Chapter 28:

The dawn demands justice

B.U.T.H.O / ブットホ


After an intense battle between the two inventors, Mai Asu delivered the final blow that knocked his brother unconscious. The office was destroyed, and it was only a matter of time before the ceiling collapsed.

Gunner rushed to the billionaire inventor's office. As he entered, he saw Mai standing next to Ano. trying to help him while Yu Asu lay unconscious on the floor.

"Mai!!! We must leave as soon as possible. I've made my way here, but it looks like reinforcements will be arriving soon."

“Just give me a second!! Let me download some of the private data from my brother’s Cyber Hut!! With this we will grant that he would never be ruling this company ever again.”

“Okay but hurry up!! The effects of the big wave disruptor are fading away and a lot of guards are regaining their ability to move!!”

"Just a second… That’s it!!! Gunner!!! Grab my brother and Wolf and let's jump out the window!"

"Alright, leader!!!"

"Where's Coyote? You were supposed to come together to get us out of here!"

"It's complicated. When we're safely back at the base, I'll explain everything, leader."

Gunner pushed one of the buttons on his harness and grabbed both inventors on each arm. A glider unfolded above him that emerged out from the backpack he was carrying. In one leap, Mai climbed onto the back of the muscular metallic giant, and after holding on tightly to him, they jumped out the window. As they glided to safety, the cloaking system Coyote had built up in the days leading up to the coup was activated, completely concealing Gunner and those he was transporting.

At that instant, Asu's guards, along with Miss Inui, arrived at their boss's shattered office to find all that destruction and not a single trace of any living thing.

"What happened here? Search for them everywhere! Find Mr. Asu and those damn brats!!!" Miss Inui yelled angrily.

As they were furrowing the sky in that completely dark city, the firmament was shining brighter than ever due to the total darkness that reigned in the metropolis. The Milky Way looked enormous, and hundreds of shooting stars crossed from north to south above their heads.

"Gunner, Wolf, we made it!" Said the bruised woman with a big smile.

****

After several minutes of gliding, Gunner landed two blocks away from his new secret base. Gunner, with no trouble at all, carried the 3 to the safety of his makeshift new base and future shelter.

"G-Gu-Gunner-san!!! Oh no!!! Leader, we have to cu-cure you now!!!" Ryuko said sheepishly.

"This is nothing more than a scratch!!!! You have to treat Wolf and my brother first!!!! They must be on the verge of death after that fight."

"S-su-sure!!! Right away, Mai!!!"

Ryuko, who was in charge of the gang's social media, turned out to have advanced medical knowledge.

"Aaaah... It’s a good thing Ryuko was from a millionaire family and was able to study at the university of technological medicine!!!! Hahahahaha!!! Auch!!! It hurts badly.”

"Leader!!! Don't overexert yourself and lie down."

"Easy Gunner. It's nothing! Well, Gunner-san, tell me everything that's happened!

"Of course, leader. At first..."

...

...

"I see... so that's what happened." Coyote. We will never forget you. Thanks to you, this city... No, this world has been saved!!!

After several minutes, after Ryuko treated Ano and Yu, and after giving medical attention to their leader's wounds, Ryuko herself came running to give urgent news.

"Gu-guys!!! Chameleon has a-awa-awakened!!!"

The leader, along with Gunner rushed out to the room where the injured hacker was.

"Chameleon!!!" Mai jumped on the convalescing hacker and burst into tears. "You're okay!!! How glad I am!!!" Mai's snot was sticking to Chameleon's clothes.

"Thank you for worrying about me. Ryuko and Kaboom were the ones who saved me. If they didn't get me disconnected from the Cyber Hut, that AI would have liquefied my brain. By the way, where is Coyote? I don't see him."

Mai lifted her head from the Chameleon's body and shook her head.

"I see. So the mission was a success thanks to him." Said the hacker confidently.

Such was the trust in that small family of activists that the fact that someone lost his life meant that he did it to protect others. All the scorpions mourned, some more than others, the eternal absence of Coyote.

****

The next day, after recovering from his injuries thanks to the medical technology available to them, Ano locked Yu in one of the rooms in their base. Yu's Net Share had been completely disabled so that no one could locate him in any way.

"Treating me like a human, right, Mi? First you heal my wounds, and now you give me shelter in a room instead of finishing me off. Didn’t you thought I was a monster who murdered your friend and your master?"

"No. I've lived next to a real monster for two years. You're just a kid having a tantrum."

"Ha...ha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Maybe you're right. But let me tell you something. Not everything is what it seems."

"Not everything is what it seems."

"I already heard those words from someone whose life I took."

