Seoul Cyberpunk Story-Chapter 26: Jinryong Technology (3)

The abandoned quarry at the edge of the Burning Duct had long been territory claimed by the Query Witches.

Once just a discarded void, it had transformed under the hands of the Query Witches into one of the most impregnable fortresses in Babel City.

From the quarry entrance, signs declaring it their domain were plastered everywhere.

Surveillance cameras mounted on every pillar moved endlessly, almost like living organisms, scanning the surroundings.

The system tracked movement using not only visible light, but also infrared, ultraviolet, and even echolocation.

For the Netwitches, vision was a weapon.

Their central server compiled input from all surveillance equipment in real time, generating a flawless holographic map.

Even with optical camouflage or smoke grenades, there was nowhere to hide on that map.

On top of that, the interior of the quarry was intentionally designed like a labyrinth.

Narrow paths carved through cliffs twisted around each other, while massive boulders blocked lines of sight.

Structures that evoked images of slaughterhouses were placed throughout, slowing intruders’ movements.

In short, anyone who dared to invade would get lost in this maze just long enough for the remote hacking to kick in—and have their nervous system hijacked and killed.

This defense system was the pride of the Query Witches.

They’d failed at attacking other gangs before, but not once had they ever failed to defend their turf.

That day seemed no different from any other.

“Vibration sensors triggered. South gate. Three individuals total.”

A Netwitch in the central server room reported the number and location of intruders with calm detachment.

“As always, let them know this is our territory. If they ignore the warning, take care of it.”

The leader of the Query Witches gave the order without emotion.

Her fingers danced in midair, manipulating a virtual interface like choreography.

None of the other Netwitches in the server room showed any sign of tension. They kept doing their jobs.

This was routine for the Query Witches.

Foolish intruders appeared often. And just as often, they were dealt with.

A warning message blared through the quarry entrance speakers.

[This is the territory of the Query Witches. Unless you want your brain soup to boil, get lost—now!]

Then came the unexpected reply.

[Hey there. Did you prep the pizza yet?]

A relaxed, cheerful voice.

The atmosphere in the server room froze instantly.

Every Netwitch stopped what they were doing and stared at the main screen.

The intruder captured on camera was a girl with white hair and blue eyes.

She was looking straight into the camera, waving.

“The Pizza Maniac...!!”

One Netwitch screamed, her voice piercing the room.

She shot to her feet and stumbled backward, her chair clattering to the floor and shattering the silence.

The others wore similar expressions.

“What’s with the pizza...? Isn’t that just one mercenary?”

A newly recruited Netwitch, confused by everyone’s reaction, asked with a puzzled look.

The leader—who’d faced the Pizza Maniac before—answered with a grim expression.

“No Netwitch can beat the Pizza Maniac.”

She pointed at the screen and continued.

“The one leading them—the white-haired girl—that’s the ‘Pizza Maniac.’ Try a remote hack.”

The rookie nodded confidently and locked eyes on the screen.

In that moment, the world before the rookie's eyes turned upside down.

From the visible spectrum into the world of data streams and AI frames—the Netwitch’s realm.

A flicker of shock passed through the rookie’s eyes.

‘???’

He returned to reality from the Netwitch’s world, eyes wide, and murmured:

“...?? How is a person like that even possible?”

In the world seen through a Netwitch’s senses, the ‘Pizza Maniac’ didn’t exist at all.

Like someone without an AI frame installed.

“Now you get it?”

The leader of the Query Witches stood up as she spoke.

“Prepare to greet them... properly. And...”

She took a breath, then added:

“Order Black Bio pizza. Right now.”

****

[Pizza Maniac...!!]

A’s voice echoed through the speakers scattered across the quarry.

Flustered voices, a chair toppling, and frantic footsteps layered into a chaotic noise.

Wilson hadn’t expected this reaction at all.

Naturally, he assumed there would be a fight with the gang.

Maybe they’d struggle against a few Netwitches—or, in the worst case, have to retreat.

But he never imagined a single word from A would reduce the Netwitches to sheer panic.

A few minutes passed in silence before the sound of hurried footsteps came from the quarry entrance.

Wilson instinctively reached for the smoke grenade hidden in his jacket.

But contrary to expectations, what emerged wasn’t a squad of gangsters in battle gear.

It was a line of Netwitches, neatly equipped with high-end implants, standing in formation to receive them.

Their outfits were immaculate, their faces stiffly trying to maintain polite smiles.

“We’ll escort you.”

The Netwitch at the front bowed politely like a hotel clerk and gestured for them to follow.

His eyes glinted with the latest ocular implants, and a high-end neural interface on his temple gave off a subtle blue glow.

With equipment like that, Wilson’s pathetic firewall wouldn’t last a second.

“Alright.”

A nodded calmly, as if this kind of treatment was expected.

