082
Our aerial vehicles have arrived at Autonova’s research center. There are already dozens of aerial vehicles visible at the airfield.
Beep.
At the airfield, we sent a guide line to our aerial vehicle to indicate the landing point. A green dotted line appeared on the front of the aerial vehicle.
Illei piloted the aerial vehicle and landed along the guide line.
Profit.
As soon as the door of the landed aerial vehicle opened, an android with green eyes poked its head in.
-Hello, Giselle Custoria, Iley Kartika, and Keisa. I am the Autobot, an android of the Autonovas.
The Autobots were not the Empire’s standard androids, but rather their own custom androids. The upper bodies were not much different, but the lower bodies were unique. They were not bipedal, but had four legs and wheels instead of feet.
If the Autobots were for commercial use, there would be issues with expandability and compatibility due to their proprietary specifications, but since they are only used within Autonovas, it shouldn’t matter… … explained Giselle.
-From now on, we will be implementing security procedures in accordance with Autonova’s internal regulations. We ask for your understanding.
The Autobot’s eyes glowed brightly. A net-like green light passed over Giselle and Illei. They were checking to see if the computerized information matched their actual identities.
Beep, beep.
The Autobots’ eyes flashed red every time they checked the abnormality. It happened twice with Illya.
– In accordance with our internal regulations, we recommend that Ilay Kartika be disarmed.
“I came to the security station. And… … those people over there are getting off armed?”
Illya said, staring at the other aerial vehicle. As she said, a guard armed with firearms and protective gear passed through the Autobot security procedures.
-In our opinion, unarmed Illei is a red-level threat. Even when fully armed, they are a green-level threat. Please understand that this is a relative measure.
Illei’s body was no different from a weapon. As the Autobots said, even if all the guards outside rushed in, they wouldn’t be able to handle a single Illei with bare hands.
Considering the difference in fighting power, the Autobots’ judgment was not unreasonable.
“……okay.”
-thank you.
There would be no point in discussing it further. Ilay obediently took off his protective gear and stored his knife and pistol in the air vehicle.
Wheeing.
The Autobot’s gaze turned to me. The net-like green light scanned me up and down several times. It seemed to linger for a while.
‘Radio jammer.’
The shape of my body projected to the Autobot’s sensors will appear to be that of a woman’s body. This is because the distortion of the jammer has been adjusted to make it appear that way.
It would be a distortion and interference of the radio waves, so if I were to take off my clothes, I would be exposed, but I would never make such a rude request to a ‘servant of the Custoria family’. It also means that the Autonovas do not trust the Custoria family.
-On behalf of our company, we thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
The Autobot said and stepped back. The four-wheel drive moved briskly backwards.
“It’s been a while since I’ve walked around without even a gun. I feel empty.”
Ilay got off the air vehicle with her body feeling lighter. Giselle and I followed her.
-The 9th Research Institute was established 21 years ago, starting with the Salamander assault vehicle… … .
The Autobots were guiding and talking. No one was really listening to them. It was something that everyone who was interested would know, and those who didn’t would not be interested.
Kwaaaaang!
The characteristic roar of a vehicle’s motor erupted from afar. People at the airport turned their gaze toward the noise.
Outside the lab, there was a rough terrain that was no different from a rocky mountain. A tracked vehicle was moving furiously on top of it. The underside of the vehicle smoothly moved up and down along the terrain, compensating for the impact. It looked like a bug crawling quickly.
-We test our products in the harshest environments in the empire to ensure optimal performance in any challenging environment.
It was no exaggeration to say that it was a harsh environment. The reason for this was that the research center of a large corporation was located in a remote area far from Akbaran. The surrounding area was completely undeveloped and rough, making it ideal for test driving.
The Autobots led us to the laboratory’s exhibition hall. Other Autobots also gathered, leading to a sea of people.
“Oh, Giselle? You’re here too.”
There was a noblewoman who spoke to Giselle. Others who recognized Giselle also greeted her one by one and passed by.
Ilay and I carefully observed the surroundings to see if there was anyone suspicious.
“Ilay Kartika! I expected to see you here. Are you interested in cars?”
This time, a middle-aged man spoke to Ilay.
“I am on a security mission.”
Ilay politely declined the request for conversation.
“Well, this is Autonova’s private property. Relax. There are plenty of people who can guard you as well.”
Ilay smiled awkwardly. The middle-aged man kept pestering Ilay. It wasn’t just that.
‘The powerful next head of the Kartika family.’
There were many people trying to talk to Ilay. It was hard for Ilay to just ruthlessly kick them out. It wouldn’t do any good to be unnecessarily disliked in the aristocratic society.
I was the one with the most free time.
‘I guess the makeup went well. No one recognizes me.’
I looked at the people approaching Giselle and Ilay. Some of them had come to the banquet in Custoria. They glanced at me and passed by. They must have thought I was just Giselle’s servant.
Well, who would have thought that the promising adopted son of the Custoria family would be here in this state? I can’t believe it either.
But it was worth the shame and humiliation. No one cared about me. I was free from surveillance and guard.
‘If I were Barbara… …where would I try to kidnap Giselle?’
I thought from Barbara’s perspective. But I made a lot of mistakes. Barbara is an electronic warfare expert. Her specialties are completely different from mine.
It was difficult to gauge by what means Barbara would approach him.
‘About 40 hours until we return to Akbaran.’
The Autonovas tour took two days. On the first day, we listened to a demonstration of prototypes at the exhibition hall, and on the second day, we drove them outdoors.
‘If Barbara shows up it will be tomorrow.’
But you could try to take a chance today.
I closed my eyes slightly and recalled Barbara’s personal information. Normally, it was confidential information that even I, a trainee watcher, would not be able to see, but Heilas showed it to me for this mission. Strictly speaking, it was an overreach.
