t ask you to pay it back in a cheap way, so don’t try to sloppily resolve things by just hanging a translator around your neck. Use this to create an ID and install implants to learn English first. Figure out how to use the remaining money to find accommodation or learn some necessary skills!”

“!!”

Behind the gas mask lenses, his barely visible dark eyes seemed to widen.

Ah, I don’t know if I’ll get a reputation for being a sucker for giving a billion credits to a complete stranger. If so, maybe it’s time to give that kid a spanking.

I had scrutinized him carefully during my hastily arranged performance on this stage while engaging in an extended simulation.

But there wouldn’t have been much time for him to scrutinize me. After all, I had him spinning around like a hamster in a wheel, and if he managed to discern anything, I’d commend that too. Honestly.

Thud-thud, I shook off the knees where I had been squatting.

I’d have liked to rip off that grubby gas mask and properly introduce ourselves face-to-face and formally exchange names—but with this messy mask, there’s no way we could…

“…”

My heart throbbed.

The ground below my feet seemed like it could collapse at any moment, trembling.

The surroundings were fading, and it felt as if lightning had struck my head.

A crushing headache followed, indicating that… “It’s not over yet, not yet.”

My free will was half-forced into check.

After an extremely long time, that sense of unpleasantness surged but showing trembling arms might appear weak, so I forcibly restrained it.

I obviously couldn’t show such indications to a negotiation partner I’m not even friends with. Indeed.

Since the funds intended to prevent his death had already been provided, and although his features aren’t clearly seen through his messy mask, the Korean vibe from his eyes when seen up close brought some nostalgia, so let’s leave the rest for later consideration.

Anyway, if this guy is something important, being impeded by the mysterious power of masks suggests that approaching cautiously would be the right choice.

So, I postponed the interrogation. I needed some breathing room to confirm his essence.

…Hmm, but despite undergoing what feels like real combat training, he should be even more drained now compared to when he felt brittle like a skinny tree. Why does he seem oddly energetic?

He’s staring at me persistently.

Is it the money, after all? Unexpected bonuses do often bring renewed energy.

In any case, even if my control has largely slipped…

I wanted to wait a bit until the heart that seemed to have escaped so far calmed down before attempting another approach, but…

A report that the supervisor who was away had started returning made me rethink things.

It’s time to bid farewell for now, in preparation for meeting again in a better setting.

But, I really want to leave an angry remark to this frustrating individual.

Ah, maybe I’ll use a language that he can’t understand or hardly remember to make him ponder deeply.

“So, see you next time? Ты невежественный ублюдок.” (You ignorant bastard.)

Even before hearing any response, avoiding unnecessary eye contact, I turned my body and together with Zero, climbed into the cruise taxi I had waiting ahead…

It closed with a “Teng,” coolly taking my leave from the scene.

Truthfully, all except some drones assigned for surveillance returned smoothly to the warehouse and storage, and only after confirming Zero’s report that Masanari hadn’t noticed his existence upon his almost imperceptible return, could I close my eyes in peace.

After checking everyone’s comings and goings, I turned off the cyberware that had been connected to omnipresent cameras and handed over the baton of duties to Zero.

“Alright, how’s the trace?”

– Civilian Ground-Zero Numbering #1 is functioning normally. We can track him in real-time in areas covered by public networks.

“Great~ If there’s any hint of name changes or transfers, just snatch him back immediately~”

Huh? What’s all this mean?

No matter how carefully I decided to approach, could it possibly be I hadn’t even considered the basic tether—a cough, tracking methods?

Uncle Hemet truly proved his worth in judgment and conduct as an agent. I had actually intended to subtly implant spyware while giving him the settlement support fund (?), but it turns out he “took care” of it by being the landmark first recipient of a virus I scattered.

So the issue became quite simple.

There’s no rush; let’s gradually fill in the gaps. His different expressions or demeanor when he looked at me will become clearer as I understand him more.

“Uuung…♪”

I stretched out contentedly, reflecting on what turned out to be a perfect day.

Virus cleanup, handled. Unwanted Elysium salesmen, politely seen off.

And, not least, an irreplaceable comrade for the future gained as a somewhat belated—or overly late—Christmas gift. If that doesn’t make me happy, then I must be certifiably insane. Yeah, that’s how it is.

…And as the old saying goes, the higher you rise, the harder the fall.

When the truly, truly tragic news came, I couldn’t help but clutch the back of my neck.

In short, this damn guy not only swindled the money but planned his disappearance meticulously.

What about a simple thank-you and an explanation of how it was well spent?

How could he execute this disappearance so cleanly and efficiently as if he already knew every way I would try to pursue him?!

Arrrrggghhhh!!!