Chapter 57
...What are those absolute lunatics doing here?
I thought the Luddite gang's Territory was the Factory District in Neo Detroit.
Although the East Monica District borders Neo Detroit, it didn't feel close enough for members of the Luddite gang to cross over so easily.
It would take hours just to get from there to here.
As I've said before, Dusk City is a massive metropolis, and the size of a single district is comparable to a Regular city.
What could be the reason for terrorist gang members from another district to come all the way here to drink in the evening as the sun goes down?
Could this also be related to that 'incident' that supposedly happened nearby? Just what was it that even drew in those Machine Destroyers?
My head was a mess, but ultimately, what mattered wasn't the cause but the result.
Why they came here wasn't important; the problem was that, because they were here right now, an accident might happen to the blonde Young Lady over here.
If it were other gang members, or Ronin, they wouldn't react much even if Alexandra stared at them.
Most would just think they had the bad luck of running into some eccentric Nobles wandering the Lower District, consider it stepping in SHIT, and move on with a scowl.
However, if the targets happened to be Luddite gang members, the story changes.
Even among gangs, there are those you can reason with and those you can't, and the Luddites were clearly the latter.
These bastards are truly Crazy people.
They don't give a SHIT whether their opponent is a corporation, Nobles, or the police.
If something blocks their path or offends them, and if it has even the slightest connection to machines, they are mad Machine Destroyers who will try to smash it to pieces.
In the first place, if they were in their right minds, they wouldn't be committing Terrorism.
I don't exactly like this Dusk City very much either, and I've even had thoughts of wishing the city would just Collapse from a Natural Disaster like an earthquake or a tsunami.
Even so, openly detonating bombs and causing casualties in a city where people live is crossing the line by a lot.
Not to mention the suffering experienced, or currently being experienced, by the countless Machine Lifeforms lynched by the Luddite gang.
...Wait, come to think of it, there are Ravers in the alley right next to our bar too.
I mean those distracting Vending Machine Siblings, Ken and Bobby.
Honestly, it's not exactly a fond relationship, but nevertheless, seeing them while commuting over the past few days must have made me grow somewhat attached to them.
I was a little worried that they might have run into those Machine Destroyer bastards and gotten harmed.
Well, with their personalities, they wouldn't have gone down easily.
If anyone had tried to harass them, they would have shrieked and called everyone around. The Ken and Bobby I know were more than capable of doing just that.
The key issue right now wasn't Ken and Bobby, but me.
How was I going to handle this...
I couldn't just stand by and Watch.
It was truly a tense situation.
Normal gangs would actually avert their eyes when they see someone dressed too wealthily.
If they just had a moderate amount of money, they could somehow Threaten them, commit Extortion, and run away, but if they were unimaginably wealthy, their level of personal protection would be so tight that such a thing would be impossible.
Just making a gesture to cause harm could get their heads blown off.
However, the Luddite gang were bastards with Nothing to Lose.
Given the nature of those bastards who commit all sorts of Terrorism against the production facilities of corporations, claiming that the corporations developing and producing machines must also be held accountable, they would more than likely lunge at her, thinking they had caught a good target.
In fact, aren't they glaring as a Group over here right now without looking away?
The problem was that this blonde Young Lady's temper was also nothing to scoff at.
Alexandra was also glaring right back at them without backing down, giving off a “what are those bastards looking at?” vibe.
It wouldn't be strange if an accident broke out at any moment.
The suited attendants were still looking at me with desperate eyes, as if begging me to do something.
In the middle of it, thinking this couldn't go on, I tried to say something like, "Um, Young Lady—"
But I was immediately ignored with a "Be quiet. I'm talking to the hand Butcher right now," leaving me with a deeply dejected expression.
I wanted to protest and ask why they kept pushing their work onto me, but unfortunately, this was my work too.
Let's assume that these Machine Destroyers stand up from their seats and pick a fight.
Just from a quick glance, there seemed to be more than five of them. It would be a relief if the bodyguards could handle it all, but if they couldn't, an accident would happen.
If by chance the bodyguards failed to stop them, or missed one, and those bastards left even a tiny scratch on the blonde Young Lady's body, if even a single drop of blood flowed, if an abnormal signal was detected by her Nanomachine.
The DCPD would immediately dispatch; the Med center's Valkyrie Team would descend on Tiltrotor lines; the Family's Private Soldiers and samurai would storm in too.
It would become an absolute mess.
Having to close up shop for the day would be a given, and it would be a relief if it ended there.
What if the Suppression Troops attacked the people inside the bar with excessive firepower?
What if the Luddite gang members resisted and ended up triggering bio-bombs hidden inside their bodies?
My Workplace might get blown away overnight.
