chsdbacks Chapter 1718: We found him... dead inside his shop just now.
Chapter 1718: We found him... dead inside his shop just now.
As soon as the Beta Soldiers’ visors synchronised with the central network, streams of information flooded across their displays.A profile of the black-hat individual appeared alongside threat markers, location history, and priority alerts. The moment the identification protocol finished processing, every unit within the city received the same directive: locate and report the suspect immediately upon sighting.
Among the Beta Soldiers operating inside the city, one particular unit froze upon seeing the image.
"Isn’t that... Boom Guy?" one mech-suit soldier muttered as he stared at the holographic profile floating inside his visor.
"Yeah, that’s him," another replied, disbelief evident in his voice. "The same idiot who practically announced to the entire world that he’d shit himself. Are we seriously looking at the same guy? Don’t tell me he was connected to the Slave all this time."
Several soldiers exchanged uneasy glances before their attention shifted toward their Leader.
Unlike the others, he remained completely motionless, staring at the information displayed before him.
"Sir?"
Only then did the Leader snap out of his thoughts.
"Prepare yourselves," he ordered. "We’re moving to capture him."
"Should we inform the Commander first?" one of the soldiers suggested. "If he’s connected to that monster slave, requesting backup seems like the smarter option."
The Leader remained silent for several seconds before shaking his head.
"We verify the situation first. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary."
"Sir?"
"That’s an order," the Leader replied coldly.
The sharpness in his voice immediately silenced everyone.
The soldiers stiffened. They had never seen their Leader this furious before. Something had clearly happened that they were unaware of, and none of them were foolish enough to ask further questions. Without another word, the unit followed behind him.
Several minutes later, they arrived at a narrow alley hidden between towering buildings. Neon projected from the surrounding walls, casting shifting colours across the wet pavement.
The group approached the familiar pawn shop.
"Sir, it’s closed," one of the subordinates reported as he glanced at the digital CLOSED sign hanging behind the glass.
The Leader ignored him and stepped forward as the entrance slid apart with a mechanical hum.
The moment they entered, every soldier stopped.
The shop was empty.
Display shelves stood barren. Storage cabinets had been cleared out.
"Did he evacuate the entire shop?" one subordinate asked, shock filling his voice. "Don’t tell me the old man was involved with the Slave too."
As the soldiers spread out to investigate, searching for either the owner or the black-hat young man, a sudden shout echoed through the shop.
"SIR!!"
The Leader immediately turned toward the voice.
His eyes narrowed.
The register counter had been smashed apart. Dried crimson stains covered the broken surface, and fragments of shattered furniture littered the floor.
One of the subordinates stood frozen nearby.
The soldier slowly pointed forward.
The old man’s body was laid on the ground.
His neck had been twisted completely backwards.
A framed family photograph had been carefully placed on his chest.
"..."
The Leader stared at the corpse for several long seconds before slowly crouching down. Reaching forward, he picked up the photo frame and studied the smiling family captured within it.
For a brief moment, something flickered behind his cold expression.
"In the end," he said quietly,
"You were killed by the very people you spent your life protecting."
His gaze lingered on the photograph.
"You always believed it was the right thing to do. You always chose to help when everyone else walked away."
The Leader lowered his head slightly.
"How tragic. You were given countless opportunities to choose differently, yet you never abandoned your convictions.
Perhaps that is what makes this ending so cruel."
He murmured the words so quietly that none of his subordinates managed to hear them clearly. Although they could not understand what he had said, they immediately sensed the sadness hidden within his voice.
"Do you think that Boom boy killed him and ran away?" one of the soldiers asked through the squad’s separate communication channel while staring at the old man’s corpse.
"That is definitely possible," another soldier replied, "The shop was emptied, the owner is dead."
"Maybe a thief?"
"Hm... It’s not impossible, but considering the boy connected to the slave and this old man was involved with them."
"Yeah... What should we do now? If he is really connected to the Slave, then this situation might be much bigger than we initially thought."
While the subordinates quietly exchanged theories among themselves, their Leader remained standing beside the body without moving.
After several moments of silence, he finally issued his orders.
"Contact the medical division immediately and request a priority response. I want a complete autopsy performed as soon as possible, and I want every single detail reported directly to me without exception."
"Understood, Sir!"
The subordinates immediately acknowledged the order and began transmitting requests through the city network.
Without wasting any further time, the Leader turned and departed from the pawn shop.
His destination was the Beta Tower.
After receiving clearance from the guards stationed at the entrance, the Leader entered the building and made his way toward the Command Centre.
The Commander was studying a massive holographic projection of the black-hat young man. Numerous black data lines extended from the image and connected to various locations, incidents, and unidentified variables as the analytical systems attempted to determine the true extent of his involvement.
"Commander."
The Commander continued examining the hologram for several seconds before responding.
"What matter is important enough for you to request a direct audience, Unit Five Leader?"
The Leader inhaled slowly before speaking.
"My unit encountered that young man before, Sir."
The Commander’s head immediately turned toward him.
"You encountered him before?"
The seriousness in his voice caused several nearby analysts to look up from their work.
"Yes, Sir."
"Where is he now, and were you able to obtain a clear view of his face?"
The Leader lowered his head slightly.
"Please forgive me, Sir, but there are details you need to hear before I answer those questions. The encounter occurred shortly before the Zoo Massacre took place...."
The Commander remained silent and gestured for him to continue.
The Leader then explained everything from beginning to end. He described how his unit had encountered the black-hat young man.
When the explanation finally ended, a heavy silence settled throughout the room.
The Commander folded his arms and stared at him for several moments before speaking.
