Chapter 228
Chapter 228
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 228
Chapter Title: The Mayoral Election and the Round House (6)
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Black Anchor, a human trafficking organization specializing in rare metahumans.
They were obscure, so few knew of them, but they were so dangerous that even the police hesitated to confront them.
Yet, they had achieved this growth in just a few months. The reason was simple.
Whether through skillful negotiation or some other means, they had received a massive supply of high-performance equipment and robots from certain corporations.
Of course, for the corporations, it was a way to conduct free clinical trials on equipment that might be too taxing for the user.
The technology was top-notch. At this level, they could be considered a highly dangerous criminal organization.
‘They have numbers, and most are physically tough beastmen. They’re a good match for such brutish equipment.’
But perhaps because human trafficking inherently preys on the weak…
…the organization's core members were mostly petty criminals. Third-rate thugs, at best.
The Black Anchor boss, in particular, had grinned stupidly when he saw my face.
But one kick had him bawling in pain. To be honest, I was a little taken aback.
Still, in the original story, their robots and equipment were so formidable that even the Fixer Agency was wary of a direct confrontation.
It was a stark reminder of how dangerous powerful equipment and sheer numbers could be.
‘Of course, part of it is because they’re magitech prototypes. The fusion of science and magic… Even if the efficiency is still poor, the results are incredibly powerful.’
Hybrids are always strong—that’s practically a law in shonen manga.
Maybe the fusion of science and magic, two opposing forces, created some kind of synergistic effect.
In any case, they were dangerous enough to give even a seasoned Fixer a headache.
But as it turned out, a little trick with Echo was all it took to disable their robots and equipment.
It took only a few dozen minutes to subdue everyone, from the grunts to the boss.
They shouldn't have relied solely on robots and overpowered gear; they should've honed their own skills.
Hopefully, this would be an opportunity for them to reflect and grow. Though it's probably too late to have regrets in prison.
“Mmm… Mmeh, ueh.”
“…Y-Yes?”
Black Anchor was effectively dismantled, its members all tied up with ropes.
The situation was more or less resolved, but I still had work to do.
So I approached Lindy and waved my arms around energetically.
I was trying to ask her to evacuate everyone to a safe place.
I felt a pang of guilt asking a fifteen-year-old girl to handle it.
But her eyes held the strongest resolve here, so I had no choice. She was the most suitable person for the job.
However, since we'd just met, Lindy seemed to have trouble understanding what I was trying to convey.
She just stared at me in confusion, flustered and unsure of what I was saying.
“Sis, Yuria can’t speak. But I think she wants you to take the people from the prison and get them outside.”
“Yeah!”
“Oh, I see… I-I understand. You still have things to do, right? You can leave these people to me.”
Nabal, nice assist.
All those hours we spent gaming together weren't for nothing.
I gave him a thumbs-up to show my gratitude.
Then I turned and left the underground prison without a second thought.
On the ground floor, the tied-up members of Black Anchor were still subdued.
After checking to make sure no one’s restraints were loose, I headed straight for the upper floors.
I kicked open a particularly ornate door and was immediately hit by the pungent smell of strong perfume.
Ugh, it mixed with the distinct, foul odor of beastmen, making it nauseating.
‘Ugh, let’s get some air in here first… Phew, I can finally breathe. Now then… There should be a clue here that leads to the Metahuman Liberation Army, right?’
There was a reason I came up here as soon as the situation was handled.
Black Anchor, emboldened by their continued success, had wanted to be on equal footing with the Metahuman Liberation Army.
And because of that, they had meticulously collected documents that the other side had ordered them to destroy, fearing they might be leaked.
In the original story, this incident leads to the discovery of a clue pointing to the Metahuman Liberation Army's base…
Of course, it wasn't their main headquarters, Calderak, which was on a distant continent.
What could be found here was, at best, a much less important intermediate base.
To put it simply, it was like the Nighthaven branch of the Fixer Association.
It was only natural, as a clue to the headquarters where the Commander-in-Chief of the Metahuman Liberation Army resided wouldn't just be lying around in a place like this.
‘Found it.’
Fortunately, I didn't have to search very hard for the clue.