Dragon boss could Finish his work and return to find the bar building completely gone and the vicinity turned into Ruins.
Just imagining it was dizzying. It was even more so because there was a very real possibility of it actually happening.
As was to be expected of a back alley in Dusk City, I couldn't work in peace for even a single day.
If I hadn't known at all, maybe, but since I did, I had to stop it no matter what.
Finishing the shift normally and keeping the bar intact was the duty of the On-site Manager, but... putting all that aside, if I left things like this, my own life would be in danger first.
When a method was being considered, the simplest solution was, of course, to notify the City police.
The Luddite gang had a DCPD Red Notice Order on all its members, so reporting them immediately was the rule anyway.
The problem was that there was no guarantee that reporting to the police would solve the issue.
The City police were an Organization with such severe corruption and fragmentation issues, and they were often indifferent to incidents in the Outskirts like this, so it was doubtful whether they would handle the work properly...
*Above all, I only had circumstantial Evidence, no physical proof.*
I was certain they were the Luddite gang based on my intuition and the tattoo showing through their clothes, but the police would be Skeptical.
It would be one thing if that tattoo were exclusive to the Machine Destroyers, but because the Luddite gang had become famous, there were so many thugs who copied and tattooed similar designs to scare others.
It was a similar logic to the way that most Yakuza sport Irezumi tattoos of Dragons or carp, but not everyone with an Irezumi tattoo is a Yakuza.
There was no clear Evidence like that, and it was an incident happening in the lower-level Outskirts.
In many ways, it was a case the DCPD had no reason to take an interest in.
Unless one spent a fortune to subscribe to the Rapid Response Service, it would easily take an hour just for its personnel to arrive after one reported.
Ultimately, reporting to the police in the current situation didn't seem like a very good plan.
It was only simple; it wouldn't be of much help in resolving the situation.
There really was a reason why none of the Dusk citizens trusted the City police.
In fact, if I were caught trying to notify the City police, it might provoke the Luddite bastards even more.
I had to find another way.
And there was one most certain path.
It was simply to explain the situation to that Young Lady to some extent and tell her to stop staring.
I didn't know if she would listen to me, but it would still be better than doing nothing.
I had the nickname hand Butcher... which sounded like the name of someone who would know the ecology of Ronin very well, so it might work.
While I was at it, I decided I should try it right away. I had To prevent it quickly before things blew up.
She seemed to be waiting for my Answer anyway, so I opened my mouth.
“...No. We don't know each other. It seems they are looking at Lady Alexandra rather than me, though.”
“Hmm, it does seem that way. Why? Is it because I look so beautiful and noble?”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
How was I supposed to Answer this?
If I said no, I felt like I would get a reaction from the bodyguards like, “How dare you!!! Are you saying the Young Lady isn”t beautiful and noble right now!'
But I couldn't exactly say yes, either.
However, my hesitation seemed to have already served as an Answer.
The blonde Young Lady spoke in a voice that had grown quite Cold.
“Hmm... Are you the type who can't lie well? Well, an upright style isn't bad either. You'll be Fine with just a little correction.”
“...”
“It's a joke, hand Butcher. So if it's not because of my beauty, why are those guys staring at me?”
She continued to ask without stopping her staring contest with the menacing Group dressed as Factory workers.
Thinking I could finally explain, I briefly talked about the culture of Ronin.
I told her that people here took it as a challenge to fight if someone stared at them, so it was better not to do so if she wanted to avoid trouble.
After I explained it so well, for some reason, the bodyguards were Shaking their heads wildly with pale faces.
Just as I was wondering why they were acting like that, Alexandra smiled a somewhat peculiar smile and said.
“Is that so? Now I understand. But I'm not exactly looking to avoid trouble, you see.”
Even after hearing my words, she still didn't take her eyes off them. I had a bad feeling from then on. Sure enough.
She suddenly started taking Sudden Action.
The blue-eyed blonde Rich Young Lady, Alexandra Amadeus Schneider, suddenly jumped up from her seat.
With her head tilted, she met the vicious glares of the Luddite gang members and spoke with a cheeky smile.
“So staring like this means you want to fight. Understood. Hmm, but why aren't you attacking yet? Do I need to put more Force into my eyes? Like this?”
She provoked the madman terrorists with her vividly shining pupils.
"Hey, you lot. You're not looking away because you want to fight me, right? If so, hurry up and Attack. Don't waste my precious time."
A bombshell of a statement. There was no way anyone would stay still after hearing something like that.
Watching the people dressed as Factory workers stand up from their seats with faces turning purple with rage, I rubbed my forehead.
The Luddite bastards weren't the only ones I had to Watch out for.
It seemed the Young Lady on this side was just as Crazy.