"So you allowed him to leave despite the fact that he possessed no official identification records whatsoever, and you chose not to complete the standard verification procedures required by protocol."
The Leader immediately felt the pressure behind those words.
"S-Sir, the situation was more c-complicated than it appeared at the time. I... I... I believed that—"
"What exactly are you hesitating to say?" the Commander interrupted sharply. "You had better tell me the complete truth before I decide that your judgment is no longer suitable for your position."
At that moment, bright pink particles emerged from the Commander’s suit and drifted through the air like glowing embers. The sudden surge of energy caused everyone nearby to tense instinctively.
The Leader swallowed nervously before forcing himself to answer.
"I-I am sorry, Sir, but the reason I let him go was because of the... old man."
The Commander narrowed his eyes.
"What old man are you referring to?"
The Leader hesitated briefly before answering.
"The man who secretly helped the slum dwellers survive inside the city. The same man whose arm was severed and whose entire family was publicly executed by the President himself years ago because he refused to stop helping them."
The Commander froze.
For several seconds, he did not say a single word.
When he finally spoke again, his voice had become noticeably less stable than before.
"Are you talking about the pawn shop owner?"
The Leader nodded.
"The former analyst, data modifier... and... The Ex-Beta Commander?"
"Yes, Sir."
"T-The man who sacrificed his career... h-his family, and ultimately... his future?"
The Commander’s voice trembled noticeably as he spoke, a rare display of emotion that did not go unnoticed.
Across the control centre, several veteran personnel abruptly stopped what they were doing and turned toward him in shock.
The Leader could not understand why the Commander’s voice sounded almost shaken, but he answered nonetheless.
"Yes, Sir. That is the same man."
A grim expression formed beneath his visor.
"We found him... dead inside his shop just now."
The Commander fell completely silent as the Unit Five Leader finished speaking.
Memories of the old man began surfacing one after another, forcing their way through the walls he had spent years building around himself.
He remembered the countless times the old man had corrected his mistakes when he was still a reckless young recruit who believed strength alone could solve every problem.
He remembered the advice that had guided him through the darkest period of his life, and he remembered the patient smile that always appeared whenever someone needed help.
More than anything else, he remembered the man who had taught him that a person deserved a second chance, even after making mistakes that seemed impossible to forgive.
The old man had saved many lives throughout his lifetime, but few people knew how many futures he had quietly protected behind the scenes. Without that man’s guidance and support, the Commander knew he would never have reached the position he occupied today.
A painful ache formed within his chest as tears slowly gathered behind his visor, but years of discipline prevented them from falling. He stood motionless for several seconds while staring at the Unit Five Leader, struggling to suppress the grief and rage threatening to overwhelm his thoughts.
When he finally spoke again, every trace of emotion had vanished from his voice.
"And the culprit? Based on everything you have witnessed personally, do you believe that boy is responsible for the old man’s death?"
The Unit Five Leader immediately shook his head.
"No, Sir. We do not possess enough evidence to make that conclusion with certainty. However, he was the last suspicious individual known to have interacted with the old man, and... his connection to the Slave criminal cannot be ignored. Considering everything we currently know, it is entirely possible that he used the old man to acquire an identification card before escaping beyond the city borders."
The Commander remained silent while carefully processing the information.
After several moments of consideration, the Commander raised his gaze and looked directly at the Unit Five Leader.
"You have personally seen his face and can identify him without relying solely upon database records, correct?"
"Yes, Sir. I can identify him immediately if I encounter him again."
The Commander slowly nodded before issuing his next order.
"In that case, I am assigning this investigation directly to Unit Five. Effective immediately, your team will investigate every suspicious incident reported near the city borders during the past several days. I am personally authorising your unit to access restricted records, inspect suspicious individuals, and pursue any lead connected to this suspect regardless of where it takes you."
The Unit Five Leader straightened his posture as soon as he heard the order.
"Understood, Sir."
The Commander continued speaking in a cold, mechanical tone without hesitation.
"Find that boy and bring him before me, whether he arrives alive... or dead. Is that understood, Unit Five Leader?"
"UNDERSTOOD, SIR!"
The Unit Five Leader slammed his fist against his armoured chest in salute. Brilliant pink energy strips immediately illuminated the surface of his suit.
The Commander watched him leave before turning back toward the enormous holographic display dominating the center of the control room.
The image of the black-hat young man rotated slowly in the air.
For a long time, he simply stared at the hidden face.
The old man’s smile continued appearing within his memories, making the grief inside him burn even hotter.
"It does not matter who you are," the Commander said quietly while staring at the image.
"You could be human, monster... or something entirely beyond our understanding, and none of those answers would change what comes next."
His voice gradually hardened as the anger he had been suppressing finally began surfacing.
"If you truly played a role in My Teacher’s death, then I will personally hunt you down and make you answer for it.
The old man spent his entire life protecting people who could never repay his kindness, and I refuse to allow his death to become another forgotten statistic buried within a database."
The holographic image reflected across his visor while his fists slowly tightened at his sides.
"For what was done to him, I will ensure you regret the day you laid your hands upon him."
BOOMMM!
As he stomped the ground, the metal ground cracked under the force.
Meanwhile, the person currently being threatened was peacefully asleep on a couch without the slightest trace of concern on his face.
Until,
"Achoo!"
Young Aether suddenly sneezed and snapped awake. He rubbed his nose absentmindedly while blinking several times, his mind still clouded by sleep.
"Oh shit, he woke up!!"
Aether blinked with groggy eyes before turning toward the source of the voice. The first thing he saw was a gorgeous young woman staring at him in shock while holding a feather wand that looked more suited for teasing a cat than dealing with an actual person.
[+1000 AP]