There are too many non-believers in cyberpunk – Chapter 11

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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The HOD’s fighting power was overwhelming.

The gorilla’s plasma cutter, which had bisected police officers, aimed for the HOD operator’s head, but was blocked by a magic field.

His sturdy arm, which had ripped a car in half, was cut off by the third finger of an operator who appeared to be a tanker.

The gorilla pulled his magic tattoo to maximum output, but a silence field was cast over him, neutralizing him.

The highest-level special operations police task force, the HOD.

Each and every one of them was an irresistible disaster in themselves.

If the HOD arrived, the situation was as good as resolved.

Amon put down his weapon and slumped to the ground.

The surviving police officers, like Amon, laid down their weapons.

The fact that they were relieved even though the gorilla was still alive showed how overwhelming the HOD’s fighting power was.

The HOD, in Amon’s words, were achievement-hunting veterans.

They were the kind of people who had to maintain a 0% mortality rate and a 0% property damage rate from the moment they arrived on the scene.

Not because of any particular sense of mission, but for the extremely simple reason that bonuses were awarded based on achievement rates.

Therefore, the HOD’s suppression was very compulsive.

Force fields were deployed as if to prevent even a single stray bullet from causing casualties, and there was even a barrier mage on standby in case of a self-destruct.

There was even a mind-reading pyromancer to anticipate any traps.

They were literally perfection itself.

‘To break through the HOD, you’d need a bodyguard directly under the chairman of a mega-corporation, or the head of the highest security department… or maybe ‘that thing’…’

As his thoughts reached that point, Amon’s brain started to churn.

Like an old dog that couldn’t learn new tricks, the gamer’s characteristic assessment began.

He first imagined his fighting power when he had obtained ‘that thing.’

At that time, he had annihilated a HOD battalion and simultaneously taken on two mega-corporations.

And the ending he finally achieved was a bad ending.

An ending called the Great Catastrophe.

‘Of course, I won’t do that thing in this lifetime.’

Based on the HOD’s combat patterns he had learned while playing with ‘that thing,’ Amon recalled how far he could go now.

‘First, I have to take out the Netwalker.’

Behind the HOD, there was a hacker who linked their minds like a hive mind.

In addition to linking minds, the hacker provided overwhelming support from the rear by hacking CCTVs to cover blind spots, opening closed doors, and freezing the opponent’s radio or communication.

Therefore, as long as the Netwalker was alive, it would be too difficult for Amon to face the HOD.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, he knew how to neutralize the Netwalker.

First, he would destroy the special router on the plane to weaken the communication signal strength, then obtain a terminal and attempt to hack back.

Of course, Amon had no hacking skills, but he knew the police department’s security codes.

After isolating the Netwalker with administrator privileges, he wouldn’t be able to influence this battlefield.

‘Then even the mighty Horde will be flustered.’

With the shared consciousness suddenly cut off, they couldn’t help but be confused.

In the meantime, Amon would infiltrate the aerial vehicle.

Jumping from the window of a nearby building, he could reach it.

If the sniper manual hadn’t changed, there would be a barrier mage with him.

If he ambushed the two confused people from behind…

‘Yeah, you die.’

He’d be countered.

The HOD wasn’t stupid, and just because they were in the rear didn’t mean they were weak enough to be taken down by the current Amon.

In the first place, snipers were never weak in close combat.

Their bodies, trained for sniping, possessed the fighting power to turn mediocre opponents into mincemeat.

And what about the barrier mage?

A single punch from the barrier mage would probably kill Amon before he could react.

That’s how vast the skill gap between Amon and the HOD was.

‘Conclusion. Can’t win.’

There was no way.

Even a veteran had limits to their control.

With a sufficiently leveled character and enough preparation time, maybe, but the current Amon was no match for the HOD.

As he was thinking this, Amon’s vision shimmered slightly.

At the same time, the inside of his brain tickled.

A sensation he had never experienced before.

But somehow, he felt like he knew the cause.

‘Right. There would be a pyromancer too.’

Amon finally remembered the pyromancer’s existence.

As if to confirm, a ding-dong sound rang in his head.

