ch29

Some might say it was just bad luck, to resign themselves to fate.

No, perhaps their luck had run out, having risen from nothing to become top-tier mercenaries capable of securing commissions from Mega Corps at a young age.

But if there’s one thing the 21st century I lived in and this desolate 22nd century have in common, it’s that some lives are more equal and more valuable than others. It’s too late to turn a blind eye now; I’ve already noticed their light, their potential.

…So, this time, I’ll share my luck. Just a little bit.

“Asha, sis…?!”

The strained voice reached my ears, but I ignored it.

In this situation, the only one with the power to decide is the one holding the gun.

“You seem pretty concerned about the deadweight team…”

“…Concerned? I just met these guys today. So switching sides isn’t exactly difficult.”

He glared at the three fallen figures as if he were about to open fire, so I tightened my grip on the trigger as well.

It was practically exposing a vulnerable weak point, but the same went for the enemies.

Now that things had escalated, the fire was under our feet, and the conflict deepened with each passing moment. Look, even the other mercenaries who had been silently following the leader’s orders were starting to get anxious, murmuring about my offer.

I have to take them no matter what. No, I should call it off now and stick with Paradise.

Hide the EMP bomb first. Things usually fail when they get too complicated…

“Shut your mouths! You stupid bastards…!!”

Clang…!

He roared fiercely and slammed the night vision goggles he was wearing onto the ground.

Rough skin with beads of sweat, bloodshot eyes, and an Adam’s apple constantly moving as if his mouth was parched. Now he’s finally wearing an expression befitting a piece of trash with no basic credibility or skill.

“…You smart-ass bitch…! We don’t even know if there’s any real data left in that doll-like head of yours, so why should we take the risk of keeping witnesses alive?!”

“……”

My brow furrows.

Strictly speaking, it’s true that the data isn’t in my head since it’s stored in the Implant’s storage space… but that’s not the point right now. What they’re afraid of is uncertainty. And to cover that up, I need to give them certainty right away, or…

…Like that clever Enama did, dangle a big, beautiful bait right in front of their eyes.

“What are you doing…?”

“…Anyone have a holographic scanner or a tactical scanner, or even eyes with a scanning function? Check my citizen ID first.”

I slowly extend my arm, inserting the barcode forward.

Manipulating the Cyberware, I call up the data buried beneath the surface and make it accessible.

One of them, following the suspicious leader’s gesture, reads my citizen ID information… and freezes like a stone.

“……”

“…Hey, say something! We don’t have time… “Blue rank! Affiliated with Enama!” …Huh?”

All eyes are on me. An incredible coincidence feels like an inevitability in a desperate situation.

So, being an insider hidden in the most important recovery team gives me some credibility?

“Anastasia Makarovich, Senior Researcher at the Enama Corporation’s Delta Research Lab. …I don’t know which department hired you guys, but shouldn’t we be leaving soon?”

“Ugh…!”

Even though the leader didn’t give the order, the gun barrels that had been densely aimed at the group are raised upwards.

From the moment this worked, I was riding a tiger’s back. If I were to encounter a real Enama employee, I, the only survivor of the research lab, would probably be detained and subjected to a barrage of questions and investigations.

If my history as a test subject is revealed in the process, it’s game over.

…So what?

‘…You’ve worked hard. Just hang in there a little longer.’

I subtly turn my head and give my own farewell to the foolish trio.

I withdraw the now meaningless suicide threat. With a 180-degree change in attitude, I grab the hand that’s politely extended instead of a gun barrel and exit the hatch.

…You shallow bastards.

Clunk…! Thud…!!

Squeak… Squeak…

Whether it was a special measure for the recovery team, the chains and syringe guns embedded in the floor are neatly organized into the box.

It’s ridiculous how they’re excitedly packing and preparing, genuinely believing that a rosy future awaits them.

I’d rather trust Paradise or ExaTech, which have a larger proportion of their business in the light, but thinking about it, Enama was also a Mega Corp in the medical services sector on the surface. Sigh…

And so, thinking that the threat had disappeared, I… let my guard down too much.

“Researcher…? But why did you tell us to save them…?”

“……Unfortunate incidents due to a lack of information sharing are unavoidable, but I don’t really feel like deliberately killing the mercenaries I hired.”

I was momentarily speechless, but I managed to come up with a decent excuse. Or, at least, I thought I did.

