Cyber Era Witch -
Chapter 638 - 539 Blending In
Chapter 638: Chapter 539 Blending In
Joining a new squad, completing a death-defying mission, earning an excessive compensation.
Masasuke Hazuki was all too familiar with this kind of work; he felt like a sea fish swimming up-stream in the dark and deep waters of the ocean. The pain wasn’t from being lost at sea, but from having forever lost the chance to return to shore, and from having forgotten when this all started.
He watched as people entered the warehouse one by one, terms like ’modified humans’, ’women’, ’youths’ were too generic to capture their distinctive traits. The only commonality they shared was the look of vigilance and seriousness on their faces, as if they had long known of the rough path ahead and were prepared to face the challenges head-on.
After exchanging names, Seeking Shadow, as the team leader, required them to use the warehouse as a base for 48 hours of preparation before finally setting off with full gear to execute the mission in Sato City.
They were given enough time to prepare, but Masasuke Hazuki didn’t have much to prepare.
He had participated in hundreds of missions, coming in and out of life-threatening situations so many times he couldn’t even count, and he was confident in his abilities and what he could achieve.
As long as no one else was holding him back, Masasuke Hazuki would fulfill his own responsibilities. He actually saw himself as a lone wolf, always able to penetrate deep behind enemy lines and emerge victorious.
Within the squad, Sajou Jiro, a newcomer like Hazuki, seemed somewhat detached from the others; at the moment, Jiro also developed a fair amount of interest in the also-new Masasuke Hazuki.
"Nice to meet you," Sajou Jiro approached Masasuke Hazuki, "I am Sajou Jiro, Qianxue’s brother, I look forward to your guidance!"
He had a clear and bright face with a slender figure, wearing a pair of pale leather gloves that seemed to facilitate casting spells.
"My name is Masasuke Hazuki." He didn’t want to reveal too much about himself; in this line of work, one shouldn’t lay out one’s life story, as allies in one moment might become foes crossing swords in the next.
After all, Masasuke Hazuki was new here, he couldn’t trust others, and he knew they wouldn’t trust him either. He was also aware that he would be under extra scrutiny, which Hazuki was already well accustomed to.
He just wanted everything to proceed as usual, without any surprises.
"I heard that Mr. Masasuke Hazuki is quite proficient at casting spells, quite impressive!" Sajou Jiro was a young man with an energetic tone and a cheerful expression, possessing a youthful and sunny disposition appropriate for his age.
His breezy manner made Masasuke Hazuki somewhat wary, as such people usually couldn’t keep secrets. Jiro was more suited for a low-pressure environment, not here and now.
"Hmm." Masasuke Hazuki hoped his cold response would discourage Jiro, but instead, Jiro simply smiled.
"Being able to cast spells is really amazing," Jiro said, excited to meet someone skilled in spell-casting, he looked at his own palm which could almost summon a faint white glow, "It immediately distinguishes the mortal from the extraordinary."
Was it only spell-casting that could differentiate the mortal from the extraordinary? Could installing futuristic enhancements not do the same? Or engraving professional knowledge into one’s brain? Masasuke Hazuki pondered silently. By Jiro’s definition, the extraordinary would be a dime a dozen in the world.
The true extraordinary must embody great power, not adhere to ordinary forms, live at will, transcend worldly impurities, and pursue fearlessly.
Masasuke Hazuki only considered himself a juggler, with spells that merely attracted attention.
However, these thoughts only circulated within Hazuki’s mind. Revealing too much in passing conversation was the world’s greatest taboo. Masasuke Hazuki fell silent, slightly nodded to Jiro, and then had nothing more to say.
Jiro, feeling the interaction was unfruitful, mulled over in his mind how to draw the attention of this stoic mercenary, to uncover the source of his mysterious power.
But after much consideration, limited by his lack of experience, he finally gave up and walked away in silence.
"Does Masasuke need to buy anything?" Nidelaide was registering everyone’s equipment needs and, after recording Snowball’s battery, noticed Hazuki hadn’t made any requests yet, so he went over to ask.
"...I’d like to take some funds and make the purchases myself." Masasuke Hazuki took out his cash card; Nidelaide transferred 25,000 Funds to it for preparation before departure, "That’s quite straightforward of you."
"After all, we’re going to such a distant place," Nidelaide explained, "When I traveled the world, I always worried about lacking specific equipment."
"Have you been to many places?" Masasuke Hazuki became intrigued with the figure shrouded in a black overcoat upon hearing this.
"Too many to count, I’m from Taixi Continent, probably visited over thirty cities," Nidelaide nodded, "Due to poverty, I always had to work while traveling, and couldn’t go far, just enough to buy a boat ticket to the next port, then continue working."
"So this is your final destination." Masasuke Hazuki understood, "From Taixi Continent to Northern Archipelago Continent, crossing half the world."
At this moment, Masasuke Hazuki couldn’t help but respect Nidelaide, others might not see anything special, but Hazuki could sense something unique about him. Nidelaide had traversed so many cities, such long-term wandering required not just vigilance and self-defense, but also a persistent heart seeking answers.
After hearing Masasuke Hazuki’s words, Nidelaide just nodded, his facial expression invisible.