Amon’s reaction to the pyromancer’s service was—

“Fuck.”

A curse word.

However, it wasn’t directed at the pyromancer who had read his mind.

The curse was directed at himself.

Cold sweat ran down Amon’s back.

‘This damn gamer brain!’

Why was he trying to figure out how to take down the HOD in front of the HOD, who were likely already on edge?

Especially with a pyromancer present, how would they see Amon?

‘Why didn’t you just hang around near the counter-terrorism site with a gun, Amon?!’

All sorts of thoughts flashed through Amon’s mind.

His mind split into several parts, engaging in a fervent question-and-answer session.

Should I apologize now?

But would they even accept my apology?

Still, they’re mind readers, wouldn’t they know I’m sincere in apologizing?

Before that, is it even possible to be prosecuted for just thinking? Even if it’s just a thought…

Oh, right. This is cyberpunk.

Wait, wait.

They read my thoughts?

Then how much did they read?

Did they even read my past life knowledge?

No, then did they read the thoughts I’m having right now?

But my past life knowledge includes Pentagon secrets!

Oh, I’m screwed….

Amon squeezed his eyes shut.

He tried to control the overflowing thoughts, but it was no use.

Just like how you can’t help but think of a pink elephant when told not to, humans weren’t creatures capable of controlling their thoughts.

‘This is why I hate pyromancers.’

Depending on the pyromancer’s skill, their ability to read uncontrollable thoughts was the ultimate weapon in this age of information.

Various countermeasures had been devised, but at least Amon hadn’t taken any precautions.

‘I’m doomed…’

For such a ridiculous reason, the secrets of the world would be revealed.

Amon apologized to the goddess in advance for the impending global chaos.

Like a death row inmate awaiting execution, he waited for the HOD’s judgment.

Whether it was the CIA, the police, or the Pentagon.

The future of being dragged somewhere was horrifying.

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Having finished analyzing the gorilla’s corpse, one of the operators approached Amon and the inspector.

He introduced himself in a low voice mixed with mechanical sounds.

“Greetings. I am the team leader of HOD Team 14. I’d like to thank you for your cooperation, but due to regulations, I can’t reveal my real name. I ask for your understanding.”

Amon forced a nod, hiding his anxiety in his chest.

The low voice struck Amon’s ears.

“Interesting strategy. Destroying the router, neutralizing the Netwalker, and then targeting the sniper in the aerial vehicle. A very good approach.”

‘This is crazy.’

“We also received your comment about it being crazy from our pyromancer.”

‘Oh, Lord.’

“Seeking God in this situation, you must be a deeply religious fellow.”

‘I’m sorry. My past life knowledge is completely out of control.’

“Thoughts are inherently uncontrollable.”

‘They must have read all the way to America’s top-secret information… I’m doomed.’

“What do you mean by doomed?”

‘…?’

A question mark popped up above Amon’s head after hearing the team leader’s last words.

Suddenly, things felt strangely misaligned.

Just in case, Amon brought up various thoughts.

Thoughts from this world, as well as knowledge from his past life.

In case the team leader wouldn’t react, he even thought about the terrible bad endings of this world,

And the confidential documents of the police department the HOD belonged to,

He even thought about the world’s most terrifying information contamination tactical nuke, ‘HAL-KAS.’

‘Cough!’

The power of the tactical nuke was too strong.

Strong enough to irradiate even Amon, the caster.

But the team leader in front of him only blinked, not even flinching.

Seeing his reaction, Amon was certain.

‘They can’t read my past life knowledge.’

Apparently, all related thoughts were naturally edited or censored.

The tactical nuke was also knowledge he had seen on a bulletin board in his past life, so the team leader was probably so indifferent because he couldn’t read it.

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

‘The Goddess is omnipotent.’

Surely she wouldn’t have sent him down to the mortal realm without preparing for this.

There was no way a lowly human pyromancer could penetrate the protection she had bestowed.

Only then did Amon feel relieved and recall his past life memories.

‘Hallelujah. I always worship you, my Goddess.’

Amon began to worship the goddess.

