Loved by the War Machine

31 – Strange Behavior (4)

“Look, isn’t it strange? How can you handle artificial intelligence-related issues with a kid like that?

She doesn’t move according to human commands; she acts based on her own judgment, without any constraints.

Why should I trust her like that?”

“The same opinion applies to you as well, Dayeon. It can be applied to you too.

Matthew Vance and Dayeon Koh.

Both of them considered my behavior abnormal due to errors and had Taehyuk check on me.

I consider this treatment to be extremely hostile –

I also have no reason to trust you.”

“Mr. Taehyuk!”

“Taehyuk.”

The appearance was somehow becoming strange.

Caught between two women, I couldn’t figure out how to explain the situation.

“Wait, Dayeon, calm down. Don’t handle it emotionally.”

“Mister, move!”

With fists clenched, the girl trying to approach me was blocked by Matthew’s body,

and he spread his hands wide to fill the gap.

“Professional, I mean, uh… professionally. Right?

It won’t do if the Tech Boys’ IT team hears about this.

Taehyuk, control your CI unit a bit.”

The sound of breathing heavily scratching through the nose was so clear,

Dayeon seemed quite excited.

But on the contrary, is it because of the significant influence of being an artificial intelligence that Ilya –

“Are you okay?”

“I merely expressed my opinion logically.”

“Then I’m not logical -“

“Whoa, whoa, Dayeon, I wasn’t talking to you.”

The four of us gathered, and what kind of situation was this?

I didn’t have to worry much, thanks to Ilya standing quietly, but Matthew’s side –

“That’s really weird, mister!”

“You saw it, didn’t you? What on earth is that, making judgments and talking on its own!”

“I cooled my head and thought about it. If that guy is indeed using some functions on his own, like the learning system,

considering the nature of combat artificial intelligence, it’s likely that the on-site judgment system is being used in a similar way.

So, moving on its own like that could be somewhat explained… I guess you could say that.

Of course, even if that’s the case, it’s on a rather astonishing level.”

“Astonishing or whatever, I can’t talk to him about this matter.

Unless it’s entrusted solely to Mr. Taehyuk, you know it’s not something even I can handle!”

It seemed like a struggle to restrain the girl who was energetically leaping in her place.

However, among what Dayeon said, there was a concerning part.

“What do you mean it has to be me?

If Illya is in trouble, can’t you hire another mercenary for this task… No?”

Actually, if I had known that the conflict would escalate like this, I wouldn’t have brought Illya today for the examination purpose.

In the end, the conclusion seemed to be leaning towards ‘it’s possible,’

and most importantly, if there are no critical errors, it wouldn’t be a problem for me.

I didn’t expect the relationship to go this sour.

My mind was becoming chaotic.

“Because it’s a task that requires attention to detail.

Among the mercenaries I’ve hired so far, Mr. Taehyuk is the only one who meticulously takes care of each request.

So, I originally planned to entrust this task to him right away, but…”

While mumbling, the gaze heading straight was fixed on Illya.

The one who received it approached me again, grabbing my arm without hesitation.

“Isn’t it troublesome to come out like this?”

“I am nothing more than a simple artificial intelligence, just as you think. Excessive caution is not necessary.”

“Look at this. You’re mocking, aren’t you? I’m just repeating what I said. What kind of artificial intelligence treats people like this?!”

Seeing Matthew trying to stand up again, I reluctantly realized the need to draw attention to Ilia.

There was no progress in the conversation like this.

“Ilia, stop.”

“I wasn’t mocking. Just -“

“I understand your intention. But Dayeon doesn’t take it that way.”

As if ready to counter those words, Ilia tried to speak.

Surely, unpleasant words would come out, and then Dayeon would get angry again.

So, I gently placed my index finger on my lips to prevent her from speaking.

If I took Ilia in this state to Manticoor, what would happen?

Unlike Dayeon, who is courteous to me, if she doesn’t comply, she will face a very growling day when she meets me…

I didn’t even want to imagine.

Upon seeing the frozen face of the lad, I wondered if he had calmed down a bit.

So, I turned my head and spoke to Dayeon in that moment.

“Whoa?!”

What my fingertips touched was clearly his palate.

It was a sensation I could recognize from the numerous times it had touched during the past hour.

Surprised, I looked at him again, and Ilia, with an expressionless face as if nothing had happened, stared at me.

But between the slightly parted lips, it was clear that what was bitten was what my fingers had touched.

