Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed

In the bustling ‘Little Shinjuku’ of the lower-class area, the most vibrant place was undoubtedly the black market known as the ‘Vanta Market.’

And just as one would expect in such a place, the Vanta Market was home to many individuals with untold pasts, far more than in other areas.

This was also true for the old man at the antique shop, known by the fake name ‘Tencho.’

To explain his past, one would need to read the entire diary he wrote every night (equivalent to three books) – it would barely suffice.

There was no need to elaborate on how many hidden pasts there were.

His real name was Hei Chiu, and the fact that he was on the first-rate wanted list of the Chinese mafia corporation ‘Heishukai’ was a truth even his friendly neighbors didn’t know.

For someone like him, it was certain that others who had also flowed into this place had similarly questionable pasts.

Perhaps that’s why the old man was confident in his ability to read people better than most.

Of course, one couldn’t know everything about a person just by first impressions. But he could usually remember a face he’d seen once, and that fact, along with his few wrong hunches, fueled his confidence.

And because of that…

He boldly yelled at the customer who entered through the door, “Get out.”

“…Uh, excuse me, sir. I was here just the other day.”

It seemed he replied with something, but the old man didn’t catch those words.

In a place like this, parading around with a woman dressed in a ‘white maid outfit’ proved he was no normal person.

“You garbage otaku!”

It seemed the old man was picking up Japanese. His words were transmitted directly to the man through a translation module.

The man, Lee Siwoon, grabbed his head and sighed right after that.

—

Chapter 16: The Life of an AI (2)

Surprisingly, the misunderstanding was cleared up quicker than I thought.

Of course, it was partly due to my vigorous plea of innocence.

Had the old man remembered my face?

The moment he regained his composure and confirmed my face, he nodded in agreement.

I almost broke a sweat there.

I asked the old man sitting in the counter chair, “Do you happen to have the hardware for the ‘net connector’ I bought last time?”

In other words, I was asking if he had an old computer.

The old man slowly nodded.

“More and more people have been looking for those lately, so I’ve gathered some.”

Maybe he was exhausted from keeping perverts out of the shop, but the old man tried to rise from his chair, only to let out a weak grunt.

His trembling hand grabbed the back of the chair but then released it.

Seeing him like that snapped me back to my senses, which I had lost to my inner ‘Confucian scholar.’

‘Hey! How can someone educated in Confucianism not help an elder struggling to rise!’

Oh boy, have I been tainted by cyberpunk?

I hurriedly approached the elderly gentleman.

I tried to lend my shoulder to help him up.

“Oh no, I’m fine. You’ll see the items if you check over there in the corner.”

The old man’s insistence stopped me in my tracks.

My inner ‘Confucian scholar’ cried out again.

‘Go!! How can you ask an elder with a weary body for guidance!’

Ugh, what am I even saying?

I shook my head, ignoring the voice in my head.

I bowed my head and greeted the old man.

Honestly, I’d rather explore the store at my own pace than have someone guide me around.

I called out to Eve, who was checking things out inside the antique shop.

“Eve.”

“I was waiting.”

She had been observing something that looked like a ‘dried frog’ hanging from the ceiling.

It did resemble a frog, but it had several extra legs, so it wasn’t a frog I knew.

Anyway, I led Eve towards the direction the old man pointed.

Being the largest antique shop in the Vanta Market, the variety of items inside was overwhelming.

Of course, we came with a clear purpose of finding an ‘old computer,’ but it was inevitable that our eyes would wander towards the peculiar items along the way.

Eve seemed to find this space refreshing as well. She kept rolling her eyes around, captivated by the surroundings.

“Wow, what is this?”

I picked up a cyberware cannon shaped like an arm displayed on one side and exclaimed.

“That’s really an inefficient structure,” Eve added.

“Ah, you don’t know? This is called the ‘Rock Buster.’”

It was an item used by someone known as the ‘Rock Man,’ or something like that.

…Although, it probably wasn’t officially named like that.

It just indicated that there was someone in this world with a similar dream.

There are always madmen who want to turn their hand into a cannon.

I then spotted something else and said, “Hey, here’s an old gaming console! I didn’t see this last time.”

It was a device necessary to run retro graphic games.

While retro games did have a deep connection in cyberpunk, the harsh reality was that you couldn’t find them even in arcades that resembled this design.

I never expected to stumble upon one here.

As I looked next to it, I saw several ‘packs’ that seemed to be game titles.

…Hmm.

Alright, I made a decision.

I’ll buy it when I go back home.

Thinking so, I put the game console back in its original spot. For now, finding the old computer was my priority.

Being an antique shop, it was quite enjoyable to explore here and there.

Roughly every three steps, something captured my attention, and before I knew it, we arrived at the corner the old man mentioned.

Keyboards and monitors were haphazardly piled on the floor.

They all seemed to be from different brands and in varying conditions.

I expressed my honest sentiment. “Finding a decent one among these would be a task.”

Still, when I bought something, it hadn’t been in this bad a condition.

The old man’s explanation about the increasing number of seekers made sense now.

However, that was just my worry; Eve maintained her usual expressionless demeanor.

Not only that, but I could also sense a certain excited emotion emanating from her.

Eve looked at me confidently and said, “It’s alright.”

…….

Could it be…?

No, that doesn’t make sense.

