Ch.34006 Work Record – Loyalty Beyond Death (4)

“If you’re done talking, would you lend me that guy, security chief of Bellwether?”

The security chief of Fitz & Morrison approached me, wearing a blue-colored reinforcement suit that stood out from the other security teams. As the Shepherd moved aside, the surrounding rain sounds began to fade.

This was also a silent zone, but it operated on a different principle than Bellwether’s. Bellwether’s was a byproduct of attempting SF-like barrier technology. It worked by stopping the medium so sound couldn’t travel.

Originally, they tried to create technology that could stop bullets, but what they ended up with was this silent zone technology that couldn’t stop even a slingshot but perfectly protected voice conversations from external eavesdropping.

I wasn’t sure what technology Fitz & Morrison had been researching when they created this, but it seemed like all surrounding sounds simply disappeared. The blue lobster reinforcement suit began to speak.

“Hey, you life-careless bastard. Mind if I scan your mercenary license? I thought Bellwether was full of chickenshits, but looks like there’s someone with some real balls too. I like that.”

The Fitz & Morrison security chief was much ruder and more informal. However, his reference to me as “life-careless” didn’t sound particularly offensive.

I pulled out my plastic mercenary license card and showed it in front of his view. It was scanned. He made a satisfied sound.

“Good. Good. I like it. These days the workload’s gotten so brutal that the lobster boys are starting to lose the ability to distinguish terrorists from complainants. We need to outsource more if we want to keep people alive.”

There were quite a few terrorists in the world who sincerely believed that ramming a car through a megacorporation’s main entrance and shooting fifty or sixty regular employees would make the world a better place. It was just ridiculous.

All that would happen is fifty or sixty employee-citizens of the megacorporation would die. A few security team members would die too, and the surviving security team would grimace every time they looked at the main entrance from that day forward.

Is that the end of it? The management department would order memorial wreaths, and flower shops in the city would see many customers buying lilies. If it was a big enough incident, the branch manager might broadcast a message of condolence.

The medical team would remove bullets from the bodies of the deceased and cremate them, and perhaps another memorial wall would be built, with an extension to the memorial hall to store the cremated remains. That’s really the end of it.

At least it was fortunate that Fitz & Morrison was trying to prevent such things from happening. Only megacorporations could stop the rampage of other megacorporations.

“That’s good to hear. It would be funny if someone who could persuade Chance couldn’t distinguish between terrorists and complainants.”

“Don’t act coy, you life-careless bastard. Persuading Chance isn’t what matters. I was watching from a distance, and you started talking to that tin can almost as soon as you inserted the card…”

His voice began to output with a tone suggesting he already knew everything. Judging by his snickering, he was definitely human inside.

“What that means is the tin can started operating immediately, and it would have unleashed its weapons on you if things went south. You recognized that conversation was the only option in that situation and engaged in dialogue. Persuasiveness? There are plenty of smooth talkers. But someone who doesn’t stupidly use hand signals or pull out a pistol in that situation is rare. That’s what Fitz & Morrison saw. Bellwether probably saw it too.”

I burst out laughing at his words. You speak as if you were right next to me. Even if I had used hand signals, no sniper shot would have come. It was the right judgment.

“Then I’m screwed. What client would consider a mercenary who shows his hand so easily?”

The Fitz & Morrison security chief burst into laughter as if he liked the sound of my laughter. As if bestowing a favor, he opened the lid of the lobster reinforcement suit and began to show the inside.

Inside was… nobody. Someone was remotely controlling it from the rear. Like me, he spoke while revealing all his cards. Seems like I made a good first impression.

“It’s the client who shows his hand so easily. Let’s meet in person sometime. The lobster’s too cramped for me to get in anyway.”

He closed the reinforcement suit again and removed the silent zone. I still couldn’t properly understand the principle behind that silent zone. After the silent zone disappeared, everyone was preparing to return.

I got back on the armored vehicle with the nationalists. It was strange seeing them on Bellwether’s property. The ventilation fan started working, and the body odor began to escape.

The armored vehicle started moving. Chance soon saw the Los Angeles cityscape of 2097 for the first time, and shortly after, the armored vehicles parked at the Lone Star Rangers headquarters. President Yoon was waiting.

The Fitz & Morrison personnel, nationalists, and assault team didn’t wait around and disappeared. They had gathered for the city’s safety, not for Chance.

The assault department employees tried to deactivate Chance, but he slowly rose on his six legs. He was so tall that he had to bend his body to avoid hitting his head on the parking garage ceiling.

