Chapter 38 – Party, Quantum Nexus (2)

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]

Chapter 38 – Party, Quantum Nexus (2)

Casa del Roso Grazioum Hotel.

True to its Italian name, the exterior of the building was grand, resembling the Pantheon temple of ancient Rome.

In the cyberpunk world, buildings constructed in this manner were extremely rare.

Thanks to that, even though it was a building within the same city, it felt like being abroad.

I took a short, light, and deep breath.

I stepped onto the escalator leading to the main entrance.

At the front of the hotel entrance, a security guard stood in a formal posture, resembling a doorman.

The guard spoke bluntly as he looked at me.

“I’m sorry, we’re not open today.”

“I’m here for the party.”

A moment of silence.

“Can I see your invitation?”

I retrieved the paper invitation from my pocket and handed it to him.

The guard meticulously examined the contents of the invitation. The process even involved scanning something on the invitation, perhaps a chip embedded inside.

Eventually, the guard looked at me with a curious gaze.

…Did my suit look cheap to him? Even though it was an expensive outfit that Catherine bought for me.

Well, I understood.

Since it was a periodic party, only those invited were supposed to come.

I hadn’t seen anyone like him in the news. If a stranger showed up saying they were here for the party, I would have been suspicious too.

But my invitation was genuine. It was a genuine item obtained from Black Monolith Corporation, not a forgery.

“…I apologize, sir. You may enter inside.”

I replied vaguely as I took back the invitation handed to me by the guard.

I passed by his side and entered the hotel.

Since my identity wasn’t that of a real corporate executive, my actions naturally became cautious as well.

Even though the chances of me getting caught were slim, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

[The probability that the individual we just encountered is ‘Smile John’ is 2%.]

Eve informed me through the visual interface.

2%.

It was a somewhat vague figure to say something.

But then again, it was difficult to calculate the probability when the individual was of the same gender or had a similar voice.

According to what Information Overflow mentioned, Smile John was supposed to be a participant at the party.

I wondered if it was even necessary to check on the hotel staff.

But since Eve was doing it for me, I didn’t pay much attention.

With that thought in mind, I walked towards the banquet hall.

A very small and subtle classical tune played throughout the banquet hall.

As it was still earlier than the time indicated on the invitation, there weren’t many people inside the banquet hall.

I didn’t know how many people were invited to the party, but it was estimated to be less than 100.

I looked around.

Some people were gathered in groups, chatting, while others sat in luxurious chairs, answering calls or managing schedules through holograms.

On large tables scattered around, various types of dishes were arranged.

All of them seemed to be made from natural ingredients.

It didn’t seem like you shouldn’t eat them.

However, I didn’t see anyone eating.

Most people were just accepting wine glasses brought by waiters and sipping them.

…Can I eat?

No, pull yourself together.

Whatever the reason, I came here for it.

It was to find out the true identity of ‘Smile John’, who was supposed to attend the party.

There was only one thing I had to do now.

…

I casually moved towards the table with dishes laid out.

One hand was already holding a plate.

This was definitely not because I wanted to eat.

It was the best option to eavesdrop on conversations nearby.

I shouldn’t stand out too much.

Although I kept quite a distance from those engaged in conversations, there was no problem.

Because I had a competent AI with me.

I muttered softly.

“Eve, can you eavesdrop on the conversations of people nearby?”

[I will check. However, for accurate data measurement, conversations too far away are not possible.]

Eve informed me.

“That’s fine. I’ll just keep moving around then.”

As I loaded up my plate with food, my attention shifted to the back.

After a while, unfamiliar voices began to echo in my mind.

[If LAD’s new product is so popular in the lower levels, you say?]

[Hehe, your praise is too much. Of course, we’ve already surpassed last year’s sales.]

[Indeed, there’s a reason they say you have to capture the market from the lower levels. Even if it’s the lower levels, they’re not entirely useless, you know.]

[Although our company initially started from animal feed…]

And then Eve’s voice followed.

[Each with a likelihood of 3% and 5%, respectively.]

I can’t expect to hit the jackpot on the first try.

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]

I continued to move around, trying to cover as much ground as possible.

If I kept wandering like this, I felt like I could find Smile John soon enough.

I started filling my plate with various dishes, trying to position myself where I could discreetly eavesdrop on people’s conversations.

“…Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

In the process, a waiter seemed to give me a suspicious look and approached me with a question.

But it wasn’t a big issue.

I kept moving. However, as time passed, the number of people inside the banquet hall increased.

