I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 633

"Yujin seonsaengnim-!"

"See? I told you I’d come, right?"

"If you hadn't waited, it would have been a big problem."

• Is that... bust morphing from this distance...?
• Holy sht, she’s so damn pretty, hahaha*
• How is that a guy? No way, stop lying, I feel like I’m losing my mind!!!!!!!
• Editor (former)
• Iris-chan, I really wanna pet her, ugh...

7 PM, Below Songdo.

Down below the Songdo International Business District, where the sun was setting slowly, and the massive expo complex occupied by Icarus International stood. In about ten days, it would be crowded with people, but for now, there were only a few scattered around.

A car zoomed in front of it, and the door opened. As the car disappeared into the parking lot, a unique figure who could be recognized from afar came running, shouting.

I didn’t need to explain, but it was our editor. She must have rushed over right after the broadcast.

The mech juniors, who had been watching this solemn sight, added a comment.

"An unknown human in the database! It’s highly likely that they have a strong connection to the Archetype!"

"Please, Nasty, lower your voice. It’s too loud."

"Clearly a friend of the boss. I recently learned the Korean term '????' (yuyu-sangjong), and it really fits—birds of a feather flock together, right?"

"…Not sure if 'yuyu-sangjong' is the right term for this though."

• Yuyu-sangjong, lol, hahaha
• The Biyam friends aren’t Biyams, but the people who dated them turned into Biyams, lol
• Nasty acting cute next to them, so damn adorable
• Wow, looks like there are almost eight Biyams now, lol
• We live in the Biyam era...

It was just like what the chat said.

This wasn’t yuyu-sangjong… it was more like the people who dated them turned into Biyams. A kind of acquired yuyu-sangjong, maybe the person who coined the term never thought of this situation. It’s honestly insane.

I really don’t get why they’ve become Biyams. Why not someone like a white tiger or a tiger who’s changed? Why Biyam, though? Every time I do a broadcast, it feels like Korea’s representative animal is becoming a giant anaconda.

Anyway, while I was thinking about this, Iris quietly approached, and now it was time to do what we had to do.

Getting acquainted with each other.

"Hah, phew… Whoa, you startled me."

"Nice to meet you, Iris. I’m Jin. I’ve been watching Archetype’s actions more closely than anyone else, so I think you’ll know who we are."

"I’m Rain. Nice to meet you. Welcome to the snake’s team."

"So this is the editor of Archetype? Honestly, after only seeing the original version, it’s clear that normal people aren’t as well-trained as Archetype. Bone density, muscle density, and even the neuromuscular system all have a lot of room to develop."

"White person! Nice to meet you, I’m Nasty."

"Uh, oh. Nice to meet you. Hello, I’m Iris. My original name is Park Hyejeong."

• Is this... the multi-Biyam universe???
• They’re all so cute, hahaha
• Oh right, this person was the editor, lol
• Seven Biyams??? Is this heaven?
• Three people have become Biyams just because they love Biyams so much, haha

With a somewhat awkward but also cheerful smile, Iris extended her hand for a handshake.

It was literally the first time meeting her in person, but... how should I put it? I felt like our editor was already fairly familiar with the mech juniors.

Iris had been watching all of my actions with the mech Eugene, editing some of them, and posting them on the YoursSpace channel. Considering that, well...

Also, the juniors would almost immediately warm up if I said they were my acquaintances. Naturally, we became familiar with each other in no time.

Anyway, that was that. Unlike Mina and Yerin, who came late, the editor had arrived pretty late, so it was only right to offer her a bit of time to settle in, even if I couldn’t really call it compensation.

I’m sure Harmonie and Dice would understand that much.

"Have you eaten? You rushed over so quickly, but you probably haven’t had dinner yet."

"Ah, haha. I’m a little hungry, but it’s fine. I can eat when I get back, so don’t worry about me."

"You don’t need to feel pressured. Though you’re still software for the average person... in terms of hardware, you’re already part of the Biyam cartel. You’ve gone one step further from being just an editor. So from now on, just say whatever you want. I’ll make sure you live a little more luxuriously."

"Huh."

• She says she’ll make her live luxuriously, hahaha
• This is what girl crush looks like, hahaha
• No, this isn’t girl crush, it’s just hitting her with stacks of money, hahaha
• Biyam cartel, lol, hahaha
• If you become a Biyam... you can join the Biyam cartel...

