Cyber Extortion In 3024 [Part 2]

I stepped into the bus, and Yuki motioned for me to sit on the seat next to the driver's seat. I obliged and turned to look at the other people on it. I wondered if people spoke different languages or if the government had adopted one standardized language for all people.

I analyzed the magi-code Yuki had implemented on me, which had allowed me to translate their language for me and had let me speak theirs. Most people would fail to realize what I said was a translation, but expert linguists or skilled magi-coders wouldn't have a hard time realizing the fact. Once I had analyzed the magi-code on me, I found out the entire code had 3 bugs in it, a relatively lower number as compared to others. Bugs in software are not usually things that can be fixed on the go. Multiple revisions and updates are made to reduce them for optimization. They're something that may lie dormant in software but then be the source of great damage down the line. I secretly improved the software for translation and refactored it a little. Then I converted the code into quantum code, which is suitable and powerful for me to use.

"So, how was your day? Did you surprise people?"

"Oh totally. One guy lost a picture that was very important to him, and I recovered it for him."

"A picture? Of what?"

"Uhh, his wife. She died a few years ago, and he lost the picture."

"What do you mean by a picture, Hasumi?"

"What? Why is she suspecting such a generic thing? Is marriage not a thing anymore in the future!? No, no, that cannot be. I saw the memories of the businessman and the lady. They had both been married. Is it something about pictures? Are pictures obsolete? 

Since I did not have a very reliable information schema in my mind about this world, my mind raced past whatever memories I had retrieved from my victims. Suddenly, I stumbled upon the relevant information. Indeed, I had made a near-fatal mistake, one that attracted suspicion.

"It's called a picture of where I came from. I meant to say "Q-Daydreams.".

Q was a very famous company in this world, which developed immersive AR/VR environments that would capture your most important moments for you, use AI-driven NPC's that would mimic the people inside, and higher-end Q-daydreams also included sensors throughout the body to recreate sensations. It was a very popular choice for couples, especially since Q Technology had introduced a 4D printing machine to reconstruct such environments without the presence of a technical person. All of the data was stored in a small memory chip, which was written and encrypted in Q-Tech's very own programming language and scripts; therefore, it not only protected the company's business but also the client's privacy. This is what made recovering the lost or damaged data nearly impossible.

"What? You were even able to retrieve a "Q-daydream? Hasumi, that's so cool. How come you even have the ability to do this? You should have charged eight thousand EC's simply for that one service!"

"Well, you see. The thing is that umm."

"What is it?"

"I didn't take his money. He was a poor man with enough to keep going. The only Q-daydream he had was worth his life savings. It was a gift from him to his late wife. How can I charge him after something like that?"

As my feet sank deeper and deeper into the lies I was spitting in front of her, her eyes kept growing wider and wider from the admiration and respect she had developed for me. I knew that if the truth was ever going to come out, Yuki would never talk to me again. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh.

"I'll try tomorrow. With my skills, I'll be able to earn money in no time."

Only I knew that wasn't the case at all. My unique ability was so effective that using it openly, like Blanka had explained, was only going to put me at risk of being caught by the police, or worse, being killed or experimented on.

Once all of the drunk and drugged passengers had gotten off, Yuki parked the bus at the same spot as before next to the other buses, and we made our way to the abandoned warehouse hurriedly.

"Upon entering the underground neighborhood, I felt a little bit relieved. The sound of music rushed into my head, and I looked at Yuki, making me smile.

"What? Why're you smiling?"

"Well, I'm thankful you let me in here. What would have happened to me otherwise?"

"Nothing. People would call you a madman and put you in jail for the crime of claiming to be from the past. Or they would believe you and put you in a museum."

We began walking down the same road as before, but after a while I realized Yuki's speed was decreasing, and it was getting harder for me to walk next to her.

"Is anything the matter?"

"I just wanted to ask you if you really were a cybercriminal in the past. Did you really blow up a city? I saw it in your mind, but I didn't want to believe it at first. Tch."

"Does that make you regret saving me?"

"Yes, it was tough to look at you after finding out about your past. But I also know that you were a very kind child until the world showed you their ugliness. I want to bet I made the right decision to save you, because there was a time when I hated humans as much as you do."

"I want to change as well. I don't want to be known as evil anymore, Yuki."

Yuki looked at me intently.

"Hatred is a form of self-inflicted punishment. When you hate someone, the only thing you can do is let that person hurt you even more. I know you were hurt in the past, and the world was unlucky to find out it was a very powerful person who had come to hate it. But all that hatred did was change the person you were and make you do unimaginable things. You're not that kind of person, right, Hasumi?"