"I see... Then, good luck with your dream."

"Thank you, Yu."

The young inventor headed for the exit of Yu's makeshift cell. However, before he could open the door, the young billionaire exclaimed.

"Wait, Mi!!! Let me say a few last words to you before you leave."

Ano stopped and slowly turned around to address his rival.

"It's not like I'm leaving forever."

"No. From now on, I won't see you often. You'll be busy with your suit and your dream of unifying the world. But someday you will come to me for advice. In less than a year, you'll be here asking me for my help, just as you did with my sister."

The young boy turned around, walked toward the door again, and as he was about to close it, he answered.

"Maybe you're right."

*BLAM*

I finally avenged my family… No. I have served justice, right? Coyote.

After leaving the room where Yu was being held, the young inventor called one of his contacts in Asu Industries.

*Ano-san! We need to talk urgently about the other day.*

"Yes, you're right. Listen carefully to what I'm going to tell you..."

...

...

*All right. That's how it will be done.*

"I'm counting on you."

After hanging up the call from his PDA, Mai appeared from the corner of the hallway and ran up to the young inventor.

"Wolf!!!" Said the scorpion leader.

"What's wrong?"

"Look at this!!!"

*A large-scale attack has disabled most of our infrastructure. Everything is expected to be back to normal in less than a week. In the meantime, it is likely that your cybernetic prostheses will not function as intended and power will not be stable until then. Authorities are asking for patience.*

"Yes. That jalopy did a good job." Right, Coyote?

"That's not what I meant! Wait!!!"

The leader started looking on her PDA for the video she really wanted to show him.

"Chameleon got these audios from Asu Industries."

*Find them!!! Find Ano and Mai!!! Don't let the press or the government or anyone know about it!!!! If this makes public, the credibility of the company and Mr. Asu will be completely destroyed!!! We must take care of all of this by ourselves!*

"We have to hide for the time being!!! Good thing our Net Shares are untraceable due to Coyote’s defenses." Said the leader, relieved yet sad.

"Heh!!!"

"What's with the smirk??!!!!"

"Nothing. You've improved as a leader."

Mai blushed and looked away.

"STUPID!!! I've always been the best leader!!!"

"Right..." Hana, don't worry about me anymore. I'll fulfill our dream no matter what. "By the way, don't worry about that audio. I've got it all taken care of."

"So... Wolf, there's something else I want to talk to you about..." The scorpion leader said shyly.

Mai blushed as she prepared to talk to him about something that seemed important. However, the wolf had turned around and was walking away from his leader.

"Hey!!! Don't ignore me!!! Don't leave me talking to myself!!! WOLF!!!!!

*Huhu.*

****

Two days after the incident at Asu Industries, the media began to inform the population of the events that took place on the fateful night of the blackout.

*Two days ago, an unknown extremist group called Scorpion attacked the central building of Asu Industries. Power has been restored throughout the metropolis, including the suburban sectors. According to official reports, no deaths have been reported as a result of the attack. However, Yu Asu, leader of Asu Industries, has been reported missing. Rumors claim that Mai Asu may be the one who planned the whole incident. However, Ms. Inui, temporary manager of Asu Industries, has denied these facts in an official statement.*

*We do not know the origin of the attack. We can guarantee that Mr. Yu Asu has not suffered any damage despite the explosions in his office. He is currently on a secret mission to ensure the safety of the people of Neo Shibuya. Next week, a vote will be held on who will lead Asu Industries until Mr. Yu's return.*

"Miss Inui!!! Are the rumors about future terrorist acts in the city true?"

"No. We have received information that the only target of the terrorists was Mr. Asu. The population can rest assured."

"Is it true that Mr. Asu has passed away and this is nothing more than a smokescreen to avoid alerting the population of a malfunction of your company's prosthetics?"

"These rumors are completely false. I'm calling the press conference to a close."

"Wait!!! We still have a lot of questi..."

*BLAM*

Miss Inui came out of the room where the press was congregating.

*Click, clack, click, click, clack*

Her heels echoed in the lonely hallway she walked down. This time, her automaton guards did not accompany her.

...

...

After walking for a brief moment, she came to a corner where someone was waiting for her.

"I hope Mr. Asu is safe just as you said, Yuki. I've kept my end of the bargain, so you guys better not hurt him or the truth will come out!!!"

"Don't worry, Miss Inui. Mr. Ano's word is unbreakable."

****

A week had passed since the scorpion coup. At that time, in the upper echelons of the Neo Human government, they were debating the future of their great nation, and who should take the reins of their nation's most important enterprise.

"So, with 66% approval, the new leader who will lead the world into a new dawn will be..."