The Next Day
"...you visit this place quite often, Officer Qingyi," Caelus comments as he sits next to the short android officer who's sipping her drink.
"Is it wrong to visit my friend who worked here and check up on her?" Qingyi asks with a raised eyebrow.
"No," Caelus responds as he prepares the food for her. "So, you can eat normal food?"
"Of course, my models were made to replicate humans, even their internal organs in certain ways," Qingyi says.
"So...why oil?" Caelus asks in confusion.
"I'm still a machine, and Meilian somehow made it taste good," Qingyi replies before pausing and glancing at Caelus.
"...I ain't questioning how an oil tastes good," Caelus says in a deadpan manner.
"I was hoping you would," Qingyi says teasingly, earning a snort from Caelus before giving her food.
"So, how's the rest of the PubSecs?" Caelus asks curiously.
"Interested in joining in?" Qingyi asks as she picks up the plate and the utensils.
"No, just curious. This job alone is enough for me," Caelus says while leaning on the table. "I'd rather not be involved too much with Hollow-related stuff."
"Who knows? Perhaps you might mean to be doing such jobs," QIngyi says with a shrug. "You should check on the internet about other jobs, think of it as an alternative. My suggestion? H.I.A. might be on the recommended list."
"...thanks for the suggestion," Caelus says, letting out a sigh of relief. Honestly, every time Qingyi visits, he becomes agitated, especially with the possibility of his lie being uncovered, even if he has already been in this world for several days.
"..." Caelus turns to face Slyboo, who's been sulking on the table for a very long time. Yesterday, he had made a mistake by forgetting to bring his Bangboo to Sixth Street, even if it's only for a short visit. Slyboo had been panicking for the entire day, and Caelus also got reprimanded by Meilian for being a bad friend.
"Hey, buddy," Caelus calls, but he didn't get any response. "I'm very, very sorry for leaving you alone yesterday. I...I have no excuse..."
"Nah! (Hmph!)" Slyboo huffs in anger, refusing to turn around.
"...as an apology, I can get you one thing you like..." Caelus bargains, which gains Slyboo's attention as his left ear perks up.
".....Nah... (.....Make it three...)" Slyboo mutters.
"Deal," Caelus agrees without hesitation, and Slyboo turns around to face him. Without warning, Caelus grabs him and pulls him into a hug. Slyboo flails, trying to get him off, but to no avail.
"Heh..." Qingyi snorts in amusement at the scene. She can't understand how humans could feel such sentiments toward mechanical beings like her or even Bangboo, but it is still amusing to watch.
"As the municipal election is approaching," the news reporter on the television says, capturing everyone's attention. "the high-profile civil construction project to renovate the old capital metro is now officially underway."
"Out of nowhere?" Qingyi mutters in surprise.
"It's our honor to interview Mr. Charles Perlman, the chief representative of the contracted company, Vision Corporation!" The reporter exclaims while pointing his mic at a short, burly man with white hair. "Later today, Vision will be carrying out explosive demolition near the old capital in the metro reconstruction area commonly known as Canvas Street. Could you give us a rundown of the process?"
"Hahaha, good question, young man," The man, who turns out to be Perlman, chuckles with a smug expression.
"That man is a textbook description of a mastermind behind corporate greed," Caelus comments offhandedly, earning snorts from everyone in the cafeteria.
"After the fall of the old capital, a number of the damaged metro lines severely hindered the accessibility and urban development of New Eridu," Perlman explains. "To solve this problem, the deteriorating remnants of the old metro must be completely removed, followed by the construction of a completely new metro. Despite its costs, Vision has ordered a large quantity of high-purity industrial Ether explosives for this operation."
"I see. But there's currently no way to pass between Canvas Street and the city, right? How does Vision plan to transport the explosive?" The reporter asks.
"Hahaha, correct! But Vision always looks to the future. Take a look at this electronic map!" Perlman says as he points his finger at a screen displaying a map of the city, showing a red zone on the map. "We're currently located at the demolition command center at the entrance of the Dead End Hollow, and the red area on the map is the demolition zone."
"The tunnel from New Eridu to the demolition zone has been completely consumed by that very Dead End Hollow. However, some metro lines within the Hollow are still intact." Perlman explains the details before a line appears on the map, then he walks towards a crate filled with explosives. "So, we decided to use a special train to transport the explosives through the Hollow. We were very careful to avoid any Ethereals, and finally managed to transport most of the explosives to the demolition zones."
As Perlman explains, he notices the reporter take a step back out of fear, which causes him to chuckle a bit.
