Party, Quantum Nexus (2)
Party, Quantum Nexus (2)
Casa del Russo Grassium Hotel.
As befits a name rendered in Italian,
the building's façade was as magnificent as gazing upon the Pantheon of ancient Rome.
Structures built in this style were exceedingly rare in the cyberpunk world.
Because of that, even though it stood in the same city, it felt like being in a foreign country.
I let out a brief, quiet sigh.
And stepped onto the escalator ascending to the main entrance.
In front of the hotel entrance, a security staff member dressed like a doorman stood at rigid attention.
The staff member looked at me and said flatly,
"Sorry, we are not open today."
"I came to attend the party."
A brief silence.
"......May I check your invitation?"
I took the paper invitation from my pocket and handed it to him.
The staff member scrutinized the invitation's contents carefully.
As if a chip were embedded inside, he proceeded to scan something as well.
Soon, the staff member looked me over with a gaze as if observing something peculiar.
...Did my suit look that cheap?
Even though it looked like this, it was an expensive piece that Eve would have to stream for several days to afford.
Well, I could understand.
Since it was a regularly held party,
it was likely a place frequented only by regulars.
Someone who hadn't even been glimpsed once on the news.
If a complete stranger came to attend the party, I would have been suspicious too.
But the invitation I held was genuine.
Not a forgery, but an authentic one obtained from Monolith Corporation.
"......Sorry, sir. You may go inside."
I answered perfunctorily and took back the invitation the staff member offered.
Passing him, I entered the hotel.
Since my identity wasn't that of a genuine corporate person,
my actions naturally became more cautious.
No matter how low the chance of being caught was, the tension was unavoidable.
[I estimate that the entity just now is 'Smile Zone' with a 2% probability.]
Eve informed me of the results measured against the 'Smile Zone voice data' provided by Julia.
2%, huh.
An ambiguous figure.
Well, I supposed it was to be expected, since the more similar the gender or voice, the harder it is to calculate probability.
The intel Jeonbungi provided indicated Smile Zone was a participant attending the party.
I wondered if there was a need to check even the hotel staff.
But anyway, since Eve was handling it for me,
I didn't pay it much mind.
With those thoughts, I walked toward the banquet hall.
11. Party, Quantum Nexus (2)
A very soft, faint classical melody drifted throughout the banquet hall.
Since it was still earlier than the time stated on the invitation, the number of people inside the hall was also quite small.
I didn't know how many in total had been invited to the party.
I guessed there wouldn't be more than a hundred, at most.
I glanced around once.
A few people stood gathered in conversation, while some others sat in luxurious chairs taking calls or managing schedules via holograms.
On the large tables placed here and there, various kinds of dishes were prepared.
All of them appeared to be made from natural ingredients.
It didn't look like I wasn't supposed to eat.
But I didn't see a single person eating.
At most, people took the wine glasses waiters carried and sipped.
...It's probably all right to eat, right?
No, get a grip.
What was my reason for coming here?
To uncover the identity of this 'Smile Zone' supposedly attending the party.
Right now, there was only one thing I had to do.
.......
I naturally drifted toward the table where the food was laid out. I was already holding a plate in one hand.
This was absolutely not because I wanted to eat.
It was the optimal approach for eavesdropping on nearby conversations.
I had to avoid standing out too much.
Naturally, I kept a good distance from those talking, but that wasn't a problem.
Because I had a capable AI.
I muttered quietly.
"...Eve, can you eavesdrop on the conversations of people nearby?"
[I will check. However, I inform you that for accurate data measurement, conversations that are too far away are not possible.]
"Well, I can just keep wandering around."
As I placed food on my plate, my focus shifted behind me.
A moment later, the voices of unknown people were transmitted inside my head.
[I hear LAD's new product is really popular in the lower layer?]
[Heh heh, you flatter me too much. Of course, it's already surpassed last year's sales.]
[Indeed, it's no coincidence they say to capture the market, you must first capture the lower layer. Even the lower layer isn't completely useless.]
[Although our company initially started from animal feed—.]
And Eve continued.
[The respective match probabilities are 3% and 5%.]
You can't get full on the first bite, after all.
I kept moving around here and there.
If I kept circling like this,
I felt I would find Smile Zone soon.
I planned my route to be as long as possible and began piling various kinds of food onto my plate.
I tried to subtly position myself in spots where I could eavesdrop on conversations.
"......Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?"
"No, it's fine."
Although during the process,
a waiter did approach me with a look as if he were seeing a suspicious person and spoke to me.
