Chapter 196
Stay calm, start with denial!
“What crime are you saying I committed? How unpleasant. I have never committed any crime.”
[Oh, is that so?]
The patrol officer gestured toward the patrols behind him as if dumbfounded.
[Bring him here.]
A moment later, a patrol dragged an unconscious Dysis Waste soldier from the corridor behind them.
It was a gruesome sight. With his limbs cleanly sliced off by an optical grenade, he looked closer to a zombie than a human.
The cross-sections of the spliced limbs, giving off a faint smell of roasting meat, added a particularly visual flavor.
[You bastards did this, didn’t you? And you say you’re innocent after doing this?]
Damn it. This is hard to refute.
Why did Angela have to half-kill a person so viciously…
Then, a thought flashed through my mind.
Right. He’s half-dead, but he’s not completely dead yet.
“Yes. To be precise, it was my subordinates who did it, not me. But what is the problem?”
[What is the problem? After turning a person into this state?]
“He’s not dead yet, is he.”
At my incredibly shameless answer, the patrol officer seemed at a loss for words.
This is it. I’m going with the most brazen face in the world. I’ve got the feel for it.
This is the timing to act recklessly, just like when dealing with the artificial intelligence. I must never hand over this flow and initiative!
[It is a relief that you are aware you usually act recklessly, test subject.]
Ignoring the voice of the System Assistant making a snide remark for the first time in a while, I continued speaking.
“If you had performed your duties properly, you would have known, but no one died. You should be thankful for my mercy. I adhere to the principle of avoiding killing.”
[This is ridiculous. Right. It’s not murder. But haven’t you considered that injury and assault are also crimes?]
It was a logical answer. But because of that, it was entirely predictable.
“I am the one who finds this ridiculous. I merely punished the bugs that dared to try and harm me, so how does that constitute injury or assault? Does this city not even have the concept of self-defense?”
At my incredibly arrogant tone, the patrol officer sighed.
[So, you’re saying they tried to attack you first?]
“Of course. Look at their attire. They will all have the same Corporate Emblem engraved on them. This is the first I’ve heard of the DCPD getting involved in an inter-corporate dispute. Wouldn’t it be better for you to step back now?”
This was pressure, implying that this was a bigger deal than he thought and he should wash his hands of it here.
In reality, the soldiers Angela had beaten down all belonged to Dysis Waste, and this was indeed a dispute with a corporation.
It just wasn’t a dispute between corporations, but a dispute between a corporation and a few individuals.
Saying this much, I clenched my fists.
This hit the mark perfectly. I could feel it. There was no way a public official could ignore this kind of pressure.
Weren’t all the patrols around us murmuring and showing signs of agitation?
The only catch was that the leader, the patrol officer, seemed to be the inflexible type, which made me slightly anxious…
[Let’s say that’s the case. Then what about that guy?]
I knew it. He was a truly persistent patrol officer. He asked, pointing at Felix, who was tied to the procedure chair.
[He doesn’t look like a corporate soldier. He’s definitely a civilian. There are signs of torture and beating, so are you planning to claim this is self-defense too?]
“…”
Looking at Felix, I had nothing to say. His once-handsome face was swollen tight and covered in blood blisters. Blood-mixed saliva drooled from his mouth.
Anyone could see this was a scene where someone had been brutally beaten while restrained.
It was fortunate that he was wearing clothes, so the marks from being kicked in the crotch weren’t visible on the outside.
From our perspective, he was the worst kind of murderer who deserved this and more, but that wasn’t a motive that could convince the patrol officer.
self-defense obviously made no sense, so I needed another explanation.
“It is a fitting end for a traitor. We were attacked because that filthy scum sold our information. If I hadn’t kept competent escorts like my Shaolin monk by my side, I might have been killed on the spot. Since he was blinded by money and tried to harm others, isn’t it only right that he pays the price?”
It was a hastily fabricated excuse, but it sounded plausible. It was also true that Felix was a dirty traitor who sold out someone close to him for money.
But naturally, Felix protested.
“No, Officer. What do you mean, betrayal! I swear I’ve never done such a thing. They just attacked me and the others out of a petty grudge, and now they’re lying because they’re scared of the police.”
You mustn’t be fooled! In the first place, that guy isn’t zaibatsu or anything, he’s just a mere bar employee! I can even tell you where he works. Dragons in East Monica - “
“How truly insolent and ugly! To act so shamelessly just to save your own life! Is it not enough that you betrayed the grace of the Nakamura Family, who took you in when you were nothing but a beggar orphan, that you now lie about the status of nobles? Do you truly wish to die!”
It was a complete mess.
