I Became a Sub Heroine in a Cyberpunk Game

It could be said that some might tell me to just accept my bad luck.

No, rather, their luck might have run out here, despite having started from nothing and rising to become top-tier mercenaries capable of taking on contracts from Mega Cop at a young age.

However, if there is a commonality between the 21st century I lived in and this bleak 22nd century, it is that someone’s life is considered more equal and valuable. Now that I’ve noticed their light and potential, I cannot turn my back on them.

…So, this time, I’ll share my luck. Just a little.

“Ahsa, is that you…?!”

I heard a voice squeezed out, but I ignored it.

The only one with decision-making power in this place is the one holding the gun.

“Seems like you’re quite concerned about the ragtag team…”

“…Concerned? This is the first time I’ve seen these guys today. Switching sides isn’t that simple.”

The man, who looked like he’d shoot at a moment’s notice while glaring at the three on the ground, made me tense up my finger on the trigger.

It revealed a vulnerability that could easily be exploited, but the same goes for the enemies.

Now that the matter has escalated, the tension is rising with every passing second. Look, the other mercenaries, who had been silently following the captain’s orders, are starting to murmur about my proposal.

We have to take them regardless. No, we need to act like this never happened and reunite with Paradise.

Let’s hide the EMP bomb as well. Usually, things fail when they get too complicated…

“Agari, shut the hell up! You morons…!!”

Clank…!

He fiercely threw down the night vision goggles he was wearing.

Beads of sweat trickled down his rugged skin, his bloodshot eyes, and his throat kept moving as if his mouth was dry. Finally, he wore an expression suitable for a garbage lackey without basic credibility or skill.

“…You empty-headed bastard…! Whether there’s any data left in your doll-like head is anyone’s guess, so why should we bear the risk of leaving a witness alive?!”

“…….”

My eyebrows furrowed.

To be precise, it’s true that I don’t have anything in my head as there’s only that much stored in the implant, but… that’s not what’s important right now. What they fear is uncertainty. To cover that, I need to provide immediate assurance or…

…Just like the clever Enema did, I could dangle a big, beautiful bait in front of them.

“What are you doing…?”

“…Is there a holographic scanner, tactical scanner, or someone with scan capabilities? Check my citizen ID first.”

Slowly, I extended the arm with the inserted barcode.

By manipulating the cyberware, I brought back the data buried beneath the surface, making it accessible for viewing.

One person, following the captain’s doubtful glance, read my citizen ID information… and froze like stone.

“……”

“…Speak! We don’t have time… ‘Blue Level! Enema-associated!’ …Huh?”

All eyes in the room focused on me. A miraculous coincidence can feel fated in a desperate situation.

Now that I’m identified as an insider hiding among the retrieval team, is trust flowing a bit?

“I am Anastasia Makarovitch, Chief Researcher at the Enema Corporation Delta Research Institute. …I do not know which department you were hired from, but shouldn’t we be getting out of here soon?”

“Ugh…!”

Even though the captain hadn’t given orders, the gun that had been aimed at my group is now raised skywards.

From the moment that registered, I was riding on a tiger’s back. When I finally meet a real Enema employee, it’s likely that I—the sole survivor of the institute—will end up detained and subjected to immense questioning.

If my record as a test subject is exposed during that process, it would be over for me.

…So what?

‘…You’ve struggled a lot. Just hold out a little longer.’

I turned my head slightly to bid a silent farewell to my silly trio.

I withdrew the pointless suicide threats. With the 180-degree shift in attitude, I grasped the hand that had extended more formally instead of a gun and made my way out of the hatch.

…Shallow fools.

Clank…! Bang…!!

Creak… Creak….

It seemed there was a special measure for the retrieval team, as chains and syringe guns embedded in the floor were systematically organized into boxes.

It’s laughable to think that I truly believed a rosy future awaited us, gleefully packing and preparing.

I’d rather trust Paradise or Exatech, both of which had a larger stake in operations above ground, than Enema… But then again, on the surface, Enema was a Mega Cop in the medical service field. Sigh…

Thus, thinking that I had naive hopes that the threat had dissipated, I… had gotten too complacent.

“Researcher…? But why did they want to let them live…?”

“……There are unavoidable accidents due to lack of information sharing, but deliberately killing mercenaries that I hired doesn’t sit well with me.”