I felt like Yuki had opened me up and dissected my whole self. Even now, was it her intuition to lecture me on change right when I was on the brink of ruining two already troubled lives? Was she the push I needed to make a decision that was morally correct? When Tokyo had been hit by the bomb I had wrecked upon it, I had asked for one more chance—to live a better life and think beyond my own whims and desires. I had always made indecisive decisions based on my whims because the power I had possessed allowed me to do anything I wanted, and therefore careful planning and tight deadlines had no effect on me. However, was I sent here to grow beyond that and understand the meaning of my existence?

I lowered myself to face Yuki and looked at her intently.

"Yuki, I'm not the person I used to be. Please give me some time, and I'll prove it to you."

"Heh? What will you do to prove it?"

"I can't say. But for now, please do not lose faith in me. I promise, I won't let you down."

Yuki looked at me a little doubtfully. Still, although there was some sadness in her eyes, I could also see that she was hanging on. She had already faced pressure from the doctor for bringing me, a human, inside the underground neighborhood, which was a secret space under the city floor 27 where first-generation sentient androids had taken refuge from the cruelties of humanity. My presence and activities were already putting the secrecy of this place in danger. Yuki had already done too much too early, and it was up to me to prove how much I was deserving of her aid.

"You must be tired from the day working. Let's call it a day then, shall we?"

After Yuki had left, I walked towards Blanka's house. She was waiting for me to return and relay to her all of the information I had learned.

"You're late. You got lost, or what?"

"Forget about that; I wanted to discuss something important with you."

"Hmmm? You sound like an adult for some reason, so I'll hear you out."

As usual, Blanka's jokes belittled me.

"Look, I did gather information from two people, but I'm afraid we can't blackmail them."

"What? Why?"

"Because they're already being blackmailed by someone else."

I told Blanka the stories of both the victims whose minds I had read. She was both interested in hearing them out and also seemed in a hurry to move on to the main subject.

"Ok, big deal. Did you choose other targets then, or did you come back here without any exploitable weaknesses of people?"

"I've thought about it a little, and I've decided. The people who I want to blackmail are the ones who are the real problem-makers."

"Are you being robbed? Look, there's no time for that. Just find someone else. Look, I'm sure you can find bad guys out there as well, so be careful and get something from them instead, ok?"

"That's an option. But what about the businessman whose son is in danger because the loan shark is after him? What about the lady who doesn't know what her horrible boss might do next? I've decided that these are the people I choose to punish. They will be our prey."

"Hey, hey, hey. What's gotten into your mind? Weren't you being the devil just this morning? Did you grow angel wings or what? Did you find yourself guided in the middle of the 27th floor? That's bullshit!"

"Blanka, please leave it to me. I can do this. I already know the location of the loan shark. I saw the address in the man's memory. And I'm sure that lady will come back tomorrow at the same spot. She left, luckily, before the other guys could take their positions, but she'll definitely return. I can help them both. I will help them both."

"Alright, fine. If you want to do it your way, then go ahead. But if you get into any kind of trouble, remember, I won't help you. I can't help you once the authorities catch you."

"I'll return safely. I have to."

Most importantly, I had to confirm if I was actually regaining my humanity or if it was just another indecisive whip. Had I really changed, or was I just pretending to change? Why was I being this way? To find the answer to these questions, it was important for me to do good and indulge myself in it. I had to know if my heart had begun to clear up a little, and deep down, a part of me wanted that to be the case.

Thus, it was decided that tomorrow I was going to return to floor 27 and trace out the lady and the loan shark who had been threatening the man's son. I had no idea what I was going to do next, but taking the first step was going to be the deciding factor. Whatever was coming next, I had to prepare myself. I informed Yuki over the phone to meet up at the same spot tomorrow and entered the doctor's house, and he sat outside in the small front yard, next to the staircase, reading the evening paper.

"Hello there, doctor! Welcome back home."

"Oh, welcome home. Did your day go as planned?"

"Yeah. Totally."

"That's good to hear. Dinner is on the table. Eat it if you feel hungry. Didn't Yuki come inside?"

"She felt tired after working, so she went home directly."

""Ah, I made her favorite food, Főzelék."

The doctor waved at me and continued reading the paper.

"I went upstairs, into my room, and threw myself on the levitating bed."

Through the open window, I stared outside and up into the sky, which was pitch black. I was wondering if this space was magically created or existed physically under floor 27. How much maintenance it would need and why it hadn't been discovered yet. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

I woke up to the sound of an alarm and quickly got changed. Upon meeting up with Blanka, we went back to the boutique, which served as an exit to the outside world. Once we got there, I was about to open the door and step outside when a high-frequency sound that hurt my ears began to approach us out of nowhere, making us both turn. To my surprise, I saw a group of people with crazy hair colors, shirts, and tattoos too, riding what seemed like a version of a bike towards us.