There’s no way she could hack into an ‘old computer’ from the outside, without it being powered, without any wires attached, and without any signals being sent out to check its status, right?

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed like an impossible feat within my realm of understanding.

Is she truly a super artificial intelligence?

It felt like there were no limits to her capabilities.

…Impressive, Eve.

But that thought vanished quickly.

I was taken aback when I saw Eve return with dozens of cables, converters, and ports the old man asked for.

“Oh.”

Just as a side note, in this world, the ports of electronic devices were not standardized.

This was just a result brought on by the insane corporations seeking to earn credits.

You wouldn’t find something convenient like USB-C types anywhere.

I remained silent.

“…….”

“If we work together, it will be quick.”

I felt like there was a halo shining on Eve’s face as she stared at me with her emotionless expression.

Although her expression remained the same, she seemed to be radiating excitement.

Unknowingly, she slightly nodded her head.

…….

So, she meant we could check and connect everything one by one.

Ultimately, I had no choice.

I squatted down in the corner and began checking the conditions of the devices together with Eve.

To put it simply, I felt like my eyes were about to pop out.

I even thought I might need to stop by Drake’s place for some eye implant scaling on the way back.

About an hour later, we managed to find a number of ‘wires’ and ‘input-output devices’ in good condition.

When I got up, a loud cracking sound echoed through the antique shop, starting from my back.

“Ugh.”

Each time this happened, I felt acutely aware of my dreadful bodily attributes.

I’m dying, I’m really dying.

I slightly turned to look at Eve.

There she was, staring at the monitors and keyboards with her sparkling eyes (subjectively speaking).

…Well, this isn’t too much of a hassle after all.

“Please pack this for us.”

“Alright, we should have some cardboard boxes around.”

I tried to lift the devices in front of Eve. But before me, Eve lifted the old gadgets effortlessly.

…Thinking back, she was the one who knocked Koichiro Kojaka several meters back with a single punch.

She showed no signs of struggle with that action.

We moved in that state toward the counter, and before I forgot, I made sure to grab that old gaming console I found earlier.

—

When I thought about it, going out was quite an experience.

Maybe going out once a week wouldn’t be so bad after all.

But then…

There was another customer at the counter before us.

Was he causing a fuss?

The old man looked troubled as he tried to push him out.

“Why are you looking for tactical drones here!!”

“I heard all sorts of bizarre items were here, so I just came to check it out.”

It was InfoSeller7.

—

Wait, is he following us now?

Earlier, when we first arrived at the Vanta Market, he had passed us by without notice, so he probably didn’t see us then.

But there was no avoiding eye contact now.

Coincidentally, a maid with large devices was standing right next to me.

This was definitely not a combination that could avoid attention.

As InfoSeller7, the Underdog, spoke to the old man, he glanced over at us.

“Well, there might be something to find here— …Oh.”

But something felt off.

His gaze narrowed slightly.

Any normal person in this situation wouldn’t take their eyes off a maid, but strangely, it seemed his attention was directed at me.

What’s going on?

Did he somehow realize I was the one who wrecked his electronic devices?

No, that couldn’t be it.

I had hidden my identity to sneakily do it, so there was no way he could have figured it out.

Yet, strangely enough, he was acting like someone who recognized me.

Was it just my imagination?

InfoSeller7 turned back towards the old man at the counter again.

“Haha, of course it couldn’t be here. Sorry for the disturbance.”

He lowered his head and walked out the door.

His suddenly polite demeanor was strange.

What kind of situation is this?

While I pondered that, the owner of the antique shop, the old man, rushed over the counter to our side.

He looked very anxious.

Just a moment ago, he seemed like he could barely get up.

Now, he was moving around just fine.

The old man opened his mouth urgently.

“Hey! You need to run right now!”

“Excuse me?”

What’s going on all of a sudden?

The old man seemed frustrated by my confused expression.

He hurriedly described the situation, spitting on his long beard.

He even got some on my mask, and though I almost grimaced, I held it together, resurrecting my Confucian spirit.

“There’s no time for detailed explanations. That guy who just left is an information broker known as ‘Underdog.’ Given his reaction, it’s certain.”

“Excuse me?”

I replied with the same question.

The old man asked me, “Your name is Shun Lee, right? The unique wizard?”

“…You’ve got the first part wrong, but the last part is right.”

It wasn’t Shun Lee but Lee Siwoon.

“Heishukai has secretly commissioned small-time information brokers to gather intel on you.”

…Heishukai?

That infamous Chinese mafia corporation, well-known for its notoriety. Why were they asking about me?

As I thought about it, a certain memory came to mind.

The corporate party.

The tactical organization member from Heishukai I met at the Quantum Nexus.

Wasn’t his name Hei Lu?

…….

Looks like things have taken a turn for the worse.

“Because they don’t want to get hit by ‘Meteor,’ the information crackdown is strict, and very few know. I know because I’ve been digging up intel from the Heishukai line.”

I nodded nonchalantly.

That could be possible.

Seeing my reaction, the old man looked frustrated and pounded his chest.

“What are you dazing around for! The Heishukai tactical unit might be here any minute!”

Well, there’s no need to panic.

I naturally turned my head to look behind me at Eve.

By now, Eve had set down all the old devices she had been holding on to.

Her face remained expressionless as before.

But the atmosphere felt entirely different.

It seemed unlikely she’d listen to me if I told her to run.

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