Loved by the War Machine

33 – Unraveled Affairs (2)

[Mirsi – Tech… All… Drinks… Are… Proh – ]

The still-lit display in the front flickered, playing a video.

Even though there was no one to be found there.

But as a Mirsis representative who had visited, it seemed I had the authority to enter this facility.

Taking a moment to steady my trembling breath, I leaned against the seat.

…I wonder if even the robotic prosthetics are trembling.

Feeling perplexed, laughter escaped me involuntarily.

[Taehyuk, are you okay…?]

Faintly, Matthew’s voice came through the bare helmet.

The guy who claimed he would perfectly control the situation had set me up for an ambush by the CI unit.

While I didn’t know much else, that fact alone was making me furious.

Furious enough to want to get rid of the job right away.

So, without replying, I turned off the communication.

As a sign of protest.

“Lord Taehyuk, now that the need for disguise is gone, it would be advisable to deactivate the cooling function.”

“Come here.”

Pressing the switch at the back of my neck, I watched silently as Ilia, who had approached, skillfully removed each piece of armor.

Turning off the power of the helmet that completely concealed the face and neatly placing it on the floor –

Finally, when only the black suit with full curves was left, I pulled that body close.

“It’s terribly cold, really…”

Every bone seemed to shiver.

The muscles, which had been tensed up, trembled and contracted on their own, repeatedly going through the motions of relaxation.

Even the mechanical legs danced around, wriggling inside the boots, seemingly having a mind of their own.

The body, terribly affected by stress, seemed slightly damaged.

And what soothes that is –

“It’s okay. The situation has ended. There are no more threats to Taehyuk and me in this facility.”

It was Illya who warmed me by pressing warmth against me.

No matter where touched, the elasticity of the body embraced me with muscles, gently pressing my head, providing a pleasant sense of pressure.

Holding my back and exerting strength, the one who guided me to exhale completely and then inhale again.

“I will provide heating function as much as you desire.”

The situation that seemed to make me go crazy at any moment ended like that.

All that remained were the pounding heart and the eyes that met, and so, I briefly kissed the lips of the person in front of me.

When separated, the loose thread slightly elongated before breaking.

“Thank you.”

“Was my service satisfactory?”

“…Now I don’t even know how to live without you.”

Holding the person in my arms, eyes meeting without speaking, this time I gently caressed him from my side.

Sweeping the back with one hand and gently scratching the back of the head with my fingertips –

Expressing affection was completed by placing lips on the cheek.

“Thank you.”

Now, it seemed like I could say it.

Even if it mimicked emotions, the person was happy with what I had done.

And that’s why he thanked me.

As if we were truly lovers, the person and I were giving and receiving love from each other.

I’m not sure how others would perceive this, but at least for me… I was satisfied enough. After embracing the cooled body for a while, I concluded the break by exhaling a long breath, much like releasing cigarette smoke.

With a cleared mind, a calm heart, and a revitalized body, I slowly attempted to rise, and Ilia promptly vacated the seat.

“Are you ready to depart?”

“Ah, but before that, I have something to ask.”

The CI unit recognized me as a current Mirzis training unit member. However, I was undoubtedly a ‘former’ member and now carried the identity of an independent mercenary.

“Did the CI units identifying us as Mirzis affiliates have anything to do with what you did?”

“No. I transmitted data to the approaching CI units for identity verification, and the CI unit, upon confirming, presumably discovered my former designation, CI-125, from its data. It seems Taehyuk-nim was recognized in a similar context.”

“Does that mean everyone here… is relying on pre-war or interim data?”

“I am unable to confirm this as I’ve been instructed by Taehyuk-nim not to acquire data from this location. However, considering the situation and the condition of the building, it is highly likely that this inference is accurate.”

If that’s the case, then this facility… is probably accessible freely outside of some areas restricted due to security grades. Observing the scattered holes and debris around the building, there might be openings even in those ‘restricted areas.’

“Alright. Let’s get back in motion.

We’ll resume communication, so get ready for combat again.”

“I will do that.”

Covering my body with the bulletproof vest again, I put on my helmet while leaving behind the sight of putting back the discarded protective gear one by one.

Activating the burn share and resuming communication –

[Sorry. I should have double-checked more thoroughly. It’s my mistake.]

[I should have paid more attention to drone control too. I’m really sorry…]

Instead of immediately asking why the communication was cut off, they apologize to me.

At least in this aspect, Matthew seemed reliable,

and perhaps working with Dayeon in the future didn’t seem too bad.

“If you’re admitting it cleanly, that’s enough.

Of course, if such a mistake happens twice, you know what might happen.”

[Understood. Seriously.]

Considering the trust built up over ten years of working together, I didn’t push further.

Instead, I double-checked the status of my weapons and, in response to Illya lightly tapping my shoulder twice, I turned around.

“I’m ready.”

“Matthew, proceed with the operation. Where should I look?”

[Check nearby for pamphlets or something with information on each floor.]