It wasn't a big problem.
I kept moving.
But as time passed, the people inside the banquet hall only increased.
[This entity is 1%.]
[I inform you that this is the individual we checked earlier.]
[5% and 7%, respectively.]
It's really hard to find.
A more difficult task than I'd thought.
"Hoo."
I let out an unconscious sigh.
And there was another problem I hadn't anticipated.
"......This won't do."
[May I ask what is the matter, I inquire.]
"I'm so full I could die......."
[......]
Moving around while helping myself to more food was too much for me now.
It was the result of trying not to look suspicious.
I ended up eating a lifetime's worth of haute cuisine.
Now that things had come to this, there was no helping it.
I'd have to wait for the employee from Monolith who had said they would help me.
It seemed better to move with that person's assistance.
I should rest a bit.
While I was sitting in a chair clutching my full stomach and taking a brief rest,
suddenly an unknown man approached me.
"Excuse me."
"Yes?"
There shouldn't be anyone here who knows me.
I'd hardly ever taken corporate requests except from Monolith.
He was a man who appeared to be of Asian descent.
His face bore tattoos that looked like Braille, but contrary to such a rough appearance, he wore a smiling expression.
But how should I put it.
I also sensed a hostile undercurrent toward me.
When I answered, he asked me a question.
"I'm asking because you look Asian, but what is your name?"
His sharp, narrowed eyes turned toward me.
......Hm.
Should I give my real name.
Or should I use an alias.
And if I used an alias, what name should I offer.
In my fluster,
I answered with something both true and false.
"......Shun Li."
"Oh, so you're of Chinese descent."
No.
"I am Hei Rui (黑 綠), Tactical Department Organization Officer of Heishukwoi."
When you say Heishukwoi (黑輸會),
it was the name of the cyberpunk Chinese mafia, a corporation no different from the triads.
Frankly, he wasn't someone I wanted a long conversation with.
"Ah..., I see. Then I'll be off—."
I tried to escape like that.
He, Hei Rui, continued speaking.
"Again, excuse me, but may I ask one more question?"
"...Go ahead."
"Have you recently been to Center Plaza on a rainy day?"
What a random question.
But aside from that, the atmosphere between us grew sharp.
Center Plaza on a rainy day.
Of course I had been there.
It was the day I met Maya.
But I didn't know why he was curious about that.
As I just stared without answering,
Hei Rui continued on his own.
"At that time, one of the employee mercenaries of our Heishukwoi had an accident, you see."
"I don't see what that has to do with me."
"Ah, the employee's name was Black Net (黑 網). However, when we extracted and analyzed the data from the deceased employee's brain, we saw a face that resembled yours."
I still didn't get it.
What did that have to do with me that he'd keep me here talking like this.
To be blunt, in a cyberpunk world where plastic surgery technology is highly advanced, stealing someone's face wasn't difficult.
[Black Net.]
At that moment, Eve spoke.
[I inform you: A combat mercenary of Heishukwoi, one of the individuals who recently escaped from Pelicanus, the Chrome Psycho eliminated by entity 'Maya' at Center Plaza.]
"Ah."
I remembered.
"...Hey, was that employee of yours covered head to toe in military-grade chrome?"
"A promising combat mercenary, so naturally."
He was the guy who got chromed by Maya.
It was a situation that could lead to misunderstanding.
Maya attacked him from behind.
And the last person he saw before dying was me.
And Eve would have deleted the remaining surveillance camera data.
.......
Wait.
Was this a situation where I had to run?
The thought crossed my mind.
There was no sign of Smile Zone, who was supposed to appear.
And an unexpected Chinese mafia corporation had gotten involved.
If a fight broke out in the upper layer, escaping would be tough.
"So, if you'll just come with us for a moment."
Hei Rui politely phrased the intention to encase me in concrete and sink me to the bottom of a lake.
How should I handle this situation.
Just as I was worrying,
a woman's voice rang out.
"Do you have some business with my companion?"
The first thing I noticed was her short stature.
About up to my chest, perhaps.
But for some reason, separate from her height, there was an air of quiet authority about her.
Her deep purple hair fluttered.
Caught off guard,
I asked before Hei Rui could.
"...Who are you?"
"Is this the first time in this body? It's me."
Eyes that recognized me.
And a way of speaking that changed depending on the body.
"......Chairman-nim?"
The most reassuring person had arrived.
.......
I didn't know why she had come in a new body, but.
She was also the most burdensome person.
I thought you were busy....