Chapter 273 – Negotiation (2)

“Rif said that too…”

I reflexively glanced at the tentacle on my left hand.
If it’s erosion, if it’s negative, this is the only thing that comes to mind.
But X, as if he had read my thoughts, said it wasn’t like that and shook his camera-like head from side to side.

[The tentacle on your left hand…There’s not enough data, but it’s estimated to be Esther’s satellite. It seems to have deteriorated a little, but it is protected from negatives by specifying coordinates, communicating, and becoming a higher entity to other negatives… Esther’s intentions are 87% certain.]
“Satellite…What?”
[This is not to say that it has become negative. I’m guessing it’s a variant that protects you.]

Tentacles don’t make me negative?
If this isn’t…Why, what’s the reason I’m negative… ?
The moment my head was about to fill with questions, X spoke to me in a calm mechanical tone.

[The negative attempts an infection attack using the monster virus, and as the quarantine facilities on the human side stabilize, it is judged that turning it into a negative that has a noticeable effect is useless. After that, I changed my strategy to have a subtle impact.]
“Virus…”
[The more people encounter negative corpses, the faster they become negative.]

If it’s the corpse of negative, I’ve seen enough to get tired of it.
More than normal people… Visiting the sites of Rapid’s raids, more often as the days go on…
Even when I was in the National Guard, after getting a job at the company, I encountered a lot while visiting the scene where Rapid fought.

[When did you not feel severe fatigue?]
“I felt it.”

After getting a job, after being kicked out of the National Guard, as time passed, the fatigue only got worse.
I thought that dark circles and getting worse as the days went by were simply because I was tired from work at the company.

[Negative cells are absorbed through the lungs and stomach and accumulate in the liver. Negative internal organs, web cells, are formed next to your liver, and hormone secretion through bile ducts…Those who think like negatives are called 4th grade negatives.]
“Hey, here?”
[That’s the stomach, not the liver.]

I pressed my hand against my stomach, trying to find a web cell or something, but of course I couldn’t touch anything.
However, the memories of the sensations I felt from time to time tell me that there is something around here.
I thought it was a level 4 negative because it had a tentacle on its left hand, but it was because it was eroded by a negative… It’s much more terrible than I thought.

[Web cell cannot be surgically removed. This is because the moment it is exposed to the outside, it turns into a separate parasite that is aggressive. However, it is not impossible to remove.]
“If I remove it, will it become non-negative?”
[…You are a bit of an outlier, but you are. How is it?]

X means that in addition to getting me out of here, I’ll remove something that’s stuck to my gut, so bring me Leaf’s corpse.
I didn’t know that something like that could exist in my body.
Of course, I want to remove it.

“Then…”

I’ll bring the body to X right away, so I was about to ask him to remove it, but I stopped talking at a sudden thought.
… Earlier, when Riff referred to me as a level 4 negative, he also talked about Webcell.
Didn’t I tell you that the web cell is down, obviously…?

“…Didn’t I say that my webcell is suspended?”

When I pointed out something I had definitely heard, X made a crackling, crackling, electrifying sound as if his tongue were being kicked.
After talking, the memory becomes more detailed.
Apparently, Leaf told me that I have a web cell, but it doesn’t move, and that Esther’s tentacles seem to be preventing the web cell from moving.
So maybe I don’t need to remove it?

[Even if Webcell is suspended, it is recommended to remove it. Whenever you absorb a certain amount of negative cells, your impulse…]
“How much is more than the schedule? What, if you breathe near a corpse, you absorb it?”
[That’s right. Just in case…]
“But I heard that this in my left hand absorbs poison?”
[…A problem may occur if the absorption amount is exceeded.]
“You mean it’s okay if you don’t go over it? And, there’s really no reason to absorb that much.”

It wouldn’t happen unless you chewed the corpse of the monster directly with your mouth.
Absorption does not stop even if it exceeds the absorption amount, and it will be absorbed again as time passes.
It’s similar to taking a break and eating because you’re full.

X listened to my words and stopped his movements as if there was no room for refutation.
I looked down at that X and snorted.
I was afraid of trying to fool people while being a machine, so I almost fell for it.

In the first place, X is Leaf’s underling who tried to kill me.
It’s not even a reliable target.
How can I trust X’s words?

[This is a stupid move. You are overconfident in yourself. A risk is a risk, even if it is unlikely.]
“Ah, but you said it was stopped~ you said it wasn’t doing anything~”
[I don’t understand, the wall is cracked. It was supported by pillars. Will you leave the cracked wall intact?]
“Oh, I don’t know, but he said it was fine anyway.”
[The moment your hand is cut off, you are not free from Webcell.]
“If it doesn’t cut…”

I was about to say yes, but I stopped talking as I recalled how Ash cut and pasted my wrists on his own just a moment ago.

“Ah, it doesn’t have to be cut.”
[Do you really think that is possible?]

There are plenty of people who lose their hands and feet due to negative attacks and replace them with prosthetic arms and legs.
In this era, bodily defects are common, but I am not attacked by negatives.
As long as you’re careful with Ash, it’ll be fine.

