Seoul Cyberpunk Story-Chapter 9: Burning Duct (3)
Screech!
The ferocious A howled.
Perhaps because of that, Amber's shop, Seoul, usually calm and composed, was unusually noisy today.
As soon as she saw the news, A's eyes began to glow a more intense blue than usual.
The circuitry patterns flowing from her coat seemed to respond to the fury, growing stronger, as if reacting to her anger.
It was, in a way, a silent scream.
"We need to go right now!"
Upon seeing the news, A realized that the Black Bio Corporation's production plant was in danger. She was ready to charge in and wipe out the Low-Tech Street gang members.
A mercenary who made a living by selling violence, yet here she was, ready to take on a massive gang for free.
It was a scene that Victor found a bit hard to understand.
Amber tried to grab A's shoulder, but A swiftly dodged her and bolted toward the door like the wind.
"A, stop!"
It was only after Amber and Aria managed to grab her and persuade her that A stopped.
Amber's words—"it's all a staged act"—seemed to calm A down.
Perhaps A thought it would look foolish if she helped Black Bio and ended up becoming an obstacle to them by eliminating the Low-Tech Street gang members.
Now, the real A sat between Amber and Aria, calmly eating pizza.
Munch munch.
The sound of her eating echoed quietly through the bar.
As if nothing had happened.
Victor unconsciously fiddled with the thick bandages around his neck.
His lips tingled.
To him, the situation with the Low-Tech Street gang felt more like something truly wrong, rather than a staged act.
Unlike previous incidents, the damage seemed significant, and even the Black Bio Corporation appeared to be caught off guard.
But Victor couldn't bring himself to speak up about it.
Amber's fierce gaze was fixed on him.
Her eyes clearly conveyed a warning.
'Don't speak now.'
Victor took a deep breath, reaching for his lukewarm glass of water.
He felt the sensation of the liquid spreading down his throat as he swallowed the information he had deep inside.
****
As the chewy cheese and smooth sauce of the pizza touched his tongue, his anxiety began to ease, little by little.
"Hmm..."
I chewed on the pizza bone, lost in thought.
I was too flustered by the fact that the Black Bio plant had been attacked.
The fact that the only pizza worth eating was "Black Bio Pizza" was seriously problematic.
Of course, there were other options, though not many.
Amber and Scarlet both made homemade pizzas, but those were not something you'd want to eat every day.
I had once watched Amber make pizza, and getting the ingredients was incredibly difficult.
Especially in the outskirts, where no matter how much money you had, you couldn't guarantee you'd get proper cultured meat...!
'Most likely, the Black Bio Plant issue will end up being nothing.'
After thinking it over calmly, I came to that conclusion.
This Black Bio Plant incident, while not exactly like Amber's "staged act," didn't need to be taken too seriously either.
The relationship between gangs and corporations in Babel City was always like this.
They often fought like they were out to kill each other, only to make up later.
Of course, it usually ended with a change of leadership in the gang.
It was likely that this incident would end the same way.
"This is the settlement."
After finishing the pizza, Amber approached and handed me a small credit chip.
The amount was 20,000 credits.
It wasn’t a request from someone, but rather a mercenary rescue mission, so...
This money must have been paid by the man I rescued, Victor.
It seemed he had spent quite a bit, yet his expression was surprisingly bright.
Was he just happy to have saved his life?
With the settlement finished, everyone stood up.
Victor and Aria probably had a chat before I arrived.
The mood was one where all business had concluded, and we were about to part ways.
It was almost time to head home.
Tap tap tap.
I followed Victor and Aria toward the exit.
"Wait, A."
But Amber stopped me as I was about to leave.
Only then did I remember Amber had mentioned there was something else to discuss, aside from the settlement.
Victor turned and thanked me.
"I really appreciate it, A. Thanks to you, I'm still alive."
Victor lightly fiddled with the bandages around his neck and smiled.
His eyes reflected sincere gratitude.
Clink.
Then, Victor opened the door with a soft ringing sound and stepped outside.
"A."
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Aria stood hesitantly at the door, before pulling me into a tight embrace and murmuring.
"Request. Let’s work together again next time."
Since I hadn't chosen any particular allies, I nodded in agreement.
Aria then smiled in satisfaction and left the shop.
Clink.
After Victor and Aria left the office, only Amber and I remained.
"I’ve said this to both Aria and Victor, but things feel off lately."
As the blue neon light streamed through the window and danced on the bar ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) counter, Amber quietly spoke.
"Businessmen from the outskirts have been showing up more often. I’ve heard Hexa Core Armory air vehicles have been spotted nearby. It’s definitely them."
She continued, her voice dropping lower.
