Seoul Cyberpunk Story-Chapter 53: Hector (1)

The battered TV screen in the Seoul office glowed with harsh red light.

Even though it was an outdated model by at least a few years, the holographic demo flickering across it showcased the pinnacle of cutting-edge tech.

Hexa Core Armory’s new implant technology, “Circle,” was putting its overwhelming power on full display.

Onscreen, a red laser beam tore through a series of barriers one after another.

Kevlar body armor, reinforced ceramic plates, even thick tank armor—none of it stood a chance. The beam sliced through them like a hot knife through paper.

Wherever the laser passed, only liquefied metal wreckage remained, and even through the screen, you could almost smell the air burning with molten iron.

Behind the counter, Amber, who had been absentmindedly polishing a glass, stopped and muttered under her breath, completely absorbed in the scene.

"Is that the Hexa Core Armory prototype you mentioned?"

"Yeah. They announced it faster than I expected. At that level of power, it could reshape battlefields overnight."

Amber stared at the screen for a moment longer, then added in a quieter tone.

"Doesn't look like they plan on selling it yet. Still, it’s a huge win for Hexa Core. Puts them a step ahead of Titan Tech for sure—especially with how much influence this’ll give them in security contracts."

I had been watching the demo footage with mild interest, idly tapping my fingers against the counter.

But the moment that red beam started firing, my interest evaporated.

I'd already seen this at the Black Bio Plant.

I turned my eyes away from the screen and looked toward "I" and Agwi playing in the corner.

"I" was admiring their newly applied gold coating, holding up tiny fingers to the ceiling lights, giggling as the golden reflections danced across their face.

Ding.

Just then, a message notification chimed inside my head.

The unfamiliar tone made me close my eyes for a second before opening the AR interface.

[Help me, I’m captured by a cyber necromancer. Please save me.]

[Mom! My bad little brother showed up again. Send credits fast!]

[A, if you’re free, wanna grab some pizza? Found a new place!]

Buried under dozens of spam and phishing attempts, one message stood out.

Aria.

The word "pizza" lit up every neuron in my brain.

Pizza!

I turned toward Amber, eyes gleaming.

"Amber, can I call Aria over?"

Amber chuckled when she saw the look on my face and nodded.

I shot a reply to Aria immediately.

[Come to the Seoul office. Amber’s back. Let’s eat together.]

It wasn’t long before the office door swung open and the familiar jingle sounded.

Jingle.

Aria stepped in, carrying a large pizza box.

"I’m here."

As usual, her greeting was short and to the point.

She was her typical calm, tidy self—until she spotted the golden-coated "I" playing in the corner with Agwi.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"A mini... A?"

It was rare to see any expression cross Aria’s face, but right now, she couldn’t hide her confusion.

Amber grinned mischievously, clearly enjoying Aria’s reaction.

"Looks like A reproduced asexually. The little one popped up out of nowhere."

Aria's eyes grew even wider.

"!"

She stood there with her mouth slightly open, glancing between me and "I" like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

It was too good to ruin the moment, so I didn’t bother correcting Amber’s joke.

Aria slowly set down the pizza box and approached the small figure.

She carefully examined "I," then looked back at me.

Her gaze flicked back and forth between us, still filled with visible confusion.

[Asexual reproduction!]

"I" chirped, throwing their tiny hands in the air without even understanding what it meant.

"Where exactly did... it come from?"

Aria finally managed to get the question out after composing herself a little.

"The Erosion Zone."

I answered simply.

Aria nodded. No further explanation needed.

In this city, anything inexplicable usually traced back to the Erosion Zone anyway.

We gathered around the counter and started tearing into the pizza.

The hot cheese smelled rich and savory as it filled the air.

"So, how’s Victor doing? His implant surgery went well?"

I asked, grabbing a slice.

"The surgery was a success. I didn’t think Victor would adapt to the implant this fast."

Aria bit into her slice, adding with her usual clipped tone.

"He’s been spending a lot of time with Iris. Scarlet mentioned it."

Her voice stayed stoic, but a faint warmth glimmered behind her eyes.

"Victor? Seriously?"

I blinked, surprised.

The idea of Victor—cold, no-nonsense mercenary Victor—playing with a kid was almost impossible to picture.

"Yeah. Daniel’s doing better too. His memory-assist implant stabilized his condition. They’re both living near Burning Duct now."

Amber smiled softly as she spoke.

"Victor takes Iris for walks around the area. Daniel’s even cut back on his neural stabilizer meds."

Over pizza, we caught up on everything we'd missed.

Rumors Amber had heard from the Burning Duct. Aria’s latest job.

