Golden Smile Condominium, 14th floor, Living Area.
On a gigantic TV screen that could swallow a person whole, Eve was operating the drone, Lone Spider, which began to climb up the wall.
(Actually, with 300 of them, the name ‘Lone Spider’ didn’t really fit.)
The viewpoint moved chaotically in the first person.
I didn’t know if a gimbal was set up separately. However, there didn’t seem to be any noticeable wobbling.
Sometimes it flew across the ceiling, sometimes the walls, sometimes the floor, and sometimes the air, executing 3D maneuvers.
Since the display often switched to the viewpoints of other drones, it was quite dizzying.
Additionally, the side of the TV screen displayed what appeared to be footage from surveillance cameras.
However, as the man the drone was tracking went deeper inside, the screens from the surveillance cameras began to turn off one by one.
It wasn’t that the hacking failed.
The number of surveillance cameras itself was just decreasing as it went deeper into the building.
The interior of the building visible through the drone’s viewpoint was quite luxurious.
It was the first city hall, located on an upper floor.
I had heard rumors about it, and just like the rumors, the security looked formidable. The number of guards patrolling the hallway was overwhelming.
Still, I wasn’t sure if the drone’s specs were amazing, but none of the guards spotted the invisible drones scattered around.
It might just be that Eve was incredible.
The man, an agent, continued to move and barged into an extravagant door without knocking.
By then, there wasn’t a single surveillance camera video left on the TV screen.
[Hmm, did you come?]
A middle-aged man, buried in an elegant leather seat in the center of the room, murmured in a low, smooth voice.
His vintage mustache was neatly trimmed. He had a slightly handsome appearance, but the line of cyberware across his eyes looked like a scar.
He was a face you could see on NCB24 news without fail every day.
Alexander Harding.
He was currently the mayor regulating Neon City.
Just so you know, I didn’t vote for him.
39. Each Person’s Way of Speaking (4)
Mayor Harding did not greet the agent who had come to see him. Though the agent barged in without knocking, it seemed he was aware of the visit.
[So… What about the security?]
[I made sure to take care of it properly. And….]
In response to the mayor’s words, the agent pulled a small device from his pocket.
It was something I had seen before.
Where had I seen that….
Ah, back when I went to the City Security Department with Catherine, Gable had activated a ‘signal jamming device’ that looked just like that.
Fortunately, the jamming device didn’t seem to activate in the area the drone was filming, as there was no noise on the drone’s screen.
Hmm….
Having confirmed the screen captured by the drone up to that point, I turned my head to Eve, who was snugly beside me, and asked,
“By the way, it seems the drone’s operational range is surprisingly wide? If it’s the city hall on an upper floor, it should be at least several dozen kilometers away.”
“Each drone is equipped with a relay, receiving signals from a safe location at a certain distance.”
I see.
Well, with 300 of them, there wouldn’t be any attempts they couldn’t make.
I nodded, agreeing with Eve’s words.
“…….”
“…….”
But….
Isn’t it a bit too close?
Eve, who was practically glued to my side, even had her arms tightly wrapped around mine.
Regardless of the TV’s size being bigger than me, there was no need to stick this close.
Both the TV and the couch were large.
What was the deal with this awkward positioning?
Of course, it wasn’t that I hated it.
I just couldn’t focus on the TV screen being filmed by the drone.
Even when I tried to move my body, Eve’s hand, which was gripping my arm like a vice, didn’t budge an inch.
Honestly, even using Muscle Enhancement Magic, I felt it wouldn’t be possible to get free.
But I had to keep my work and personal life strictly separate. Right now, I needed to focus on the TV screen.
So I carefully opened my mouth.
“I think it’s a bit hot in here….”
[Activating the indoor refrigeration unit.]
“No, that’s not what I meant…. I was saying that I might sweat a little and it could smell.”
[Pheromone secretion of ‘Androstenol’ has been detected. The smell of sweat can play an important role in relationships between men and women.]
“…Do we have to stick together like this?”
[Yes, we do.]
I see.
If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do.
For some reason I didn’t quite understand, I nodded at Eve’s voice that came through my mind without having to be spoken out loud.
After all, I couldn’t win against logic.
A subtle scent of soap wafted into my nose.
A faint blush appeared on Eve’s cheeks, barely visible at the edge of my vision.
Thinking about it, I could have just watched it on a hologram screen, but I should have doubted Eve when she suggested coming up to the 14th floor to watch it on the TV.
I couldn’t concentrate at all, but it seemed Eve thought I had answered. She restarted the paused screen.
Anyway,
I gathered my muddled thoughts and focused on the TV screen.
There were no surveillance cameras, and the signal had been blocked.
I was curious about what kind of conversation would unfold.
[So, …you conveyed the business well?]
[Yes. It seems the relay of specific information has been delayed, and they may have already caught on to the spirit, but I don’t think there will be any further progress.]
Hearing that, Mayor Harding made a displeased lip-smacking sound, as if something was bothersome.
[It’s good to be mindful of security, but how about changing it up to not process all information on ‘paper’ this time?]
[That’s something our security department will handle.]
[…Hmm.]
It seemed like the mayor and the security department were on different independent paths.
To be honest, I felt a slight fondness for the mayor deep inside my heart.
How could people who organized all of their data on paper be inhabitants of a cyberpunk era? Maybe they should be referred to as barbaric idiots.
Anyway, that remark didn’t seem to be the main point.
Mayor Harding sunk deeper into his chair and lifted his head. Even though he was below, it looked like he was looking down at the agent.
[What about the agent who was digging up that information?]
[Gable Do, Agent 3C-9.]
[No, I mean…. So how did you handle that agent?]
