Clunk!

A compact car stopped on the street of 2nd Avenue in District 3.

The rattling, old-fashioned pink compact car drew people's attention.

Thump!

That was also for a moment, as they were forced to turn their gazes away by the menacing aura of the figures who got out.

"Alright, another safe drive today."

"...Safe driving? You're driving a dirty-looking compact car like a racing car."

"What, you bastard?"

"Hic!"

It was a group armed with weapons.

They were usually either contractors or mercenaries.

In District 3, where they were busy competing under the surface, they were a race that could be seen quite often.

The citizens hurriedly fled, hoping that no sparks would fly from them.

"Is that it? It's a mess."

Hella cupped one hand and put it to her eye like a telescope.

The building at the end of her gaze was in a sorry state, as if several battles had taken place.

The windows on the lower floors were shattered, and smoke was rising from here and there.

The blood that had dried on the road was piled up in layers, giving off a strong fishy smell.

It was the headquarters of Delight Conquem.

It was also our goal.

"It seems a few battles have already taken place. For that, the security doesn't seem particularly tight."

"It must mean, 'Come if you can'."

"What great confidence. I wish our old man was half as bold as that. An old man who has eaten knife rice is putting on airs like an elite who has eaten ink rice just because he's gotten a little older."

The foolish fish caught in the bait must be the owners of that blood.

There was a clear basis for their confidence.

"I-I'll just wait here and go in after it's all over, right?"

Bel, who was fed up with the gruesome scenery, tried to stealthily back out.

Hella immediately chided him, hitting his trembling armor.

"Hey, get a grip. You're going in with me to steal the ledger and destroy the blueprint."

"No, it's not that I don't know..."

"I'll help you as much as I can, but I can't help you if you make a stupid mistake. If you lose your mind, you'll die. Got it?"

"Y-yes, I'll do my best."

Although we were a small group, we divided the personnel into two again.

My goal was the destruction of the machine... disguised as seizure, and Hella and Bel's goal was the recovery of the ledger related to Director Berman and the destruction of the blueprint.

On top of that, Bel had to carry out a camouflage operation in the middle.

There was no time to leisurely participate after everything was over.

"Damn it, to think a promising technician like me has to die in vain in a place like this..."

"You're not going to die, so don't say such unlucky things. My soul partner and the rising star of the industry said he would take care of the overall trouble, didn't he?"

"..."

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not just gilding the lily. Your name is already being mentioned on the network from time to time. Soon, you'll probably even have your own page."

In this world, the network is more of a closed community than a place for public information exchange.

What corporations use is an intranet that is physically cut off from the outside, and what civilians use is closer to the deep web.

Since basically only those who use it use it, the area of application is limited.

Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that the profession that benefited the most was contracting.

It is rare for a contractor to personally interfere with the network.

Most of the time, the broker promoted the contractor connected to them.

If a personal page was created, it meant that a certain level of trust had been built in the industry.

'Although the development of the network is somewhat lagging compared to Earth, it's not at a level to be disregarded.'

If only I could hire a skilled hacker, the areas of application would be overflowing.

'When I have some leisure later, it would be good to contact the candidates.'

In requests that are secretly related to corporations, a hacker is a semi-essential personnel.

If you know them, it's not a connection that you'll lose out on.

"This ignorant guy is going to have a personal page? Are people that blind?"

"I already have one. Want me to show you?"

"Ah, well. Since it's an industry with only crazy guys, that must be normal."

"What did you just say?"

"Quiet."

I stopped the two who were bickering.

Unlike the lower floors with broken windows, the upper floors were covered with dark tinting, hiding the inside.

For superhumans with all sorts of strange abilities, it was a very basic defense.

Screech!

The Sentinel Hawk's vision surpassed all sorts of obstacles.

It pierced through the glass window, crossed the hallway, and the field of view expanded into a small keyhole.

The shared vision transmitted detailed information that an outsider could not know.

"...We've timed it well."

And this was unexpected.

"Why? What is it?"

"Most of the personnel are gathered in one place. It seems today is the test run date for the machine."

I chewed on the internal scenery that had been imprinted on my retina for a moment.

The many people who were busy coming and going, exchanging words, the tools whose principles I couldn't understand, the unknown liquid that gushed up like a waterfall and wet the floor...

I couldn't see it clearly, but what was in the center of them was definitely something in the shape of a human.

Bel's eyes immediately lit up.

"A test run? No, these crazy bastards! If you touch that wrong, it'll break!"

"Why, if it breaks, it's a good thing. We won't have to go through the trouble."

"...W-well, it would be a disaster if it went berserk! It's a really scary thing."

