Loved by the War Machine

32 – Unraveled Affairs (1)

“We’re almost at the destination.

The location is the Mirsiss Technology IT Research Center.”

Ilia knew where I was heading.

Her database had not been updated by Mirsiss since the Incheon training operation, but she accurately pinpointed the location.

That’s why Da-yeon once again revealed a sense of alertness.

[Once again, I must emphasize, Ilia must not access that data.]

“…Did you hear?”

“Yes. I understand.”

After causing a stir at the Tech Boys facility, Ilia became more… cooperative.

I no longer emphasized the need for my command, and I responded appropriately.

[Taehyuk, I know you’re a gunslinger in the West, but this time, wouldn’t it be better to bring a revolver?]

“Well, I did bring one separately because of that.”

Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Through Iria, I received news that the number of requests from the Manticore side to assign me had drastically increased.

Of course, some were requests for missions that I would never accept,

And some were nasty emails mocking the fact that I use a revolver…

Some – especially from the Gemini Arms employees – seemed to be requesting me for escort and transportation of important cargo.

Whether in a good sense or a bad sense, the trace of the revolver and magnum bullets had become a significant connection for me.

Of course, are there others who use revolvers…?

And even if there are, are they common?

“We have 0.5km left to the destination.”

“Let’s stop here.”

Since the facility we had to infiltrate was protected by machines, we had to use guns that could fire armor-piercing rounds.

I took out the semi-automatic shotgun I had placed under the seat and retrieved the shells from the medicine cabinet, right in front of me.

Unlike the regular shotguns I used on the night I first met Iria, these shells were encased in steel, called slugs.

Whether it was a human or a chunk of metal, it was clear that it could pierce through completely like a sheet of paper.

“But, Taehyuk, is there a reason why you insist on using outdated weapons?”

“Well, what other weapons are there?”

“Um, like the rail gun from Nova Industries…”

Charging takes a long time. You have to carry the battery around because it discharges. Then it gets heavy, right?

And, it’s expensive, plus the management is difficult because the internal components are complex.

In terms of destructive power compared to volume, the railgun was certainly guaranteed.

That’s why, in small and large conflicts between companies, it was the representative weapon brought to shatter the armor of the deployed weaponry.

But as an independent mercenary, it wasn’t practical for me to use, and it didn’t fit my temperament.

I was even a breakthrough soldier with Ilia, piercing through buildings and urban areas together – even a little combat would quickly accumulate fatigue.

[What about the Tagfire that can synchronize the visual module and the gun for shooting?]

“I haven’t installed any devices, and if there’s a system error, it could affect the aim.

That would create a vulnerability to hacking attacks – there’s no need to use it.”

[Alright, enough chit-chat. Taehyuk, Ilia, I’ll change the positions of the drones. I’ll guide you on the route for infiltration from here.]

With Matthew’s intervention, appropriately cutting off the small talk, Ilia pulled out a shotgun with a loaded magazine.

Unlike me, in a full-scale frontal confrontation, it was a weapon for those who needed a shield.

No matter how strong you are, reloading one shot at a time with one hand would be difficult.

“Let’s go down.”

Changing the visor color and attaching armor plate components to the helmet, making the appearance slightly different from usual.

When Ilia also covered herself with what I had assembled, the red light from the visor seeped through the small eye holes – making for quite a threatening sight.

Unimaginable below was the face of the woman I would be kissing.

– Creak.

With a heavy sound, Ilia effortlessly lifted the armored shield onto my back.

Even though it weighed around 30kg, her ability to move with it seemed familiar yet unfamiliar.

In the past, the sturdy machine that could lift 40kg with one hand now held a 30kg shield with a body resembling that of a human.

It was a sight reminiscent of the past, but at the same time, it clearly revealed the changes made to it.

The black tactical suit that clung to the body for infiltration didn’t hide the pelvis that had been crushed by me.

Of course, armor was added to the arms, legs, and various parts of the body for protection –

But even with that, it couldn’t conceal the woman’s slender waist and ample chest.

Briefly recalling the events on the bed,

I immediately opened the trunk of the car I had just arrived in and began attaching a suppressor to the barrel.

Ilia also attached the same accessory to the handgun she brought as secondary armament and casually checked the condition of the gun.

The sound of metal colliding echoed.

The magazine slid across the inside of the pistol, then clicked and recombined with the wall.

The sound of preparing for the mission was something that made me feel like I was back on an old battlefield.

Next, I connected the small battery pack that looked like a backpack to the clothes I was wearing.

In Ilia’s case, it filled the form of a sturdy object attached to her waist due to the shield on her back, and she plugged it into the port on her clothes.

And when I turned on the power –

“hehehe. Seriously. It’s disgustingly cold.”

[Hold on a little longer, as we need to deceive the visual sensor that detects temperature and contours.]

Still, thanks to the dull sensation of the mechanical leg, I didn’t really feel the cold,

But with bare flesh, it felt like needles stored in the refrigerator were densely penetrating into my flesh.

Shaking my head vigorously against that sensation, trying to shake off the feeling, but

Gripping the gun more firmly, I suppressed the desire to somehow raise the temperature by hitting it against something.

“Done?”

“Yes. Are you ready?”

Finally, I hung a small bag under the battery pack.

As it contained remote control devices for taking control of the facility, it was a quite crucial item.

“Let’s go.”

Closing the trunk firmly and pulling all the open doors of the car shut, I placed the keys inside my pocket, unsure if our means of escape would be the car or if the situation would force us to proceed on foot.

