ch41

“…Are you all doing well? I’m Anastasia Valentine, a cyber engineer affiliated with the combat police checkpoint security unit.

I hesitate to ask this, but… Have you ever heard the saying that when you’re building your career, time is always too short, but conversely, when you’re actually working, time drags on forever…?

Even though this position was obtained by scheming against an executive of Paradise, the Mega Corp that is essentially the leader and representative of this city.

I feel sorry for the countless people who desperately wanted this job… but I already want to go home… Yes.

…How long has it been since I started work that I’m already saying this?

“Asha…? Are your legs giving out again?”

“…No.”

Helena saw me slumped on the parked motorcycle and approached, so I quickly waved my hands and took off the helmet I was wearing, hanging it on the empty handle opposite her helmet.

Ah… I’m dizzy. I miss the sofa….

I’m already breathless just entering the employee parking lot, let alone the actual workplace.

My reckless gamble during the interview paid off, securing my safety and even getting assigned to the same team as Helena and Anne. Adjusting my lifestyle to avoid being carried around like unwanted baggage… also successful.

…But it’s troubling because I’m not planning to transfer to another company based on my hard work here. Moreover, my knowledge of combat police is… extremely limited.

When playing Neo Haven, there was no way for players to experience being a police officer except for disguising as part of a quest, so it’s only natural.

…I don’t know. Helena is the team leader and Anne is my engineering mentor, so I’ll probably adapt somehow.

Feel the fear of a parachute hire who hasn’t completed any job training, you corporate stooges…!

“Remember, you can never call each other by your real names inside, right?”

“Ah, I remember that… but I’ve never joined a secret society or the National Intelligence Service….”

“…I don’t know what the National Intelligence Service does, but be careful anyway.”

This is something I learned directly from Helena after passing the interview.

I naturally assumed that we only hid our occupations from ordinary citizens… but they apparently conceal their identities even from each other while working. She said that only Anne and I know her true identity, even though she’s the team leader.

Even if we happen to run into each other without disguises on the way to or from work, it’s considered polite not to acknowledge each other.

Then, does that mean superiors and work teams can’t even distinguish each other? But she said that we would naturally find out once we received visors with identification devices attached.

…The mercenary industry was desperate to make a name for themselves, even creating nicknames, but is this some kind of extreme comparison experience?

Tap… tap….

Echoing empty footsteps, I headed towards the elevator installed across the spacious underground parking lot.

I thought it was wasteful, unlike a company obsessed with efficiency and expense management, but then I remembered that this place is the boundary between the inside and outside of the city. Land is free, so they must have expanded it first…

“…Huh?”

I followed Helena, who was leading the way without hesitation, and got into the elevator… but for some reason, the buttons inside were marked with various letters instead of numbers indicating the floors.

Why is it like this when there are only five buttons besides the open and close buttons?

HQ… I know what that is, but what about B? Isn’t B underground…? But it seems like we’re on the P floor….

I saw hotels marking the first floor as L – Lobby – not too long ago, but is marking all floors with abbreviations like this also due to security issues?

Noticing my expression, as I was busy marveling at the company’s meticulousness in even these minor details, despite clearly being a public institution in terms of classification, she explained as if embarrassed.

“Well… if it’s simply written as numbers, there’s no way to know who has permission and who doesn’t, and there are team members who try to enter without authorization, so it was extensively replaced during a large-scale construction project a few years ago.”

“…What strange employee benefits.”

Helena continued to explain to me, who was trying to dismiss it as a bizarre corporate-style act of kindness.

“…The higher-ups and us alike dislike unexpected permanent attrition. …Yeah.”

“Permanent attrition…? …Ah?!”

…This is crazy! I wish they had told me more clearly that there were police officers who were shot and killed while exploring the workplace. I don’t think this is a matter to be glossed over with an awkward smile.

While the elevator went from the P floor to the B floor and we headed to the locker room after getting off on the B floor, I briefly heard the meanings of the mysterious buttons.

From the top, HQ is the company’s Headquarters, B is the Barracks Floor, M is the Medical Floor, and P is simply the parking area.

