ch59

“Uh… um… the bleeding has stopped for now, though.”

Her chest was rising and falling rhythmically, and her moans had almost disappeared.

I was briefly happy about Helena’s dramatically improved condition, but no matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t understand why this had happened.

Even when I checked the time again, our consciousnesses had only been in contact for less than a minute.

Yet all the bleeding points, which I could count on both hands, were covered with hardened blood, and scabs had already formed to prevent further blood loss.

Even in the case of her thigh, where a bullet was lodged shallowly, the flesh was regenerating in real-time, pushing out the foreign object and busily healing itself.

We could say that we had overcome the immediate crisis, but we still had the hurdle of escaping to the surface.

Besides, even though the result was good, it felt like the price we paid was not insignificant…?

“I’m a little dizzy…”

I stretched out my trembling legs comfortably and collapsed backward.

Did I mention that the condition for dying from blood loss is losing a certain percentage of blood, not just a certain amount? The thought that I might become the first idiot to die from a nosebleed made me raise my visor and inhale some fresh air….

“Hiss… Cough?! Cough, cough! Ugh!!”

…I hurriedly closed it again because of the disgusting burnt smell that I couldn’t believe was from this world, but anyway.

A creeping dizziness and headache. On top of that, I’m embarrassed to say, a debilitating feeling of weakness due to extreme hunger.

Considering the side effects, which were worse than some Abyss Dives, and the fact that I had directly collided with Helena’s consciousness, I came to the conclusion that trying to connect to the mechanical parts in the human body is fucking dangerous.

I don’t know if there will be a next time, but it’s best to be as careful as possible.

• Operation temporarily suspended…! Strong energy fluctuations and power outages have been observed. …Police forces are to enter the underground instead of the retreating Levy unit to assess the situation. –

“…It’s a complete mess!”

While I was searching for a suitable escape route based on the incoming information, a hurried order rang in my ears.

I was lucky to still be affiliated with the police, but now there was really no room for hesitation.

They realized that something had gone terribly wrong and were trying to test the waters with those who had less to lose… There was little chance of creating variables by actively using my still valid identity.

I was able to learn this firsthand while doing the corporation’s dirty work.

Because the police hide their identities from each other not just for privacy reasons.

In case. It’s a very low probability, but if the guard dog no longer obeys orders, like now.

The system and norm were created to weaken the sense of camaraderie simply by turning off the employee’s identification device and assigning a new numbering, even if they had lived and worked together.

It could also be said to be an effective system that removes even the sense of camaraderie from those who are just pretending to be tough thugs but have not become complete villains.

But if those I had become somewhat familiar with while working appeared as enemies, I would have no choice but to respond, so I had to retreat with Helena for now.

There were two directions I could choose from.

Either take refuge deep in the place filled with broken machines, or go near Elevator 3, which Anne had wrecked so that no one could come down.

“Helena? Can you move…? No, sorry!! Don’t actually try to get up! Just try to take some of the weight off!”

“Ugh!! …It’s okay, I feel strangely nostalgic and… I feel a little better because I had a warm dream…!!”

The lead slugs and lost blood remaining in her body were clearly still there. I calmed her down as she desperately scraped the floor at my words to move.

Creak! Eeeek.

I put my hands under her armpits and walked backward, retracing the path we had come.

Judging by the intermittent lightening of the weight and the sound of shoes scraping, I could tell that Helena was trying to reduce my burden by pushing off the ground in her own way.

The plan I came up with in desperation was this.

If the police were coming down anyway, I would wait for the entering forces to get a little mixed up and then slip out naturally.

Helena’s revoked identification number could be replaced with the engineer code that had become vacant.

Of course, the problem with this disguise was that it would fall apart the moment someone double-checked via communication, or if we ran into the DS3 day shift crew who knew that no engineer had come down with them. But it was worth a try, whether it worked or not.

I just had to avoid being shot on sight by any means possible.

“So, if anyone asks, you have to answer DS3-CE1 without hesitation, even if it’s annoying? Got it?”

“It’s a little… very ironic.”

I tried to ignore the answer filled with reluctance.

It’s not like I brought up a sensitive issue that I had barely buried as a joke. I just decided that I would use anything that could be used effectively.

The bearded man who had been lying there with his mouth open came into view.

I didn’t know what this guy did, but since he was the man Helena had been dragging around, I figured he might be useful, so I took a seat next to him.

“Heave-ho! Is there anything uncomfortable…? Come to think of it, there would be too many. That was a stupid question.”

“…Just you wait.”

I slowly laid down Helena, who had difficulty moving on her own, and I, the caregiver, sat down at her bedside.

Helena complained as if she didn’t like being cared for unilaterally, but what to do? I knew that she wouldn’t be able to stay on Harvest Planet anymore!

“Later or whatever. How are you going to live in the future after crashing into a secret facility in Paradise? As for a new identity… let’s just say Grandpa and I will try our best.”

I kept the silly thoughts safely in my head.

Even though I deleted the exposed data as much as possible, I was curious about her future, as she was bound to become a wanted person here.

To be exact, I wanted to see how the ripple I had interfered with had affected Helena’s path.

“…I don’t know. I just didn’t want to be here anymore, so I was originally going to hide out in some settlement.”

“You were…?”

I swallowed hard at Helena’s attitude of hesitating and pondering something.

If her emotional wounds were too deep and she wanted to live as a recluse, I had no basis to persuade her.

…Of course, I didn’t deserve to either.

I just hoped that she wouldn’t make a decision that deviated too much from the original story and waited for her to continue, but the person who had thrown a stone into my heart stared at me for a long time before opening her mouth.

