68 – Retribution Measures (3)
From Noble mtl dot com
“…I know I forced it. Still.”
It should stop at one or two times of awkwardness.
But there was no response from Illya, who was quietly holding the steering wheel.
Since the house is not safe, we have to move anyway,
What are we going to do in a pierced front door?
It will surely take time for measures to be taken in the city…
The results of cooking with such words, although it seemed to flow in the direction I wanted at first glance, it was not.
“I understand the intention behind what Tae-hyuk is currently trying to do.
I decline.”
“hahahaha.”
The sight of Ilyria turning into Ilyria is still pleasing, but reacting like this, one might say it’s bewildering.
Or maybe I just forgot that human relationships can be like this.
Have I never once imagined what it would be like when a machine gains freedom?
“What Taehyuk desires is wealth accumulation through mercenary contracts, and the establishment of a safe zone based on that, followed by emigration and settling down in a life of mercenaries.
However, are you aware that none of your current actions align with those goals?”
“I’ll leave just to the extent of not walking the most efficient path to achieve the goal -“
He closed his mouth right in front of the scrutinizing gaze.
Emotional expressions are now at a human level.
“We’re almost at the destination. You should be in the car.”
“I’ll follow -“
“Wait in your place until you rescue Julia Maxwell.”
Again, the belt remains unfastened.
I have a gun, but it’s not even my car in the first place –
“I’ll be back soon.”
“You really plan to leave without unlocking – hey!”
Closed door, silent interior.
…And smoke slowly emerging from the apartment.
Well, let’s assume that’s the case, but why did Director Maxwell attack?
Ah, they were fools who declared war on the entire Incheon from the start – do I even need to understand?
Just how influential are they that they could openly attack a corporation, surviving unscathed with a bounty on their heads?
Nothing was properly sorted out in my head.
Earning money, surviving every day, maintaining good relationships with clients.
Laughing with colleagues at work… Ah, that’s all over now.
When was the last time I went out, my body tightly bound, dragged along day after day?
…This is driving me crazy.
For several days, I just slept, woke up, ate, and went to the bathroom – that’s all I did?
Did I really empty my mind like this until things got to this point?
Shouldn’t I have done something? Was relying too much on Illya the problem?
No, even if that’s true, how many times have I almost died until now to be so flippant about it?
Illya has already experienced death once. Of course, I’m just a human made up of flesh.
…The corporation will undoubtedly start moving.
Clearing away the stray thoughts, the immediate conclusion was that.
Mirzis must have taken responsibility for their security, hiring soldiers and mercenaries.
As for Tenhoo, whether they will move or not – that needs verification.
Checking the information on the phone Illya updated – it seemed like Mirzis’ forces, sent before, were gathering again.
But Tenhoo seemed lukewarm. Omniss was the same.
It doesn’t necessarily mean they are involved. After all, Incheon is not their ‘territory’ to begin with.
Nevertheless, thinking about the previous wars and the covert operations made me uneasy.
Under the quaint name of the Asian Continental Federation, the newly established nation followed in the footsteps of its ancestors.
The companies erected on that land were also tightly controlled.
By sponsoring citizen groups with money, they cunningly exploited the ideologies promoted by the United States and European countries.
While criticizing the ethics of technological advancement, they themselves seized technologies in the shadows.
But when you looked back, it was a story of being robbed.
…I declared I wouldn’t delve into politics again because it gave me a headache.
I was fed up. Those damn suit-wearers exchanged smiles and handshakes in front, but –
The commands coming down to us were to thrust knives – no, even more, commands to stab harder in the back.
I wanted to throw them all away because of their hypocrisy.
…Or did I appear that way to Ilyia?
But, do I have any other choice?
In my opinion, there’s nowhere else to retreat, nowhere to escape.
Since my home was destroyed, what more could I do here –
“Kkuhue, ugh!”
A scream burst out with the sound of the door opening.
And there, cautiously placed in the back seat, was a woman with silver hair.
One arm was completely torn off, and the clothes she wore were stained a deep crimson.
As if it were the sunset of a day.
“You got caught up in a commotion, junior.”
It wasn’t a time for laughter, yet each sip from the nose and mouth undoubtedly carried meaning.
Even if it was the complete opposite of what I had been thinking just moments ago.
“I didn’t expect you, senpai, to be this happy to see me – huh, huh.”
“But do we really need to ask why it’s not Mirsis and it’s me instead? I already said independent mercenaries are preferable.”
