Ch.108017 Work Record – New Recruitment Period (7)

I woke up early the next morning as well. It was a day when the smog was somewhat thinner. The city’s hologram projectors seemed to be preparing for Christmas already.

A Christmas tree displaying the Farmers Corporation logo floated with the slogan “At least for Christmas, under clear skies.” If Farmers Corporation put in their full effort, they could clear away the smog for just one day.

That one day was what mattered. Not being able to keep the sky clear all year round didn’t mean everything was in vain. If they could make it happen for even one day out of the year, people could look forward to the next year.

Clear skies, daytime temperatures around 20 to 25 degrees… and about 5 degrees cooler in the evening. It was reasonable to expect a pretty decent day. Until then, I had to work hard.

I check my pistol under the dim light of dawn. It was too heavy to hold with one hand, but that wasn’t a problem now. After checking it by rotating it in one hand, I also verify the new magazine I inserted yesterday.

I can’t hit targets from very far away, but in the wasteland, that rarely matters. I check the carbine, remove the old silencer, and attach a new one.

The wasteland was flat terrain. A vast plain where silencer efficiency is maximized and long-range shooting is recommended. I gather my combat uniform and helmet, both colored in wasteland camouflage.

Around 6:30, I received a call from Ms. Eve. I connected immediately.

“You’re up early, Arthur. How long do you think you’ll need to get ready? I’ll wait, so don’t worry.”

“I’ve been up for a while and am already preparing, so don’t worry. Oh, today we’ll take two separate vehicles. You saw how the Hollowwood Creek guys malfunctioned last time. They might have a different attitude this time.”

I heard Ms. Eve sigh. Following the sound of her repeatedly taking deep breaths as if slightly anxious, her voice returned.

“Alright. Do you have anything to tell me, Arthur?”

“There’s something someone I respect once told me. Slaves obey, machines produce… and humans enjoy. Remember the joy. The things you want to do, Ms. Eve. I find joy in seeing your smile.”

“It’s strange to confront Hollowwood Creek just because that brings you joy, Arthur. You should think about practical matters too…”

I draw upon a fragment of madness I received from—or perhaps inherited from—Mr. Günter. Tomorrow is an illusion. Yesterday is merely a lingering fog. All I have is today and enjoyment.

“I’m certified by Belwether and I’m a freelancer working with Belwether’s partners. You saw how those Hollowwood Creek guys got beaten up and driven out of Los Angeles without accomplishing anything. They won’t be able to touch us.”

“And…?”

Ms. Eve’s voice was trembling slightly. She was shaking at my voice, which simultaneously held the murder she so feared and a sense of resignation.

“If they change their attitude in the wasteland and try to attack, they must know there’s no surveillance equipment there. There’s no one to see if they do bad things, but the same goes for us.”

“Is that really enough? Because you can do it, you’re able to do it, and you want to? I…”

“I’m not asking you to become like me. That respected person told me more, but this is all I took from it. Everyone just takes a brick or two from others’ words to add to their own building.”

If I had truly made all of Mr. Günter’s words my own, I would already be gone, and there would be one more position in the headquarters security team. That didn’t happen. I’m here in Los Angeles now.

A moment of silence followed. I heard a deep sigh, and Ms. Eve took a brick or two from my words. She reinforced her crumbling—or once-crumbling—wall with those bricks.

“I also… yes. I enjoy similar things to you. And I hate how the mark of sin keeps pressing on my heart even during those enjoyable moments. That’s all.”

“You’re still so easily embarrassed. Well then, whether we settle accounts, throw away guilt, or whatever else… shall we take one more step forward?”

“The first part was unnecessary. Yes, alright. See you in the wasteland, Arthur.”

Dressed neatly in wasteland-colored combat gear with a helmet on, I display an image of swirling wasteland gray on the semi-transparent display. I leave the apartment carrying my gun case.

I get on my bike and head to the wasteland. At the wasteland entrance, I meet Ms. Eve, who was waiting properly equipped with body armor, and connect our communications.

I heard her tense breathing again, but as our eyes met, her breathing calmed a bit. When I turned off my display, her smile returned.

“I like that too, Arthur. You’re like a walking sandstorm. But I know the core is still you… Yes. I like it twice as much.”

With helmets on, we briefly touched foreheads before pulling apart. Her face, visible through the transparent visor, was quite flushed with blood flow. I chose not to mention it.

She started riding first, and I followed. I remembered the location of our destination. Two hours later, on the way to our destination, Ms. Eve took a corner directly, while I went a bit further and made a wide detour.

