Chapter 61: A New Configuration (1)
“Raja is dead……?”
At Heavyskull’s contact, Matafil muttered.
The news that followed was quite shocking.
Due to an unexpected incident at the exhibition hall, Raja imdiately attempted surrounding hacks.
In the process, he recklessly accessed the gacorp’s network and died when his brain was burned out.
Accordingly, the leader position would now be transferred to Heavyskull, and another hacker would provide support during the main operation.
“I thought all of this was that bastard Raja’s doing, but to think he’s dead…….”
Matafil, sitting in the driver’s seat, slamd the steering wheel with his uninjured hand.
“What the hell is going on?”
Diesel slowly began organizing the information Heavyskull had provided.
Then several questions surfaced.
‘Why were weapons that were supposed to be for exhibition loaded with fuel and ammunition in the first place?’
Ammunition itself could be exhibited, so that part could be excused, but there was absolutely no need to have them loaded.
Moreover, even the reinforced exoskeletons and optical weapons had been charged to a certain level.
‘And what’s even stranger is that there was still plenty of ti before the exhibition even opened. Thinking back, the fact that they were already displayed like that feels off too.’
The exhibition hall’s opening date was set for after the completion of Neo-Asadal.
There was still quite a bit of ti left until then.
Even so, the weapons had already been prepared in the exhibition hall.
And not even installed with ICE, as if they were asking to be used.
‘There’s definitely sothing going on.’
The most decisive trigger for this suspicion was a single remark from Heavyskull.
-Raja-nim tried his best to stop it.
That bastard risked his life hacking the gacorp’s network to save us?
Diesel’s instinctive gut feeling was screaming that this was a lie.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
When Matafil glanced toward the passenger seat, Diesel asked in return.
“Do you know anything about Heavyskull?”
“Hmm……. Not really. It’s a face I’m seeing for the first ti too.”
“If he were such a uniquely looking Ghostcatcher, he would’ve been fairly well-known.”
“That’s what I’m saying. No, I’m not even sure he’s actually a Ghostcatcher.”
“……?”
Perhaps reading the question in Diesel’s eyes, Matafil added,
“You know how there are those guys sotis. Not proper Ghostcatchers at all, just slapping on the Ghostcatcher na. Usually criminals do that kind of thing.”
There was an unspoken rule in this world.
Those branded with a criminal title could not act as Ghostcatchers.
In particular, no one wanted anything to do with those branded as ‘tagged’.
Such illegal identities were nearly impossible to hide, because most were exposed during the job recruitnt stage by fixers’ thorough information networks.
‘So that’s why they don’t trust Ghostcatchers they’ve never seen before.’
Diesel found the Ghostcatcher world’s pathological wariness of new faces rather understandable.
“So then what, Diesel. Are you thinking of backing out even now?”
When Matafil asked, Diesel answered honestly.
“There are more than one or two suspicious points. But…….”
“But the core of a Type-19 lightning spirit is flickering right in front of your eyes.”
“…….”
Having his weakness struck, Diesel nodded.
Then a sudden curiosity arose.
That might be the case for him, but why were these two so interested in that core?
Of course, just selling it would earn an enormous amount of Qubit.
But they surely knew it wouldn’t be easy.
Taking a Type-19 spirit core out was difficult enough, and selling it required an imnse amount of effort.
When he voiced this curiosity, Matafil answered unexpectedly coolly.
“There’s an acquaintance who needs it.”
“A Type-19 spirit core?”
“To be precise, they need a core to go into a mana power plant reactor. Boss Kim said sothing would be sufficient, but I never thought it’d be a Type-19 spirit core.”
“Are you planning to sell electricity as a side job or sothing?”
“Electricity? Hahahaha!”
Matafil burst out laughing and continued,
“To explain a bit more, there’s a module that can only be operated with that level of power.”
A module that required a core capable of running a power plant.
“What kind of module is it, anyway?”
“Well, you see…….”
Just as Matafil was about to answer.
Pinkbit sent a large block of text through the closed channel.
【What do you think you’re doing?】
Matafil caught sight of the angry expression of the Baekto Tribe beastman in the rearview mirror and made an awkward face.
“Ahem……. From here on, it’s a bit of a privacy issue.”
“…….”
“Anyway, we don’t plan on quitting yet. It’d be a different story if you backed out, Diesel.”
‘So their motivation is solid, at least.’
As Diesel sank briefly into thought, Matafil asked,
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I’m not backing out either.”
It slled dangerous, but stopping here would be worse than not starting at all.
Besides, he had already accepted this level of risk.
At Diesel’s answer, a hearty laugh rang out.
“Yeah! I knew you’d say that.”
“Both of you, make sure your injuries are fully healed before the operation day. And bring your gear thoroughly prepared.”
“Don’t worry about that. It definitely won’t be like today then.”
Matafil’s eyes glead as if he ant it, and Pinkbit, who had been looking out the window, also snorted lightly.
“How’s your condition?”
Inside Kang Da-hee’s house.
Diesel looked down at the pure white nape of the neck in front of him.
“I think the sudden seizures have decreased a lot now. They didn’t happen even once today.”
As she said, the viruses that had been ravaging Kang Da-hee’s body had noticeably decreased.
“It’s been about three weeks since treatnt started, right?”
“Yes. To be exact, three weeks and two days.”
‘Hmm……. At this pace, I could remove them all in a few days…….’
With that judgnt, two options surfaced in Diesel’s mind.