Outside, night had fallen fully.

Babel’s neon signs burned even brighter now, their colors seeping softly through the windows, painting the office in shifting hues.

Amber stretched and yawned as she stood up.

"Alright, time to call it a night. Let’s get you guys set up in the guest room."

Aria popped the last piece of pizza into her mouth and nodded.

I stood too, glancing around to gather "I."

"I" had found a gray coating among the supplies, slathered it all over themselves, and now sat proudly atop their mini-cushion in the corner of the # Nоvеlight # office.

The pose they struck—solid, imposing—looked like they were declaring, I am strong.

Yeah.

Gray definitely made you look tougher.

****

Victor sat alone in a small room deep within the Burning Ducts, eyes fixed on the hovering hologram screen.

The room was mostly swallowed in darkness, lit only by the faint blue glow cast by the display.

[The Circle system will introduce a new paradigm to Babel’s battlefields.]

The confident voice of the presenter filled the cramped space.

Onscreen, a red beam lashed out toward a designated target.

Victor held his breath, watching.

A slab of specially reinforced alloy armor melted away in an instant.

Seconds later, the target was gone—reduced to nothing.

"Incredible firepower..."

Victor muttered, deep lines creasing his brow.

There was awe in his voice—but also unease.

At that level of power, even his enhanced skin armor wouldn’t stand a chance. It would be torn apart like paper.

And there was no way he could just strap tank plating onto himself for a few extra seconds of survival.

"Any Hexa Core contracts from now on... I'm refusing them. No matter how many credits they throw at me."

Sighing heavily, Victor froze the video feed.

At that moment, a small, hesitant voice came from the doorway.

"Victor? Is something wrong?"

Iris peeked her head cautiously through the gap.

"Can I come in?"

She asked, voice wavering slightly.

Victor hurriedly shut down the hologram completely.

"Of course."

Iris stepped softly into the room.

"You looked really scary for a second... I thought maybe something bad happened."

Victor quickly softened his expression, trying to ease her worry.

"It’s nothing. Just reviewing info for my next job."

He knelt and ruffled her hair gently.

Iris gazed up at him, her worry melting into a small, bright smile.

"Oh, right! Scarlet taught me a new recipe today. We're gonna try it when my brother gets back. You should eat with us too!"

Victor smiled and nodded.

He didn't know how long peaceful moments like this would last.

After all, he was a recon mercenary—the most dangerous job of all.

But for now, for this fleeting moment, he let himself cherish it.

Outside, the battered old clock on the wall ticked softly, marking time as the distant hum of Babel’s nightlife seeped through the cracked windows.

Another day in Babel came to an end.

****

Heavy metallic footsteps echoed through the cold hallways of Hexa Core Armory headquarters.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

A steady rhythm, like the ticking of a giant mechanical clock, filled the corridor.

Hector’s towering, mechanized body dwarfed everything around him.

His massive shoulders nearly brushed the walls, and the overhead lights reflected coldly off his armored plating.

["There’s a bad smell around HQ these days."]

The words rumbled out of Hector’s artificial voice box, mechanical yet tinged with something almost resembling emotion.

The young technician walking beside him looked up nervously.

He was responsible for maintaining Hector’s Circle system.

"Excuse me? What do you mean, a smell...?"

["..."]

Hector didn’t answer.

The "smell" he spoke of wasn’t literal.

It was a hallucination—a ghost of a scent from the great wars long past.

The technician hesitated, then tried again, clutching a datapad displaying Hector’s latest body scan results.

"Um, Sir Hector... Will you be using the Circle system on your next mission?"

["No."]

Hector's response was immediate, leaving no room for doubt.

["Circle’s not stable yet."]

Embedded deep within his chest was an artificial heart synced to the Circle system—Hexa Core’s latest technological masterpiece.

The black metal casing pulsed faintly with a sinister red glow.

But Hector didn’t yet recognize it as a true weapon.

To him, Circle was nothing more than an emergency ace in the hole—a tool for when all else failed.

After completing his scheduled maintenance, Hector opened his AR interface.

A transparent display unfolded before his eyes, listing mission updates.

It was a roster generated by Hexa Core’s self-improving AI—potential experimental subjects necessary for Circle's full stabilization.

Names and dossiers scrolled rapidly across the screen.

[Ghosts of MK Corporation. Location: Unknown.]

[Black Coil. Location: Outskirts of Babel.]

[...]

[Iris. Location: Eastern Babel, Burning Ducts.]

[...]

Hector’s crimson mechanical eye paused briefly on one name:

Iris.

["Burning Ducts this time, huh."]

A new target.

A new destination.