ch46

Tick… tick-tick… tick….

Sand grains hit the helmet intermittently with the wind, scratching at my nerves.

Those who were initially annoyed also seemed to sense something unusual upon arriving at the accident site and confirming the reality, becoming busy guarding their surroundings with stiff expressions.

“…Engineer? Has the cause of the accident been identified?”

“…It seems the vehicle is old and the automatic navigation system malfunctioned.”

This is 100% certain information.

I deliberately accompanied them to the site, personally got into the driver’s seat, and checked the vehicle’s navigation system several times.

An order was entered to travel to a settlement located four hours away from the Harvest Planet gate. It’s just that the worn-out sensor flickered, failing to properly distinguish between the sand-covered road and the edge, causing it to crash.

Then… what is the uncertain information that made the police nervous?

They finished searching the surroundings and the cargo hold and reported to Helena.

“…No footprints or traces, nothing at all.”

“Are you sure you were watching the live feed? Not a slightly older recording?”

“……”

A flustered Helena asks about the beginning of the incident again.

It was clear as day, even to a fool, that the entire group was eagerly awaiting my answer, but… it was difficult to open my mouth easily.

The trailer is lying here as seen in the video. But where did those illegal immigrants who were on board disappear to?

There are no bloodstains, no signs of escape, and no footprints left other than the way we came.

If they were capable enough to disguise their destination and escape in such a short time, even without a sandstorm, they wouldn’t have been caught during entry in the first place.

If those many people didn’t fly into thin air, it would be right to see it as a kind of happening where a rookie engineer with only a month of experience caused a rollover accident due to clumsy operation, which we belatedly witnessed.

But even if I was mistaken about the time.

It’s difficult to logically explain how a large trailer could roll down a slope in a major accident without a single drop of blood.

This is… yes, it’s as if it was an empty vehicle from the beginning….

“…Team leader? Why don’t we stop here and leave?”

“But there’s still the investigation of survivors and the cause of the accident….”

“…That’s why I’m saying we should stop!”

The surroundings fell silent at the sudden outburst.

It wasn’t just me who had reached a chilling conclusion; even the police, who rarely argued with her opinion, were speaking up.

When you spend your free time wandering around various communities on the network, you often find a flood of urban legends filled with hunches rather than truly useful information.

Of course, that’s more so because if there were real evidence, it wouldn’t end as a simple urban legend… but eyewitness accounts of strange phenomena and conspiracy theories about corporations are the mainstream.

And these creepypasta-like anecdotes always come with the same advice.

‘If you’ve enjoyed all the entertainment, just go back the way you came. Don’t try to know too much.’

Even if the motive was pure curiosity or a sense of responsibility, if you reach out to touch the monster under the bed… and actually drag out its true form.

…There’s no guarantee that your sleeve or fingers will all come back safely when you retract your arm.

“I’m sorry! I think I was mistaken.”

As soon as I judged that there would be no progress even if I lingered here, I quickly bowed my head. It was obvious that the situation wouldn’t be resolved even if low-ranking people like us bickered, so it seemed better to provide a reason to retreat.

Helena, who reluctantly got in the car thanks to my consideration, agreed with a very uneasy tone.

“…If that’s the case.”

I understand. Even I, who was hiding in the back room and caught the illegal immigrants, am so disturbed that they all vanished, so how much more troubled must she be, who directly brought those people here?

This is… going to be quite nerve-wracking not only on the way home but also after arriving.

First, let’s check whether I made a stupid mistake or not.

Clang, clang, clang…!!

While the others were dusting off, I quickly crossed the checkpoint and burst open the door to the control room inside.

I stuck to the control panel and replayed the recorded video several times.

From the time of the recording to the moment the vehicle crashed, I carefully checked to see if anyone had slipped out while we were running, but I only reaffirmed that I wasn’t mistaken.

In the end, there were no meaningful gains.

“…What the hell is going on!”

Frustrated, I spun the chair I was sitting on.

If I could at least find out about the illegal immigrant investigation and deportation status, which the command would have directly overseen, I could at least grasp the outline of what happened….

“Huh…?”

Did I leave it there earlier? Or did Anne come back for a moment?

I was so focused on the camera that my memory of the surroundings is a bit vague. However, her terminal on the corner table is now catching my eye.

“……”

…I’m very sorry to Anne, but I hope she understands that this isn’t an act of impure privacy invasion, but rather a temporary borrowing of her authority.

This much can be laughed off in an emergency situation where the whereabouts of dozens of people are unknown. It would be even better if she never found out.

Until Helena, who has tidied up her clothes, arrives…! Having decided to roughly skim through it, I moved stealthily, with no one watching, and snatched the terminal with a good grip.

With the heart of a surgeon performing an operation, I carefully send a signal.

Even if it gets locked after a reckless attempt, I can still break through it, but since Anne is also an excellent cyber engineer, I wanted to avoid leaving any strange records.

…But why is the security system so thorough on a holographic pad bought from outside, not even a supplied item?!

The security system manifested in my mind looked like a bomb about to explode at any moment. A ticking time bomb that had already started its countdown from the moment I tried to connect.

User ID. In a hurry, I scrape Anne’s records left in the control room access log and piece them together.

Password? I retrieve the most recently entered value and gradually decrypt the encrypted data.

As if thoroughly neutralizing the enemy, I turned the explosive that blocked my entry this way and that, disarming it.

Each time the correct value was entered, colorful wires were cut and the filled gunpowder scattered.

Connection successful…!

“…Let’s see, command… HQ….”

I didn’t even dare to browse through the enormous number of books—data.

All I need is the intention of the higher-ups and that information.

The books, carefully selected and arranged according to my will, flew in and unfolded one by one.

Wow… there’s a black box on the HQ floor that can only be accessed via wired connection due to security issues? I’ll have to seize the opportunity well….

Paradise Company’s collection unit is permanently stationed at the command? …That’s brutal.

“…?”

What is this message?

[ Until the Recommercialization project is completed, the disposition of all unattached persons and illegal immigrants apprehended at the gate will be changed from deportation to detention. ]

“Recommercialization project…?”

Just thinking about it, even saying it out loud, is disgustingly unpleasant.

I think it’s a really bad sign when you feel something is wrong just from the nuance.

Scanning the recipient list of the message, it’s a public document sent to all personnel with command access, a small number of police, and the collection unit.

Still, I found out that the missing people are being held somewhere in the gate, so I can say that I achieved my goal. I should read this last thing and organize it before disconnecting.

[ As the recent shipment volume has increased, the need for meticulous system maintenance and security maintenance……. ]

“Asha? Isn’t that my terminal…?”

“Wah?!”

I jumped in place at the sudden, heavy modulated voice ringing in my ears.

At the same time, the terminal slipped from my grasp, spinning in the air before landing in Helena’s hand and being handed over to Anne.

She was going to check the camera records again, but why is she messing with other people’s things without permission… I could feel her frustration even through the riot gear.

“No, that… I…! I was wondering if I should get something like this if I were to buy a terminal too…….”

“Hmm… is that so?”

Anne glanced at the lock status of the returned terminal to confirm that it was intact and let it go without saying anything.

Or maybe she was just forced to be generous because she was too busy with the remaining business trip.

“So, did you find the people? Did they safely escape from the accident site?”

“Of course……?”

…It seems Helena doesn’t know anything about the suspicious official document, which creates a problem here.

Did Anne simply forget about it, or did she remember it and not tell Helena?

Without organizing my confused inner thoughts, I aimlessly stared at Anne’s back as she left.

…I wish my bad premonitions would be wrong sometimes.