57. bomb
Max felt unfamiliar and unfamiliar.
Living beings, not mutants, were also amazing, and the pure white uniforms of the underground city were also amazing. But most curious was the earnest Leonard.
“Leonard ‘Walker’ poetry?”
‘Sebastian Cor’, a guest from Lenox City, asked as if to confirm. The white hair swept back all back and a neatly trimmed white beard gave off a profound feeling.
“You can call me Leo, just like before.”
Sebastian’s forehead wrinkled. Natural skin that has been combed through the years is different from artificial skin. Soft and warm, but slightly sticky.
“It’s been eight years. I’m glad you look healthy.”
“I am always healthy. If there is a sore spot, it is enough to replace it.”
Maybe because of my mood, it didn’t seem to be about implants. Old Man Sebastian turned his attention with a puzzled face.
“It is a very nice house. It’s a little messy, but it has the sensibility of a ground city. Bocchan has always liked vintage.”
Sigma spilled the flavored coffee he had painstakingly prepared into the sink. That’s not a word for a 2nd-gen Android, but it just didn’t look right.
“There was no messy coffee, so I prepared messy gutter water. Please forgive me for being a messy Android.”
Old Sebastian laughed at the rebellious machine.
“You use an interesting AI robot. It doesn’t seem to be for home use, can you tell me which company it is from?”
Leonard took a sip of tap water and corrected his posture. Conversation wasn’t just words. Expressions, gestures, and even silences could be expressions of intent. Old Man Sebastian folded Saddam into his arms and brought up the main topic.
“The president is very worried.”
“I knew you would say that.”
Leonard thumps down his glass of water. This was also a non-verbal expression. But the inspiration did not go away.
“Why not? Are you a fixer? Isn’t that a gangster with a plausible name? It’s not enough that you took part in the war on your own, so you do the job of killing people…”
“Eight! Let’s see, let’s see! Are you calling for a fist now?”
Max interjected, sitting down beside Leonard. Sebastian, who was as gentle as he seemed, was taken aback. I didn’t even point out that if you make a fist, the cloth will win.
“This child…?”
“He is my friend.”
It has been upgraded one step from Jjooldagu. The bridge of Max’s nose went up about 3cm.
“You know the ground as a beggar’s den, and the fixer is treated as a gangster, but this is also a place where people live, right? I don’t know how wonderful they do, but we shouldn’t discriminate against people or jobs. Don’t you know what I know even if I haven’t lived in a few years?”
“I apologize if I offended you.”
Old Man Sebastian apologized without hesitating for a second. It was because he was Leonard’s friend rather than reflecting on Max’s words. I immediately turned my attention to the evidence.
“I won’t ask you to come back right away. You must be mentally prepared too.”
“You don’t have to. Not having me is good for my father and the company…”
Old Man Sebastian did not listen.
“I’ve confirmed that you’re doing well, so the president will be relieved.”
Then he took out a small business card and put it in front of him. Max puffed up his cheeks and murmured. ‘Is it fashionable to give business cards these days?’ However, it did not use high-tech technology like a business card for a leisure store. All 10 numbers were on the coated white paper.
“This is a personal contact. If you use the A-07 City Federal Government hotline or contact us through the director of Lykop Corp. Fletcher, you can connect directly to the president.”
Leonard stared at the number. I didn’t remove it because I didn’t need it like when the broker gave it to me. Since it was only a 10-digit number, it was already stored in the memory chip. It was ugly to force it on the person who intended it.
Sebastian said in a joking tone as if to change the mood.
“Still, you haven’t forgotten about the family business.”
“It’s not like that. I just write because I am accustomed to it.”
Leonard’s gentle manner of speaking was never used to it. Max scratched his back. It felt like hives all over my body.
“What does the Leonard family do?”
Old Man Sebastian glanced at Leonard. ‘Aren’t they friends?’ Leonard was proud. ‘You don’t have to know about family affairs just to be friends,’ old Sebastian revealed as if this was a good opportunity.
“They make the guns you use.”
“This one? Is this a Gun n Guns gun?”
Max pulled out a double-barreled shotgun. It wasn’t polite behavior, but old gun company advisor Sebastian didn’t take issue with it.
“So let’s say it. Master Leo is the second master of Gunn’Guns.”
Max’s jaw fell to the table. As expected, the courtesy was lacking, but it was not rectified. It was one of the most shocking stories I’ve heard this year.
“Mr. Leonard is the second generation of a conglomerate?!”
@
Old Man Sebastian left the 11-1st Street Villa wearing a bowler hat and using a cane. It wasn’t a suit suitable for Junk Town, but with bodyguards and bodyguard androids attached to it, it didn’t look like anything dangerous. And it wasn’t a situation to care about other people’s business.
“So you’re the bastard son of the chairman of a conglomerate?”
Max, needing to be sure, asked again. Leonard undid the front of his shirt and straightened his posture. I was tired because I was in front of an elderly person in my hometown.
“This is not even the Middle Ages, where is the bastard? Just an illegitimate child.”