I scan the wasteland with my eyes. I spotted a Hollowwood Creek sniper wearing the same wasteland camouflage. They wouldn’t kill Ms. Eve. That would be blasphemy against their guru.

I park my bike after getting off the road in the opposite direction from where the sniper was looking. I approach hidden in the sandstorm. This is information from the raid training and education program that the manager secretly gave me.

Ms. Eve encountered another of the guru’s lovers on her way to the villa—different from her, still with blonde hair and a young body. I could hear them arguing.

“Aren’t you tired of coming here, Eve #113764? You could be back in the Creek in no time, and we could even send you a memorial wreath. Well, that was until last time. Not this time, Eve. Go back.”

“It’s never been like this before. You know I didn’t come to see you anyway. What happened last time was just a malfunction on Hollowwood Creek’s part…”

The sniper comes clearly into my view. I move closer. The sniper was only looking toward Ms. Eve.

“That’s the problem. You’ve been too influenced by the rulers outside Hollowwood Creek, and the martyred guru hasn’t come to his senses. If you want to kill him twice, I could open the way, but you’re not that kind of person.”

The guru’s lover seemed different from last time. This one knew how to speak in a sweet voice. A seductive voice. Ms. Eve gritted her teeth and answered.

“No, no. Nobody martyred anything. I shot and killed the guru because of a misunderstanding. I’m not coming to pay respects. I’m coming to apologize for my mistake. Don’t change the subject.”

A smile appears on my face. She was standing her ground. She was fighting against all those words trying to fit everything into Hollowwood Creek’s cult doctrine, fighting for time she could enjoy.

I reach the vicinity of the sniper. With a Type IV enhanced body that makes no sound, plus the sandstorm environment of the wasteland, it wasn’t easy to be detected.

The Creek’s sniper fired another warning shot, and the guru’s lover continued speaking.

“Blasphemous words. Blasphemous thoughts. You’ve really been corrupted by impure things outside Hollowwood Creek, Eve. No. The guru belongs to the Creek. Even if you want to repent, you must do it the Creek way. Go back, okay?”

It’s just intimidation. If it were real persuasion, they wouldn’t shoot at her feet. Ms. Eve wasn’t afraid of bullets. She had an ace up her sleeve in the form of a sandstorm.

“No, I won’t. Step aside. I’m going to meet the guru, and I’ll see whether he’s a person or a hologram puppet. I’ll find my own way to repent and take responsibility.”

“This time they won’t be shooting at your feet, yet you still say such things. Bearing burdens is hard, Eve #113764. Everyone needs something to lean on.”

I heard Ms. Eve snort. She coldly retorted.

“No, no. Eve. A person truly worth leaning on never tells you to lean on them. They just show you how admirable it is to stand on your own two feet. Arthur?”

The moment those words fell, I sprang out from the sandstorm and lunged at the sniper. I grabbed his helmet with one hand and seized his sniper rifle with the other, holding it by the barrel. Communications connected.

“I’m someone who leans on all sorts of things too. And, Creek’s… ah, damn. I don’t want to call someone like you Ms. Eve.”

The guru’s lover bristled at those words. Her voice, which had been carefully packaged to sound young, cracked audibly.

“What does a ruler from outside the Creek know about that name to speak such blasphemy? Sniper. What are you doing? Sniper!”

“What do I know about that name? It’s the name that Ms. Eve chose to accept. That person standing in front of you. That’s all that matters to me. And as for the sniper, he’s right here now.”

When I applied a bit more pressure to the hand gripping his face, the sniper screamed. The guru’s lover’s voice began to tremble. Their forces weren’t limited to just the sniper.

“Should I be worried about calling the inquisitors, Eve #113764? The ones you fear so much. Enough to shoot and kill the guru.”

“I used to. If I hadn’t seen them getting beaten to a pulp by that guy who’s now holding your sniper in the LA downtown, I still would. And I should be the one asking if you’re worried.”

“I suppose so. It’s simple, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you be worried that the guy who subdued your sniper without you knowing is now holding the sniper rifle and aiming it at my head?”

She won’t be able to see me properly from this distance. If she can’t see, everything becomes fifty-fifty. All questions become one. Will I be lucky? Or is this the end?

The guru’s lover shouted in desperation. She felt her known paradigm crumbling too easily.

“Hollowwood Creek is a megacorporation too! Do you think Belwether, where you’re hiding, will protect you forever? Do you think we can’t take you from that city of unbelievers?”

