Loved by the War Machine

34 – Unraveled Affairs (3)

[Yes, just insert it right there.]

“…It’s not going in.”

[You need to align it with the slot. Try flipping it once.]

“But it still won’t work.”

[Then try again.]

With a clunk, I finally heard the sound of the device fitting in as I exhaled through my nose.

Seeing the light filling one slot, it seemed like it would take some time.

“When this slot is filled, will it be over?”

[Yes. The capacity is generous enough for the items you’ve brought.]

[And even if it doesn’t fit everything, there’s another port behind, right?]

I noticed a black gap at the back and pulled it slightly.

Just like where I had inserted the storage device, there was the same slot.

[You can plug another one there.]

“Got it. This is something Iliya shouldn’t touch… is what you’re saying.”

[Exactly.]

Confirming another slot being filled, I lowered the gun from my back and held it in my hand.

Slightly wedged against my side, I turned my head in Iliya’s direction.

Though I felt uneasy about the direction her absent-minded gaze had been fixed on since earlier…

Perhaps she was faithfully following some command not to approach.

“Hmm…”

I wonder what files are being copied inside.

What were they researching, and why was the internal facility destructively processed when it was perfectly fine?

“Do I need to explore other floors?”

[If the issue is with the data, it’s all stored on these servers. You just need to move it. No need to go around inconveniencing yourself.]

It was about artificial intelligence, wasn’t it?

If so, were they continuously creating and testing artificial intelligences like CI units here?

If so, why would they want to obtain this kind of data?

“What will I use the data I get here for?”

[…Well,]

[How about you tell me once you arrive.]

Unlike Dayeon’s hesitant voice, Matthew spoke confidently as if there was nothing to hide.

[Sir, that’s undoubtedly a secret -]

[We almost lost our lives because of us. No, did we already? Anyway.]

“…If you’re sorry, you could give me more money.”

To disperse the slightly tense atmosphere, he threw in a joke.

Pulling the handle of the chamber, rolling the slug shotgun he picked up in the armory.

[Uh – that…]

“Can’t you at least give information even if you can’t give money? You really are a tightwad.”

[To be honest, even if we tell you, you won’t be able to use it.]

“Keung.”

[Do you know how to read code, or are you planning to sell it to a company?]

After working together for a long time, I couldn’t come up with a suitable reply to the guy who had become deeply entrenched.

Similar to me, those who preferred the thin and long path avoided getting involved with corporations to avoid the burden of risks.

In the event of a power struggle, numerous politics and conflicts unfolded within it, big and small.

Survivors were always the leaders of the giant factions, not their words.

If you were lucky, you could survive and pick up a Congo nut, no, a safe, but

if you were unlucky, you could be shot and disappear at the hands of someone trying to take even that Congo nut from you.

That’s why I might have had no choice but to get entangled with the tech boys who were expanding their influence.

[Joking aside, I’ll give you a bit more money. With that alone, one major project will be completed anyway.]

“What’s going on? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mr. Generous here do something like this.”

[Finish the job well. Don’t make me regret it.]

I lifted my body slightly to see how much space was filled in the compartment.

Feeling like it was barely enough, I took out another storage device from my bag.

[Yes, if you plug it in there, no, the other way, uh, no, not that either…]

“Why are you struggling with plugging it in? Did you make something wrong?”

[Why Tradition – no, traditionally, there’s a saying about USB, you know?]

“What is it?”

[USB originally stands for Universal Serial Bus, but a Korean colleague said something like this.]

[Oh, could it be…]

[Oh, damn, opposites.]

As expected. Another storage device fitting snugly on the third try.

Listening to the hesitant pronunciation of the guy who spoke Korean so well, I couldn’t help but laugh.

…Seeing myself chuckling at such cheap humor over and over, I realized I was in the wrong.

[Are you laughing at that now?]

Her words, laced with disdain, pierced me right in the chest.

Already feeling a bit sensitive about my age, that stinging remark really hurt.

[Why, it’s funny.]

Amidst it all, as if finding me amusing again, laughter trickled through my ears.

I tilted my head once, then turned my gaze back to Illya as another slot lit up on the newly connected device.

Her direct stare almost made her look like a disciplined soldier with a purpose.

Before each platoon was deployed, I remembered the way the CI units stood in line.

“Illya, you don’t have to sit in such an uncomfortable position. Relax.”

She responded to my words.

Her arms and hands twitched for a moment before she met my eyes.

“I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”

“…What, were you lost in thought?”

Her unexpected response caught me off guard.

It seemed like the first time she hadn’t understood me.

Even when she was lodged in that chunk of metal, Illya usually understood everything I said.

It seems to take a little time to secure the server’s data –

I was sorting out internal data for a moment.

A pause, then the voice speaking again.

His response, with movements seeming stiffer than usual, looked somewhat awkward to me.

But it wasn’t entirely unusual for him to pause before speaking when there was much to ponder, so it didn’t strike me as odd.

“I know it’s boring when there’s nothing to do, but let’s focus on the task. We’re almost done.”

“I apologize. I’ll maintain a vigilant stance.”

With those words, Illya moved her arm once to show me her weapon.

Her slender arm and hand holding a shotgun and shield didn’t quite match, pressing against my back,

But still, that posture reminded me of the old Illya.

[But do robots space out like that too?]

Dayeon’s voice tinged with doubt.

[If it’s Illya showing that behavior, then anything’s possible. Who knows? Maybe she spaced out thinking about Taehyuk and their intense kiss time.]

“Hey.”

And the annoyingly smooth voice of that nose-picking brat.

