Chapter 621: Ex Machina (8)

Lennok’s gaze met the man’s across the crumbling surface of the statue.

Behind the man, who was chewing on the end of a cigarette filter, three Enforcers stared in their direction with startled expressions.

One of the Enforcers, recognizing the man’s face belatedly, muttered,

“Branch Manager Pylo. Since when…?”

“Narcissa Solmer, the administrator of the Upper Workshop District, is out of the woods. They just finished emergency treatment at the infirmary.”

Pylo, the man who gestured with an indifferent expression, said,

“So I decided to come to the scene myself.”

Lennok’s gaze, naturally drawn to the man called Pylo, also turned cautious.

‘An Enforcer Branch Manager… Is he an executive-level Enforcer, similar to Isabella?’

Having spent a considerable amount of time in Machina, Lennok now had a decent understanding of the Enforcers.

They were the elite armed force of the Machine City, Machina—field commanders within the Enforcer agency, empowered to lead other Enforcers.

More precisely, it wasn’t so much a higher rank among Enforcers, but rather the authority to make the initial decisions when operations required collective action.

It was proof that Enforcers holding the Branch Manager position possessed excellent judgment and analytical skills in equal measure.

“Why were you looking around in the wrong place, leaving the most important item unattended?”

Pylo tapped the statue with the back of his hand as he spoke to the Enforcers.

“This statue, if you look closely, isn’t as solid as it appears. If you carve it out, there’s ample space for one person to hide.”

“Branch Manager….”

“This one dealt with the assassin here, and as soon as you arrived, he hid inside the statue.”

When Uzart and the three Enforcers arrived, Lennok had not yet escaped outside the hollow.

From the beginning, Lennok had burrowed into the statue and concealed himself, without straying far from the hollow.

Near the flank of the Two-Headed Eight-Armed Deity, a spot not easily noticeable.

Its four arms on each side were spread wide in different poses, making it difficult to spot the cracks in the statue’s flank.

“I’ll express my gratitude to the brave citizen who dealt with the assassin the Enforcer agency was supposed to apprehend.”

Pylo smirked, looking down at the silent Lennok.

“I’d like to give you a commendation or something, but could you show me your Ticket for identity verification?”

At Pylo’s attempt to engage in honest conversation, instead of immediately apprehending Lennok, another Enforcer brazenly drew their weapon.

Clang!!

“Branch Manager Pylo, this isn’t the time for that…!!”

“Ivan, stand down.”

At the chilling voice, Ivan flinched and looked at Pylo.

Unlike Pylo’s somewhat relaxed demeanor, the Branch Manager’s gaze, fixed on Lennok, gleamed sharply.

“This bastard, he covered himself with some strange rags right before I found him. He hid here, knowing he’d be discovered.”

“…”

“Either he’s out of his mind, or he knows something we don’t.”

‘Quick-witted. His mind works fast.’

As Pylo implied, Lennok knew that hiding inside the statue wasn’t a safe choice.

To erase his traces perfectly, it would have been much easier to conceal his presence and mana in a secluded corner of the hollow, far from the statue, and escape with Flicker.

However, there was a reason Lennok gave up that option and deliberately remained by the statue.

The logic circuit he’d inserted into the statue’s replica to exchange Old World information.

Lennok had remained to reverse-engineer the original statue’s location from the mana stored within this replica.

If he could even roughly pinpoint the location of the original statue somewhere in the Machine City, being discovered by the Enforcers was a risk worth taking.

Thinking so, Lennok had deliberately burrowed into the statue to perceive the flow of its mana up close.

Fzzzzt…!!

Lennok reverse-engineered the moment his mana, which had vanished beyond the visible space, was collected, materializing a large-scale spatial map spanning tens of kilometers in his mind.

Lennok confirmed that the mana, which had penetrated through the District Barriers spread throughout the Machine City, had vanished in the deepest part of the city center. He nodded and stood up.

He had somewhat expected it, but this confirmed it.