Either honestly erase Kang Da-hee’s viruses as is.
Or deliberately slow the pace a little.
He found himself agonizing over it before shaking the thought away.
‘What am I doing right now.’
Leave this woman untreated on purpose?
Of course, once Kang Da-hee’s condition fully recovered, she would no longer be able to use the personal matrix.
But to deliberately not treat her because of that.
In truth, the fact that Kang Da-hee had held out until now was remarkable in itself.
According to Ar, the fatality rate of this virus approached 80%.
‘Above all, it’s a virus that corrodes a person’s mind.’
The biggest problem would be the acute seizures that could strike at any ti.
Once a seizure occurred, the pain was said to be beyond description—living must have felt like carrying a ticking ti bomb.
On the commuting subway, at the workplace during work hours, at a restaurant during lunch…….
She even once casually spoke, with a bitter smile, about how a seizure suddenly struck while she was going down the stairs and almost caused a serious accident.
Each ti, Kang Da-hee always expressed her gratitude, saying she survived thanks to the chip Jas had given her.
Of course, together with a certain amount of Qubit.
‘No matter what, let’s not give up being human.’
The money he had received as treatnt fees so far was one thing, but from her he had also obtained many valuable pieces of information that could not be bought even with Qubit.
‘That part is the most regrettable.’
Kang Da-hee had earnestly passed on all the training techniques and magic formulas she had learned at the magic university.
Not only that, but the miscellaneous magic-related information they occasionally exchanged was also quite useful—the Type-19 spirit core being a pri example.
-It’s an artifact that lets a mage who handles that attribute mana stack a star in an instant.
By its nature, the number of mana stars one could obtain from a spirit core was limited to just one.
In other words, no matter how much of a Multiple Mana wielder soone was, once they had stacked a star using a Type-19 lightning spirit core, they could not stack another star using a Type-19 ice spirit core.
‘And she even knew how to absorb the core to gain special power.’
Kang Da-hee was extrely well-versed in such detailed theoretical knowledge.
‘It was also through her that I learned a Type-19 spirit core would be used in the Neo-Asadal mana power plant.’
Based on that information, after asking Sis, he even learned that Boss Kim was preparing a job.
In a way, the very reason this job could begin was thanks to Kang Da-hee.
‘And most importantly, this woman is…….’
As he muttered that, Kang Da-hee suddenly spoke first.
“Um…… Jas.”
“Hm?”
“This is a bit awkward to say, but…….”
“What is it?”
“Well…… I don’t think I’ll be able to see you this weekend.”
“Oh, really?”
“I’ve got a business trip from work.”
“That works out well.”
“Yes……?”
“I think I’ll be able to treat everything before then.”
At Diesel’s words, she asked back as if she had misheard.
“W, what…… did you just say……?”
“You’re going to be all better soon.”
“……!”
When he said it clearly, Kang Da-hee’s eyes widened.
Then a smile she had never shown before spread across her face.
“I see…….”
So I’m getting better now.
That kind of expression surfaced on her face.
“I’ll try to make sure everything’s completely removed before your business trip.”
“Thank you. Jas……. Thank you so much…….”
She repeated it, then seed to realize sothing and trailed off.
“Ah, then now with Jas…….”
“It’s for the best. You were probably sick of seeing my face anyway.”
“What? What are you talking about……. You’re my lifesaver…….”
“Co on. What kind of lifesaver squeezes out money, squeezes out magic knowledge, and even squeezes out matrix secret codes?”
“…….”
“Anyway, don’t get too relieved yet. You’re not completely cured just yet.”
“Yes……. Ngh…….”
Thus, the remaining short night passed.
“Hm…… so that’s what happened…….”
An unnad dumpling shop in Sector 13-5.
Inside the cold refrigerator, Boss Kim nodded at Diesel’s words.
“I had expected as much to so extent, but this situation has beco far more complicated than I thought.”
“What do you think, Boss?”
“Hm…….”
The dwarf let out a deeply contemplative breath, then looked up at Diesel.
“Raja was probably murdered, just as you think. By that punk called Heavyskull.”
“…….”
“Then in the end, the important question is this. Why did Raja interfere with the preliminary work, and why did Heavyskull kill him.”
Diesel had his own guesses about that, but he silently listened to Boss Kim’s continued words.
“On the surface, it would look like Raja was hired by soone to sabotage the job, and Heavyskull killed him after discovering it. But there’s a high chance the structure isn’t that simple.”
“Then?”
“From here on, it’s just my intuition.”
“Yes.”
Boss Kim spoke with an unusually serious gaze.
“It’s possible that Cheonrang’s hands have reached this job.”
“The Cheonrang Group?”
“That’s right.”
“You’re saying Cheonrang had Raja sabotage the job?”
“No. The opposite.”
“……?”
“If my guess is right, Cheonrang wants this job to succeed. And in a very loud, conspicuous way at that.”
Wanting a job that sabotages their own mana power plant to succeed.
At the dwarf’s words, Diesel’s mind spun rapidly.
“Then…….”
“Do you have any idea what that might an?”
“Well…….”
“Go on.”
Diesel carefully voiced his opinion.
“Could it be…… to build justification?”
“Justification, you say?”
He then cautiously spoke a certain word.
“Justification for war.”
At that, Boss Kim nodded as if it were the correct answer.
“Exactly.”
“…….”
“Right now, Cheonrang wants a war with Podvig.”
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