Pick me Up – Chapter 257 – Requiem (3)
Creak.
Upon reaching the end of the stairs, part of the metal corridor shook, making an unsettling noise.
I held my breath, concealed my presence, and began to walk stealthily down the hallway.
‘Let’s organize the thoughts.’
At 2 a.m., there will be a meeting of the high command on the upper deck of the cruise ship.
There, the ending of Dorado will be projected. If I could discover that ending, I would obtain a crucial clue about El Cid.
Of course, there are some problems.
The first is that security is extremely tight.
The second is that an access card is needed to enter the upper deck.
Even if I can evade the guards, I can’t get through the door to the upper deck without swiping the access card.
‘Access card.’
I remembered the wall clock I saw in the banquet hall.
9:45 p.m. There are approximately four hours until 2 a.m.
Although I don’t have all the time in the world, if I take too long, I will fail. I can’t guarantee there will be another opportunity. I must obtain the clue somehow on this occasion.
“Who are you?”
I turned my head.
At the end of the exterior hallway of the cabin, a guard in a bulletproof uniform had his hand on his pistol’s holster.
The guard, still on alert, spoke.
“Don’t come any closer. This is a restricted area.”
“……Hmm.”
I followed that arrogant guy here.
It seems this place is not accessible to everyone.
“I got lost. What’s here?”
“It’s the VIP lounge.”
“VIP?”
Was I supposed to know that?
I smiled slightly.
If I make noise here, it will quickly spread outside.
He must be confident.
“If you understand, leave. If you do anything suspicious, I’ll call for reinforcements.”
“…….”
It’s not hard to neutralize this guy.
But if I act clumsily and Mobius finds out, this will become problematic.
I sighed and raised my hands.
“Turn around and walk slowly. The banquet hall’s elevator is up the stairs.”
The distance between us was about 30 meters.
He moved skillfully. From drawing his gun to shooting, it will take about 0.1 seconds.
Even if he misses, the sound of the shot will be the end.
“Alright. I’m leaving.”
“If you come closer, I’ll shoot.”
The guard drew his pistol and aimed it at me.
I turned around and walked towards the exit with my hands up.
I slightly moved my right index finger.
Bzzz.
A black hole opened behind the guard.
“……?!”
Boom!
The Bifröst sheath struck the back of the guard’s head.
The guard fell to the floor with blood gushing out. I slowly approached the guard lying in the hallway.
‘Let’s see.’
A gun and a radio.
Is this cylindrical component a silencer?
I took his belongings and threw the man outside.
The guy fell into the dark sea.
‘Seems like I won’t need to use the sword.’
I’ve never fired a gun, but I know how to use it.
You simply point the barrel and pull the trigger.
Bzzz.
I moved my finger once more.
Bifröst disappeared from where it was.
I mounted the silencer on the gun, then opened the door and entered.
“Hmm?”
I met the gaze of a guard who was in the hallway.
“Who……?”
Bang.
I shot him between the eyebrows.
The guard fell into the hallway without making a sound.
Disappointing. If the level of the bodyguards is like this, their rank can’t be very high.
Leaving the narrow hallway, a wide lobby appeared.
There were no guards here. But surveillance cameras surrounded the lobby, leaving no blind spots.
‘…….’
I hit the wall next to the hallway door and jumped lightly.
I adhered to the ceiling and began to walk upside down on the surface of the ceiling.
Although there were no blind spots below, there were above.
I passed through without problems.
Although I encountered some more guards ahead, each time I shot them.
When I emptied a full magazine, I reached a luxuriously decorated door.
Soft laughter could be heard from inside.
I opened the door abruptly and entered.
A blonde young man was drinking in a luxurious lounge.
“……?”
Right next to the door, there was one.
Bang. Without turning the gun, I pulled the trigger.
In front of the pool on the left side of the lounge, there were three. One playing chess at the table. Another watching the security cameras. Another aiming a gun at me.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
I cleared the left side of the lounge by shooting randomly.
The pistol’s recoil was not an obstacle for me.
“Damn it!”
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
One of the guys on the right fired a rifle at my face.
[This hero is immune to physical attacks!]
[This hero is immune to physical attacks!]
[This hero is immune to…….]
Bang.
That was the end.
I threw the gun and approached the blonde young man trembling behind the sofa.
“How……?”
“The access card, where is it?”
“The guards……”
“Where is the access card?”
“Do you think you’ll get away with this? I’m an employee of Mobius! A mere teacher like you has no idea of his place! How dare you cause a commotion in the company’s facilities? Even if you’ve gained the director’s favor, this cannot be ignored! The enforcers will find you and tear you apart!”
I responded with an indifferent voice.
“It doesn’t matter much.”
“Doesn’t matter? How can it not matter? In an invitation……!”
“The director said he would make me his right hand, didn’t he? He will overlook this incident.”
If this person were truly important, he would have a personal bodyguard.
Like Alpha Zero. I can see at a glance that his secretary, Sijel, is very powerful.
“If you say something convincing, I’ll let you go. Isn’t that right?”
“……?”
“Isn’t that right?”
I hit the young man’s knee.
With a crack, his knee bent backward.
“Aaaah!”
“Right?”
I smiled and searched his suit pockets.
I quickly found the access card.
“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”
The young man rolled on the floor crying and sniffling.
Though he screamed, he looked at me with hatred.
“Damn son of…… Not only did you wreck my limited-edition Lamborghini during the event……”
Crack.
I hit his face with my heel.