The team leader, who was editing and looking into Amon’s mind, couldn’t help but be disgusted by Amon suddenly praising the goddess without any context.

Seriously, he wondered if Amon’s mental state was more dangerous than that of the dead gorilla.

The team leader flinched, putting some distance between himself and Amon.

Meanwhile, Amon recalled his situation.

‘Right. Past life is past life, and the HOD is the HOD.’

The fact that he had been strategizing how to kill the HOD hadn’t disappeared.

Cold sweat drenched Amon’s back again.

Amon rolled his eyes, choosing his words carefully.

Along with the thought that a sincere apology might earn him forgiveness.

Watching Amon, the team leader—

“Pfft!”

Couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer and burst out.

While Amon was still trying to process the team leader’s change in demeanor, the team leader patted Amon’s shoulder and said,

“It’s common to see kids like you at the scene. That’s what teenagers do. When they see us working, they think about how they would fight, what they would do. It’s not just kids, mercenaries do it too. Even the police officers behind you are thinking the same thing.”

“…”

“I was just teasing you about the ‘crazy’ comment, so don’t worry about it. We can distinguish between murderous intent and competitive spirit.”

The team leader gave Amon’s shoulder a friendly pat.

It was a heartwarming scene of an adult comforting a teenager.

The police officers, knowing this was a HOD-style prank, watched with amusement.

But Amon was the only one in this place who couldn’t relax.

‘What are these murder machines saying?’

Amon automatically recalled the HOD’s background setting.

Behind these amiable people’s appearances, there was no sense of justice.

There couldn’t be any such thing as a “people’s protector” or “sense of mission” for them.

Common sense dictated that the HOD couldn’t be normal.

With this level of military power, why weren’t they employed as mercenaries, corporate security, or government agents, instead of being a police special forces unit?

The work was harder, the pay was much lower, so why were they still here?

There was only one reason.

‘To legally kill people.’

Trigger-happy, homicidal urges, violent impulses, voyeuristic tendencies, sadism, etc.

They were people driven by twisted desires.

They knew that living according to their desires would only shorten their lives, so they stayed with the HOD, where they could legally kill.

Low pay?

Doesn’t matter.

More work?

Even better!

Zero mortality rate?

It’s satisfying to work on achievements while working!

The HOD was a team meticulously assembled by the police department, selecting individuals with these tendencies.

Of course, this fact was kept secret from the general public. Officially, the Horde were elite special forces who remained in the police force out of a strong sense of service.

An ordinary citizen might not know, but Amon, who knew this setting, couldn’t trust the team leader patting his shoulder.

These killing machines were hedonists who could suddenly turn and try to blow Amon’s head off.

As this thought seemed to be unread, likely related to his past life memories, the team leader let out a hearty laugh and continued to talk to Amon.

But when Amon still didn’t relax, the team leader scratched his cheek and pointed in one direction.

“Well, we’re not going to arrest you. If we did, your girlfriend wouldn’t let me off the hook.”

Girlfriend?

At the team leader’s words, Amon looked in the direction he was pointing.

In that direction, Sonia was glaring at the team leader, looking extremely displeased.

According to the team leader’s following explanation, she was in that state because she thought the HOD was trying to arrest Amon. (This was certain, as it was information relayed by the pyromancer.)

The team leader, exasperated, decided to end the conversation with Amon.

He pushed Amon’s back towards Sonia.

“Ugh, I’m too intimidated to stay here. Go appease your girlfriend.”

With those words, the team leader left.

Amon awkwardly approached Sonia.

As Amon got closer, Sonia’s face gradually brightened proportionally.

And when Amon reached right in front of her, Sonia’s arm linked with his.

At that close proximity, Sonia’s face returned to its usual expression.

She checked on him, hugging his arm tightly as if she would never let go.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Just a scratch.”

“What was that about the HOD trying to arrest you?”

“It was a joke, a joke.”

“Phew…”

Only then did Sonia relax.

The faint murderous aura he had felt behind her disappeared, replaced by the usual Sonia.

Bright, cheerful, and kind to everyone, though a bit of a quiet person.

Amon stroked Sonia’s head and left the scene.

