Sword Art Online - Volume 5 - Phantom Bullet

by Reki Kawahara

  “You can think of it that way. After all, words like ‘justice’ and ‘strength’ were also spoken by a player with the same character name as from the previous case.”

  “…What kind of…?”

  Kikuoka checked his tablet, and frowned.

  “«Death Pistol»… That and «Death Gun»”

  “A Death… Gun…”

  - In other words, «Death Gun»?

  I placed my spoon on the now empty plate, as I repeated that name to myself over and over in my thoughts. Such a character name, no matter how much it was intended as a joke, really did give off a certain impression of the character. Death Gun, the impression that name evoked was of black metallic coldness.

  “…You’re sure that Zekushiido and Usujio Tarako both died of heart failure, right?”

  “If I said yes?”

  “And… No brain damage?”

  Upon hearing that, Kikuoka caught my drift and grinned.

  “That bothered me too. And I confronted the forensics team about it, but they couldn’t find any abnormalities like cerebral hemorrhages or cerebral arterial occlusions.”

  “…”

  “Also, with NERvGear… Ah, are you fine, discussing this?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “…With NERvGear, when it kills a user, its signal sensors turn into a high powered microwave which destroys a part of the brain, but AmuSpheres are not made to emit such high powered electromagnetic waves. ‘Such a machine can only transmit auditory and visual types to the 5 senses with very low and mild signals’, is what the developers had claimed.”

  “So you have already talked to the makers… you did your homework for this meeting, huh, Kikuoka-san? Is it an accident that you manage to do your job just by looking through passing rumors?”

  As I stared through the lens of his glasses at his narrowed eyes, Kikuoka erased that expression in a second, and immediately, his lips widened into a smile.

  “I get flown everywhere; so actually, I’m quite free on a daily basis.”

  “Then, next time why don’t you help the front-line clearers of Aincrad. Sir Eugene praised you for being a good mage, you know.”

  Actually, I had never once thought this man to be the joke of an officer that his appearance and demeanor portrayed. He created a character in ALO not because he had an interest in the game, but most likely for the sake of easily collecting intelligence on the VR world. Although the business card I had previously received placed him under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Technology, there was definitely something suspicious going on here. That his real unit was a part of the Department of National Security was something that I had already considered.

  But leaving that aside, it seemed that the «Virtual Division» during the «SAO Case Victims Rescue Force» period, had only managed to accommodate all the players into hospitals due to his efforts. Therefore, with that and the favor regarding Asuna’s location, I am dealing with him at a ratio of 60% gratitude to 40% suspicion.

  So whether he knew my inner thoughts or not, Kikuoka just scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed smile.

  “You’re too kind; I can memorize the spell words, but am not good at chanting them. I have been really bad at tongue twisters since a long time ago. …Anyway, well, regarding this case, I think the chances are over 90% that it is either a coincidence or a hoax. That’s why, we need to disprove it. - Kirito-kun, you think it’s possible? Is it possible for a person shot in-game, to consequently suffer an episode of heart failure in reality?”

  Kikuoka’s proposal conjured up an image in my head, causing me to frown.

  Dressed completely in black… A faceless gunman peered into the void and pulled the trigger. A black phantasm bullet was shot forth piercing through the virtual wall; the packet invaded the network world. From router to router, server to server, making various right-angled turns, the bullet charged onward. Eventually, it would reach a certain apartment unit, materialize outside the LAN connector mounted on the wall, and hit a man’s heart while he was laying down…

  Shaking my head to clear that disturbing image, I raised a finger.

  “I do think it’s impossible, but… Just assuming, that… «Death Gun» is our gunman, and he somehow managed to send some signals to the AmuSpheres of «Zekushiido» and «Usujio Tarako»…”

  “Oh, let’s start from there. Is it even possible to do something like that?”

  “Yea… If what was sent was not some deadly mysterious force, but normal sense signals… You still remember the «Imaginator Virus» that caused a commotion from a while back?”

