Chapter 40 - For Rumpumpumpum
Lost City was a place where neurotechnology had achieved dazzling growth.
Naturally, among the things that were as common as pebbles on the ground were small-scale data chip manufacturers and tech venture companies.
Actavis Company was one such business.
Rather than developing its own new products, it focused on producing and distributing replicas—so-called generic chips—of branded data chips whose patents had expired.
Recently, it had made some buzz by producing a generic chip called Mother Voice based on another company's data chip, Deep Sleep, which had a trauma-suppressing function.
The reason?
It offered a selection of no less than 1,094 different middle-aged women's voices that could sing lullabies or read bedtime stories.
For Jin, who still had an unmodified body, this was something he found difficult to relate to.
He had heard the marketing phrase
"There's bound to be one that suits your taste," but "There's bound to be one that sounds like your mother," was a bit...
So, Jin simply focused on the essential information:
Actavis Company was a data chip manufacturer.
The location extracted from the broker's mind matched this company.
The company was in Sector 36.
Just as he was feeling satisfied with successfully condensing everything into three clean bullet points—
"...Why should I have to work with them?"
A cold voice brushed past his ears.
When he turned his head slightly, he saw the side profile of a woman wearing a cap and a mask.
"I refuse."
With those words, Anna rejected the proposal.
Khalifa shook his head.
"We're dealing with unverified information. You may be fine with that, but I'm not. This isn't just about personal pride—it could affect my professional reputation. Even if nothing happens, just showing negligence could give people enough reason to pick me apart."
"...Do I look like the kind of person who would go around blabbing about this?"
"Even if the person involved keeps quiet, someone else will always find out. That's just how this world works."
Of course, leave it to a Linker to be so eloquent.
By skillfully mixing truth with exaggeration and delivering it in a calm tone, Khalifa left Anna momentarily speechless.
Her gaze lowered, her silence resembling someone deep in thought.
Then, Khalifa delivered the finishing blow.
"Would you rather I take responsibility for it?"
Whoa.
Responsibility.
Jin was impressed.
Would that single phrase, meant to stir a sense of noblesse oblige, really work in this world?
Amazingly, it did.
"...Fine."
Anna slowly nodded.
Then, glancing sideways at Jin and Eric, she added,
"If it's just the two of you, I'll cooperate. But I won't tolerate any sloppy bodyguarding."
"Of course. Just pretend I'm not even here."
It was a bit of a stinging remark for the one being ignored, but what could he do?
Jin simply told himself that this was all part of appeasing a difficult woman and kept his mouth shut.
Eric, standing beside him, was no different—arms crossed, showing no particular reaction, except for occasionally scratching his hairy shin with his toes.
Meanwhile, Anna got to her feet.
Jin checked his terminal.
The time was 19:21.
He wondered how long it would take to reach their destination if they ran now, so he opened the navigation app and started typing A-C-T-A-V-I-S letter by letter—
"Follow me."
Anna brushed past him, leaving behind only that curt command before stepping out the door.
Jin, still focused on his terminal, grumbled at her sudden urgency but got up to follow.
After briefly waving to Khalifa and Po, who sent them off with good-luck gestures, he hurried out of Anekdote, chasing after their client, who had already disappeared from view.
Another job was about to begin.
***
Hadn't people always said that extreme shock could render someone speechless?
This was exactly one of those moments.
...What the hell is this?
Jin blinked, staring beyond the transparent canopy above.
A vast sea of clouds stretched out beneath him, bathed in the crimson hues of the setting sun.
An AI transport aircraft?
That was completely unexpected.
Jin had simply planned to fire up his Manticore and hit the highway—this was far beyond anything he had imagined.
Maybe this was what it meant to be a big shot.
From the very first step, the scale was different.
So, this was life in a different world.
Jin stole a glance diagonally across from him—Anna sat there, eyes closed, her expression unreadable.
Then, from behind him, he heard the unmistakable sound of someone snoring.
Jin chuckled.
Even in this situation, Helmet Head was managing to catch some shut-eye.
Guess I'm the only one freaking out.
Feeling like a clueless country bumpkin, Jin scratched the back of his head.
But at this point, he figured he might as well enjoy it.
So he turned his gaze back toward the canopy—
And let out a quiet breath of amazement.
"...Ah."
Beyond the clearing clouds, far below, lay a city, now fully embraced by the night.
Countless scattered lights twinkled in the deep darkness, like shattered fragments of stars illuminating the void.
And so-
The city that had lost its brilliant night sky long ago had, in turn, become a new night sky itself.
It was something Jin had never realized while struggling within it.
A galaxy of neon signs.
Loneliness woven into the splendor.
A stranger who still found everything unfamiliar.
A distance of the heart that refused to close.
At some point, Jin's gaze wavered.
He hurriedly turned his head, but it was already too late.
The black tide that had seeped into the cracks of his heart was already lapping at his ankles, rising silently.
"Haa—haa—"
His breathing grew ragged, and Jin closed his eyes.
He tried to stay calm, counting from one to ten.
"Calm down."
A composed voice.
And with it, everything returned to normal as if it had all been a lie.
Beyond where the black tide had disappeared without a trace, the interior of the transport ship came back into view.
As did the face of the woman who had, at some point, taken hold of his wrist.
Was this how it felt to meet one's savior?
Jin wanted to bow and express his gratitude, but he was too out of breath.
After taking a moment to steady himself, he finally parted his lips.
"...Thank you... Th-thank you... Arigato... Xie xie."
