freenovelworld Chapter 293: Surveillance
Chapter 293: Surveillance
"And then... the Hero and the Demon King set out on their journey together..."
Sora's voice grew thinner, her eyelids weighing several tons each. She struggled
to articulate the syllables, her narrative dissolving into a slurry of
half-formed words.
Bochi lay quietly across her lap, its black-bean eyes fixed on the ceiling,
appearing thoroughly mesmerized by the data stream.
"They traversed the deserts... scaled the frozen peaks... encountered a thousand
unique variables..."
Sora's logic began to fracture, the story losing its structural coherence.
"Finally... finally, they localized the target... the highest-tier cake... in
that shop on the corner..."
Suddenly, her head tilted, nearly striking the frame of the bed. Bochi's
reflexes were surgical; a single blue tentacle shot out, catching her skull and
gently guiding it back to a neutral position.
"Sora?"
"Mmh..." Sora offered a dazed, uninformative groan.
"The narrative is incomplete. What transpired after the Demon King and the Hero
localized the premium dessert sector?"
"Tomorrow... we procure... tomorrow..."
Bochi watched her exhausted form, its sensory nodes detecting a state of
terminal fatigue. After several seconds of calculation, it hummed.
"Very well. Proceed with the cycle."
The slime hopped from her lap, landing softly on the carpeted floor. Sora
finally achieved "flat-lay" status. She collapsed onto the mattress, not even
finding the Od to pull the duvet over herself. She achieved total dormancy in
milliseconds.
Bochi tilted its head, watching her for a duration, before bouncing onto the
windowsill. It looked out at the street below. The sun was bright, the road was
a river of motorized boxes, and the humans moved back and forth in a frantic,
unoptimized dance.
It looked like an ideal day for an expedition.
Bochi extended a tentacle, tracing a shaky, crude drawing of a cake onto the
dusty glass.
"Boredom levels are reaching a critical threshold..."
Hardly had the vibration left its body when a minor ripple disturbed its shadow.
"Lord Bochi."
Bochi looked down. Its shadow stretched across the floorboards, and within the
dark, six distorted silhouettes were partially manifest.
"Report," Bochi commanded.
The lead Shadow Guard, Shadow One, spoke from the void. "The quantity of
observers has increased."
"As of yesterday afternoon, we recorded three squads totaling nine units.
Current count: seven squads totaling twenty-one units."
"Furthermore, their gear-tier and personnel quality are undergoing an upgrade."
Shadow Two interjected, "The newest squad is led by a unit whose Od signature is
nearing the Tier 3 threshold. Based on our preliminary analysis of this
coordinate's power-scaling, this represents the human apex."
Bochi blinked its black eyes, its gelatinous body giving a springy shake.
"Tier 2... Tier 3..."
Bochi scratched its head-dome with a tentacle, accessing its memory archives. "I
recall the Master stating that even a common Centurion in the Imperial Legions
starts at Tier 4."
"Tier 2... is that not statistically irrelevant?"
The Shadow Guards went silent. They couldn't provide a verbal answer; comparing
the inhabitants of this world to the inhabitants of the Evernight was a
"Dimensional Over-ride." After the recent inter-planar incident, every undead in
the Empire was at Tier 6. While new recruits would eventually lower the average,
those hundred million gods were an existence this world's humans couldn't even
conceptualize in their finest dreams.
"According to our gathered data, Tier 2 is the 'High-Tier' combatant for this
species," Shadow One clarified, clearing its non-existent throat.
"The critical variable is the behavioral shift. Initially, they maintained a
policy of long-range observation and logging."
"As of this morning cycle, they have transitioned to close-range tracking. The
surveillance perimeter has contracted to within fifty meters of this apartment
complex."
"Furthermore, we localized units installing unidentified devices at the four
primary structural corners, the rooftop, and the subterranean parking sector."
The voice of Shadow Three resonated through the link. "While we cannot yet parse
the exact function of these artifacts, we project a ninety percent probability
that they are constructing an energy field. It will likely serve as a localized
spatial isolation or a signal-jamming array."
"Requesting directive: Shall we initiate a preemptive liquidation of the
variables?"
Shadow One's voice turned cold and military. "They are preparing for an active
operation. It is tactical prudence to clear these pests before the trap sets."
Bochi was silent for several seconds, its gaze drifting over to Sora, who was
currently sprawled across the bed in a state of ungraceful, heavy sleep.
"Negative," Bochi chirped.
"As commanded?"
The Shadow Guards paused, their logic circuits stuttering. Shadow Five was the
first to attempt a recovery. "Lord Bochi, the human behavior represents an
unquantified threat. If the energy field stabilizes, we cannot guarantee against
the presence of high-tier sealing relics—similar to the Antimagic Crystals
encountered previously."
"I am aware," Bochi interrupted, its tone sounding remarkably unconcerned.
"But Sora stated that this world possesses a class of elite warriors called
Night Watchmen."
"Their directive is the protection of the human species against the monsters
called Anomalies."
"These 'Baddies' following us must be the Night Watchmen, right?"
The Phantoms fell silent again, communicating through the internal Soul Link at
high speeds. Shadow Six finally responded. "According to our intel...
affirmative. They are the Night Watchmen."
