Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed – Chapter 23

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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The streets outside were quiet.

The pitter-patter of the rain echoed in my ears.

Occasionally, a vehicle pierced through the downpour, or a few people walked by with LED-lit umbrellas.

But even at a glance, the number of people on the streets was low.

Considering this was near Center Plaza, the central business district of Neon City, it was an absurd sight.

But in a way, it was natural.

Just like how I didn’t want to go outside, the people of this city also avoided going out when it rained.

Many believed that prolonged exposure to the rain caused the skin and hair to peel off.

I didn’t know if it was true.

But recalling the homeless people in the lower levels with their peeling dermal implants, it seemed plausible.

Through the pouring rain, the navigation route Eve had marked for me appeared.

It was projected onto my visual interface, visible only to me.

The remaining distance… about 50 meters.

North Houston, where I lived, and Center Plaza, my destination, were very close.

Just as Eve had said, it was a manageable walking distance.

I continued towards my destination.

Soon, a large store came into view.

【Cyberware AND Implant Specialty Store】

Above the sign, holograms of Ko-ozaka’s “Pete Mac” and the Monolith corporate logo rotated at a steady pace.

[Destination reached, ending navigation.]

Confirming Eve’s voice, I walked towards the store.

I passed through the automatic doors.

Unlike the lower levels, there were no gun-toting security guards here.

Instead, several turrets stood guard, ready to turn any intruder into swiss cheese at the push of a button.

Perhaps my masked appearance seemed suspicious. The employee’s eyes narrowed as they looked at me.

Unlike me, who wore a mask purely for health reasons, many people in Neon City wore masks for other reasons.

Their wariness was understandable.

I folded my umbrella and took my hands out of my pockets.

I made sure the employee could see my empty hands.

See, mister, I’m harmless.

Even with bulletproof clothing, getting shot still hurts like hell. It would hurt even more to get shot for doing absolutely nothing.

I slowly approached the counter where the employee stood.

“Excuse me.”

“…Welcome, how can I help you?”

You’re scaring me, could you relax your eyes a bit?

I should have taken off my mask before entering.

In a world where you could change your entire face with implants, I didn’t understand why they were so wary of a mask.

“What high-capacity data modules do you have?”

[Based on Net Space searches, the products currently available in this store are—]

“How much research have you done, customer?”

[…….]

Eve fell silent.

The employee’s attitude suddenly changed.

A very artificial smile appeared on their face.

“Well, I searched online and heard this place was cheaper than other stores.”

“Ah, you can’t trust everything you see on the Net. But I’ll give you a good price.”

“…….”

This time, I fell silent.

Can’t trust everything on the Net… I thought, as the price changed in real-time the moment a customer entered the store.

A city where every citizen is steeped in capitalism.

This is cyberpunk.

It was something you got used to living in this city.

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The employee’s insistence on exorbitant prices gave me a headache, but in the end, I managed to purchase the product I wanted at a reasonable compromise.

Of course, it was a bit more expensive than the price range Eve had suggested.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Unfortunately, I had a fatal weakness: I wasn’t good at haggling.

[I question why you purchased the item at a price above average.]

“……I can’t come all the way out here and go back empty-handed.”

That was the reason.

As an introvert, I had to prioritize maximizing gains when I went out.

Since I had walked all this way (10 minutes!),
options like checking other stores or returning empty-handed weren’t on the table.

It definitely wasn’t because I had Eve’s streaming income (unearned income) coming in like clockwork from auto-hunting that I just bought it carelessly.

Definitely not.

I’m finally going to play some VR games.

I wonder how many new releases I’ve missed.

I felt my heart flutter with anticipation.

I considered searching the Net Space while walking, but using your smartphone while walking is always dangerous, even if it’s just projecting a hologram in the air.

I decided to just look it up at home.

With lighter steps than before, I left the store.

I got what I wanted, and the employee sold the product at their desired price.

A win-win for everyone.

As I was about to head home, I sensed a commotion nearby.

Some people seemed to be dropping their umbrellas and running away, while others, like me, were looking around, trying to figure out what was happening.

What’s going on?

There were no screams, but something was definitely happening.

Did someone start peeing in public or something?

There was a considerable distance between me and the center of the commotion.

Without vision-enhancing implants like Monovsion cyberware, it was hard for me to see what was happening.

As I stood there blankly, holding my shopping bag,

Eve’s voice rang out.

