Ch.320Work Record #046 – Operation Chair Snatching (2)

Tonight is the night. The Los Angeles sky is gray like the eyes of someone with cataracts, as usual, and the freelancer network flickers in search of help… but I must leave this city tonight.

After leaving the city and reaching the wasteland, I get out of the car I was driving. Chance stops his bike beside me, and I take off my bulletproof suit and throw it into the car. I put on the protective suit I prepared over my bare body.

Right now, I needed to be cleaner than ever before. I don’t want to walk into the shareholders’ meeting reeking of blood. Over the protective suit, I equip my social blade and small misdeeds, then mount the bike. I accelerate.

At one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour, it takes four hours to reach headquarters. I’ll need more time to dispose of the bodies and clothes. I push it to two hundred and fifty kilometers per hour and start racing. I give myself extra time.

After riding for nearly an hour to the address where I lured the Grand Inquisitor, I hear Sarah’s voice in my head. Her surveillance drones that she had installed in the store must have caught something.

“Target arrival confirmed. Two Heretic Inquisitors, one Grand Inquisitor, and two of the Pontiff’s Eves. Many. Can you. Handle it?”

“No problem. Estimated arrival time is 3 minutes and 30 seconds… Could you highlight their positions in my view?”

“Confirmed. They seem. To be attempting. An ambush. They’ll all be separated.”

If they’re already there, there’s no need to make a noisy entrance. I jump lightly off the bike, hand the controls to Chance so the bike passes right by the rest area.

I approach the rest area with silent footsteps. I inhale. The scent of latex dissolves in the air. According to the position information Sarah sent, one of the Pontiff’s Eves is nearby.

I can even smell the synthetic dye used to create that blonde hair. I can see a single strand of hair sticking out beyond the window. She must be leaning against the wall, expecting someone to come from outside.

I trace the person’s silhouette through the wall, starting from the hair. I pierce precisely through the part where the lungs would be with my social blade. Din said my social blade lacks color and is plain, but that wasn’t always the case.

I pull out the social blade that I had thrust deeply. From beyond the window comes a choking sound, unable to even scream due to the inability to breathe properly. My social blade also regains its color, hissing.

I launch one of the drones prepared for the chair-stealing operation and take a detour. I crash the drone into the window right next to where that Eve was hiding, shattering it. The sound of breaking glass and debris rolling across the floor echoes throughout the rest area.

The Grand Inquisitor comes out first, rushing to the gas station office where that Eve was hiding. The two Heretic Inquisitors follow, and finally, the Pontiff’s Eve emerges. I slip out of the darkness and pursue that Eve.

When moving, they should all stay together. If they scatter to respond to a sudden scream… tails get cut off. This time, I shouldn’t kill quietly. I need to terrify them.

I grab that Eve by the collar and, adding the centrifugal force of a light body twist, throw her up into the sky. A scream erupts in mid-air, and as she falls, I pierce her from below with my social blade. I feel warmth.

The scream instantly cuts off into a death rattle, and I throw the choking body into the middle of the gas station, then lightly jump up onto the roof of the gas station building. I wait for my next prey.

Seeing the second Eve sprawled grotesquely, the Grand Inquisitor hurriedly begins reporting to the Pontiff. I’ll kill the two Heretic Inquisitors next. The Grand Inquisitor will be last. Even the Grand Inquisitor had an ordinary voice.

“D-damn it… Your Holiness! We’re under attack! We expected there might be an engagement, but it seems Eve No. 018 has been caught. If you send reinforcements, I’ll definitely bring you that Eve you’re looking for…”

I took that as a personal insult. Even if they brought all of Hallowed Creek here, I had no intention of giving in. I jump down from the roof. Today, even the Heretic Inquisitors came armed with guns.

Yes, the flamethrowers they usually used were really just for turning runaway lambs into roast lamb. They tried to return fire immediately, but I can move faster than the human eye can follow, if only for a moment.

I kick off the ground and charge. I precisely embed my social blade into one Heretic Inquisitor’s chest. Any bones in the way are cut through by the vibrating blade of the social blade. Using that body as a shield, I move toward the second Inquisitor.

Getting close, I place my foot on the back of the already dead Heretic Inquisitor and kick him forward. I properly grip the handle of my social blade with both hands. I coil with the afterimage of the social blade dripping with crimson.

If Din had swung it, there would have been burning neon afterimages, but when I swung it, there was only the sound of two cervical vertebrae being severed side by side. The Grand Inquisitor couldn’t even properly return fire.

