episode_0116

‘Should I go down for a bit?’

I’d seen a split path in the hallway leading to the data servers, a slope heading downwards.

It certainly doesn’t look like a facility just for data storage, so perhaps there’s a lab or something down there.

‘Terminate data transmission?’

“Can’t I leave my post?”

‘Negative. This is a physical hack where the inserted chipset connects to the cyberdeck used by the organic subject, continuing transmission and reception, rather than a method where residual copies in the subject’s brain maintain the decking path via sight. Therefore, the operation will not cease if you are absent. However, while this organic subject is processing information, the usual technical assistance cannot be provided due to insufficient processing power.’

It seems there’s no problem.

“I should go and have a look around.”

Apart from recruiting the Wild Hunt, how often would I get to enter Xenotech’s secret research lab?

Since I’m already here, it only makes sense to get everything I can.

‘As a recommendation for the subject’s safety, this is not advised.’

But Martina, perhaps judging that I would be in danger without real-time decking support, sounded several warning signals.

Ignoring the sensation that made my ears feel deaf, even though it wasn’t ringing in them, I immediately ripped open the air circulation system responsible for cooling the server room and located the ventilation shaft.

“Don’t worry. I’m not so reckless as to cause a public ruckus here.”

‘…’

“Answer me.”

‘…’

“Sigh. It’s so unfair.”

If Martina had been in front of me, she’d probably have made a face like, ‘You, sir?’

But I’m also being treated unfairly; though it wasn’t my choice, I’ve now received the Ayakashi surname, so if I’m caught messing around in a place like this, things will get incredibly complicated.

It’s good that I’ve gained a powerful identity I can use if needed, but it’s an equal exchange that has limited my freedom of movement more than when I was merely a mercenary, a John Doe!

“Anyway, I’ll be back within an hour, so if I go over time or if someone enters the server room, destroy the link chip.”

‘Confirmed.’

If that happens, I won’t know if I’ve acquired the information for the request, so I’d have no choice but to rip out the storage device itself, but that would be better than Martina’s link chip being discovered.

Having made my decision, I squeezed my body into the cramped metal ventilation shaft.

Actually, I wasn’t particularly large, so it wasn’t quite a squeeze, but…

Thump. Thump.

The fact that I had to crawl stealthily, as if contorting my body, didn’t change, as a loud noise would easily be made if I wasn’t careful.

Anyway, the great infiltration operation, a boisterous, storm-bringing stealth mission, had begun.

* * *

“What’s the status of Subject 2563?”

“Aggression has decreased, and food intake is low. We should proceed to the nutrient fluid administration stage for nutritional supply.”

The black-haired woman, wearing a lab coat with a large Xenotech logo emblazoned on her back, stroked her chin as she received the subordinate researcher’s report.

“Hmm… Is it about time to dispose of this one too? The drug’s stability has significantly decreased. Should we change the direction of improvement again…?”

She, who spoke of disposal so casually, walked past the subordinate researcher who had submitted the report and looked at the enclosure across the isolation room where cultivation pods were aligned.

As if breeding some beast, inside the enclosure, barred with thick alloy cages, a muscular human with white skin sat embracing their knees, listlessly staring at the floor.

It didn’t stir even when she approached the cage without fear, merely huddling and breathing.

“Despite not knowing what it’s even doing, it’s been boosted as a legend and is quite special, so I’ve been using it for experiments as repayment for the trouble it caused… But if such good material only yields these results, I’m going to be very disappointed, you know?”

Its true identity, bald with not a single hair on its entire body, was none other than the former Vanguard Rider of the Wild Hunt.

Those noisy ones had been disposing of waste materials on their own, so they’d been overlooked. However, a subject captured during an unexpected raid on the facility two years ago could now be considered the most promising material in the lab.

However, the mental fortitude, humanity, and physical robustness that endured high-output cyberware modifications yielded disappointingly poor research results for such a valuable commodity.

At this rate, it’s not much different from just grabbing a few bottom-feeder lives and injecting them with drugs to their limit.

She’d probably be reprimanded by her superiors for underperformance in this quarter’s report, wouldn’t she?

“It doesn’t matter, but…”

In any case, she was the person in charge of this project.

