103. romance
Leonard removed Lowell and Rogers to the side of the road and perched on the railing of the intersection.
Max and Elia left first with the pick-up truck that rattled nervously, and the combination of Lowell and Rogers had not come to their senses yet because their implants were completely down. The noise on the overpass became quiet like a lie.
The neon lights of A-044 City shimmered under the dull gray sky, and a wind mixed with black ash blew from the other side of the wasteland pushing away the sunset.
The city like a lonely island in the desolate sea and the weary solutioner floating in the open sea matched well like a picture. However, the main character in the picture lived in reality.
‘It’s hard to go home if it’s too late…’
I was thinking about contacting Sigma, but I stopped thinking that Max would do it first, and I thought that it would be better to eat noodles tomorrow morning, but I continued thinking that the restaurant I ate at last time was pretty good, and I was worried about who would pay for the noodles at Elia Garden.
In the meantime, time passed well. Two cars passed from the city side, but, as is often the case with cars through the wasteland, they were company vehicles. There was an accident and people were falling apart, but they didn’t stop for a second to ask what was going on. There are quite a few bandits that aim for cargo in this way, and even if they aren’t bandits, the world isn’t comfortable enough to go about other people’s business.
Leonard realized a small problem after sending a couple of nonchalant vehicles. This is an interchange from downtown to Wing Town, so cars couldn’t come in the opposite direction. I could physically push in, but it didn’t seem like it would happen if I was concerned about a crash.
‘Did I get it wrong?’
Other than Leonard’s intuition, there was no evidence that he would come to rescue those two. The solver shouldn’t say this, but he was a ‘only’ solver. They were more likely to just throw it away.
‘No. no. With such an unreliable gang, there’s no way they would have gone all the way here.’
Leonard’s suspicions were not long resolved. The enemy did not come by road. And, in fact, I had no intention of saving it. A dozen or so armed tactical drones from somewhere in the wasteland proved it all.
“Damn it…”
This wasn’t downtown. Administratively, it was still A-044 Junk Town, but it was virtually a lawless wasteland as it was out of corporate control. Even if not 10 tactical drones flew around, but 100, there was no public security to come to catch them.
Leonard used a thermo-optical camouflage module and immediately beat it. Flying the drone from afar meant that he had observed Leonard a long time ago, and there was no way that the expensive equipment was missing an infrared device, so it would be a disgrace to hide now.
As you might have guessed, the procession of drones neatly surrounded the surroundings. The consolation is that there are no large-caliber bullets and bombs. I lightly put on the hood and spoke first.
“For now, it’s nice to meet you. Do you need an introduction from me?”
The captain drone blinked and came forward. They all look the same, but they have a voice function, so the captain will be right.
-You don’t have to, Leonard Walker.
Words contained a lot. With a simple greeting, one could guess the gender, age, personality, place of origin, and level of education. If computerized data were available, more could be known. Leonard recorded his voice and searched his memory for anyone he knew.
When Leonard entered the investigation like a fixer, the other party saved him the trouble.
– I say DM.
The search yielded no results. Leonard looked suspiciously up at the camera.
“Direct Message? Diabetes Mellitus?”
-Drone Master.
It was a childish nickname for the 21st century sensibility. The reason I didn’t laugh right now was not because of politeness, but because the double-digit muzzle was burdensome.
I guessed roughly from the old-fashioned way of speaking, but he was an old man. At least it must have been before the Great War.
“You seem to be behind this incident, why are you doing this?”
-Do you have any reason to tell me that?
“If you’re not going to tell me that, what are you here for?”
Leonard drew his revolver and aimed it at Lowell and Rogers, who passed out.
“It’s a classic development, but let’s trade.”
-You want information?
“It should be creditable information.”
Laughter came from behind the speakers. “This is why the solvers,” followed in small voices.
-Those two are useless. But looking at the efforts you’ve made so far, let me tell you a few things.
He was also an old man. Or it may be vanity created by the confidence that one is safe behind the machine. From Leonard’s point of view, there was nothing wrong, so I just let him talk. The self-proclaimed DM got lucky like a riddle.
-The background is much higher than you think.
“Federal government?”
-…It’s a little lower than that.
Leonard crossed his arms loosely and touched his chin. It was not a difficult riddle. It means that one of the companies has stepped up.
“What is the purpose?”
-Public interest.
“That’s what companies say every day.”
– You actually do a lot of public service activities, don’t you?
That couldn’t be refuted. It was thanks to the technology and capital of corporations that civilization on the ground was maintained even if it was dirty and lethal.
“I’m going to wipe out the gang and create a clean alley culture, it’s not like that. Sounds like you need a stake in Junk Town. right?”
– Are you thinking of working with us?
“The Scout refuses because his dream is to retire early.”
It was invisible, but it was drawn shaking his head with a puzzled expression.
-Do you know what mankind needs most?
“gun? implant? A heavily armed War Machine?”
-…I thought morality and conscience would come out.
“Let’s be realistic. In reality.
The self-proclaimed DM was realistic enough.
-We will build a new dome.
“Dome?”
-I mean the dome that makes things that are essential to mankind.