Pandemonium’s Doctor is connected to Ex Machina. From now on, he would have to unravel Kaiser’s secret based on that fact.

“…”

Three Enforcers had surrounded the statue, while Pylo blocked the path directly in front of Lennok.

If a Branch Manager was treated as an executive within the Enforcer agency, their skill certainly wouldn’t be low.

Just the fact that he instantly found Lennok, who was hiding, proved he was a veteran with extensive field experience.

But even knowing he was instantly surrounded by four Enforcers, Lennok didn’t panic.

Lennok slowly brushed his hand over his mask, confirming its functions were active, and then spoke.

[My apologies, but I don’t believe I’ve done anything righteous enough to receive a citizen’s commendation.]

Pylo frowned at the mechanical voice emanating from beyond the twisted mask.

The moment he realized Lennok’s other hand had burrowed directly into the statue’s flank.

[I respectfully decline.]

The statue, which had been unmoving until now, swung two of its left arms and brought them down powerfully onto Pylo’s head.

CRASH!!!

The hollow’s floor exploded outwards, scattering dust everywhere, and the Enforcers rushed towards the statue.

Three streaks of intense light flared wildly around the statue’s head, shoulders, and flank.

“Cut off its arms!!”

“It’s important evidence. Don’t damage it!!”

“This isn’t the time for that…!!”

Thump!!

But the statue’s replica moved swiftly, uncaring of its own body crumbling away helplessly.

It twisted its waist sharply from its seated position, simultaneously bending one shoulder deeply to the side.

After adopting a posture as if to throw something with three overlapping right arms, someone was already perched on its palm.

Uzart, realizing it was the figure that had been hidden inside the statue until now, gritted his teeth and swung his rapier.

“Stop him!!”

Slice!!

The moment Uzart’s rapier traced a sharp arc, two of the statue’s arms fell off.

But the remaining arm forcefully pushed the figure on its hand as if throwing it.

WHUMP!

Something pitch-black shattered the hollow’s ceiling and shot upwards at high speed.

The overwhelming sight of the statue, which hadn’t moved a single inch until now, suddenly tossing a human like a shot put.

The gaping Enforcers finally realized the gravity of the situation and moved quickly.

“Branch Manager, we’ll pursue him!!”

“Alright. I’ll handle the on-site report.”

Pylo said that, then tossed his half-smoked cigarette and yawned.

As Uzart and the three Enforcers gave chase to the rapidly receding black figure, silence fell upon the hollow.

But instead of investigating the statue left in the hollow, Pylo walked out without hesitation.

A dusty, dilapidated street.

A slum where various hardware stores, factories, and workshops were intricately intertwined, making it hard to tell exactly where the Lower Workshop District began.

Pylo began walking through these slum streets as if he had grasped them in his hand, with practiced ease.

Just as he turned into an alley, a scooter sputtering past him appeared.

An old, decrepit heap, so much dust swirled around the scooter that the rider was barely visible.

Covered in the dust kicked up by the wheels, Pylo quietly muttered,

“Hey, you know something?”

Thud.

Without even turning to look at the slightly halted scooter, Pylo said,

“It’s been over five years since I took charge of this district. I know this area so well I could walk it with my eyes closed. But tell me…”

“…”

Clack!!

Pylo, drawing a long harpoon from under his forearm, turned his gaze with a chilling smile.

“There’s no path behind this street that a scooter can use.”

Only then did the scooter rider slowly turn his head, meeting Pylo’s gaze.

[That, I didn’t realize.]

Towards Lennok, who had instantly transformed into a mask and shadow, Pylo poured mana into his harpoon.

[Flash Illumination]

Whirr!

The harpoon’s gleam reflected through the alley, diagonally cutting through old wire fences and walls.

But the scooter Lennok was on deftly lifted its back wheel, evading Pylo’s attack, and then immediately sputtered away down the alley.

“…Haha, I told you there’s no path for a scooter that way, you bastard!!”