The highest authority of this experiment, which was absolutely necessary to reach the goal Xenotech Holdings considered its paramount task.

Unless they intended to extract her brain and use it as a biological computer, they couldn’t impose a disciplinary action beyond a reprimand, meaning a degree of impudence, like listening with one ear and letting it out the other, was permitted.

“Gravity adaptation, protein denaturation prevention, sensory enhancement, recovery resilience, nitrogen saturation tolerance… None of these are bad, but this damn intelligence degradation is the problem.”

She sighed again, then turned away as if she had lost interest in the subject.

“When is headquarters sending support? We’ve run out of research material we obtained last time.”

“Ah, in a week, designated missing debtors from 2564 to 2603, along with support equipment selected by headquarters, are scheduled to arrive.”

“And ask them to assign more researchers. After Jade left, does it make sense that they haven’t replenished a single proper one?”

“Haha… That person used research grants and facilities without authorization, after all. Headquarters must be deeply pondering who to send.”

“How many years has it been already! Hah… Aside from not wanting to hear that fool, who lived buried in the past, muttering ‘daughter~ daughter~’ every day, he was good at research…”

The researchers, complaining about their workplace and chatting.

Headquarters had stuck them in such a remote area where they couldn’t even go shopping properly, telling them to just do research, but work is work, and rest is rest, isn’t it?

Sipping real drip coffee, they were relieving their caffeine deficiency and frustrations.

Thump-

A sound like something heavy landing on a thin metal plate.

“Hmm? Didn’t you hear something just now?”

“Isn’t that the sound of Subject 2563 moving?”

“If it had shaken the bars, it would have been a louder sound. Besides, this was…”

The researchers looked around in the direction the sound came from.

And the source was very easily found.

After all, the only thing in the lab that could make such a sound was the ventilation shaft connected to the circulation system.

“Perhaps it’s just a mouse?”

“Judging by the sound, that mouse must have eaten an enormous amount, don’t you think?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

A subtle silence hung in the air.

What broke that silence was a sound from inside the ventilation shaft.

“Squeak.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

And as soon as the silence was broken, an awkward atmosphere settled, accompanied by scratching the back of one’s head in embarrassment.

“Haha… So mice can get in here too. Security…”

“Did you really think that cute squeak would pass? For an intruder, you’re quite humorous, aren’t you?”

“Aaaah! We could have just let them go! We should have called security in that time!”

The subordinate researcher clasped their head, but the black-haired researcher shrugged.

In any case, there’s no guarantee that an intruder who’s made it this far would leave without doing anything, and even if we sent them back and told the guards to catch them, if they were missed, we’d be disciplined too.

Her judgment was that it would be better to confront them directly.

“Ah, damn it. Why was I caught? My act was clearly perfect…”

Bang!

Even though it was a thin metal plate, it was still metal.

The sight of the intruder, who had simply ripped open what was originally welded and couldn’t be torn apart with ordinary strength, was quite unexpected.

A slightly oversized white jumper, a loose t-shirt, and tough, easy-to-move pants.

His dark black hair and sharp, upward-slanted eyes made his impression seem bad, but his still youthful appearance neutralized it.

For someone dressed casually, he was a delicate-looking boy who could charm many, men or women.

Judging by appearance isn’t highly recommended, but at least he wasn’t the kind of person one would expect an industrial spy or assassin to look like.

“Oh my, unexpectedly my type.”

“Hah, this popularity of mine truly can’t be controlled.”

“So, what business brings you here?”

She was deeply interested in the intruder’s purpose, putting aside how he had managed to bypass so many security protocols to reach this point.

This secret research lab was a place known only to a select few, even among Xenotech’s internal executives, let alone the public.

Someone who went to such trouble to find this place, completely bypassing the security systems, surely wouldn’t be ignorant of what was happening in this lab.

What exactly did this delicate-looking intruder in front of her want?

Just then, her ocular implants automatically ran a facial recognition procedure on the intruder, searching his face and delivering the results within seconds.

His name was.

“Ayakashi Jun? Why is an Ayakashi here…”

Before she could finish her sentence, her vision went black as a fist flew towards her.