Chapter 262 – Three Year Search
The first situation report after returning was simple.
There are many pending agenda items. Unlike the isolationist past, today’s shelters are complexly connected to the world.
It is a relationship of influence and exchange with numerous groups of survivors in all fields including energy, resources, economy, and politics.
But what’s the problem?
We don’t need to be dragged around someone else’s schedule. You have the power to postpone anything as long as you want.
Would you say this is a luxury that a super-rich person in the apocalypse era can afford?
“Let’s take it easy and don’t overwork ourselves just because we have a backlog of work. “Most of them are about information transactions that are no longer needed anyway.”
“Search information about me?”
“Huh. Now that you’re back, there’s nothing to regret. “For now, let’s focus on recovery while keeping the workload to a minimum.”
This is Artemis’ policy. As an extension of that, the news of my return has not yet been announced to the outside world.
Neither the ordinary people of the Police, the criminal organizations, nor the upper class of Prime will know for sure what happened.
Anyway, only one day has passed.
“It’s lemon tea.”
Tea and croissants were placed in front of the manager’s seat where I sat. This is Artemis’ direct maid whom I haven’t seen in a long time, a pink long-haired nymph.
Slurp.
After taking a sip, the luxurious yet clean sour taste stimulated her tongue pleasantly.
“I really like this feeling.”
“Do you like lemon tea?”
Artemis sat down on my desk and kicked her shoes.
“The tea is delicious, but what I was talking about was the current atmosphere.”
The central control room is quiet after the morning situation meeting. For my peace of mind, I keep the lighting low and there is no noise.
The huge screen on the front is a window that reflects the peaceful and majestic view of the shelter.
“The feeling of leisurely lounging around in the office after finishing work. While similar things are happening over and over again, we talk about trivial matters… Occasionally, incidents and accidents happen at the level of a warm-up exercise. “This is the dream of a manager.”
As I cut into the croissant and took a bite, the fragrant buttery scent and the sweetness of the cream on top took me to heaven.
“The first thing I saw when I came into Prime was people eating this at an outdoor café. “It looked so delicious.”
“Eat a lot. That way you can gain weight quickly.”
Artemis must have been distressed to see me reduced to nothing but bones, so she brought me snacks whenever she had time, even outside of meal times.
“Maybe because the city was built, the fun of sightseeing has increased.”
When I operated the button at my seat, the screen changed into a monitor that projected external images.
Exploring robots and drones, the interior of the shelter, and the undulating blue sea are reflected.
Prime’s video has now been added here. I could see the upper class walking around the residential and commercial complex with happy faces.
“It feels like watching CCTV at a department store.”
“It’s not really wrong. Most of them were my customers. “You can’t even imagine how many people I’ve dealt with to find you.”
Artemis frowned as she looked at the people in the video, probably because it wasn’t a very pleasant memory.
“We had to maintain partnerships with governments, military units, warlords, civilian investigators, and even foreign powers across the ocean.”
“Japan across the sea?”
“Is it only Japan? There are also lines with China and Russia. Searching for missing people was a difficult task even before the war. What do you think the world is like now?”
“Trading information with various forces… It must have been incredibly difficult.”
This would be possible because Artemis has eyes and ears everywhere and can speak all languages.
“Of course. This city was built for that purpose in the first place. As a tempting bait and platform.”
“Surely there is no one in the world these days who would refuse to live in the polis.”
A family riding a moving walkway appeared in the CCTV footage.
Both young men and women had Irezumi tattoos sticking out all the way to their necks. Are they a former yakuza couple? The little child holding hands between her mother and father is smiling brightly.
“There were quite a few people who asked for asylum in exchange for useful information. There was a time when there was friction with the group chasing them and a war almost broke out.”
“Could it be those people?”
When I pointed to the Yakuza(?) Couple in the video, Artemis nodded.
“The most troublesome thing was that I had to hide that what I was truly looking for, Jinsu, was you.”
“Are you afraid that if you look for it openly, there will be someone who abuses it?”
“That’s right. The most important thing in any transaction is to partner with a trustworthy partner. But in today’s world, there is no word as worthless as trust.”
Artemis on the desk twisted her posture as if she was uncomfortable. This is because his feet were slightly floating in the air and the weight was placed on the thighs he was sitting on.
“Give me your foot.”
“…?”
I took off her shoes and placed her stockinged feet on my thighs.
“Isn’t it better this way?”
“It’s much more comfortable!”
“I’m glad it’s warm too.”
I was wearing comfortable shorts, but my legs were chilly because I had no skin on them. I feel much better now that Artemis’ warmth touches me like this.
She smiled and gently pinched the flesh of her thigh with her toe. Anyway, she’s a cute girl.
“Going back to the information trading story, many of the groups I dealt with were warlords who originated from criminal organizations. In particular, information about Japan was mainly obtained through Yakuza warlords.”
“Did you also make a deal with the Yakuza?”
“Southern Japan is controlled by the Yakuza. The bureaucracy that inherited the old Japanese government escaped to the north. “It’s the opposite situation with Korea.”
Strictly speaking, it is more like the Japanese government escaped to the north first, and a warlord led by the Yakuza rose up in the abandoned south.
