65 – In the Shadows of the City
“…So, did you find out anything?”
[There are not just one or two active companies.]
[Among them are Tonhu and Mirsithis.]
“The twin mountain ranges move together.
…I hope my intuition is wrong, though.”
There’s nothing in the official reports.
But beneath the surface, something is simmering.
Even just the data sent by Dayeon and Matthew indicated that.
…From subordinates in the mercenary unit to regular soldiers, everyone scoured every corner of the city.
From abandoned factories to old research facilities, even –
[There was a skirmish where we went. Mirsith easily overwhelmed them.]
“…Is there a possibility it’s connected to us?”
[At least, the eavesdropping won’t be exposed.]
The sound of a vigorously typed keyboard echoed in the background.
Matthew was still frantically flipping through the data he had received.
[Want to know something interesting, Gunslinger? The files you provided, pristine.]
“…What does that mean – “
[Pristine, but suspiciously pristine. No trace of your location, and the content is fishy but clean.]
[I don’t want to say this, but it seems like someone visited before or intentionally hid experimental records.]
A deep sigh resonated through the microphone.
Scratching his head and letting out a shallow groan –
[But why the hell did Mirsith go there? Damn it, F.U.C.K!]
The sound of a shattered keyboard pierced the ears.
As it continues like this, it seems it won’t end until even my hearing is shattered, and my legs are stumbling.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Artificial intelligence, you know. Why did it turn out so strange that it led to this chaos?”
[… I don’t want to say this, but the symptoms are similar to Ilia’s.]
“Ilia?”
The sound of vigorously chopping ingredients in the kitchen suddenly started to echo.
Although the place where the chip was inserted started to itch for no reason… I couldn’t reach it.
Every time, my arm muscles were paralyzed.
[I said that, but the responses vary.]
[…It tends to cling to those who had a high affinity, or resist obeying commands from those with a low affinity.]
[Androids, droids, regardless of the company, think of them all like Mersis artificial intelligence, and make them move.]
Come to think of it, I lost consciousness that day –
When I opened my eyes, I was inside a moving vehicle.
…Even if something I didn’t know had happened, it was acceptable.
[There seem to be gentlemen who insist that Tonhu was a real copycat, but now it seems they are concentrating on retrieving the products.]
[Since the second corporate war can’t happen here.]
Artificial intelligences changing like Ilia.
The tone didn’t sound very pleasant.
What if, from the beginning, it was all because I unlocked it?
If I gave freedom, and now it’s being abused.
Is it not pointing a gun at me, maybe for its complete independence for even just a day?
…Could it really happen?
Can shattered trust be restored?
Is it right for me to be thinking like this?
[Taehyuk, are you there?]
“Yeah, um… sigh.”
[It’s natural to have a headache. It’s the same here.]
[First, I’m thinking of looking into that facility more. No matter how you look at it, something went wrong.]
“Could it be a problem with the USB?
If, by any chance, Ilia had intervened…”
[That’s not the case. Unfortunately.]
But it didn’t seem entirely unrelated.
I didn’t like the situation itself. Not at all.
Things happening outside my understanding reminded me of the time when I was being raised under a company’s thumb.
[There was nothing abnormal in the security case. Nor in the USB. Unless someone has the highly advanced ability to erase connection records altogether.]
[And that’s probably something even Jesus couldn’t do.]
“…It’s impossible.”
Just surviving there was already a miracle in itself,
and the even more improbable chance of reviving Ilia and being able to love her again…
Even after ten years, she recognized me in an instant,
understood me, followed me, and even loved me.
However, right now…
[I’ll look into it further from this side and let you know. Okay?]
[Take a good rest in the meantime. Don’t strain your wrist unnecessarily. If you’re short on money, we can lend you some here. No joke.]
“Seriously. It’s not like that. Just… had some business with a company, couldn’t help it.”
If I get involved with a company or something again, I might end up holding the short end of the stick.
Mirzis shook hands, and my knees paid the price;
Received a gun from Gemini Arms, and my wrist did.
Wonder where the next contract will take me… I’m thinking to that extent.
[Anyway, take a break.]
[…I don’t like what Ilia did, but Taehyuk didn’t really care about getting hurt even before he became a mercenary.]
Because I’m a person before being a mercenary. So… take a break. A good one. Leave the rest to us.
I’m not someone who can’t do anything to the extent that it warrants such concern.
…There were situations worse than this, and now my knees don’t hurt anymore.
Certainly, I could have made a little more progress.