“It’s funny, Eve. I used to be unable to lift my head in front of you people, feeling like my sins were being exposed, thinking I deserved to be ridiculed… but now I think it was unfair. This is enjoyable.”

The moment that word came from Ms. Eve’s mouth, I felt a thrill. Enjoyment. Pleasure. A piece of what I believe had been transmitted to her. It was a special feeling.

I zoom in to look at Ms. Eve. She had drawn her pistol and was aiming it at the guru’s lover. Words that seemed to be chewed and swallowed followed.

“Besides, shouldn’t you say such things after capturing me? Step aside. I’m going through, and I hope nobody dies here today.”

The guru’s lover backed away at her words. She went behind the villa, got into a van, and drove toward me where the sniper was. I threw her the sniper with his helmet crushed.

The guru’s lover looked at me with fierce eyes, but I wasn’t particularly afraid. Hollowwood Creek was a megacorporation that put all its effort into internal cohesion. They simply didn’t have the capacity to send anyone outside.

To be honest, even calling them a megacorporation like Belwether was laughable. A megacorporation with just one city would be small among megacorporations… no, definitely small.

And even the population they had was mostly Adams and Eves who had their creativity and individuality castrated, which made it especially so. So what makes Hollowwood Creek a megacorporation? Belwether.

They supply pharmaceuticals to Belwether using those Adams and Eves. The quality is good enough that most people are favorable until they learn Hollowwood Creek is a cult.

If only someone could somehow cut the connection between Hollowwood Creek and Belwether… if there was someone who could take away the chair they were sitting on, like in musical chairs. No. That’s too much in the realm of fantasy.

Anyway, Hollowwood Creek might have a new recruitment period. That guru’s lover might get fired from her lover position and another woman might take her place. After mocking her, I pulled my bike over to Ms. Eve.

Once again, the two of us reach the front of the guru’s villa. I turned off my display helmet to show my face before entering the villa. The guru’s hologram was again waiting for us, sitting on the sofa.

It, or he, looked at me with an expression of complete incomprehension and asked. Last time I had firmly established it was a hologram, but now… it was ambiguous. Even what to call it.

“You came together again. Why? What do you gain by playing advocate beside a sinner?”

“Just because… it’s enjoyable. Seeing someone I care about making progress bit by bit.”

“You must know she has no right to that. And enjoyment? Because of such trivial things…”

“What I want to know is whether 42% is being malicious or 58% is being vicious. And you’re not the one I came to see, are you?”

The hologram just stood there stoically. It is an illusion. Merely a lingering fog. It can be dispersed with a wave of the hand, with no substance beyond the wavelength of light. Or maybe not.

Ms. Eve now properly faced the hologram. Though her body trembled as if endless self-hatred and guilt were climbing up her ankles, she took a deep breath and spoke to the guru.

“You know what I always come to say. I’m sorry. I was stupid. And a coward. It probably wasn’t Creek’s fault. There were quite a few people in Creek who knew how to trust strangers they were meeting for the first time. It was just my fault.”

The hologram didn’t face Ms. Eve’s direction. Or couldn’t. With its back turned, it coldly ignored Ms. Eve’s apology. Or was trying not to look at her.

“I have only one thing to say, Ev… Eve #113764. The price of disbelief will never end. Forever. Forever to the extent that the word ‘forever’ seems like just a moment.”

He forcibly called Ms. Eve by her number. Did he malfunction last time? Or did he act in a way that would be judged as a malfunction? It’s impossible to know.

“Since I’ve accepted the name Eve, maybe someday I’ll figure out how to live with that price too. I’ll take it one step at a time.”

The guru’s hologram, the image of a single plane, slowly rotated one layer at a time to look at me. After staring for a long time, he slowly distorted his expression and shouted.

“Then don’t come here anymore! You’ve been corrupted by the rulers outside Hollowwood Creek, not knowing sin is sin, forgetting the need for atonement, becoming one of those depraved ones. Get out! Get out forever…”

Today’s visit was shorter than last time. Ms. Eve bowed her head briefly to the guru’s hologram before raising it again. She exhaled a deep sigh from within and said.

“I’ll see you again next time. Today I was able to speak without crying, so next time… I’ll try to bring better words. Something other than the apologies I’ve been making every time.”

We left, but the hologram remained facing the window for quite some time. He couldn’t see outside. The hologram was just an image, and what served as his eyes were the cameras inside the villa.