Bel awkwardly made an excuse and stomped his feet.

It seemed he was really worried that it would break.

Bel gave me a look, urging me to move quickly, but I leisurely shrugged my shoulders.

Judging by the atmosphere, there was still some time.

"I don't see any forces guarding the inside and outside."

"Why is that? Are they being careful because it's a delicate job?"

"..."

Consideration for an outlaw.

It was a joke that wouldn't even make me snort.

Rather than that.

'It must be a trick they're playing with their partner.'

It was a familiar development to me.

The theft that the Shadow Empress had committed against the world's top corporation.

It was not a feat she had accomplished alone.

There were several corporations that had helped her.

The beginning was the abandonment of the security duty she had been requested to do.

And then, the various corporations that had secretly dealt with her had attacked at once, causing chaos.

It seemed to be the timing right before that now.

'Things have gotten easier.'

I hadn't aimed for it, but that's how it turned out.

It was the optimal moment to intervene.

"We'll enter as soon as I give the signal."

According to my will, the World Tree roamed every corner of the building.

***

"Uhm, I'm suddenly tired."

"You too? Is it because we worked all night?"

"I'll just take a nap..."

"Ugh."

Thud!

The researchers, with their eyes glazed over, collapsed one by one.

They all had tired appearances, with dark circles under their eyes that reached their cheekbones.

But even so, for researchers, overwork and all-nighters were lifelong companions.

The fact that the incident happened to everyone at the same time meant that it was more than just fatigue exceeding its limit and causing them to faint.

Swoosh!

The air that came in through the ventilation duct had a different density and formed a layer with the internal air, accumulating on the floor.

It was colorless and odorless, but it shimmered like a haze when a person's hands or feet touched it.

If one looked closely, one would be able to detect a sense of unease.

The researchers, who were already drunk on sleep, could not notice this.

"It must have cost a lot of money to prepare such a large amount of such an effective poison."

Because he was wearing a gas mask, Hella's pronunciation was muffled and echoed.

It was equipment that Bel had quickly put together and distributed.

What was sprayed through the ventilator was a sleeping scent made by collecting the spores of a plant that acted as a poison in the vegetable garden.

It was manufactured with the goal of neutralizing the researchers from the beginning, and it worked effectively.

"But do you really not need a gas mask?"

"If I just have this, I don't need my share."

I took out a red fruit from my bosom and chewed it.

The sour and bitter flavor woke me up.

It was an antidote that paired with the sleeping scent.

I had also harvested this.

"..."

And the hard labor that led to the harvest was all Bel's share.

I ignored Bel's gaze, which was full of love and hate.

'It's completely deserted now.'

Since they hadn't clashed and caused a commotion, the hyenas who were watching for an opportunity outside would not be able to move rashly.

Since the internal security had also disappeared for some reason, it had become a truly deserted place.

"Then, as planned, let's meet at the rendezvous point when it's all over."

I parted with the group and headed to the room where the researchers were gathered.

Beep!

I opened the door with a security card I had stolen from a researcher who had collapsed on the floor.

As if they had started the experiment in a great hurry, documents with various formulas calculated were scattered about messily.

I didn't really like the deep smell of disinfectant, similar to a hospital.

The researchers, snoring and asleep, became signposts that guided my feet.

'It's like a spider's web.'

Numerous cables were connected to the inside of the tank, which was filled with a culture medium of a turbid color, like stagnant water with green algae.

The ice that was constantly supplied through the glass tube melted quickly as soon as it came into contact with the liquid in the tank.

The shimmering liquid soon overflowed and wet the bottom of my pants.

I endured the dampness and stickiness and approached the tank.

Bubble, bubble!

The body of a person with electrodes attached to their limbs was lying down.

There was no sign of life, as if looking at a corpse.

Nevertheless, the guy was constantly blowing air bubbles from his nose, as if insisting that he was breathing.

Crackle!

If it weren't for the occasional flashing sparks, I would have really mistaken it for a person.

An android that had reached the realm of an artificial human, surpassing a humanoid that mimicked a human.

The pinnacle of the technology of this era was sleeping here.

Pshhh!

I cut off the power to all the machines and pulled out the long cable connected to the back of the machine.

Forced booting is something to be avoided as it has a negative impact on a computer's lifespan.

But treating an android as a mere computer is an ignorant act.

Although it was sensitive, there was no way the prodigy of advanced technology would break down from just that.

I carried him on my back and went up the stairs.

And I entered his research lab, which Bel had told me about.

The secret door in the shape of a bookshelf was wide open, as if Bel had passed through first as promised.

Although he must not have been able to organize it as he had escaped in a hurry, it felt neat and tidy.

