Chapter 51

After the battle came to an end.

I slowly scanned the battlefield and asked,

“Who’s the leader here?”

Of course, no one was going to obediently answer that. I immediately deployed the [Lv.3 Trauma Biometric Scanner] module through my ocular implant and scanned the faces of the fallen androids.

Target: Android

Serial Number: FT-12592

Manufacturer: Roman Corporation

Notes: Reported missing.

Target: Android

Serial Number: FT-58212

Manufacturer: Roman Corporation

Notes: Suspected of killing owner. Wanted by the police.

‘All androids. Hard to pinpoint which one was the leader.’

From external factors alone, it seemed impossible to determine who the ringleader was. However, after linking the scanner to the network to pull up information, some interesting details began to surface.

‘Reported missing and wanted for murdering their owner, huh.’

Which meant—malfunctioning units.

In other words, all of them were androids that had awakened a ‘sense of self.’

Ciel had been a Transmigrator before becoming an android, so excluding her, this was the first time I’d encountered ‘real’ androids with genuine self-awareness.

The exact circumstances of the incident were becoming more obscure, but my personal curiosity was piqued. Still, this wasn’t exactly the time to leisurely enjoy the wonders of a futuristic world.

“Maria.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Handle this matter quietly.”

“Understood.”

Regardless of the truth behind the incident, the fact remained that androids had attacked the place where VVIPs were staying and had even attempted a kidnapping.

In an age where android rights were already worth less than a stray dog’s, if word of this got out, the situation would spiral beyond any hope of containment.

Not that I cared about android rights in the slightest.

But events involving androids weren’t supposed to happen now—they needed to occur later. I didn’t want the flow to be disrupted.

‘Besides, I’ve been stirring up too much trouble lately.’

It wasn’t long ago that I staged an attack using back-alley mercenaries and thwarted the Titan raid incident.

If this incident were added on top of an already heightened media spotlight, the tabloid press would be practically salivating.

Well, in any case—

For now, quietly cleaning this up was the priority.

Then I should think about it.

‘Act 2, Part 1: Junk Chip Incident. Act 3, Part 1: Android Uprising. And behind both, the cult Ashita-kyo…’

Androids and Junk Chips.

Most likely, Ashita-kyo was also behind this incident. There was even a high chance that a Transmigrator was directly involved.

‘But I don’t know their motive.’

In Act 3, Part 1, Ashita-kyo had instigated an android rebellion inside the Academy to spread their Purist, anti-machinery ideology—

The absurd belief that excessive technological and scientific advancement would only lead humanity to ruin.

But this time, the incident seemed to have nothing to do with that goal.

‘Selling Junk Chips and disguising androids as corporate security to kidnap VIPs? What could they possibly gain from that?’

For money?

No—if that were the case, there was no need to show up so boldly on site. Targeting corporate VIPs would only damage their position.

To spread ideology and grow their ranks?

No—if so, they would have been more thorough about hiding their identities. Yet even a rookie dealer like Ciel, who had only just opened business with them, had immediately heard the name “Ashita-kyo,” even if only as a rumor.

A cult that manufactured illegal drugs? Who in their right mind would willingly join that?

‘And if a Transmigrator really was involved, why didn’t they show up at all in Act 1, Part 1?’

Shouldn’t they have taken some risks to approach Iri or the other main characters to rack up points?

But Act 1, Part 1 ended with me hogging almost all the contribution points.

Why was that?

“……”

I came up with several hypotheses, but none of them were decisive enough to shout, “This is it!”

In the end, I needed more information.

“Maria. Have you found out where they got that Junk Chip from?”

“I’m sorry. I was in the middle of persuading them when the attack happened…”

Maria briefly summarized what had happened before I arrived.

Apparently, the youngest member of the delinquent group, a boy named Edward, had acquired the Junk Chip.

His sudden abnormal behavior.

And then, the androids suddenly barging in, posing as a security team.

“Hm. Edward, you said?”

“Yes.”

Currently, he was receiving first aid from the guards stationed at the main gate.

His injuries looked severe, but with this world’s technology, it wasn’t life-threatening. By tomorrow, he’d probably show up with a brand-new face, just like a certain “cyborg policeman.”

“We should take him to the hospital first.”

“Yes. I’ll contact his guardian.”

“And check with New Life Corporation to see if they’ve had any equipment stolen recently. If not, track down where they got their hands on something like that.”

“Understood. I’ll assign a Wizard.”

Depending on the model, androids were generally resistant to torture or threats—unlike humans. Rather than wasting effort, it was far more efficient to have a Wizard crack open their memory.

“And the next thing…”

Finding other clues.

I used the scanner to re-examine the now-calm scene, thinking there might be something I’d overlooked.

And sure enough—

I found something that could serve as a clue.

“What… what’s this?”

Edward, was it?

The guards who had been tending to him muttered, having found something embedded in the socket near his head.

“……”

“Let me take a look.”

At my signal, Maria approached Edward again to inspect the socket. I moved to stand beside her, and the guards stepped aside as if nervous.