I walk between the Heretic Inquisitors with their heads severed, wearing a protective suit covered in blood and fuel. The air inside was pleasant. The Grand Inquisitor shouted in a voice close to a scream. The Pontiff won’t listen.

“Th-this, this seems to be that Eve’s bodyguard! Wearing protective gear, holding a high-frequency blade, so…”

This guy’s report would certainly differ from my impression. I spoke in a reporting manner with my voice modulated through the Calliope module.

“I sensed a presence and checked, and they were lying in ambush. It would be better to change transit points from now on, Eve. I’ll handle this and return.”

As those words ended, I cut in half the gun barrel that the Grand Inquisitor was hurriedly raising. After slashing downward, I immediately changed my stance and sliced upward, cutting through the gun body. I support the bottom of the sword handle with one hand and pierce through.

Though the bleeding isn’t excessive, I step on the chest of the Grand Inquisitor who has collapsed in extreme pain. I watch as the Pontiff’s face appears over the Grand Inquisitor’s face, and before he could open his mouth, I thrust my social blade into him.

Now I need to leave quickly. After gathering the Eves, Heretic Inquisitors, and the Grand Inquisitor, I pour gasoline over them and set them on fire with the incendiary bomb I brought. The gas station was empty of fuel anyway, so there’s no problem.

After getting far enough away, I take off my blood-soaked protective suit, turning it inside out, and throw it into the inferno. No matter how well I clean my social blade, it will still smell of blood, so I head to the convenience store shelf in front of the gas station.

I pick up another social blade that Sarah had placed there and put the bloodied social blade and scabbard on the shelf below. My car arrived around that time. I head to the car. Though I hadn’t sweated, I had prepared a towel.

I wipe my body, reapply the perfume I had sprayed when I left, and get into the driver’s seat fully dressed in my bulletproof suit. I drive naturally toward headquarters as if I had never stopped.

I left the bike at the gas station. Sarah’s surveillance drones will retrieve the social blade and head to the rendezvous point with Din on this bike. After getting in the car and taking a deep breath, I hear Sarah’s voice again.

“Cleanup. Total 8 minutes 30 seconds. Your nickname. Is well-deserved. Killshot. After all this. Can you talk normally? At the shareholders’ meeting.”

“No problem. I’m working right now. Paying attention to personal emotions is something I only do during break time.”

Still, I made sure to steady my breathing. I was on my way to see someone who could read my lies better than anyone… better than my Eve. I couldn’t help but be nervous.

It would also be strange to be too relaxed. This is my first time at such an event. So, it’s natural for me to be somewhat nervous. Last time I assumed I would be caught, but this time I’ll deceive perfectly.

That’s what Mr. Günter wants from me. That’s what I need to do. That’s the maximum speed I can achieve. Burn more gasoline to go faster. Just don’t draw the last mark on the speedometer.

“For now, I’m a twenty-three-year-old attending a shareholders’ meeting for the first time… and even though Mr. Günter has acknowledged me, I need to prove myself to all those people in that meeting hall. I’d be nervous, right?”

“Yes. Generally speaking. What do you mean?”

I created a virtual screen showing the window with data like heart rate and eye movement that the computational assist device was monitoring, and pushed it to Sarah. I use homeostatic maintenance mechanisms.

I consciously control my breathing rate to slightly increase my heart rate. I consciously make my eye movements a bit faster. No, this is too fast. I slow it down a bit to match an appropriate pace.

I apply slight tension to my neck muscles to make my voice sound stiff. If I go in this state and pretend to relax a bit when I see Mr. Günter, it will be perfect. Sarah’s incredulous voice comes back.

“What. Are you? Pre-programmed output?”

“No. I’m just deliberately controlling my breathing rate to raise my heart rate a bit… and consciously controlling my gaze and making my voice sound constricted like this. My homeostatic maintenance mechanisms work well.”

“That’s… Well. Nevermind. It feels like. The monster pretending to be human. From that movie Din likes.”

Only then could I smile with a slightly more relaxed face. Does Din often have this kind of conversation with Sarah too? Judging by Din’s usual attire… Sarah would definitely have plenty to criticize.

Since I was the only vehicle heading to headquarters for the shareholders’ meeting, I comfortably maintained two hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. I only slowed down when I reached the checkpoint at the headquarters entrance, stopping in the vehicle scanning area.

After parking and getting out, a few headquarters security team members fidget a bit in front of me. They have the right to check my identity… they should know who I am even though I wasn’t wearing a helmet. I take a deep breath.

“Can I put on a helmet and be treated like a celebrity to ease my nerves?”

