A Body That's Honest

As soon as the convoy of transport ships and mechs reached the perimeter zone around Terminus Station, most of them scattered as if they'd made some unspoken agreement.

The transport I was on landed in Sector 7's hangar shortly afterward.

The moment the ramp door opened, the first thing that hit my eyes was my mech, Asura—now hanging from a multitude of cranes and heavy fixings, in a pitiful state.

Its left arm was so mangled it was almost unrecognizable, dangling uselessly. The armor plating was deeply pitted and torn in places, leaving dark internal frames and tangled bundles of cables in an ugly mess.

"Whoa, from this angle it looks even worse. Hah... how long has it been since I had it customized this badly?"

Scarlet, standing right beside me, let out a deep sigh as if it were her own mech.

"You said I overdid it too much."

"Overdid it? Now that I know, thank goodness! I thought it was fine, and you were acting like you were in pain and putting on a show!"

Scarlet pouted and poked my side with her finger.

"Got it, got it. I was in the wrong the whole time. I know how much you've worried."

"Hmph, worry? Worry? Well, honestly... I did worry a little. Just a tiny bit!"

Scarlet kept her arms crossed, lips still jutting out, but her voice had softened.

"So, I prepared a very special gift for you at the workshop."

"A gift? In the middle of all this chaos, what kind of nonsense is that?"

Scarlet tilted her head and slowly scanned Asura, now being moved into the workshop interior.

Her eyes were already shining with the complexity of some new modification plan.

"Still... the frame is holding up surprisingly well. Thank goodness. And I'm going to have to completely disassemble the whole thing—damn."

I expected her to explode, but she muttered to herself with surprising calmness instead.

A true mech enthusiast, after all.

"Will it be repairable? Don't just dump everything like last time. Take it slow this time—no pressure."

"Eh? The sun's rising in the west. You keep saying things like that. When I asked you to add the pile bunker and gravity dampers, you were begging right in front of me."

"When did I ever say that?"

"The mission's worry—don't worry ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about it. Work's been slow lately anyway."

"What? With your skills, you'd have your pick of jobs."

"That Dutch guy must've spread some weird rumors. Geez, what a coward."

Scarlet clicked her tongue and let out a short sigh.

"Anyway, it's fine. I can handle the modifications myself."

"Costs? This time I'll make sure they're paid properly."

Last time, besides the work I asked for, Scarlet had also reinforced the armor and frame on her own.

She must have spent quite a bit from her pocket.

She acted like nothing happened, but I couldn't stop worrying.

No matter how obsessed she was with modifications, anyone would tire without fair compensation.

"Money? Well, money's good..."

Scarlet trailed off, hesitated, cleared her throat, and turned to me with a serious expression.

"Listen. You aren't allowed to cause any trouble for a while. Stay put quietly."

She pointed at me with her finger.

"And you still haven't properly explained everything that happened in this incident—from start to finish. You need to tell me everything straight. Or else..."

Scarlet clenched her fist.

"Got it. I'll explain everything and stay obediently quiet for a while."

We walked together toward the workshop as we continued talking.

"So, what exactly was that special gift I mentioned?"

Scarlet's eyes sparkled with mischief at my question.

"You'll see when you look. Your jaw will drop."

"You really know how to make people curious."

We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were almost at the workshop entrance when her steps suddenly stopped. I froze too at the sight in front of us.

A giant pile of containers formed a mountain on one side of the yard outside the workshop.

'So this is how deliveries work now. This system ability is insane.'

I nodded, impressed.

On the container surfaces, alongside mysterious sender marks, my name—Kang Jinwoo—stood out clearly.

"Kang Jinwoo? This is your name, isn't it? What the hell is all this?"

Scarlet pointed accusingly back and forth between the container mountain and me, eyes wide with disbelief.

"New toys for the scrap heap."

I gestured at the remnants of Asura already inside the workshop and shrugged casually.

"Toys? Are these toys? You crazy bastard?!"

Scarlet danced in place, snatched a paper that looked like a delivery note stuck to the container, and scanned the items with wide eyes.

