94. Legend
There are no eternal secrets in the world.
If you don’t even know if the secret exists, it will never be revealed, but it was a phrase warning that secrets are difficult to keep, and that failure to keep them will result in a price.
“Dirty Hancock… Dirty Hancock… Should I really say that he deserves his name? You crossed the line hard.”
The fixer broker ‘Dirty’ broke the rules. Hired multiple fixers at the same time to hijack the work of other brokers. He was also behind the rookie solver who attacked Leonard’s group during the Junk Machine request.
“You have definitely crossed the line. Even if I get retaliated against, I won’t have anything to say.”
Leonard flipped through the imaginary digital document. Like a fixer broker, the evidence was meticulous and specific.
“But what does this have to do with the Liberation Front?”
In the end, it was a rice bowl fight between A-044 City brokers. Leonard was also entangled, but it was not a reason to actively step forward.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Dirty Hancock who ‘chips’ those fledgling solvers.”
“A psycho chip?”
The rattle picked a document, launched it vertically, and magnified it three times. It was convenient because it was an augmented reality office that automatically linked with the brain chip. Should I say credit is convenient?
“You mean Dirty Hancock is also in the e-drug business?”
“As you can see.”
When I called up the link at the bottom of the document, it was connected to an external memory. It’s a little dizzy because it’s an uncorrected implant eye video, but I could clearly tell ‘Dirty’ Hancock and the psycho chip he was handing out. Meanwhile, Max, who is frustrated because he does not have an implant, infers information only through conversation.
“Isn’t there a law that says brokers can’t deal in e-drugs?”
“…According to the law, no one should do it.”
It is easy to forget because it melts into everyday life, but all unauthorized implant exterior chips were illegal.
“yes. What. If it was an ordinary e-drug, it would have been ridiculed in public. But the psycho chip is different. You know that?”
“That’s kind of… I see.”
It’s not like Pischer and Fixer’s broker are family-like, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t work at the risk of becoming a psycho cyborg. The reputation of the city’s brokers was at stake.
“Above all, it is the liberation front. It’s about financing terrorists who threaten citizens.”
No one in this position is particularly full of a sense of justice, but I understood that it was a justification to knock out a competitor. Leonard swept aside all the information that obstructed his vision and spread it aside. It seemed to be flying in the air, but before I knew it, I returned to my first seat.
“So what are you going to do? Shall we raid the dirty office?”
“No matter how Leonard Walker is, it’s hard to be alone. So I gathered some friends. To be precise, you’re meddling in what your friends are doing.”
I was not surprised, as I would have prepared a response if I had prepared this kind of material. Leonard thought for a moment and then decided.
“Where can I go?”
@
Leonard habitually fiddled with his left arm.
The cheap body was not used to it, so I had to stimulate the sensory module whenever I had a chance. It will be resolved as soon as the twins get new arms, but there has been no news yet. Even the best doctor in Junk Town seems to be having a hard time fixing old-human rare implants.
“It’s a territorial battle.”
Speaking as a business man, Max, who had now removed his internship ticket, asked back.
“Isn’t the rattle mainly in charge of corporate requests?”
“Where did the request to capture the junk machine come from?”
“…aha?”
As much as corporate commissions are credited, brokers with a bit of a name put spoons on them. Violation of the broker’s rules, retrieval of psycho chips that threaten solvers, and blocking of the Liberation Front’s funding lines are just good reasons, and the real purpose was to eliminate competitors who rob the pie.
Thinking this way is reprehensible and impure, but as the social structure is complex, the interests are also complicated, so Leonard, who was hostile to the Liberation Front, preferred to cooperate. Besides, the pay was substantial.
“Mr. Cooper is really rich.”
At least another 100,000 credits were needed to raise the hotel building. Excluding the planned casino equipment and interior, it was 100,000 credits. I couldn’t quit my job as a fixer right away, so I had to run around.
“Everything has arrived.”
Leonard stopped the pickup truck in an off-the-beaten-path parking lot on 14th Street and lowered the gear. The reddish lights of the brothel blended with the evening sunset, burning everything red.
Kiki- Kung-
The giant found a pickup truck and turned around. It was a particularly huge implant cyborg even on the 10th street with many heavy implants.
“We’re working together again.”
“It’s not very pleasant.”
Among the solvers who work with rattles, he was also one of the first to be counted on for his skills. Max jumped out of the passenger seat and greeted me warmly.
“How are you, Mr. Ryan?”
Ryan Bourne gave a faint smile to the stiff mechanical body. I’m not the kind of person who likes children, but I was pleased with the skillful newcomer.
“I haven’t had the implant yet. Running out of credits?”
“Credits are credits, but… um…”
“Don’t pay attention to other people’s bodies and introduce them to that person.”
Ryan Bourne frowned as Leonard interrupted the conversation. However, they did not come together to make friends, but they quickly acclimatized. He pointed to the men next to him and said.
“This is Aldrim and Groom.”
“Ah, nice to meet you. Leonard Walker.”
‘Rattle’ Cooper sent several fixers as if he was very determined. Compared to Ryan Bourne, the name value was inferior, but they were middle-class solvers with quite a bit of experience.
“Leonard Walker? You say you’re from the Old Human Hexagon?”
“The best hacker in Junk Town is with you! This is good!”