He gave me a light salute with the muzzle of his right hand, which had a grenade machine gun attached. The Shepherd made a slight gesture, and the parking garage CCTVs turned their heads away. I returned the salute, Bellwether-style.

“You prevented potential mass destruction through efficient communication. The client demanded this unit’s remains, but you provided this fully operational and non-hostile unit. This unit does not have a reference for the word ‘respect.’ Therefore, this unit will not output the words ‘expressing respect.’ I look forward to meeting again. Switching to emergency standby mode.”

After switching to emergency standby mode, Chance folded his six legs and tucked his two arms between them to take up minimal space. The assault department employees loaded him into the armored vehicle.

Both President Yoon and Michael looked quite surprised. Michael, wearing a desert camouflage reinforcement suit, made a disapproving clicking sound and said:

“Damn. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve bet less. I transferred 100 credits to you, Suyeon.”

“So while your employee was handling business in a potentially deadly situation, you were betting on my life? What was the bet?”

I wasn’t particularly upset. Especially if about 50 credits would come my way. President Yoon spoke with a satisfied expression:

“When the armored vehicles returned, Mike was in for a surprise. That drone saluting Mr. Arthur was certainly unexpected. I sent you half.”

Now I was satisfied. Michael protested that he thought it meant I would return dead, but it was something we could laugh off. Fortunately, I was able to use the Lone Star Rangers’ shower room.

It was fortunate to be able to shower quickly, as the smell from the rain was like sticking my nose in a half-rotten lemon. After washing up, I got into the Lone Star Rangers’ van and returned to the office.

The time I spent talking with Chance seemed to be much more meaningful than I had thought. I even heard that it might affect the priority bidding order changes at the end of the next quarter.

That was the end of the day’s work. After returning to the office and the boss checking Enzo’s report, she went home. I fiddled with my phone for a while and then entered the virtual reality training machine, which completed the day’s schedule.

After coming out of the VR trainer, I fiddled with my phone again, then showered and came out, and after that I kept fiddling with my phone for a long time… it felt inefficient.

Usually, that thought was a trigger. When something felt inefficient, it would make me do something. But not this time. Even with the thought of inefficiency, I didn’t feel like calling my senior.

In the end, what made me press my senior’s contact wasn’t my usual desire for efficiency that had always been my strength, but a touch mistake. To be precise, it was the repetition of inefficient and meaningless actions of bringing my finger close to the call button while thinking, “Would this be close enough to press by accident?”

I thought I might still be completely loyal to Bellwether even after my death and resurrection, but apparently not. The connection tone sounded a few times. Just when I thought it might not connect, it did.

“Good… evening, Arthur. What’s up? You calling first is, well. As I said last time… No. I’m sorry.”

I could still hear the anxious voice. I lay down completely on the cot while holding the phone. Just as Chance couldn’t see me, I couldn’t see my senior.

It was because of not knowing. Chance didn’t know how to detect a Post-Human Type IV, and I didn’t know what trouble she had gone through to work the night shift.

If Chance had been told there was a way to detect me, he would have gladly downloaded it, but if I were told there was a chance to know what happened to my senior, I would start by hesitating.

I’m not a doctor. I couldn’t say, “Let me see your wound.” I’m not a caregiver. I couldn’t say, “Please go to the hospital right away.” In the end, I could only address the symptoms.

“When I called today, I was worried you might force yourself to say ‘good evening.’ Are you okay?”

“Maybe… sorry. No, actually. I’m definitely not okay at all.”

It was good that she was starting to show some honesty. How should I choose my next words? I needed to say something other than “tell me” to allow her to speak.

What behavior was problematic? There were two keywords. One was the death of the Doctrine. This was a deep issue. The second was the action I was about to take just before my senior left. Stroking her head.

The former was the cause. The latter was just a coincidence. But even knowing the destination, I had to take a roundabout route. Just because I know the destination is across the lake doesn’t mean I should consider swimming across.

“Should I not touch your head?”

A brief silence followed. About three and a half seconds. She barely managed to draw out her voice.

“Yes. Please. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be a woman with many whims that need to be accommodated, but I’m becoming more and more difficult.”

“What are you talking about? I was the one who whimsically wanted to help that day. If you think of it as teaching responsibility to your sturdy junior who was being irresponsible, it’s fine, right?”

I seemed to have chosen my words well. A small laugh came through the phone. It was the kind of chuckle people often let out when hearing something absurd.

“Don’t be silly, Arthur. You’re only irresponsible toward the word ‘irresponsible.’ How could I have your share of responsibility too? It’s the opposite. I’m really sorry.”

