A hologram screen appears in the air.
The inside of the room is grim and dark with the lights turned off.
From the angle of the screen, it was expected to be footage from surveillance cameras.
People wrapped in masks appear from outside the hologram screen.
They are all dressed in identical black outfits.
They set some special machine in the center of the room. It was a hologram projector.
After finishing some adjustments, a loud sound accompanied by a yellow circular hologram appears over the machine.
– Bababam!!
【Hello everyone! Nice to meet you! Your assistant, Smile John here!】
It’s the voice of a mechanical man.
An emoticon bounces around like a bouncing ball.
Upon closer inspection of the screen.
There are several other people standing in the corners of the room besides the masked ones.
Some familiar faces are visible.
They are criminals who escaped from Pelicanus.
Maybe it was before they managed to escape.
The restraint devices binding them were still intact.
【The reason I’m helping you escape… well, there isn’t really one! I’m just letting you go! Hahaha!】
A sound like applause from a comedy show follows his words.
【And since you’ve all come to Neon City, a city of dreams, yet have been stuck in Pelicanus without enjoying anything, let’s laugh here!】
Smile John laughed heartily, putting on a one-man show.
The room remained eerily silent.
No one, including his subordinates, laughed at Smile John’s words.
【Ugh… the atmosphere is so dull. But I’m fine! Really!】
The round hologram moves in front of the escapees.
It stared intently at each one of their faces.
【You are a Chrome Psycho! Try not to get caught this time!】
【You are a Terrorist, right? Let’s be friends since we do the same work!】
【You’re a Bomber? What a unique profession! I like it.】
He gave a comment to each escapee.
It didn’t seem to have much significance.
Finally, Smile John arrived at the last person.
A woman whom I had just met again recently.
It was Maya.
【Oh, I hear you’re looking for a certain wizard. Lucky for you, I know where that person is! I’ll let you know later. Haha!】
After Maya, Smile John returned to the center of the room.
In the meantime, one of the male escapees yelled at Smile John.
“Why is your tone so damn annoying?”
【Hahaha. It’s a habit. Isn’t it good to live while laughing?】
The emoticon did a few spins.
The moment it stopped spinning, red veins appeared prominently on Smile John’s forehead.
【But why talk so casually? It annoys me.】
Immediately after that, Smile John’s subordinate shot at the man who spoke casually.
Noise from the hologram screen intensified.
Red blood flowing from the floor corner spoke instead of the man.
【There was a little accident, but I’m still fine! Nothing has changed! You are all free to act as you wish!】
With that last remark, Smile John’s hologram vanished into thin air.
【Thank you! This was Smile John!】
Then the screen went dark.
…Hmm.
After a brief thought, I scratched my head.
“So this crazy guy is targeting me?”
“Exactly.”
This was bad news.
—
7. Unwanted Obsession (2)
“You saw it, so you know this is footage captured by surveillance cameras in Pelicanus.”
I nodded.
I confirmed through the screen.
I even saw the face of the Chrome Psycho I encountered while out buying a data module, as well as the faces of other escapees and Maya.
From the video alone, it was clear that Smile John helped them escape.
Maya also mentioned that the one who helped with the escape knew my location.
“I also cross-checked with other captured escapees, and it’s certain that this terrorist named Smile John helped criminals escape.”
I tilted my head slightly.
“But isn’t it too early to think that this terrorist is targeting me based on this alone?”
“I thought so at first too.”
If you say “at first…”
There must be something more going on.
I focused on Natasha’s words.
“Do you know that there’s a bounty on you recently?”
“Of course.”
“…What? Were you aware? You should have told me!”
Natasha’s glare sharpened.
Her piercing eyes made me instinctively lower my posture.
Setting traps here suddenly…
I had no idea what I had done wrong, but it felt like I needed to make an excuse.
“…Well, I thought it was handled by Catherine by the time I found out.”
Timeliness and intuition were both at 100%.
I answered like that.
“…Hmm, that makes sense.”
Her gaze softened slightly.
Good.
I somehow got past this.
Natasha continued her interrupted words.
“The organization responsible for the bounty is different, but Smile John is the one who got them to place that bounty.”
It’s all connected further.
I nodded repeatedly at her words.
“Recently, it’s said he’s been continuing to support a group called Eco Warriors.”
“Eco, what?”
“Eco Warriors.”
What kind of organization was that again?
I remembered hearing it somewhere.
As I pondered, Eve chimed in.
[Eco Warriors, the Orc terrorists that Human ‘Lee Siwoon’ met when he recently visited a café, I inform you.]
“Oh.”
I remembered now.
Those were the guys.
They had turned into Orcs after Catherine got to them.