“…Huh? Then there’s one floor left, right?”

“The lowest floor, HA, is the Heavy Armory, which is only accessible when the gate is under attack, so be careful, Asha. …Well, now the elevator won’t even move to the HQ and HA floors without permission, so it’s okay. Now, hold out your hand.”

“Ugh…?!”

Police equipment was piled up on my outstretched arm.

Starting with military boots, then a uniform that doubles as riot gear… a baton… a taser gun…? At least they seem to understand the concept of incapacitation very well since they’re police.

Click….

“Oh….”

Finally, I was reliably given the long-awaited visor, which is like a symbol.

…I briefly wondered how they managed to get the supply sizes right, but then I remembered that I was dragged around to various stores by Helena….

…Let’s stop thinking about it. I can feel my stamina and mental strength decreasing in real-time just by imagining it.

Humming, with a somewhat pleased expression.

I quickly turned my gaze away from her, who had started changing clothes as if she was looking forward to my monumental first day of work with her. I thought I had gotten somewhat used to it while living together, but it was still too stimulating for me.

I organized the clothes I was wearing in the assigned locker and put my limbs into the supplies, which still had a slightly stiff, brand-new feel.

And… before putting my head in, I stared blankly at the entrance of the dark police helmet for the last time.

…A system where the individual disappears and only the collective remains during work hours, the official name of the barracks area.

I don’t know if the day will ever come when Helena and Anne will recognize this heavy heart that made a decision almost equivalent to re-enlistment. …Oh well!

• Weekday Shift 3, Cyber Engineer Anastasia Valentine. On-time arrival confirmed. –

I forcibly shook off the bitter memories that most Korean men have and put on all the equipment. Then, as if sensing my bio-signals, the visor turned on with a dry voice announcement.

“……”

To think that the first thing that appears as soon as it boots up is attendance information… that’s really amazing.

Looking at the mirror attached to the locker, the identification code ‘DS3-CE2’ is displayed inside the visor.

…Day Shift, Cyber Engineer… I like that it’s easy to understand.

Turning my head to look at Helena, who had already finished fully arming herself, ‘DS3-1’ appeared, and the other police officer who came in after her… ‘DS3-CE1’?

“Ah…! My sister! You really came…!!”

“…Hello, senior officer. I look forward to your guidance….”

“!! Of course, junior officer…! I’ll teach you everything step by step…!”

It was clearly a heartwarming scene, but the dark appearance and automatically altered voice combined with Anne’s fluffy tone created a truly otherworldly spectacle.

Helena, who knew what was inside, was simply satisfied with the harmony between her one and only best friend and her one and only sister, and was watching with her arms crossed.

“Then first… let’s start with the work rules…”

• Vehicle collision accident at Gate 3, combat personnel from Early Morning Shift 3 and Weekday Shift 3 on standby for shift change are to respond immediately. –

The team leader’s words were abruptly cut off by an emergency communication that struck our ears without warning.

Not only did it interrupt the flow… but no one could be happy if a situation occurred that was tiring just to hear about.

“…We’ll have the number 1 engineer over there kindly explain the work rules instead.”

Squeak…!

Helena’s body turned sharply and moved away from the locker room with a chilling thud. Anne put her hand on my shoulder as if to say not to worry and nodded.

…But surely the communication didn’t specifically designate anyone, but called all the standby personnel of Shift 3…?

“Shouldn’t we be going too, senior officer…?”

“Huh? We’re technical staff, so we don’t have combat personnel calls or routine security duties until a support request comes in?”

……Could it be! Was the cyber engineer… an administrative soldier…?

“…Then who is the entity that makes that support request?”

“The command or… the Shift 3 team leader…? Ah! I’ll send you the related work rules.”

My head is spinning from the aura of the best job in the world.

Even if this is an area where the legal system is overturned, this won’t be forgiven… but with the idea that I can invest all my free time in upcoming threat investigations, I opened the file sent by Anne.

[Police Work Rule Article 1, Paragraph 11: Imposing disciplinary action for operating private Cyberware and accessing the network using Implants during work hours.]

“Ah.”

These cruel corporate bastards.