“Anyway, it’s the blood of the business owner’s family!”
Leonard waved his palms. I didn’t hide it on purpose, but it wasn’t something to brag about.
“Underground people, especially those who pride themselves on being upper class, are conservative. An illegitimate child is a weakness in itself. What’s more, you’re the illegitimate child of an implant cyborg.”
“How about an implant cyborg?”
“…Where do you listen to me? You said conservative.”
If you have to compare it, it is an illegitimate child with a disability, but the recognition was worse than before the 19th century.
In the immediate aftermath of the Great War, food and resources were scarce in every city. Disabled people who could not fulfill their role were not the target of consideration, but the target of exclusion. This was even more so after the introduction of implant technology. The unpleasant appearance and physical danger were included, so the good eyes did not go. But, in fact, it was an excuse.
The human beast needed an object to hate as much as an object to worship. It was extremely primitive to define a different object from a society in which the nation and nation collapsed.
As a result, implant cyborgs were expelled in the name of ground reclamation plan, and after that, they steadily received ‘resources’ and drove them out of the underground city.
“Seven years ago, after the New Human Federation War of Independence, the expulsion of cyborgs barely stopped. Not because of a new morality, but to prevent the outflow of manpower and technology.”
“That… um… that’s too much.”
“That’s why I asked you to come back now. There is no need to illegally remove them from the ‘pioneer’ list.”
“Is it something to look at so badly?”
Max questioned. Looking at old Sebastian, he didn’t seem arrogant but calculating. Leonard conceded.
“I don’t mean to hate inspiration by saying this. If you really hated it, I wouldn’t protect you for over 20 years, and I wouldn’t recommend you to come back now.”
Well, there was no way he would be polite to someone who didn’t like Leonard’s personality. Sigma quietly put the glass away. Under these circumstances, I should have just served coffee. From the point of view of old people with a high-end taste, flavored coffee and tap water are the same. Leonard woke up from an old memory. The conclusion was the same as 7 years ago.
“I came out because I didn’t like it. At this age, can’t you live on your own while watching your parents?”
Max, who is not even a parent, lives on without notice, pouting his lips.
@
After a guest from hometown left, things suddenly broke out.
The thing called ‘work’ always came together, so it was time for them to come in droves, and I also had a relationship with a guest from my hometown. “The Broker,” said Jake, in a serious tone.
-It’s a delegation from the Old Humanity United Government. It’s the first time in our city.
Leonard scratched his ear canal. Even though it was an implant body, earwax was strangely formed.
“Businessmen are arguing with each other, but what’s the fixer to do? Is the scavenger carrying a pipe gun and extorting money?”
Even if he tried to be serious, the scavenger drip was funny. The broker laughed out loud and then straightened up.
-The bodyguards will take care of such a weakling. We’ve got to take on some more madmen.
“In Junk Town, who is more insane than the scavenger? Well, it’s all crazy, but…”
-There is a liberation front. Anti-corporate terrorists.
The finger that went into the ear hole came out quietly. He was a true lunatic who hated the corporate world order, whether it was a federation or federation. Leonard couldn’t joke anymore.
“If you don’t have luck, it’s the second war between the new and old mankind.”
-You can aim for it. If you do well, ground companies will collapse in a chain.
“How can all the land you can live on be polluted?”
-If you think about that, you don’t do terrorism.
Even anti-corporate, it was enough to cause disturbances in the streets, raid corporate factories, and destroy facilities. It’s more a matter of ability than ideology, but I’ve never caused a major accident. It was as awkward for them to terrorize the Old Human Alliance as, to put it mildly, for a bully who used to rob children of rich families to turn out to be a proletarian revolutionary cadre.
“…Is this information clear?”
-I don’t know where 100% is in the world, but looking at the fact that Rycorp dispatched investigators and wandered around Junk Town, it seems that there is something there.
“Who is our client?”
-Chairman of Highlane Volfors.
“The chairman requested it himself?”
-The request was made by a pretty lady, whether it be the secretary or the chief secretary, but is soybean paste a must-try?
It’s a new word, but Leonard didn’t like to get involved with corporations. But the broker who had seen Leonard the longest on earth knew Leonard’s weakness.
-There was a person in the group of envoys this time called the director of Gunn’Guns…
“Did you receive a request from there as well?”
-That, can’t it? Then it becomes a double contract. I just said it because I thought I should know.
Leonard checked the call time. I don’t understand why the guy who brokers corporate requests is afraid of corporate wiretapping, but now it’s helpful.
“Send the data. We will review and decide.”
Data containing client information should not be scattered carelessly, but the broker, who is pressed for time, sent it all at once. There was also a reason to trust the ‘fixer’ Leonard Walker.
The data downloaded to the brain chip was more extensive than usual. I skipped the details and checked the suspicious symptoms attached by the broker. If it wasn’t serious, I decided to do something like scavenger hunting or cargo retrieval, but serious words caught my eye.
“Implant Bomb?”
First of all, the name was terrifying.