“As I thought, I wasn’t seeing things.”

“That Junk Chip?”

“It seems so.”

Maria picked up the Junk Chip from earlier and compared its shape to the object lodged in the back of Edward’s neck.

Then she spoke.

“No… this is a slightly different type.”

“I want to check it properly.”

“Understood.”

Maria connected a cable to another socket on Edward and began manipulating something. Soon, with a click! the chip that couldn’t be removed manually popped out of the slot.

Placing the two Junk Chips side by side, there was indeed a subtle difference, just as Maria had said.

If the first Junk Chip I’d picked up earlier had a red triangle with ‘two’ dots, this one had only ‘one’ dot.

Probably the same series of Junk Chips.

The number of dots might mark Part 1 and Part 2.

Of course, I’d have to check the contents to be sure, but I didn’t exactly want to stick a suspicious chip like that into my head.

“For now, recover both and analyze—”

It happened then.

As I was giving Maria instructions and receiving both Junk Chips—

“I know you, Aaron Stingray.”

A voice that pierced my ears.

It wasn’t just me who heard it.

The sudden voice froze everyone in place, and they looked around to see where it came from.

“Where is that voice coming from…?”

And soon, we found the culprit.

Shockingly, the voice came from none other than Edward himself. The boy who, until moments ago, had been unconscious and bleeding, now spoke in a gravelly voice that was impossible to believe came from him.

“Young Master!”

“W-what the hell is going on?”

“Hey! What’s wrong with you?!”

Everyone reacted with their own brand of shock.

But Edward ignored them all and stared only at me. Blood streamed down his forehead, yet he looked unfazed, his eyes fixed on mine as he spoke.

“Do not interfere with me any further. This is a warning.”

“A warning?”

At the same time as my question—

BOOM-! BOOM-! BOOM-!

All the androids that had been lying collapsed around the living room suddenly exploded. Their heads had been blown off.

“Y-Young Master Aaron… what on earth…?”

“Calm down.”

Maria, unusually for her, was flustered, but I forced myself to remain composed. Obviously, this incident had nothing to do with the main story.

In other words—it was the work of another Transmigrator.

‘Controlling the body?’

Controlling it?

An image flashed through my mind. The ability of the original protagonist, Shade Wells.

“…Who are you?”

“I told you—you don’t need to know.”

Just then—

My ocular scanner caught a glint in the distance. My body reacted instinctively.

I raised my arm to shield my forehead just as something shattered the window and came flying toward me.

Thud!

A heavy impact reverberated through my arm.

A moment later, the sound of gunfire followed from afar, and the bullet—unable to pierce my subdermal armor—fell to the floor with a metallic clink.

“A sniper?!”

“Everyone, take cover!”

The guards hurriedly evacuated the boys. Maria also urged me to take cover, but I wasn’t about to listen.

I spoke coldly to Edward—or rather, the mysterious entity occupying his body.

“You think you can get away with this?”

“Hahaha. This is your defeat…”

The intruder replied with a sinister laugh.

Then, as if the connection had been severed, Edward collapsed unconscious again.

‘Defeat…? Wait!’

It was only then that I realized something from his strange parting words.

The two Junk Chips in my hand were beginning to smoke. The smell of burning plastic stung my nose.

‘An electric round?’

It hadn’t done much to my body, but the strong current had traveled through my arm like a wire and burned out the chips.

‘Tsk. So the chips were the target from the start.’

Now it all made sense.

The kidnapping attempt hadn’t been for a person—it had been for the Junk Chips. There must have been something inside them that couldn’t be allowed to fall into other hands.

‘This is… a problem.’

It was possible—no, highly probable—that the culprit had gotten their hands on ‘the protagonist’s ability.’

“Maria. This is an emergency.”

Of course, it could just be my imagination running wild.

But bad hunches like this rarely turned out wrong.

I issued my orders immediately.

“Step up the current crackdown on Junk Chips in the Academy. Inform the other sponsor companies and work with them to make sure nothing like this gets distributed.”

“Of course, Young Master.”

“If any students are caught in the crackdown, gather every single one of them for separate management. And…”

In my mind, the story of the original work was rearranging itself like puzzle pieces in real time. Characters, foreshadowing, and events intertwined like a living organism to form a new hypothesis.

“Find and capture the guy called Silence. Real name Park Tae-jun, third year in the Tactical Combat Department. If there’s no charge, make one up and arrest him.”

“Understood.”

Originally, I’d planned to take my time and bring him over to my side, but there was no time for that now. For the moment, I just needed him in custody.

If the situation hadn’t spiraled like this, I wouldn’t have resorted to such heavy-handed tactics. A bit of regret lingered, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Contact me as soon as you catch Silence. Make sure, by any means necessary, that he doesn’t leave the Academy. And assign separate surveillance to the two members of the Special Class as well…”

“…Young Master.”

A flicker of unease crossed Maria’s eyes as she listened to me.

By then, I was already certain—something unusual was happening inside the Academy.

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