"Hahaha, don't worry - they won't explode without a dedicated detonator or a sizable external force!" Perlamn explains. "We would like to show you around, but to avoid signal interference with the blast, we've to shield the entire area. Currently, only our dedicated frequency band is available for communication."
"All civilians have been cleared from the area, but communication is still being blocked as a safety measure? Vision has thought of all the details." The reporter says, which made Perlman smirk. Caelus narrows his eyes, knowing the truth, but sadly, he can't tell anyone about it directly.
"That's right! That's the vision of the Vision Corporation - the well-being of everyone in New Eridu." Perlman says that before the screen displays different images.
"...As we had mentioned a few months ago, the Vision Corporation won the contract for the old capital metro renovation project. Vision Corporation won the bid with a significant advantage over the highly regarded Belobog Industries." Another reporter has taken over as they give a brief explanation of the previous news while displaying a few images of bear Thirens with the Belobog industry logo on their uniform, refusing interviews. "Our special correspondent tried to contact those involved on Belobog, but was unable to conduct an interview."
"Mr Perlman, do you have anything to say about the victory over the rising star, Belobog Industry?" The screen goes back to the previous reporter with Perlman.
"Well, Belobog Industries is a respectable competitor we can learn from. I'm sure they'll do better next time." Perlman says respectfully. Well, as respectable as someone with a smug grin.
"So, can you tell us the secret behind your reduced project cost?" The reporter asks, which seems to catch Perlman off guard. Both Qingyi and Caelus didn't go unnoticed.
"This...shouldn't be one of the questions, should it?" His response causes a metaphorical alarm bell to ring inside Qingyi's head.
"What do you mean?" The reporter looks confused.
"Th-this question wasn't included in the outline you sent-," Perlman mutters quietly, but due to the mic close to his face, everyone who watches the news could hear loud and clear.
"Mr Perlman, we're live right now." A woman behind Perlman exclaims before she answers in his stead. "What Mr. Perlman means is, there's no question of improper cost reduction relating to Vision Corporation. We welcome the scrutiny of all citizens. Mr. Perlman will also be on the demolition site to oversee things till the very end-."
"Exactly! Right, I will soon be joining our technicians to take the train to the surveillance site in the blast zone." Perlman says before the news report ends.
"..." Caelus grips his hand tightly, a surge of anger bubbling inside him. Right now, he's not in the game but in real life, and hearing the man's words while also knowing the truth made him angry. The man is willing to toss away civilians' lives all for the sake of profits.
The problem is how he will tell the officer without sounding like a madman. Caelus glances at his phone before deciding to search more for news, mostly related to evacuated civilians, and hoping he could find a way to sow a seed of doubt.
'Jackpot!' Caelus thought before he walked towards Qingyi, who had been lost in her thoughts.
"Officer," Caelus calls, getting her attention. "May I ask, how many civilians are getting evacuated from that area?"
"Judging from the size and their records, I say 4,189 people, but it could be more," QIngyi comments, glancing at Caelus. "Why do you ask?"
"...if that is the number of civilians getting evacuated, shouldn't there be news about how many civilians were evacuated to New Eridu? I mean, that amount could've stirred the media and people would have talked about them, but so far, it's only about the demolition," Caelus explains, which made Qingyi think over. "But, no one had ever mentioned it for the last few months. I did a check to catch up with any news, but no one mentioned it. Not even interviews with the civilians."
"...what are you implying, Caelus?" Qingyi asks in a low tone, clearly didn't like the implications.
"I'm implying Vision isn't as truthful as they want to make everyone believe," Caelus says bluntly. "Also, evacuating a large number of civilians requires cost, and somehow this corporation manages to reduce its cost despite having both buying industrial-grade Ether explosive and evacuation. I'm not a city kid, but I doubt both are cheap."
"...." Qingyi feels the gears in her head slowly spinning, widening her eyes.
"Also, if what he said is true, then wouldn't finding a place to live be hard for someone like me? I doubt Meilian would ignore those civilians who got kicked out of their homes for demolition, yet the building still has a lot of room waiting to be rented." Caelus adds, causing Qingyi to get up and leave frantically without a word.
'Wooh...I'm so glad that works,' Caelus thought. '...but, now I had changed the timeline and made the PubSec move faster than before....damn it, I guess I go back to the Hollow. The unease feeling inside made me unable to ignore this bullshit...and I really want to avoid possible Butterfly effects.'
After excusing himself to Meilian, he leaves the building while carrying Slyboo.
To be Continued