Hayate stood in an old, crumbling room, the air around him thick with tension. Ten men, their faces obscured by black suits that covered them from head to toe, were aiming their guns directly at him. The men's grips on their guns tightened as they took in Hayate's appearance. He was a towering figure, easily 7ft tall, while they were small by comparison.
His eyes, deep blue with vertical, silted pupils that seemed to glow with a reddish hue, pierced through the darkness. Sitting atop his head were two black horns, and his ears were pointed. He was clad in richly layered silken robes of dark jet black, threaded with intricate silver patterns, his entire appearance exuded power and wealth. His black boots, made of soft leather dyed in a dark grey match, fit him perfectly, as if tailored specifically for him. Rounding off his appearance were the five rings glinting on his right hand and the shining silver glove of his left hand, featuring an eye on it. He also had black feathery wings.
The men's nerves were on end, and their natural instincts were screaming at them. All their basic instincts were telling them the same thing "Run! Get out of here!"
They weren't just intimidated; they were utterly terrified by the overpowering aura of the demon-like creature standing before them. It was unnatural and dangerous on every level. They couldn't explain why, but every fiber of their being cried out "RUN!", it was like standing in the presence of a deity. The primal fear of facing a superior being was overpowering, their bodies tensed, and their faces paled. They tried to keep their fingers steady on the triggers of their guns, but the tremors betrayed their terror. Before the men's shaking fingers could make a move, Hayate's deep, sonorous voice cut through the air.
"If you want to leave this place alive, I suggest you answer my questions," he intoned, his voice heavy with authority.
•
[A few hours ago]
Hayate had finished his interrogation of the man, the spell [Dominate] expiring. He now had a general understanding of the current world.
Hayate had discovered that some 75 years ago, a third world war had torn through the planet. The war, which had run from 2030 to 2050 and was fought with nuclear weapons, had left the world in chaos and famine due to blocking of the sun rays by radioactive fallout. He had learned that the Japanese people, suffering from a largely inactive government during this period, had been saved by three companies that had extended significant aid to the people, thereby gaining complete control over the country. They were known as the Kusonoki conglomerate, Ishimaru industries and the nagata technologies. It was thanks to these companies that the Japanese people had been able to survive and rebuild in the aftermath of the devastating war. As a result, these company had come to gain significant influence and power within the country, to the point where they were practically the ones running it.
The Japanese authorities had apparently become more a facade than anything, with the true power being concentrated in the hands of these three corporate giants. The companies provided the infrastructure, resources, and means of production, thus effectively ruling over the populace in all but name. As Hayate leaned back against the cold alley wall, he remembered a novel he had read in his teenage years. The plot of the book was eerily similar to the current situation in Japan, where corporations had practically taken over the country.
"This is just like that book," he thought, a frown on his face, "Companies controlling the government and everything. What a mess..." his frown deepened as he once again thought about the current state of Japan. It was absolutely astonishing to him that the Japanese government had become so incompetent that three corporations were basically running the country. It was almost as if they had simply given up on trying to control their own affairs and had simply given over the reins to the corporate world. He shook his head on disbelief.
"How the fuck did the government become so incompetent that companies managed to take over the country like this?" he felt irritation and anger at the incompetence and lack of leadership that had allowed this situation to occur. Hayate was sure that had he been in control, he would never have allowed such a situation to happen. Hayate then rprimanded himself as he felt he was getting a little too side-tracked.
"Focus, idiot" he muttered to himself.
Why did he have to start thinking about running a country now of all times? It was the farthest thing from a priority at the moment. he mentally repeated the priority goal in his head over and over – "Find his parents".
"No....i really should stop lying to myself...My parents... are dead" he thought forcefully to himself. There was no point in fooling himself into thinking otherwise. They were gone, and no amount of wishful thinking would change that fact. He took in a deep breath, his shoulders slightly sagged as the realization fully sunk in. The pain was sharp and raw, but facing the truth was better than living in a false hope. He was now fully aware that looking for his parents would only lead to disappointment. Well there was one way though.
Hayate knew of the [True Revival] spell, a mythical rank (7th tier) spell that could revive any being that had died and also negate any detrimental effects. However it cost 50MP to use and required a fresh corpse. Hayate knew that by this time his parents' corpses had decomposed. Even if that wasn't the case, it was also impossible to know exactly where they were buried. It was a hopeless endeavor to even think of such a plan.