The more she looked, the bigger they got.

"No way... where did you even get these parts? And in such a short time?"

She asked in utter disbelief.

"Every single one of these came from you? And in such a short time? That's impossible! Are you some president's secret son or something?"

"Old friend helped me out, what can I say? These things don't just fall from the sky."

"Old friend? What kind of crazy friend just drops off stuff like this?"

Scarlet still looked unconvinced, but her body was already reacting honestly.

Like an excited kid, she opened the containers one by one and examined the parts with a focused, almost reverent look.

"Oh my god, oh my god... it's real! Look at this shine! They're brand new!"

"So, does the gift please you?"

Scarlet paused at my words.

"This... is it really a gift?"

She frowned slightly, as if her pride was hurt.

Then she let out a deep sigh, shrugged her shoulders, and said,

"Forget it, it's great! Since you're modifying my mech, you need to help me out, right?"

"I'm a patient. Haven't you seen the bandage on my forehead?"

"You're acting like a patient, for real!"

Scarlet pretended to punch me, then chuckled.

"It's simple. Just move the containers inside."

Before long, we used the small crane in the workshop to transfer the massive containers inside.

In truth, I hadn't done much to help. Scarlet handled the unusual cargo delivery with perfect speed and skill.

Once the work was done, she stared fixedly at the delivery note and said,

"Hmm... this assembly is unusually balanced compared to your usual work?"

"With an expert's eye, is there anything else that needs to be added here?"

"Well... if I had to pick one, maybe strengthen the leg frame and armor a bit more?"

"Leg frame?"

"Your choice of that kinetic reactor coated frame isn't bad, but it maximizes mobility at the cost of defense."

"That's right. The risk is higher."

"So it's your decision to make."

Scarlet crossed her arms decisively.

"Reinforce the fatal weakness somehow, or accept it and push the advantages to the extreme."

"The weakness is clearly defense. The advantage is energy efficiency and evasion maneuvers?"

"Correct. And that pulse shield... with this model, it seems you only want it to hold for one critical moment."

"Exactly."

"Then changing the leg frame to an ultra-light high-mobility one is the way to go."

Scarlet brought up the workshop's holographic screen and unfolded a complex blueprint.

"Here's the final design from when I last modified your Asura."

"Ooh..."

My eyes spun at the endless symbols and numbers.

"Sorry, I have no idea what any of this means."

"Never mind, just listen."

Scarlet zoomed in on the actuator section connected to the frame.

"This leg frame is based on the existing Bugbear but reinforced to match your combat style. It's still a heavy-gravity skeleton design focused on stability and durability."

"What's the problem with that?"

"Balance issue, balance!"

Scarlet shook her head in frustration.

"Your upper body uses an ultra-light mobility concept, but the lower body still relies on heavy spherical frames. In intense movement, the legs might not hold up or even become a restraint on the whole body's motion."

"So that's why my movements sometimes felt sluggish?"

"Perfectly possible. Still, back then this was the best choice."

"So you're saying you'll replace the leg frame with something else entirely?"

Scarlet had nailed the key point I hadn't thought of deeply.

"Yes. So, now that we're doing this, change the leg frame to an ultra-light high-mobility model, adjust the booster and generator output accordingly..."

She crossed her arms and tapped her fingers in deep thought.

"Armor... only the bare minimum for shrapnel protection, everything else put toward mobility."

Once she finished thinking, she declared with a firm expression.

"Back in the day, I would've complained and tossed the contract on this extreme modification. But since it's you piloting, I'll make an exception. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks a lot. If you need any parts, tell me the model number and I'll prepare them in advance."

"Oh? Asking your amazing old friend for more favors?"

Scarlet gave me a playful smile.

"I really want to know who that friend is. What exactly is your identity? You have almost no registered info, and everything else about you is suspicious..."

"It's a secret. Just a secret."

"Tsk. Guys with too many secrets aren't fun."

Scarlet snorted cutely and started manipulating the holographic blueprint again.

