Chapter 16
Chapter 16
So Ironic
* * *
* * *
The commotion from the night before continued into the next day.
The two men considered the leading figures of New Delbuyer had died—together, at that.
And by someone else's hand.
Several strong suspects emerged, but the Public Enforcement Corps was in disarray. With the tiger gone from the mountain, jackals had leapt out, baring their teeth at one another and claiming the other was the culprit.
That didn’t mean there was a bloodline strong enough to take the reins.
Perhaps the remaining heirs thought this was their moment; they were running wild, showing no signs of stopping.
New Delbuyer was steadily fracturing. Attempts to split the corporation had already begun. Soon enough, it would shrink to the point where it could no longer be called a megacorp.
For the time being, no threatening offensives were likely. Perhaps the truth would never be known.
But Shin didn’t lower his guard. No matter how well someone covered their tracks, traces always remained—especially in the places no one considered.
And so—
‘Is it time to abandon the identity of Shin?’
The revenge was over. The fundamental problem still remained, but for now, there was no clear solution. All he could do was keep it etched in his memory and wait for the right moment to act.
Since he wouldn’t die, the opportunity would come eventually—that much was certain.
Suddenly, he caught sight of his own reflection in the mirror.
A face altered with the flow of time. He could barely remember what he originally looked like. But there was no need to force the memory. He simply had to regenerate the bones and flesh that had been carved away.
The forgotten, bloated past rose to the surface.
As the incompletely healed wounds regenerated, their original shape began to return.
Not Shin, not Yang Hu, but the original form.
After struggling through waves of intense pain, Shin let out a sigh as the agony gradually subsided.
The face in the mirror felt unfamiliar—and yet somehow familiar.
Maybe because it had been so long—
“Did I get more handsome?”
Muttering the idle thought, Shin stepped outside.
* * *
The columbarium on the outskirts of Dome No.3 was bustling with visitors from early morning. Following the flow of people, Shin entered and made his way to the niche he had previously investigated.
On the first floor, tucked in a corner.
Lowering his gaze from top to bottom, Shin found the name he had been looking for near the center.
[Late Thomas Russell]
Inside the pearl-like urn would be the ashes—the proof that a man named Thomas had lived a fierce life.
“So ironic.”
In the end, the ones who should have lived died, and those who should have died lived. Unintended, but it always turned out that way.
Shin placed a pair of white lilies in front of the urn and blinked slowly. Someone had already been here—bright, beautiful flowers filled the space.
He wasn’t the only one mourning Thomas’s death. That realization offered him a moment of solace. Shin spoke again.
“I’ve repaid what I owed. It’s a shame I didn’t get to receive the gift you prepared. Well, maybe even saying this much is shameless of me.”
As Shin let out a faint chuckle, a deep, weighty voice echoed in his ear.
“So we had a guest.”
Neatly parted hair slicked back. Thick-rimmed glasses.
At a glance, he gave the impression of someone highly educated.
But more than that, what caught Shin’s attention was the man’s middle-aged appearance. It was enough to remind him of someone in their younger days.
“Thomas?”
“So you did know my father.”
Thomas’s son.
Xenon Russell.
If the timeline was right, he would be forty now.
They had only met a few times when he was a child, so it wasn’t strange that Shin hadn’t recognized him right away.
“It’s been a while. I didn’t recognize you. You used to look a lot like Thomas, but now the whole atmosphere is different.”
When a supposed stranger approached him with familiarity, Xenon tilted his head in confusion.
“Yang Hu.”
Only after hearing the name did Xenon widen his eyes and whisper quietly.
“Then, you’re the...?”
“Yes.”
“I always knew we’d meet someday, but I didn’t expect it to be like this. Still, thank you. Judging by the timing, it seems you came running as soon as you heard about my father.”
“Oh, so that’s what you think happened.”
Officially, Thomas had died in an electrical fire caused by faulty wiring in an old building. But that accident had been no act of nature—it had been man-made.
Should he keep the truth hidden, or tell him honestly?
There was no need to hesitate.
Xenon deserved to hear it.
“The truth is different. Part of the reason Thomas died… was because of me.”
“What do you mean?”
Where should he even begin?
The weight of it was overwhelming, but Shin decided to start from the very beginning.
* * *
Even after hearing the full story, Xenon remained composed. The most he showed was a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips. On the contrary, he even led Shin to his workplace.
“Don’t worry, come on in. We’re closed today anyway.”
“Thomas told me you’d become the personal physician of some wealthy figure.”
Maybe that explained it.
Though it was a private clinic, it was quite large. Security was tight, and state-of-the-art equipment stood ready at all times.
“By chance, I got to know the chairman of ‘Omega.’ Of course, I don’t treat him directly—I've become the personal physician for his granddaughter.”
Now Shin understood why the ones who had killed Thomas had spared Xenon.
‘Omega.’
One of the top-ranking megacorps in Dome No.3. Its main domain was all things electronic. A true titan—on a scale that New Delbuyer couldn’t even dream of challenging.
With protection from a group like that, even New Delbuyer would have thought twice before laying a hand on him.
