Seoul Cyberpunk Story-Chapter 12: Heart Drill (3)

A room with no light source except for the glow emanating from my own body.

Lying on the bed, I went over the data extracted from the netwitch's terminal once again.

The information on the screen was exactly the same as before.

It was all circumstantial evidence, but the analysis suggested that the aim-assist AI was the root cause of the Heart Drill infection.

Stepping off the bed, the faint blue light spread from my toes once more.

The white furniture in the room reflected the glow radiating from my body, making the space resemble an underwater cave.

"There’s no way I can use this data to corner the Family Boss..."

After all, it was nothing more than a journal, and I couldn’t even confirm if it really belonged to the dead netwitch.

At best, it was circumstantial evidence.

For now, I needed to show it to Onyx and gauge her reaction.

But I couldn’t just send such sensitive information as it was.

Given the current state of suspicion surrounding the Concrete Family, using their internal network was [N O V E L I G H T] out of the question.

"This is going to be a hassle, but I’ll have to deliver it in person."

Leaving a message for Onyx—who was probably still awake since we hadn’t parted ways long ago—I slowly stepped out of the room.

****

There was something unsettling about the Concrete Family's nights.

The silhouettes of white buildings occasionally emerged in the darkness, with not a single light to illuminate them.

The atmosphere was eerie, like something out of a ghost story—enough to make anyone with a weak heart faint on the spot.

Following the familiar pristine corridor I had passed through before, I made my way toward Onyx’s room.

Since I had messaged her in advance, she was already waiting for me in the reception room.

"A, what’s with the sudden visit?"

Fatigue was thick in Onyx’s voice.

Well, considering she had been in a shootout since morning and then spent the rest of the day walking, that was understandable.

"I found something."

I sat down across from her and got straight to the point.

"Found what?"

"Some data that appears to belong to the dead netwitch. The investigation results they left behind are... pretty interesting."

Onyx's expression stiffened as if she had picked up on something in my tone.

Meeting her gaze head-on, I continued.

"I’ll send the data over via short-range transmission."

A faint blue light flickered across my eyes as the extracted data was transferred to Onyx.

She quickly skimmed through it on her AR display—then her face went completely pale.

"The aim-assist AI...?"

Her voice trembled.

"But that’s... something my father manages personally..."

Standing up, she muttered to herself in disbelief and began pacing around the room.

"No way... This doesn’t make sense..."

She looked genuinely shaken.

If she was acting, then she shouldn’t be involved in gang business—she should be a professional actress instead.

To be honest, I had considered the possibility that Onyx was in on this.

It wasn’t uncommon for mercenaries or netwitches to be lured into traps under false pretenses.

But fortunately, it seemed that Onyx—my client—wasn’t involved in this mess.

If she had been, my mission would have instantly shifted to escaping the Concrete Family’s territory...

And that would mean I’d never see my credits, bidding farewell to my dream of devouring 500 Black Bio Pizzas.

After a deep breath, Onyx seemed to regain her composure.

"It can't be the aim-assist AI. Absolutely not... But I have to confirm it."

Muttering under her breath, she finally made up her mind.

"A, thanks for the data. I’ll check it out myself. Just give me a little time."

With that, she strode out of the room, her pace faster than before.

****

The personal white room assigned to me.

I lay sprawled across the bed, waiting for Onyx.

"She’s late..."

She had left looking as if she’d be back soon, but even after nightfall, she hadn’t returned.

It was already deep into the night, and just as I was about to go to bed—

Knock, knock.

A knock at the door.

Onyx had finally arrived.

She looked completely drained, and for the first time, there was a sadness in her expression.

"A. I need your help."

As soon as she stepped into the room, she pleaded with an urgent look in her eyes.

"I found something in my father’s office. He has the aim-assist AI stored in his personal vault, but there’s no way I can sneak in unnoticed."

"Obviously, I have to help, don’t I?"

Hearing that, I tilted my head slightly.

Investigating the aim-assist AI was a job I had to do.

After all, I was a mercenary here for the Heart Drill case.

"It’s going to be extremely dangerous..."

"Isn’t that why you paid 100,000 credits for me?"

Onyx tried to emphasize the danger, as if she expected me to back out...

But an infiltration mission into a gang’s hideout for 100,000 credits?

For me, that was a bargain.

At my usual rate, 100,000 credits could get someone a job to wipe out two entire gangs the size of the Concrete Family.

Maybe it was my casual attitude, but Onyx hesitated for a moment before pulling up a transparent holographic map in front of me.

"You know that to get the AI’s data, we need the original, right?"

I nodded slightly at her question.

A few months ago, I probably would have thought, "Why not just grab a random gang member and rip the AI out?"

But now I knew better.

Once an auxiliary AI was installed in a human, it would adapt to their body and alter itself beyond recognition.

That was why AI shards containing auxiliary AI programs were one-use only, making them expensive as hell.

Seeing my understanding, Onyx continued.

"To get the original aim-assist AI, we need to infiltrate my father’s personal vault."

A detailed 3D map of the Concrete Family headquarters appeared in the hologram.

"This vault is so secretive that even I didn’t know about it. Only my father’s most trusted people are aware of its existence."