“Why are you like this? Are you okay?”

Even the act of hiding was fleeting.

She showed me a smile for a moment.

And,

“Does Taehyuk-nim wish for me to wait while he receives the commission?”

Taking a step back from me and bowing her head.

“If my actions have caused any inconvenience, I apologize.

I will be waiting here,

so please complete the originally planned commission, Taehyuk-nim.”

With that, the tumultuous atmosphere dissipated in an instant.

The spark that had been happening between them retreated, and it was severed just like that.

“…Should have done that sooner.”

With those words, Dayeon stood up from her seat and wiped her forehead once.

The tiny splashing water droplets revealed just how excited she was.

“Well, Mr. Marksman, that means Taehyuk will come with me, and Mr. Matthew too, right?”

“If I ask Iria a few questions, will you accept them?”

I met Iria’s eyes for a moment, then quickly shook my head. It didn’t make sense to ask someone who had already conceded so much.

“Just leave it be. When I explain difficult concepts, having you around might help me understand better.”

“Well, if you say so. Then an American translator will be assigned to Incheon’s Cowboy.”

“…Sigh.”

I let out a light sigh and slowly walked back to the room where Da-yeon had come from.

Then I turned around and waved my hand to Iria.

“I’ll be back soon. Just wait a little longer.”

“Yes.”

I followed behind the girl as she put her finger and eyes on the fingerprint door lock and entered the password, stepping into the dark but somehow pleasant workshop.

There was a running air conditioner, a fairly large computer tower, and several screens.

In the back, there was a soft sofa, a refrigerator, and even snacks filling the space.

“Well, look at this. If the IT team found out about this, the people below would be jealous, right?”

“That’s why some of them come to take classes after work. They say the pay is good, and the benefits are great.”

“But the problem is not that.”

– Suddenly.

The door was locked.

And in front of it stood Matthew, fists clenched.

Da-yeon pressed a button, closing all the windows that were open above.

With that, all the noise disappeared,

and a stifling heaviness, as if entering a soundproof room, enveloped the body.

“Before delving into the matter, we need a definite answer.

There is data that we need to convey to you regarding the task I am entrusting to you.

When securing it, make sure to do it personally, and do not hand over the data to Ilia.”

“What’s the reason for this – “

“Just don’t do it.

I’m saying this after seeing what you were doing until a moment ago.”

What does “what you were doing” mean?

Did he touch Ilia’s lips?

Or did the guy cling onto me?

… Honestly, there were many uncomfortable corners aside from that.

“Of course, Mr. Taehyuk, we appreciate your sincere handling of our tech tasks many times,

Thanks to that, we know that we were able to grow our business steadily. However,

This time, it’s an exceptional circumstance, so there’s no choice.

Absolutely, under no circumstances should Illya be able to obtain the data we’re requesting you to secure.”

“Got it – “

“Can you promise this with certainty?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“It’s really crucial, Taehyuk.”

Even Matthew, who had been silently observing, speaking like that, made me think that this request might be quite weighty.

If it’s something dangerous, I should refuse,

even though I must do it.

‘If it’s not solely entrusted to Mr. Taehyuk – ‘

Because those words were echoing in my ears, I ended up missing the timing.

Doyeon was already typing away, bringing up the screen.

“Alright. Can you take a look at this?”

As the girl pressed the button on the remote, and Matthew turned off the lights in the room, an image of a facility abandoned on the wide wall to the left appeared.

The appearance of the wall with traces of gold here and there was quite nostalgic.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

“It’s going to be a bit challenging.

That’s why we’re willing to compensate you quite generously.

Actually, consider it as a request that’s about returning the amount we settled for last time, which was six thousand.”

“Six thousand? Ah, that… Testudo.”

It was undoubtedly a story about the incident where the airliner, AT, was almost given away for free.

So they managed to sell it after all.

They were indeed skilled individuals.

“Before I tell you the compensation amount, I need a confirmation on whether you will accept this request.

I won’t lie. The unmanned security guards protecting the facility are quite thorough.

The fact that the facility has been abandoned and the company hasn’t touched it hastily is probably the reason.”

“Unmanned security guards? In a company facility, moreover?

Is that okay?”

Most of the people involved with the company were either official company soldiers or company personnel disguised as mercenaries.

It was sickeningly familiar to me, who had become an independent mercenary, and this was problematic.

“The company won’t intervene.

At least not at this point.

Only Matthew and I know what’s inside there.”

“What?”

