Chapter 319 : The Transmigrator
Chapter 319: The Transmigrator
[I'm afraid that's beyond what I can answer.]
On the other end of the call, Maria's voice practically dripped with unease.
Perhaps because so many strange things had happened over the past two days, Maria was showing her emotions far more openly than usual, unlike her normally composed and cold demeanor.
She must have been exhausted.
[To be on the safe side, I believe it would be best if you ignored it. The fact that all of you, who have never even met the Chairman, received something supposedly sent by him is highly suspicious in itself.]
“T-That's true……”
It was a reasonable explanation even from Irie's perspective.
The Stingray Chairman had always been a man shrouded in mystery.
Within the Stingray Group, they extensively promoted a man named "Drake Stingray" as the Founding Father or a great hero through the Group's Public Relations Department and government promotional materials.
However, the Stingray Chairman himself strongly disliked appearing in the media.
He always conducted his affairs through representatives, and even during major Group matters or personal controversies, he consistently kept his face hidden from the public.
Because of that, there were quite a few residents of New Valhalla City who knew his name and achievements, yet had never seen his face.
Incidentally, that aversion to media exposure had been inherited by his eldest son, and Aaron likewise avoided appearing on broadcasts whenever possible.
In any case.
Why would such an enigmatic Emperor suddenly send a letter to Irie and her companions, people he had never even met?
Ordinarily, anyone would assume it was either a scam using the Stingray Chairman's name...
Or simply a prank.
Maria's reasoning was sound.
However...
Irie thought differently.
“But something feels off.”
[A feeling... you say...?]
“It's strange enough that an Autonomous Delivery Robot is still operating under the current circumstances. But it's even stranger that they specifically used the Stingray Chairman's name. If they wanted to fool someone, there were plenty of other names they could've used. Why choose that one?”
If their goal had simply been to attract attention, then perhaps it made sense.
But aside from that, she couldn't understand what benefit there was in using the name "Drake Stingray."
If anything, it only made people more suspicious.
“I think there's something behind this.”
[I know your instincts are good, Irie... Hmm...]
Maria thought for a moment before asking,
[Come to think of it, I haven't heard what the letter actually said yet. What was written in it?]
“It only said to follow the Delivery Drone……”
[That makes it even more suspicious.]
Maria fell silent, apparently deep in thought.
Then, after making up her mind, she spoke.
[Very well. I'll accompany you.]
“Huh?”
[Why are you so surprised? Have you already forgotten what happened last night? There's no way I'd allow all of you to act on your own.]
“Well... that's true……”
[Besides, although I can't explain the details, I also received instructions from the Chairman, so it would be best if I came along.]
“Instructions?”
[As I said, I'm afraid I can't explain the details.]
“Okay……”
[Then I'll see you shortly.]
Not long after the call with Maria ended, she arrived.
Unlike her usual habit of personally driving whenever she escorted her superior, this time she appeared in a chauffeur-driven car.
The moment Irie saw her face, she could tell Maria was mentally exhausted.
While Aaron had personally gone to the battlefield, Maria had undoubtedly been handling all the countless administrative tasks in his place.
Although Irie wondered if she'd unnecessarily burdened someone who was already so busy, she ultimately convinced herself that it couldn't be helped.
“Maria. You got here quickly.”
“Yes. Given the circumstances, please show it to me immediately. Where is the invitation you said you received from the Chairman?”
“Here.”
Irie immediately handed her the paper.
The moment Maria saw it, her eyes widened.
“This is identical to the Chairman's handwriting. The paper itself is also of exceptionally high quality... It seems coming here personally was indeed the right decision.”
“So... was it really sent by the Stingray Chairman?”
“I can't say for certain based on this alone, but it's true that it's becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss this as a mere prank.”
“Then what should we do?”
“......Let's accept the invitation.”
Irie nodded and approached the Delivery Drone that had continued hovering nearby.
The moment she did, the drone began wobbling as it moved.
“I'll lead the way. Everyone, follow me.”
The instant Irie spoke—
Something suddenly extended from the drone's body.
Then flames ignited.
“A... a jet engine!?”
The Delivery Drone instantly accelerated.
The group hurriedly gave chase.
However, it was so unbelievably fast that even Maria, who possessed the highest overall Module Level among them, struggled to keep up.
“[Damn it! Why's that thing so fast!?]”
“N-No! We're losing it!”
“We can't let it escape! Keep chasing it!”
To make matters worse, the drone didn't even stay on the roads.
It freely crossed places people normally couldn't.
The group had no choice but to leap over walls, sprint across rooftops, and chase after it with everything they had.
“Huff... Huff...!”
“W-Where in the world is that thing going!?”
After chasing the drone until they were completely out of breath...
They finally arrived somewhere.
On both sides stood illegally expanded high-rise apartment buildings.
Because of the dense construction, almost no sunlight reached the narrow alley between them.
The drone flew straight through the alley separating the two slum-like apartment buildings...
Until it reached a railing at the very end.
Looking down beyond the railing...
Far below was an artificial waterway carrying sewage.
Filthy wastewater poured endlessly from gigantic pipes embedded throughout the walls.
“H-How are we supposed to get down there? Jump?”
“Irie. Look to your side.”
“Huh?”
Looking more closely...
Pieces of exposed reinforcing steel protruded from the wall like makeshift stairs.
The drone slowly descended as though it were following those steel steps.
“......This really is safe... right, Maria?”
“For now, let's continue following it.”
The group carefully followed the drone, making sure not to fall into the waterway.
