Seoul Cyberpunk Story-Chapter 8: Burning Duct (2)

"Pizza...."

In the end, I got caught by Scarlet and found myself walking alongside her toward her workshop.

Honestly, if I had really decided to run, there was no way a netwitch like Scarlet could have caught up to me. But she had dangled a carrot in front of me, and I had taken the bait.

The carrot she offered was a "special pizza"—something I had never tasted before.

She seemed to enjoy my company, smiling from ear to ear as she glanced at me.

She casually swept back her red hair, but then, as if a thought suddenly struck her, her expression shifted to one of concern.

"Hey... You do know you're not supposed to follow a suspicious old man just because he offers you pizza, right?"

Her words were so absurd that I wondered if her circuits had shorted out a bit. I let out a sigh.

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"...."

Scarlet looked at me as if I were some naïve kid easily lured by candy, so I returned a look that clearly said, Don’t be ridiculous.

But after thinking about it for a moment... if such an old man actually existed, I probably would follow him and eat the pizza.

Well, with my level of physical ability, it wouldn't be a problem.

I had a body that could survive even if my head got cut off—falling into a pizza-related trap wasn’t exactly something to be concerned about.

Scarlet must have read my thoughts from my expression because she let out a giggle.

"Seriously... you'd do anything for pizza, huh?"

I averted my gaze and muttered,

"That's not true."

As we walked deeper into Burning Duct, the number of people around us gradually decreased.

Our footsteps echoed through the narrow alleyways.

Occasionally, bursts of red flame erupted from the pipes, casting flickering light over our path.

The closer we got to Scarlet’s shop, Hex, the more the atmosphere changed.

We were in the outermost part of Burning Duct’s outskirts. No passersby. No shops.

Instead, the space was filled with implants.

A dense jungle of prosthetic arms and legs sprawled around us—cybernetic limbs sticking out like thick undergrowth. Optical implants and neural connection devices were interwoven between them, forming eerie patterns.

The ever-present steam of Burning Duct mixed with the grotesque scenery, creating the perfect setting for a horror film.

It was like a graveyard of discarded prosthetic limbs.

The thicket of arms and legs was so dense that walking forward became difficult.

Scarlet waved her hand, and a faint blue glow spread through the cybernetic jungle. The prosthetic limbs shifted on their own, parting to form a narrow pathway.

This was a secret path—the kind only a netwitch, capable of remote hacking, could open.

Scarlet guided me down the path with a smug expression.

"...."

Truth be told, if there was one thing I couldn’t wrap my head around in this cyberpunk world, it was remote hacking.

It wasn’t just about hacking traffic lights or CCTV.

It was the fact that implants inside people’s bodies could be hacked.

And worse—there was no way to stop it.

Back in my time, such a flaw would have been unimaginable.

The reason why this kind of absurd hacking was even possible?

"AI Frames."

Remote hacking was a direct consequence of AI Frames—a material and structural anomaly unlike anything else.

AI Frames had countless advantages.

They were so easy to manufacture that even an ordinary person could make one with the right blueprint.A nail-sized AI Frame had more computing power than a semiconductor-based supercomputer the size of a skyscraper.AI Frames allowed instant, high-speed communication with no external infrastructure required.A simple surgery could connect an AI Frame directly to the human nervous system.The list of benefits was nearly endless.

Compared to this, building computers with semiconductors felt stupid.

And yet, AI Frames had one fatal flaw.

They had been created by the "true AI" that no longer existed.

Humanity had lost its AI.

Now, they could neither analyze nor improve AI Frames. They could only use them.

Even megacorporations couldn’t modify the structure of AI Frames—they could only develop software on top of them.

That was why remote hacking existed.

Because humanity had no idea how AI Frames actually communicated with the outside world.

That was the birth of the netwitches—the cyberpunk era’s "wizards."

As we walked through the maze of cybernetic limbs, faint blue lights illuminated our path.

And finally, at the very center of the prosthetic jungle, bathed in a dim reddish glow, Scarlet’s workshop came into view.

The hacking tool shop—Hex.

"Welcome. A, it's been a while since you've come to my shop, hasn’t it?"

Scarlet stood in front of her store, flashing a bright smile.

A floating holographic signboard shimmered above her, reflecting off her red hair, making it glow even more ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) vibrantly.

****

"Oh...!"

The moment I stepped into Hex, my vision was completely filled with something far beyond my expectations.

A gigantic pizza—so big I could literally lie down on it.

She really hadn't been exaggerating about it being a "special pizza."

Instead of the usual synthetic protein, the toppings looked like genuine cultured meat.

A thick layer of yellow cheese melted over the red sauce, and luxurious, lab-grown pepperoni gave off an enticing aroma.

The glossy sheen of the pizza reflected the light, making my mouth water instinctively.