“…But isn’t that just a coincidence?”
I actually entered that café on a whim too.
“After interrogating an Orc who survived at the scene, there was plenty of possibility.”
Hmm.
Is that so?
I have no idea.
Anyway, to summarize, it was said that this terrorist named Smile John was disrupting my peaceful daily life.
It definitely felt strange.
Lately, only bad things have been happening to me.
It’s a fact that I’m unlucky.
But even I thought things have recently reached a serious level.
Which means…
“Was Catherine moving next door to us because of that? To help me if something happens?”
“…Catherine moved next door?”
Oh.
Maybe that’s not it.
Hmm…
“Then does that mean the stock investments I made went bad because of Smile John’s scheme?”
“Your stocks collapsed too?”
[Definitely not, I assert this.]
Maybe that isn’t true either.
Eve, Eve…
Honestly, I would appreciate it if stock restrictions could be lifted gradually.
Anyway, one last thing then.
“Is it also part of Smile John’s plan that my neighbor Bill is bothering me like an old man? It’s too suspicious.”
“…I don’t think so?”
[…….]
Well, I thought that was a crazy theory too.
I tried to regain my foggy mind.
I slapped my cheeks a few times, and the dazed state due to my bizarre circumstances returned to normal.
“Um, do you know why this guy Smile John is targeting me?”
“I still don’t know that. Smile John has recently surfaced as a virtual terrorist, and there isn’t much information available.”
If he’s a virtual terrorist, he should be causing terror only in the Net Space.
Why was he coming to the city and doing this to me?
What on earth was the reason for targeting me?
Listening to Natasha’s explanations so far, there was ample circumstantial evidence that he was indeed targeting me.
There must be some reason for it.
“……”
I have no idea who that could be.
It could very well be due to the karma I’ve built up in this world. Since I lived as a mercenary, there’s bound to be unavoidable matters.
Even if I had hidden grudges against me that I wasn’t aware of.
It wouldn’t be strange at all.
“I’ll inform you if any related missions or information come in, so just wait a bit.”
“Oh, thank you, Boss.”
Indeed.
Having capable people around me reduces my workload, which is nice.
Though there are times I feel self-deprecating about myself, I should accept help when I need it.
But the atmosphere felt strange.
Natasha stared at me silently without saying anything, even after my heartfelt thanks.
…Did I say something wrong?
I hadn’t said anything weird or made any mistakes.
After the silence, Natasha finally spoke up.
“Isn’t calling me ‘Boss’ too formal between us?”
“Yes?”
What do you mean by that, Boss?
How formal can our relationship be?
But I couldn’t say what I was thinking.
Natasha continued.
“You’ve provided me with information, asked Tech Master for implants that put less strain on my body, and all that.”
…
Part of that was appreciated.
But part of it was not so much.
Honestly, I was a bit skeeved out by the implants.
The pain I felt during the cyberware checkup still chased me even in my dreams.
Well, it was fine to be grateful, to some extent.
“…Just call me by my name.”
“…Yes?”
“Call me Natasha.”
Just then.
The ‘Confucian gentleman’ in my heart rose to his full height.
‘How dare you!’
Why again?
‘How can you refer to an elder by their name so casually!! If you’ve ever played a game, you must know the age of the person standing in front of you!’
I dismissed the shadow that was delivering a lengthy speech to the back of my mind.
To survive in this cold city.
There are times when you need to endure and persevere.
I thought this was one of those times.
“Um, well, thank you, Natasha.”
“Good.”
Though her mouth was still covered by the fan.
I could easily tell that she was smiling.
Natasha’s mood seemed much better.
“If it’s going to be dangerous for a while, you can stay here.”
“I think that would be fine. As I said earlier, Catherine lives next door.”
Honestly, with Catherine living next door to me, what would I have to fear?
…
Catherine was a bit scary.
“…Really? Anyway, that’s good.”
Natasha got up from her seat.
She moved briefly to a different spot.
When she returned, she was holding a bottle of white rum with an elegant label.
It looked like cola mixed with alcohol.
Natasha asks me while I remain still.
“Can you at least join me a little?”
“…I can’t say I can’t drink.”
A simple drink was not hard for me.
I watched the rum mixing with the cola as I thought.
But contrary to my expectations, what we drank wasn’t just a simple drink.
…
We just drank an enormous amount.
Natasha kept pouring, and I couldn’t resist.
I don’t know if I’m drinking the alcohol.
Or if the alcohol is drinking me.
I haven’t hit my limit in a long time.
“Uugh.”
I felt like I was going to vomit.
—
【Hello!】
I should have been more moderate with my drinking, knowing I was likely to run into Smile John on my way home.
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