Considering the value of the name, Leonard could not be ignored either. The fixers greeted each other with half sincerity and half courtesy. They had direct and indirect experiences, so they were very different from the rookies who had lost their heads.
Ryan Bourne didn’t like the bearded ones messing around, so he cut off the conversation when it was appropriate.
“I will tell you what to do now. First of all, set the communication to channel 11977-A. The password is ‘cleanup’.”
I laughed at the humor that wasn’t like Ryan Vaughn. However, Max, who does not have a communication device built into his brain, says, ‘Huh? Huh?’ I couldn’t laugh while doing it. However, the channel is for smooth communication during operations, and the briefing was conducted in voice.
“The first mission is to subdue Dirty Hancock and his gang. It’s late, so don’t make a fuss and proceed quietly.”
They said not to riot with guns, but it wasn’t necessarily because of etiquette.
“After the first mission, we need to confirm our ties with the terrorists of the Liberation Front as quickly as possible.”
Psycho cyborgs were the terror of the majority of the new race. A collusion with a terrorist organization that causes psychotic crimes will be an excuse for violating the unspoken rules of Junk Town.
“Did you understand this far?”
After clearing his throat, the fixer, who wondered if it was Oldrim or Groom, asked a question.
“What if there is resistance?”
Leonard thought of a illogical joke, but he held it in. It was a good thing. It didn’t fit the serious atmosphere all the time.
“Take control in a way that is not excessive.”
Each interpreted the meaning, but none of them fit similarly.
@
Ryan Bourne’s ‘not too much’ suppression was obviously suppression without factoring it out with a light machine gun. The proof was that he tore off a 12 cm thick iron door and wielded it like a club.
The bodyguards of ‘Dirty’, who were shooting at the sudden intrusion of outsiders, bounced around like rubber balls with pure momentum of mass + speed.
On the other hand, Oldrim and Groom interpreted it as meaning that you can kill freely as long as it is not noisy. Instead of a loud gun, short palm-length knives were randomly sprayed. Max shouted, grabbing a Japanese blade hidden in his gun bag.
“Wow! Ninja!”
“I am not a ninja!”
As an expert, I could explain the difference between kunai and yuyeopbido in a long sentence, but I did not have the time and sincerity to do so. In the first place, from the point of view of the bodyguard who was stabbed, the name was fine.
“It’s a bitch. It’s shit.”
Leonard erased the hacking program he had worked hard to plant. It was a waste of RAM even if the program was connected to a brain chip that had stopped functioning.
The house of ‘Dirty’, decorated with the blood of the fixer, was turned into a mess by the fixer. High-quality wooden furniture was split lengthwise and smashed horizontally to become a beautiful firewood. Marble tiles were shattered beyond recycling, and armed mercenaries guarding them crawled across the floor covered in blood and grease.
“What about Dirty Hancock?”
asked Ryan Bourne, throwing the crumpled iron door aside. The unlucky mercenary there is kkew-! As I made a noise, I was struck by Aldrim’s knife point once more.
Leonard looked around the room, being careful not to get blood on his coat. The whole floor of the villa was built up, making it the largest broker office I’ve ever seen. Even the bodyguards on duty at all times could have guessed the huge amount of credit they were earning.
“Because bad guys make good money.”
It was a family home with 4 or 5 spaces, so there were many hidden places. It is standard to go through each room in pairs, but with the ability, we minimized the waste of time.
“Over there.”
Leonard pointed his chin at the far end of the hallway. Surveillance cameras and unmanned turrets were deployed from there, so it was certain.
Ryan Bourne turned his heavy body and strode away. He was also an experienced fixer, so he realized the existence of the turret, but he didn’t care. With the best hacker in Junk Town, there was no need to worry about unmanned weapons. As believed, all defense facilities were in a state of incapacitation.
“As expected, Leonard and Ryan.”
“The combination that destroyed the Wild Kid gang!”
Leonard tried to protest ‘don’t sing it on the same set with that one’ but quit. This is because Ryan Bourne kicked the farthest end and destroyed it loudly.
Tatatatang-! Tattang-!
The bullet warmly welcomed the visit of the solver. Ryan Bourne waved his hand in annoyance. The depleted uranium armor used in War Machine was not even scratched by such fire extinguishers.
Oldrim and Groom jumped out from behind Ryan Bourne and launched a kunai, no, a yuubido. It was not just thrown with an arm core, but with an ejection device, it flew quickly and accurately with small movements.
Bido, which has a shorter handle than the blade and does not have a blade holder, pierced the bodyguard’s forehead and airway as he fired a 9mm bullet from a makeshift barricade that overturned the desk. All that was left was the broker in question, ‘Dirty’ Hancock.
Max made a suspicious expression.
“Dirty?”
Even at a glance, he was a neat gentleman unlike his name, with a luxurious suit made in White Town, an implant body without a scratch, a necklace and wristwatch that were not overly decorated, and a hairstyle that was neatly combed and oiled. He even looked good.
“It’s not what you look like, it’s because what you do is dirty.”
Except for Max, who saw ‘Dirty’ for the first time, he did not let go of his tension. Leonard carefully scanned for hidden weapons, and Ryan Bourne quietly pulled out a light machine gun built into his left arm and threatened. However, ‘Dirty’ looked at the dead bodyguards gloomily and did not resist.
“The legends of A-044 City came to catch me. If it’s an honor, it’s an honor.”
Whether it would be an honor or a sorrow, it remains to be seen.