NOVEL NEXT Chapter 57
“Where’s the tactical organization member?”
“I just sent them.”
“…I see.”
A mafia corporation of Chinese descent.
The tactical organization manager belonging to Heishukai.
Hei Lu leaned back in an old chair.
He stared through the mechanical eyes he had operated on long ago at the densely packed irregular buildings.
Chinatown, known to be one of the busiest places in Neon City, in the Sin sector.
Hei Lu took a sunflower seed from the small table, cracked it, and spat out the shell.
He opened his mouth to speak to the assistant guarding his back while admiring the view through the open window.
“Hey Wang was a good hitman. Even though he ended up in prison due to Chrome Psycho symptoms, he was one of our organization members linked by blood.”
Hei Lu spat out another sunflower seed shell with a thwip.
“Blood pays back blood. You know, there’s also a saying about drinking water and remembering its source.”
Having finished his words, Hei Lu stood up.
He approached the gaping window.
“I appreciate the view out here more than when I escaped from the headquarters building, and I grow my own sunflower seeds for that very reason.”
For just a brief moment.
Hei Lu’s sharp, narrowed eyes turned toward the assistant standing behind him.
“It’s all to not forget the past.”
Knowing that the man’s past was a matter of decades.
His assistant merely bowed his head, maintaining silence.
Having observed the quiet demeanor of the assistant, Hei Lu turned back to gaze outside.
“The sight of many rules being ignored makes it seem like an old fortress.”
Hei Lu continued speaking.
“Of course, back then, there were no neon signs or holographic lights at all.”
Longing flickered in the man’s eyes.
“That’s why sometimes, I wish to see the past rather than the scenery of these hologram-covered streets.”
The lights of this city would never go out.
Yet, as Hei Lu swallowed those words, examining the view of Chinatown…
In that moment.
The scenery outside changed.
The holograms vanished, and the lights disappeared.
The light, which could never extinguish, had gone out.
Hei Lu’s mouth, who seemed unfazed amidst such an unreal scene, fell open in shock.
“Uh?”
Also.
A woman’s voice he did not recognize echoed.
[Target confirmed.]
It came right after.
—
I pushed through the spiderwebs in my path.
Ugh, it’s musty.
I turned and asked Eve, who had stopped in her tracks.
Since I was leading, it became a natural motion to turn my head.
“…What are you doing?”
It was after hearing the old man’s words that there was a hidden passage behind the antique shop.
I was curious why a regular antique store would have a ‘secret passage.’
But after hearing him speak, it seemed like he had some insider info on Heishukai, too.
Perhaps there was something more complicated in the background, so I decided to let it slide.
It was odd to nitpick about such things anyway.
Despite walking through the dust-ridden passage, Eve, who didn’t have a speck of dust on her clothes, answered my question.
“I have captured the ‘tactical organization manager’ of Heishukai who issued the corresponding order.”
“……How did you find out so quickly?”
It was puzzling that she could already find that person after we had just entered the hidden passage.
Eve puffed her chest slightly.
She appeared to be confidently expressing herself.
“I hacked the city’s neural network to connect.”
“…Is it really that easy to connect just because you want to?”
“There was a ‘minor issue’ of a blackout occurring in that area for a brief time, but there were no casualties.”
I brushed away the spiderweb blocking my face.
If I hadn’t been wearing gloves, I wouldn’t have dared to touch the size of a spider that scurried away from my hand.
As I turned back again, Eve was looking at me with an expressionless face, showing no sign of any problem.
That was a sound that made me question my ears.
…How is that a minor issue, Eve?
In all my time living here, I had never heard of a blackout happening.
Now that I think about it, there was a similar blackout phenomenon when Eve threatened Vice President Kojaka.
…It’ll be fine, right?
There was nothing I could do once the situation had unfolded.
I flicked away a spider that was trying to cling to my shoe and asked Eve again.
“So, does that mean we don’t need to run now?”
“No.”
“Huh?”
Eve elaborated.
“Because a Heishukai tactical member has already set out separately, so we need to be cautious.”
I thought that should be alright, but as I looked into Eve’s eyes, they seemed to sharpen more and more, so I nodded in agreement.
“Good point. I’m glad we took the secret passage.”
By the way, the old man who ran the antique shop had taken care of the drone delivery for Eve’s ‘old computer device’ and my ‘retro game console.’
That was why we had gone out in the first place.
No matter how much Heishukai’s tactical organization chased us, I couldn’t give up.
Maybe because it was the lower-class area?
Or perhaps because it was a secret passage?
The old halogen lights were swaying from the ceiling.
It was amazing that such lights were still in use.
A faint light was visible at the end of the distant passage.
We were getting close to the exit of the secret passage.
“Alright, let’s get out of here.”
The exit door itself was quite worn, but the lock hanging there was state-of-the-art.
Is it this easy to open?
As I fiddled around and opened the old door, I emerged outside.