Pylo, chuckling wryly, immediately dashed down the alley, and the moment he raised his harpoon to encircle Lennok.

WHOOMP!!

A vent beneath the scooter suddenly exploded, powerfully pushing the scooter Lennok was riding upwards.

“…Huh?”

Lennok was instantly on the roof of a slum building, while Pylo was left below the wall, like a dog chasing chickens.

Lennok nodded, looking at the Branch Manager.

[This vent is so old that sometimes the blocked air dramatically releases.]

“What…?”

[The time cycle is 23 minutes, with an error margin of 2.2 seconds. If you time it right, you can utilize it like this.]

Leaving Pylo speechless, Lennok pulled the scooter’s throttle.

[You claimed to oversee this district, yet you didn’t know this, did you?]

Vrooom!!

Pylo gave a bitter laugh, watching Lennok, who had just been puttering along, suddenly accelerate rapidly from a standstill and disappear as if it were a lie.

“He’s much stranger than I thought…!!”

With a light leap, Pylo instantly landed on the roof and began chasing Lennok’s scooter like the wind.

Thump-thump-thump!!

Despite running so fast his feet were a blur, the distance didn’t close easily.

Contrary to its appearance, the scooter’s speed was considerable. Pylo’s eyes, observing the scooter’s form, glinted sharply.

‘Based on a Troster Model 86 bike, it blends Zeroper and Annihilation Drive designs… A common design around the Eastern Continent, but the engine sound and internal steel frame stability are on a different level.’

Combining his knowledge of two-wheeled vehicle chassis, he concluded that the scooter Lennok was riding was no ordinary item.

‘It’s disguised with an ordinary exterior, but its output is a monster, no different from a monster bike. If I can’t blow out its tires in one shot…!!’

CRUMBLE!!!

As the two engaged in a chase, the flimsy building roofs consecutively collapsed.

With superhuman reflexes, Pylo leaped up, stepping on the crumbling steel plate, and in a falling posture, gripped his harpoon in reverse.

Ziiing…!!

Mana surged from Pylo’s body, sharply coiling around the harpoon tip, and in that instant, it was fired, spinning as if to pierce a fish.

Something massive surged up, blocking the path between the two.

CRASH!!

A colossal steel pillar, easily over a dozen meters tall, shot up from the ground.

At that exquisitely timed, almost pre-arranged moment, Pylo began to scan his surroundings. Then Lennok, fleeing on his scooter, spoke.

[It’s a modular chimney. It activates just past noon, with its timing delayed by three minutes each day, so it’s venting at this time.]

Vroooom!!

With that, the scooter plunged down from the building like a ray of light, starting to speed through the intricate alleys.

It swiftly zipped past other vehicles and people who hadn’t even fully registered its presence, vanishing in an instant.

Lennok maintained a speed comparable to a superhuman’s sprint, turning corners and disappearing as naturally as if he’d practiced it countless times.

At his absurd riding skill, Pylo’s expression twisted into one of utter chagrin.

“…!!”

Pylo, retrieving his harpoon a step too late, bounced off the steel plate and slid down to the ground.

Screech!!

Amidst the bustling commercial district, with all sorts of machinery and people, he quickly scanned his surroundings, even as he tumbled between passing vehicles.

Immediately confirming the direction of the intersection Lennok had taken, Pylo’s body leaped and vanished from the spot.

Swish!!

Leaving only a faint tearing sound, the Enforcer’s movements were focused entirely on the chase, with minimal waste of motion.

Without stopping his mana-accelerated movements, he aimed his harpoon at the scooter’s rear wheel.

At the heart of a rough speed sensation, where all surrounding scenery seemed to transform from points to lines.

Just as he was about to throw his harpoon one more time to burst the tire, a bundle of trash falling from the sky precisely blocked the scooter’s path.

Thwack!!

The harpoon, hitting the bundle of trash, shattered its contents, conversely obstructing Pylo’s vision.

“Damn it, this keeps happening!!”

[Satellite energy supply containers. They fall from 500 meters above, but their drop location is announced ten minutes beforehand.]