However… the leader of the mercenaries, feeling uneasy or suspicious about the already messed-up plan, couldn’t tolerate any loose ends.

“…I guess it’s no good after all.”

Whack…!!

“Keuh?!”

A burning sensation and my insides twisting at the same time. I lowered my head, thinking I’d been shot, but it was the mercenary’s fist that was embedded in my stomach. This bastard really is going all the way…!

“Boss?!”

“…Kill the Daredevil team. Whether this… bitch is telling the truth or not, the fewer people who know about our little deviation, the better. Let’s retreat quickly…!”

My feet leave the ground, and my body is slung over the guy’s shoulder.

I can’t… I can’t breathe. My head screams that I need to draw my gun right away, but my arms won’t listen. I want to tell them to run somehow, those who will be left in the cold, dark tunnel, but no sound comes out.

I tried to send electricity through the areas in contact, but… it was too weak. I didn’t want to find out this way that my physical condition could affect the output of my abilities.

…It’s blocked. Even if I have remaining cards, they will be executed before I can play them.

Tears of resignation trickle down my cheeks.

…And since ancient times, the heroine’s tears have been the most powerful weapon to summon salvation.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

The mercenaries’ heads snap around at the sound of footsteps echoing from the stairs, not the stairs towards the hatch, but the building’s stairs.

The number is only one. But if the owner of the footsteps was a combatant dispatched from Paradise after seeing the abnormal situation, the outcome couldn’t be guaranteed.

Having lost the high ground advantage, the guys are on high alert, guarding their rear.

After a moment of tension… the turncoats, having confirmed the identity of the intruder, let out a sigh of relief.

“Ha… I was wondering what the hell it was…!”

“…Were you scared too?”

“…There was an order to narrow the control lines and pinpoint the location of the unauthorized electromagnetic pulse. Is there anything else you need assistance with?”

What appeared was a mere combat police officer. A societal lackey who was easy to silence or coax, being alone.

Moreover, since they were still ostensibly carrying out Paradise’s mission, there were plenty of prepared excuses.

“…There was nothing going on here. Except for a few pieces of trash from the Yellow Sector who are still alive down there. Oh, and this woman isn’t a civilian, she’s a mercenary on our team. She’s badly injured, so we need to get her out of here quickly.”

“I see… a mercenary affiliated with your team…”

The police officer nodded as if he completely understood.

The mercenary seemed to take it for granted that he had agreed with his words… but I somehow felt like I had made eye contact with the police officer through the dark visor.

…I want to ask for help if I could. But would it really be right to create unnecessary victims… While I was agonizing over it, the shield covering his mouth slightly lifted.

The police officer’s lips, much prettier than I had imagined, like cherries, moved slightly.

Close… your… eyes…?

Swish—!!

“……?”

Without any particular warning or announcement, a head flew into the sky. The other heads, which were blankly staring at who it was, soon followed the leader.

Only then did they recognize the attack, and the light turned to reveal a long, curved blade. The katana’s edge gleamed.

I thought he was carrying some kind of long, curved riot control baton, but it was a scabbard…?

“You son of a bitch!!”

“I’m screwed… Keuk?!”

There was no hesitation at all. The prosecutor, who had defined everything that moved as the enemy, became a whirlwind.

Is this what a wolf unleashed among sheep would be like?

The swung katana blows away the arm that tries to block it. It’s embedded in the abdomen, and as if the time to pull it out is too precious, it cuts through the side and comes out.

“Keuk…!”

Ta-ta-ta-ta-tang—!!

Swish…! Clang!!

One of them falls with his finger on the trigger, throwing the formation into chaos.

He slides forward, using a headless corpse as a shield. Even though his vision must be a mess, it’s extraordinary how he deflects the bullets flying through the gaps.

…A ballistic shield dropped by the dead guys?

Bang!! Crack!!

“?!”

He was even busy kicking that to use it as a weapon.

The mercenary who was fumbling with the shield embedded diagonally in his chest… soon fell silent.

It’s definitely not something to say after seeing a serial murder scene, but her dance was beautiful.

The fierce skill and judgment were just part of the process; the real thing was her courage.

It’s a police officer’s natural duty to subdue(…) criminals, but I couldn’t understand how she was so sure, why she was so passionate.

“Ggrk… Grrr…”

Thud…!

The last enemy falls, clutching his neck.

It might have been good when forming a siege to deal with the recovery team, but they probably never imagined that such a crazy police officer would fall on their heads. I hope they regret it in hell.