I turned to Scarlet with bright, eager eyes.

She noticed my stare and shrugged, pretending to be indifferent.

"I just happened to come across it."

With light steps, she moved toward the corner of the shop.

Her red hair shimmered in the blue glow of holographic displays as she sat down at her workstation and began working.

Lines of code and digital images flickered in and out of existence in front of her.

I watched her for a moment before turning back to the pizza, carefully tearing off a piece and taking a bite.

As my small hand peeled away the crust, the cheese stretched into long, silky strands.

The first bite was far richer in flavor than I had expected.

"It's delicious."

The words came out of my mouth before I even realized it.

Scarlet’s lips curled into a slight smile.

She had expected me to like it.

As I continued eating, completely absorbed in the pizza, Scarlet eventually finished her work and casually walked over.

Then, without warning—

She pulled me into a hug.

"...."

Normally, I would have pushed her away, annoyed.

But considering she had just given me free pizza, I decided to quietly stay put—and keep eating.

As I grabbed the last slice of pizza and popped it into my mouth, Scarlet lightly ruffled my hair.

"A, there's something I'm looking into right now. Let’s take on a job together later."

I looked up while chewing, noticing the sudden seriousness in her gaze.

Now that she was finally bringing up the job, it was obvious—this was the real reason she had tempted me with pizza in the first place.

"There have been some suspicious guys showing up around Burning Duct lately."

Scarlet’s voice dropped to a whisper.

A wary glint flickered in her eyes.

"Something’s off. They don’t look like gang members, but they're covered in implants and keep lurking around."

Feeling satisfied after the delicious pizza, I absentmindedly stared at Scarlet’s red hair for a moment before nodding slowly.

"If I’ve got time, sure. I’ll let Amber know."

At my response, Scarlet’s face brightened with a wide smile.

"Thanks, A."

****

At the far end of a relatively quiet alley in Burning Duct, a weathered brick building stood.

Rust coated the window frames, giving the place an aged, atmospheric charm.

Above the entrance, a holographic sign glowed in bright blue letters.

"Seoul"

Amber’s bar and mercenary dispatch office.

The Hangul characters stood out even among the neon signs around them.

People unfamiliar with Burning Duct sometimes stopped to stare at the unfamiliar writing, but for those who frequented the area, it was a familiar sight.

The moment one stepped inside, the noise of the outside world vanished—as if the place itself were cut off from the chaos beyond.

Dim lights cast long shadows over the bottles lining the shelves.

A battered TV on the wall quietly played the news in the background.

The mix of old wooden furniture and intricate mechanical parts gave the interior a strangely timeless atmosphere, a blend of the past and the future.

Behind the counter, Amber wiped down a glass, her eyes flickering toward the entrance.

Even in the dim lighting, her amber-colored hair stood out vividly.

She glanced at the clock.

It was still early.

There were only a few customers—some regular mercenaries seated in the corners, quietly nursing their drinks.

"He's late..."

She murmured under her breath.

It had been hours since she sent the message. Still, no word.

Just then—

Jingle.

The small bell above the door rang.

The soft chime was followed by the sound of the door creaking open.

The two people Amber had been waiting for stepped inside.

Aria, and the mercenary they had recently rescued—Victor.

Aria looked the same as always, but Victor...

He was wrapped in thick bandages.

From his neck down to his chest.

"Welcome."

Amber greeted them with a smile.

But her gaze immediately locked onto Victor’s injuries.

"Victor, what happened? According to Aria’s report, you weren’t badly hurt when we rescued you...."

Her voice carried genuine concern.

Victor let out an awkward laugh, scratching his neck.

"Ah, this?"

He gestured toward his bandages.

"I just got some new implants installed."

Amber motioned for them to take a seat at the counter.

As they settled in, they began recounting what had happened in the AI Assimilation Zone.

Time passed. Drinks were poured, emptied, and refilled.

Then, after a while—

"A is late. We still need to settle payments."

Amber muttered, just as the TV screen suddenly blared with breaking news.

The loud alert music made all three of them instinctively turn to watch.

[Babel Network Breaking News]

"The occupation of Black Bio Corp’s food production plant shows signs of turning into a prolonged crisis."

"The armed forces of the Low-Tech Street Gang continue to hold the facility, making outrageous demands to Black Bio Corp."

Aria, who had been watching in silence, suddenly muttered.

"If A sees this, it’s gonna be bad."

Amber gave a small nod, agreeing.

"That’s where they make A’s favorite pizza, isn’t it?"

And in that very moment—

Jingle.

The small bell above the door rang again.

All three of them turned their heads toward the entrance.

Standing in the doorway, her black coat trailing behind her, lined with faint blue lights, was a small girl.

A.

Her eyes were locked onto the TV screen.

Her face twisted in a rare expression—a mix of shock and horror.