[Sentry, or the power source controlling the unmanned turrets within the facility, seems to be located on the east outskirts of the facility.]

In the darkened facility, not a single light was visible.

Seeing collapsed walls and twisted metal fences around, a chilling sensation ran down my spine and along the back of my arms.

“I don’t like this atmosphere.”

“I’ll do my best to infiltrate the facility quickly and get out.”

Thanks to the helmet’s features, I could see CI units hidden in the darkness.

Although covered in dust and sand, some with damaged gloves, possibly from artillery fire, what mattered was that they were still operational.

The Tesuto-doje machine gun in my hands was quite reassuring, but the fleeting sense of relief quickly sank as I considered that it could be aimed at me now.

“…But isn’t it strange, Ilia?”

“In what aspect do you mean?”

Struggling to somehow forget the cold sensation of the tactical gear I was wearing,

I slowly moved my body to the location marked on the helmet.

“Usually, generators for security facilities are located underground, right? Remember?”

“Yes. In most operations, the key targets were either in the facility’s underground or in a highly secured environment. So, we can expect a considerable number of security personnel even at that location.”

[Surprisingly, CI units don’t seem to patrol that much around here. We’ve spotted only three from our end.]

Looking towards the end of the path, three CI units were patrolling the outer perimeter of the facility.

And as I looked at the direction I had to go, three red diamond marks appeared.

[Two on the rooftop, one roaming near the generator. Don’t shoot unless necessary.]

“…This mission isn’t worth 800 million for nothing.”

Entering a heavily guarded area without firing a single shot, and having to connect a phone to the wireless network linked to the generator— it was an aspect that clashed with my nature so much that it was frustrating, but thinking about the money, I reluctantly suppressed my complaints.

I took out my phone from the bag, turned it on –

“Well, no luck, huh.”

I sighed deeply at the sight of not a single device turning on.

This meant I had to get closer to the CI units.

No matter how much stealth clothing had camouflage features, it was obvious I would be exposed right in front of their noses.

While pondering this for a moment…

“The CI units are on the move. The two on the rooftop are relocating right now.”

As soon as I saw the diminishing diamond marks, my body instinctively leaned forward.

Ilyria immediately followed behind me, bowing her body straight down as close to the floor as possible. Even in virtual reality, like a cat mimicking the motion of pouncing on a toy…

In that position, with the generator placed in front of her nose, she once again opened her phone.

This time, there was a wireless signal, and when I pressed [Okay. Connect and get out.], letters rushed out similar to when I had analyzed Ilyria’s system.

Following the numerous rapidly descending letters with my eyes, I simultaneously lifted my head, recalling the moment when I confirmed the diamond mark.

[Wait, why is this… Taehyuk, run!]

The screen of the phone suddenly froze, then quickly heated up.

As soon as I heard the words, I immediately dropped it to the ground and, in that instant of trying to run –

“We’re surrounded.”

What appeared in front of my eyes were CI Unit Four with guns aimed at us.

They precisely targeted Ilyria and me, illuminating the blue light from their visual sensors.

[f*ck, f*ck…! Why were these things hiding in the ruins? How? The drones couldn’t detect them?]

[That’s not important right now! Mr. Taehyuk…!]

Unable to move a finger, I stood frozen in place with Ilyria.

But in my mind, I was already figuring out how to quickly draw the revolver from my waist and incapacitate the four entities.

If I let Ilyria act as a shield and fired from behind, would that be enough?

However, before that thought could go further, light also shone from behind.

…Did the guys on the rooftop just show up?

“Completely ruined.”

I was a fool to be surprised at the mention of 800 million.

While Matthew kept apologizing in my ear and the sound of pounding on the keyboard echoed,

– Thud, thud.

The sound abruptly ceased with a few gunshots.

Yet, I was still alive.

They hadn’t shot or aimed at me.

Instead, several drones fell around me like mopheads.

“Tae-hyuk, the drones near your location have been shot down.”

Matthew’s voice, flowing like a stream from my throat, filled with fear.

I was the one getting anxious, but he was frozen.

The faint cries in the background seemed to be Dayeon’s.

“…They still haven’t shot at me.”

Half-disappointed, I uttered those words.

The ones who should have pulled the trigger if they intended to kill me were, for some reason, just watching.

No, now that I saw… Illya and one entity were facing each other.

Between the red visor’s light and the blue light merging to create a faint pink glow, there was a strange tension.

In the sight of the two just watching each other without saying a word,

However, in the situation where the light and muzzle pointed at me did not waver, I slowly began to turn my frozen head.

…Illya was undoubtedly doing something.

At that moment when I was about to reach that conclusion, I slowly lowered my hand.

[We will verify your identity. Please remove your helmet.]

Startled by the stern voice of the old Ilyria, I turned to look, realizing that it belonged to the approaching CI unit.

They were slowly lowering their guns, extinguishing one by one.

[Well, what’s going on?]

“Shut up and stay still, Matthew…”

Disliking the heaviness of emotions, I mumbled once, then slowly removed the helmet with my hand.

Soon, blue rays swept across my face, revealing it instantly.

[Speare, 0, 4. Mirsis Technologies’ training unit member, Lee Tae-Hyuk. Identity confirmed.]

[Speare, 0, 4. Mirsis Technologies’ CI -125. Code verified.]

What unfolded before my eyes was completely different from what I had expected.

The CI units surrounding us holstered their guns and each raised their robotic hands to salute.

[Welcome to Mirsis Technologies’ IT Research Center.]