[This individual is at 1%.]

“This individual is the one we confirmed earlier.”

[5% and 7%, respectively.]

It’s really hard to find him. It was a more difficult task than I had thought.

“Hmm…”

Without realizing it, I let out a sigh.

And there was another problem I hadn’t anticipated.

“…I can’t do this.”

[What’s wrong? I ask.]

“I’m going to burst from eating too much…”

[…?]

It was too much for me to keep moving around while grabbing more food.

I had tried my best not to look suspicious, but I had never eaten such lavish cuisine in my life.

Now that it had come to this, there was no choice.

I might have to wait for the Mono Corp. employee who was supposed to help me.

It seemed better to rely on that person’s assistance.

I should take a break.

So, I grabbed a plate and sat down on a chair, resting for a moment.

While I was doing that, a stranger suddenly approached me.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

There shouldn’t be anyone here who knows me. Except for Mono Corp., I rarely received commissions from any other company.

He was a man who looked Oriental.

There were braille-like tattoos on his face, but despite his rough appearance, he had a different impression when he smiled.

But how should I respond?

When I answered, he asked me a question.

“Excuse me for asking, but you seem to be of Asian descent. May I ask your name?”

His sharp eyes were fixed on me.

…Hmm.

Should I give him my real name? Or should I give him a pseudonym? And if I go with a pseudonym, what name should I use?

I was so flustered that I gave an answer that was correct in both cases.

“…I’m Shun Lee.”

“Oh, you’re of Chinese descent.”

No.

“I’m a member of the Heishukai, and my name is Hei Lu, in charge of tactical operations.”

Heishukai was a company almost equivalent to the Chinese mafia, the Triad, in the cyberpunk world.

To be honest, he wasn’t someone I wanted to have a long conversation with.

“Ah, I see… Well then, I’ll─”

As I tried to escape, Hei Lu continued speaking.

“Excuse me for asking one more question?”

“…Go ahead.”

“Have you recently visited Center Plaza on a rainy day?”

I didn’t know why he was asking such a random question.

But regardless of that, the atmosphere between us became sharp.

Center Plaza on a rainy day.

Of course, I had been there.

It was the day I met Maya.

But why was he curious about that?

Without answering, I just looked at him.

But Hei Lu continued to speak alone.

“At that time, one of our Heishukai employees, a mercenary named Hei Wang, was involved in an accident.”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant to me.”

“Oh, the employee’s name is Hei Wang. But you see when we extracted and analyzed the data from the deceased employee’s brain, it seemed like he had seen your face.”

I still didn’t get it.

What did that have to do with me, and why was he holding me here to talk?

Frankly speaking, in the cyberpunk world where cosmetic surgery technology was highly advanced, it wasn’t difficult to steal someone’s face.

[Hei Wang.]

Then, Eve spoke.

[He was one of Heishukai’s combat mercenaries, who recently escaped from Pelicanus, one of the individuals killed by Maya at Center Plaza, known as Chrome Psycho.]

“Oh…”

I remembered.

“Um, was the staff member wrapped in military-grade chrome?”

“He was a promising combat mercenary, so of course.”

He was the one Maya referred to as Chrome.

It was a situation that could be misunderstood.

Maya attacked him from behind.

And I was the last person he saw before he died.

And the remaining surveillance camera data would have been deleted by Eve.

Wait a minute.

Is this a situation where I should escape?

That thought crossed my mind.

Smile John, whom I was supposed to meet, was nowhere to be seen.

And unexpectedly, I got tangled up with a Chinese mafia company.

Escaping from the upper floors would be tough.

“So, if you don’t mind, please come with us.”

Hei Lu expressed in a formal tone that he would put me in concrete and immerse me in the lake bottom.

How should I handle this situation?

Just as I was pondering over it,

That’s when I heard a woman’s voice.

“Do you have any business with my companion?”

The first thing I noticed was her petite stature.

About the height of my chest, I guess.

But inexplicably, there was an aura of dignity about her, regardless of her height.

Her deep purple hair fluttered.

Feeling flustered, I found myself asking before Hei Lu.

“…Who are you?”

“Is this the first time you’ve seen me in this form? It’s me.”

Eyes that recognized me.

And a tone of voice that changed according to the body.

“…Madam Chairman?”

The most reliable person has arrived.

Why he came in a new body, I’m not sure.

But he’s also the most daunting person.

I thought you were busy…

****

[Translator – Late Dreamer]

[Proofreader – Seeker]