I was momentarily at a loss for words, but I managed to cover it up well. Or so I thought.

Simply put… the leaders among the mercenaries, who were already uneasy with the highly flawed plan, were not going to tolerate any shortcomings.

“…This isn’t going to work.”

Bam…!!

“Kuh?!”

Along with a hot sensation, my insides twisted. I dropped my head thinking I was shot, but what hit me was a mercenary’s fist. This bastard really went all the way…!

“Captain?!”

“…Kill the Daredevil team. Whether this… bitch’s words are true or not, it’s better that fewer know of our little deviation. We retreat quickly…!”

My feet left the ground, and my body was flung over someone’s shoulder.

I can’t… I can’t breathe. My head screamed that I had to pull my gun right now, but my arms wouldn’t listen. I want to tell those who would remain behind in the cold, dark corridor to somehow escape, but no sounds came out.

I tried to send electricity through the contact point, but… it was too weak. I didn’t want to find out in this way that my physical condition could affect the output of my abilities.

…It’s blocked. Even if there were remaining cards, they would be executed before I could play them.

Tears of resignation rolled down my cheeks.

……And since ancient times, the tears of a heroine have been the mightiest weapon calling for salvation.

Thud… Thud… Thud….

Footsteps echoing from the stairs, not the hatches’ stairs but from within the building, turned the mercenaries’ heads sharply.

There was only one of them. But if the owner of those footsteps were a combatant dispatched from Paradise upon detecting an abnormal situation, the outcome couldn’t be guaranteed.

The enemies who had lost their upper ground became overwhelmingly tense, vigilantly watching the rear.

As the momentary stiffness passed… the turncoats exhaled relief upon identifying the intruder.

“Hah… What the hell…!”

“…Were you also scared?”

“…There was an order to narrow the control line and identify the location of the unauthorized electromagnetic pulse. Do you have any additional information to collaborate on?”

What appeared was just a combat cop. A lone figure, easy to silence or sway in this kind of society.

Moreover, since on the surface, they were still performing tasks for Paradise, there was plenty of prepared excuses.

“…Nothing much happened here, except that a few trash in the Yellow Sector are still alive. Oh, this woman is no civilian but a member of our mercenary team. She’s severely injured, so we need to get her out quickly.”

“Indeed… a mercenary belonging to that team….”

The cop nodded as if he fully understood.

It seemed the mercenary took that as tacit agreement to their words… but somehow, I felt my gaze meeting the cop’s eyes behind the thick visor.

…If it were up to me, I would want to seek help. But would bringing needless victims truly be the right thing… As I pondered, the shield that covered his mouth slightly lifted.

What came out was much prettier than I had imagined; the cherry-like lips of the cop began to move.

Eyes… closed… Ah…?

Swish—!!

“……?”

Without any warning or indication, a head flew towards the sky. The other head, which was blankly staring at who it was, quickly followed suit.

At that point, I recognized the attack and saw the bent sword in the redirected light. The blade of a katana gleamed.

I had been wondering what kind of long, curved baton they were carrying; it turned out to be a scabbard…?

“What the hell!!”

“Shit… Cough?!”

There was no hesitation at all. The prosecutor, having defined all moving entities as enemies, became the storm of the battlefield.

Is this how a wolf separates from a flock of sheep?

The swung katana sliced through the blocking arm. After it embedded in the abdomen, rather than wasting time extracting it, it sliced through the side and came out.

“Cough…!”

Tat tat tat tat—!!

Swish…! Clang!!

A mercenary who had his finger on the trigger fell, causing the formation to fall into chaos.

Advancing smoothly using a decapitated corpse as a shield, it was impressive how they could evade bullets flying through the gaps even in disarranged visibility.

…Did the dead drop a bulletproof shield?

Bang!! Crack!!

“?!”

They were even too busy kicking it as a weapon.

The mercenary fumbling with the shield that was lodged diagonally in their chest… soon went quiet.

It would definitely not be something to commented upon witnessing a scene of mass murder, but her dance was beautiful.

Her swift hands and judgment were merely parts of the process, but the true essence lay in that bravery.

While it was the police’s duty to subdue criminals, I couldn’t understand how she was so confident, why she was so passionate.

“Gurgh… Gurgh…”

Thud…!

The last enemy clutched his neck and fell to the ground.

