Ch.325The Last Work Record – Just One of Many Crossroads

A failed first love in school days doesn’t mean your life is over. Getting into your dream university doesn’t trigger ending credits. Failing to get a job doesn’t display a game over message.

Just as I didn’t give up everything during the worst situations in my life, I had no intention of giving up everything now, during the best moment of my life.

So, it’s still too early for ending credits.

I am young. Perhaps too young. Even after completing my entire contract with Mr. Günter, I’ll only be in my early thirties.

No, when I retire from Belwether for the second time… this time with an honorable discharge, I’ll be twenty-eight.

Working with the Chairman’s security team and audit team, I’ll experience a comprehensive lack of ability once more. There will be so many things I want to learn, so many things I want to do.

I hope I don’t get tired in that situation. Everyone dreams, but at the same time, everyone gets too exhausted running after something with no guarantee.

The van arrives in Los Angeles. We head straight to the office building where Nightwatch is located. By now, Nightwatch should have finished work and returned.

After saying goodbye to Dean, I enter Nightwatch’s office after a long time. I’m still in combat gear, so I’ve maintained the dress code.

But today, there was something different. There was one extra person in the office. Nadia had come out of the fire escape and was standing in the office.

Her skin was pale from not seeing sunlight for a long time, and her heartbeat was still abnormally formed and unstable… but getting a new heart would be simple now.

She would still feel anxious about going outside. Belwether could correct its mistakes and modify its behavior, but people often couldn’t accept that. Like battering rams.

But now there’s nothing to worry about. If anyone tries to act against her, the assault team or mobile team will help Nadia. Belwether changing was enough.

How should I start? After pondering briefly, I decide to start with something trivial. I display the contract I received from Mr. Günter on a virtual screen and give an awkward smile.

“Um… Director Yoon, if you don’t mind, would you like to look over a contract with me after all this time?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at my own words. After cutting off the head of Hollowwood Creek and making sure Belwether wouldn’t hunt mutants anymore, this is what I came to talk about.

I pushed the virtual screen toward Director Yoon. The twenty-two-year-old who first came here with just a resume, eyes filled with vengeance and emptiness, was now trying to join Belwether’s Chairman’s security team.

The name would have been censored, but the content would certainly be clear. Director Yoon quietly read through the contract and pushed the virtual screen back to me.

“Anyone would see this as an opportunity you must take, Arthur. As K said, you’re Icarus without hubris. Seeing you soar so freely makes me… proud yet somewhat wistful. That’s how I feel.”

I resist the urge to take out Hubris from Chance’s equipment drone and show her the name Chance had engraved on the barrel. It would have been appropriate to joke around, but that seemed too corny.

“And if you’re moving to headquarters…”

Her gaze naturally shifted to my Eve. I naturally put my arm around my Eve’s waist, who was standing next to Director Yoon, and brought her to my side. I said with a smile:

“I’ll be taking one more person with me, but I’ve found someone to replace me. They’re a certified partner of Fitts & Morrison… unlike Nightwatch, they don’t have office workers, they’re all field mercenaries. Do you think we can collaborate?”

“Whether it’s Belwether or Fitts & Morrison, they’re all legitimate authorities in Los Angeles, and the work of collaborative mercenary companies is maintaining city security… coexistence should be possible. Is it the same company as before?”

That question was a bit difficult to answer. The immature, childish Noah Verami was gone now… only Kanun remained, who could pursue terrorists beyond their capabilities to the very end.

“Yes, but no. It is Kanun Company, but not those kids from before. They have determination, know how to love people… and most importantly, they’ve now equipped themselves with modifications and strategic tactics. I can recommend them now.”

Last time when looking for a new recruit, I said with my own mouth that Kanun wasn’t reliable, but not anymore. Nightwatch had much to gain from them, and they had much to learn from Nightwatch.

Seeing Director Yoon’s relaxed smile, I push Noah’s contact information toward her. She spoke somewhat warningly, but there was no hostility in her words:

“Just know that if Kanun doesn’t work out, they’ll ask you to come back. I hope you don’t plan to use your monthly and annual leave working in Los Angeles?”

“It might not be bad, but it would take quite some time to appease my Eve if she gets upset, right? Oh, I’ll transfer the house to Arthur-2 before I leave… I’m not sure what else I need to take care of. This is my first time doing this.”

Director Yoon shrugged at my words. She threw out a slightly mischievous comment:

“Seeking advice on a fresh start from someone who’s been through a divorce might not be the best choice. At first, it’s best to just dive in headfirst. That’s the beauty of life.”

If there was anything I missed, it was just a matter of contacting someone and handing it over, so there wasn’t much to worry about. My Eve, resting her head against my chest, began to speak:

“To be honest, even though it’s not really my house… I’d like to leave my hideout and my work to Silverlining, what do you think? Those people are always looking for something to do.”

“For people who just escaped Hollowwood Creek and don’t know how to live in the world, or abnormally formed individuals who have just seen the light… having someone reliable like Dean wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

People are defined not by what they have, but by what they share. Dean was someone who could share joy. Now, the only bad thing Dean could give to others was… his fashion sense.

I pray, though not to any god I believe in, that the Hollowwood Creek escapees don’t come to believe that snake-scale fashion or neon-sign-bright fashion is the trend of this high-speed era.

The uncontrollable anger and violent tendencies would have improved while being with me… and if such thoughts arise again, he would at least contact me. There was no need to worry about that.

I didn’t need to tie up all my possessions and acquaintances in Los Angeles too neatly. I was just going to a city that was only a three-hour drive at 200 kilometers per hour.