Of course, half of it was a joke. But looking at it another way, half of it was serious.

Anyway, I thought I had to say this. While I probably wouldn’t quit being an editor anytime soon, being the owner of a channel with 1.5 million subscribers, I had to become a little bolder.

Subscribers don’t determine a person’s personality, but with that many, you need the guts to appeal to others and get things done, right?

So, after compromising, it ended up being takeout again. I’d been ordering takeout too often recently, but I wasn’t about to drag the mech juniors to a restaurant.

And these days, all deliveries are handled by drones, so there’s really no need for delivery people.

I led the six of them inside.

With less than two weeks until the expo, the inside was relatively neat, and there were spaces where several people could sit.

Sitting there, I confirmed the reason for today’s broadcast again. One of the points written down was that it was better to speak when Iris was here… and I’d announce that during this broadcast.

Clearing my throat, I added:

"Originally, the official announcement was supposed to come tomorrow, but there’s something I should mention early. In three days, there will be a lottery. The event will be open only to those who win the lottery."

"Huh...?"

"They didn’t mention anything like this to us today!?"

"Then just take it as it is."

• Hahaha, lol
• The juniors next to her are throwing a fit, but they’re totally ignoring them with that steel mentality, hahaha
• Lottery????
• What else is there to ask from a Mech-Biyam? Hahaha
• The number one in skill, hahaha

Naturally, I couldn’t ignore the whining of the two Biyam-shaped loudspeakers next to me.

Is Iris really my only anti-stress medicine? Once again, it’s true that staying quiet often leads to half the job done, as ancient wisdom says.

Harmonie grabbed her cheek and stretched it out, while Dice wrapped his tail around his neck and lightly tapped his head with the tail.

"Before I talk about the event itself, we should thank Iris, who’s here. This idea for the event came from our editor."

"Me? Really?"

"Yes. You may have noticed by now, but... there’s a large coffee shop inside Building A, one of the four buildings hosting the expo. This coffee shop will operate at specific times, and we’ll have the mech juniors working there as kind of... waitstaff."

"Ugh-!"

• Waitstaff????????
• Mecha-Biyams as waitstaff, hahaha
• Looks like they’re recruiting customers using the Mecha-Biyams as waitstaff
• Now that I think about it, yeah, hahaha

As expected, the quick-witted viewers immediately figured out what I was trying to say.

Anyway, just as I said, there will be millions of visitors to the expo, but we can’t accommodate them all as customers, so we’ll select a certain number to invite as guests.

Iris blinked rapidly and froze, but... I couldn’t let her act all surprised. Our editor still had something to do.

With that in mind, I slipped over to the editor’s seat and lightly patted her shoulder. This wasn’t threatening as a superior. It was a soft suggestion.

I whispered softly into Iris’s sharp ears.

"Maybe our editor should give our mech juniors a little... training on how to serve as waitstaff."

"Eh, uh, ahh..."

"Last time, the service as a maid was... quite impressive. I’m not asking you to teach them everything. Just... do what you can. Of course, we’ll compensate you for it."

"Ah, that... ahh..."

"You can do it, right?"

• Whoa...
• Look at that Biyam flirting skills, hahaha
• Just say it normally, why whisper in her ear, hahaha
• Logan’s about to call Biyam for a furious phone call, hahaha
• View!!!!!!!!!!! View!!!!!!!!!!!

A few seconds later, our editor nodded, her tail wagging.

As expected, my heartfelt persuasion had worked wonders.

"...If Eugene were a man, we would have already been all eaten by now."

"Who says no?"

"What's bosaem?"

"That’s something."

Meanwhile, two people watching this shook their heads and added:

The world was truly a strange place.

[My daughter. I know you’re busy these days, but I got some contact related to you, so I sent it your way. I’m fine with the think tank, but I’ve never heard of Blaze Company. Anyway, since I see some familiar names with connections to you, I thought I’d send this brief text. See you at the expo.]

"Ah, Blaze Company... And the think tank is here too. This is insane, really insane."

It’s been a day since I returned with the mech juniors, the editor who was tricked by my eloquence, and the two new Biyams who loved Biyams so much they became Biyams.

As always, I was extremely busy. It might have seemed like I wasn’t too busy just yesterday, but that was just an illusion. Anyway, the reason I was busy was simple. I had a lot of work to take care of.