“…Thank you for your help.”

“……”

As I thanked the police officer who had approached me while I was still rubbing my sore stomach and the butt I had bumped while falling, she, who had been quietly observing me, offered a very generous and important proposal.

“…Should I call an ambulance for you?”

“!! Yes! Please do…!!”

Clunk…! The back door of the transport vehicle, which looked very burdensome, closed.

The dispatched hospital staff, exhausted from moving the three critically ill patients, swayed as they boarded the vehicle. …Please don’t cause an accident on the way.

When I turned my head, Brightside Avenue, which was much brighter than before the EMP bomb went off, came into view.

…Why? The first reason is that even though the interior lights of the buildings were all out, the large lights attached to the turrets were all turned on. And the second reason is…

“Well, now that your precious mercenaries have survived… are you feeling a little more willing to submit the data? Ivory the Hacker?”

“……”

The man’s smiling, slit eyes, without a single wrinkle, evoked terror.

The light filling the road came from the combat robots and Paradise’s direct unit scattered everywhere. This man had brought all of them with him. Seeing that he even brought an AnDroid that was so similar to a human that it was hard to distinguish, he was clearly a pretty high-ranking figure… I didn’t remember seeing him in the game.

…Well, Paradise’s headquarters was here on Harvest Planet, so the only characters that appeared in the game were the branch’s characters and the chairman.

“……Hoo?”

The newly delivered memory card is submitted after transferring Dusk’s data, accurate to the last detail, and the documented testimonies of the defectors exactly as they are.

The man wore an intrigued expression, as if my smooth work was visible to the eye.

From rescuing the injured to paying the betrayed mercenaries their dues without being swindled. I generously accommodated his coercion using the drug data as collateral and completed my duty without further delay, but perhaps revealing my abilities to such a dangerous individual was a mistake.

“The intelligence you deliberately sent, and all… you possess a remarkably valuable talent…? How about it! Would you consider working for Paradise Corp?”

“…I’m sorry, but I’m not intere…!”

Thwack!

Before I could even finish my refusal, a business card was forcibly pressed into the hand that had offered the card. Insisting on business cards in this day and age certainly evoked a nostalgic feeling.

[A heavenly workplace! A workplace like heaven!! Aaron Dreyfuss, Head of Strategic Planning at Paradise, will make it happen! ]

“…What the hell.”

“It’s quite a valuable item, you know? Once you register the disposable contact information on the back, please be sure to burn it?”

Apart from the bizarre promotional slogan, he was clearly no ordinary figure.

As the Head of Strategic Planning at the headquarters of one of the top 5 Mega Corps, he was practically in one of the highest positions an employee without royal blood could attain.

…I’m lucky he took my impudence favorably; I almost died after barely surviving.

“Ah, thank you… you…?”

“…”

One of the top five most powerful people in this city departs.

A hand reached out from the side to support me as my legs gave way, threatening to make me collapse onto the road.

An unusually kind, strong, and trustworthy combat policewoman. I can’t thank her enough.

However, her hand movements became strange as she realized we were the only two left around.

“?????”

Pat pat. Squish squish. Rub rub.

Fingers through thick gloves tap my forehead, pinch my cheeks, and ruffle my hair.

As she’s the benefactor who saved my life and future plans simultaneously, I don’t particularly feel like resisting, but isn’t this a bit too friendly…?

After playing with me like that for a while, she left incomprehensible words in my ear and lightly returned to the group of police officers.

“…No, I can’t. He’s too defenseless to be left alone. …This older sister will come to pick you up as soon as I finish work, okay…?”

“…Huh? Huh??”

Out of the frying pan, into the fire; from a pervert to a hardcore pervert. The unknown threat had only just begun.

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

Horatio, who had been lying quietly in the swaying car, opened his mouth.

“…Hey. Has anyone ever risked their life for guys like us before?”

“First time, isn’t it…?”

“…This is driving me crazy. My heart feels like it’s going to explode…!”

He moved his stiff arm and covered his teary eyes.

“So… our team’s hacker is going to beg the older sister, is that the decision?”

“…No, only after we become worthy of her!”

Whether his body ached or not, Omen offered a quiet word of advice to the two who were giggling wildly.

“…She’s a woman with many secrets. You definitely won’t be able to handle it.”

“I only want Asha noona now… are you against it?”

“…That’s the best decision you’ve made in your entire life.”

This time, all three of them laughed.