A vast open space stretching out, incompatible with the gray sky covered by clouds and Vanta Market.
At least we had safely made it out.
Now I just had to think about how to deal with the Heishukai tactical members.
Just then.
“……What the hell.”
Off in the distance, between the clouds, something enormous was plummeting, spewing black smoke.
Before I could verify what it was, Eve gripped my shoulder from behind and said.
“Be cautious of the impact.”
“?”
“To minimize casualties, I will drop it in the designated coordinates in the open area.”
“Drop what?”
But before I could ask Eve about what was falling, it was first the sight of an ‘air MPV,’ seemingly designed for tactical use, crashing from the sky.
– KWAABAAAM!!
A strong shockwave and flames erupted.
I didn’t know who was inside, but they probably wouldn’t stand a chance.
I checked the emblem engraved on the crashed air MPV through the spreading black flames.
The symbol that rapidly spread was a logo of Heishukai.
Which meant.
This crashed air vehicle belonged to Heishukai.
Hmm.
I turned my head toward the artificial intelligence after looking back who knows how many times today.
Eve faced me with a composed posture.
“It’s over.”
“……”
Well, if that’s the case, we really didn’t need to come out through the secret passage…
Even as I looked at Eve with that expression, she just maintained her expressionless demeanor.
…Right.
As long as it’s settled, that’s what matters.
I never imagined I’d finish things without using magic.
“…Let’s go home.”
“Confirmed.”
Perhaps it was because I was looking forward to the computer set to arrive by drone at home, but Eve’s pace quickened as we walked outside.
“Ah.”
I stopped briefly.
“What’s the matter?”
Eve asked, looking at me as I halted.
“I almost forgot. I was about to just go home.”
Eve tilted her head slightly, seemingly puzzled.
—
Underdog, Dominic Martin rushed home in haste.
‘Alright, got it!’
I truly was lucky.
To have spotted the target Heishukai was after while randomly browsing Vanta Market’s antique shop, what a coincidence.
Although the rewards hadn’t hit my account yet, since it was from a company that assured rewards, I was hopeful about the amount.
Dancing alone in an empty house, he started celebrating.
Thank goodness his acting was exceptional.
If he were an amateur information dealer, he might have been caught and faced embarrassment.
‘Well done! You’re the best, Dominic Martin!’
Dominic Martin thought that and let out a sigh of relief.
He needed to be extremely cautious.
If he were to accidentally cross paths with the notorious ‘Meteor’, he’d rather not.
Yet, he had already cut off the connected lines of information, so there was no risk of being tracked.
‘…I’m thirsty.’
Perhaps it was due to the release of tension.
Suddenly, he felt a surge of thirst.
‘I wonder if there’s any leftover rainbow-flavored cola?’
The new product from Kojaka Corporation, rainbow-flavored cola was just his taste.
He approached the refrigerator while dancing with delight.
What he found odd was after he opened the fridge.
‘……’
Why is it…
Not cold?
Normally, he should feel a biting cold due to the performance being cranked up.
But there wasn’t a shred of chill at all.
The freezer was the same.
Melted ice flowed across the floor.
Dominic Martin muttered.
“…No way.”
If it was just the fridge that malfunctioned, it would be okay.
But the sense of unease was all too familiar.
Panicking, he dashed off to check on other electronic devices. And sadly, none of his gloomy premonitions were wrong.
“Damn it—.”
A coarse expletive naturally escaped his lips.
“Does this even make sense?!!”
A sorrowful man’s voice echoed throughout the room.
—
Back at home, I lightly washed my hands and feet.
Hygiene is important.
I sat on the sofa, relieving the fatigue from my outing.
“Well, this should do it.”
After all, we had established a relationship of a fellow compatriot.
I had no intention of killing him from the start.
Also, considering that he didn’t know my identity as well.
No matter how it went, had he taken me for a fool and sold information, it probably wouldn’t have gone this way.
“A merciful choice.”
Eve replied to my statement.
…It doesn’t feel very merciful.
I wondered if it would take a hefty amount of credits just to restore the broken electronics for Underdog.
I glanced at Eve, who was polishing and assembling the old computer in the corner.
Usually, Eve would still be staring at me, but she couldn’t resist the new gift.
What’s so great about that?
It seems like today, I should really play some games with her.
I thought that as I expanded my visual interface to kill time while Eve finished assembling.
The news program set as the starting program for ‘NCB24’ started running.
The cold voice of the anchorman came through the screen.
《Breaking news from NCB24. Hei Lu, known as a high-ranking official of Heishukai, has suddenly reported experiencing hallucinations and delusions, and has been transported to ‘Neon City Central Hospital’ via the medical subscription service ‘Heal and Run.’ The hospital has announced that they currently do not know the cause—.》
Hmm.
I really am a merciful person.
As I looked at the photo of the half-squinted man, Hei Lu, from the party, I thought so.