A conspicuously large safe was embedded in the wall far from the entrance.
It was mechanical, not electronic. A metal safe that seemed to be magically enchanted, like an artifact.
This is a tough one… Breaking into a light sweat, I grabbed the handle and pulled with all my might.
‘Grrr… Something like this should be…! Hah, no good.’
Yep, of course it wouldn't open.
Even if my current physical strength surpassed human limits, it was still only at the level of a high-ranking Fixer.
I was nowhere near the transcendent level needed to brute-force open a heavily enchanted safe.
In fact, my palm was just throbbing, and my eyes watered slightly.
Deciding this wasn't working, I had the Tesseract return me to my original form.
I was back in my soft, muscle-less body, but in contrast, a formidable psychokinetic power surged within me.
I extended my psychokinesis with all my might, applying immense pressure to the magical safe's door.
An extreme single-point breakthrough, concentrating all force on one spot. Sorry, but this was one of my specialties.
“Hnnghyah!”
*CRUUUNCH!*
As my hand, which had been clenching the empty air, shot upward, the safe's handle crumbled clockwise.
Of course, it wasn't just the handle that broke. The internal locking mechanism connected to it was shattered as well.
The broken safe began to creak open.
After confirming it was opening without trouble, I had the Tesseract bulk up my body again.
I rummaged through the items crammed inside the safe and soon found my target: a book.
‘Found it. This is it, the ledger with the Metahuman Liberation Army.’
*Flip, flip.*
Flipping through the pages, I saw the ledger detailed every transaction with the Metahuman Liberation Army—when, where, and what was traded.
It seemed they had a long-standing relationship, as I could confirm transactions going back several months.
Was the Metahuman Liberation Army that desperate? It looked like they had requested all sorts of rare metahumans.
They probably planned to use them as slave soldiers. Liberation, my foot. What a bunch of hypocrites.
As I quickly flipped to the last page of the ledger...
...two notes tucked inside like bookmarks fluttered to the floor.
I snatched them out of the air like a hawk catching its prey and sighed at what was written on them.
‘It’s a password leading to the Metahuman Liberation Army’s base. The content… Yep. The words are slightly different from the original story. They must have moved locations.’
What particularly stood out was that the password was different from the one in the original story.
They must have moved after their original base was discovered.
I was relieved I hadn't relied on my knowledge of the original story.
The butterfly effect had already distorted things far and wide, so I'd expected something like this.
With that thought, I nodded to myself and checked the other note.
Unlike the first note, which contained some kind of password, the second one had a simple message.
‘Do not move on the day of the waxing full moon…’
Be careful on the day of the full moon? That’s… today, isn’t it?
I frowned at the ominous message on the note.
‘Do not move’… Does that mean they’re planning to do something tonight?
But this alone wasn't enough of a clue to figure out their intentions.
So I carefully tucked the note inside my clothes and left the room with the ledger under my arm.
The safe was full of expensive items, but nothing seemed as important as the ledger.
Heading back down the way I came, I suddenly pulled Echo out of my pocket.
I'd been putting it off to focus on Nabal's request, but Raven had been nagging at the back of my mind.
Why would a client give Raven a sudden request on a holiday like this?
Now that things were wrapping up, the curiosity was starting to drive me crazy.
‘Echo, did you find what I asked for?’
[ Yes. I will bring up the messenger conversation between the client and Raven. ]
Hmm, just telling me who made the request and what it was would have been fine.
I guess it was concerned about the possibility of unintentional distortion if it tried to summarize the story itself.
It was a decision that highlighted Echo's diligent personality, always speaking formally.
It doesn't look like there's much to read, so I might as well check it myself.
*Flash.*
The conversation between Raven and the client appeared on Echo's screen.
And the information I found there… indeed, it was a matter serious enough to be called out for on a holiday.
‘Evidence of an assassination attempt on mayoral candidate Shiroko… This is definitely a job for a Fixer.’
No, wait—Shiroko almost died?
My heart sank at the news that the bread-loving friend I'd made recently had just survived a near-death experience.
She seemed cool and smart on the outside, but she was a good person who would share her bread without hesitation.
I couldn't help but be shocked by the fact that we could have parted ways without ever seeing each other again.
