Chapter 348: Hacker 01 |
"Hello? Did something happen over there? Why did you suddenly stop talking?"
Suzuki Sawami's voice on the phone brought Shimizu Yu back to her senses. She pulled her gaze away from the sight of her father hastily throwing on his suit jacket and rushing out the door. "It is nothing. What were you just saying?"
"I asked if you wanted to join our Friday night exploration!"
"Ah, oh, that... I think I will pass. If we want to go exploring or look for thrills, going to a haunted house would be fine. Why do we have to go to some abandoned old campus..."
"Oh, come on! How can an artificially constructed attraction compare to a real location with a genuine backstory? Seriously, Yu-chan, have you not always loved activities with supernatural and mysterious elements? Whenever we organized an exploration team in the past, you were always the first one to sign up!"
'That was back before I knew real ghosts existed, let alone how terrifying they are in reality!'
Shimizu Yu grumbled inwardly, but out loud she said, "I will think about it. It is only Tuesday right now, who knows, maybe we will all have other plans by Friday..."
"Alright then, but I have to say this, Yu-chan, you never used to be this indecisive!"
"......"
Inside the young girl's spacious bedroom, countless plush toys and figurines of all sizes were piled high, creating a rich fairy-tale atmosphere.
She adjusted the lighting to a bright white and drew back the soft sheer curtains. Outside the large window, the courtyard that had remained dark for who knew how many nights was finally illuminated with dazzling lights.
Shimizu Yu leaned against the windowsill and watched for quite a while, until she finally remembered that she had to continue taking exams tomorrow. Only then did she step back, draw the curtains closed again, and return to her desk to resume her studying.
......
Ring— Ring— Ring—
After several seconds of waiting, a crisp click finally came from the mobile phone, signaling that the call had connected.
Sitting in a private car driving through the streets of Tokyo for the first time in a long while, Shirayanagi Ayaha watched the familiar scenery flash past the window while holding the mobile phone to her ear.
But the moment the call connected, she could not help but furrow her elegant brows. The sound coming through the speaker was simply far too noisy.
There was the howling wind, sharp blasts of a car horn, intermittent wails of police sirens, and even the faint, rhythmic chopping of helicopter propellers tearing through the air!
She could not help but question the person on the other end of the line, "Carole? Have you arrived in Tokyo? What is going on over there? What happened?"
"—Hahahaha—"
She was answered by a melodious yet uncontrollably excited, almost euphoric burst of loud laughter. "Tokyo? Of course—of course! I love it here! The people here are so incredibly enthusiastic! Hahahaha...!"
Boom—!
Something had exploded.
"Whoa! The difficulty is ramping up! I need to focus on playing this game well. Catch you later, darling!"
Beep-beep-beep!
The call disconnected, and Shirayanagi Ayaha could not help but let out a long sigh. She knew perfectly well that with Carole's personality, there would be no peace no matter where the girl went. But as a wanted fugitive, was it really a good idea to be this high-profile right after fleeing abroad? At this rate, she was on the fast track to becoming an international wanted criminal.
......
"Attention, vehicle ahead! You have been locked onto! Stop immediately and submit to investigation!"
The engine of the blue and pink electroplated convertible Bugatti let out a reverberating roar. It was as if it were expressing the utmost contempt toward its pursuers, delivering the most insulting provocation possible.
Police cruisers, police motorcycles, and police helicopters swarmed the area, their blaring sirens merging into a deafening, overwhelming wave that swallowed the streets.
Yet, despite such a massive blockade and pursuit, they simply could not stop that supercar. Its flashy colors and exaggerated styling made it look like a ridiculous game item brought to life.
It truly felt just like a game.
Unfortunately, these dedicated officers working to maintain the city's security were reduced to mere NPCs, no different from their counterparts in countless online games. Therefore, the protagonist... or rather, the player, was naturally the young girl driving the supercar up ahead, recklessly flouting traffic laws and taunting them at every turn.
She had a beautiful head of predominantly black hair. As for why it was only predominantly black, it was naturally because vibrant strands of blue and pink—perfectly matching the colors of her car—were beautifully highlighted throughout her silky locks.
However, this did not make her look gaudy in the slightest. Instead, it perfectly complemented her flawless face, which looked as though it had been plucked straight out of a manga. She wore a pink and white top that slipped off one shoulder, the exposed strap adding an effortless touch of sexiness to her rather slender figure!
Her slender waist was accented by a wide belt wrapped diagonally around it... Finally, there was her beautiful face. She had a lollipop resting in her mouth and wore a look of unspeakable excitement. If anyone present had even the slightest understanding of the recent chaotic events occurring in the Hidden World, they would have instantly recognized her identity.
—She had stolen an Italian national treasure, paralyzed Rome's entire network infrastructure, and severely injured one of Italy's official S-Rank Transcendents before vanishing without a trace. Her name was unknown, her background a mystery. She was a mysterious girl known only by the codename: Hacker 01!
The only reason her codename was even known was because it was the account ID she used while actively operating on the dark web!
And the truth was, she had indeed been recognized.
Because of this, there was no shortage of Transcendents from the Special Affairs Group among her current pursuers. However, considering she possessed a track record of defeating an S-Rank Transcendent, the Tokyo authorities had never pinned their hopes on these ordinary field agents from the very beginning.
Naturally, the only ones capable of confronting an S-Rank were those of S-Rank or above—
So...
"Haha! You look like you are having a lot of fun, little girl. How about letting me join in?"
Like a phantom, Asaba Shinichi suddenly materialized in the front passenger seat of the blue and pink Bugatti.
Even with the city brightly illuminated by flashing neon lights late at night, his choice to wear sunglasses remained utterly baffling. Yet, the young girl completely ignored his confusing attire; she did not even seem to care how he had miraculously appeared in her passenger seat.
From the driver's seat of the supercar, which had already blown past two hundred miles per hour, the girl turned her head and flashed a beaming smile at Asaba Shinichi. In fluent Italian, she asked, "Are you the stage boss around here?"
"Then let's have some fun!"
She pressed a button on the control panel.
"Boing!"
Accompanied by a bafflingly comical sound effect, the front passenger seat suddenly launched upward, instantly ejecting Asaba Shinichi high into the air.
Soaring through the night sky, Asaba Shinichi looked down at the Bugatti as it continued to accelerate to an even more absurd speed. The smirk on his face grew wider. 'Interesting. Very interesting!'
Logically speaking, with his incredible reflexes, he should have easily been able to dodge that ejection. Yet, the exact moment the girl pressed the button, his entire body had felt bound. It was a highly unusual restraint. If he had to find a way to describe or compare it—
It was like a predetermined game mechanic. A Sure-Hit mechanism dictating that "when the girl presses the button, the person in the passenger seat will be ejected."
Meanwhile, the young girl had completely taken her hands off the steering wheel. Despite the vehicle traveling at such a breakneck speed, she brazenly stood up in her seat, turned around, and flashed a cheeky grin as she framed him with her fingers in a mock photography gesture.
In that split second, Asaba Shinichi felt a chill wash over him. It was as if he had been struck by some sort of Appraisal skill, completely laying his stats and secrets bare for her to see...