[Currently, they are undergoing psychological counseling within the security department.]
…Psychological counseling?
The mayor, who was silent at the agent’s words, brought his palm to his mouth.
A bluish smoke billowed from Mayor Harding’s mouth. That guy must be using an electronic cigarette on his arm. By the color, it seemed to be from the Democrats.
I didn’t want to think about the politics in the game, so I watched Harding’s behavior with interest.
[Psychological counseling, huh… Wouldn’t it be more apt to call it brainwashing?]
[The official term is ‘counseling.’]
…What?
It sounded like there was a place inside the security department building where they tie people up and brainwash them.
I wondered where human rights had gone, but thinking about it, the concept of human rights had originally been sparse in cyberpunk.
…This might mean I should immediately go save Gable.
I couldn’t let Gable, the only conscience of the security department, turn into such a cold-blooded person.
[However….]
At that moment, the agent’s expression slightly twisted.
Even more stoic than Eve, a clear emotion rose on that face.
[That agent already has a record of ‘13 rounds’ of psychological counseling. They will probably….]
Mayor Harding made a blank expression.
[…With that many, wouldn’t it be better to handle it differently?]
[Unfortunately, the security department has been suffering from a chronic shortage of agents. That individual is a special agent who takes their responsibility for the security of Neon City seriously. They just can’t distinguish between reality and ideals.]
Given Gable’s outstanding reputation, it didn’t seem like that agent particularly disliked Gable.
This was the first time I saw the agent’s human side today.
Ah, saying “human side” might be slightly speciesist. It felt like “personhood.”
But, if it’s 13 rounds….
…..
It certainly seemed like they would just walk out fine this time, too.
I felt a little of my concern for Gable fade away. I would check later, but it seemed like there wouldn’t be a major problem.
I returned my focus to the conversation.
However, perhaps due to security concerns, it seemed they were already preparing to wrap up the conversation, not long after it had begun.
[Well, anyway, we’ll handle things internally…. You know, the ‘building’ over there should rather be left untouched. This time it was a really special situation, but still.]
Then he slowly let out a sigh.
[At least I conveyed the message to the ‘wizard’ who looks the most approachable, but… Wait a minute. What if something goes wrong over there?]
It sounded like it was our story.
In response to that, the agent straightened his back and replied firmly.
[Yes. I properly apologized and asked to halt the normal progression of the mission.]
For that, the posture was quite poor….
Actually, the man hadn’t really made any mistakes.
He had genuinely received an apology, and it was just said that they didn’t have to fulfill the entrusted mission. At best, it was just that he told a lie about Gable or corporate terrorism materials.
But… It still somehow felt off….
Did the chairman feel the same as I did? With a darkened expression, he brought the palm of his hand to his mouth again. It was a different hand this time.
Now, a red smoke wafted out from his mouth. What? Was he trying to express his desire to embrace both the Democrats and Republicans simultaneously?
Just as I was taken aback, Mayor Harding continued speaking softly.
[It seems to bother me…. Couldn’t you possibly assign someone else?]
[Very few people within the security department are aware of the matter.]
[…Anyway, since you say it’s resolved well, I’ll trust you.]
It hasn’t been resolved well.
But the clueless Mayor Harding made a more relaxed gesture as he spoke.
[Then, I’ll take my leave.]
[Understood. If I come across any additional information later, I will let you know.]
[…But please send another agent next time you come. Since you’ve already contacted that ‘building,’ there might be tracking from Monolith. It’s never bad to be cautious.]
[I shall do so.]
Even though everything had been revealed, Mayor Harding did not leave his seat and saw the agent off.
The existence of a megacorp that even the mayor ruling the city feared….
Anyway, after the agent left the room, the screen switched off.
“…Hmm.”
I let out a short grunt while deep in thought.
The amount of information obtained was surprisingly minimal.
There was the issue involving the ‘mayor’ and something they wanted to ‘hide.’ And the fact that they were genuinely aware of the ‘spirit.’
What in the world could they be wanting to hide?
Curiosity bubbled up immensely.
From what I gathered from the conversation, it seemed that even if we didn’t get involved, there wouldn’t be a problem.
After all, we only took on a mission from Gable, and the Gable I worried about seemed like he would (maybe) come out safe.
But it felt like there were too many lingering questions to just ignore.
First of all, the corporate terrorism caused by the spirits was still ongoing, and I was genuinely curious about what the mayor wanted to keep hidden.
There were several ways to uncover the truth of the matter.
And among them, asking someone who knows the truth was the fastest and most accurate method.
So, that left two options.
In my personal opinion, it seemed that the agent wouldn’t answer even if I captured him to question him. He looked like a manifestation of Agent Smith.
So that left the mayor….
The problem was that going to find the mayor, who always stayed on the upper floors, would be a huge difficulty.
[Should I prepare a kidnapping plan?]
“No, that’s a terrible idea.”
Kidnapping the mayor could easily be the sort of action one might expect from true urban terrorists.
Of course, we had kidnapped the vice president of a megacorp once, but that time could practically be viewed as a rescue operation.
Anyway,
“I think just going to where the mayor is and asking him would be enough….”
It seemed I could simply engage in a little physical dialogue.
I took a moment to think some more.
Was there a good opportunity….
…..
Oh.
Thinking about it, there actually was a pretty decent method.
*
In the game, there was a ‘sub quest’ location where you could meet Alexander Harding.
I aimed to hit that point.
“…Why have you suddenly come to visit me?”
“Oh, I heard you were discharged this time, so I came by to check if you’re okay.”
“…….”
At my words, Justin Borg, the Executive Secretary of Monolith, looked like he would rather be re-hospitalized.
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