Turning my head slightly, I noticed a broken kiosk – next to it, a physical map was present.

The letters were partially obscured by the ink, but at least it was clear that there was nothing crucial on the surface.

“It seems like there was information control. On the surface, there are only meeting rooms and offices; apart from the letters indicating the research building underground, there’s nothing else.

In cases like this – maybe we should take the elevator down to the underground.”

[Do we have the authorization?]

Strangely, the partially damaged building still had electricity running smoothly.

Some CI units even seemed to patrol the inside of the building, and among them, a few were heading towards the elevator.

“Should we join them…”

Those who summoned the elevator to the first floor without pressing the button began to board one by one.

At that moment, as I was about to step in, [I apologize. The current CI units will move to the restricted area for repair and charging.]

[Entry into that area is only possible with a temporary access pass or for those holding an appropriate security level.]

[If you have such credentials, please submit them first before boarding.]

I was immediately blocked.

Sure enough, on the side where the floor buttons were, there was a device for inserting a key card.

And the one who spoke to me seemed to be waiting for my decision rather than ignoring it and boarding the elevator.

“Spear 04 Training Unit Member Lee Taehyuk, requesting verification of access for him.”

[Please wait.]

[I apologize. Mr. Taehyuk currently does not have access to the designated floor.]

[Boarding with someone who has Level 3 or higher authorization, or obtaining a temporary ID before boarding, is requested.]

It was complicated.

I would want to immediately order Ilia to initiate an electronic warfare.

However, considering that the two who employed me would never tolerate such a possibility, I cautiously lifted my foot.

“Inquiry about the procedure for issuing a temporary ID.”

Ilia, who stopped me, was the one to pose that question.

Surprised momentarily by the request for precisely the needed information.

[Temporary ID issuance officer is Hugo Thompson. Please proceed to the 3rd floor and inquire about the issue.]

The answer to that question was useful enough to resolve the current situation.

After patting Ilia’s helmet in approval, I found Hugo Thompson’s office on the 3rd floor.

There lay two skeletal corpses.

All the windows were shattered, and the computer for card issuance was also destroyed.

[Given this situation, it might be best to give up on temporary ID issuance.]

But as they say, it’s better to have a bird in hand than two in the bush.

Gently touching the tattered clothes, something thick was felt –

There was a wallet containing cards.

“Bingo.”

Hugo Thompson seemed to be the security officer.

Being Level 4, one level higher than Level 3, I was fortunate.

As I moved straight to the elevator on the 3rd floor and entered, I could see only numbers indicating the ground floor.

However, upon inserting the key card –

“Oh-ho.”

Alphabetical characters began to appear on the button with nothing written on it.

However, since they formed not words but simply a combination of two letters, it was impossible to know which floor to go to.

[SC for Security… must be the security-related floor, RD for Research and Development… ER for the electrical room, SR… SR… Server Room?]

But Matthew, who had worked in the IT department, seemed to understand the meaning behind the alphabets.

“Then it must be the server room.”

[If everything goes smoothly, attempt the connection from the server room, or if not, aim to retrieve data from the research and development department. That’s all you need to do.]

“Returning is the end of the job. Don’t relax. Don’t cause another accident for nothing.”

Pressing SR with the keycard, the door closed with the entrance of light.

[Going down. Server Room.]

Fortunately, it seemed to be found correctly.

Just as it seemed that the job would smoothly enter its final stage if we went down to the server room like this.

“Ugh?!”

With a loud noise, the elevator stopped abruptly in the middle.

I immediately pulled out my gun at the ominous sight of the interior lit in red.

[f*ck… What now…!]

Matthew seemed to be equally stressed about my situation.

His profanity-laden communication was quite irritating my nerves.

The screen that should indicate the floor displayed only one word, ‘Under Maintenance,’ then suddenly vomited a jumble of strange characters –

And went off.

“What, what is it.”

It was dark.

So, I tried pressing the button on the helmet to shine some light, but the empty display in the darkness was pushing me further into fear.

“…Taehyuk, your heart rate is excessively elevated. Please calm down.”

Illya held my hand as I breathed heavily. That alone provided significant reassurance.

For a while, in the darkness, I leaned on the guy, then soon the light came in again, and I could see the brightened surroundings.

The elevator, which had started descending again, soon stopped and opened its doors.

“…Seriously, this is ridiculous.”

Moving the creaking prosthetic limbs forward, I walked ahead, gradually sorting out the sensations that had trembled in the brief horror.

Leaning against one wall, I soon collapsed and sat on the floor.

Illya glanced at me for a moment, seemingly wanting to support me standing next to me.

Eyes fixed forward.

[Taehyuk, are you okay?]

“Will I be okay… But still, it seems I’ve found what I was looking for.”

A giant black rectangle with small green, yellow, and red LED bulbs stood in front of me, facing the air conditioning wind.

As soon as I saw it, my surprised heart started pounding for a different reason.

The Eight Arms were right in front of me.