Bochi's voice turned instantly self-righteous. "Exactly."
"Night Watchmen are 'Good Guys.' They protect humans."
"Sora is a human."
"Therefore, the Night Watchmen will protect Sora."
"They are following us to ensure our safety! They fear we will encounter a
'Pest' in the street!"
"If we liquidate them all, Sora will experience 'Sadness.' And I do not wish to
induce the Sadness Protocol in my Guide-Unit."
The Shadow Guards were utterly defeated by the slime's logic. They wanted to
inform their naive charge that human organizational structures were far more
complex than a binary of "Good" and "Bad." The Night Watchmen might protect the
species, but that didn't mean they would protect an unquantifiable,
uncontrollable alien powerhouse.
In fact, every data point suggested they were currently preparing to "Process"
Bochi as the world's greatest instability.
"Besides..." Bochi continued, terminating their internal debate. "If Sora is
unhappy, she will cease her exploratory functions."
"She issued a contract! Once she reboots her system, she will lead me to the
sector called The Museum!"
"She stated it contains a high-density inventory of ancient treasures! Perhaps
items even more entertaining than the junk the Master collects!"
The Phantoms finally understood. Lord Bochi's focus was a singular constant:
Exploration. And the Guide-Unit, Sora.
Surveillance squads, energy fields, and complex human hierarchies... in Bochi's
eyes, these variables held less value than a single slice of cheesecake.
"Understood," Shadow One replied, the phantoms bowing their heads in
synchronization. "We shall maintain observation of their movements. If they
initiate an active strike against your person or the Guide-Unit..."
"We shall cross that bridge when the encounter commences," Bochi said, waving a
tentacle dismissively.
"Currently, the primary objective is: Do not disturb Sora's sleep-cycle."
"She stated humans are vulnerable consumables. They die without dormancy."
"I do not wish for my personal Guide and mobile wallet to terminate."
The Shadow Guards dissolved into the floorboards, their presences vanishing
entirely. The room returned to its quiet hum.
Bochi returned to the windowsill, pressing its face against the cool glass once
more. It watched the sunlight reflect off its gelatinous blue body, turning its
surface into a soft, glowing sapphire. It remained there, as still as a
high-tier decorative ornament.
Time bled away. The foot traffic in the street slowed, and the sun began its
long slide toward the western horizon. Bochi's shadow stretched across the
floor, becoming a long, thin needle.
It didn't move. Every ten minutes, it would tilt its head to ensure Sora's chest
was still rising and falling. It confirmed her status as "Alive."
Then, it would return to its survey of the world.
Two hours passed.
Sora finally stirred. She rolled over, muttering a series of unscripted
dream-words, before her body jolted—the biological "falling sensation" that
signals a system reboot.
She snapped her eyes open. "What bell is it?!"
She shot up from the bed as if electrified, seizing her phone from the
nightstand. The screen ignited: 2:30 PM.
"Whew..."
Sora let out a massive sigh, her entire frame decompressing. Good. Only two
hours. Though her limbs were still heavy, the fog in her brain had cleared
enough to stabilize her logic. She was no longer in the "Sudden Cardiac Arrest"
risk-zone.
"Bochi?" Sora rubbed her eyes, scanning the room for the blue blob. She quickly
spotted the silhouette at the window. "You've been there the entire time?"
Hearing her voice, Bochi spun around. Its black eyes were bright and full of
frantic vitality.
"Uh-huh!" "I was processing the external scenery!" "There are many iron boxes
with four wheels racing in circles. And many humans!" "And birds! A gargantuan
bird flew past the sector moments ago!"
Sora yawned, walking over to join it. She looked through the glass. The street
was as rowdy as ever. A grey pigeon had just landed on the air-conditioning unit
of the neighboring building, tilting its head to stare at Bochi with its own
beady eyes.
"That is a pigeon," Sora said. "The city is saturated with them."
"Pigeon..." Bochi's eyes flared, its tentacles rubbing together with excitement.
"Are they viable for consumption? What is the flavor profile? How do they rank
against the Master's grilled fish?"
"...Theoretically edible, but logically discouraged," Sora said, rubbing her
aching temples. "Urban pigeons are 'Unclean.' They carry high levels of
bacteria. Consumption leads to the 'Diarrhea' debuff."
"Oh." Bochi's tentacles slumped. It watched the bird with a look of profound
mourning. "A wasted resource. What a pity."
Sora watched the slime, then narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her
chest. "By the way... before I entered dormancy... where did the story
terminate?"
Bochi froze. "Eh?"
"The narrative," Sora said, her tone one of investigative scrutiny. "I was
struggling to maintain consciousness while telling you about the Hero and the
Demon King. You didn't delete the data the moment I fell asleep, did you?"
"Impossible!" Bochi counter-attacked, its body snapping to a vertical straight
line. "I am a high-tier listener! Every syllable is archived in my core!"
"Is that so?" "Then tell me: where did the Hero and the Demon King go at the
end?"
"They..." Bochi's eyes performed two rapid, frantic rotations as its brain
searched for a plausible conclusion. Finally, it spoke with absolute, unwavering
confidence.
"They went to the Evernight Cathedral to get married!"
☆☆☆
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