Ch.252035 Work Record – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (7)

Talent and Tradition, a company that believes in survival of the fittest, places no restrictions on claiming the possessions of the deceased. The weak have an obligation to be devoured and become nourishment for the strong.

I decided to take everything I could possibly carry. I pick up his carbine from the equipment box that’s too large to fit on my bike. What I’m currently using is Bellwether’s standard issue model.

Of course, Bellwether’s supplies have always provided stable and excellent performance. The Fitts & Morrison attachments admirably supported that stability… but it’s also true that they suffered from a chronic lack of firepower.

The toxic flechette rounds used by the Copyright Department weren’t a perfect solution. They’d need to be ordered from T-Enter, they only work on living organisms, and even then, they wouldn’t work on enhanced bodies of my caliber.

Still, there’s a clear difference between what you can counter and what you can’t. Additionally, I could learn how the Copyright agent, who stood on the frontlines of the assassin war, had customized his gun.

I was about to leave the safe house after showing the cameras that I was collecting spoils in Talent and Tradition’s way, when someone rushed into the building.

I immediately raised Little Evil and aimed, but they didn’t stop. There was a white armband on their forearm indicating they belonged to the medical team… what does T-Enter call it? Medical department? Anyway, it showed they were part of the medical team.

It’s literally just showbusiness. I decided to think of it like professional wrestling, where the team doctor rushes in the moment you step out of camera angle. I lower Little Evil and wait for his next move.

He urgently tried to jab an auto-injector into my forearm. It was a symptom suppressant for poison gas. The Copyright agent hadn’t used poison gas. Perhaps thinking it was more honorable, he had only attacked me physically.

Watching the medical team member bring the auto-injector to an uninjured part of my forearm and press the button, I slightly pulled my arm away and caught the emerging needle. I almost broke it.

“I didn’t inhale any nerve agent, so I don’t need a symptom suppressant, and even if I had, doing it like that would just break the needle. Weren’t you watching from outside before coming in?”

Startled by my calm tone and the way I caught the auto-injector’s needle, the T-Enter emergency responder stammered a bit before speaking.

“Didn’t the Copyright agent spit something toward your face at the end? That’s a suicide poison, an extremely lethal nerve agent that…”

The Copyright agent had spit gas from a capsule he burst in his teeth. I remembered that. When I touched my eyes, they stung a little, but there was no further reaction.

The medical team member, who was trying to explain how lethal the suicide gas was, quickly realized there was no point explaining this to someone showing no symptoms.

Still, he was the professional. After touching my eyes once more, I tried to accurately describe what I was feeling.

It felt like describing the shape of a grain of rice. Something so small and trivial that explaining it seemed pointless.

I only cooperated diligently because I knew my Eve would worry if I didn’t properly collaborate with the expert. I pointed to my stinging eyes and said:

“My eyes do sting a bit, but my vision is completely fine. My facial muscles don’t seem paralyzed either… so I think I’m okay. What’s your professional opinion?”

“Well, um, this is my first time treating a Posthuman Type IV… but still, you should take one injection of the antidote. Having the agent remain in your system won’t do any good.”

He handed me another auto-injector with slightly trembling hands. I knew how to use it from chemical warfare training at Bellwether. The problem was that my skin couldn’t be penetrated by this.

This was precisely why the drug injector at the back of my neck was important. Fortunately, I could now say I had help from the dead Copyright agent. I brought the injector to where he had cut away my skin.

With an unpleasantly stinging and dull sensation, I pressed the button on the back of the auto-injector. I briefly felt the thick needle penetrating my forearm, followed by the distinctive feeling of something being injected.

It’s called an injector, but it felt more like a forceful stream of water being poured in. After the injection, the moment I pulled out the needle, a membrane was already forming over the wound. The same was happening where my skin had been cut away.

It wouldn’t take long for the wounds to heal, but I still removed my black suit top and received first aid. If I returned looking like this, claiming it would heal anyway… my Eve would kill me.

It had been a long time since I’d received first aid. After checking the dressed wound once more, I put my black suit back on. The busy work was finally over. Now only leisurely enjoyment remained.

I think I’ll need a car. I could load the box onto the bike’s cargo rack, but the weight balance would be completely off. After finishing this job, I’d earn enough money to buy and collect cars.

In that state, I return home. The air in the wealthy neighborhood is unsettled. They must have heard the sound of two corporate bioweapons fighting, or perhaps warning messages had been sent to the area.

I wonder if these people were curious about the winner’s face. Probably not. What they wanted was to ensure the fallout wouldn’t reach them, and that their actual neighbors wouldn’t get hurt.

This high-speed era breeds selfish people. These selfish people become altruistic in a world where it’s difficult to live alone. For most people, the direction of that altruism is simply clearly defined.

