CHAP 44: Rescue

While i was leaving, i didn't see any students, sadly. Damn, i sound almost like an pedophile teacher saying those things. I'm an sociopath, not an pedophile, i swear. Anyways, i only now realize only 4 days passed since i reincarnated on this world, with all that's happened, it feels like weeks. I walked through the roads, there was basically nobody on the streets, some here and there, but i believe most of the people are studying, which making sense considering the time. Anyways, i entered the metro and left the district.

"i don't understand."

'What is it you do not understand?'

"why are you doing this, playing those games?"

'You mean becoming an teacher?'

"not only that, all those careful plans. you are powerful, why don't you just go and take it?"

'While you do have an point, i don't like being the one in the spotlight. I'm the one who stays behind the curtains, the one who pulls the strings.'

"so it's about ego? about pride?"

'Not ego, but personality. Everybody has an MO, and no matter how much we want to escape from it, we end up falling back to it.'

"so that's why i don't understand."

'Hmm?'

"because i'm not human. i'm an machine, i don't have such defects."

'I wouldn't call it an defect, but part of what makes you, you.'

"from what i can see, it is an defect. it makes you act illogically."

'Maybe one day you'll understand. Maybe then, you'll find what you wish for.'

"and what is that?"

'True love. True depth. Humanity.'

She closed the connection. That's the problem with an advanced, self aware AI, they become confused, lost. Helping her get in the right track, helping her be human, could be helpful. Humans are more easily controllable, and they can be creative. Maybe one day i can give her an real body. If she doesn't betray me, of course. Looking outside of the window, i took an mental picture of the view. I decided that i would draw it sometime later.

I got out of the train. I was back at the Yakuza district, and headed for Tagawa's clinic. I want to buy some cyberware, and see if can do some reverse engineering. When i arrived at the bar, there was nobody there, which is strange, i headed for the back, and none of that heavy security i had seen before was there. I knocked on the door, but no one responded. I acessed the door with my monowire. The system had definitely been invaded, by someone good. This can't be good. I opened the door, and quietly went ahead. I could sense heat, someone was here.

What i saw was definitely strange, There were two big men, definitely yakuza, if their tattoos were anything to go by, holding Tagawa to the ground, while someone with an squirrel costume had their monowire connected to the server, and an other man was sitting on an chair, he seemed to be the leader.

"There's nothing here, no signs of the one who took the other prototype."

It spoke, it's voice affected by an voice modifier.

"If that's the case, it's about time Tagawa starts speaking. Who was it?! Who did you implant the other prototype on?!"

Tagawa was silent.

"Tell us!"

"I don't know, some gaijin."

"We'll need more than that. Or do you want Walnut to infiltrate your brain?"

"I don't know, he didn't have any chrome, i think he is an hacker or something."

"His appearance, Tagawa. What about his appearance."

"He had blond hair, and brown eyes, he appeared European. That's all i remember."

"That's not good enough, but we'll let you off the hook this time. Peanut, put an tracker on him."

"On it."

"You understand what this means, right, Tagawa? We always know where you are, and you tell us if you see the gaijin you speak of."

The man who was speaking seemed to be considerably high on the hierarchy. Is that "Peanut" the yakuza's best netrunner Tagawa spoke about? Interesting fella. I was currently deciding what to do, do i attack, do i keep myself hidden?

"Someone's here."

The squirrel spoke, and one of the big man knocked Tagawa out. So i attack, huh. I ran at the two big man, who were holding Tagawa down. I punched one of them, and knocked him out on the spot, the other pulled out an katana and slashed me down, i parried his sword with the Collector, and hit him on the head with my other hand. I saw someone was trying to invade me, so i took the connection with one of my hands and disconnected them forcefully, which made the squirrel suffer some backlash, and i protected myself from the bullet the boss had shot, using the Collector as an shield. I took the boss by the neck and threw him at Peanut, i infiltrated the netrunner's system, immobilizing it. I aimed my gun at them both.

"And who the fuck are you?"

The boss yelled at me.

"An good doer who was just passing by."

"Cut the bullshit!"

"Okay. Then i'll put you in your place. I have the gun here, i ask the questions, and you answer."

"Don't fuck with me!"

"You know, you don't really have an choice here. Either you tell me things by yourself, which is the easy way, or i can forcefully take them out off your brain, which is the hard way."

"Do you know who i am? I'll hunt you down, and i'll kill you."

"Guess you chose the hard way."

I pulled out my monowire. he tried putting his hand to block me. But i simply pushed it out of the way, and inserted it inside his interface.

"You motherfu-"

I knocked him out with an good old concussion. This man was more influential than the one back at the gambling house, he had more information about this district's leader, and the stronghold he called "home". And my guess was correct, this "Walnut" was the Yakuza's best netrunner, and had the same cyberdeck as me. It was working for Yakuza until it payed back the debt it had for the prototype, it was the one who told them about the shipment. It told the Yakuza the Netdriver Mk.7 was dangerous, so they came here to buy it back from Tagawa. But he didn't have it anymore, so they interrogated him, that's when i came in. I used {Bamboozle} to make new memories for him, and i would remotely control his body so he doesn't suspect anything, as well as with the other two big guys. As for "Walnut", i can have some use for it, so i'll infect it's system with an very powerful virus of my own creation, that can be activated remotely.

I pushed the boss out of the way, and looked at the squirrel, i took off it's costume, and was surprised to find an little girl. She was incapable of moving at the moment, but she looked scared.

"Isn't that an surprise? Sadly for you, little girl, I can't let you off the hook without any safety procedures, i hope you understand."

I turned her over and connected to her interface, deploying the virus. I turned her back over to look at me.

"Look, what i've put in your system right now is an home-made virus, don't worry, if you comply, it won't kill you. What you will is you're going to follow those Yakuza back to your little turf, and act as if nothing of interest happened here. You're going to look for the man Tagawa told you about, and if you speak as much as an single word about me, well, you know what will happen. I'll let you retrieve control of you head, so nod if you understand."

She nodded immediately.

"Good girl. And don't worry, you will not be able to free yourself of this virus if i don't want you to. Now then, i'll assume remote control of these men's bodies, you'll put back on your little costume, and follow them. Are we understood?"

She nodded again.

"Good. Now go."

I left the clinic, and after some time, the men and the squirrel left as well. I'll go back home after that, and prepare myself to invading this district's Yakuza leader house. I didn't even acquire the cyberware i wanted. Really, what an bother.