“…Let’s not discuss that now – ugh! Click -“
Was the reason the car door didn’t close because of that?
Just recalling the exhilarating pain of the stapler digging into my flesh involuntarily furrowed my face.
“Would you like to use painkillers?”
“N-no, I’m fine. It’s morphine. I try not to use it unless absolutely necessary. There are still remnants in the city, you know. It could be troublesome if I encounter them unarmed.”
And yet, I had inhaled morphine and shot a gun on the road.
In retrospect, I seemed incredibly foolish.
Of course, back then, there was no choice other than morphine. Even if Illya told me I was reckless…
That thought didn’t change.
“Continue applying pressure with your remaining hand. We will move to a temporary shelter.”
Why does Illya seem to have plans I’m unaware of?
…Come to think of it, is it possible for Illya to accurately understand the movements of corporations?
Of course, considering her hacking skills displayed multiple times before my eyes, it should be familiar by now –
“Heh, Senior seems genuinely like a mercenary.
He’s got plans on his own – seems to have the leisure to help others too.”
“My right hand is messed up too.”
“Oh, I’m left-handed. Just so you know.”
Turning my head from the creaking joint, Maxwell Team Leader still had a hint of a smile, or maybe it was just a raspy cough.
Suddenly, as I looked around, it seemed like people had neatly disappeared.
Come to think of it, the lure family that had caught Ilia’s attention was nowhere to be seen now.
Have I been too absorbed in my love affairs, neglecting to grasp the precise situation of the factions?
“How impressive must these Nomads be to tear off prosthetic limbs?”
“I thought you’d have that figured out.”
“Oh, I’ll try to match. Those who are in the pocket of the Tonfas, perhaps?”
For a moment, the car fell silent.
Ilia also turned her head towards me.
“How did you know?” “How did you find out?”
That was the real question.
But was it that surprising?
“Well, then, isn’t Tonfa’s manipulation of external forces and political maneuvers, what they’re up to? Right?
If my memory serves me right, at least up until ten years ago, when Mirsis formed the forum and brought companies together –
I remember Tonfa throwing money at the protesting side.”
“As expected of a senior who used to run around on the front lines. You’re quite sharp.”
Still, it continues. The tone hasn’t changed. Although they claim to wage wars over the control fight each time…
You know. Politics, it’s just the same under a different name.
I think both seniors and juniors can agree on that.”
“Enough with the talk about those suit-wearing folks. What are you going to do now?
Going back to Mirsies with that body and arm of yours, it seems like you’ll be greeted with a termination notice.”
Matthew’s tapping of his prosthetic arm caught my eye.
Being kicked out by Ternho, he chewed on it thoroughly – Mirsies may be different, but… will it really be?
They discarded me ten years ago.
Will the team leader ten years later face a different fate?
“Before that, you should do some ‘victim case’ interviews to make some money.
Shed light on yourself in the media, properly drive in who the real axis of evil is – gain some legitimacy.”
“You’re being a bit grandiose. Acting like you’re about to start a war.”
“Senior, saying that, seems like something is off. You don’t see the Nomads as just mere lackeys, do you?
Ah, of course, maybe for former training brigade members and war machines.”
The Omni-enhanced humans pushing forward were far more frightening than claiming high standards.
There seemed to be gaps in the information.
The details I needed.
To solve the puzzle, I needed the thoughts of those higher-ups maneuvering Incheon.
“Indeed, as expected. Pulling out information, it seems the eyes of a mercenary have turned back, senior.
You know, there are things I can’t say with just my mouth.”
“You came to seek assistance, but it seems you’re not offering any service, my junior.”
Maxwell, the team leader, suddenly struggled to stand up and sat straight. He took a crumpled cigarette pack from his pocket and put it in his mouth.
The moment the slowly burning end started, the scent that seeped into my nose pulled me back to the past.
“Mr. Taehyuk has quit smoking, and passive smoking is harmful to health.”
Illya, who had crumpled the end, turned her head towards me.
“I have the information. There’s no need to comply with Yulia Maxwell’s request.”
“Huh, androids are extraordinary, aren’t they, senior? Like ‘defective products’ being hunted down by corporations as if it were a job.”
But what made it turn again was lighting the end without extinguishing it –
A dog from a company emitting thick smoke.
“Let’s be friends, shall we?
CI – 125, no, Illya.”
Certainly, something huge that I didn’t know was wriggling in the shadows of the city.