That’s why Polaris is a precious person. Her altruism radiates toward the entire world, literally. She’s someone who, because she didn’t believe in hope, could see hope objectively and perform it perfectly.

I return home on my bike. As I enter the house carrying a box clearly engraved with the Talent and Tradition logo, I see a T&T security officer restraining someone.

They’re the thugs I’ve passed several times when leaving home for work. The man has already been subdued, and the woman is being held at gunpoint by the security officer’s prosthetic arm.

While they are indeed back-alley thugs, they’re also residents of this apartment. This isn’t exactly a place with great security, nor is it home to particularly remarkable people.

They moved aside when they saw me, but I didn’t immediately take the elevator up to my apartment. In this industry obsessed with survival of the fittest, the strong have privileges.

Instead of discussing whether that’s good or bad, if it’s necessary, just use what you need. I set the equipment box against the elevator door to keep it from closing and said:

“Let them go. They’re both residents of this apartment.”

I spoke in a gentle voice once, but the security employee said something I didn’t like. It was a stupid comment not even worth enjoying.

“But they have three prior convictions and were trying to go up to the 10th floor while carrying firearms. So…”

“What’s on the 10th floor that these two shouldn’t go up to? They could have pressed the wrong button in their own apartment elevator, couldn’t they?”

If security overreacted here, it would only advertise the fact that Polaris was on the 10th floor of this building. That would be a major security vulnerability.

At least Talent and Tradition’s security wasn’t stupid twice. He released the woman he was holding by the neck. He wasn’t humane enough to apologize.

I pushed the equipment box I had placed against the elevator door inside. I nodded to the woman whose neck had been grabbed, indicating she should get in. The man was only unconscious, not dead.

Covering up security vulnerabilities that others nearly created was my specialty, but some professionals dislike their areas of expertise. Don’t be stingy with gratitude and apologies. I recall what I learned from Bellwether.

“I’ll apologize on their behalf. I knew entertainment industry people were beasts, but I didn’t think they’d do this just because someone tried to enter a building where their freelancer lives with a gun.”

I naturally made the security officer think that what he was guarding against wasn’t an attempted intrusion against Polaris, but against me. The possibility of information leakage is minimized.

I stop the elevator at the fifth floor, lift the unconscious man, and sit him by the door before getting back in the elevator. I return home.

I thought I could quietly bring the equipment box to my room, but Eve caught me as soon as I entered. I show her the cut part of my black suit’s sleeve.

Though she didn’t say anything, her worried look said enough, so I show her the wound on my other arm too. Seeing that I had received proper first aid with dressing applied, she didn’t glare at me.

“I fought with Talent and Tradition’s symbol of force, and if the opponent died while I only got wounds on both arms… doesn’t that mean I did well?”

At my words, Eve’s finger poked the corner of my eye. She was observant enough to notice something unusual.

“Your eyes are a bit red too. Did you get scratched somewhere?”

I wasn’t stupid enough to say ‘The Copyright agent spat suicide gas in my face,’ but I didn’t want to lie to Eve either.

“It was the Copyright agent’s last struggle. I was trying to neutralize his limbs first and then go for the head, but he suddenly attacked… I didn’t even have time to dodge. Really.”

I stroke Eve, who is poking my eyes as if to say no lies allowed. She quite blatantly rubs her head against my palm, which makes me laugh for the first time in a while.

Yes, it’s for trivial things like these that I’m trying to get certification from Panacea Meditech, trying to kill Hollowcreek, and trying to change Bellwether. All reasons lead back to this insignificant daily life.

With my arm around Eve’s waist, I turn my gaze to Polaris, who is selecting outdoor clothes for Arthur-2. Though she pretended not to look at me for a while, she eventually did.

“Whoever came up with the nickname ‘Boogeyman’ did a good job. You really did go punish a bad child, didn’t you? So… shall we go receive some hot media attention?”

It’s just a joke. While cameras were flying around when I fought Talent and Tradition’s Copyright agent, no camera would be able to film us when I go out with Polaris.

“I’ll have to wear bulletproof suits for quite a while now, so I should enjoy this last time of walking around comfortably. Where are we going?”

“Let’s go to New Magers. I rented it.”

When I hear things like this, I think perhaps the rumors about the luxury of entertainment industry executives aren’t so false after all.

When I went with Eve alone, we were so crowded that we could barely choose gifts for each other, but just because the person next to me is Polaris, that space becomes ours.

And somehow, I had become a person matching Polaris’s level. How quickly is my life flowing? I thought about it briefly.

But not for long. This kind of fortune was something to be enjoyed. People are defined not by what they have but by what they give, and Polaris was trying to define herself.

I take off my black suit and prepare to go out as usual. Polaris seemed more fascinated by my everyday appearance than my working appearance, and seemed to want to see more of it.