Having been in the server room for quite some time without doing anything, it seemed everyone was starting to relax a bit.

Of course, I couldn’t scold them.

I was in the same boat.

The elevator remained still, waiting,

And in the server room, aside from the occasional beep-beep of electronic sounds and the cold air expelled by the ceiling’s air conditioner fan, there was nothing else to be heard.

In a space that could be considered peaceful, it was odd that tension did not ease anymore.

“…Oh, is it all done?”

COMPLETE – The English word meaning ‘complete’ was displayed on each device.

[Yes, pull them both out, put them in the bag, seal it, and you’re done.]

He placed it into the security bag he had put down and closed the zipper.

As the locking mechanism clicked, he hung the completely sealed object beneath the battery pack, where the wind was escaping.

And when he lifted his head… it seemed like the guy was spacing out again.

“Ilia.”

“Yes, Lord Taehyuk.”

But this time, seeing him respond immediately, it seemed he was nothing more than standing quietly like a robot when there was nothing to do.

…There really wasn’t anything to worry about.

“Let’s go, our business here is done.”

“Understood.”

The elevator opened smoothly.

Going up to the first floor didn’t seem to require inserting a key card.

[Alright, now load yourself into the car and come back here quickly. Good job.]

“The job isn’t over yet.”

[For now, there’s no more information from the surrounding drones – wait a moment, that…]

[Dust is rising heavily from the rooftop, is it the wind?]

[To call it the wind might be – wait, isn’t that a gun – ]

“What? A gun? What are you talking about?”

No response came.

“Matthew? Dayeon? A gun? What’s happening on the rooftop?!”

Even shouting yielded no reply.

The abruptly terminated call signaled weak connection with a single window.

Something was definitely amiss.

“Illia, prepare for c—”

The elevator jerked and stopped again.

This time, the interior turned crimson once more.

Yet, the display didn’t spew errors this time.

Instead, it displayed two sharp letters: ‘Warning.’

[Warning. Unidentified intruders detected within the facility. Code Yellow. This is not a drill.]

[Warning. Unidentified intruders detected within the facility. Code Yellow. All personnel are instructed to lock down and await further instructions.]

[Warning. Intruders are currently attempting rooftop access.]

[Warning. Security units have been deployed.]

“…Elevator operation has ceased.”

“Can you get it moving again?”

“I’ll try.”

Sliding a cartridge into the shotgun, she closed the breach and gently rested her finger on the trigger.

During that time, Ilia tore open the panel and pulled out a few wires, causing sparks to fly.

“So, you know how to hack.”

“Due to the lockdown, the connection to the facility’s network was denied.”

However, whether it had an effect or not, the elevator soon lit up with a white light and began to ascend again.

But the display continued to flicker in red.

[Warning. Multiple security units destroyed. Code Yellow neutralized. Code Red.]

[Warning. Additional security units deployed. Code Red.]

[Warning. Intruders currently located on the 3rd floor.]

“It seems the situation upstairs isn’t good. Regardless of who it is.”

Ilia reiterated the contents of the communication.

The two monitoring the situation with drones said that dust was swirling wildly on the rooftop.

And then, they immediately mentioned the appearance of guns.

So… perhaps something transparent, maybe a stealth transport.

The speculation of corporate involvement came to mind immediately.

“Taehyuk, there’s an error with the elevator. The destination seems to be not the 1st floor.”

“What?”

The light was still coming in on the 1st floor.

However, the display indicating the floor, after changing once, displayed 2nd floor instead of 1st.

“There’s something. Ilia, get ready.”

“Come behind me.”

The guy raised his shield forward and closely stuck behind, aiming his gun precisely.

He pushed the safety lever with his index finger, turned off each display window on his helmet one by one.

The door opened, revealing the front.

However, there was no one in front.

The intruders were on the third floor. So, he had to go down immediately.

Just as he was about to press the elevator button, the lights inside went out.

…It wasn’t good. The situation was not good at all.

“Let’s move to the stairs, Ilia.”

“Yes, moving.”

Tapping her shoulders twice, Ilia immediately started walking forward.

Aiming to the left of the guy turning to the right, he confirmed that there was no one.

While moving forward, checking the back, aiming to reach the end of the long corridor, at that moment.

[Warning, detected movement of intruders. Currently on the second floor.]

The chilling broadcast from the speaker came directly from the left.

The corridor seemed empty.

However,

“…Intercepted short-range communication. Connecting now.”

With a buzzing sound, Ilia opened a small window on my helmet.

Due to encryption, the names of the communicators were scrambled with jumbled alphabets.

[Contact. Drvmtnachatz.]

Transmission noise could be heard.

However, it wasn’t Korean or English.

This,

[Adin. Ne. Dbah.]

[Dbah. Gathof.]

“Russian? Surely, Omniss?”

There was no doubt that they were mercenaries under Omniss, a subsidiary of the Russian military-industrial complex.

As a cooperative partner of Tenhoo and the Russian nationals who deployed enhanced humans during the war…

There was no other group using Russian besides those piloting transparent transport ships.

“Translating enemy communication.”

Subtitle appeared directly on the screen.

Though just three short lines of communication, the content gripped my hands with tension.

[Contact. 12 o’clock.]

[One, no, two.]

[Two. Confirmed.]

“Damn it – “

I immediately activated the thermal imaging function and aimed my gun forward, but at that moment,

Ilia slammed her shield into the ground and firmly supported it with the hand holding the gun –

[Aegon.]

Certainly, from the seemingly empty space, flames began to spew.