Afterwards, the two escaped the horrific scene and headed to a new bus stop where they could get to the orphanage.

On the way, Amon belatedly remembered the old man.

“What about the old man?”

“He received a blood transfusion and is much better. Fortunately, there was no organ damage. He just had chronic fatigue, and the anemia made him drowsy.”

“That’s a relief.”

The even more positive news was that the old man had insurance.

Thanks to that, he didn’t have to worry about dying again because of medical expenses after narrowly escaping death.

For now, the outcome of this incident was the best possible result for Amon and Sonia.

While not entirely satisfying, it was an acceptable result. The two chatted amicably as they walked.

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Before they knew it, they got off the bus and were walking towards the orphanage.

Normally, Sonia would have pestered Amon endlessly in a cheerful mood on the way, but today she was quiet.

‘Did I worry her too much…?’

Amon fretted inwardly, constantly glancing at her.

His arm, which Sonia was holding tightly as if she would never let go, started to go numb, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask her to release it.

Unable to bear the numbness any longer, he turned to her to ask her to let go, and saw Sonia looking up at him silently, her arms crossed.

“What?”

“N…nothing.”

Wondering why he couldn’t speak while making eye contact with her, Amon continued walking.

Meanwhile, on the way to the orphanage, Sonia looked up at Amon’s face, lost in thought.

The small scratch on his cheek.

A scratch he got while rolling on the ground fighting the gorilla.

Seeing that scratch, Sonia bit her lower lip slightly, unnoticed by Amon.

‘Because I’m weak…’

When she had to leave Amon alone today, she realized.

She was too weak.

If she could have defeated the gorilla by herself, there would have been no need to put Amon in danger.

Being good at controlling recoil was a meaningless talent in this harsh world.

She needed more strength to protect Amon.

‘And that HOD…’

When the HOD acted as if they were going to arrest Amon, Sonia’s mind went blank.

Fortunately, it was a prank, but a strong sense of emptiness, too intense to be just the aftereffect of a prank, settled in her chest.

‘Not enough.’

There were too many beings she couldn’t defeat.

She couldn’t defeat the police, the gorilla, or the HOD.

Like this, she couldn’t protect Amon.

She couldn’t protect him in this wicked world.

She thought about how long it would take to become strong enough to defeat at least a HOD squad.

‘Maybe a few decades.’

Perhaps a lifetime.

But it didn’t matter.

Amon had said that a gentleman’s revenge, no matter how long it takes, is never too late.

If protecting Amon was delayed, she had to constantly become stronger, even if it was for revenge.

‘I need to show them what happens when they misuse a gun.’

If she were to take revenge, how should she do it?

First, annihilate the team that framed him.

If there was someone who ordered Amon’s arrest, deal with that person too.

If, by any chance, he ended up in prison, she wouldn’t leave the judge who sentenced him alone either.

As her thoughts reached that point, Sonia’s eyes darkened.

But the negative thoughts didn’t deepen any further.

Feeling Amon’s warmth in her hand, the negative thoughts melted away like snow.

‘No. This isn’t what Amon would want.’

Amon was kind.

The Amon Sonia knew would be heartbroken if he knew she had changed because of him.

That was something Sonia didn’t want either.

To love someone meant to respect them that much.

Forcing her feelings on him would be nothing but selfishness.

Because she respected Amon, she shook off the negative thoughts.

Instead, she filled the empty space with thoughts of a peaceful and happy everyday life with Amon.

‘Yes. Amon would want this too.’

On the way to the orphanage.

That day’s incident left a deep scar in a girl’s heart.

It left a deep scar not only on her, but also on Amon, and on the city.

The bereaved families of the dead citizens wailed, but the indifferent city showed them no sympathy.

Or rather, it looked away.

Sympathy would lead to expenditure in the form of compensation, so they treated it as just a tragic accident.

If it had been during an election period, they could have at least hoped for hypocrisy, but it wasn’t election season, and so the bereaved families had to bury their grief deep in their hearts, amidst indifference.

Time passed indifferently, even in an incident where everyone received unspoken wounds and scars.

Soon, Christmas Eve approached.

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