After going out, we could board Talent and Tradition’s limousine that had arrived for Polaris, not my bike. The door, heavy even when I opened it… was more than just bulletproof.

It could probably stop a grenade launcher, unless it was something like the Chance grenade rifle I use. After lightly tapping it with my fingers, I take the opportunity to taste a bite of the life of the tyrants of this high-speed era.

New Magers department store announced temporary closure, but our car could enter the parking lot. The parking lot was unnaturally empty. It seemed even employee vehicles had been moved elsewhere.

They had arranged it to give the feeling that we were truly alone. They sell not the department store’s products, but fantasies, images, and spaces to spend time. Inconveniences can be tolerated for that product.

The five of us really enter the empty New Magers department store. Polaris still had a gentle smile on her face, but my Eve was holding my forearm and sticking close to me.

It felt quite strange to be alone in a place normally overflowing with people. I lightly wrap my arm around her waist and head toward the central hall of New Magers with Polaris.

The hologram screens filling the edges of the round central hall were pouring out advertisements for Polaris’s charity concert. It feels like watching Gardner’s advertisement again.

Nevertheless, Polaris, who ran holding Arthur-2’s hand, stood in front of the advertisement and began to imitate the entranced expression and gestures of herself in the ad.

While she in the screen was armed with the charisma to dominate the stage, when she imitated it while holding Arthur-2’s hand, only a playful smile was visible.

“Do you know what it feels like to see your own face on screens wherever you go, Boogeyman?”

Polaris showed her own consideration. She didn’t assume that everyone here would know I was Gardner, but asked for my opinion.

Then I should answer with somewhat sincere words. I pretended to talk about the Boogeyman’s face that occasionally appears on the net, not Gardner’s work.

“Sometimes I get a sense of what it feels like. I just did my job, but everyone… tries to fit my actions into what they believe. It’s the same for Polaris, right?”

During my Gardner work, how many people said “Criminals should be dealt with decisively like Gardner.” Too many to count.

“You’re stating the obvious. Yes. That’s why I particularly like people who try to prove what they believe through their own strength, without needing to borrow my face to prove what they believe…”

Her gaze settles on me. It was both a look of seeing a kindred spirit and a very pleased expression. For me, nothing is more valuable than people enjoying life, so it’s a good expression.

“Rather than those who think darkly behind the scenes, I really like people whose actions are completely readable no matter what they do. Really. Yes. Unfortunately, Mr. Arthur, you only fit one of those. Right?”

When Polaris smiles with her eyes curved, creating a perfectly sculpted smile, it even feels regretful. She simply had a talent for loving and a talent for being loved.

Polaris bursts into laughter again as Arthur-2 makes “ugh” sounds every two steps when the fluttering skirt touches his thighs. She had quite a mischievous side.

While I’m working as a freelancer to scrape together money, she immediately headed to the luxury goods section where a single outfit costs more than my apartment deposit, bringing along Arthur-2, who’s genuinely just an ordinary office worker.

Even Theo, the bodyguard who had been wary of me, had a somewhat relaxed expression watching Polaris take Arthur-2 around various places. Arthur-2 is a much safer person than I am.

When Arthur-2 said in a flustered voice that this was really too much and asked her to stop, Polaris lowered her voice and slowly whispered a few words. Despite saying he was uncomfortable, Arthur-2 ended up following her.

I could focus more on my hearing to catch the content of the whispers, but I decided not to. I’ve never wanted others to hear what I say to Eve, so it would be the same for Arthur-2.

By now I’ve gotten somewhat used to earning money, but I’m still not used to spending it. At least I wasn’t stupid enough to go to a Bellwether store with Eve. Just that much.

Today I could leisurely browse through N-Enter’s pre-war tourism programs. Perhaps because we were here under the name of VIP Polaris, there were a few more visible products.

It’s the complete edition. While the previous Santorini had landscapes created by AI for parts outside people’s memories, this series featured landscapes perfectly reconstructed from the memories of countless people.

On the employee and Chance’s recommendation, I bought an item that allows you to experience Prague from when the European Federation was called the European Union. I look forward to when I finish work and can lie down with my Eve on the virtual reality connector.

It’s a city of the past that can no longer be visited. A city that disappeared along with Mr. Günter’s hometown when it was consumed by nuclear flames. It seems all we can ever grasp are echoes of the past.

While we were barely choosing that one virtual reality tourism program, Arthur-2 walked toward me with a pleading expression, his strength-assisting prosthetic arms overflowing with shopping bags.

This emergency signal… I’m sorry, but I decided to ignore it. I just gave him a thumbs up and moved on. The rest I enjoyed was so relaxing that I almost forgot I needed to open the Copyright agent’s equipment box.