episode_0019

It had already been a full ten days since the war waged by Rossboard, which had attacked Hellstream and K&H, came to an end.

It had also been a week since Mason had started performing oral sex whenever I felt like presenting my penis to her.

[Software update complete. Synchronizing settings…]

“Oh?”

The update progress bar, which had always been stuck in a corner of my vision, finally disappeared, and a program reboot notification popped up.

It had been sluggish from about 80%, but it’s finally complete.

I decided to wait for a moment during the synchronization period, wondering what kind of feature update could have made me wait so long.

‘But is there really anything to update? Besides, all the combat program updates are paid services.’

For cyberware equipped with martial arts bio-data or combat systems, the initial settings are atrociously basic, set to v1.0.0.0, so if you want to become stronger, you have to buy proficiency with money.

Corporations claim they prevent anyone from reaching high proficiency to protect the status of black belts and reduce opportunities for misuse, but they’re just greedy for money.

The version of the Basic Combat System applied to my neural socket was 1.2.0, which could be considered relatively new.

Was the current latest version 1.3.85?

Whether out of minimal conscience or not, if you want to update to the highest civilian version, you only need to do it three times: 1.1.0, 1.2.0, and 1.3.0.

“Did Luna pay for it for me?”

Thinking about it, I had meant to ask, but I’d been so preoccupied that I hadn’t.

Since I’m refraining from contacting her directly on personal channels due to potential eavesdropping, asking her in person is also out of the question.

Mason, who lives with me, is also busy researching my blood, so since the update was already done, I decided to try out the new features.

The combat program rebooted after synchronization was complete.

“Something’s strange…”

The reboot UI is different.

The trademark of Silent Weapon Industry’s Basilisk Eye, resembling a lizard sticking out its tongue, was gone. Instead, six red eyes, stacked like a pyramid, stared at me from my retina.

Six red eyes, the corporate trademark of Ayakashi Corporation.

“Wait a minute… why was an Ayakashi Group program suddenly installed?”

Ayakashi is a leading megacorporation that rivals Xenotech Holdings among the ultra-giant megacorps dominating the world. It’s renowned for guaranteeing high quality, but it also boasts incredibly high prices, which is why there was nothing Ayakashi-related on my body.

And then I remembered the Ayakashi neural accelerator controller I had found inside K&H’s transport vehicle.

“Shit. No way. Not Ayakashi. Not Ayakashi. Not Ayakashi!”

Ayakashi has its hands in so many pies that it’s the subject of all sorts of urban legends in Eclipse Point. A common saying about them is not to even spit in the direction of Ayakashi’s headquarters.

Because if you do, a swarm of cyborg ninjas will find you in your sleep, or bloodthirsty enforcers will kick down your door.

I immediately accessed the net and searched for K&H.

As soon as the search results appeared, a large graph prominently displayed K&H’s stock price, which had fallen by 12% over the past 10 days.

There were several articles, but more importantly, I checked K&H’s stock ownership percentage.

And the largest shareholder: Ayakashi, 1,028,563,307 shares, 87.3%.

A choking sound escaped my throat.

I felt foam bubbling up around my mouth.

I was on the verge of screaming, wondering how they could hold nearly 90% of such a massive corporation’s stock.

They were practically Ayakashi’s subordinates!

“Aaahh! Goddammit, you motherfucking deity! What did I do wrong?!”

I felt like I finally knew where the black case’s delivery destination was.

I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I’d end up swallowing a cursed item whose delivery destination was the maw of some insane yokai from Neo Japan.

Why did I come to Rossboard that day?

Why did I follow them all the way to the harbor just to watch a shootout?

What kind of idiot would get involved in a war that had nothing to do with them, just hoping to get their hands on a penny?!

My roots were so firmly embedded that it seemed my hair wouldn’t fall out on its own, yet I clenched my hands so tightly I felt like I was tearing my hair out. I thought that maybe if I just escaped from Eclipse Point, I could get out of this situation.

If I just went into hiding in the Texas Port Authority, who in the world could find me?

“Like hell that’s gonna work!”

When a megacorp sets its mind to something, such a clumsy escape attempt is nothing more than a meaningless struggle.

“Damn it… what should I do? Should I contact Luna now?”

Although it seemed unlikely that Luna, who had willingly helped without asking anything even though it was clearly related to a megacorp, would abandon me, I was still uneasy about the slim chance she might cut ties as soon as she heard the name Ayakashi.

[Ayakashi synchronization complete. Uploading new biological data to the database.]

“Database? Which database?”

But as if it were just a notification system log, a program named Ayakashi, clearly related to Ayakashi Corporation, began transmitting my genetic information, body modeling, and other data somewhere.

It happened in an instant.

The situation was over before I even had a chance to call Mason, who was holed up in the lab, and I stood there with my mouth agape.

[No connected cyberdeck found. Functions that may cause permanent brain damage are restricted, and cyberdeck usage is recommended in the near future.]

“No…!”

[This AI, Ayakashi, exists for the permanent safety and tranquility of Jwabu-dong. It is an honor to serve you.]

“Jwabu-dong…?”

It’s a word I’ve heard somewhere before.

Not since coming here, but even before that.

However, I couldn’t remember where I’d heard it, and since it was a word that wasn’t used anyway, I figured it must be a metaphor for something, so I didn’t pay it much mind.

More than that, I was already thoroughly confused by the megacorp’s AI in my head, feeling as if a Mach 3 pellet had lodged itself there.

“First, delete all the data you sent.”

