Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: AI Gangsters
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At first, everyone hesitated, troubled by the survey questions, but participation rates soared the following day.
It was the day Haon found out a broken drone had fallen into a junkyard and ran out early in the morning to retrieve it.
“Oh? Ah, hello! Good morning. Hello. Hi!”
The new boss of District 1 stiffly greeted people and waved whenever she encountered them.
She seemed to be running hard, but her speed and form were so awkward that it made you want to cheer her on.
No one even noticed Nova trotting behind her, a look on his face as if wondering if this was really happening.
After seeing that, they somehow felt it would be okay to answer the survey questions honestly.
The residents of District 1, who were particularly used to their bosses changing frequently, came to a similar conclusion as they filled out the survey.
*This new boss doesn't seem like the type to tighten the noose any further.*
And a few days after the survey was distributed.
“I need to recruit some gang members!”
Haon had no choice but to admit that she needed a lot of gang members.
There was so much to do that she had no time to stay cooped up in her lab.
Blue's scans alone weren't enough to get a grasp of the entire district, and leaving it all to Chacha and Nova would take too long.
She didn't know how long she would be in charge of District 1, but since she had taken on the role, she wanted to at least make it a decent place for people to live.
While doing that, she also had to research Dimension Gates, create Dimension Prisms, and deal with pressure from other gangs.
On top of that, she wanted to remodel Cue's old headquarters to her liking. It truly felt like even three bodies wouldn't be enough.
“There were a bunch of guys on the first day who said they wanted to stay with the District 1 gang.”
Nova was talking about Cue's former underlings.
Immediately after the all-night battle on the first day, they had flocked to Haon, bowing their heads and asking to become her subordinates.
She had thought they might be helpful since they knew District 1 and the other gangs well and could all handle a gun, but...
“Those people already betrayed their own boss.”
“Don't you think it's because it was Cue?”
“Next time, they could betray me because it's me. I can't trust them, especially since they only showed up after the fight was over.”
At Haon's firm words, Nova asked as if he had been waiting for this.
“Then should I bring in some useful guys?”
“What kind of people?”
“Well, they've all done time at the rehabilitation center, but they're pretty solid guys.”
“No. That won't do. I'd prefer people who aren't scary, even to kids.”
As Haon shook her head, Chacha asked with a troubled expression.
“Are you planning to just grab civilians from the New City or the Central District and make them gang members?”
“That's not it, but...”
“Then what's the plan? We need more than just one or two people right now.”
Chacha chided her, saying this wasn't the time to be picky.
In fact, other gangs often recruited even street thugs to fill their ranks.
But Haon didn't want subordinates who even she found scary.
If she was already scared of them, how could she possibly trust them with any work?
After thinking deeply for a while, Haon muttered as if she had no other choice.
“I guess that's the only way...”
And so, the residents of District 1 received another survey.
「Which friend would you most like to protect District 1?
1. Crane
2. Seagull
3. Owl」
It was an unusual question in a completely different sense from the survey they had received a few days ago.
* * *
A few days later.
Stepping into District 1 of the Old City, Juyeol's jaw dropped at the unbelievable sight before him.
“Damn it. What did she make this time?”
Mechanical cranes, about 170cm tall, were roaming the streets.
With their long-beaked heads, wings, and long, slender legs, they were unmistakably cranes.
Their entire bodies were made of silver machinery, and their eyes, which seemed to express emotions with emoticons, looked just like the mechanical hamsters.
One of the mechanical cranes approached Juyeol and displayed smiling eyes.
[Welcome to District 1 of the Old City. Please come in.]
As he flinched at the polite female voice, the mechanical crane took a step back and greeted him again.
[Hello. We are Dudu, the AI gang members of District 1.]
At that, the mechanical hamster perched on Juyeol's shoulder, as if not to be outdone, hopped down to the ground and bowed like a gentleman.
[I am Ttiyong!]
[Welcome, Mr. Ttiyong!]
*What in the world am I seeing right now?*
Juyeol pinched the bridge of his nose, dumbfounded by the sight of a mechanical hamster and a crane formally greeting each other.
