You Think I Might Be Hiding Something?
The simulation ended. Winner: Pilot Kang Jinwoo.
The cold, system voice echoed through the empty simulation space.
I sheathed the combat axe I had been carrying on my shoulder back at my waist, then looked down at Laser’s custom mecha Sylph lying in shambles on the floor.
Left arm and right leg severed—combat-unready. A perfect victory.
The bloated reward list on the system window confirmed it all over again.
A short while later, the Sylph’s cockpit hatch opened, and Laser staggered out.
His face was flushed with fury and humiliation. He stared blankly at his ruined machine as if he couldn’t believe it.
“This can’t be happening… I… with such scrap metal like this…!”
He muttered it almost like he was about to cry.
It seemed he couldn’t accept his defeat no matter what.
He slammed his fist into the wall beside him.
“Damn it! We have a mission soon—what the hell is this?!”
Deep disappointment laced with anger dripped from his voice.
He was probably worried that his defeat meant he’d be kicked out of the mission he’d just mentioned.
At that moment, the door to the simulation room opened and familiar figures entered.
Yuna, Titan, and Doctor.
They had been watching our battle from the command center until a moment ago.
The instant Laser saw them, his face flushed even redder. He hurriedly lowered his head.
Embarrassing himself in front of his comrades felt worse than death.
Titan’s expression remained blank, but Doctor’s eyes sparkled as if he’d received interesting data. Yuna’s face was unreadable.
She simply looked back and forth between me and Laser in silence.
I stepped down from the Sparrow’s cockpit and walked over to Laser.
I knew how he’d react, but I figured it would be best to at least show some manners.
Or, maybe I wanted to watch his reaction up close.
“Good work.”
I extended my hand toward him—a gesture asking for a handshake.
But the moment Laser saw it, he slapped my hand away with a sharp jerk.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, you bastard!”
He glared at me with poisonous eyes and shouted.
His face was now twisted completely with rage.
“What did you do with Yuna?!”
As expected.
Instead of admitting defeat, he was already suspecting I’d used some foul method.
“No way! There’s no way that scrawny training machine could make such moves! Yuna… Yuna must have done something to the machine!”
He blamed Yuna with a voice full of certainty.
A laugh escaped me at his absurd accusation.
I could understand how badly his pride had been wounded.
But sympathy was nowhere to be found. His pathetic appearance actually struck me as ridiculous.
“Yeah?”
I said it without hiding the mockery in my voice.
“If you’re so suspicious, go ahead and check for yourself. Whether Yuna touched the machine or if it was just your own poor skill.”
My challenge made Laser’s face flush red again.
He couldn’t confront Yuna directly, so he unleashed a torrent of insults at me.
“You arrogant bastard! Just you wait!”
He panted heavily, as if he’d rather die than stay here any longer and get dismissed, then stormed out of the simulation room.
After he left, a short while later, a research team and tech staff members appeared from somewhere and began hauling Sylph away and cleaning up the simulation room.
“Hmph, what a nice sight.”
Titan muttered low, staring in the direction Laser had gone.
He also clearly didn’t like Laser’s arrogant attitude.
Doctor was still buried in his data pad.
He occasionally shot glances at me and muttered to himself.
“Amazing reaction speed… energy efficiency… there’s mountains of data to analyze…”
“Let’s head up to the command center and talk.”
Yuna said to me.
Her expression remained unreadable, but her voice had softened a bit from earlier.
I nodded silently.
The unnecessary collision with Laser was over, but now the real question was how Yuna and her comrades would think of me, and how they would treat me from here on.
Following them out of the simulation room, I stepped into the elevator heading to the command center.
Upon arriving at the command center, the entire wall of the vast space was covered with a massive holographic screen.
Complex data graphs were being analyzed and displayed in real time alongside replay footage of the battle I had just fought.
‘Was this unnecessary?’
It wasn’t particularly pleasant to be the center of attention.
“There’s too much analysis here!”
Doctor groaned softly.
Titan frowned as well, and Yuna glanced at me briefly.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to wait here for a moment.”
She didn’t explain further.
Yuna, Titan, and Doctor exchanged glances with each other, then moved their feet and exited the command center toward another elevator.
---
The heart of Icarus Technology’s Far East Branch.
First Command Control Room.
Countless operators moved busily in front of their consoles.
A massive holographic screen dominated the front wall, displaying a complex mix of star system maps, military information, and real-time surveillance footage.
Deep inside the command control room, on a high raised platform, sat a middle-aged man in a perfectly tailored black uniform, arms crossed, staring at the holographic screen.
His neatly trimmed beard, sharp eyes, and the no-nonsense black uniform screamed that he was no ordinary man.
He was Gideon, commander of Icarus’s Far East Branch mercenary detachment and the actual commanding officer.
The door to the command control room opened and Yuna, Titan, and Doctor entered.
They approached Gideon and saluted with proper respect.
Gideon lifted his gaze from the screen and slowly turned to look at them.
“You’re here.”
Gideon said in a low voice.
His eyes swept over the three in turn.
“However, there’s one missing. Where’s Laser?”
A hint of sarcasm colored his tone.
Yuna tried to step forward to explain, but before she could, Titan spoke up.
He shot Yuna a quick look and said,
“Laser is currently undergoing machine inspection. He’ll join us soon. Please wait just a moment…”
Titan was trying to preserve his comrade’s honor however he could, but Gideon let out a snort as if mocking his words.
“Wait? Wait for what? Until we have to report that the machine has lost its arms and legs and is under repair?”
Gideon’s eyes flashed coldly.
“Do you think there might be something I don’t know about the events happening here?”
Titan fell silent, unable to speak another word.
Exactly as Gideon had said.
Icarus’s surveillance network monitored every situation within the branch in real time.
Gideon’s gaze turned to Yuna.
His voice became even lower and stricter than before.
“Yuna, I have also received reports about your recent actions.
You unauthorizedly infiltrated the Chronos Mercenary Base, caused a disturbance, and engaged in mock battle with an unregistered mercenary, is that correct?”
Clear reprimand filled his voice.
“And on top of that, without permission you entered the dangerous Grey Wasteland alone, bringing that problematic pilot all the way here.”
He stood from his seat and stepped one pace closer to Yuna.
His sturdy build pressed down on her.
“I acknowledge that you are our top ace.
And I know you have a certain degree of freedom.”
Gideon’s rebuke was sharp.
“But no matter who you are, there are rules you must follow. Don’t you think this time has gone a bit too far?”
Yuna met Gideon’s gaze without flinching and stood straight, answering,
“This was my unilateral decision, Commander. There is no room for excuses. I will accept any punishment.”
Her voice was steady, and her resolve to take responsibility for her actions was unwavering.
Gideon stared at her silently for a moment, then suddenly burst into a soft chuckle.
“Hah… you’re always the problem. Too serious.”
He returned to a gentler expression.
But his eyes remained sharp.
“Well, it’s a joke, of course. Your actions did violate regulations, but this time I’ll overlook it. Your friend here seems to have some value worth it.”
A hint of warning lingered in his voice again.
“But there won’t be a next time. Remember that.”
Gideon turned back to his command seat and organized the situation.
“Laser… well, for now he can stay calm and fix his machine or whatever. It’s impossible for him to be deployed right now anyway.”
He looked at Yuna.
“Yuna, bring the pilot you brought here, Kang Jinwoo. We’ll explain the mission then.”
Yuna, Titan, and Doctor exchanged brief glances with each other upon hearing the order.
Then they saluted properly and left the command control room.