Eventually, it slipped into one of the sewage pipes...
And disappeared completely.
“Ah! I-It's gone!”
“[Wait, there's a door here.]”
Where Silence pointed...
There stood an electronic door that looked astonishingly sturdy and well-maintained for something located inside a sewage pipe.
The moment Irie stepped closer, the door opened automatically.
Beyond it lay another dark corridor.
“This place just keeps getting stranger……”
“I'll take the lead.”
Maria activated her Module and moved to the front of the group.
As they continued through the dark corridor...
The walls suddenly disappeared.
A massive underground chamber opened before them.
At that very moment—
“Aaaaaaaahhhhhh—!”
Along with someone's scream...
The lights came on.
They instinctively narrowed their eyes against the sudden brightness.
When their vision adjusted...
The sight before them was—
“......?!”
Brains in tanks.
Human brains floated inside green liquid.
Each tank was connected to machines that appeared to read and write electrical signals.
Beneath each machine sat something resembling a basket.
Inside those baskets...
Were stacks upon stacks of palm-sized paper slips.
“W-What... is all this?”
“[One... two... three... There are eight brains in total.]”
“A-Are those really all human brains?”
“E-Eek... This is terrifying......!”
While the students of the Special Class panicked at the horrifying scene beyond comprehension...
Maria was stunned for an entirely different reason.
Every piece of equipment connected to those brains looked strangely familiar.
More specifically...
They were devices she had often seen within the Stingray Group's Technology Division.
In other words...
This facility had been built by the Stingray Group.
Just then—
Irie picked up one of the paper slips from the basket beneath one of the machines.
She examined it from every angle.
Then her expression turned serious.
“W-Wait. Everyone, look at this.”
“[What is it?]”
“Haven't we seen something like this before?”
The members of the Special Class frowned as soon as they recognized its familiar appearance.
In truth...
Rather than calling it a piece of paper...
It was more appropriate to call it a ticket.
“The Chairman gave us something similar before. When we used it, we went to another world...”
“[That's right. It wasn't even that long ago. It'd be stranger if we'd forgotten.]”
A Hunting Ground Ticket.
The item Irie had taken from the basket looked remarkably similar to the tickets Aaron had previously given them.
Hearing that, Maria asked,
“What are you talking about?”
“Well……”
Irie explained how they had previously used the tickets Aaron gave them to travel to another world called the Hunting Ground.
There, they hunted [Mystics], sold the materials they obtained, and helped Aaron gain the upper hand in the struggle for control of the Stingray Group.
“S-Something like that happened!?”
“You didn't know, Maria?”
“Young Master... Ah, no, Mr. Chairman doesn't tell me many things. I had been wondering where he managed to obtain such an enormous amount of funds... so this was how......”
“[Forget that for a second. At the very least, it's obvious that 'that guy' got these mysterious tickets from here.]”
Silence clicked his tongue in irritation.
“[Fine, let's say we've figured out where the tickets came from. Then what are these machines? If they're just printing tickets, why do they need human brains? What exactly are they used for?]”
—Your premise is flawed from the very beginning.
At that moment...
A voice echoed throughout the chamber.
The students of the Special Class looked around in confusion.
Only Maria reacted differently.
She jumped in shock and frantically searched for the source of the voice.
“C-Chairman! Where are you!?”
“Huh? Chairman? D-Don't tell me... was that really Chairman Drake Stingray's voice...?”
—I never expected even you to come here, Maria.
Interrupting Irie's question...
A brilliant blue light appeared in the center of the chamber.
At first, it was only a vague silhouette.
Gradually...
It became clearer.
Until it finally took on a familiar appearance.
Snow-white hair.
A face that looked as though life could leave it at any moment.
Yet...
An expression that revealed absolutely nothing of what lay beneath.
It was a hologram of the Stingray Chairman.
“Chairman......!”
As though it had been engraved into her instincts, Maria immediately dropped to one knee before the Chairman and paid her respects.
“Following Young Master Aaron's orders, we've been searching for you continuously. I apologize for my impertinence, but I would be grateful if you could tell us where you are now.”
—Searching for me, you say? Then your efforts were in vain, Maria. The fact that all of you have reached this place means that, at the very least, I am no longer "alive" in the sense that you understand the word.
“What... do you mean by that?”
—I am not the original. I am merely an AI created by copying my own thought processes. Nothing more than a machine created to guide you here and explain everything to you. Because of that, the conversations I am capable of having are extremely limited.
“T-That can't be......!”
Maria stood frozen in shock, unable to continue speaking.
Meanwhile...
Gathering her courage, Irie stepped toward the Chairman's hologram.
“......M-Mr. Chairman Stingray?”
—Indeed. So you're Irie. You're the student Aaron cherishes the most, aren't you? It's a pleasure to meet you.
The hologram smiled warmly the moment it saw Irie.
Seeing that gentle smile...
Irie thought he might not be nearly as frightening as she'd heard.
She asked once more,
“Yes, I'm happy to meet you too. But there's something I'd like to ask... In the end, does this mean it was really your will that brought us here through the drone?”
—Yes. That's correct.
“Then... what exactly is this place? Those brains, those strange machines... and those tickets... what exactly are they?”
—Naturally, you'd be curious.
However...
Before that...
There are several concepts you must first understand.
The Chairman fell silent for a moment.
Then a broad smile spread across his face.
Like an artist eagerly anticipating the chance to unveil his masterpiece before the world...
He slowly began.
—Do you know what a "Transmigrator" is?