"It’s also good luck, otherwise I’d have to continue wandering far and wide," Nidelaide said amicably, "I’m quite skilled at repairs and technician work, but I’m still short of money. If I can get a share of the profits, I can do more of what I want."
"So, in the upcoming mission, please take good care of us," Masasuke Hazuki bowed to Nidelaide.
After Nidelaide left, Masasuke Hazuki looked at the other new companions walking to and fro in the warehouse, methodically making preparations for departure, and he too felt a long-lost sense of belonging from them.
Unlike other mercenary teams he was familiar with, which were full of utilitarianism, the people here each had their own ideals and were not together merely for monetary gain.
"Yo, Hazuki!" Hosoda Yoshiyuki came towards Masasuke Hazuki, "I’ve heard of you before, sort of a private affairs specialist from Shangjing."
"I take on discreet and low-profile missions." Masasuke Hazuki felt the spell brands on his body, which needed him to pay a price to maintain, "My abilities are unique and not suitable for being in the public eye."
"Are you a local? Where were you born?" Hosoda Yoshiyuki suddenly thought of this, although everyone was used to coming from various places, being born in the same region could still create a bit of a hometown bond.
"Kaname Prefecture," Masasuke Hazuki explained. It’s a small county on the outskirts of Shangjing.
"Oh!" Hosoda Yoshiyuki responded with respect, "I was born in Zhuojing Village in Jingyin, about 12 kilometers from Kaname."
"The Northern Archipelago is just that small," Masasuke Hazuki nodded. A quarter of the population is concentrated in Shangjing. Being born is like a lottery, with a 25% chance of winning, which can greatly reduce the difficulty of life. If you miss it, you have to make your own way.
"Old man, I’ve thought about that too. It would be nice to be born in Xia, which is so vast," Hosoda Yoshiyuki murmured, "From the southernmost to the northernmost is thousands of kilometers, traveling by car or flying, all the way is a different scenery. Have you been to Xia?"
"Had a few bowls of noodles in Guangnan Prefecture," Masasuke Hazuki couldn’t help recalling the scenery he had seen in Xia. Although it was just to carry out missions, coming and going quickly, he still found it impressive. Many "cities" considered as cities elsewhere in the world would only be deemed as counties in Xia.
"Noodles? How do they compare to sushi?" Hosoda Yoshiyuki’s interest was piqued.
"Whatever the food, once it’s digested it becomes a uniform substance..." Masasuke Hazuki tried to clarify his point, "...all protein, fat, and water, with no difference in quality. The original flavors linger on the tongue, but for only five to ten minutes."
"Boring, boring!" Hosoda Yoshiyuki grumbled, "You’re just like those monks who say that eating dough is better than eating cake."
There were eggs in the cake, perhaps other things too. Masasuke Hazuki wanted to say something else to Hosoda Yoshiyuki, but his personal communicator rang, so he bid farewell to Hosoda Yoshiyuki and walked behind a pillar in the warehouse to talk with his girlfriend.
In a spot he couldn’t see, Rinne was hiding at the top of the steel beam, observing.
She surreptitiously hacked into Masasuke Hazuki’s communicator to check its stored content, mostly chat and call records with his girlfriend. There were also photos of locations taken by Masasuke Hazuki during his missions, which seemed to be some sort of commemoration, indicating he had been to every district in Shangjing.
Among them were photos of his girlfriend, and according to the annotations, Rinne discovered that Masasuke Hazuki’s girlfriend was named Sachika Reiko. Besides the photos he took of Reiko in cosplay outfits, the rest were joint pictures, generally similar in content—he looked indifferent, while the girlfriend happily clung to his arm, taking pictures everywhere. The records stopped last spring, which seemed to be when his girlfriend fell ill. Masasuke Hazuki appeared to have no personal hobbies other than his missions, training, and sick girlfriend.
"Where have you been?" came Reiko’s voice from the communicator.
"I have to go on a business trip, for public affairs," Masasuke Hazuki whispered to his girlfriend, "Reiko... I might be gone for a long time before I return, two or three weeks maybe. I might not have signal there to call you, so you must take good care of yourself... I bought you fruits, comic books, a lot of them, I paid 3 months of hospitalization fees for the hospital, so you just... be good there, and wait for me to come back."
"...Are you doing something dangerous again? You always say that, you always..."
"It’s not like that, listen to me..." Masasuke Hazuki crouched down, patiently explaining a series of things to Reiko.
Perhaps due to Reiko’s condition, there were many things Masasuke Hazuki had to repeatedly explain to awaken some of her memories. But Masasuke Hazuki was honest and patient, able to explain over and over until she understood the whole story.
Rinne listened patiently. This kind of eavesdropping was necessary. Rinne had to ensure whether the newcomer was reliable; it was a basic of the basics.
After eavesdropping on their conversation, when Masasuke Hazuki sighed and turned around, Rinne too hid on the other side, shifting her gaze.
At the entrance, Seeking Shadow had already bought a large box of supplies, with a list that covered a wide range of guns, ammunition, tools, healing injections, electromagnetic grenades, mines, and other auxiliary items. Rinne couldn’t help but nod to herself; this increased the chances of a successful mission by another notch.
Apart from absolute victory, Rinne sought nothing else.
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