Exploiting that brief opening, the scooter changed direction and raced into another alley.

Each time he tried to catch the scooter, all sorts of mechanical devices popped out from various parts of the street as if on cue, and buildings collapsed and transformed, blocking his path.

The various structures of the Workshop District interfered with his pursuit at truly precarious moments.

Only then did Pylo realize that all of this was a landscape orchestrated by his opponent. He gritted his teeth.

“Crazy bastard. Don’t tell me he intentionally…!!”

CRUMBLE!!!

In a city where all sorts of mechanical devices pulsed as if alive, everyone had to stop and wait at some point.

But the scooter Lennok rode never once slowed down, racing ahead and shaking off the pursuit.

Lennok’s eyes busily checked the map appearing inside his mask and the ceaselessly uploading system messages.

[37 seconds: Southwest intersection crosswalk congestion.]

[1 minute 21 seconds: Super-large container moving directly north.]

The information Lennok used to shake off the Branch Manager’s pursuit was not due to coincidence or luck.

In the Machine City, Machina, even the most dilapidated workshops or streets benefited from mechanical equipment and AI systems.

With Davi’s power, by perceiving changes in area information and collecting data, it was possible to predict what would happen on these streets down to the second.

This was possible because of the Cybernetic Spirit, who had spent a relatively long time in the Lower Workshop District, assimilating into the network.

At this moment, Lennok understood this street more deeply than the Enforcer Branch Manager, who prided himself on being a native of this area.

[17 seconds: Nearby hardware store begins welding.]

[1 minute 34 seconds: Minor power outage at Intersection 7.]

[48 seconds: Traffic light display error at the three-way intersection.]

[2 minutes 49 seconds: Mobile overpass closure.]

He collected information appearing everywhere, regardless of time or place, and immediately plotted the optimal route for his movement.

[Master, this city is really like a toy! I love it!!]

“Focus. It’s not over yet.”

Stroking Davi’s excitedly floating head, he generously poured mana into the Cybernetic Spirit.

Davi’s auto-navigation algorithm provided the basic framework, and Lennok filled in the missing parts on the fly.

The ground beneath the scooter’s wheels suddenly surged upwards, bouncing Lennok’s scooter.

Lost in mid-air, a broken power line deftly caught the bounced scooter, setting it back on the ground.

As if on cue, a loop train raced through the tracks he’d leaped over, completely severing traffic between the two streets.

WHOOSH!!!

Timing so exquisitely precise it would seem impossible to replicate, even after thousands of practice attempts.

Other Enforcers, realizing belatedly that they had been tricked by a dummy, rushed forward, wielding mana from all directions to somehow interfere with Lennok.

[Triple Acceleration Filter activated.]

[Ignition Booster multi-deployment.]

[Scooter form maintenance limit surpassed.]

Screech!!!

The scooter Lennok was riding seemed to blur for a moment, then accelerated to more than double its speed, sliding forward.

In an instant, the bike, now almost sound itself, emitted a faint shockwave, flashing across the entire street.

It then rode up an overpass that had just tilted upwards, almost breaking off, and soared into the sky.

WHOOSH!!!

Uzart, watching this, muttered with a look of disgust.

“He’s insane. If he leaps over an overpass at that speed…!!”

But the other Enforcers gaped, dumbfounded, the moment they saw the direction the scooter, which had accelerated and shot into the sky, was headed.

At the very end of the overpass, which seemed to lead nowhere, stood a mechanical District Barrier tens of meters high.

The gates of the barrier, which opened twice a day in half-day cycles, were just beginning to slowly close.

Lennok and the scooter’s form leisurely vanished beyond the barrier.

RUMBLE!!

Some were caught by the reciprocating train, some were dealing with power outage complaints, and others were hit by containers.

The Enforcers, who had lost the scooter beyond the rapidly closing barrier by a hair’s breadth, looked at each other with inexpressible expressions.

“…What the hell is that bastard?”