“Someone told me? That there are no saints in the world, so live as you please.”

No, that was just to cheer you up!

I was about to tell her that a young superhuman with a bright future shouldn’t be making retirement plans already when she continued.

“So… I’m going to go to a bigger city, Neo Haven, and become a mercenary like someone else. …Who knows? Maybe I’ll meet a hacker who calls an ambulance for a fallen teammate?”

“……Huh?”

Even though I had a significant negative impact on the process and the reason, Helena chose that place as if by fate.

Neo Haven, Emerald City. The place where all the currents converge and the predicted power struggles begin. Moreover, the job she was interested in was a mercenary.

Whether it was the result of my efforts so far, or the end of my worries and missteps was quite futile if it was the same as the original story. But somehow, the bright atmosphere in her tone brought a sense of pride and a faint light that was hard to explain.

“Hey, you there! DS3 engineers! What are the control room ghosts doing here?”

“?!”

It seemed that the light was the illumination of the police who had found us.

The gun barrels that were thrust out as if to stab us were withdrawn, and a group of people cautiously approached.

They belonged to DS2, the 2nd Gate crew. We had passed each other a few times in the common area, but we weren’t close enough to chat with.

It was better this way. It would be harder to get caught in a lie if we just exchanged brief business.

“They’re still alive, but they were injured because they encountered the intruder first…. But we secured the hostage here!”

“What? …It’s true. Command! We found the research personnel who were said to be dead or alive. Describe the shape of the beard, what the hell is that! …No, it seems to match roughly. We’ll take them back!”

I mixed about 90 percent truth with 10 percent lies, and I had kindly prepared the credit to give away, so it would be polite to fall for it.

…But damn it, how can you be so shameless as to take only the man away after seeing with your own eyes that a fellow police officer was injured? You’re such bad guys?!

“I’m sorry. If you just let us accompany you, we’ll head to the medical area on our own.”

I made a reasonable request to the leader of DS2, who was watching his crew member walk over and pick up the unconscious man.

I was worried about how to move Helena, but getting out of here was the top priority, so I maintained a polite attitude.

However, I wasn’t the only one who could try deception tactics.

Click!

“What, wait a minute!!”

A gun barrel was suddenly stuck to the side of my head, near my ear.

Even though it was touching over the visor, the chilling sensation made my spine tingle, and it was such a direct threat that I forgot all the excuses and pretexts I had prepared.

“Sorry, but I just met the DS3 guys right in front of here? But they didn’t say a word about coming with an engineer…. I’ve already contacted them to come quickly, so wait for them, buddy.”

“……”

It seemed that when you’re unlucky, you fall backward and break your nose.

Helena was about to get up and fight again at the sign that her foolish younger brother’s trump card had been blocked.

In her case, a rifle was pressing down on her forehead, but she didn’t care at all and even tried to lift her head to push it away, which was much more spirited than when she was dying.

Please, Helena! Please, just a little, let me negotiate with Dreyfus!

It seemed that making a fuss in a situation where suspicion had already been ignited would only lighten the trigger, so I anxiously opened my contacts.

And just before I pressed the ominous golden number that I had buried at the very bottom, my former colleagues arrived.

“…Our engineers are here?”

From DS3’s number 1 to number 4. Although it was almost a ruin, there was resistance to deploying all those who originally didn’t even know about this place, so they appeared as a small squad.

In this case, it would be clear insubordination, overreach, and if you had any sense, even unauthorized intrusion, so it wouldn’t be strange to die right away.

There was no choice.

Rather than vaguely resisting and getting into real trouble, it was better to surrender completely now….

“Ah, that’s great! I was worried because we got separated along the way, so I’m glad I found you.”

“”What…?””

Everyone around was embarrassed by the plausible tone that even a passing Levy unit would believe, but the former member of the 2nd unit, who had taken over Helena’s position, replied very calmly.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to finish quickly and go home? Hurry up and hand over our precious things and let’s go our separate ways.”

“That’s… right.”

Half in doubt, yet persuaded by his overwhelmingly confident speech, they take the man and retreat.

Soon, a brief silence passes.

As soon as they judge they’ve put enough distance between them, all the world’s fuss bursts forth.

“……Hey, did they leave? I thought I was gonna die of fear…!”

“Hey, little engineer guy, this is our team leader, right?! Huh!?”

“Why are you even asking, you son of a bitch. His build is exactly the same! I told him not to investigate corporations so dangerously, but he never listens!”

“Ugh, look at the blood clots. A hemostatic agent…! Does anyone have a hemostatic agent? Huh?”

“Ahahaha….”

It feels like riding a roller coaster of intense emotions.

The initial bewilderment transforms into incredulity. Soon, it changes into joy and strong affirmation, involuntarily eliciting a hollow laugh.

Ah… right.

If there are humans who went mad from directly facing the hero Helena, it wouldn’t be strange at all if there were followers who decided to accept her as she is.

Even if people like me didn’t exist, they probably would have been the last bastion guaranteeing the survival of the unconscious Helena.

“You… idiots, you morons….”

“We got performance bonuses thanks to the team leader, so we can do at least this much!”

“Bullshit! Unless you’re planning to live here forever, tell me any private hospitals the corporation wouldn’t know about.”

Helena’s sigh, filled with tears at the appearance of unexpected helpers, resonated in my heart.

They don’t even properly know each other’s names, calling each other team leader, bastard, idiot haphazardly, but that’s what makes them trustworthy.

Indeed… trusting someone while living can’t be wrong. You just have to choose the right person.

In that sense, hoping that this will make Helena’s scars from bad luck shrink even a little, I designated the Implant shop she trusts as the medical facility to transport her to.