Against Felix, who was cowardly trying to win with facts, I raised my voice and recklessly spouted completely fabricated settings.
With the mindset that losing the momentum meant losing the battle, I just yelled at the top of my lungs like we were in a mayoral debate.
With both sides shouting loudly, the cool-headed patrol officer couldn’t properly grasp the situation and let out a roar.
[Mere bar employee, zaibatsu, whatever, shut up! Before I kill you both right here!]
underground, the way his exoskeleton clanked threateningly showed he was dead serious.
Sensing his murderous intent, I snapped my mouth shut, and the patrol officer ground his teeth as he spoke.
[I have a rough idea of what you’re trying to pull. I don’t know what it is, but it seems like a complicated situation, and in times like this, cutting the knot is the answer. You’re all under arrest. Superior, whether it’s self-defense or not, traitor or victim, zaibatsu or bar employee. The troublemaker will come out once we take you to the station and shake you down. Drag them away!]
Who does he think he is, Alexander the Great?
It was clearly the most efficient solution in this situation. - from the DCPD’s perspective, that is.
Naturally, it wasn’t from my perspective. Just getting arrested and investigated would be troublesome enough. I had to stop this!
“Patrol officer, can you handle the consequences?”
[Yeah. I’ll handle them. So shut your mouth. If you flap your gums one more time, you might never be able to open your mouth again for the rest of your life.]
I tried bluffing one last time, but maybe because it sounded like a line a villain would say, it didn’t work very well.
Okay. This was enough to be certain.
This was something I couldn’t escape with my own abilities. I needed help.
“Right. Understood. However, just one thing - “
[What. Did. I. Just. Say?]
The patrol officer radiated a chilling murderous intent.
Honestly, it was fucking terrifying. I almost pissed myself.
He said he’d make it so I could never open my mouth again if I flapped my gums. It felt like he would actually carry out his promise, so I spoke hurriedly.
“Just one word. I’ll just say one word. That much is fine, isn’t it?”
[…Spit it out.]
“I was going to say I have one favor to ask. As for what that favor is…”
I needed time to think and tried to choose my words, but sensing annoyance seeping back into the patrol officer’s attitude, I spoke hastily.
“Could I make a phone call?”
[A phone call?]
“Yes. I’m about to be arrested by the DCPD, so one phone call is fine, right? That much should be possible, shouldn’t it?”
Fortunately, he wasn’t a completely inflexible person.
On the premise that I finish it within one minute, the patrol officer gave me exactly one chance to make a phone call.
An idea that came to mind at the last moment.
I couldn’t do it with my own abilities, and I needed help.
Who should I ask for help…
The first ones to come to mind were Sey or Dragon President, but no matter how reliable they were, it didn’t seem like they could put pressure on the Police Department.
What I needed was someone with power. Someone like a real zaibatsu or a noble, who could make the police officers back off with a single word or a single call.
The one who naturally came to mind was the incarnation of power and wealth, Isiho’s Iron Blood Chairman.
If it was the chairman, he would naturally have connections with the higher-ups in the DCPD, and he could probably save me from here.
However, I was reluctant. How would I explain the circumstances up to now to the chairman?
How insolent would it be to use the chairman’s direct contact network for purposes other than reporting, just because I had it?
Even if I could survive here right now, I might end up in a situation where I’m alive but not truly living afterward.
Therefore, unless it was a truly unavoidable final moment, I wanted to avoid that option.
Then, was there an alternative?
Eugene Schneider? It seemed possible if it was that Yangban, but he was a busy person, so would he even answer if I contacted him out of the blue?
In the first place, we weren’t close enough for me to ask for a favor regarding such a personal matter.
Is this the end?
No, it’s not.
There was a business card I had received relatively recently. I had saved the contact information too. Just in case.
And that person… as far as I knew, might find it much easier to save me in this situation than the other figures I had thought of earlier.
[What are you hesitating for? Aren’t you going to make the call?]
“I was just about to. Stop rushing me.”
It had to be this person. That was the conclusion.
I made the call through my watch.
I felt anxious about what to do if she didn’t answer, but after a few beeps of the ringtone, the call connected.
[Oh my, what’s the occasion? To think the day would come when Mr. Bartender contacts me. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. Is this about what we talked about back then? Are you calling to give me an answer?]
“No, I’m sorry, but it’s not that.”
[Hmm? Then why did you call? To make a date proposal? Hah, this fatal charm… I truly am a sinful person.]
“Labyrinth,” I spoke with a sigh.
“To speak shamelessly… I need help.”
[Hmm…]
An intrigued voice.
[Is that so?]
Kimberly Louise Lutes continued.
[Let’s hear it, then. What’s the matter?]