Looking at the list of things to do before the expo, I thought about it briefly:

"First on the list is Blaze Company and the think tank."

‘Blaze Company is a PMC with Marcus and Rapier... So they probably came here to ask about humanoid contracts, and the think tank... why is Janet G. Harper, the former defense minister, insisting on coming in person?’

Janet G. Harper. Former defense minister and currently a board member of the think tank.

There’s no real problem with her coming, but honestly, someone of her stature would make the news just by visiting Korea.

Considering that, maybe it wasn’t something I needed to stress over. As long as they don’t openly troll by saying they’re coming for an interview or something, it should be fine.

But, the important thing is what happens next.

"…So, everyone, don’t stand out too much. Especially the shark, polar bear, and owl—don’t be too conspicuous… ugh."

"We feel like you don’t trust us, junior. How did you grow so bold?"

"I think Lorentina’s share is about 85% of this."

"Logan, if you keep talking like that, that kid will seriously think he’s done well."

"...Alright, stop touching my cheeks!"

The illustrious Dagger team—and the part leader Olivia, who had moved over to Laser’s team—were working on the expo participation strategy.

In truth, calling it a strategy was a bit much; everything was straightforward, but as an operator, it was always better to prepare for the unexpected.

As I spoke, I brushed my hand over the Songdo and Seoul areas, adding:

"Basically, this is the range we’ll be operating in. If there’s anything specific you need or want to purchase... just let me know. Owens, who wanted to go to the audio shop, and the person who wanted to visit the cigar bar—who was that again?"

"Me."

"Chester... Got it. You’ll always be in pairs, and after the Disney World visit, the account is synced with this world’s ATM. You can just withdraw and exchange it there."

"Got it. Don’t worry about leaving traces; I’ll erase all the logs from the system."

"Of course, don’t worry about it."

Yes, we have devices on our wrists, after all.

And with these guys, who are experts at blending in with their surroundings, there’s really no need to say anything further.

As I mentioned earlier, just stick with pairs. To avoid any possible escapes, each team should include either Lorentina, Logan, Olivia, Serkins, or Owens.

I planned to send them out in about four days to familiarize themselves with the surroundings and the systems here. After that, I trusted them to manage things themselves.

While I was thinking about what was left to do, I heard someone say:

"I was kind of hoping to see the friends who swapped bodies, but it’s a shame."

"Unfortunately, that’s not possible."

"Well, that’s to be expected. That’s enough. Anyway, you guys probably won’t have much time to meet them either. If you want to buy some dried-up items from that world and leave, we’ll have to act quickly."

"Yeah, here, all the luxury goods are dried up."

For example, cigars or fine alcohol were examples of what had already been depleted.

But there were many other things too. Like all sorts of media from this world—movies, dramas, and much more. Essentially, anything related to human leisure would be taken.

I heard someone was planning to buy a bike... Well, not everyone would be satisfied with just a special silent bike for operations.

As I thought about this, I gently patted Gaia’s head, who was busy preparing with the Dagger team.

"At this expo, there will be an announcement about Gaia. I think she’ll be able to move around in a few months, or possibly sooner. Mab is the example."

"...Is that real? Can I expect it?"

"Of course."

Hmm, looks like Gaia will be debuting in reality soon.

I thought this to myself while gently patting her head. I then realized that the things I needed to do here were mostly finished, so I opened the door.

It led to a space that was rather different from the Dagger team's break room—my home, to be precise. Unfortunately, there were too many guests these days to openly take the Dagger team out.

I thought about this briefly, then bid a short farewell to the Dagger team and gently spread vibrations around the house to check. Harmonie and Dice seemed to have left, and Iris was in her room.

‘...I’m starting to get hungry.’

Shall we eat, then?

Since there’s a guest, of course, I’d invite Iris. With that thought, I climbed the stairs and knocked on Iris’s door.

"Eh, whoa, wait a minute! Just one minute—ugh!"

Crash!

I immediately sensed something strange was happening inside, and with a half-laugh, I opened the door.

And then—

"...Ugh, I said wait for just a minute!"

"...Why the maid outfit?"

"Well, I was trying to do some mind control to teach the mech juniors..."

I found Iris in a maid outfit, sprawled out on the floor.

...Hmm, was this how a mother feels when she sees her daughter in an embarrassing situation? I thought to myself as I quietly closed the door again, making sure to apologize.

And this, my friends, was a sitcom.