Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Crime City (6)
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The thug striding toward us with menacing steps let out a horrific scream in an instant.
A hand had shot out from the shadows, clamping down on his shoulder and crushing it.
"Aaaah!!!!"
Something snapped under the vise-like grip, like an industrial clamp squeezing tight.
Crack-
"Guhhh!!!!"
Unable to endure the agony of his joint twisting, the thug dropped to his knees.
Whoever had subdued him in a flash stepped out from behind the shadows.
Her golden eyes gleamed in the dark alley, evoking the image of a natural-born predator in the wild.
She approached without a sound, taking down her target in the blink of an eye.
"Guhhh!!! Let go! Let me go!!"
The thug, who hadn't even managed a proper resistance before being forced to his knees, screamed desperately.
After wailing like a madman for a while, he seemed to realize this wasn't working and frantically rummaged in his pocket.
With trembling hands, he pulled out a knife about a handspan long and swung it wildly.
"You bitch! Let go!!!"
"......"
Esty watched his pathetic flailing with impassive eyes.
Just as the blade swung toward her, she casually flicked her wrist.
Clang-! The knife shattered with a splitting sound, the blade flying off cleanly.
At the noise, the man froze solid, staring dumbly at the handle in his hand and the neat break where the blade had snapped off.
"H-Huh....!"
He finally grasped the situation, his face draining of color as he realized just what kind of opponent he'd messed with.
Esty kicked his shin again, sending him toppling over.
Thud-!
"Guh...!"
But now the man bit back even his scream, holding his breath. Any thought of resistance had vanished. His instincts told him she was leagues above him—in cyberware quality, skill, courage, everything.
Having completely subdued him, Esty turned to me.
"Eve."
Her eyes seemed to ask, What now?
I toyed with my lip for a moment before speaking lightly.
"Hmm...... Didn't I say earlier? No CCTV around here."
The thug, kneeling dazedly and looking up at me, caught the implication and went pale in an instant.
His voice trembling, he began begging for mercy desperately.
"I-I was wrong! I sincerely apologize!! I'll reflect on it for the rest of my life!!!"
"........."
As we both stared down at him silently, he grew even more terrified and started banging his forehead on the ground, pleading.
"Please, just spare my life!!"
It was a desperately pathetic sight.
I let out a sigh.
Seeing him grovel so completely sapped any remaining urge for revenge.
So I just gave him a light warning.
"If we ever cross paths again, it won't end like this?"
"....! Y-Yes...! I'll keep that in mind....!"
I waved him off, telling him to scram. He scrambled to his feet.
Clutching his swollen shin and limping, he bolted into the depths of the alley, glancing back in fear of pursuit.
I watched him stagger away, then said,
"Thanks as always, Esty."
She replied calmly, as ever.
"It's my duty."
Like this, she always shadowed me closely whenever I went out.
Even earlier that day. When that thug was causing a scene in the shop, she could've stepped in anytime, but I'd stopped her first.
No matter how much of a jerk the guy was, he was still a customer—I didn't want to show violence on the premises.
I'd held back to avoid hurting Jenny's business.
But here, no eyes were watching. Running into him again by chance? I couldn't help but think it was a good thing deep down.
"Haa...."
Truth be told, this wasn't the first or second time something like this had happened. Just counting the punks who'd buzzed around me like flies based on my looks, only to get a beating from Esty and run off—there had to be at least a dozen or twenty by now.
Some weren't just small-time thugs; they looked genuinely dangerous, like real hardened criminals. There'd even been times when a dozen or so ganged up. But she always handled them effortlessly.
From a spectator's view, her combat prowess was awe-inspiring.
What did she even do before?
The curiosity flickered, but I quickly dismissed it. Someone with her skills could protect me from anything in this neighborhood. That was enough for peace of mind.
If the secret of my [miracle] got out and some megacorp got involved, that'd be different....
Nah, no way that'd happen.
Maybe I'd been overthinking it from the start.
After all, only two people in the world knew my ability's secret: Esty and Kayla. As long as they kept quiet, there was no issue. And thankfully, neither was the type to blab.
Esty had warned me about the risks first and needed my power desperately herself. Kayla, I'd made swear to secrecy in advance.
So no leaks to worry about—I was sure of it.
Just one thing nagged at me...
"Still, you must always stay vigilant. A secret known by anyone besides yourself can never be eternal."
Esty's intensely serious expression from back then.
I'd just nodded without a word, but honestly, I figured the odds were slim.
Nah, no way....
Lost in thought, I arrived at my lodging before I knew it.
"Good night, Eve."
"You too, Esty. Sleep well."
She nodded lightly and melted back into the street's darkness.
At first, I'd thought she might end up living with me. She couldn't remember her home or affiliation, after all. Treated like she was dead, her accounts probably frozen—where would she even stay?
But at night when I stayed in, she vanished somewhere, only to appear like a ghost whenever I headed out.
What does she do so busily in the dead of night?
Curious, but it was her privacy—I didn't pry.
I unlocked the door, entered, and collapsed into bed.
"Haa...."
The narrow ceiling of my single-room shack loomed above.
About ten square feet? Maybe twelve at most.
My current lodging was so tiny that a single bed filled it completely.
Having barely any belongings was a small mercy. Far smaller than my old one-room near campus back home, but my smaller frame now made it a slight plus in this cramped space.
Even this was considered pretty good in the city.
Kayla must've pulled strings for this.
Most commoners lived in far worse. The hyper-dense megacity setting meant sky-high housing costs—buying was impossible, rent exorbitant.
With the top 1% owning 95% of Omega Detroit's real estate, average folk paid insane rents. Whole families often crammed into spaces like this.
Worse cases: dozens sharing one room, divided by iron bars like beehives stacked to the ceiling, charging per bunk. Bed equals home and living space.
Those places were hellish—filthy with exhausted humans, cheap junk, no cleaning or hygiene. Bugs, stench, mold everywhere; people lived like livestock in a coop.
Some might ask why not move to a nicer city or countryside?
But this was standard for most megacities—no big difference elsewhere.
The rural areas were worse: ghost towns and wastelands, no people left.
Not due to disasters—just extreme urbanization. Old folks who held villages together were long gone, everyone flocking to cities for survival.
Even traditional rural industries like farming and fishing lost to megacorps' hydroponic towers near cities.
Depopulated countrysides turning to ghost towns was inevitable.
Omega Detroit had sucked in all that population, becoming a city-state. The megacorps gripping most jobs here were like kings.
That was why I feared my secret leaking. Once targeted by those capital-and-power monopolists, survival would be near impossible. Caution upon caution.
In that light, maybe Esty's warning wasn't to dismiss lightly.
"Hoo...."
I shook off the thoughts and lay down.
At least tonight seemed peaceful.
No gunfire outside to disturb sleep, and tomorrow was the weekend.
The thought of lounging with no plans lifted my mood a bit.
The next morning.
That is, until Esty showed up at my lodging despite no work, before I heard her news.
"Eve, I have something to report."
"Huh? What is it?"
She delivered the bombshell in her usual calm voice.
"Rumors are spreading around these streets about a miracle new technology that completely cures cybernetic addiction."