Chapter 4

〈 Chapter 4 〉 1. Ash Ronmore (3)

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Villey’s words, doubting whether he was the real Ash Ronmore. Ash, meeting his gaze with eyes that emitted a red glow, chuckled.

"Those tin eyes of yours."

From what he had heard, it was somewhat predictable. The mechanical eyes in this world could be equipped with a surprisingly wide range of functions.

From simple zooming in and out, to recording, ballistic calculations, and the 'scan function' that the guy in front of him, Villey Forton, had used.

There were probably hundreds of functions, and such diversity provided a lot of fun and convenience in the original game.

And now that it has become reality, it is even more so.

Mechanical eyes, which far outperformed the eyes of ordinary humans in terms of performance. The cyborgs who had them implanted were captivated by their convenience and functionality, and tended to place excessive trust in them.

Even now, it was evident.

The guy in front of him wouldn't have been so insolent if he hadn't known that Ash was not an enhanced human or a cyborg, but a pure human.

To humans, the unknown can sometimes be a source of fear, and at other times, a blessing.

‘I scanned you, and you’re just a regular guy who hasn’t had any enhancements. So, you’re a fake, right?’

That kind of one-dimensional thinking would lead to a broken nose. There were always people who defied common sense, and Ash was certainly one of them.

Villey glared at Ash, who still had a relaxed demeanor, with his red eyes and asked,

"Then, I'll ask you again, are you that 'Ash Ronmore'?"

Villey, who was grinning menacingly and applying pressure, and his subordinates, who were glaring at Ash as if they wanted to kill him, thinking he might be a fake.

They weren't just glaring; they were gangsters who would commit murder without hesitation.

The atmosphere was so tense that it seemed they might tear him apart at any moment. In such a situation, it wouldn't be strange for an ordinary person to wet their pants.

"Hmph, yes, I am. Want to see?"

To Ash, it felt like a child's game. He couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.

"Want to see?" Ash tapped the knife at his waist, pointing it at them.

A man who looked like a high-ranking member of the 'Vampires' and his several subordinates?

All armed with guns?

So what?

A few lackeys like them were no threat at all. Ten, a hundred, a thousand.

Ash was the king of this slum. A king who stood at the top alone, without any backing.

What had made it possible for him to stand alone as a king? It was, without a doubt, his own strength.

Ash felt the impermanence of time as he looked at Villey and his subordinates, who showed hostility towards him.

Just two and a half years. It hadn't even been three years since he destroyed 'Omar's Hammer.' Yet, they were already baring their teeth and lunging at him as if they had forgotten him.

The saying that human greed is endless and that the same mistakes are repeated came to mind. Here were people making the same mistake again.

'So, I have to show them again that it's a mistake.'

Once he draws his knife, it will be over.

Ash wasn't a kind person who would let social trash who dared to challenge his authority go unpunished.

If he just let them go, everyone would start acting up. It was necessary to prevent that.

Maintaining his authority wasn't much different from how a gang did it.

While Ash was slowly looking around at the things that might end his life, Villey, who had stopped glaring, nodded.

"Is that so? Then... I guess that's it."

"Huh? That's it?"

"Then what else do you need?"

He had already put away the red glow from his mechanical eye. To Ash, it was a truly unexpected reaction. He had thought that if they dared to challenge him, he would show them the end, but they were backing down.

Villey's subordinates, who couldn't understand his reaction like Ash, shouted in anger.

"Villey! He's a fake who hasn't had any enhancements!"

"He's the one who said all that nonsense!"

"Villey! Why are you letting it go?"

But Villey dismissed their voices in one sentence.

"Shut up."

His voice was like a growl. The subordinates who had been venting their anger fell silent at his low voice.

Villey wiped the smile from his face and looked at his subordinates.

"Since when have you been able to give me your opinions?"

"But... "

"But? But what?"

A small, brave voice protested against Villey's words. Villey's face turned sharply towards the man who had spoken. Everyone's eyes were on the man who had spoken.

The man, flustered by the attention, stammered.

"B, Boss, you clearly... "

"Boss... Huh, right. The boss's orders are important."

Villey answered the short words. While the content seemed to agree, the low laugh and the anger in his voice were palpable.

Villey walked up to the subordinate who had spoken and said in a low, grinding voice,

"Say it again. What did the boss say?"

"T, That, That was... "

The subordinate's face turned white as he met Villey's eyes. He couldn't even speak properly anymore.

"Huh, this is something."

A vicious smile appeared on Villey's face, which had been filled with anger. The subordinates held their breath.