[True Revival] was an extremely powerful spell, ranked at the mythical level, possessing the ability to resurrect any individual, irrespective of the circumstances of their passing. However, the spell's capabilities didn't end there. It didn't just revive the person, it also completely negated any negative effects such as curses or stat reductions. In terms of cost, the spell consumed a significant amount of mana, at 50MP per use. In hollow, the penalty for death was significant. Not only would all items be lost, but players also received a 10-level reduction. However, the spell could negate these losses if used correctly. If a player was dead and their body was still present within 10 minutes, casting [True Revival] could completely remove the penalty. However, this would still result in them dropping all their items. It was important to note that the spell could still be effective even after the 10-minute window. However, under this circumstance, the spell only mitigated a portion of the penalty, resulting in a 2-level reduction instead of a full negation and all of their items would still be lost and were free-for-the-taking by anyone who stumbled upon them.
Hayate also considered the fact that this plan was inherently selfish. It was a good outcome for him, but did his parents even want to be revived? After all, they had most likely lived full and happy lives and passed away in peace. He knew it was wrong to subject them to such an ordeal simply for his own gain. He had to respect their passing and move on.
Hayate sighed deeply, his eyes feeling a little numb from the weight of his sorrow. He wiped away the tears with the sleeve of his robe, and leaned back against the cold hard wall. "What now.." he pondered the question out loud, feeling a sense of helplessness. He had no idea where to go or what to do next.
Hayate considered the idea of finding his extended family but quickly dismissed it. They wouldn't recognize him even if he did managed to track them down. He wasn't in his original body and he had never been particularly close to them.
Even when he was alive, he had barely spoken to his extended family. They had always been embroiled in petty feuds and disputes. It was unlikely that they would provide any comfort or support for him in his current situation.
Hayate then thought about the possibility of reuniting with his childhood friends. Though it was a long shot, they had a better chance of being alive than his parents since they were all around 18-19 years old. Even if he did manage to find them alive, what the hell would he tell them?
"Hey guys, remember me? We used to play games together 85+ years ago, but then I was playing the game and woke up in my in-game body 85+ years into the future..."
It was just too ludicrous. The mere thought of trying to explain that to his friends was almost laughable. It was highly unlikely that they would believe such an absurd story. They would probably just think he was delusional or crazy. And even if they did manage to believe him, what then? What could he hope to accomplish by reconnecting with them?
It was just a pointless endeavor. No matter how he looked at it, there was no point in reconnecting with friends from 80+ years ago. Hayate had been gone so long that any connection he had once had with his friends was most likely gone. Even if he were to track any of them down, the relationship they once had would not be the same. 85 years was an incredibly long time and it would be foolish to think that he could just waltz back into their lives like nothing had happened .
Hayate sat back and exhaled deeply, feeling frustrated.
"What am I even doing here, thinking about all this crap..?" he muttered to himself
Hayate realized that he couldn't really lead a normal life like this. First and foremost, he was completely clueless about the current Japan. All he had were basic facts about the events of the past decades. Secondly, he had no documents to prove his identity to the government. And let's not forget his appearance, which needed to be concealed constantly using [True Invisibilty] and that wouldn't last forever. Even if people initially mistook him for a cosplayer, the truth would soon become evident. Hayate sighed once again laid down on the cold ground, he felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He attempted to maintain his composure but tears began to roll down his face. Despite not feeling the cold through his passive l ability, the emotional chill he felt was overwhelming.
He had been desperately repressing his emotions since the moment he was transmigrated, trying to stay strong and rational in the face of countless surprises. But now, he could finally let go. Hayate let the tears flow freely as he lay there. He didn't care about looking strong or composed anymore. Right now, all he felt was a deep sense of loneliness and despair. No one was around to see him anyway, except for the cold, uncaring night. And so he cried, for the entire night.
•
[A few hour's ago]
Two men were talking in an office. The office was a study in luxury. It was painted completely in white, with a soft red carpet covering the floor. Soft white lights were embedded in the ceiling, casting a warm glow across the room. In the middle of the room sat a large table made of oak. A blue chair was pulled up behind it, facing a massive ceiling-to-floor window. Multiple holographic screens hovered just above the table, illuminating the area. There was also a tiger skin hung on the wall. Whoever owned this place clearly wanted everyone to know they had money, lots of it. And the extravagance of the room made it very clear that they spared no expenses.
Sitting in the chair was a very corpulent individual, sporting a massive double chin and a stomach that appeared ready to burst at the seams. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. Standing on the other side of the table was a much leaner man, dressed in a blue suit. Both men were clearly Japanese.