The young man trembled and then lay still.
‘Still, there’s the cleanup.’
I concentrated the energy in my hand.
Crack! From my fingertips, red lightning emerged, and a black hole opened.
Subdimensional space. An additional technique I learned by increasing my mastery over gravity.
Fuuuung!
Everything in the lounge was absorbed by the black hole.
Even the drops of blood, the weapons, and the bodies.
I walked through the hallway and absorbed the bodies I found.
Outside, on the railing of the exterior hallway.
I opened my hand.
The black hole opened again, throwing the trash into the sea.
‘No evidence remains.’
I waited.
I stored the access card and climbed the stairs.
Although security on the upper floors of the cruise ship was tight, I advanced by avoiding the guards’ attention and finding gaps.
At the entrance to the seventh floor, I swiped the access card through the metal door’s reader.
Beep.
The reader’s red light turned green.
I opened the door and entered the seventh floor of the cruise ship.
‘The time now is…… 1 a.m.’
I checked the ship’s map I had stolen from one of the guards while walking.
Although I crossed paths with an employee, he passed by without knowing anything.
It was to be expected. I had changed into a guard uniform and wore a dark blue cap tightly fitted.
Inside, security was surprisingly lax.
I entered the meeting room without problems.
In the meeting room with a round table, there was no one.
It was not yet time for the meeting.
I examined the entire meeting room.
On the round table, there was a projector to play videos.
In front of it, a long screen was installed. This is where they plan to project the ending of Dorado.
I examined the meeting room again.
Besides the projector and screen, it was an ordinary meeting room, but there was a vent in one corner.
I jumped and opened the vent cover. It was a bit dirty, but it seemed large enough to hide in. The vent’s angle matched the screen. If I get in here and close the cover, I could see the screen without being discovered.
‘Do I have to do all this?’
For a moment, I felt doubt, but I had already come this far, so I had no choice.
I got into the vent. The dust and stale smell overwhelmed me.
I decided to wait for the people to gather, watching the clock in the meeting room.
Five minutes before 2 a.m.
About ten people were sitting around the table, murmuring.
It seemed almost everyone was there, but the seats at the head of the table and just to the left were empty. The head seat was probably Alpha Zero’s, and the seat to the left belonged to the guy I killed.
“Again with the El Cid topic? That’s already over. This is boring.”
A middle-aged man with a prominent belly murmured.
The other Mobius executives also began to complain incessantly.
The commotion quieted when the side door of the meeting room opened.
‘That guy is……’
It was Sijel, the director’s personal secretary.
Sijel walked firmly towards the head of the table.
“Where is the director? It’s time for the meeting.”
“His health has suddenly deteriorated, so he is resting.”
“Then, the meeting……?”
Sijel shook her head.
“We will have to postpone it. I apologize for the inconvenience. Please enjoy your vacation on the cruise.”
“Did we come here for nothing?”
“He had a sudden attack……”
Sijel lowered her gaze.
The executives clicked their tongues and left the meeting room.
‘……Wait.’
Did I just go through all this for nothing?
Sijel, who had stayed behind in the meeting room, began to organize the documents on the table.
Clack.
Suddenly, Sijel locked the meeting room door and lowered the window blinds.
“Come out, Loki.”
Sijel spoke in a low tone.
“…….”
With a push, I kicked the vent cover and jumped to the ground.
I dusted off my clothes.
“When did you know?”
“From the beginning.”
Sijel sighed deeply.
“It seems you’ve caused quite a bit of trouble. Killing the team leader of the 2nd management department on the cruise ship, did you really think we wouldn’t notice? Here, all of Alpha Zero’s movements are monitored. No one can escape, not even the director.”
Sijel placed the documents she had organized into a shredder next to the table.
Schrrrr. The shredded paper fell into the bag below.
‘So they knew everything?’
This is problematic.
I scratched the back of my head.
“Well, that person was guilty of insubordination. Anyway, he was going to be fired.”
Sijel laughed softly.
She walked to the water dispenser, filled a paper cup, and offered it to me.
I drank the water in one gulp.
“So, why did that person call me?”
I threw the paper cup into the trash can.
“He invited me on purpose, didn’t he? I don’t think it was for a celebration.”
“…….”
“If he does things like this, he must have something to tell me, right?”
Sijel glanced at me sideways.
Then, she began searching the wall behind the screen.
Clang.
With a slight vibration, the front wall turned.
“……Follow me.”
Sijel walked confidently towards the secret passage.
‘Were they testing me?’
If I hadn’t been able to reach the meeting room, would this have been canceled?
I don’t know.
I shrugged and followed her.
The narrow, dark corridor extended for a while.
Suddenly, the surroundings lit up.
A spacious room.
There were complex computers and monitors, cables lined up in rows.
There were also several devices whose purpose I didn’t know.
“This is that person’s office. After leaving the headquarters, he works here.”
“…….”
“He’ll be here soon.”
Creeeeek.
The sound of an old wheelchair.
I looked aside. A middle-aged man was approaching in a wheelchair.
He wore pink plush pajamas, with SD-style characters drawn on them.
‘That character is…….’
Bright blonde hair and green eyes.
Silver armor and a flaming sword.
Siris.
I held my forehead.
“……Loki.”
The director murmured as he met my gaze.
Sijel stood behind him and took the handles of the wheelchair.
“Siris-chan…… your cleavage……”
“…….”
“Bury my face in your chest!”
Sijel murmured with an expressionless face.
“He said he’s delighted to meet you.”
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