AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, that’s what it takes to shake the world. Or at least, a large city.”
“No, you’re seriously mad if you think you have a chance. You can’t beat all nine of the other Zodiacs. Even if you do, so what? You’re going to attack the Core with your little fists and your guns? Are you insane?”
“...Isn’t that what you’re doing yourself?”
He slowly crossed his arms, waiting for Eden to figure out what he was saying.
“...What?”
“You’re a hacker, Eden. Shaking the Core is exactly what hackers do, isn’t it? The Core’s artificial intelligence hates isolated agents like you. Human agents. Each time you dive, you’re risking your life not only because of your competitors but because the System wants to get rid of parasites like you. Compared to me, hackers are an even bigger threat to the Core.”
“I’m not like you,” hissed Eden. “I do it for the money. I dive, get what I came for, and get out before the System gets me. I am not trying to lead a whole rebellion. I’m merely a flea to the Core.”
“A flea that risks a lot for something it doesn’t even care about.”
“I care about the money.”
“What if now, you dived with a real reason?”
“Boosting your ego? Yeah, that’s not a life plan, it’s a pending suicide mission. Sorry you thought your pretty Part eyes were going to be enough to convince me.”
“Careful how you talk to the Boss!” said one of Dante’s men, suddenly pulling out a gun.
Eden glared at him, her eyes glancing less than a second to that gun. The man glared at her, but she wasn’t scared. Instead, Eden slowly walked toward him, making all the others react. Half pulled their guns out, some only had a hand in their pocket. Still, no one would fire unless Dante ordered them to and Eden knew that. She smirked and grabbed the gun, disarming the man with ridiculous ease.
“You think you can scare me? I can’t be scared of people like you,” she said.
The man, feeling stupid, lowered his head and stole glances at their boss. Eden was now holding his weapon, but Dante hadn’t said a word, still sitting at their table and slowly eating his vegetables. The situation was so tense, but the boss wasn’t worried one bit.
“I am no hero trying to save the world from the Core. I am just a girl trying to survive the shithole she was born in. I am not going to put myself in danger just to fulfill your selfish ambition.”
She lifted the gun, and this time, she directed it toward De Luca.
All the men present reacted. The sound of a dozen guns having their safety taken off was heard, and those who hadn’t taken out their weapons before were ready to shoot. Eden’s arm was shaking, but she held the gun at arm’s length, her heart beating like crazy.
She had come to a conclusion, a conclusion that wasn’t any good. That man was going to have her killed. If she proved she wasn’t Ghost, she’d die. If she proved she was indeed Ghost, she’d die an even more horrible death trying to fight against the Core. It wasn’t as simple as dying. Many hackers were captured by the Core and tortured. Regardless if their bodies were caught, Eden had heard of hackers being trapped in endless loops of nightmares, the Core forcing them to live their worst fears until they were completely broken. It was the beauty and the horror of an A.I. who could imprison your mind. Eden had already made her decision. She had enough nightmares haunting her already; she’d much rather have the painless death...
“Let go of the gun!” yelled one of the men.
Eden ignored him. She ignored all of them but Dante, who stood up after wiping his mouth once again. His slow and controlled moves were annoying and caused the tension to increase inch by inch in the room. With his smile on, he took off his jacket and put it on the back of his chair, leaning himself against the table. He was staring at her the whole time, and even put his hands in his pockets very calmly. Eden was intrigued by his change of position and how composed he was.
“Are you going to kill me?” he asked. “You won’t get out of here alive.”
“I’ll die anyway if I follow you,” she said. “I don’t want to die becoming someone’s expendable pawn.”
“Fair enough.”
He glanced around, and slowly, most of his men lowered their weapons. Eden couldn’t understand. She wouldn’t have been surprised if she had been shot a dozen times already, but she was still there and no gunshot had resonated yet. Or was he giving her the benefit of the doubt?
Dante took a deep breath.
“...I like an interesting woman.”
Eden frowned. She didn’t want to be swayed by compliments and sweet talk. She had heard enough from her job as a hostess to not believe them so easily. There was always a painful hook behind the bait.
Dante stood up, suddenly coming closer. Eden panicked and took one step back. Why had she come here, exactly? She should have run when she had the chance to. Eden’s heartbeat went wild again, her fingers sweating on the gun.
“...Let me go,” she said. “You find yourself another hacker, another Ghost, and we will be done.”
