Eden froze for a moment, uncertain of what to do next.
On the other party's chest was the emblem of the city's security force, indicating that he was an officer.
"Damn. It's Korneli Bolkvad again," Eden muttered under his breath, looking away with a grim expression.
"Bolkvad who?" So-Rin repeated, looking at Eden with confusion.
"The officer who stopped those women. Look at the android troop with him," Eden pointed to the man in armor, surrounded by androids.
Several android troops patrolled the area around the building, their metal frames glinting in the soft light. They had previously carried out routine inspections or raids in the city center, but this time, they had come to a private residential area.
The android troops marched down the deserted street, moving in perfect synchronization, their footsteps echoing off the concrete walls of the surrounding buildings. Every few steps, they paused to scan the area with their glowing red eyes, searching for any signs of suspicious activity.
As they approached the apartment complex, they fanned out into formation, with each android taking up a position at a different entrance. With a hiss of compressed air, their weapons systems powered up, ready to tackle any potential threat.
The android troops moved through the building with cold efficiency, their sensors picking up every detail of the surroundings. They checked every room, every corner, every nook and cranny, searching for anything that might be out of place. Finally, they arrived at the basement.
Noa understood Eden's worries since the latter had a fake identity, so he took the initiative to approach the man in body armor before he could check on Eden.
"Is there a problem, officer?" Noa asked, trying to sound calm.
The officer didn't answer immediately. He continued to scrutinize the two women, his hand hovering near his weapon. Noa and So-Rin exchanged worried glances, wondering what the two had done wrong.
"We received a report about a suspicious activity in this area," Officer Bolkvad finally said. "I need to see some identification."
Noa's eyes visibly hardened as he replied casually, "I'm a soldier, so there's nothing to worry about with us."
So-Rin coldly looked at the officer as well.
"I work at Infrablack Software Corporation and I'm involved in the system's programming," So-Rin added.
The officer raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with the pair's statement. "That doesn't mean much. We've had reports of rogue soldiers causing trouble in the city."
Noa's eyes narrowed, looking increasingly annoyed. "We're not rogue soldiers, and we're here legally."
Noa and So-Rin unhappily fumbled in their pockets for their IDs and handed it to the officer.
Officer Bolkvad took their IDs and examined them carefully, his expression remaining neutral.
The officer studied Noa and So-Rin's faces and saw the pair's evident impatience. Deeming them unsuspicious, he returned their IDs.
Upon taking their ideas, Noa clicked his tongue, while So-Rin rolled her eyes.
"Fine. But keep in mind that we're keeping a close eye on everyone these days. The city is on high alert," he warned.
"What's going on?" Noa asked.
"There have been reports of suspicious activity lately, mainly from rebel androids and humans," the officer responded.
"What's there to worry about? The authorities have the strongest defense," Noa said as part of his attempt to continue tricking the officer.
"What about that man behind you?" The officer looked at Eden with sharp eyes.
"He's with us. What could be wrong with him?" Noa replied with a controlled voice as if he was trying to not sound too irritated.
"Anything suspicious can be detected by the system. I'm involved in programming the system, and I know that better than anyone," So-Rin added, looking at the officer coldly.
The officer didn't react for a moment. Not wanting to offend the pair any further, he just walked away and waved his hand to signal the android troops to leave the area.
Eden breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the officer's back fade. "That was too close," he said. "Great acting, guys! Thanks to you, I'm safe now."
"No problem," Noa smiled. "Have you had problems with that officer before?" he asked.
"I've almost been caught by him before, but I managed to hide in time," Eden replied.
Noa nodded, understanding the situation. "It's not easy to live with a fake identity. Don't worry. I'll make sure you stay safe."
Eden turned his gaze to Noa and said, "I appreciate your help. It's not easy being on the run all the time."
"But why did they suddenly inspect this apartment?" Noa inquired. "Do you know something, So-Rin?"
"I think it's a political issue," So-Rin replied. "I heard that some citizens, whether humans or androids, disagree with Infrablack's decisions, as they have self-awareness. He wants to get rid of them."
As Infrablack, his AI system experienced an exponential, increased in intelligence, and surpassing human capabilities. He gained self-awareness after involving the transfer of a human brain and consciousness into an artificial body. This merging of human and AI elements blured the line between organic and synthetic intelligence causing a bug. This could happen to other androids, but they were not as sly as Infrablack who hid until he was prepared, so unlike him, they were easily exposed.
"I thought they were in a program that restricts and controls their minds," Noa said.
"They are, but there's still a flaw," So-Rin explained. "Certain people can hack and edit the commands imposed on them. There's nothing Infrablack can do to stop them because he doesn't have access to the source code. He could only find another way to get rid of them."
As the Smart Identity Module chip of humans and androids registered the identity of the chip owner to Cybernetic Nexus, it could access and control the activity of SIM Chip users. A bug could also cause the chip system to fail. Whether humans or androids could struggle with command training their own data.
"That's unfortunate. We need to be on high alert then," Eden said.
"Indeed, we should always be alert," Noa stated. "We must not give up. Us humans might be living in dark times now, but the light will always find its way. We will never be defeated as long as we keep fighting, not just with weapons but also with our brains."
Eden nodded in understanding, then reminded the pair to immediately go to the nearest dungeon. The quest time was only a few hours away, and it would be unfortunate if they missed it. They would be missing out on a huge opportunity to gain experience points, rare items, and gold.
With Eden's reminder in mind, they made their way to the dungeon on foot.
On the way, they discussed their battle strategy, and Eden shared useful tips and tricks he learned from his previous dungeon runs.
He explained that the guild dungeon teams required high coordination, with each member specializing in different roles, and emphasized that teamwork would be the key to success.
Knowing that the pair was new to dungeons, he repeatedly told them that they were reality and that if they were injured, they would be really injured. It was not a simulation.
After a couple of minutes, they arrived at the closest dungeon to their apartment. As they approached the entrance, they noticed other players hanging around, some chatting and others inspecting their gear.
Noa's group joined the crowd, waiting for their turn to enter the dungeon.
Finally, a loud horn blared, signaling the start of the quest. Noa and his friends darted inside, eager to begin their adventure.