‘… … Barbara is an irregular among irregulars. No, it’s ambiguous to even call her an irregular. She’s a prepared being.’
Witch Barbara was a genius beyond my expectations.
The Empire had been searching for years for the right talent for Operation Juliet, a plan to infiltrate Nemesis with a top hacker. Barbara was the result of such meticulous selection.
According to Heilas, Barbara was a rarer talent than I was.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
‘Barbara has genius talent, but she has a personality disorder and antisocial tendencies.’
Surprisingly, the Empire was well aware of Barbara’s mental instability, but that was precisely why she was so talented at infiltrating Nemesis.
The Empire would have offered the anti-social Barbara a reward she would find difficult to refuse in order to bring her into their ranks.
‘How many spies are inside Nemesis?’
Kinuan, who had been in contact with Nemesis for a long time, was also on the side of the Empire. Barbara, whom they recruited with great difficulty, is also a spy of the Empire. In addition to these people, there must be many people planted by the Empire in Nemesis.
‘Even the largest terrorist organization in the Empire is under Imperial surveillance.’
No, if you think about it, it’s because it’s under the control and surveillance of the empire that it can maintain its size.
If Nemesis is judged to be out of control… … the Empire will mobilize all of its human resources to punish Nemesis. It is a purge that no one can escape.
Groan, grumble.
While I was lost in thought, our group entered the exhibition hall. The surroundings quickly became noisy.
“I told you, it’s a quadrupedal vehicle. Credits or… …”
“That’s not a footnote, idiot!”
“If it’s not an extra, huh? Huh?”
It seems that some nobles made a bet on the identity of the prototype. The prototype of Autonova was a vehicle that exceeded people’s expectations.
“The main attraction of this public exhibition is the transformable multi-legged walking vehicle… … Arachne!”
The Autonovas executive who had climbed up onto the stage proudly shouted.
Wheein.
Then, the Autobots who had been guiding the group simultaneously projected a hologram screen in front of the people. The Arachne’s specifications and performance were detailed.
“In normal times it is driven by four wheels, and in rough terrain, auxiliary legs with high grip are lowered… … .”
Before people could finish reading, Arachne’s auxiliary legs grew longer. Including the auxiliary legs, she had eight legs.
Arachne was a vehicle that changed the number of legs to divide the flat and rough terrain. It was a model that had both speed and stability, but because it was variable, it was unreliable and expensive.
‘This is a car purely for the wealthy.’
It was difficult to use for military purposes. Reliability was absolute on the battlefield. This was the reason why variable weapons with a high probability of failure and malfunction were not discussed.
There were eight prototype vehicles, including Arachne. Each model was designed for a different purpose. No one knows how many of them will be commercialized.
Kiing, kiing.
In addition to Arachne, there was also a construction robot vehicle that caught my eye. It was a vehicle created in collaboration with the robot specialist company Roman. The upper body was a boarding robot, and the lower body was a caterpillar track using Autonovas technology. Since the upper body was a robot with two arms, it could be used for multiple purposes.
It was a robot vehicle that existed before, but its performance and responsiveness were greatly improved… … People around me were talking about it. I don’t know much about it.
“Have you ever thought of developing a form in which only the robot’s arms are directly connected to the nervous system?”
Giselle asked the researcher in front of the prototype.
“With this level of output and size, there is not much difference in responsiveness compared to operating it by hand. It is not yet profitable to conduct research and development. And to increase the degree of freedom of operation, it would be better to attach a sensor and imitate human movement.”
“I guess so… … That’s true.”
Giselle was very interested in the Autonovas exhibition. She would have liked to come even if it wasn’t a mission. She actively walked around the exhibition hall and asked questions.
Giselle seemed happy, but I found the exhibition boring. As I looked around, I noticed a man staring at Giselle.
… … It wasn’t our first meeting. But he wasn’t a threat either. I smiled bitterly.
‘Enrico Lagan.’
He was the boy who confessed to Giselle at the Kratzia Academy. He got dumped badly because I pushed him away.
Even now, he was looking at Giselle from afar with hazy eyes.
‘You could have met me at the academy, but you followed me here. Are you really a stalker? … .’
Enrico would not be interested in the Autonovas exhibition. In fact, he was only looking at Giselle.
‘Well, it’s a little pitiful.’
Enrico didn’t even approach Giselle, let alone greet her.
It made sense. I remembered what Giselle had said back then.
‘I’m not interested in you. No, more than that, I find your presence uncomfortable. I wish you would stop hanging around me for no particular reason.’
Giselle’s harsh words will still be etched in Enrico’s heart.
Anyway, the exhibition was coming to an end. There were separate accommodations for visitors. It seemed like the staff accommodations had been reserved for today.
When I arrived at my accommodation, I realized one thing.
“Then I’ll stay in the next room. Have a nice night, ladies.”
Ilay went into her room, smiling at us. I felt a chill down my spine when I saw Ilay’s smile.
“ah…….”
“hmm.”
Giselle and I hesitated.
… … We had to share a room. The Autonovas had assigned us that room. It was only natural, since I was the young lady and the dedicated maid.
Yeah, well, it’s nothing. We’re siblings, even though we’re not related by blood.
No, it’s not really a big deal. To be honest, it’s difficult.
“Miss, tell Autonova to give you another room… … .”
“What are you talking about? We have to share a room, Keisa. I can’t even change my clothes without you.”
Giselle said. I came to my senses too.
This is why I dressed up as a woman in the first place. That way, I could be with Giselle 24 hours a day without anyone suspecting me.
Today’s winner was me.
Squeak.
We opened the door and went in.
thud.
The door closed, separating us from the outside world. It was a space just for the two of us.
… … This is driving me crazy.