I still couldn’t fathom what kind of incident, what kind of person could push someone like her into such a pit of guilt. I spoke with a comfortable breath.

“Do you realize you’re apologizing once after every sentence? You don’t need to be that sorry. I’m the one who called because I was sorry.”

“Really? That… sorry, I didn’t know.”

“There you go again.”

I heard the sound of hair being brushed back through the phone. My senior seemed frustrated with herself too. After taking a deep breath, she said:

“You’re right. Okay. Since you said it’s fine, I’m fine too. Right. I’ll put on a thick skin. So, Arthur. I’d like you to go somewhere with me on your day off next week.”

My senior spoke each syllable distinctly, as if reading from a book.

She seemed to be trying to control her trembling voice, but with the sound of anxious breathing audible after each word, it wasn’t effective.

“It’ll be quite far. We’ll need to be armed too. It’s a wasteland. After all that trouble, all you’ll get is me pathetically whining. What do you think?”

“Let’s go, why not.”

Another brief silence fell. My answer must have been terribly simple and easy. After taking a deep breath, my senior said:

“How is your answer always so simple? Well, since I asked… Good. Um… see you tomorrow.”

It was the same answer as when she ran away last time, but this time I briefly thought that we might really see each other tomorrow. I was able to say goodbye with a somewhat lighter heart.

“Oh, don’t worry too much about work. Kay was absent today too, so it was practically a holiday. Not everything gets messed up because of you. See you tomorrow.”

Only after hanging up could I think about Kay. Even if my senior’s issue was what I thought, why was Kay absent? Kay seemed quite irresponsible, but she knew the meaning of the word “responsibility” well.

Did something happen during the holiday? After briefly wondering if I was being too nosy, I picked up the phone again. I called Kay’s contact. This time it connected immediately.

“What, am I really being treated like the youngest at the company? When I called in the morning to use my personal day, everyone from Volla to Uncle Enzo called… It’s late, Offliner! You’re the only one calling at night! Nothing happened. It wasn’t something I couldn’t report to the company like last time, just something personal! Are you going to start scolding me if I say something happened again?”

That’s what I heard before I could even say hello. After slowly deciphering the barrage of words, I sighed.

“Volla called before going to take a personal request, and I’m calling after completing a personal request. If nothing happened, I wasn’t planning to ask. So…”

“Hey, hey! Offliner! Don’t hang up! Are you at the office now? Tina should have stashed some beer… I’ll buy snacks at the convenience store, let’s have a drink! I’ve been busy all day with personal stuff, so I need to end the day on a good note! It’s personal business that won’t harm the company, and I didn’t hack anywhere to steal personal information… and so on, it’s all fine, so don’t worry! Okay?”

Apart from being too talkative to the point of making my ears hurt, and seeming like someone who couldn’t think of anything beyond immediate satisfaction, Kay was a person with no real flaws.

It was a pleasant night, and I always welcomed alcohol I didn’t have to pay for myself, so I answered leisurely. I decided to credit it to my senior.

“Only if you buy the snacks yourself. If you try to send me on an errand, forget it.”

“Hey! On a rainy day? Fiiiine, I’ll buy them, so wait for me! I’ll buy everything according to my taste, so don’t complain if there’s nothing you like! But, I took a personal day so I shouldn’t have work today, isn’t it weird for me to go to the company? Is President Yoon waiting at the company? If so, I should skip.”

While waiting for Kay to arrive, I counted the days I had ended with alcohol. It was exactly 6 days from today last week until today. Yes, I had ended every day but one with alcohol.

The only day I ended without alcohol was the day the Legal Assassination Team came to capture me and we engaged in combat. At least Bellwether seems like a better partner to progress through life with than alcohol addiction.

Anyway, I ended that day with alcohol too. Tina told Kay to stay overnight, but Kay said she had something else to do and went home in the early morning. Somehow, this thought felt very familiar.

Kay always went home. On the day we dealt with Osgard Company, and on other drinking occasions, I could always see her scurrying home as if escaping.

Today, even though there was habitual heavy rain, she went home while drunk, wearing her hood upside down to cover her face.

Does she have a child or animal hidden at home? With Kay, I could believe she might have hacked into some company’s laboratory and was hiding a biological experiment, doing everything in her power to keep it hidden from others.

No. That’s a stupid thought. There’s no way she could hide something with physical form in an apartment. The walls and floors of cheap apartment complexes are so thin that everyone in the building would notice and report it.