The man in front, who looked the craziest, with long, spiky pink hair and a heavy gold necklace, shouted out to Blanka.

"Hey dolly! Are you up for a date?"

"Oh shit. Not him again."

"Who's he?"

"I'm just a wild guy who wants to make my life hell."

"How many times have I said to you, Sunny, I will? NOT, go on a date with you."

The biker came close to Blanka and, only seconds before hitting her, stopped his bike in front of her.

"I will keep asking you until eternity."

Blanka slapped the guy lightly and smirked.

"Get lost, Sunny. Do something productive for a change. All you do is waste the electricity that runs your toys."

By now, Sunny's attention had diverted towards me. My first impression of him was that he had very crooked teeth, and the skin on his hands had completely decayed and was falling off. I wasn't too keen on talking to him, but he made sure that wish of mine remained unfulfilled.

"Who're you, boy?"

His voice was high-pitched, and his skin was pale. Clearly, he didn't care about his outlook.

"Oh, I just work for Blanka."

It was better to not touch the chord of insecurity within him. He seemed like the type of guy who'd be jealous just because I was standing here with Blanka instead of him. This was something I could do nothing about.

"Hmmmm? What type of work do you do for her?"

"I make sure her supplies are all stocked up."

"Supplies. What type of supplies, eh?"

I had to think of something. If this guy Sunny had the confidence to speak so boldly with Blanka, it was safe to assume he knew a thing or two about her more than I did. It was hard to answer his questions, which seemed so nonsensical and still so direct.

"He makes sure I have all the necessary components for the gadgets we consider standard. A few androids have been running into trouble with their central shifting gear, and we want to check as many androids as possible; in case their gear malfunctions outside, their identity might become vulnerable."

"Ahh, good deeds, boy, good deeds. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you very much."

Thank God Blanka had come to my rescue. I hadn't thought of this at all, and she had handled it perfectly.

"Well then, bye, Blanka."

I waved her goodbye and was about to leave when, all of a sudden, at a very fast speed, Sunny got up from his seat and rushed towards me, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Wait."

He seemed very angry and disturbed.

"Blanka, what is the meaning of this?"

"What?"

"He's... you're a human, aren't you? What the heck are you doing here?"

Sunny had raised his voice and was almost screaming as he asked me the question. This turned a few heads that were walking around.

"Sunny, keep your voice low; I'll explain everything."

"Keep my voice low. Blanka, are you in your right mind when dealing with a human, no less showing him the entry and exit points!? Are you a traiter?"

"Sunny, shut up, I'll explain."

Blanka was trying to cool him down; however, to me, it seemed as if Sunny was partly shocked and partly doing it on purpose because he was the type to feel insecure about me. Maybe he was simply removing a threat. Although he needed to know, nothing of the sort was going on between Blanka and me.

All of a sudden, at the same speed as Sunny had rushed to me, Blanka rushed towards Sunny and punched him in the stomach, followed by a knock on his forehead. Sunny fell unconscious on the floor, and a few of the people who had been behind him began to hoot and scream.

"Oh god, Hasumi I'm sorry about this mess. These hooligans are so dumb."

Then she threw the unconscious Sunny on the ground and raised her voice.

"You guys should leave immediately. If you do, I'll go out with Sunny. Leave immediately."

The next most prominent person after Sunny, a guy with long yellow hair and a big mustache, came forward.

"Are you syre, Miss Blanka? I'd need you to record it as proof, hehe."

He licked his lips slyly, as if they had finally cornered us.

"Ok. Blanka took out a small USB from her pocket and pressed the button. A small screen appeared, like a camera, and Blanka moved to be in the middle.

"Sunny. If your men promise to not cause any trouble in this regard and leave, then by the time your sorry unconscious body regains consciousness, I'll go on a date with you. But that's it. Don't expect too much."

I couldn't believe it. I saw the hatred on Blanka's face and knew that no single cell in her body wanted to do it, but if the androids here found out that I, a human, was being sheltered in their sanctuary, it would only put my friends in danger.

Sunny's entire group left, with him on their shoulders, hooting loudly and disappearing into the streets. Then Blanka turned to me.

"Hasumi, you've already put me in this situation. Are you sure your plan will work? You still have time to revert to the old method."

I stepped close to Blanka and held her hand.

"I swear, I won't fail. I'll save them, and we'll get the money as well. And once I return, I'll save you too."

Then I turned around, tightly clenching my fists with a new-found determination and everything else on the line, and entered the boutique, which led me onto the street on floor 27.