Then, he spotted some familiar faces across the street.
*Old man Solmae?*
The two people unloading things from a truck were Solmae and Chacha.
*I can understand Chacha, but why is that old geezer who's supposed to be in District 2 here?*
As Juyeol approached with a suspicious look, Chacha noticed his presence and spotted him.
“Ghost? Is it already time for Hero Headquarters to come poking around?”
At her displeased grumbling, Solmae also put down his load and turned around.
“Looks like you've been assigned to District 1.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Juyeol scanned the items they were moving and clicked his tongue.
Seeing the boxes filled with unfamiliar medicines and medical equipment, it was clearly Solmae's stuff.
He had hoped Solmae was just helping Chacha move, but it seemed he had relocated himself.
“Did you move to District 1 for good?”
“I put up a notice a few days ago saying the clinic was moving here.”
“...You didn't join the gang, did you?”
“An old man like me joining a gang? What foolishness. I've just moved locations, that's all.”
Many gangs had tried to recruit Solmae over the years. A doctor who was also a good shot was a reassuring gang member to have, so it was no wonder they coveted him.
But Solmae had never once accepted such an offer.
He didn't seem to care that joining a gang would automatically put him on the villain list, making it harder to procure medical supplies.
He had simply refused every time with words like, "An old man like me joining a gang? How foolish."
District 4 and District 5 had asked him multiple times to at least move his clinic to their territories, but Solmae had always remained in District 2.
Juyeol was certain that Eun Haon's influence was the main reason for his sudden move to District 1.
“What kind of deal did Eun Haon offer for you to come to District 1?”
“You'll find out soon enough. By the way, you don't look so well.”
“I'm just tired.”
Solmae, seemingly having no intention of talking further, picked up a box and headed into a building.
“If you're not going to help, get lost. Can't you see we're busy moving?”
Chacha also passed by, glaring sullenly at Juyeol with her arms full of boxes.
*It doesn't even look like she got them a nice place.*
His doubts unresolved, Juyeol examined the building they had entered.
It was on a similar level to the building where Solmae and Chacha had lived.
*The medical equipment looks like the same stuff they used before, and she didn't even help much with the move.*
Whatever the case, he thought he should report this to headquarters, just as River returned from looking around.
“Ghost. Did you see?”
Seeing her bewildered expression, Juyeol gestured toward the mechanical cranes, the Dudus, as if he knew what she meant.
“Those mechanical gang members, the AIs or whatever?”
“No, not that. The streetlights and traffic lights have all been replaced.”
“...!”
Distracted by the mechanical cranes, he only then noticed that the streets were much tidier and cleaner than they had been a week ago.
Just as River said, new streetlights and traffic lights had been installed, and the guardrails and roads had all been repaired.
A few mechanical cranes were flying around, repairing the outer walls of buildings.
“I've never seen an entire district get renovated just because the boss changed. What is this? She was supposed to be a boss, not a contractor.”
River pointed to the now-clear roadsides, which had once been lined with wrecked cars, and shook her head in amazement.
Juyeol, looking around the clean District 1 with a dazed expression, tilted his head in confusion.
*...Can you even call this a gang?*
* * *
“Finally, it's over!”
Haon flopped down on the checkered sofa.
A lot had happened in the week since she became the boss of the 'Eun Haon Gang'.
It took longer than expected to build the mechanical cranes because Cue's former underlings kept persistently showing up, begging her to take them in.
There were also many villains who, upon hearing the rumor that she had taken over District 1, assumed her memories had returned and came to her with job requests without a second thought.
Nova had stepped in and sharply rejected those people, which was fine, but dealing with the businessmen who came sniffing for money was exhausting.
“People are dying every day, aren't they? If you invest in our funeral service company, you'll make a fortune.”
“Smuggling ships are a thing of the past. It's time to get an oil rig!”
“The classics always work. You should open a big casino in District 1!”
“Isn't civil engineering the most profitable business in this line of work?”
*Just how many money-making schemes are there, anyway!*