Why Mr Smith? Why?
PREVIEW CHAPTER:
Smith grabbed his weapon from the ground and swiftly pointed it at his left temple.
The others backed away in fear.
Smith began stepping backward.
— WHAT DID I SAY?! PATHETIC! HAHAHAH!
He walked slowly until his back pressed against the wall. He looked up—at the spot from which he had fallen.
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Smith's eyes were wide with terror.
His breathing quickened as he placed a hand on his chest, his face frozen in the expression of someone who had just seen a ghost.
— So! Do you recognize me now? The OLD HANS! THAT HANS! YOUR DAMN BROTHER! WHOM… YOU… BETRAYED! YOU BETRAYED YOUR OWN BROTHER!
— Y-YOU BASTARD!
— I must admit, I was surprised you never suspected a thing. In the end, you're easy to manipulate…
As he finished speaking, the man beside him—young, lively, and seemingly Korean—began to speak:
— Ah! My sincerest apologies… That sounded so unrefined. How rude of me… My name is Taejun. But you, Smith, know me by another name… and another face. Do you remember me?
He pressed a device in his ear, something resembling a hearing aid, and his face and body dissolved in an instant, revealing another identity.
— PHOENIX! REMEMBER ME!? AHAHAHA!! Look at your face! HAHAHA! Completely shocked…
— You son of a—! Y-you… YOU WERE DEAD! WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?!
Smith threw a punch at the screen, which, being a hologram, was completely unaffected. His fist struck the wall instead, the same injured hand from before. For a moment, Smith froze, staring at the blood dripping down the smooth surface.
Then, he let out a deafening roar.
— AAARGH!!!!
— Let me tell you a story. No, actually… a story for everyone. Phoenix and I are going to reveal something to all of you. You think you've been leading a revolution, but in reality, all of Smith's talk, all of his planning and effort, was for his own personal gain, for his own self-interest. He was searching for a way to bring back his dead family.
— You thought you saw your wife and son several times. At moments, you believed you were losing your mind… But those were illusions we created, incl—
The voices began to fade, turning into distant murmurs and fragmented echoes. Smith stumbled. His vision blurred. His body was shutting down.
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Antiqua Tellus, 2099, April 10.
— Hans, I don't like this.
— It's our chance to do something on our own.
— I'll head to the meeting point. Wait for me there.
— Come alone… They don't want anyone else involved, so keep it discreet.
— Fine…
He hung up the old phone and turned to Alfred.
— Alf!
— Yes, sir?
— I really have to go. Hans confirmed the mission, but I have to go alone. Something about secrecy.
— As you wish, Mr. Smith.
— But I think it'd be best if you followed me or stayed nearby, just in case of an emergency. Keep your distance, but be ready. I still don't fully trust Hans.
— Understood!
Smith stepped out of the old house and started walking straight ahead.
It began to rain a few minutes after he left, making him increasingly impatient.
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— HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! You're pathetic!
— SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU MISERABLE SON OF A—
— Ooooh! The old man is angry. HAHAHAH!
— HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?! I WATCHED YOU DIE!
— Oh, you saw me die. But I was reborn! Like a phoenix. HAHAHAHAHAHA! Ironic, isn't it?!
— H-HOW?! W-WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!
— Ah! You know… You only hit one side of my brain. And, well, technology just keeps advancing… Biotechnology… Ah, yes… B.I.O.T.E.C.H.N.O.L.O.G.Y… It works miracles, Smith. Miracles. Isn't that right, Hans?! HAHAHAHAHAHA! They stimulated the right hemisphere of my brain to take over the functions of the left… A very, very, very tedious process… BRUH! Why am I even explaining? You wouldn't understand anyway, would you? Later on, I got an artificial brain implant… Part cyborg, you could say…
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Antiqua Tellus, 2099, April 11.
Smith arrived at the designated meeting point. It had been a long walk. When he left, it was around 11:50 PM, and now it was past 4:30 AM. However, he was already used to working over long distances. The rain had been brief, so it didn't bother him much.
The place was an old parking lot of some store. Everything was completely empty. The store no longer existed—only some remnants of windows and walls remained. A thick fog covered the area closest to the store. The ground still had faint traces of paint, and there were a few small posts scattered around.
He stood beside a car—an old 2020-30 SUV, extremely rusted. The logos were missing, making it impossible for him to determine the brand.
He waited for Hans for long minutes.
As he waited, he saw the sun rising on the horizon. At that same moment, he turned his head back and saw Hans emerging from the thick fog on the other side of the parking lot.
— Finally, Hans! I asked them to leave a car here. A friend owed me a favor, so it was free.
Hans didn't respond. A cigarette hung from his lips. He wore a black overcoat with crimson red details.
He waved his hand and removed the cigarette from his mouth.
— BROTHER!
He approached calmly. At first, he attempted to hug Smith, but Smith stepped back and extended his hand.
— Okay... This car is... Anyway! I'll explain everything.
— Just get to the point...
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Smith grabbed his weapon from the ground and swiftly pointed it at his left temple.
The others backed away in fear.
Smith began stepping backward.
— WHAT DID I SAY?! PATHETIC! HAHAHAH!
He walked slowly until his back pressed against the wall. He looked up—at the spot from which he had fallen.
— Are you saying your prayers, Stanley Smith?
In a swift motion, Smith shot upward, reopening the passage they had fallen through. The panels collapsed onto him.
Phoenix and Hans quickly escaped from the hologram.
Smith desperately searched for a way to climb up. However, he was caught off guard by H.K., who lifted him by the legs.
— Your reason is more genuine than anyone else's here!
H.K. was a young pilot, meaning he had never relied much on physical strength. Nevertheless, he used all his energy to help Smith. The others remained frozen.
— ARGH! AHHHH!! Y-Y-OU C-AN D-O IT, MR. SMITH!
He lifted Smith onto his toes. The entire action lasted about 20 seconds.
Smith managed to place his left hand on the ledge and pushed himself up, using his feet for momentum.
As soon as he got up, he spotted four cyborgs approaching from the other side of the room. He immediately fired plasma rounds straight into their heads.
Then, he opened the door. As he passed through, he quickly noticed bloodstains still scattered on the floor—and remembered Alfred.
He sprinted across the grass with all his energy, realizing that several private security cyborgs were coming to shoot at him.
WHINING!
WHINING!
He was running... Running... And running!
WHINING!
WHINING!
But he was blessed with enough breath to reach the back of the fountain and hide.
He needed to make quick decisions, so he immediately drew his firearm and fired both it and his plasma weapon multiple times at the cyborgs. He used a crossfire technique, where a bullet collided with a plasma shot, causing small explosions with accompanying smoke—confusing the robots.
He ran toward the gate and didn't hesitate to climb up as fast as he could, trying to gain enough momentum to at least reach the top of the wall with his hands.
He quickly exerted himself to climb over and jump down, but just as he was about to make it, he took two plasma shots to his right leg and fell to the other side.
Smith was no longer at an age where he could easily pull off such maneuvers. But at that moment, adrenaline became the fuel for his artificial organs.
He ran without stopping—without even looking back.
He pushed himself to the limit, trying to see something in the darkness.
His mind was flooded with a mixture of emotions and feelings. But one of them stood out in his heart. He felt a spark of hope. He didn't even know what he was hoping for, but it was enough to keep him going.
Finally, he caught a glimpse of light in the distance.
— Help... he muttered to his own surprise. — ARGH!!! LIKE THIS, NO ONE WILL HEAR ME! he bellowed like a raging beast.
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