The old man leaned back in his chair and spoke in a dismissive tone. "There have been some unwanted individuals causing damage to our facilities in Yokohama".
He rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, clearly annoyed by the situation. He took a sip from a tall glass of water on the table. "thus they need to be eliminated," he said bluntly.
The younger man listened quietly, his face betraying no emotion.
"I understand..we.. could increase security presence...," he began calmly.
The old man cut him off impatiently, "No, no. I don't want more armed men strutting around and causing more headaches. I've had enough of this already" he gestured dismissively. "Get rid of them permanently and just give the media some money to spread some fake-stories about their disappearance" he continued angrily.
The younger man nodded, his expression still neutral. He knew better than to argue with the old man, especially when he seemed so angered.
"As you wish," he replied, "I will make the necessary arrangements."
The old man grunted in agreement, his anger slowly subsiding. He leaned back in his chair, letting out a satisfied breath.
"Good. See to it that it's done soon. I don't need anymore problems like this" he said coldly, waving the younger man off with a dismissive wave of his hand.
As the younger man turned to leave, the old man suddenly spoke up:
"Wait," he said, his tone harsh, "before you go, bring me some pizza from downstairs. Mushrooms, pepperoni, extra cheese" he ordered.
The young man paused for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden request. But he just nodded obediently. "Of course, sir " he replied, bowing his head slightly.
He then turned and left the room.
The young man's name was Suzuki Ishikawa. He was a calm and composed individual, known for his unflappable demeanor and professional attitude. Ishikawa was born into a moderately wealthy family and his father was a powerful businessman, giving him access to several connections in the corporate world.. He was the type who knew how to get things done efficiently and without argument. He was often the go-to person for the old man, handling his every command with a calm and steady demeanor.
Suzuki Ishikawa sighed as he hurried down the flights of stairs, grumbling under his breath.
"Damn that bastard.." he muttered angrily.
He worked for the Kusonoki Conglomerate, specifically in the transportation sector. The old man who just gave him orders was his boss, the head of the Transportation department. Suzuki usually had no issues working on his instructions, but sometimes he just couldn't stand the way he talked to him and other employees. His boss was a gluttonous buffoon, always demanding things to be done his way and never listening to any suggestions from the employees.
Ishikawa reached the employee cafeteria and placed an order for two large pizzas –mushrooms, pepperoni with extra cheese for the old man and a simple cheese pizza for himself. As Hiroshi waited for the pizza, he activated the neural interface in his brain by saying "power on.". The digital interface was only visible to him, and thanks to the neuro-chip implanted in his brain, he was able to connect to the internet instantaneously.
A pair of smart contact lenses, projected the digital interface right in front of his eyes. Through these lenses, he could access information from the internet without the need for physical devices like phones or tablets. The technology was compact, convenient, and had practically made traditional phones obsolete. Thee lenses also allowed him to see various information such as files, emails, memos and much more. Hiroshi began looking through some reports on the conglomerate's activities. There were several files on the recent issues in Yokohama. They also contained several reports on the individuals that the old man had ordered him to dispose of.
"Those are the targets.." he whispered quietly to himself, as he perused the information.
As Hiroshi perused the information on the files, he realized that the individuals they had to 'take care' of were just ordinary people. They were likely petty criminals, not even worth looking into.
"Tch, I don't even need to look at this..." he muttered under his breath, shutting the files closed.
He then proceeded to check some e-mails, waiting for the pizza to arrive.
Among several e-mails were some reports on the damage caused to Kusonoki's equipment in Yokohama. The damage had been significant. With a frustrated sigh, Hiroshi read through the reports. The damage to the equipment's was quite significant, and would require a good amount of time to repair and replace. On top of that, they would have to pay the media to cover up the news and make sure it didn't go public and then arrange some people to make fake-news about the disappearance of these people he was gonna order the killing of.
As Hiroshi considered the logistics, he remembered that the underground supersonic rail was under construction, so they would have to use the road to reach Yokohama. The road passed through the ruins of the old-tokyo "Damn, they'll have to go through the ruins..not only will it be more vulnerable that way but it will also take much longer," he muttered to himself.
