Story adds some portions of tech from CP2077 to Ainz's old world! Their tech level is about the same, though Ainz's old world may be more advanced. Sorry if the writing isn't too great, this is my first time writing a story, and the idea really wormed into my head.
*BEEP*
...
*BEEP*
...
The door's old lock was still unresponsive to the keycard, preventing the gaunt figure from entering. Now, they weren't supposed to enter that apartment room in the first place, so in a way, the lock was still useful after its death.
"Really?! Work with me here, c'mon... Should've known this would happen on such an easy gig."
The mercenary cursed under his breath as he considered his other options with the door. Maybe he could just break it down. After all, stealth was surprisingly optional in this job. Actually, the task request itself was quite unusual, seeing that the order was carried out so late. This wasn't the first search-and-destroy affair the mercenary had undergone, so he had a general idea of how they went - and why they were issued in the first place.
The origin of his current search-and-destroy job was pretty generic - some poor bastard stumbled upon confidential megacorp information and was executed to ensure their silence.
Indeed, it was sad, but all too common. Silver lining was it helped the mercenary make some scratch off of their untimely ends. He tried to think of an analogy, something about the dead serving as nutrients to help others thrive.
However, what set this gig apart from the others was the date of the operation. Normally, search-and-destroy orders were created and queued into the system minutes after the individual was confirmed to have stopped breathing. This one was created almost a year after the death (hence the sporadic lock).
Once you silence someone, wouldn't you want the existing data to be destroyed as soon as possible? Why leave it exposed like some digital basilisk?
He would never ask, though. It was best to never look for answers in this type of business.
Coming to a decision on the plan of action, the mercenary scanned the door.
[Vulnerability Analytics]
His visual implants linked up to his cyberdeck, which contained a useful software perk. It highlighted the weakspots in the door's constitution, allowing him to know where he should jam his boot.
With a loud thud, the door came crashing down. The mercenary was greeted with a conservative living room, the bare niceties to make it an appropriate living space.
"Finally," the mercenary muttered, stepping into the apartment room with caution. The dust and stale air made it clear that no one had been here for a while.
His immediate target was the laptop, which he promptly shot, leaving a large exit hole in the storage bay. He wasn't done yet, though. Every single electronic device within this apartment room was to be eradicated, not a trace left behind.
"One down..." he sighed and sent a ping to a nearby refrigerator. After a few seconds, lines showing the network of other connected devices appeared.
"...Eleven to go."
It really was a waste, destroying perfectly fine tech and appliances, but the possibility of the data being on any of them warranted it.
After dealing with the electronics in the living room, the mercenary advanced towards the bedroom. Only a couple of devices remained.
The dimly lit space revealed signs of struggle – overturned furniture and stains that could only have come from violence. He grimaced as he imagined how the situation could have gone down.
All he could do was offer a small prayer, and a thanks for contributing to his bank fund.
As he continued to destroy the devices in the bedroom, one line led to an interesting shape inside the bedroom drawer. Once opened, it revealed a sleek gray headset with silver highlights.
He whistled. "Oh? A Neural Nano-Interface? Looks top of the line too, newer model."
The mercenary decided to run a quick scan on the headset before ruining it.
Eidea X18 PRO, market value... "Holy shit!"
The price tag on this thing, even in used market prices, was quite a bit beyond his current gig pay. No wonder the living room looked so spartan.
He closed one eye. The contract owners mainly wanted the data to be destroyed, right?
...He'd do them a favor, and be real extensive in the deletion of data for this one.
A quick reset, and perhaps a wrecking of the data drive, and he'd be set for a nice and fat bonus. As for the previous owner of the headset... well, the dead have no use for material goods. Best be to put it to good use.
After shutting the door to the bedroom, the mercenary sat on the side of the bed and quickly plugged the headset cord into his port. There was no need to replenish nanomachines to operate the technology, his supply was more than enough.
Once he put the headset on, he was greeted with the last application that running on it - YGGDRASIL, or rather, its login page with someone's ID.
USERNAME: Bellriver
CURRENT TIME: [23:58:10] | SHUTDOWN TIME: [00:00].
He'd arrived just before the shutdown of this game. The mercenary exhaled through his nose, amused. He'd heard of YGGDRASIL before, especially when his peers got into it, though public interest in it has since waned. He had actually played the game himself for a little bit, but never really got into it. There were better things to do - like securing his retirement.
And now, it looks like he was right. Those people, who spent all their time with this game... what a waste. All that effort invested, just for their legacy to be deleted. Junk, to be tossed out.
He decided he'd wait, and watch the final moments of YGGDRASIL. It was just about a minute of his time, after all. Nothing compared to the past years others were about to lose.
...
[23:59:00]
...
[23:59:30]
...
[23:59:45]
...
[23:59:53]
...
[23:59:59]
...
[0:00:00]
The world warped in front of him.
The mercenary blinked. The weight of the headset had vanished, and he was staring into a forest.
An evening breeze flowed, gently tugging his coat slightly to the left. His clothes, his items, everything else he had on him in the real world... nothing had changed. Neither did his physical body.
Still, the mercenary's situation had changed. He tilted his head up, towards the twilight sky, and saw brilliant lights dotted on a dark canvas. He saw stars for the first time.