[You can access the data center, but to request deletion permission, physical contact with the data center is required. We ask for your understanding.]

“Ugh… you didn’t send my location data, did you?”

[Only Jwabu-dong’s biological data is automatically transmitted to the database after synchronization.]

At least my location wasn’t exposed, so I guess that’s a small mercy in this misfortune.

“Don’t even think about sending data anywhere next time. Got it?”

[Confirmed. A confirmation process for Jwabu-dong’s intent has been added for data transmission.]

The troublesome AI, now residing in my head, oblivious to my burning frustration, introduced its functions as if appealing to me through a tutorial.

First, what I learned through the tutorial was that this AI was incredibly useful.

No, rather than useful, this AI possessed terrifying capabilities. It was a strong AI, skirting just enough to not violate the Super-AI Prevention Act, an exceptionally rare regulation in Eclipse Point, a place that champions freedom from regulation.

Furthermore, it had the ability to perform instant hacking, communication network disruption, entity analysis, and real-time 3D mapping using the human brain as a processor, even without a cyberdeck, which serves as a substitute processing unit for the brain.

Of course, every time I used it, I got a migraine severe enough to cause permanent brain damage, as warned, but the very fact that it ‘could be attempted’ was already absurd.

[Finally, this AI scans Jwabu-dong’s biological data in real-time and updates it to display diseases, disabilities, foreign bodies, required nutrients, and more.]

“Is this a diet app?”

This is also quite useful in its own small way.

“Required calories… 4,782kcal? What the hell, why is my daily recommended caloric intake so high?”

[To compensate for energy loss incurred as the nanowear inside Jwabu-dong rearranges the musculoskeletal, vascular, and nervous systems and maintains telomeres in a youthful state, an additional 3000 ± 300kcal is estimated to be required, on top of the basal metabolic rate, based on the current body.]

“What the…”

[This metabolic rate increases further during activity, and in the event of a deficit, a large amount of calories is required depending on the rate of loss in the deficient area.]

I had received a brief explanation from Mason about this, but I now learned the additional fact that what was inside that special syringe, changing my body, was nanowear.

After finishing the tutorial, as I clutched my throbbing head, Mason emerged from the lab, apparently intending to take a short break from her research.

“What are you doing here, Oppa? If you want to go out, it’d be better after Luna Anthony Taylor’s contact.”

“…I know. It’s just…”

[For Jwabu-dong’s safety, disclosure regarding this AI is not recommended.]

At the strong AI’s warning, I paused, about to mention the AI named Ayakashi that had been updated into my head and was now living with me.

[Mason Black. EPID CODE 23887469364. Records show acts of treason against Huanglong Limited 11 years ago, and is a criminal illegal practitioner. Exclusion is recommended for Jwabu-dong’s safety. This individual has a significant proportion of cyberware replacing their body and relies heavily on program assistance. Temporarily forcing a malfunction to induce a short circuit state is recommended. Do you wish to attempt this series of actions?]

‘Stop spouting bullshit and get back inside.’

This crazy AI, which had suddenly gone into overdrive, spouting grim talk about eliminating Mason, seemed to read my thoughts and quietly fell silent.

If this crazy AI hadn’t listened to my command, a true disaster would surely have occurred in Eclipse Point.

I felt like a manga protagonist who had somehow trapped a demon in their body, but like the future of such characters, my own future didn’t seem very bright, so I sighed a heavy, somber breath.

Seeing me suddenly sigh, Mason squatted in front of me, her unique, somewhat deranged expression showing she couldn’t help herself.

And then, as her hands fumbled at my pants, I didn’t resist.

That was that, and this was this.

As her head moved seductively back and forth, as if she’d downloaded professional courtesan data, I was able to momentarily forget the stress caused by Ayakashi.

[Heart rate per minute significantly increased. Jwabu-dong engaging in promiscuous sexual activity is…]

‘Please, just shut up!’

The urge to mute the nagging AI was overwhelming, but I gripped Mason’s twin pigtails and enjoyed the wet sucking noises of her mouth.

The surging urge to climax signaled that the time for release was approaching, and I pulled Mason’s tightly gripped pigtails like handles.

In response, her mouth naturally pressed closer, and I forcefully poured myself into Mason’s depths, just as I had done countless times before.

Clank.

“John, so far there haven’t been any particular movements from the corporations… Ohh…”

Through the opening door of the old clinic, the familiar figure of the bartender appeared.

Luna’s eyes, like those of a predatory carnivore, sent shivers down my spine just by looking at them, sweeping over us with an incredibly sharp gaze.

“I’m so tired from trying to help you without being caught, keeping an eye on the corporations, and here you are doing this…”

“Um…”

She definitely seemed to have been through a lot, appearing slightly haggard.

Unable to find anything to say, with a feeling similar to tracing patterns on the floor when being scolded, I averted my gaze to the industrial waste-polluted sea of Rossboard, visible behind Luna, with its surging waves.

“…Wanna join?”

“…”

I’m an idiot.

Suck. Slurp. Slurp. Her expression was already quite sharp, but even with the large scar that made her face appear fiercer, she wasn’t lacking in femininity.

Rather, her well-sculpted face possessed an undeniable allure that drew one’s eyes, and looking at her body, not only men but also women with bisexual tendencies would inevitably be captivated.

My ten-year-old friend, with those sharp eyes, looked up at me, voraciously holding my penis in her mouth.

Correction.

I wasn’t an idiot; I was someone who knew an opportunity.