"Moreover, AI Assimilation has been happening more frequently in the outer districts of Babel. It’d be wise to be cautious."
I nodded slightly at Amber's warning, and she slid a small data shard across the counter toward me.
"And this is the main point. I’ve got a job you might be interested in."
I stared at the shard for a moment before gently placing my finger on it.
As I did, blue particles slowly emanated from my fingertip, and the data shard began to disintegrate like ink spreading on water.
"Every time I see that, it’s still fascinating."
Amber watched me absorb the data shard, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.
She had seen me absorb devices much larger than the shard, like communication devices, but she still reacted as if it was something new each time.
Could it be that she gives me face-to-face jobs just to watch me absorb data?
Once the absorption finished, the information projected into my vision.
<Client: Concrete Family>
<Job Description: Investigate and track the source of an unidentified new digital drug, "Heart Drill," circulating in the Family’s territory over the past three weeks.>
<Expected Infection Path: Unknown.>
<Details: The drug’s composition remains unidentified.>
<...>
I pulled my gaze away from the data and tilted my head slightly.
It was a bit odd because this was an investigative and tracking mission.
"An investigation job? Wouldn’t it be better to ask a netwitch for this?"
I was good at breaking things, but I had no talent for tracking or investigating with my head.
Amber shook her head slowly, answering in a low voice.
"This job’s a little more unusual. If you look at the records, you’ll see that some netwitches have already failed."
Amber paused for a moment to catch her breath before continuing.
"Of course, the payout is substantial."
Upon hearing this, I quickly scrolled down the data on the edge of my vision.
<Payout: 100,000 credits.>
As I confirmed the amount, saliva gathered at the corner of my mouth.
That amount was enough to buy 500 Black Bio Pizzas—an enormous sum.
"I’ll do it."
As I said that, Amber nodded knowingly and sent over the map data.
"You can get the full details from the client."
She glanced out the window and added quietly.
"Be careful. It could be dangerous, A."
I nodded in agreement and headed towards the location marked on the map.
Tap tap tap.
After leaving Burning Duct, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.
"Ah, I never mentioned Scarlet to Amber..."
I thought, "Well, I’ll tell her next time we meet," and pushed the thought to the back of my mind.
Heh heh.
****
The sound of a sandstorm hitting the wall echoed inside the studio apartment.
Located at the edge of the abandoned factory district, this small space still faintly held the blue light that lingered from A’s departure a few hours ago.
It was as if the traces of its owner remained.
Mecha-Angler sat in front of the TV, pressing the remote with its short forelimbs.
The Babel Network’s news channel switched to the food channel, and then to an action drama.
With each channel change, the light in the room shifted, reflecting off the rounded body of Mecha-Angler.
"Kyuu kyuu."
Mecha-Angler made a small sound, admiring the scene where the protagonist used flashy implants to take down enemies.
It swung its short limbs as though pretending to be the protagonist on TV.
Then, it curled up into a ball and settled down comfortably.
At that moment...
Something wriggled in the corner of the room, out of reach of the TV’s light.
It was hard to describe exactly what it was. It briefly appeared, but before Mecha-Angler could turn its gaze, it vanished back into the darkness.
"Kyuu?"
Mecha-Angler’s round eyes grew wide.
It had definitely seen something.
And it was something that should not have been in A’s room.
Carefully, Mecha-Angler stood up and tapped the floor with its short legs, moving toward the corner of the room.
"Kyuu. Kyuu. Kyuu."
With each step it took, the light from the TV grew fainter, and the darkness deepened.
Arriving at the corner of the room, Mecha-Angler scanned the surroundings.
But there was nothing there.
Only a pizza box, discarded carelessly by A, and a ketchup packet lying nearby.
"Kyuu..."
Mecha-Angler let out a sigh of relief and turned back toward the TV.
Then, at that moment...
Sssshhh.
A shadow moved again from the darkness.
This time, it was more distinct, and it lingered longer. It appeared pixelated, slowly sliding down the wall.
"?!"
Mecha-Angler froze in place.
At the same time, the sound of the sandstorm outside the room grew louder.
Mecha-Angler hurriedly rushed toward the light of the TV.
It was too scared to stay in the shadow.
But just as Mecha-Angler reached the TV, the screen went black.
In the black screen, as if looking into a mirror, Mecha-Angler’s reflection was visible in front of the TV.
And behind that reflection, something was standing.
It was unmistakably an AI Assimilation phenomenon.
A black mass, distorted like pixels, vaguely resembling a person.
Mecha-Angler slowly turned its head to look behind it.
But there was nothing there.
'!!!'
Terrified, Mecha-Angler huddled its small body in the corner of the room.
"Kyuu... hnghng."