"I'll send the part model numbers once the overall design direction is confirmed. Finding the optimal combination will take some time since we have to consider many scenarios."

"Got it. Don't push yourself."

"Uh-huh."

With a short reply, she immediately fell into deep concentration.

Not long after, the workshop filled with her signature ear-splitting hard rock music that always played during work.

There was no place for me anymore.

I quietly slipped out of the workshop. The terminal chimed with an incoming call. The caller was Alexander Valentine.

"Yes, Mr. Valentine."

[Oh, Mr. Kang Jinwoo. I was just about to contact you. I just received word that the mission for Dutch has been successfully completed.]

"Yes... it wasn't easy, but the request is fulfilled."

[Haha, you can hear all the details from Dutch. As expected of Mr. Kang Jinwoo. The promised payment will be handled immediately once internal processing is complete. And I won't contact you again soon. Look forward to it.]

"I understand. I'll be waiting."

He ended the call with a satisfied chuckle.

'Now I should go pay my respects to Director Kaien. I brought a decent amount of manpower to help, and I still haven't given her proper thanks.'

It wouldn't do to ignore such kindness.

I headed toward her office.

Meanwhile, at Nesis Technology, Commander Luker felt a splitting headache in his office as he anxiously waited for the operation report.

'Eliminate the Steel Fangs mercenaries and capture or destroy Asura.'

This was the top-secret mission personally ordered by Second Lieutenant Verso after performing enhanced human surgeries.

There had been reports of partial communication instability in the operation area, but not that all contact had completely cut off.

"Data Analysis Team! Status report—when are you going to deliver it?!"

Luker's roar sent one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠operator in the command center corner shooting up from his chair, shoulders trembling like aspen leaves.

"S-Sir! Th-that's... it's really strange!"

"What's strange? Can't you report properly!"

The operator straightened up hurriedly under Luker's furious yell and reported in a near-tearful voice.

"Up to now... all friendly mechs' combat records and sensor logs in the operation zone... have been confirmed to be completely, completely erased with no trace left!"

"Erased?"

Luker's forehead creased deeply.

"Simple system error? Then what's the backup data?"

"That... it doesn't seem like a simple system error, sir. Data from a specific time period—perfectly matching the operation—was deleted as if it had never existed from the start. Not just main server backups, but every local data storage unit on each mech... completely evaporated without leaving a trace!"

The moment the report was heard, the command center froze solid.

Other operators stared at each other with blank faces, unable to believe it.

Nesis Technology's data security system was the best in the industry.

Ordinary hacking or powerful signal jamming couldn't produce such localized and perfect data loss.

"Data deletion..."

Luker muttered low, grinding his fangs.

"Who the hell... how did they do something this massive? That Asura— a mere mercenary can't possibly have such electronic warfare capabilities...! Then who is behind him? I was told he was just a free mercenary!"

His eyes turned ice-cold.

"Or is it a third party? The Red Veil... if those damn space pirates are behind it, they wouldn't hesitate. Damn!"

The chain of speculation grew wild, spawning all kinds of horrific images.

The Red Veil—space pirate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠groups too powerful to mess with casually.

Their exaggerated rumors had grown so enormous that even making an entire planet into a rubble pile was casually discussed.

"For now... it's difficult to determine the exact cause. Perhaps... it's possible we used an unknown technology we don't know about."

"...Understood. Continue investigating the cause and report anything immediately."

Luker rubbed his throbbing temple and retreated into his private office with a deep sigh.

His head felt like it was about to burst.

Recently, he'd lost his enhanced humans to Icarus, and now he was being manipulated by some unknown free mercenary.

'What the hell is wrong with these Icarus bastards... now even unknown free mercenaries... why is everything going so wrong?'

Suddenly, a lightning bolt of possibility flashed through his mind. Luker immediately connected to internal comms.

"Data from the last collision with those Icarus bastards—still in your possession? Analyze the mass-produced mechs on their side, the Harrier type! Cross-reference their movement patterns and combat records from the previous Nova Seed mission—intensively, right now!"

"Yes! I'll confirm immediately and report to you, Commander!"

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