It might have been advantageous while forming an encirclement against the retrieval team, but they probably hadn’t expected such a mad cop to fall on them from behind. I hope they regret it in hell.

“…Thank you for your help.”

“……”

As I struggled with my aching stomach and rubbed my backside that hit the ground, I thanked the cop who had approached me, and she offered me an exceptionally generous and significant proposal while observing me.

“…Should I call an ambulance?”

“!! Yes! Please…!!”

Clank…! The much overloaded back door of the transport vehicle closed.

The hospital staff who had come to transport the three critical patients seemed to be exhausted as they staggered onto the vehicle. …Please don’t have an accident on the way.

As I turned my head, what caught my eye was Brightside Avenue, which had become much brighter than before the EMP bomb exploded.

…Why? The first reason was that even though the internal building lights had been extinguished, all the large lights attached to the turrets were on. The second reason was…

“Now that your beloved mercenaries seem to have come back to life… Shall we discuss the submission of data? Ms. Ivory Hacker?”

“……”

The beaming eyes of the man without a wrinkle evoked fear.

The lights flooding the road came from the battle robots and the troops directly under Paradise. This man had led all of them here, and seeing the android that looked indistinguishable from a human by his side suggested he was quite a high-ranking individual… but I had no memory of him from the game.

…Well, the main office of Paradise is here on Harvest Planet, and the characters from the game were all from the branches, except for the chairman.

“……Hoh?”

After inserting the data of the Dawn’s confirmed data and documentation of the traitors into the newly provided memory card without missing a detail, I submitted it.

The man looked intrigued as my smooth process seemed visible.

From rescuing the injured to avoiding the compensation owed to the betraying mercenaries, I had completed my duties without further delay, graciously agreeing to the unreasonable demand of taking narcotics data hostage. However, perhaps showing my capabilities to such a dangerous individual was a mistake.

“Both the intelligence you purposely sent us and your substantial talents… how about it! Would you consider working for Paradise?”

“…Sorry, but I’m not interested…?!”

Swish!

Before I could even finish rejecting, a business card was forcefully shoved into the hand that had just reached out.

Though this era seemed odd for insisting on business cards, it brought a hint of nostalgia.

[ A heavenly workplace! A workplace like heaven!! Aaron Drayfuscus, Director of Strategic Planning at Paradise, will make it happen! ]

“…What the hell.”

“It’s a rather precious item, you know? Please be sure to register the disposable contact number on the back?”

Aside from the bizarre promotional slogan, he definitely wasn’t an ordinary person.

As the director of the strategic planning department of the fifth-largest Mega Corp, he held one of the highest positions a non-royal blood employee could achieve.

…Had he not received my arrogance favorably, I would have nearly lost my life here.

“Ah, thank you…?”

“…”

One of the power players who ranks among the top five in this city had left.

As my legs buckled and I prepared to sit on the road, a hand stretched out beside me to support me.

A strangely friendly, strong, and trustworthy combat cop. I could never thank her enough.

But then, noticing that it had only been the two of us remaining, her movements became odd.

“?????”

Slap, slap. Softly, softly.

The gloved fingers tapped my forehead, tugged at my cheeks, and tangled in my hair.

As the benefactor of my life and future vision, I didn’t particularly plan to resist, but this was too familiar, wasn’t it…?

After playing with me for a while, she left behind words I couldn’t comprehend and lightly returned to her fellow officers.

“……I can’t let this be. I can’t just leave you defenseless. …I’ll come and get you as soon as this sister is done, okay…?”

“…Huh? Huh??”

Another mountain behind the mountain, a pervert on top of a serious pervert. The unknown threats were just beginning.

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

In the shaking vehicle, Horatio, who had quietly been lying down, opened his mouth.

“……Hey. Has anyone ever risked their life for someone like us?”

“First time, right…?”

“…This is insane. I feel like my heart is going to burst…!”

He moved his stiff arms to wipe the moisture away from his eyes.

“Then… should our team hacker pray to that lady?”

“……No, we should first reach a level that fits us!”

To the two of them laughing giddily, Omen quietly offered his advice.

“…She is a woman with many secrets. Clearly, it’s bound to be overwhelming.”

“I don’t want anyone else but Ahsa now… Are you against that?”

“…Among the decisions you’ve ever made, that’s the least bad one.”

At that, all three of them laughed.

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