They knew what happened when Villey showed them that expression.

"The 'Vampires' don't need a piece of trash who can't even speak properly."

Click. The large-caliber pistol that had been hanging from Villey's waist was now in his hand. The subordinate's head shook desperately.

"No, no. I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!!"

Bang! ... Thud.

The sound was more like a hand cannon than a pistol. The subordinate's head disappeared. The body, now headless, fell to the floor.

Villey, holding the gun that was still smoking and covered in hot blood, said,

"You were stuttering until the end."

"..."

The business place was momentarily enveloped in silence. Ash watched the conflict unfolding among them with interest, while Villey's subordinates were too shocked to even breathe loudly.

Soon, Villey, who had wiped the blood from his face, turned back to Ash and the client. The client, who met Villey's gleaming eyes, swallowed hard.

"Ah... "

"I'm sorry for creating more cleanup work."

"No, no...!"

The client, who had been intimidated by Villey's presence, was ready to bow, but Ash casually nudged him.

"Why are you so scared, sir? Are you one of his subordinates too?"

"Mr. Resolver... "

"Hehe, right. Good point. I don't do this to ordinary people, so don't worry."

The client, who had a grimace on his face. Ignoring his reaction, Ash and Villey met each other's eyes. Villey was the first to turn away.

"Since I've confirmed, I'll be on my way."

"Right. It was a wasted trip."

"Take the dead guy's gear. We're leaving."

"...Yes."

Villey and his subordinates started to leave, leaving Ash and the client behind. Before leaving, Villey left one last message.

"If you're a fake, we'll meet again soon."

"I don't want to see your face again, and it's not like you're a pretty woman."

"...I hope not."

Villey and his subordinates left completely. Ash woke up the client, who was standing at the entrance in a daze.

"Sir, how long are you going to stand there? We need to clean this up."

"Y, Yes."

Soon, the client and his staff cleaned up the headless body and its remains, and Ash returned to the room to enjoy the entertainment.

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"I'm here, Boss."

The 'Vampires' hideout in Zone 72. In the boss's office on the top floor, Villey greeted a woman sitting at a desk and looking at a screen.

Blonde hair with a dark tint and deep emerald eyes. Her voluptuous figure was accentuated by her casual attire, and a lit cigarette dangled from her red lips.

A beauty exuding a decadent atmosphere.

Who would imagine that she was the boss of a massive gang with thousands of members?

She was the boss of the 'Vampires,' who ruled over Zones 72 and 73, Leila Floris.

Leila Floris, or Leila, responded to Villey's greeting without taking her eyes off the screen.

"You're here."

"Yes."

Villey, who seemed used to her attitude, entered and sat on the sofa opposite the desk. Her voice asked,

"I heard the story. How was it?"

"I scanned him, but I'm not sure."

Villey then described the person he had seen, Ash Ronmore, to the boss. He was calm, unlike the way he had acted with his subordinates and Ash.

"There were no signs of enhancement or modification, and he had a light, easygoing demeanor."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I thought he might be a fake and did a bit of investigation, but it turns out he is who he says he is."

"Hmm..."

Leila took her eyes off the screen and focused on Villey's words. Entering the entertainment district was a significant matter for her business, and the person involved, 'Ash Ronmore,' was even more important.

"There are two possibilities. He's either a pure human or... "

"Or he has a high-level technology that even the scan function can't detect."

"Yes."

Leila exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke and thought.

The rumors about the resolver, 'Ash Ronmore,' who operated in Zones 63 and 71, were rampant.

He was said to be a master who could slice through bullets with a knife, a monster who single-handedly destroyed 'Omar's Hammer.'

The rumors about him were all absurd.

He single-handedly destroyed the massive gang 'Omar's Hammer,' which was one of the top gangs in the slums? He could slice through a rain of bullets with a knife?

All of these were things that were impossible by common sense.

However.

There were too many witnesses and evidence to dismiss it as mere lies.

The war between 'Ash Ronmore' and 'Omar's Hammer' that took place just two and a half years ago. Although she hadn't seen the battles herself because they were in different zones, she had seen the aftermath.

The high-ranking members of 'Omar's Hammer,' whom even the 'Vampires' wouldn't dare to touch, and even the terrifying tyrant, 'Omar,' were all massacred in one place.

Leila still couldn't forget the expressions of Omar and the 'Omar's Hammer' members whose necks were cleanly severed.

Expressions filled with fear and shock, as if they had seen something that should never have existed.

Their final expressions, filled with shock, as if they hadn't even felt the pain of their heads being severed, were still strongly etched in her mind.

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