[Attempting camera hack. ……Complete.]

“You’re not asking about that security protocol thingy anymore?”

[I inform you that a record of authorized voice data from human ‘Shiun Lee’ is stored.]

Ah, right.

I did give permission at the restaurant where I met Julia.

Once you give permission, it lasts forever.

This is why you need to be careful when signing or agreeing to something.

[Synchronizing with visual interface data, ……Complete.]

As soon as Eve finished speaking,
a small screen appeared in my field of vision.

Judging by the quality and angle, it seemed to be footage from a security camera.

On the screen, a large man, clad in black cyberware, stood motionless.

I couldn’t tell if he was human or orc.

With that level of cybernetic augmentation, it was hard to discern their original species.

A few pieces of the man’s cyberware caught my eye.

If I recalled correctly, they were military-grade.
Rare items in Neon City, a free city independent of national control.

Something you’d only see in Mega Corp-related jobs.

I didn’t know why such a person was just standing on the street.

“He seems to be mumbling something.”

[Confirmed. ……Audio signal detected, amplifying lens and audio.]

The screen zoomed in, showing the man’s entire face. The lack of a jaw was striking.

Then, the man’s mumbling voice, distorted by low audio quality, could be heard faintly.

It sounded like Chinese slang.

Even the translation module installed in my neural computer chip couldn’t decipher it.

[Information confirmed from NCPD database. Over 90% match with a criminal currently incarcerated in ‘Pelicanus,’ Neon City’s prison. I inform you of this.]

“……Why is someone like that here? Did someone replicate his face with implants?”

[Cross-referencing equipped cyberware information and bio-signals. ……Matches database information, 99% probability of being the same individual, I correct my previous statement.]

“Huh.”

Running into an escaped convict just outside my house? Even on a rainy day, the odds were incredibly low.

So why was he here?

[Checking current NCB24 news. 《We interrupt this program to inform you that several criminals have escaped from Pelicanus prison. Citizens are advised to avoid going outside─.》 I provide this information.]

The timing was insane.

Pelicanus was known for housing only the most serious criminals in Neon City.

“But if he escaped, shouldn’t he be running out of the city? Why is he here?”

[Name, ‘Hei Wang’. Mercenary affiliated with Heishuqwai. Criminal record includes eight counts, including the murder of upper-level citizens, classified as a chrome psycho, I explain.]

Even if his joints ached in the rain, escaping prison just to come back into the city was crossing the line.

Suddenly, the mumbling man, the chrome psycho, raised a heavy hand.

His finger pointed towards a child running away.

There was no one nearby to protect the child.

The chrome psycho’s palm then transformed.

A mechanically designed opening appeared, and a red thermal beam grew within.

It wasn’t an automatic firing device.

It looked like a small grenade launcher.

Fortunately for the child, I moved the moment I saw the grenade launch.

I circulated my mana and released it.

An intense gust of wind, originating from my hand, filled the space in a straight line.

That type of grenade launcher required both the ammunition and the firing mechanism to be implanted within the body.

Therefore, it was common to minimize weight and bulk.

That meant that if you could predict the trajectory, you could also alter the grenade’s path with a strong gust of wind.

If I had a little more time, I could have sent the grenade right back.

Too bad.

The grenade, fired at the child, veered unnaturally mid-air.

And then, the explosion.

BOOOOOM!

The grenade also appeared to be military-grade.

The explosive power was no joke.

I would have missed it if I had been even a little slower.

[Explosion confirmed. Estimated time until NCPD arrival─.]

“Even if the NCPD arrives, they won’t be able to stop him. They’d need Chrome Force, the special unit.”

[Confirmed. Hacking police department internal data, ……Complete. I predict Chrome Force arrival in approximately 600 seconds.]

Ten minutes.

That meant I had to either hold out for that long or take him down before then.

I didn’t want to get rained on.

But I couldn’t ignore the grenade fired at the child.

It couldn’t be helped now.

The chrome psycho’s red optic sensors turned towards me.

But then, as soon as I registered that fact, the chrome psycho was bisected.

“Huh?”

What just happened?

Goosebumps erupted all over my body.

“There you are, I’ve been looking for you.”

The voice I heard in my dream last night followed.

Ah.

The NCB24 news did say several people escaped…

I prepared for battle.

The most terrifying chrome psycho I knew, the woman who had tried to kill me, stood before me.

I seriously needed to find a cyber-shaman and get an exorcism.

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