Chapter 13
Max meticulously checked the materials in the vehicle.
After reading all the documents, he looked up and gazed outside.
“Hmm…”
The vehicle sent by the Association was heading to District 6.
It was a district called Gray Ditch, named for the wide concrete drainage canal running through its center.
“District 56.”
It wasn’t far from the Studio apartment where Max had lived before the Office Relocation.
“Brings back memories.”
It was also the district he had visited to look for a job back when he first started living on his own.
It was clustered with factories producing various foods and drinking water that sustained the Lower District.
What interested Max from his current perspective was…
It was intriguing that Gaia Food, which he had found a connection to at Ghost Logic, was located in District 56.
“If I translate this to a game, it feels like a chained quest.”
Gaia Food wasn’t just located there; it was also Max’s destination.
He had to infiltrate Gaia Food to complete the request.
‘It’s too precise a coincidence to just be chance.’
It would be reasonable to assume the Client was the same as last time.
“Sir Max. This is the machine you will use. As you saw in the materials, you can think of it as a USB.”
“Oho.”
“Please open the box only after you have completely entered the premises. Even after the download is finished, you must put it back in here before coming out.”
“Understood.”
He received the item that the Client had reportedly handed over to the Association.
The size was about two finger joints. It was much smaller and harder than the box that had held the Neon Shade before. He didn’t know what material it was made of.
“…”
Having secured the item, Max kept silent to organize the materials piled up in his head.
The vehicle drove quietly for another 30 minutes before coming to a stop.
“Max-nim. We have arrived.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“I have a map made of materials permitted inside. Do you need it?”
“It’s fine. My memory is my only strong suit, and it’s important to keep my hands free.”
“Understood. I will be waiting under this bridge.”
“Just please contact the Association. I’ll return when it’s over.”
Max sent a message to Ellen telling her to take tomorrow off instead of coming to work.
He put on the sanitary work clothes the Association had procured over his own clothes.
He took off his outerwear containing his Smartphone and left it in the backseat of the vehicle.
To infiltrate Gaia Food and achieve his goal, he couldn’t bring any Electronic Device inside.
It was for the exact same reason that a body mixed with machinery wasn’t allowed.
“Also, when you return, depending on your condition, Max-nim, I will immediately transport you to a Hospital affiliated with the Association.”
This means they would try to save him if he came back looking like he was about to die.
It was a favor he was truly grateful for.
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Moving through the darkness, Max spotted a digital clock hanging inside a passing factory.
He checked the time while sucking down an Energy Jelly.
“Current time, 23:56.”
The factories in District 56 were running hard even at this late hour.
None of them were resting.
“Unhappy Jelly Factory. Turn left from here.”
As he followed the path, he occasionally saw people in work clothes smoking cigarettes.
It was dark, but the flashing of cigarette embers and the sound of voices made them easy to spot.
‘Now, what’s today’s fortune?’
He emptied the Energy Jelly and pulled out a Lollipop to put in his mouth.
Coconut flavor.
It wasn’t a flavor he liked because it lacked Sweetness. If it were a fortune, would it be bad luck?
“Still better than salt candy, I suppose.”
And so, he arrived at Gaia Food.
Lacking an Employee iD, Max had no plans to enter through the Main Entrance, so he redirected his steps.
He looked for a restroom window.
“Here it is.”
The restroom windows used by the lower-level employees adhered to an outdated security method with a simple latch.
He turned it with Psychokinesis.
Clack!
The window opened with a crisp sound.
“Good.”
Having seen the digital clock on his way, he didn’t worry about anyone being inside.
Because factories in the Lower District didn’t allow restroom breaks outside of designated times, the moment an Employee left their post, their pay would be drastically cut, or they’d be kicked out of the factory.
Gaia Food’s employees got a 10-minute break once every 8 hours. On average, they worked 16 hours and rested for 20 minutes.
There was no separate meal time. They had to figure it out within those 10 minutes.
With their livelihoods on the line, everyone desperately held their positions.
‘Ugh, it’s tight.’
Max slipped inside through the restroom window.
Naturally, no one was there.
He stepped out into the corridor, following the Blueprint drawn in his head. Wearing the sanitary work clothes and a mask, he walked confidently.
“Is my role right now something like Worker 1 who gave up his paycheck?”
He confidently crossed the factory during its night shift. He didn’t run into anyone.
As he walked, he found a cart stacked with boxes of paper meant for shredding. He grabbed a bundle and held it in his arms, pretending it was an important document.