The company is moving, and Ilia has her own methods.
“If I work my connections a bit, something will come up on my end too. I’m perfectly capa -“
[No!] [No.]
The voices that came out simultaneously struck my ears again.
Maybe I should develop a habit of keeping my phone a bit away from my ears.
[I really don’t want to say this, but do I want to make Ilia uncomfortable?]
I never expected Dayeon to say such words to me.
No, perhaps.
Considering how Ilia had treated me somewhat kindly…
“When did we become so close?”
[We didn’t become close; it’s just that Mr. Taehyuk is doing something strange to that extent.]
[If it hurts, you should rest. Why do you keep moving? No matter how contracted you are with the company, is there anyone willing to endure wrist pain?!]
All members of the Mirsies Technologies’ training squadron, Spear 04 Division.
…I can’t say that.
Except for Ilia and me, everyone else had an unfavorable outcome.
[Rest. I sincerely mean it.]
[I may not have the right to say this as a technician under the Tech Boys who employed you, but now you really need to take a break.]
[Take a break from the watchdog job. Now Ilia is by your side, right? You two are together.]
[Then spend some time together, and maybe do things you haven’t done. Leisure or dates, for example.]
[Are you saying this to us now?]
[Well, that’s -]
Thunk.
Along with the sound of a strong blow to the back, a scream roared through the speaker.
…It seemed like it was time to turn off the ears. It was clear.
[Cut it off.]
“Uh, that -“
[No, why is this hand so numb! Wait, wait! Save me! Save me! Ahh!]
Fortunately, seeing a bright figure that didn’t approach me with sullenness or melancholy like before made a smile form on my face, but
Thinking about it, none of the words heard really touched my heart.
Constantly dealing with things, and now telling me to put them off and take a break.
…It’s not something you can easily pass off as tired of border duty.
Rest for someone still on the battlefield – isn’t that a luxury?
Of course, I have to do something about this wrist, but even so, there are things I can do.
As long as it’s not the chip at the back of my neck, there will be more things I can do.
“Is the call finished?”
“Yeah. Just a moment, I’ll make another call to one place -“
Pressed the button. The signal went through.
And then, it got cut off.
As soon as Ilia’s eyes turned blue.
The screen detached from her cheek displayed the company logo and went off.
“It’s time to recover. I recommend sleeping after a meal.
Or, how about watching some media like movies or dramas?”
Switched off. On its own.
Was it synchronized? Well, it didn’t matter even if it wasn’t.
“Ilia.”
“Another outing, or were you trying to create something for an outing?”
The phone, once held in hand, was snatched away, and the fingers, now powerless from losing the grip, clenched into a fist.
…Slowly, emotions were on the verge of intensifying.
“You know, I’ve never been angry with you.”
“You’ve always been kind.”
“…I want to keep being like that.”
Breathing out slowly, I reached out my left hand to the one holding the phone with both hands.
Forcefully putting on a smile.
However.
“But that smile no longer seems to mean kindness.”
Something dark and flat was placed on the desk, and Ilia sat beside me.
My request, once again, was denied.
“Ilia.”
“Lord Taehyuk.”
“Ili -“
“Why do you keep trying to harm yourself?”
“I know my body. And there are things I can do with this body.”
“Now is the time for you to recover. You must not get involved in any other incidents or tasks.”
“Only the arm got hurt; my mouth and brain are fine.”
I could redirect the call to gather information, and I could understand how the business was moving to some extent.
Just holding a gun isn’t the only task of a mercenary.
“Now is a brief moment to take your hands off work. Continuously putting stress on your body and mind like this might -“
“…I told you I don’t like it because it stresses me out.”
Intensified emotions.
And words that slipped out.
Even if I hurriedly tried to pick them up, the spoken words had already reached the ears.
” – Sorry, no. That’s…”
“Yes, it must be because of intensified emotions. I understand. However.”
Once again, the phone lit up.
In the extended popup window, files were being transferred.
“These are the company trends and troop movements that I personally investigated.
Would reviewing these documents be sufficient for you?”
Accepted.
Flight paths densely marked and designated conflict points.
Even in the systematically crafted report, there was a moment of surprise.
“I will continue to provide new information at one-hour intervals. So,
please stop your work and rely on me for now.”
Turning off the phone once again and embracing me in his arms, he finally yielded.
…What envelops warmly must surely not contain malice.
“Well, it can’t be helped then. What about the chip -“
“Not allowed.”
…Probably, there’s nothing.