When the world was polluted, all kinds of domes were built. Early pioneer cities were themselves giant domes. Now, the pollution level has fallen and implant technology has developed, making it possible to live just like that unless it is a particularly severely polluted area, but creatures that are weaker than humans and have not adapted to change are still preserved in dome-shaped structures…
“The dome?”
When Leonard solved the riddle, the self-appointed DM was delighted.
-That dome is right.
It is called a dome as a structure, but there was a much easier and more popular word for use.
“Are you going to build a farm in Junk Town?”
@
There was nothing to understand.
87% of the ground was polluted in the past great wars. Excluding harsh environments such as polar regions and deserts, there is only a handful of land left for humans to live on. Megacities with a population of 10 million were created one after another, and skyscrapers soaring into the sky were constantly increasing, not simply to show off reconstruction. Because you can’t live like that.
“The land on which you can build a farm is even more limited.”
As Leonard concluded, Max put away his chopsticks as if he had lost his appetite.
“Pushing out Junk Town and planting grass? Does that count for credit?”
“Think of the price of the ‘real meat’ you sing about all the time. If the conditions are right, it is better than several munitions factories put together.”
I ate two large bowls of noodles, so my appetite disappeared.
“Isn’t it bad to have a farm in Junk Town? Are there any jobs?”
“So how many villagers will we hire?”
“Uh…wouldn’t they hire about a thousand people?”
Considering the number of residents of Junk Town, it wasn’t even new blood. Elaia Garden added a bowl with her fingers and stuttered a question.
“That, that, that? Is that the end of it?”
“Oh right! Are you saying it’s a drone? If you have Leonard’s hacking skills, can’t you trace back?”
Leonard lowered his voice a little in case the noodle shop owner overheard the conversation. There are a lot of customers who hurry up to grab a meal before going to work, so it doesn’t look like they’re in the mood to do that, but it didn’t hurt to be careful.
“It seems right that the company is behind it. The level of security is no joke. It wasn’t easy being a drone master or a drop master.”
There is a big difference in merit between a white hacker who thoroughly prepared for defense in advance and a black hacker who hastily hacks on the spot, but he did not make excuses.
“It’s not normal for Leonard to say that. So how did you get out?”
“The twin men arrived just in time.”
There was a shootout after that, but it was at the level of condescension. He quickly withdrew as if he hadn’t come to fight. Neither Leonard nor Lowell and Rogers kept silent. It seemed that the purpose of the self-proclaimed DM was independent of the company.
“Hackers are sneaky, so you can’t trust them. The same goes for white hackers.”
Max and Ellie nodded. It was persuasive because the hacker said it.
“By the way, a dome in our city… If you could build one, where would it be?”
“It’s not like turning the whole of Junk Town into a farm. It’s hard to touch the downtown side, maybe it’s the outskirts of the 20th?”
“Isn’t that Junk Hill? Land is the cheapest there.”
“Not there.”
I’m not denying that Leonard is the owner of the land in Junk Hill. Since ancient times, hills have not been good for farming. Obviously it was.
“Would the chairman of High Lane Corp. Volfors be still? Is it your city?”
“They must have kissed each other.”
“Then what about the gangs? What measures do you have?”
“On a common sense level, there are a few things. Warn the twins to thoroughly protect the shop’s rights, and spread the news on the darknet where companies can’t touch it, causing residents to protest.”
“Then you must!”
“Something doesn’t suit me. It seems that there is something else that they really want.”
It was a ‘gut feeling’ with an 80% hit rate through sigma analysis. I just couldn’t ignore it. Leonard waited for Elia to empty the noodles before changing the subject.
“What happened to my car?”
“I took it to a repair shop, but it doesn’t seem to work.”
“why?”
“Even if it is repaired and replaced, the accumulated damage to the body cannot be prevented? According to Jane, it’s a miracle that it rolled all the way here.”
I bought a gun, bought clothes, bought a house, and it was time to buy a new car.
“Is it really time to let go…”
The mechanic recommends scrapping the car, but he was attached to it because he bought it when he was a poor fixer who had just arrived on the ground. I didn’t want to kill it and get rid of it, even if I gave it to someone for a cheap price. Even if you get more credit selling it as scrap metal than selling it as used.
When Leonard made up his mind, Max’s eyes twinkled.
“I know someone I can buy on the cheap.”
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Judging by the look in his eyes, he seemed to know Leonard well.
“You don’t have credit.”
“I have the 100 credits I gave you last time! No, I spent a little and I have 85 credits left, but I have it anyway!”
“With just that?”
“You didn’t give me my share of this work, did you? Wouldn’t adding that be enough? Wouldn’t it be better for me to ride carefully than to have someone completely unfamiliar with Leonard drive it and crash it into the sewer?”
All of Max’s guns and gear were Leonard’s, so there was no reason why he couldn’t give him a car. As long as Leonard gets a new car.
“Let’s go to the garage in a little while.”
Elaia Garden put on a puzzled expression, asking if it was that important to pick up a new car when Junk Town might be overthrown. To be honest, it was very important. Because that is the romance of the solver.