The supersonic train line was a massive project funded by all three megacorporation's for a very fast means of transportation throughout Japan. Most parts of it were already operational, except for the section leading to Yokohama, which was under construction. The line was composed of sleek passenger capsules or cargo capsules, which were housed within an underground vacuum tube on a cushion of air. These capsules would travel at top speeds of over 1236 km/h, powered by nuclear fusion batteries. When complete, the line would allow quick and efficient travel across the entirety of Japan, making it an incredibly reliable mode of transport.
It was a marvel of technology, but the current issue was that until the construction was completed, people had to use the old roads to reach Yokohama. These roads went through the ruins of old-tokyo, which was still very much unsafe to travel through, it wasn't because of the remaining radiation there was another reason. Slums. Old Tokyo was home to a massive slum, which now resembled a third tier city. Although the radiation levels had long since returned to normal, the main problem was the presence of gangs and violence in the area.
However, the mega-corps were fully prepared to deal with any potential issues. High ranking officials had been kidnapped in the past, prompting the hiring of a private military group. The group had made quick work of the gangs there, eliminating almost half of them. Since then nothing of sorts had happened. The gang leaders had realized the futility of getting into skirmishes with the companies, and a sort of truce had been established. It was still a seedy, crime-ridden area but not as dangerous as it had been before. At least, not for important company representatives.
Hiroshi closed the e-mail just as the pizza was delivered. A robotic waiter, a humanoid with a smiling plastic face and a black uniform, placed the pizza on the table. "There you go, sir," the waiter robot said with a mechanical voice, its plastic face still smiling.
Hiroshi thanked the waiter-robot as it placed the pizza down. He took the two boxed pizzas, one cheese and one pepperoni.
"Thanks, that should be all," he said, waving the waiter off. It bowed slightly, "Of course, enjoy your meal sir," it replied before leaving. As Hiroshi waited for the pizzas to cool off, he considered his next task: calling the cleanup team to send to Yokohama. To do so, he mentally initiated a call, connecting through the neurochip in his frontal lobe, which he had installed a few months ago. He heard a soft beep in his earpiece, signaling the connection.
On the other side, he heard the voice of a man answering. "Hello, this is Kazu hiroga"
"Hey, Kazu, it's Hiroshi. I have a job for you," Hiroshi spoke inside his mind, his inner voice converting into sound and then traveling through his earpiece to the other man's ear
Kazu replied, "Sure, what's the job?"
"We need some...ah... cleaning up in Yokohama," Hiroshi answered casually, as if discussing the most normal thing in the world.
There was a moment of silence from Kazu's side. "I see," he said, his tone calm and composed. "What kind of cleanup are we talking about here, Hiroshi-san? Kidnapping, murder?"
"Murder," Hiroshi replied bluntly. "A group of people. They've been causing us problems."
There was a brief pause from Kazu, but his tone remained the same. "Got it. I can take care of it. I'll come to your office within the next hour and we should be able to reach tokyo an hour before dawn, from then it will only take ten minutes or so to go to Yokohama."
Hiroshi agreed, "Sounds good. See you then." He then ended the call and picked up the two boxes full of piping hot pizza, the smell of melted cheese and pepperoni reaching his nostrils.
He then walked through the luxurious corridors and reached the door to his boss's office. Hiroshi knocked on the door twice before pushing it open. He immediately found himself staring at that fat-old man, who was eating some ice-cream. "Ah, I've been waiting," the old man said, eyeing the pizza hungrily. "Is that my pepperoni pizza?"
"Yes, sir. Here you go," Hiroshi said as he walked over and placed the box on the table before him. He then opened it, revealing the steaming pepperoni pizza.
As the old man inhaled the smell of the pizza, he asked, "Have you ordered the clean-up?" His voice was casual, as if asking about the weather.
Hiroshi nodded slightly. "Yeah, I've talked to Kazu. He'll be here within the hour and we'll reach Yokohama just before dawn."
"Good," the old man said, grabbing a slice of the pizza and shoving it into his mouth. "I don't want any of these problems messing up our business in Yokohama."
"It won't, sir," Hiroshi assured him, "Kazu will take care of them, I assure you." He paused briefly, watching the man devour the slice of pizza with gusto. Watching the man eating, he thought it best to add one more thing. "By the way, sir, I think I'll be joining them as well. Just to oversee things."
The old man paused for a moment, regarding Hiroshi with a look of slight surprise. But then, he chuckled and shook his head. "Sure, go ahead."
"Thanks, sir," Hiroshi said, slightly taken aback by the man's easy approval. He figured that having the direct subordinate of one of the higher-ups there would ensure everything went smoothly, especially since he was a trusted associate.