“So why did you bring me here? I mean, your success is certainly something to be congratulated, but having me visit this place isn’t going to do you any favors.”
“I’ll explain that in just a moment.”
As if urging him to follow, Xenon walked on without hesitation. The place he stopped at was a storage room restricted to authorized personnel only.
The moment they stepped inside, a chilly air sank into Shin’s skin.
“This is what I wanted to show you.”
Inside a sealed container sat a flat, round device that looked almost like a button.
Shin recognized it immediately.
An intelligent terminal powered by bioelectricity from the nervous system—commonly called a device.
And the gift Thomas had wanted so badly to give him—
“You were the one holding onto it.”
Considering that his son was a competent doctor, Thomas couldn’t have picked a better caretaker.
“How did you even get your hands on this?”
“I got it from Mars.”
Mars.
Still under development, the place was an outlier in many ways—for better or worse.
You could call it a blind spot in the system.
It was certainly more unstable than Earth, which was thoroughly managed in every aspect. If you were looking for a device, there was no place more ideal.
As Shin processed this, his breath caught in his throat.
“Don’t tell me… that family trip to Mars was just a cover?”
“Yes, it was a front.”
He let out a breathless sigh, not even a real laugh. It was because he could feel just how determined Thomas had been to repay the favor—no matter what.
“That idiot.”
Status, titles—none of that meant anything to Shin. They were just shells to be swapped out when the time came.
But he couldn’t take his eyes off the device. It was no exaggeration to call it Thomas’s final legacy.
“Let’s step out. I’ll begin the procedure.”
Shin couldn’t help but ask, noticing Xenon’s consistently composed demeanor.
“You don’t resent me?”
“My father told me. That you saved his life when he was young. If that’s true, then you’re my benefactor too.”
Adjusting his glasses, Xenon looked directly at Shin.
“And this isn’t for you, Yang Hu. If my father were still alive, he would’ve wanted this more than anyone. I’m just fulfilling the wish of my late father.”
For some reason, Xenon’s voice, with his back turned, sounded mournful.
But Shin couldn’t bring himself to say anything in response.
* * *
The procedure that followed was a success.
Xenon himself was a fully accomplished physician, and Shin’s body, incapable of dying, made failure virtually impossible.
“Recovery will take about a week. There’s no major wound, but it takes time for the device to synchronize with your nervous system. Until then, avoid any strenuous activity.”
“No, it’s fine.”
As Shin peeled the patch off his neck, Xenon gasped and tried to stop him—but—
“There’s no scar?”
Even if the procedure was low-risk, something foreign had still been implanted. It was only natural that there’d be side effects.
“What happened?”
“That’s just how my body is.”
Hard to argue with someone who said it about themselves.
As if giving up, Xenon shook his head, and Shin asked,
“Anything I need to be aware of?”
“I’ve already accessed the database and changed your face, iris, fingerprints, and voiceprint—all to match Yang Hu.”
“What about my age?”
“It’s listed as 22 for now.”
“Sounds about right.”
“And I set your entry into Dome No.3 as last month. Purpose of visit: backpacking trip.”
Given that his father had been an extraordinary diver, Xenon had picked up quite a bit just by watching. Same with replacing the data linked to a device. Besides, the groundwork had already been laid by Thomas. All Xenon had done was input some plausible records.
However—
“I couldn’t change the genetic data. No matter how rough things are on Mars, that kind of information is handled separately by the Seed Colonies.”
“I didn’t expect you to. A device isn’t something anyone else can use anyway.”
“The genetic data is synced to the embedded device.”
Shin had spent many years as a fixer. He knew exactly what Xenon was getting at.
“So I just need to make sure I’m not around when any tests happen?”
“Yes. If they run a comparison analysis, they’ll know you’re someone else.”
“But as long as I don’t commit a crime, it’s not a problem.”
On Earth, he was a seasoned fixer, worn and weathered—but on Mars, he was as clean as a newborn. A blank slate. It was virtually impossible for anyone to trace him.
“Anyway, thanks. This should make everything go smoothly.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Rising from his seat, Shin picked up a notebook lying nearby and scribbled down a name.
“Here.”
“What’s this?”
[TheGodofNewWorlds #0001]
A cryptic nickname. No, actually—Xenon had a pretty good idea. It followed the typical format used in games.
“You don’t know ‘Lost Saga’?”
“I do.”
Lost Saga—a global mega-hit game.
Even as a doctor, there was no way Xenon wouldn’t know of it.
It was so famous that even someone like Xenon, who had dedicated his life to medicine, couldn’t help but feel its influence indirectly.
The kicker? The developer wasn’t based on Earth—but on Mars.
“If you ever want to send me a request, message me there. I’ll solve problems the law can’t. Even if it means killing the head of a megacorp.”
Shin locked eyes with Xenon and stated clearly,
“For you, I’ll do it for free—just once.”
At that moment, Xenon felt the full weight of what that meant. All the chaos outside had been caused by the man standing before him.
A giant he would never have met if not for the connection through Thomas.
Facing him, Xenon nodded.
“Understood.”