Just the direction is different, but the process is the same as ours. After all, we are neighbors!
“Anyway, even if I promised a big reward, I was worried that someone would do something foolish out of greed. Is this it?”
“I know.”
“I experienced this many times when I was dispatched and came into contact with local forces. It was normal for officials and gangsters to take bribes and then get away with it.”
Artemis stepped on my thigh like a cat nuzzling. The warm, soft soles of her feet feel indescribably good.
“If your money or goods are taken away, you will lose some money and that will be the end, but if you are taken hostage by a gang or something…”
Artemis cupped her face as if she didn’t want to imagine it.
“That’s right. There’s no guarantee that those guys will even release the hostages by sending them money. “I deposited money, and they told me to give more, and they cut off my finger and sent it to me, haha!”
“…!”
Ouch!
Artemis pinched his thigh very hard with her toe.
“Apod!”
“That’s because you said it cheaply even though it hurts. “I wonder how many times I isolated my memories every time I reached that simulation.”
“Oh my gosh!”
“I’m going to kill you.”
She was dumbfounded when I laid down on her chair.
But soon she smiled softly, picked up a piece of her croissant and put it to her mouth.
“Now, do it.”
“Yum.”
I swallowed and gnawed like a baby bird.
“Is it delicious?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, I went through all that trouble to see this. “By enduring even vulgar things and low-quality stories.”
I was the one eating the delicious food, but it was Artemis who actually looked satisfied.
“A vulgar story?”
“There were more than one guy who tried to seduce me. “There were so many people who heard my voice on the phone and begged me to show their faces.”
“You probably didn’t listen to that, right?”
“Then what should I do? In a situation where I don’t know if you’re alive or dead, I was the one who was missing a single piece of information! “The other person was also a warlord leader in his own area, so he was full of confidence.”
Is it because of my jealous reaction? Contrary to his disgusted tone, the corners of his mouth are slowly turning up.
“So, when I switched to video communication, he started whistling right away, made vulgar or mean comments, and tried to set up a date just to make things worse.”
“Holy shit!”
A swear word came out reflexively.
Artemis giggled as if she had been waiting for my reaction.
Her feet on my thighs bounce cutely.
“Are you angry? Eat this and feel better.”
Artemis picked up the last piece of her croissant and put it in her mouth. I quickly swallowed her fingers to relieve her anger.
“Ahahaha! It tickles, Jinsu.”
After sucking her finger, let’s release it and Pong! There is a sound.
It is such a peaceful and happy time that I want to continue like this.
However, one question that had been bouncing around in my head for a while continued to bother me. It is a problem that must be resolved.
“I’m sorry for breaking the mood, but I have something serious to say. Is it okay?”
“Are you okay. “Speak comfortably.”
Grumble.
I took a sip of lemon tea to erase the sweetness in my mouth. This is because it was not a topic to be brought up amidst sweetness.
“The members of the Tanis expedition team who set out with me. “Has there been any discovery of their return?”
It was a topic that was too hectic to pay attention to until now.
“There was.”
Artemis said, her face hardening.
The footwork that had been playfully tapping her thighs also stopped.
“Really?”
I was surprised and asked again. To be honest, I had very little expectations.
A warp device that has been left abandoned for a long time, an eye infection that systematically disrupts transmission, and walkers and mutants that attack in real time.
Since it was a warp with many unstable elements, the time and space axes were distorted, and I became a lost child.
Even I, who started off in good conditions, was like that, but those who were left behind must have been in a much worse situation.
“Even though it is only one.”
“… Isn’t it Solaver?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me first?”
“I had no idea what happened in Tanis. “I didn’t know that it would have any adverse effect on you now, when you absolutely need to be calm.”
Artemis was watching me. Are you afraid that I might get angry?
I could feel her feet resting on her thighs trembling faintly.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
I cupped the top of her foot with one hand and touched her shoulder with the other.
“Ugh.”
“Who is that one? “It won’t be tangoed.”
Tango was fiercely killed by the giant infected entity that blocked us at the end.
Even as it was half-dissolved and swallowed by acidic liquid, it managed to explode the vaccine inside, creating the foundation for a counterattack.
“Charlie.”
“Ah, our navigation officer!”
If it wasn’t for him, we would have been annihilated when we were surrounded and ambushed by mutants in the grass.
In addition, it played a decisive role in finding hidden paths or detecting various risk factors in advance.
“Do you want to see it now?”
I nodded.
* * *
Artemis led me to the Lower Sector Museum.
Where we stopped, there was a luxurious glass coffin standing vertically. Charlie was in it.
It has been carefully cleaned and there is not a single spec of rust or dust to be found, but it has been damaged to an ugly degree.
“There was a suggestion to replace it with a new part, but I didn’t touch it because I thought it was right to preserve it.”
“Good job.”
Charlie’s left arm disappeared as if it had been torn off entirely, and her right arm was missing starting from the wrist.
“This is why what happened in Tanis was not known to the shelter.”
The top of her eye was damaged as if it had been torn off diagonally, as if the head had been hit so hard.
“What about the memory chip?”
