Chapter 49 – Sewer Encounter (1)

Chapter 49 – Sewer Encounter (1)

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]

Chapter 49 – Sewer Encounter (1)

Dirty pipes twisted and turned, snaking across the ceiling, while to the side, polluted water of unknown depth rushed by at a rapid pace.

We had left the underground village area and passed through the sewer tunnels.

We stopped briefly at a sewer path leading to Neon City.

There wasn’t any particular reason for stopping, other than a few people blocking our way.

Considering the current situation.

They were blocking the entrance to the city.

We could suspect them to be Kojaka’s hostile employees or adversaries of the Vice President.

But their appearance was too shabby for that.

Honestly, they were dressed in a “street fashion” so authentic that even the lower levels of Neon City would be hard-pressed to match.

One of them spat out a thick glob of phlegm.

One person had a prosthetic arm, a simplified hook replacing his hand, capable of delivering a blow worthy of Captain Hook himself.

It was a very rare type of prosthetic in the cyberpunk world.

In an era where cyberware was mass-produced, even the homeless in the slums didn’t walk around wearing such prosthetics.

In a way, it was quite unique.

It could be seen as the reality of outsiders living beyond the city limits.

The vagrant-homeless-thug spat out an unnecessarily long stream of phlegm.

He tilted his head towards us.

“Huh? What are you guys doing here—Grrrr.”

Fortunately, we resolved the situation peacefully (with a little electric persuasion) without resorting to violence.

Catherine nonchalantly kicked the unconscious vagrants aside, moving them into a corner.

Her actions clearly conveyed her unwillingness to touch them with her hands.

William Kojaka muttered awkwardly as the vagrants lay foaming at the mouth.

“...Is this okay?”

“Well, what’s not okay about it?”

The reality was that outside the city, even basic human rights couldn’t be guaranteed.

Frankly, if we had been weaker, we might have been stripped of our organs and served as a meal

Well, we didn’t kill them (probably), so there was no need to worry.

Before entering the damp sewer, I took out a mask I had received from the Four Eyes guy and handed it to William Kojaka.

“What’s this?”

“As you can see, it’s a mask.”

He carefully accepted the mask I offered.

Then he asked me a question.

“Does it help to reduce the smell if I wear this?”

It seemed he still hadn’t adapted to the stench.

His face lit up as if he had found a ray of light in the darkness.

I shook my head firmly.

“No, it won’t change the smell.”

“...Then I’m fine.”

He handed the mask back to me.

“I don’t usually wear masks because they’re stuffy. My lung Bioware is custom-made, so it filters out polluted air anyway.”

“Oh...”

Was he a rich guy after all?

But I didn’t take back the mask he offered.

I asked him directly,

“Does it also purify poisonous gas? Different areas have tear gas or deadly pathogens floating around, is that okay too?”

“...”

He must have been mistaken because William Kojaka quickly took back the mask he had offered me.

With awkward hand movements, he covered his face with the mask.

“...What kind of place is this?”

William Kojaka muttered to himself, embarrassed.

It was definitely a strange place.

It was beyond even my broadened sense of normalcy, thanks to being dropped into a cyberpunk world.

Well, if you think about it seriously,

Maybe it’s because it’s like a dungeon in a game.

Even so, it’s not a place where people can live, no matter how you look at it.

The fact that there were people struggling to survive in such a place was astonishing.

William Kojaka fumbled with the slightly crooked mask, trying to adjust it properly.

Then his gaze turned to Catherine, who wasn’t wearing a mask.

He seemed to find it strange that she wasn’t wearing one, despite my explanation.

“What about that mercenary?”

William Kojaka scratched the back of his neck, his face drained of blood.

I continued my explanation as I watched him.

“Honestly, we’re fine. It’s not that dangerous unless we go a few levels deeper underground.”

“...Hmm.”

He probably understood what I meant.

We’re fine.

But what about you?

William Kojaka’s shoulders, which had briefly relaxed, slumped again.

He didn’t need to be too nervous, but not being nervous at all was also a problem.

A certain level of tension would be helpful for his protection.

“Well then, let’s get going again.”

“...”

With William Kojaka between us who had become quiet, Catherine and I started walking along the path again.

Drip, drip.

The sound of falling water droplets echoed eerily.

It was a path we had taken a long time ago, but even then, it was a place we had risked our lives to get through.

When we were younger, both Catherine and I were weak.

Thanks to that, the structure and layout of this place are still embedded in my memory.

So there was no worry of getting lost in the complex sewers.

It seemed Catherine felt the same way, as she continued walking without hesitation at the crossroads.

......

We just kept walking.

Hmm, it’s too quiet.

I am bored again.

The idea was to maintain a moderate level of tension, not to stop talking altogether.

So, to ease William Kojaka’s tension a bit.

I was about to ask, ‘What Kojaka stock should I buy to earn credits?’

Even Eve wouldn’t be able to stop me from buying stocks that the vice president himself recommended.

But just then,

[Sudden biological signal detected ahead.]

With Eve’s words, Catherine moved.

She probably didn’t hear Eve’s words.

It was a voice only I could hear.

The reason Catherine moved became clear through sound.

Kang! With a sound, sparks flew from the metal in front of Catherine.

I looked ahead.

Several curved streaks of light flew through the darkness.

Looking closely.

I could see that the streaks of light were throwing shuriken.

And between the LED-flashing throwing shuriken.

Black-painted throwing shuriken flew in alongside the others.

It was a classic but effective tactic against opponents relying solely on night vision eye implants.

But I had a sphere of light floating above me.

If I fell for this, I should quit being a mercenary.

...Actually, there was nothing for me to do.

Catherine swatted away the incoming throwing shuriken with her bare hands as if it were nothing.

Her palms, which had deflected the sharp shuriken, were unscathed.

Wait, throwing shuriken?

Did the cleaning robots here finally go crazy?

Or was it a vagrant obsessed with Japanese culture, as befits a cyberpunk world?

I increased the size of the light even further.

It brightly illuminated the surroundings.

The narrow passageway.

The polluted water flows in the sewer to the side.

Amoebas rolling their eyeballs in the corner.

And beyond all that.

At the end of the sewer passage.

Several shadows appeared.

“Fuck.”

I couldn’t hold back a curse.

Ninjas had appeared.

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]