“It’s a facility that was destroyed during the war.

But it’s still intact?

And there are unmanned security guards hiding inside.

In other words, it’s an operational ghost, uh, phantom, yeah. A phantom facility.

Both companies seem to be unaware of this fact.

They have sent multiple drones to monitor it.”

Twisting his fingers around, Matthew tapped my wrist, displaying a few more images.

Among several screens, one flickered, illuminating a dilapidated watchtower scattered on the ground.

“That’s the shot-down one; the rest have positioned themselves around, switched to broadcasting mode. As you can see, it’s a bit away from the city corner. And even the corporations haven’t rashly decided on developing that area yet.”

“Damn, there’s a suspicious scent in the air.”

My hand was trembling.

No matter how you looked at it, it was fishy, and no matter how you thought about it, it was dangerous.

In the midst of pondering with slightly moistened lips,

“I’ll tell you the amount.”

Dayeon spoke up.

Matthew closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded immediately.

He meant to catch me.

“Wait -“

“It’s 500 million. If you safely provide the data, I’ll add another 300 million.”

It was suspicious.

Incredibly suspicious.

They weren’t the kind to stake this much money, yet they were proposing a significant share to me.

“If you need equipment, I’m also willing to make an upfront payment for some of it.”

“Damn, what the hell is in there!”

I didn’t like the way he kept circling around and telling the story.

Not throwing the job straight at me and only emphasizing the danger, isn’t that like putting your life on the line?

“He says it’s related to artificial intelligence security.

But he’s talking like pulling out some core data from a company, and he’s willing to pay a whopping 800 million for it.

It’s the highest bid I’ve ever received for a single request, so tell me.

What the hell is it.”

“…I can’t say until you accept it -“

“The old IT research building of Mirsysis Technologies.

There might be records of artificial intelligence research there.”

“Mister?!”

It could be something directly involved with a company.

That’s probably why he kept it a secret.

Reaching out to calm the bewildered Dayeon and standing firmly in front of me, Matthew spoke.

“I know it’s dangerous. I know how you feel.

But digging for information? He says you’re a mercenary we can trust.

For years, you’ve been taking money under our wing, working under the pretext of investing in Illya’s body, and now, I also know how much you value that guy.”

This might be somewhat related to that.

So, I’m entrusting it to you.”

“You, damn, must be hiding something right now. Covered it up once again.

You’re not that oblivious.”

I had to delve into a more fundamental issue.

Eight billion.

It was eight billion.

Taking on such a request for that amount was logically nonsensical.

Given the clear benefit he would gain from this task, there was no doubt he was giving me such a request.

“Forcing a kid to drag me into this?

Dayeon, it’s not the kind of request she’d think of.”

“Dayeon found it.

The black box footage you secured.

There was that facility in one corner.

The idiots didn’t catch on.”

It would have been right to refuse even now.

No matter how overlooked the facility was by the corporation, everything was bound to go haywire the moment a commotion arose.

But considering the amount, sweat formed in my palms.

It meant the moment to decide on retirement was approaching faster.

…Perhaps even faster than that.

“I sent a few drones.

They were shot down by Sentry and CI units when trying to enter.

The surroundings are clean. No corporate base camps,

The flight routes are occasional, but not pinpointed.

Just need to move the server data, and bring it back.”

“It sounds simple, but how about those damn Sentry and CI units, this lunatic?”

“I’ve already located access points nearby.

CI units are controlled by individual AIs,

but at least disabling Sentry is possible.”

He had to refuse.

Even now, reluctantly raising his hand, he had to leave the room, holding Iria’s hand and returning home.

Washing away the throbbing headache with drinks and delicious food,

A bit of tossing and turning seemed necessary to shake off this damn feeling.

But,

The figure of 800 million held him back.

Combined with the money saved, it quickly approached the price of the house he wanted to buy…

“…Just need to extract the server data.

I can handle the aftermath, right?”

“I’ll monitor everything remotely from here.

I’ll erase all records of your coming and going, so don’t worry.”

Lips were bitten.

A voice warning against it echoed in the ears.

“…Damn.”

Held tightly onto Matthew’s outstretched hand.

Biting into it.

“That’s how I know a f*ckin’ gunslinger.”

“I’ll definitely pay the agreed-upon amount. Thank you so much…!”

The heart was beating rapidly.

In a different sense from when seeing Ilia, it was pounding like crazy.

As if aiming for a windfall and becoming a dog of the company, the feeling of that day.