  “Aah, that surprise mail incident, right?”

  Imaginator, that was a piece of software developed by someone for the AmuSphere. That piece of software generated a virtual space for diving, where you face the camera and whisper a message, and then compress it into a mail format. The receiver can then replay the file, which would reproduce the sender’s virtual body and the spoken message, that kind thing. Since you could convey videos, audios and even sense of touch, it became very popular.

  Eventually though, a security loophole was found, and there was a virus infected mail that would accompany the original message, which caused a major disturbance. If you tried to dive with that mail in your inbox, it would force open a preview, and before your eyes in surround sound and color, something shocking - usually erotic or gross, one or the other - would start to play.

  Of course, eventually a patch file was uploaded, and the incident was solved, but…

  “- Most AmuSphere users should have installed «Imagine» by now. But if there were unknown security holes, and the victim’s e-mail or IP address were known…”

  “…I see, setup a sending timer ahead, then send the signal at the same time as the gun shot - something like that is possible.”

  Kikuoka weaved his fingers together, and nodded as he rested his chin on top of them.

  “Then that part is cleared. - But it wasn’t a cursed fatal bullet that was sent. Ultimately it’s normal senses stimulation.”

  “In other words, enough feeling to stop a heart… Probably things like taste, smell… light and sound…Right? Let’s talk about them one by one. First sense of touch, feeling on the skin.”

  I paused with the speech, and pressed my right thumb into my left palm. Earlier, what I had eaten was not chocolate cake as I had thought, but ice cream, I remembered I was shocked then.

  “…What would happen, if you sent the full body to the limits of its cold tolerance? Like if you jumped into a bath full of ice water. Could that stop a heart?”

  “Aah… Jumping into ice water could stop the heart, as the difference in temperatures would cause shock to the body, and body’s blood vessels would contract, which would over-stress the heart… It couldn’t be that.”

  “- Then, I guess we can’t go down this line. Even if the brain feels the cold, the capillaries of the other body parts won’t feel a thing…”

  “Then, how about this?”

  This time, Kikuoka rubbed his hands together while speaking. It probably was a mistake on my part, but Kikuoka seemed to smile heartlessly.

  “Super small insects… Smaller than a beetle, somewhere in the long worms category. Something like a caterpillar or centipede, the feeling of being dropped into a hole filled with those. Of course, it’d be accompanied by video. Urgh, just imagining it gives me goose bumps. “

  “…”

  With no other alternative, I too tried to imagine it.

  While taking a leisurely stroll through a field, the earth suddenly collapses beneath my feet, and I plummet through the earth collapsing into a deep pit. A thin, long, creature slithers nearby, circling my body until it crawls up near my wrist towards my collar, and finally makes its way underneath my clothes…

  “…Seriously, I’ve got goose bumps.”

  I rubbed my hands together, and shook my head.

  “But that degree of a shock, even that «Imagine Virus» coul
d do it. All of a sudden a huge caterpillar or an echizen jellyfish falls from above your head. But there weren’t any fellows who had their hearts stopped… I think. In the first place, the moment you enter a VRMMO, you’re unconsciously prepared for unexpected situations. In some fields, a boss monster can suddenly pop out right beside you and if your heart stopped every time, it wouldn’t make for much of a game.”

  “You have a point.”

  Kikuoka shrugged, picking up the cup and turning it slightly.

  “…So, the next sense to be considered should be taste and smell. But how would that work? If someone suddenly tasted or smelled something disturbing… like the taste of kiviak reproduced. That person might vomit. That kind of vomiting reaction might affect the body as well…”

  “If that’s the case, it’s not exactly stopping the heart. But could the vomit material stop breathing? Also, what is a kiviak anyway?”

  At that moment, seeing the excitement flashing in Kikuoka’s eyes, I regretted asking. This man liked to talk about bad tasting things. Though obviously an elite, he did not have a girlfriend and this could be considered one of the reasons responsible.

