New ERA Saga

Chapter 12 – Deceased Friend

Nouel shifted his body, launching an attack towards the source of the person’s appearance. The vertical hand swing was swift, but the person who emerged easily anticipated the attack, catching Nouel’s fist as effortlessly as if it were a toddler’s punch.

At that moment, Nouel recognized that the one who arrived and thwarted his attack was Vera, a team member who indirectly served as his right hand. Nouel hadn’t noticed her arrival, perhaps due to being engrossed in his thoughts.

“Is this your way of welcoming guests, Captain?” Vera greeted him with a smile.

Nouel lowered his guard, then withdrew his hand from Vera’s grasp.

“Why are you here?” Nouel inquired, not surprised but rather curious as to why the girl suddenly appeared in his kitchen. It’s worth mentioning that Nouel’s apartment had a high-security system, preventing just anyone from entering. However, for a cyborg with advanced technology like Vera, bypassing the apartment’s security was no challenge.

“I wanted to invite you for breakfast, but it seems you’ve already prepared it for us,” Vera remarked while looking at the steaming plates of ready-to-eat food. “Quite an initiative.”

“That’s not what I meant. I…” Nouel began.

“Come on, let’s eat.” Without waiting for Nouel’s response, Vera took both plates with the same portion of food and headed towards the apartment’s balcony. Nouel was accustomed to having breakfast on the balcony, lacking a dining room and table. His routine involved eating in front of the balcony while observing the city.

Nouel sighed, then followed Vera, carrying a glass of beverage.

Arriving at the balcony, Vera immediately started consuming her share of the meal, leaving Nouel, who had just seated himself, with a furrowed brow. Without saying anything, he began eating his breakfast.

Although Vera was a cyborg, she still possessed human organs, requiring regular food consumption like any other human. Her metabolism functioned normally.

“Ready to listen now?” Nouel asked.

“Yes, speak.”

Nouel expressed his bewilderment. “So, how did you manage to enter my apartment? I’m sure the place is locked with a special code. Unauthorized individuals shouldn’t be able to enter.”

Vera smiled mysteriously.

“What?” Nouel questioned, failing to grasp the meaning of her expression.

“Why are you asking that? The answer is obvious, isn’t it? I’m a cyborg, it’s not challenging for me to hack into such systems.”

“I just didn’t expect it.”

“You might be a genius, creating many impressive technologies, especially effective in warfare weaponry. But you neglect the security system of your own apartment. I have a system that can bypass and crack security. Don’t you remember?” Vera replied, indirectly boasting about the system integrated into her body.

“Annoying. Next time, I’ll install lasers in front of the door to instantly eliminate any cyborg intruders,” Nouel spoke bluntly, making Vera smile.

“Why don’t you install a multi-layered defense system?” Vera suggested.

"Because I feel there's no point in installing higher security on the door. The door can be destroyed, and even these walls can crumble when detonated," Nouel explained, outlining why he completely refused to install high-level security.

Nouel's gaze then shifted to the balcony door and windows. "And these, the glass here is by no means bulletproof; it can be attacked from a distance. So, it seems pointless to enhance the password security for the apartment door."

“Listening to this explanation, I feel it’s quite reasonable that the defense of this apartment is weak.”

“I’ll strengthen the security system when I have spare time. I assure you won’t be able to enter,” Nouel said calmly, then scooped up a piece of the delicious-looking meat.

“Oh, are you challenging me?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s see about that.”

Nouel didn’t respond further, he continued enjoying his breakfast.

“I’m curious, though. If you didn’t expect me to come, why did you make two portions of food?” Vera brought up this question. Nouel didn’t react much upon hearing it.

“Just a coincidence.”

Vera shook her head, denying Nouel’s seemingly fabricated answer. She shared her observations of Nouel during this time. “Nothing is coincidental. You don’t make mistakes, even in trivial matters.”

“Really? Am I like that?”

Vera looked at Nouel displeasingly, finding his reaction pretending to be innocent as if he knew nothing quite irritating.

“Don’t lie to me.”

Nouel didn’t deny it any longer. After a few seconds, he gave his confession. “Ah, it might be because I remembered my friend who passed away. We used to have breakfast together a lot, and I unintentionally ordered the machine to make two portions of food.”

Vera was surprised, not expecting, and even not remotely thinking that Nouel would be careless for such a reason. As far as she knew, Nouel wasn’t a sentimental person.

“Oh, is this something sensitive for you?”

“Not really, I’m not sentimental, remember?” Nouel replied, maintaining an indifferent attitude.

“So, you’re not angry or upset?”

“No.”

“Is it too much if I want to know about your friend?” Vera asked, sounding like she wanted to confirm.

“Do you want me to tell you?” Nouel asked for clarification, not offering.

“Yes, please.”

“Why should I talk about someone who’s dead?”

“I’m curious. Until now, you’ve never mentioned having a friend.”

Nouel scratched the back of his head. “It’s a rather ordinary story, so you won’t be interested and won’t be impressed. In fact, you might be disappointed after hearing everything.”

“I still want to hear it.” Vera seemed insistent and forceful.

With no other choice and considering this wasn’t something shameful to conceal, Nouel agreed to share his story. “As far as I remember, he was around the same age as me, maybe just a year or two apart. I don’t recall exactly.”

Vera nodded in response.

“Long ago, Dvliericht and I volunteered during a massive riot in the city. At that time, we were probably around eighteen to twenty years old, I don’t remember the details,” he continued.

Vera nodded and gazed at Nouel attentively, letting him narrate his past.

“At that time, our city was in the midst of a large-scale uprising, experiencing a food crisis and challenging economic system transitions. Additionally, citizens were dissatisfied with the government’s rules and policies. We felt compelled to help and volunteered at a medical aid station established by the government. We cared for the wounded, provided first aid, and transported them to the hospitals. But as time passed, the situation worsened,” Nouel continued recounting his past.

“Then, an explosion occurred near our location. Dvliericht ran towards it to see what happened, and I continued treating the victims nearby. But then, I heard gunshots. I ran towards the sound of gunfire and saw Dvliericht injured on the ground. He tried to get up and said he was okay, but then he suddenly closed his eyes.”

“At that moment, I couldn’t do much. Dvliericht eventually died.”

“Due to his death, I lost the intention to pursue my dream of becoming an engineer. It was no longer appealing.”

“For some reason, I suddenly wanted to become a warrior, continuing my life to dedicate myself to serving the country. It turns out I was quite talented in combat and handling weapons. Intensive and rigorous training changed my perspective, thinking, and physique. I could join this force in a short time, ten times faster than other trainee warriors.”

“I got decent equipment and weaponry. Because I felt incompatible with weapons intended for warriors, I began creating my own weapons, ones that suited me perfectly.”

Vera added to Nouel’s words. “And your equipment and attributes are so advanced and different from what NewTech Industries produces. Because of the technology you possess, you’re far superior to cyborg troops whose strength and speed have already been enhanced. You’re a human who can easily defeat cyborgs.”

“That’s right.” Nouel murmured with a proud expression.

As breakfast was finished, Vera raised her left hand, glancing at the wristwatch encircling it.

“Hey, it’s time. Let’s go.” Vera stood up, inviting Nouel. It was the right time to start the mission they were about to undertake.

“Oh, you’re right. Let’s go.”

“Thank you for sharing your story. It was an interesting tale that made me understand you better.”

Nouel smiled slightly mockingly while shaking his head slowly. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Besides, it takes more than that to get to know me.” Nouel mumbled quietly, too soft for Vera to hear.

***