"David, do you know who attacked your home?" After they finished discussing personal matters, Officer Bob opened his Identity Bracelet and began the routine questioning.
"I don't know. I was practicing Body Technique in the basement. When I realized my Identity Bracelet couldn't connect to Skynet, I hid," David replied simply.
"I remember your home has a Security System. Was it activated at the time?" Officer Bob continued.
"Officer Bob, I activated every part of the Security System!" David replied.
"David, I'll ask you again if anything comes up." Officer Bob finished speaking and closed his Identity Bracelet. Then he continued, "The Security System failed to work. I believe the provider will cover all your losses and pay you compensation as well. I'll do my best to get you a larger settlement."
Because of Panshi Planet's unusual environment, the insurance industry there was underdeveloped. Most insurance companies wouldn't insure homes on the planet, and even the few that did charged exorbitant premiums.
So when a home was damaged, the owner usually paid part of the repair or rebuilding costs, and the city covered the rest.
The solution Officer Bob had mentioned meant using his authority and the influence of Hans, a "National Scholar," to put pressure on the company.
The fact that the Security System had failed to protect a National Scholar's family member would put the company in a difficult position. It might even prevent them from winning many major contracts in the future.
"Officer Bob, sorry for the trouble!" David didn't know the reason behind it all, but he understood that Officer Bob was helping him, so he thanked him.
"Officer Bob, here are the preliminary findings!" A young police officer came over and sent him a report.
Officer Bob nodded to the young officer, then opened the report in front of David.
"David, it's been confirmed. There was an Armored Warrior among the attackers, and Amos, the Security Supervisor at Steer Hotel, died at the scene." Officer Bob glanced at David as he spoke. He had been the one to tell David that Amos was spying on him. Who would have thought an Armored Warrior would end up dead here?
If there hadn't been signs of an Armored Warrior's battle at the scene, and David hadn't been able to hire one, Officer Bob might have thought David had killed Amos to silence him.
"Based on these preliminary findings, I believe the other side sent an Electronic Warfare Specialist and several Armored Warriors. Their methods suggest they were mercenaries. David, can you think of anything that might have drawn them here?" Officer Bob pressed.
"I can't think of anything that would have attracted them." David thought it over carefully, then shook his head.
In fact, the moment he started thinking about it, he had remembered the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device. It was the only unusual thing he had acquired recently. If it wasn't because of that, then it could only have been something from his predecessor's past.
But his predecessor had rarely interacted with people. The only unusual thing was that Sacrificial Manual. Still, he doubted Trainer Jeremy would expose himself like that and bring himself a great deal of trouble.
"I'll request that Skynet keep a special watch on your home's security. I'll let you know if there are any new developments in the investigation." Officer Bob saw that the officers around them were wrapping up their work, so he ended the conversation.
The four Armored Warriors hadn't approached the scene during this time. They had simply stood to one side, aloof.
Amos's body and car were taken away. After the battle damage on the ground was documented, it was repaired, and the bloodstains and weapon fragments were collected.
When the police left, aside from the damaged steel gate, the place was almost exactly as it had been before.
After checking that no one was around, David hurried to where the Shadow Servant was hiding, picked up the item it had concealed, and returned to the house.
David wasn't worried about security after the police left. Skynet's special surveillance was countless times more reliable than other security measures.
If anyone came looking for trouble now, it wouldn't be the police who responded. Several Interceptor Drones would appear and launch a targeted attack. Even an Armored Warrior without a ranged weapon couldn't withstand one.
And once an Interceptor Drone locked onto someone, their identity would automatically be added to the wanted list.
David shut the damaged gate. The lock was broken, so it would have to be repaired the next day. Many other parts of the house had also been damaged. The mercenaries weren't exactly gentle, and they had searched the place with extreme brutality.
Most concerning of all, Smart Butler Emma still wasn't responding. That made David uneasy. Emma was only a Smart Butler, but both his predecessor and David himself considered her a member of the household.
But when he stood in front of Smart Butler Emma's mechanical body, he had no idea how to operate it.
His Identity Bracelet showed a video call request. When he checked, it was from his father, Hans.
"Father, I'm sorry to have worried you!" David said helplessly to Hans, who was driving in the video.
"I'll be there soon. Pack your things and come stay with me!" Hans looked haggard as he spoke in a low voice.
"Father, I'm not leaving home!" David blurted out without even thinking. It was an obsession his predecessor had left behind in his memories.
David had already improved his relationship with Hans, but that hadn't triggered the obsession. Being told to leave home and live with his father and stepmother, however, had brought it to the surface.
Hearing the resolve in David's voice, Hans fell silent for a moment.
"I'm here!" he said after a pause, then ended the call.
David opened the gate and saw Hans stepping out of a Hover Car.
"David, you can stay if you want. I've already contacted a repair crew, and they're on their way. They'll fix the house!" Hans said as soon as he saw him.
He respected the child who had finally accepted him again. He had also used his connections to strengthen security in the area. Unless someone openly launched a direct attack, there wouldn't be another break-in like today's.
After that, David hardly had to worry about anything. Hans directed the repair crew as they fixed the damaged parts of the house one by one.
They even restarted Smart Butler Emma, whose systems had been forcibly shut down. The home's Security System, however, would have to be dealt with by the security company.
"David, get some rest. Don't worry about the Security System. Tomorrow, I'll send them a notice in the name of the Department of Justice. They'll install the best system for you." Hans was still concerned, and reminded him before leaving.
David returned to the living room. He was once again alone in the house, but a warm smile spread across his face. It felt good to have someone who cared about him.
In the basement of a house, four members of the Sirius Mercenary Group sat together.
"Crock, Ed, Fisher, are you really telling me you found nothing?" Captain Froman looked at the position of the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device displayed on his Identity Bracelet and asked, puzzled.
It was no wonder he was baffled. Anyone would be confused after losing important personnel during an operation, coming away empty-handed, and then discovering the target was still there.
"Captain, I can say with certainty that we found nothing," Crock replied gravely with a nod.
"Do we stay here, or leave Panshi Planet and abandon the operation?" Captain Froman trusted Crock. The machine-like Crock was one of the people he trusted most in the mercenary group. He asked again.
"Captain, whether we continue the operation or leave, we can't do anything for the time being," Ed reminded him.
After losing the Electronic Warfare Specialist, Edna, Ed had taken over her intelligence-gathering duties. He wasn't as skilled as Edna, but he could handle simple tasks.
He had bought the latest intelligence from an information broker. Their operation had stirred up the whole of Peilan City, and even all of Panshi Planet.
Even Abbott's crash in a personal flying pod, which had killed nearly a hundred people, hadn't caused as much of a stir. Abbott's actions could still be considered an accident, but this time their attack had been deliberate.
Most importantly, their target had been the child of someone with the title of National Scholar. That had triggered a chain reaction.
There were as many as ten Interceptor Drones circling above Peilan City alone. Anyone who dared to fly without authorization during this period would face a fatal crash.
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