Looking at the details, it seemed this was also the work of the Metahuman Liberation Army.
Did they think they would suffer significant losses if Shiroko became the mayor of Nighthaven?
‘Hmm, that makes sense. Shiroko is proudly pro-human. She’s an idealist who believes that harmony between metahumans and humans can lead to a better future. From the perspective of the Metahuman Liberation Army, which wants to wipe humanity off the face of the Earth, she must seem like a detestable traitor.’
Yet, she has the blood of a dragon and the ridiculously powerful symbolism of being Tempest's daughter.
A brilliant past as a famous former police officer with a track record of taking down all sorts of criminal organizations.
And the charisma to lead people with a clear vision, unshaken by others despite being a political novice.
Honestly, even considering her young age and limited experience, when you look at the other candidates who were hastily put forward…
Shiroko’s chances of winning this mayoral election seemed quite high.
‘...Even so, I can’t believe they tried to attack Shiroko directly. If this news gets out and she shows an unwavering resolve, her approval ratings in Nighthaven, which favors strong figures, would likely rise… Then again, what do terrorists care about backlash?’
If they were capable of such restraint, they wouldn't have made an enemy of the entire world in the first place.
With this, as long as Shiroko held on… her chances of becoming the mayor of Nighthaven were extremely high.
Her opponents probably knew that too, which is why they would resort to drastic measures.
…I might need to wrap this up quickly and see if there's anything I can do to help.
A vague sense of unease began to stir in my chest.
I had a feeling that I couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
*
When I got downstairs, I saw people beating the hell out of the tied-up Black Anchor members.
I guess they were paying them back for being locked up and treated like objects.
Well, if it helps heal their wounded hearts, then that’s a relief.
But if one of them accidentally dies, cleaning up the mess would be a pain.
Coming down the stairs, I gently pushed the agitated crowd back to stop them.
Instead, I did it myself, controlling my strength to avoid any lasting damage as I delivered a powerful knock to the crown of a thug's head.
“Myak.”
“Aaaaargh!”
“Uh…”
“Oh, my…”
*CRACK!*
The people who had been screaming, asking why I was stopping them, froze at the brutal sound.
They turned pale, horrified, wondering if I had just punched a hole in the man's skull.
In truth, the sound was much worse than the attack itself, but it was enough to intimidate them.
Anyway, after settling the situation, I approached Nabal and Lindy, who were looking troubled off to the side.
“Y-Yuria, that’s amazing. To take on all these people by yourself…”
“Heehee…”
“Yuria, you’re incredible!”
Being praised like this is making me blush.
Feeling awkward, I rubbed the back of my neck. I guess I should say I got lucky.
Echo is only effective against electronic devices. It was convenient, almost like having a natural predator on my side.
…No, what am I so happy about? This isn't the time for that.
I stopped my shy giggling, my smile vanishing as a thought struck me, and I chided myself.
The police could show up at any moment; I needed to get out of here quickly.
I had changed my hair color, my body size, and was wearing fashion glasses, but getting involved with the police would still be a hassle.
And I definitely wanted to avoid getting hit with some annoying tracking spell.
“W-Wait!”
“...Ueh?”
Did she sense I was trying to slip away?
Lindy, who was being supported by Nabal, struggled over and grabbed me.
When I tilted my head, asking what was wrong, she looked at me with incredibly serious eyes and said.
“T-Thank you. I’ll never forget this debt.”
“...Okay.”
Lindy’s eyes were those of someone who had shouldered a great resolve.
Her upright character, determined to repay the favor no matter what, shone through clearly.
I don't know if I'll ever need her help.
But since there was no reason to refuse, I nodded as if to say I'd look forward to it.
Just as she and I, being about the same height, were quietly sharing a moment of understanding...
...a sudden, thunderous roar echoed from somewhere.
“Wh-What was that?!”
“Did a bomb go off somewhere?”
“O-Over there! Outside the window!”
“...?!”
At someone's shout, my gaze, momentarily lost in confusion, also turned to the window.
Reflected there was a sky stained red, as if something was burning, painting the night.
And a plume of smoke, thick enough to be seen even in the deep darkness, was rising into the air.