008. Bohemia Church (3)

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I followed Iris's manager into the waiting room and sat down on one of the provided chairs, scanning my surroundings.

'They've got this place locked down tight to keep anyone from slipping out.'

At the entrance to the waiting room stood four men in black suits, and that wasn't all—inside the room itself, more people in identical outfits were positioned around me like they were surveilling my every move.

'Hera. Scan the area, please.'

I asked Hera to scan the people around me.

'Knew it.'

Just as I'd expected, every single person here was fitted with armed prosthetics. Before they were Iris's staff, these were Bohemia Church devotees, so it made sense.

Still, I hadn't anticipated such a heavy reaction. In the novel, when Lee Moo-hyuk talked to Iris, it wasn't this intense. This part was genuinely unexpected.

'Just in case, activate the vector field.'

I had Hera activate the vector field to prepare for any surprises. It wouldn't kill me outright, but I hated the idea of it hurting.

'That woman...?'

With nothing else to do, I scanned the room again, and one woman caught my eye. Nearly everyone was male, so her being the lone woman stood out, but her outfit was even more conspicuous. While the others wore suits, she was in a cheongsam.

'What the hell is she doing here?'

Her flashy attire wasn't the issue. The problem was that I knew her.

'Christine Yang.'

Christine Yang, an agent of the NUSA—Neo United States of America, the modern-day America—specifically the CIB, the Cyber Intelligence Bureau that succeeded the CIA.

'Is the NUSA keeping tabs on Iris?'

But the NUSA had no reason to target Iris. She'd received a medal directly from the NUSA president and contributed greatly to NUSA society. There was zero motive for them to rein in someone who brought them so much benefit.

'Then... has Christine turned into a fanatic devotee?'

The novel hadn't mentioned anything like that. It was starting to feel like there was more I didn't know than I did.

'Got it. Thanks for the heads-up.'

Time to settle this was almost here.

The door opened, and Iris entered. Everyone in the room except me bowed to her like disciplined soldiers.

"Sorry to keep you waiting so long."

"Yeah. It was a long wait."

I'd really been waiting forever, so I just said it straight.

"Shall we talk, then?"

One of the black-suited men pulled a chair over and placed it in front of me. Iris thanked him politely and sat down.

"First, that code you mentioned. Mind telling me where you heard it?"

There was no point saying I'd read it in a novel—they'd never buy it. I'd already figured out how to handle this, so I jumped right in.

"Have you heard of Jeon Gi-bon?"

"Jeon Gi-bon... You mean H Group's Strategic Planning Division?"

"Yes. The one known for its intelligence-gathering surpassing even the NUSA's entire intelligence network."

"And what about this Jeon Gi-bon?"

"I used to work there. That code about 'that woman' was information I came across while I was still with them."

Iris gave me a slightly suspicious look. She had sharp instincts, that much was clear.

"Fine, let's say you were a former Jeon Gi-bon employee. Why tell me the code?"

Now we were getting to the meat of it.

"Iris. Five years ago, do you remember the pendant you won at the Dongdaemun black market auction?"

Iris thought for a moment before responding.

"Ah, that pendant? Of course. I remember it well—it had such a beautiful design, I splurged quite a bit on it."

"That pendant is actually something my colleague treasures deeply."

"And?"

"In exchange for its location... the tears of that woman. The location of CNA (Cyber-Nuclear-Apocalypse)."

CNA (Cyber-Nuclear-Apocalypse)—the legacy of "that woman," Doctor Adler, that Iris had spent her whole life searching for without success. It was a cyber bomb capable of compressing Iris's ability, Siren, by hundreds or even thousands of times. No raw destructive power, but when detonated, the compressed Siren crack code would spread like radiation, turning anyone exposed into Iris's puppet and triggering C.R (Cybernetics Runaway), a catastrophic overload in cybernetic enhancements.

Iris wanted it not to use right away, but as insurance—if things went south, it could topple an entire nation like the Republic of Korea where H Group held sway.

"What makes that pendant worth trading for its location? It's just a pretty pendant with a nice design."

She wasn't easy, that was for sure. Constant suspicion befitting a cult leader.

"As I said earlier, it's more precious to my colleague than their own life."

"Who's this colleague? Not Myeongdong's prince, Lee Jung-woo, by any chance?"

"...?!"

I couldn't hide my shock. She hadn't just guessed—she knew. Did Iris already know I was working with Lee Jung-woo?

"Sorry, but I already know CNA's location. And you didn't seriously think I bid on that pendant just for its pretty design, did you?"

Cold sweat started beading on my skin. This was beyond unexpected.

"The pendant of Lee Ho-cheol, the guy who might or might not control TL Group. That's why I shelled out so much for it."

"Iris... you knew from the start, so why...?"

"I was curious."

Iris stood, approached me, and leaned in close.

"How did you resist my Siren?"

"That's..."

She smirked at my hesitation, then walked to the center of the waiting room.

"No need to tell me. You're not someone who can become a devotee anyway—and you know CNA's location. Best to eliminate you here."

"You planning to start shooting in here?"

"This place ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is under our control. No problem."

At her gesture, her fanatics drew their weapons in unison. A bit overkill, don't you think?

I hadn't expected it to escalate this far, but good thing I'd prepared.

Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!

Gunshots echoed. But with the vector field up, the bullets crumpled or ricocheted off harmlessly.

"Clever. But..."

"What!? Anomalous code?!"

The vector field could block most of Iris's Siren. But anomalous codes were different. Even as a hero's AI, Hera wasn't flawless—the saint's twisted Siren could briefly disable her systems.

'This is getting tricky...'

Stick around, and I'd end up a pincushion. I might survive if my brain stayed intact, but these guys wouldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠leave it to chance.

Boom!

"Huh?"

The waiting room door exploded inward as someone burst in.

"Wh-what the?!"

"Gahk!"

"Argh!"

Screams started piling up one by one.

"You alright, Miss Ae-ri?"

"Duk-cheol?"

The intruder was none other than Duk-cheol.

"Duk-cheol, weren't you brainwashed by Iris? Back at the concert hall..."

"I just followed the crowd. And since I haven't had any mods or curriculum, hacking doesn't work on me."

"Ah... You knew about Iris's hacking ability, even though I blurted it out on impulse."

"Heard it from boss. We can chat after we bust out of here."

Still, surviving without mods or curriculum? What the hell was this guy?

Even Lee Jung-woo couldn't cover that much ground.

"Got it. Duk-cheol, don't push yourself too hard."

"I'll try my best, Miss Ae-ri."

Either way, escaping took priority.