He entered the next area, using the conveyor belt as his path, where employees stood with their backs turned.
Vrrrrm! Vrrrrm!
The sound of machinery echoed at regular intervals.
“Given the location, is that the machine in question?”
Gaia Food used a Self-Resonating Sterilizer.
It was a sterilization technology that treated bacteria and microorganisms using a strong magnetic field without using chemicals.
The entire long, continuous space was exposed to the magnetic field emitted by the Self-Resonating Sterilizer.
Unless you were an Executive of Gaia Food who could use a separate entrance, you had no choice but to pass through here.
“Strong magnetism is fatal to machines.”
This was the first reason they said cyborg mercenaries wouldn’t work.
A High-end Model made by a reputable Corporation would easily withstand it, but the prosthetic arms or legs worn by an average Mercenary have a high probability of breaking down in this environment.
“The office is past here, after a right turn.”
He threw off the sanitary work clothes. He moved in his comfortable clothes, wearing only the mask.
The office doors were all tightly shut. As sounds were heard and a presence was sensed from within, it seemed there were people inside.
Max found the “New Product Development Team” located deep inside.
“Okay.”
He cut the lock with Severing Magic and confidently opened the door. The computers were off, and there was no one around.
He closed the door and approached the computer situated at the head desk.
Click!
He took the machine trapped in the small Container and plugged it into the main body.
The computer turned on automatically, the security unlocked, and the desktop appeared.
[Downloading…]
It immediately started downloading the data.
“The security bypass is fast. Who made this thing?”
While waiting for the download to finish, Max discovered a file with an eye-catching name.
Feeling an unknown certainty that it would satisfy his curiosity, he opened the file.
[Project code: White Harvest]
[The low purchasing power and irregular eating habits of the current Lower District citizens are an obstacle to the long-term profit structure. To overcome this, a new food lineup aimed at forced consumption is planned.]
※ market analysis
▷ indicator: The recorded average income of lower-class residents is less than 12% of the Haze Standard.
▷ problem: Due to labor cycles, food purchases are irregular, and they survive on low-cost synthetic food. This acts as a barrier to entry for our products.
▷ solution: A plan to improve the constitution of the Lower District market is needed. Transition from preference-based consumption to a forced consumption system.
※ core ingredient formulation
▷ core ingredient name: WR-09
▷ this ingredient is an addictive substance extracted and refined from White Rampage. It causes nervous system fixation in bodies lacking magic power, inducing the brain to reject the intake of normal food ingredients.
▷ since it induces a pure biological reaction, the ingredient will be altered to a general amino acid during the food approval process. Consultation with the Food Approval Department is required.
※ profit simulation and expected effects ───.
‘So this was the secret to the new product’s success. No wonder they only sold it in the Lower District.’
Max let out a chuckle as he scrolled down the document.
He also gained the certainty that the truck at Ghost Logic was indeed heading for Gaia Food.
‘If things go like this, isn’t the standard outcome that Gaia Food’s new product launch gets blocked? Before Regression, it was launched normally…’
To make the most plausible guess, it means that Before Regression, the Person sent by the Bohemian Mercenary Association had failed this request.
‘They did say it wouldn’t matter if I refused.’
The possibility that stemmed from this root existed.
The betrayal of the Mercenary sent by the Association or a genuine failure.
[Download complete]
He pulled out the machine and placed it in the hard box.
And then he faced the Person entering the office.
Creaaak!
It was a middle-aged man wearing a suit with his hair slicked back.
He had many scars on his face.
The man who entered the office wasn’t surprised, as if he already knew of Max’s presence.
He pressed a button to lock the door and spoke.
“This office is definitely soundproof. The walls are solid, too.”
“Yeah? That’s nice.”
“Was the project content interesting? We haven’t received an external evaluation yet, so everyone’s curious.”
“It reeked of money. It’ll be an unconditional success once it launches.”
Regardless of what the future held, the past had actually played out exactly like that.
“Thank you. That gives me confidence. It’s a shame I can’t let you leave quietly.”
“It’s a shame for me too, since I wanted to leave quietly.”
Max knew who the man in front of him was.
He was a Person whom he had identified beforehand through the materials.
The second reason why it was difficult to use a cyborg Mercenary.
‘Gaia Food’s Executive, Misumi ren-ya.’
One of the people he had to deal with was dependent on the situation.
A 3rd-Tier Fighter who was called “The Collector” in the District 50 Scrap Forest.