  “Oh, you don’t know? Kiviak is an Eskimo food. At the beginning of summer season, they will catch small migrating sea birds called Appaliarsuk and stuff them into a seal skin bag with the meat taken out. Then the entire bundle is placed in a cold, dark corner for a few months, until the seal fat permeates the birds and they ferment nicely, or more specifically, become rotten. At that time, they take out the birds like melted chocolate, the internal organs taste like that kind of food. The stink is supposed to be worse than Surströmming, but once you acquire the taste, you just can’t have enough…”

  Clank! I glanced toward that loud sound and saw the ladies near us covering their mouths in disgust and they were leaving their table with due haste. Once again, I sighed deeply, and then interrupted Kikuoka.

  “If you have a chance to visit Greenland, then please try it. Also, you don’t have to explain that Surs whatever.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Don’t be regretful. - And no matter what, eating disgusting things won’t stop the heart. Let’s go for the next… Video huh…”

  The rich aroma of coffee erased Kikuoka’s foul words and I continued speaking.

  “Similar to the insect example from before, just a significant video probably can’t stop a heart no matter how fearsome or cruel the images are. Basically, it might cause great trauma, I think, but it would be really difficult to investigate.”

  “Hmm. - you said significant right?”

  “Yeah. …for example, and this was long before I was born so I don’t exactly know the details, but many children who watched a certain TV anime collapsed at the same time all over the country with symptoms of epilepsy.”

  “- That event. I was in kindergarten then and I saw it in real time.”

  Kikuoka said with a nostalgic feeling.

  “I think it was the continuous flashing of red and blue lights in the show that caused it.”

  “It is probably that. If the same intense flashing lights video was sent, people would normally shut their eyes in reaction. That isn’t possible if it was sent directly into the brain and some kind of shock happening is not entirely inconceivable.”

  “Yes, indeed so.”

  Kikuoka nodded his head, but then shook his head and continued.

  “-But then, that question was debated on when AmuSphere was developed. The result was a safety device in the form of a limiter setting. Video images with more than a certain level of vibration amplitude are not shown by the AmuSphere.”

  “- Hey you.”

  This time I shot Kikuoka a 100% suspicious look and said.

  “It seems you have already investigated all the possibilities, right? If you had already picked the brains of the ministry elites, then you don’t need me now to debate about this. What are you really trying to do?”

  “No no, that’s not it. Kirito-kun’s way of thinking is really stimulating, it was a huge reference and I also like speaking with you.”

  “But I do not like to speak with you, and as for sound perception, that should also have a limiter. Therefore, in conclusion - influencing the human heart inside a game is impossible. «Death Gun»-shi’s shootings and the two men’s heart attack are completely coincidental. Good bye, I’m going back and thank you for your hospitality.”

  I have a hunch that if this topic continues, it will certainly not result in anything pleasant. So I hurriedly said my thanks and stood up.

  However, Kikuoka frantically called to stop me.

  “Waaaa- wait, wait. From here on is the real main topic. You can order another cake; just stay with me a little longer please.”

  “…”

  “Well, I am relieved that Kirito-kun reached that conclusion. I also thought the same thing that these two deaths were not from being shot from inside a game. Saying this however, I do need a favor -“

  Here it comes, I frowned while thinking, and continued to listen.

  “Can you log into Gun Gale Online, and contact this «Death Gun» guy?”

  He then smiled at me.

  To this bureaucrat’s innocent smiling face, I used my coldest voice.

  “Contact him? Why not just be open about it, Kikuoka-san. Go get shot, you mean, by this «Death Gun».”

  “No, well, ahahaha.”

  “No way! If something actually happens, what should I do? You go get shot and have your heart stopped!”

  I stood up once again but Kikuoka grabbed onto my sleeve.

  “Earlier, we both agreed that this can’t be real. Also, this «Death Gun»-shi has a very strict requirement for his targets.”