[Do you not understand? It means that the potential risk factor will be reduced to 0%.]
“Who do you know as an idiot? Of course I understood.”
[By the way, why don’t you accept the deal? It is not judged that you understand the meaning.]
“How can I trust you in the first place? Everything you said could be a lie.”
[I am a machine. I don’t lie.]

I openly kicked my tongue at X, then stuck out my tongue.
The guy who tried to trick me just a moment ago said something like this.

“You tried to trick me a little while ago, what? Aren’t you lying?”
[I didn’t lie. I just mentioned the need to remove the web cell.]
“You don’t have to remove it, but you said it would be a big problem if you don’t remove it.”
[I can’t understand, I’m concerned about the decline in intelligence due to negatives, I need to remove them more.]
“Don’t talk like I’m stupid!”
[You are actually continuing to make remarks that lower your intellect.]
“I heard that machines don’t trade in the first place? Who was it that asked you to make a deal? Aren’t you an idiot who doesn’t make sense of words?”
[Due to the disconnection of Reef’s consciousness, information autonomy is granted, and this is an autonomous conclusion based on the calculation of the benefits that can be obtained by trading with you, and the conditions change depending on the situation. Rather, it is a judgment that is possible because it is a machine.]
“Yeah, no. You are stupid.”
[All right. It was me who was stupid.]

I logically smashed X.
The moment I thought so, a strange sense of defeat enveloped me.
What is it… I’m sure I said the right thing, but I pointed out X’s contradiction and made him admit his stupidity… It doesn’t seem like he won.

What is it that has raised the heat so much?
The sudden dejection makes the previous argument worthless.
X scratched the floor with the tip of the mechanical foot, drawing my consciousness from the daze.

[Even if I’m stupid, it doesn’t take away the benefits you gain from removing Webcell. Giving each other what they need is a fair trade, and only a cocktail of riffs can completely wipe out a Webcell. If you accept the deal, we will manufacture a vaccine that completely eliminates the disadvantage of having to take it continuously.]
“No, so how can I believe… You and Riff tried to kill me?”
[I don’t know why Riff tried to kill you, but it’s Riff. I will not kill you.]
“Rif is your master, right? If you trick me into injecting poison, or if you try to kill me with a saw as soon as I go down… Revenge of the Reef…”
[It was Ash who killed Riff. I have no reason to avenge you. Also, I don’t have a revenge doctor.]

…Is it?
Well, even though X is Leaf’s subordinate, he is only a subordinate.
I don’t think X tried to kill me on its own…Just following Reef’s orders.

It seems that there is a difference between hearing orders as a machine and acting autonomously like now.
X, who judges autonomously, didn’t try to kill me, and only followed Leaf’s orders…Isn’t it?
Am I right?

[This is a profitable transaction for you. Why do you still not understand?]
“No…But the benefits I get from doing business with you aren’t that great, are they? Did you see Esther come to help me? Even if they don’t let her out of here, I can just wait for Esther and leave, and didn’t I mention that Esther is controlling the web cell or something with her tentacles? But why should I take the risk that you might do something to me?”
[…Now that you’re saying that, don’t you think I can’t harm you because of Esther? There is no risk to you.]
“Uh?”

X makes a deal with me and tries to revive the riff.
Esther is resurrected in time.
Esther is protecting me, so X can’t kill me.

Listening to it, I’m sure… X was right.
There is no need for X to incur more grudge against Esther by touching me.
Even if the riff is revived, it’s the same.

If Leaf is resurrected and wants to do something to me, I can ask Esther to kill me.
Leaf feels bad, but his ability seems certain, so I can hypnotize him…
Then I can make a deal with X to get rid of the web cell, and the leaf won’t attack me… No risk… No risk.

Come to think of it, it doesn’t seem too bad.
X might also be thinking of making a deal with me, giving me an advantage, and keeping Esther from attacking me.
As X said, isn’t this a transaction that only benefits each other?

Leaf is a magical girl who is hostile to Ash to the point that Ash comes to kill him himself.
If we revive such a leaf, like the saying that the enemy of an enemy is a friend, as X said, wouldn’t there be something to cooperate with the leaf?
I naturally tried to kill Leaf without Esther by my side, but after hearing it, Leaf couldn’t attack me even without Esther.

If you save Leaf… You can keep Ash in check.
I don’t think Leaf can properly hold that Ash in check, but she’s still better than nothing.
You can ask what you’ve been curious about, and there’s no risk.

[…Did you understand?]
“Uh…”

Understood.
This is really a fair deal that only benefits me and X.
However, there is still no need to accept the deal.

Even if I don’t accept the deal anyway, X can’t attack me.
The small mechanical body was so vulnerable that even I could lift it at will, and even in such an urgent situation, seeing that it came to me and clung to it to make a deal, it would not have hidden other dangerous machines.
Riff’s corpse is still slowly dying.

It’s X who wants a deal, not me.
In other words, the initiative of the transaction belongs to me.
The value of the things I can trade is gradually increasing, and there is no harm to me if the value drops.

“Can you give me more?”

I said to X with a smile.
Then X made a crackle, crackle sound full of noise, and he took turns looking at me and the riff through the camera lens.
It feels like a camera fixed on me is staring at me.

[Don’t you think you’re too trashy yourself?]