One of them naturally starts to laugh at something the Boogeyman would never say, then stops. I clear my throat and pass through the scanner. The metal detector screaming was routine.

It’s because my muscles are reinforced with metal cables. After completing the scan, I show them my shareholders’ meeting attendance card when they routinely ask about my purpose of visit. Only then does the security team chat a bit.

“It’s really another world… I thought I’d seen all the celebrities for today, but a Five Companies certified freelancer? If it’s not rude to ask… why are you attending the shareholders’ meeting?”

It wasn’t rude at all. Usually, calling a Five Companies certified freelancer means there might be danger. I deliberately took a deep breath to show them a nervous appearance.

This is enough for these people. It won’t be for Mr. Günter. To think he’s both someone who puts me at ease and a summit I want to challenge—truly the best connection.

“Ah, this is really a secret… I was personally invited by the Chairman. Tonight, the world is going to change. In many ways. Believe it or not.”

“Who wouldn’t believe a Five Companies certified freelancer saying that? I hope it changes for the better. You may enter.”

After getting in the car, I lowered the window with a gesture and waved lightly to them. It was 100% deception, but I spoke without intending to deceive.

“Thanks to you, I’m a bit less nervous now! For the company, its employees, and shareholders.”

“For the company, its employees, and shareholders!”

I drive into headquarters. I head to the headquarters building. Sarah naturally disconnects, and impressively, the artificial intelligence named after Bellwether itself begins to speak to me.

“You’re early, Boogeyman. Chairman Günter is waiting for you in his office right now. Shall I call the private elevator? Or would you like to enjoy the view of San Francisco Island a bit more?”

“Just as Günter’s name isn’t ‘Chairman,’ my name isn’t ‘Boogeyman.’ Bellwether. You can call me by my name.”

“Very well, Freelancer Arthur Murphy. Just as you consistently attach the title ‘Mr.’ to Günter Chairman, I assume you wouldn’t mind if I consistently attach the title ‘Freelancer’ to you.”

Even Stephanet had some artificial intelligence-like constraints and showed characteristics like making many AI jokes… but Bellwether was both human-like and bland. It was a strange feeling.

“That’s fine. I’ll go right away, so please prepare the elevator. Oh, I’ll hand over control of the vehicle cameras, so could you check my appearance?”

“It’s also my job to prevent Chairman Günter’s personal guest from being criticized for their attire. I’ll take care of it.”

I leave the steering wheel to Bellwether, push the seat back a bit so my attire is clearly visible, and hand over camera control to Bellwether as well. The camera quietly scans the interior of the vehicle.

“There’s nothing to criticize. However, you seem to have quite a lot of weapons.”

“I won’t fire a single shot, but I’ll use them effectively at the shareholders’ meeting. Can we let that slide with just this explanation?”

“For performance purposes, I see. I’ll have the Chairman’s security team take custody of the grenades and tungsten bullets. If it’s just showing the firearms, that’s perfectly fine.”

It seemed to understand my intentions much better than Stephanet. The bright white night view of headquarters passes by, and soon I reach the Bellwether headquarters building.

I control my breathing rate. I sigh twice in succession and shake my head. I tap the vehicle body with my fingers as if it’s a habit when I’m nervous. I look anxiously at the building.

After pretending to adjust my clothes, I carry the entire weapons case into the building. I take the elevator that goes directly to the chairman’s office. I’m stopped by the chairman’s security team in front of the office.

They open my weapons case and confiscate all of Hubris’s tungsten bullets and armor-piercing grenades for the grenade rifle before the chairman’s office door opens… and I could face Mr. Günter standing inside.

I ease the conscious physical responses I had been maintaining to indicate nervousness. If I had come with a too-relaxed expression from the start, Mr. Günter would have been suspicious.

Nothing would change if I were suspected, but I just wanted to show my best self to the father-like figure. As if expressing that my tension had eased, I asked:

“You still dislike mutants, still have no intention of living with them… and still have no intention of forgiving them, right?”

“Ha. Using such a trivial trick. Yes. I still dislike them. Still hate them, still don’t want to keep them alive. But… I don’t want to pass my hatred on to Bellwether. And the reason to hunt and kill them is gone.”

This is why I love Bellwether—because inefficiency can change like this. Now I clearly identify the nature of the melancholia I felt. It was… love.

I felt an inexplicable emptiness, void, and gloominess because I realized that Bellwether, whom I loved more than anything, was hiding an aspect that I couldn’t love.

I am reciprocating that love. Today, I will reciprocate by proving that just as I follow what Bellwether believes, Bellwether also follows what Bellwether believes.