After conveying his thanks in a thin mix of four languages, he turned to Anna, who was still holding his wrist, and added,
"Uh, so, this happens to me sometimes..."
"You don't have to explain."
"Huh?"
"I said, you don't have to explain."
Anna repeated herself as she released his wrist.
She then turned her head to face forward, leaving Jin awkwardly blinking.
"...Oh. Okay."
He wiped under his nose, searching for something to look at, shifting his gaze around.
"Walter was like that too."
"Huh?"
Jin tilted his head, waiting for her to continue.
But Anna said nothing more, and Jin didn't bother asking again.
Instead, he lowered his gaze.
Right now, he didn't have the courage to look out the window.
That made him all the more desperate to think about something—anything—else.
Alright, brain cells, listen up.
If I spiral into a panic attack, it's gonna be a mess.
So, let's talk about something, anything.
Dinner plans?
No.
Breakfast tomorrow?
No.
Lunch tomorrow?
Nope.
Before he could start thinking about what to eat for dinner the next day, a proper topic finally crossed his mind.
Why did the quest experience increase?
It was something he needed to go over.
This was the first time something like this had happened.
Jin sank into thought, an unusual look for him.
What could it be?
There was only one new line added.
[Anna Solard's death will result in failure.]
And that alone had nearly doubled his experience gain...?
Hmm.
Wait.
Jin's eyes widened as he stared at the client sitting diagonally from him.
Could this mean that, if things simply played out as they were, Anna would end up in a life-threatening situation?
Logically, it was the most reasonable assumption.
Thinking back, the original quest had only asked him to find Walter with the client.
Not to rescue Walter, not to witness an emotional reunion,
and definitely not to cheer them on like Kiss! Kiss!
It was supposed to be over once Walter was found.
But then, the quest gained an additional condition: protecting the client.
And in return, the experience reward had increased?
That meant that after finding Walter, something would put Anna in danger.
Or perhaps...
Jin furrowed his brows.
At that moment, the transport ship began lowering its altitude.
Raindrops started tapping against the exterior as they descended below the clouds.
A mechanical voice rang out.
[Entering airspace over Sector 36.]
[Five minutes until arrival at the destination.]
Anna turned to him and said,
"We'll be over the building soon."
At the same time, a hand landed on Jin's shoulder from behind.
It was Eric.
[Preparition complet]
"...Dude, you made a typo."
Jin sighed at the clumsy mistake and turned his head.
Then, slapping both his cheeks with his palms, he shook his face side to side and let out a prrrr—like a duck's quack.
Focus.
Think about what you need to do.
First, protect Anna.
Then, deal with the bastards who messed up Rumpumpumpum.
For now, just focus on that.
[Two minutes until arrival at the destination.]
The transport ship was now truly close to the ground.
The view beyond the canopy was no longer that of a fallen night sky.
Instead, Jin's eyes caught glimpses of massive holographic billboards moving in silence and flashing neon lights.
[One minute remaining until destination.]
The rain had intensified.
Now, calling it a torrential downpour was no exaggeration.
Despite the nearly nonexistent visibility caused by the severe weather, the AI transport aircraft continued its course without hesitation, heading precisely toward its target.
[Arrived at destination. Initiating landing procedure.]
Wuuuung—
A deep hum resonated as the engines, previously maintaining a level position, shifted to face the ground.
The aircraft began hovering about fifty meters above a building's rooftop, gradually decreasing altitude as its output lowered.
Amidst the process, a burst of static crackled through the comms.
"Landing is prohibited! I repeat, landing is prohibited!"
"You are trespassing on private property. If you insist on landing, we will—"
The transmission cut off abruptly.
Anna had risen to her feet at some point and pressed a button, causing the sudden silence.
Ignoring the warning entirely, she spoke.
"I'm going ahead. Just so you know, there's no need for you to come down. I'll return when I'm done."
"You're going? Where? We're still in midair."
Jin asked, though he already had a sinking suspicion.
That suspicion became certainty when Anna strode past him, stopping only at the rear of the aircraft—right at the lower ejection hatch.
"Hey, you—!"
"Open lower ejection hatch."
The moment she commanded it, the platform beneath her spread open like a ribcage exposing its core.
A violent gust of rain and wind rushed into the aircraft's interior.
And Anna leaped into freefall.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Jin shouted as he sprinted toward the hatch.
Skidding to a stop against the inner wall, his widened eyes took in the scene below in slow motion.
An armed force deployed across the rooftop.
Dozens of gun barrels aimed at the transport.
The howling storm raging between them.
And—
The searing heat that erased it all.
──!
A wave of pure white flame rippled outward.
In an instant, the rain between the rooftop and the transport vanished.
Even the droplets clinging to Jin's cheek evaporated.
Drip.
The sacred heat settled upon the ground.
No screams followed.
Only the traces of those reduced to ashes met the falling rain, darkening the rooftop in charred black.
At the center of it all, Anna flicked her hat aside.
Then, removing her mask, she turned toward the transport, her lips moving soundlessly.
'Just stay there.'
With that final message, she turned and stepped into the building.
Jin scoffed.
She's the one in danger?
How is that possible?
Who's supposed to be protecting whom?
But the situation had already unfolded, and there was no turning back.
Waiting idly for the transport to land was now a luxury.
"Ah, screw it."
Jin bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"For Rumpumpumpum!!"
And with that, he hurled himself out of the hatch.
The last thing visible before he plummeted was the cluster of question marks filling Eric's visor as he remained standing still.