  “…Requirement?”

  I asked him and I could not help but sit down again.

  “Yes. The two people, «Zekushiido» and «Usujio Tarako», which «Death Gun» shot, were both famous top players. That is, if they are not strong, they won’t be shot, probably. For me, even years won’t get me that strong. However, for you who even Kayaba-shi acknowledged as the strongest…”

  “It’s impossible for me too! GGO is not that easy of a game and «Pros» are in it.”

  “That er, what does «Pro» mean? You said it earlier as well.”

  Recognizing that I am being sucked into Kikuoka’s pace after all, I explained reluctantly.

  “…It literally means people who make their income from the game. Gun Gale Online is the only game in all of VRMMO that has a «game coin to real money conversion system».”

  “…Really?”

  Even for someone like agent Kikuoka, he still didn’t know all of the game details as his question seemed to actually be genuine this time.

  “That is, simply, the money earned inside the game can be converted into real money to be returned to you. In truth, it’s not the Japanese yen, but electronic currency. But because there’s nothing that couldn’t be bought with it now it’s the same thing essentially.”

  “…But can a VRMMO stay in business by doing that? Company operators and staff are not exactly volunteers right?”

  “Of course, it doesn’t mean that all the players can make money. It’s the same with pachinko machines and horse races. The monthly fee, if I remember correctly, is 3000 yen and for a VRMMO, this is quite an expensive one. But, the amount that an average player gets on a monthly turn is at best, a tenth of that… in the area of a few hundred yen supposedly. However, perhaps you can say that their gambling nature is high… and on rare occasions, some guy will come out with a bang and find a precious rare item. After disposing of it through of in-game auctions, if they exchange the electronic money from the sale it can amount to anywhere between tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yen. If you heard about a story like that you will probably get the feeling that ‘some day it will happen to me too…’ Inside that game is like being inside a huge casino.”

  “Hmmm, I see…”

  “So, a «Pro» is someone who
earns money constantly every month. Top players get around 200,000 to 300,000 yen per month supposedly. If you compare that amount with real-world standards it might not seem like such a big deal… but, without luxuries, it’s enough to live on. In other words, what it comes down to is that these people are making their income from the monthly fees paid by the players in the volume zone. That’s what I meant by what I said earlier, about the top players in GGO being envied more than in other games. It’s similar to a government official eating stupidly expensive cakes with taxpayer’s money.”

  “Fufufu, as usual Kirito-kun says things in such a harsh way. I like that part of you.”

  Without taking notice of Kikuoka’s words of feigned ignorance, I interrupted him.

  “- For those reasons, the time spent and enthusiasm of GGO’s high level crowd can’t be compared to other MMO players. I, without any intricate knowledge of the details of game mechanics, cannot go in blindly and compete with these people. In the first place, as the name implies, it’s a game where gunfights are the main form of combat… I’m not good with projectile weapons. My condolences but you’ll have to pick someone else to do your bidding.”

  “Wait wait, there’s really no one else I can rely on. For me, you’re the only one because you’re the only VRMMO player that I can get into contact with in reality. Besides… if you’re saying that professional opponents are a heavy burden and that they get their salary from this game, then it’s fine if you treat this as a job as well.”

  “…What?”

  “Paid compensation for collaborative investigation. It may… not be the same mount that top players in GGO earn monthly, it is only this much.”

  Seeing Kikuoka’s gesture of raising 3 fingers -

  Frankly, I shuddered. If you had that much, the latest 24-core grade CPU in a new machine could be paid for with spare change left over. However, once again, renewed suspicion arose.

  “…Don’t lead me on, Kikuoka-san. Why does this matter have to be obsessed over this much? This is almost certainly a retrofitted rumor, occult talk that’s common to occur on the net, I believe. The two people that got a heart attack, who hadn’t shown their figures in game because of it, that kind of fabled story being concocted.”