Chapter 30 – Unexpected Connection (1)

Chapter 30 – Unexpected Connection (1)

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 30 – Unexpected Connection (1)

My name wasn’t even mentioned in the news.

Just heard the news that “A sudden lightning strike pierced through the city’s barrier and destroyed the overpass”. But many people figured out that it was something I caused.

The flood of messages that came in was overwhelming.

Sender: ‘Natasha Petrova’

– Heard the news, saw it too.

– (NetSpace News link)

– Seems like you’re famous on the net too.

– Come on, at least sleep. (Angry emoji)

– I’ll look into Smile John separately.

– And Smith will get a scolding.

– Next time, make sure to go back with our employee.

– See you later.

Sender: ‘Andrea Rose, Red Hound’

– Hey! Hey! Hey!

– What’s with the news, what happened?

– Did you get involved in another incident?

– Leave a reply before I come looking for you!

– Must!

Sender: ‘Friendly Cyberware Specialty Store, 24-hour consultation available’

– Seems like you got involved in another incident.

– Hey, Siwoon, we’re still friends, right?

– Let me know if you need anything.

– Otherwise, I’ll have to come pick you up like last time.

– I owe you that much.

– Reply back.

Sender: ‘White Rabbit’

– The news, it’s Siwoon, right?

– Is everything okay?

– I may not be of much help, but...

– If anything happens, please let me know...

– Oh, and about what you mentioned last time...

And this wasn’t the end.

There were messages from a few other acquaintances too.

I replied to the incoming messages, even if briefly. I was afraid of the aftermath if I ignored them.

By the way, there was no message from Catherine.

She seemed like she was about to break down my door when she came to my house, so I explained the situation properly to her in person.

There are so many people worrying about me.

And here I am right now.

“Ugh... seriously. This game is such a pain.”

I’m taking a break.

* * *

Of course, under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have thought about enjoying games for a while.

That’s true.

It was also urgent because I never knew when Smile John would target Eve again and launch an attack. And thinking about Smith, who would definitely be in trouble with Natasha since he just let go while drunk, made it even more so.

He even tidied up after me.

I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.

As a human being, I felt a little reflection was necessary on my part too.

But I had a valid reason to play games.

The catalyst was a message from Julia.

– Oh, and about what you mentioned last time.

– You suggested playing a different game together.

– If you get the chance, can you do it now?

I did make such a promise.

But that was only when I didn’t know who she, Julia, really was.

If I had known that Julia was a wanted criminal registered in the NCPD database, I probably wouldn’t have made such a suggestion.

Well, since the appointment had already been made, there was nothing I could do.

A promise is a promise.

And playing games together wasn’t a difficult promise to keep.

It wasn’t because the other party was a wanted criminal (important).

I just wanted to keep my promise sincerely.

I rationalized it that way and called Julia.

The unchanged default ringtone continued.

After a while, Julia’s hologram appeared.

“Hello?”

[Oh, hi.... Siwoon.]

Her innocent appearance was implemented through the hologram.

Although I shouldn’t be deceived by her innocent appearance. At first glance, her appearance could be mistaken for that of a child, making it difficult to be as cautious as my mind wanted to be.

Julia was in a room.

The interior design looked familiar. It seemed to have a similar structure to the house I lived in.

I didn’t pay much attention to that and asked Julia straightaway about the matter at hand.

“Do you have any games you’ve tried separately?”

If she had a game she had played, I could just follow along.

It was a question with that intention.

[Um, the games I’ve tried.... The game I played with Siwoonlast time was the last one I played....]

“Hoo.”

Julia’s character avatar tilted her head with an expressionless face.

【Then, would you like to come out of the game for a moment?】

【Huh?】

Why suddenly the game.

Well, I was planning to quit anyway.

Confirming that Julia had exited the game, I also quit the game and took off the goggles.

– Ding dong.

The intercom bell rang.

Who could it be?

Is it Mr. Bill again?

Or could it be another attack from Smile John?

I cautiously checked the intercom.

Across the intercom screen was none other than Julia’s face.

“?”

I opened the door anyway.

Julia smiled and handed me something.

It was the latest VR goggles device.

It appeared to be a completely new product as there were no signs of it being opened on the box.

“Uh, I also coincidentally... moved to this floor. I was going to say hello, but missed the chance...”

“...Where do you live?”

“Over there.”

Julia pointed to another entrance at the end of the corridor on the same floor.

“....”

From my memory.

That place used to have a neighbor who was sensitive to noise.

How did she know my apartment number?

And where did the person who lived there go?

Before I could ask, Julia said.

“...Then let’s play the game again.”

“....”

Sure.

It wasn’t very important what happened to the person who used to live there.

Surely, they weren’t killed.

And it wasn’t very important how she knew my apartment number either.

The only thing that mattered now.

“All right, let’s log in again.”

“....Yes!”

Black and white.

Light and darkness.

Winner and loser.

What separates them was important.

Now there were no more excuses left.

I resolved to show her my true skill. She might have thought I was a newbie, but now she would see my real ability.

* * *

I decided to quit the fighting game.

No, for trash like me, it’s probably better to quit VR games altogether.

The mindset of a loser dominated my entire being.

I pressed the power button of the outdated monitor with weak movements.

It wasn’t because I was so beaten up by Julia that I wanted to escape to the classic game I used to play.

Now that I think about it while getting beaten up.

There was a way for me to gather information on Smile John.

If Smile John is a terrorist.

It was clear that he was a figure in the underworld.

Then in this classic game.

I might be able to find some information.

I tapped the jump key with familiar hand movements.

My character jumped several times in place.

A feeling different from VR.

This cool and solid sensation.

It felt even more nostalgic than I had thought.

I should find another classic game to play quickly, but it wasn’t easy to find.

But then.

At that moment.

Someone’s character appeared in the corner of the screen, running towards my character.

[P2034871140 (Warrior): Hey! You’re that guy from back then, right?]

....

Who was that again?

The ID was strange, so I couldn’t remember.

There weren’t many people I talked to while playing this game.

Surely, it must be one of them.

Um....

I checked the person’s ID again.

Checked their occupation.

(Warrior).

“Oh.”

I remembered.

I considered whether to quit the game right now.

[Translator – Peptobismol]