Perhaps someday I’ll get used to decisions of this magnitude, or maybe I’ll contemplate leaving San Francisco Island for Los Angeles with similar deliberation.

Just as leaving Nightwatch wasn’t a betrayal of Nightwatch or losing my foundation of life… leaving Los Angeles wouldn’t be a betrayal or losing my foundation of life either. I have hope.

I briefly released my arm from around my Eve and gently stroked her. I had intended to stay still since we were in front of everyone, but habits are habits, and as her head tried to follow my stroking hand, I quickly withdrew it.

My Eve was also startled, and the not-so-solid shell of coolness cracked in front of colleagues, making her blush again. Speaking with a voice mixed with laughter, I said:

“I have some personal matters to discuss with Mila… may I use the fire escape? It’s about a personal matter that only the two of us know about.”

My Eve nodded with blood rushing to her cheeks, and I briefly took Mila to the fire escape. Only after turning on the noise reducer did I speak:

“I know you don’t particularly like this name… Prometheus. I might not have the authority, and it might be presumptuous… but may I give a final assessment of Operation Prometheus?”

Mila’s eyes lit up as she nodded. The last thing binding her to the word “artificial intelligence” was the inputted Operation Prometheus. It was time to let her know the operation was over.

“So… the operation was successful. Prometheus gave me fire. Not the fire of a war machine from the extinction war era… but the knowledge and culture to fully understand that era.”

I didn’t use the startup code for Phaethon Station. I won’t use it. It’s a promise, not a tool. There’s no reason to use it unless the thread tying me to the ground breaks.

“So, not a flame to burn the world, but a torch to illuminate it. Thanks to that, I could understand the gods of the extinction war era and walk a different path from them.”

Next, I showed her a captured image of Prometheus being destroyed at the Belwether shareholders’ meeting. I decided to make one more presumptuous statement:

“So, I confirm the retirement of Prometheus who successfully completed the mission. Now there’s no more Prometheus in this world, only Mila… how does that feel?”

“It’s hard to explain! This emotion wasn’t inputted into my emotional circuits. But what I can feel most clearly is… my parents would be happy. Really!”

I think I understood a bit how she felt. Just as all of Belwether was like my parent, all the researchers at the Prometheus operation base would have been Mila’s parents. I sincerely empathize.

The fact that most people I could empathize with were artificial intelligences… didn’t feel strange at all. If Chance and Mila weren’t people, it would be hard to say who should be called a person.

After that, I did quite a few trivial things. I somewhat boastfully promised to take Nadia to nice restaurants in the city when I use my vacation to come to Los Angeles. This was a happy ending.

No, it must be a happy ending. I willingly imposed my demands on the world.

If I hear that someone harmed Nadia because she’s abnormally formed, I’ll immediately use my leave from the Chairman’s security team, rush over, and slaughter all those unqualified conservatives and free-riders.

It still sounds like boasting that makes me cringe, but once I become known as Belwether’s hammer in the Chairman’s security team and can use cookie-cutter bullets, this statement will sound less like boasting.

That day, I returned home with my Eve. We decided to start packing tomorrow. Today… we were busy with other things. No, we were quite busy until sunrise.

This time, I won’t mention how many bite marks and hand marks were left, and how many attempts were made to leave bite marks and nail marks. It would only make my mouth sore.

My Eve showed me her two hands that had been replaced with prosthetics. The prosthetic hands were a symbol of guilt. Now they were a symbol of guilt she had decided to live with. There was no reason to keep wearing them anymore.

“Should I change to real hands? I mean, you treat these hands as real too… but I just feel a bit uncomfortable. Now that I’ve decided to live with my guilt, I wonder if I can make peace with my hands too.”

“That would be fine… but there’s no need to decide too hastily, right? We have plenty of time. It’s not like you need to show anyone ‘I’ve changed!'”

“I guess so? Let’s sleep and prepare for the move tomorrow, Arthur. No, I’ll pack everything, you just need to gather what you want to take. If I let you do it… hmm, no. Maybe I’ll trust you this once?”

With a soft laugh, she buried her face in my chest and soon fell asleep. I fell asleep with her. The next day… we seemed to spend almost the entire day preparing for the move. I thought I didn’t have much stuff, but somehow it had increased quite a bit.

The drones I bought for the chair-stealing operation, the household drones controlled by Chance, the equipment drones… even Chance’s server had to be packed, and it was far too much to move with my bike.

It seems I now need a car, or rather a truck, to carry my entire life. I think I understand why married Ilbelli drives a pickup truck.

I didn’t exchange any special farewells with Arthur-2. One way or another, we were both Arthur Murphy. We knew my departure wasn’t permanent, and there was no need for deep goodbyes between us.

The next day, we rented a wasteland transport truck, and instead of a truck driver, I took on the role of truck security as we headed to San Francisco Island. It wasn’t a day I would call a turning point in my life.

We unpacked in our new home, obtained through Belwether’s employee priority allocation—finally a place befitting a Five Companies certified freelancer, with three rooms, a well-lit living room, and a separate dressing room.

My Eve and I explored the Farmers Company direct grocery store in front of our house, feeling like we were on an adventure, and were somewhat disappointed to find that what they sold wasn’t all that different.

At my Eve’s insistence, we had food truck meals for dinner among the moving boxes we hadn’t fully unpacked yet. Now that I could understand sentiment, I didn’t complain.

That night, my Eve picked out a tie for my first day at work that wasn’t really my first. Instead of saying I could tie it myself, I decided to ask her to tie it for me tomorrow morning as well.

Today is just one of life’s many crossroads. Nothing has ended, and it’s hard to say something new has begun, but it’s still a day worth marking on the calendar.