It seemed he had been managing it thoroughly from usual, as befits his sensitive personality.

Thanks to that, I was able to find the item I was looking for without difficulty among the scattered junk-like inventions and piles of paper.

Clatter!

As I lifted its leg to check, the part below the joint flowed down like a liquid and separated.

This much satisfied the condition that it should be moderately damaged.

When I glanced at it, it looked quite similar to the android I was carrying.

He had said it was the most recent failure he had made and hidden.

[The World Tree is curious about which of the two is real.]

The World Tree, with its poor eyesight, was completely fooled and touched the two machines alternately.

I stopped the World Tree, which believed in the truth that machines are fixed by hitting them, from causing any more trouble.

'He said it would be impossible to distinguish just by looking at the blueprint.'

Although I was a layman, it seemed plausible even to my eyes.

I moved it to the tank on the lower floor and came out to the hallway.

It was then that a suspicious loud noise occurred.

Wooo!

With a loud alarm sound, the surroundings began to darken.

When I checked the surroundings, a firewall, which seemed to be installed inside the window frame, was beginning to cover the outer wall of the building.

Crash!

As if a storm were rushing in from the stairs, the fluorescent lights broke sequentially, and glass fragments scattered.

It didn't take long for the inside of the building to be completely submerged in darkness.

"..."

I stopped my feet.

A desolate silence and an air that heavily pressed down on my shoulders.

It wasn't an accident.

It was an artificial incident.

And soon, a sharply reflected voice proved it.

"I thought it was a signal, since you came in so cleanly without making a fuss."

It was the sound of clicking heels.

The sharp sound, like a sharp nail, echoed in the hallway.

The sound, slowly approaching through the darkness, licked my ear canal stickily like a cunning snake.

"Well, well, they were rats?"

I didn't panic and calmly relaxed my hands and said.

"...According to the plan, you should be out of your post and outside."

My voice, unlike the other party's, fell powerlessly, as if buried in the darkness.

I didn't deliberately lower my voice, so it must be someone's trick.

I clicked my tongue inwardly so that it wouldn't be heard outside.

"Oh my."

With a playful exclamation, the sound of heels stopped.

A presence blocked the end of the hallway, the escape route, the stairs.

"I must have been mistaken. They weren't rats, but the limbs sent by our business partner?"

In the vision that had finished adapting to the dark, the silhouette of a woman with a voluptuous curve was visible.

'Is it Bianca?'

At this point, she was the only one who would make such an impressive appearance.

'As expected.'

Bianca had intentionally withdrawn the guards.

The lax security was a trick she had played with her business partner to backstab Delight Conquem.

"But that's strange."

A captivating laugh followed the end of her voice.

"The time I was given by my business partner is not now."

Drip!

Her silhouette flowed down like a liquid.

The shadow was pouring down in an amorphous form, as if multiplying.

"It's one of the two. Either the cute business partner dreamed of betrayal, or you lied."

The sticky thing fell to the floor with a turbid noise and then squirmed and took shape.

"But it doesn't matter which one it is."

"I suppose so. You were planning to betray them anyway."

"Correct."

The reason she, who should have left her post according to the signal, had reappeared was none other than this.

It was an ignorant statement to expect credit from someone who had already betrayed.

Betrayal is the same, whether it's once or twice.

Just as she had in the future, she had tried to take everything for herself.

"The gift... shall I make it fame? I'll make it all your doing. A contractor who outsmarted the Shadow Empress of Madhouse and completed the request. Isn't that cool?"

I pushed the android into the next room and closed the door.

Since it was a security door, it would be able to withstand a certain amount of impact.

"Of course, unfortunately, you won't be alive to enjoy that fame."

"A pity. I was thinking of showing you some kindness."

The hawk tattoo, responding to my will, shone with a blue light.

It couldn't burn away all the deep darkness, but it was enough light to confirm the shape of the beast that filled the hallway.

"Since you're a precious body that will be chased by a megacorp on my behalf, I'll let you live."

The request I had received was the destruction of the android.

It was a naive child's statement to expect all the commotion to subside as soon as I reported the success of the request.

The astronomical value of the android was so great that it would arouse suspicion about the authenticity of the item and cause conspiracy theories even after seeing the destroyed real thing.

The card I would use as a bait there was Bianca's existence.

Everyone who knew her would project all their suspicions towards her, not me and Sylvester.

"...Hehe!"

Bianca, who had grasped my intention through the short exchange, laughed lightly.

"A cute trick."

And the moment the laughter stopped.

"Go ahead and try."

The darkness rushed at me like a wave.

(End of Chapter)