A massive, heavily reinforced area on the third basement level was marked in red.

"This right here is my father’s personal vault."

She zoomed in.

"It won’t be easy to get inside. The guards are stationed around the clock..."

Onyx traced her finger across the map, marking the guard positions.

"And it’s secured with a biometric recognition system. Only my father and a handful of his top executives can access it."

She pointed at the entrance.

"Lastly, the final security system doesn’t use an AI frame. It’s a semiconductor-based electronic system, which means netwitches can’t hack it remotely."

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but feel a bit incredulous.

This was corporate-level security.

Semiconductor technology was something that only a handful of mega-corps with long histories still had access to.

And yet, a gang had this kind of security for their treasure vault?

It was so impressive that it felt... suspicious.

Finally, Onyx spoke in a quiet but firm voice.

"Can you do it?"

Without hesitation, I nodded.

****

Right before I finished my preparations and infiltrated the gang’s vault—

Onyx spoke to me.

"A."

Her voice suddenly dropped to a whisper.

"Honestly, even without this investigation, it’s obvious my father is responsible for this mess."

I turned to her with a questioning look.

"There’s no way our Family could have built a facility like this."

Her voice carried both certainty and deep sorrow.

"How could he abandon the Family? He called us family, and yet..."

She looked devastated, shaken by the betrayal of her own father.

After a brief sigh, she continued.

"It has to be connected to a corporation. You can still walk away from this."

Her voice suddenly sounded as if she had given up.

I looked straight into her eyes.

"Do you not want to know the truth?"

I asked, calmly.

After a moment, Onyx replied.

"I do. I want to see it with my own eyes. I want to know why my father made this choice. But..."

"Then, the job continues."

I cut her off decisively the moment I confirmed her intent.

She was probably about to say it was impossible.

But there was no way I was going to let some corporation take away 500 pizzas from me.

At that, Onyx let out a small chuckle and spoke.

"Thanks, A."

"?"

I found myself internally questioning her gratitude as I slowly made my way toward the gang boss’s vault.

****

I was descending into the depths of the Concrete Family’s main building.

The method? The elevator shaft—the tunnel where the actual elevators moved up and down.

Gripping the shaft wall with my hand, I slid downward, controlling my descent.

Finally, reaching the third basement level, I stepped out of the shaft cautiously.

I also suppressed the faint blue glow radiating from my body as much as possible.

It was uncomfortable—like holding my breath—but necessary to avoid detection.

According to Onyx’s intel, this area should have been heavily guarded.

At least eight guards were supposed to be patrolling in shifts.

Yet, something felt off.

Either my senses were malfunctioning, or... there was no sound of footsteps. No sign of movement.

Instead, a damp, unpleasant scent lingered in the air at the end of the hallway.

And the moment I turned toward the corridor where the guards should have been—

The familiar stench hit my nose like a strike to the gut.

Blood.

The reek of blood was thick, wafting from deep within the corridor.

With a scent that strong, someone’s throat had been slit open in this hallway.

No, more than just one. A lot of blood had been spilled here.

Something’s wrong.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, I stopped suppressing my presence and sprinted down the corridor.

And then—

A grim sight unfolded before me.

Corpses. Dozens of them.

The pristine white walls were stained red with blood.

Twisted bodies lay scattered across the floor, limbs bent at unnatural angles.

Their eyes remained frozen in sheer terror.

The biometric scanners had been destroyed.

The palm-shaped scanner had been crushed inward, as if someone had smashed it with their fist in a fit of rage.

Stray electrical sparks crackled from the exposed wiring.

The laser grid security system had been completely obliterated.

Even the pressure-sensitive flooring had collapsed entirely.

Every single security measure had been wrecked beyond repair.

And then—there it was.

The electronic vault door, the final security barrier.

Even I had doubts about whether I could sneak past it undetected.

Yet now—

It stood wide open.

The reinforced steel of the vault door had been ripped apart like paper.

The doorframe was twisted and warped, the electronic circuits shattered and strewn across the floor.

Tap. Tap.

Slowly, I stepped inside.

The vault interior was charred black, as if it had been caught in an inferno.

The walls were coated in soot, and the air reeked of burnt plastic and scorched metal.

And in the very center—

The Concrete Family Boss.

Standing still, his back turned toward the entrance.

Completely motionless.

"!"

And in the middle of his back—

A hole.

Slightly larger than a fist.

Like he had been shot with a military-grade laser cannon.

Had my footsteps alerted him?

Slowly, he began to turn around.

But something was off.

His movements were unnatural.

Like a machine shifting its joints.

Like a marionette being pulled by invisible strings.

Inch by inch, his body rotated toward me.

And finally—

When I saw his face—

I involuntarily sucked in a breath.

His eyes—

The whites were barely visible, completely engorged with blood.

His mouth—

Dry bloodstains ran from the corners of his lips.

His skin—

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A ghastly shade of gray.

And now that I saw him from the front—

The hole in his back was exactly where his heart should have been.

A perfectly round, drill-like hole.

Heart Drill?

This was a signature of Heart Drill victims.

Then, in a hoarse, rasping voice—

The Boss spoke.

"You... are... alive?"

His bloodshot, unfocused eyes turned toward me.