Wilson couldn’t close his mouth.

‘What the hell is happening right now...?’

He started to wonder what ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) kind of person mercenary A really was to these gang members.

Sure, her appearance was unusual, but he didn’t think it warranted this kind of reaction.

No matter how closely he looked, he couldn’t spot any combat implants.

And yet, the notoriously ruthless Netwitches of the Query Witches were treating her with this level of deference...

The inside of the quarry was far more organized than he had imagined.

Rectangular slabs of stone were neatly arranged throughout, and a complex lighting system was mounted on the ceiling.

Surveillance cameras lined the walls, and in dark corners, severed implants and bullet scars gave off an ominous, hostile vibe.

Warnings painted in red implied a gruesome fate for any intruders.

For someone like Wilson—a nobody from the slums and a low-tier corporate drone—this was a sight he'd never imagined witnessing.

‘So this is a gang hideout...’

Wilson’s body was locked up with tension.

Up until now, the most dangerous place he’d ever been was the boardroom of corporate execs.

Truthfully, Wilson knew that it was a bad idea for a client to tag along with a mercenary.

But he couldn’t just sit back and wait.

It was his first time hiring a merc, and the anxiety was eating him alive.

Besides, if he didn’t recover the lost implant, he was as good as dead—literally.

To avoid that kind of ending, he had to get the implant back before the company noticed anything was off.

Wilson followed A cautiously, scanning the surroundings as he moved.

Everything looked like a trap to him.

He kept imagining a gunman hiding behind that boulder—or a mine planted under that differently colored floor tile.

His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst through his chest.

In that hyper-tense moment, where it felt like all sound had vanished, he suddenly heard a yawn beside him.

“Fwaaahm.”

Wilson flinched hard.

He turned his head and saw A yawning with a bored expression.

Her blue eyes looked around listlessly, and her mouth was pulled into a look of pure disinterest.

‘Seriously... even in the middle of enemy territory?’

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

Somehow, that attitude rubbed off on Wilson. He felt the tension in his body loosen with an audible snap.

Truth be told, he’d been constantly doubting A.

And with good reason—her full-body cyberframe looked like a schoolgirl, completely useless in combat.

But now, he had no choice but to believe.

Everything he saw, every vibe A gave off—it all pulled him toward one conclusion.

A wasn’t just worthy of her reputation—

She was even greater than the reputation suggested.

With a light push, she’d floored a bodyguard.

With a single sentence, she had a famous gang like the Query Witches acting like servants.

And now, in the heart of enemy territory, she wore a face of pure boredom.

He’d never heard of a mercenary like this before.

****

‘Well... I guess it’s a quarry, all right. This place is huge.’

While following the Query Witches deep into their base, I couldn’t stop yawning from sheer boredom.

“This way, please.”

One of the Netwitches politely gestured toward a door at the end of the hallway.

The moment the door opened, the rich scent hit me in the face.

I snapped to attention instantly.

‘Pizza...!’

On the round table at the center of the room sat a Black Bio pizza, still steaming hot.

Golden cheese, glossy pepperoni rounds, a crust baked to perfection.

Click.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, grinning as I picked up a slice.

Wilson stared at me, clearly flustered—but I didn’t care.

Om nom nom.

It was an unexpected Black Bio pizza, and from the looks of it, we might just be able to get the implant back without even fighting.

That thought alone lifted my mood.

If every job went like this, life would be amazing.

Inside the room were me, Wilson, his bodyguard, and a woman who looked to be the leader of the Query Witches.

The leader wore a businesslike expression, but deep in her eyes was a flicker of fear.

I grabbed a second slice without saying a word.

Wilson still hadn’t sat down. He hovered nervously, unsure of what to do.

As I was finishing the second slice, the Query Witches leader glanced sideways at the suit-wearing client from Melton Pitt and cleared her throat.

A strained business smile stretched across her face.

“So, you’re here about the Melton Pitt implant, right?”

I nodded slowly while chewing.

“I know this is terribly rude, but... would you consider giving up on retrieving the implant?”

‘?’

My face froze instantly.

I set the slice down on the table and looked at her.

The Query Witches leader quickly raised both hands, sensing my shift in mood.

“It’s just... the reason we took the Melton Pitt implant in the first place was because we were hired by a megacorp...”

As I listened, my brain went a little blank.

‘I keep getting tangled up with megacorps lately...’

And just as I was about to yell at her to hand over the implant—

A sharp noise rang out, and red liquid splattered across my pizza.

‘MY PIZZA!!’

Startled, I looked up—only to see a fountain of red erupting from the Query Witches leader’s neck.

A thick wave of blood filled the air.

She slowly collapsed forward.

Standing behind her was a man with strange-looking skin.

His complexion was porcelain-white and rigid, like a ceramic doll.

He stared down at me with cold, lifeless eyes—completely devoid of emotion.