“It was destroyed when found. In a form that cannot be recovered.”
Artemis came to lean on my shoulder.
“When I first discovered this object, I was out of breath. Still, she somehow had hope. Although it is unstable, it is proof that the warp itself has been achieved.”
Her hand pointed to Charlie’s whole body. Broken frames, torn muscle bundles, and so many scratches that it’s meaningless to count them.
“Now I see that I also have one eye.”
“Do you know how uneasy it was to think about what it must have been like for you when that sturdy robot went through such a rough situation?”
“Because you worked so hard to protect me, I will be safe! Well, you can just think of it this way.”
“Say something that makes sense!”
Artemis made an angry face.
“What can I do if the simulation runs as it pleases even though I don’t want to imagine it? Every time, the results are terrible, and if you try hard to find someone who looks similar to you, you’ll often end up in vain! “How many scammers were there?”
“Okay, okay.”
He held Artemis in his arms. They affectionately stroked their silver hair and shared each other’s body heat.
“There were a lot of last minute twists, but we fought very well throughout the journey. Alpha, Charlie, Tango, Echo, and even your old man were amazing? “Everyone protected me with dedication.”
She let her silver hair run through her fingers again and again. Her rough breathing gradually calms down.
“Tango was completely defeated during the battle. To an unrecoverable level.”
“I see.”
As Artemis spoke in her arms, her warm breath tickled her collarbone.
She must have been very curious about what happened to her in Tanis after looking for me for three years.
Nevertheless, for the sake of my mental peace, I was considerate and did not ask questions! I can’t express my gratitude with just gratitude.
“Did you have any clue about the rest of Alpha, Echo, and old man?”
Artemis shook her head in my arms. The feel of her face rubbing against my chest felt ecstatically good.
“Not yet at all. I also placed a wanted bounty on the damaged robot in case I found any traces of you. “I hope we can find at least one expedition robot with intact data.”
“Everyone must have failed.”
“Okay. Do you know how many losers I’ve pulled in the past three years? Even if I had played the lottery, I would have already won.”
For some reason, I feel sick to my stomach. Based on how you look at it, isn’t it a waste of resources and money that should not be used?
“Purchasing information, hiring investigators and mercenaries, bribes and supplies sent to warlords, and even countless robots sent overseas. I had to put it all together and hide the fact that the person I was looking for was you.”
I didn’t listen anymore and swallowed her lips.
Wow!
A passionate kiss in a quiet museum. Artemis also responded positively and put her hand around my back.
They exchange saliva and connect their lips. Their tongues twist together like mating snakes.
Artemis’ tongue was also long like Chrollo’s. It hugged my tongue and moved between my teeth and throughout my mouth.
Such ecstatic pleasure filled her mouth that it made her heart tingle. As she kisses me repeatedly, she seems to be improving her skills quickly.
“Ha.”
Her silver thread continued between her dripping lips.
Artemis’ tongue extends out and circles around to collect all of her threads.
The collected saliva clumped into beads and reflected light on her clear pink tongue.
“…”
Artemis stuck out her tongue a little more, as if provoking. The tongue slowly swings from side to side as if telling you to take it quickly.
Without any further thought, I swallow the tip of her tongue with my lips. I sucked out her tongue, tasting the sweet saliva that had accumulated.
As I held her voluptuous buttocks in my hands, her hand rested on the back of my hand. As if asking me to hold on tighter.
She seems to have caught her mood, too, and her usual shyness or primness is nowhere to be found.
“Wow!”
A resident came out of the museum bathroom and froze when he saw us.
“Oh my, I guess we didn’t rent it out.”
Unlike me, who was smiling bitterly, Artemis was so angry that even her neck turned red.
“You rude thing! How dare… How dare…!”
“Go to sleep, calm down.”
Artemis covered her eyes with her palm as she stuttered and got angry.
“Hi!”
“Wow!”
Residents are surprised as they come out with candy lined up, probably because they went to the bathroom as a group.
I quickly left the museum with Artemis struggling in my arms.
“You know.”
“… What is it?”
Artemis grabbed my hand and removed it from covering her eyes.
I placed her hand, which had naturally fallen, on her voluptuous chest.
“…”
She only glanced briefly and quietly allowed her breasts to appear.
“Would you please continue searching for the robot we went on an expedition with? There is no need to search for it in secret, and if there is someone who is trying to steal it, just send the army and take it away with decisive force.”
“No problem. “It’s much easier than finding you.”
“I’m sure Alpha and Echo are out there somewhere. The time axis may have been warped, and it may not have arrived yet. “I would be worried even if Old Man Solaver was found.”
“Why? Since they are aliens, wouldn’t it be easy to find them? “Rumors will spread everywhere.”
I thought of Solaver’s majestic figure. With an exoskeleton face, a 2 m tall body, and thick limbs that look like they could easily crush a person’s head.
“It’s nice to be treated like an alien. “I wonder if I will be treated as a mutant infectious agent and hit with a bullet.”
“Ahaha.”
Artemis also burst into laughter, but she couldn’t bear to retort.
Hope is better than anything.
I thought of Charlie in the museum and prayed that at least the remaining people could be reunited.
