Chapter 26
Chapter 26
There Were Too Many Thieves in the World
***
***
Mars Defense Force.
Among them, the 11th Border Battalion under the Space Operations Command was one of the units responsible for Mars’s safety, and it was currently stationed at the Fourth Space Station to carry out a rotational deployment mission.
Aside from the regular patrols, it could have been called a cushy post, but not recently. As if to make up for the long period of calm, a major incident had broken out.
Following a sergeant into the hangar, Jin Geon was able to see a half-destroyed vessel.
The E—401 space passenger ship that had departed from Dome No.3 Space Airport.
“Then I’ll wait here, so please call me once you’re finished with your business.”
“Understood.”
Since their jurisdictions were different, it would have been an unreasonable request for Jin Geon, who belonged to the municipal government, to intervene midway, but he had already spoken with the battalion commander.
Entering the interior together with the agents, Jin Geon headed straight for the engine room.
Fortunately, the crime scene had been fully preserved.
The destroyed Tokamak, and the suspect who had caused this devastation.
“Giness, a fanatic.”
Unlike the others, he was a cyborg. Perhaps because of the explosion, it was difficult to discern his original form.
Even so, there was no doubt that data could be extracted.
“Proceed with the investigation.”
“Yes.”
One of the agents inserted an adapter into Giness’s head.
Leaning his back against the wall, Jin Geon silently watched the scene.
The Emergency Disaster Response Unit had many talented individuals. All of them were experts who displayed indescribable capabilities within their respective fields.
As expected, it did not take long for the results to come out.
“There were no external factors, yet part of the brain cells have deteriorated. We believe they possess properties similar to semiconductors.”
A being born human, yet one who had come to understand the mind of machines. This was clearly an undeniable trace of a supernatural ability.
“An infected individual?”
It was as he had anticipated. Despite replacing his entire body with prosthetics, he had continued to operate without any rejection response.
Blindly, and vigorously.
His behavioral pattern was no different from that of an android with only a single command input.
“This isn’t a good sign.”
The infected had formed a group and attacked a space passenger ship. And it had been to steal the ion drive. There was no way it was a coincidence.
Even so, the Mars Defense Force had responded negligently.
He could tell from the fact that they had covered it up without a word despite an incident of this magnitude. It likely meant they intended to exclude anything that might hinder promotions.
Thinking about it, the claim that a Space security officer had sacrificed himself to stop it was also suspicious. It was nowhere near a scale that would warrant that.
“Team leader?”
At the voice calling him, Jin Geon came back from his thoughts and nodded.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“It seems we’ve gathered all the necessary information. What should we do next? Do you have any additional instructions?”
“No. We will deliver the investigation results as they are and then head down to Mars. It is not under our jurisdiction anyway. The rest will be handled by the follow-up team.”
Just as he said.
The main mission of Team 3, which Jin Geon commanded, was not this. Rather, it was the opposite. This had merely been a stop made while pursuing a man.
Yes, what mattered was—
‘Yang Hu.’
Dealing with him.
It had already been confirmed that Yang Hu had lived in Dome No.3 under the identity of a man called Shin for twenty years. And that he had killed the Hoover father and son of New Delbuyer before disappearing.
They had thoroughly searched inside the dome, but gained nothing.
Turning their attention outward was the natural next step.
The thought that he might have headed for Mars was inevitable.
Of course, contrary to expectations, he could have been hiding within Dome No.3, or he might have fled to another dome.
But the opponent was Yang Hu.
Would he have staked everything on the same method again, even knowing he was being chased?
No, that was impossible.
Jin Geon, who had followed Yang Hu’s trail all along, could be certain of that.
In an instant, a list appeared over his retinas.
From that time until now, a total of 586 space passenger ships had departed from Dome No.3. An estimated 24,667 people. Anyone could be Yang Hu, and at the same time, anyone could not be.
The amount to investigate was vast, but precisely because of that, he could be confident.
This time, he would finally be able to put a decisive period on it.
At the spot where Jin Geon stepped away and vanished, skid marks resembling scorch marks appeared and then faded.
***
Terraforming.
Adjusting a planet so that the human species could live was not something as easy as it sounded. Even if one possessed the necessary technology and resolve, it was not an issue that could be resolved all at once.
Second was no different.
The year they personally set foot on Mars at humanity’s request was 2159, immediately after their visit to Earth.
However, terraforming was not actually completed until 2200.
It was a span of time that leaped over an entire generation, but humanity had not simply waited idly. They had developed the foundational technologies required to settle on Mars.
Perhaps because there was a clear goal, the technological growth that occurred during that period was truly explosive.
And so, in 2201.
Humanity was finally able to advance into Mars. To commemorate this monumental day, they designated an era name called ‘Pioneering Power.’
By the present day, domes, autonomous districts of different forms, and even colonies had been established.
There were currently a total of five colonies representing Mars. Seed Colony, where Ga-on had arrived, was one of them. Moreover, it boasted the largest size among the existing colonies.
Wide roads and rows of street trees.
Skyscrapers spread out like a spider’s web.
And even the ivory-toned streets that felt cozy just by looking at them.
It was developed to the point that it was hard to believe this place had been barren land just 200 years ago.
Moreover, a blue sky that could not be seen inside the domes stretched beyond the horizon.
If there was anything unusual, it was that outside the colony was red soil. This was proof that human footsteps had still not reached there.
It was easy to forget because of the familiar scenery, but this was a planet different from Earth. Whether one liked it or not, it was impossible not to realize that.
It was something that distorted time itself had taught.
Earth and Mars had similar rotation periods, but they were not completely identical.
Even at this very moment, a time difference occurred.
Because of that, a day on Earth and a day on Mars were not the same.
To distinguish this, Mars referred to a day not as a day, but as a ‘Sol.’
Naturally, even the calendar year was entirely different.
Mars’s orbital period was roughly two years.
It was twice that of Earth.
What that meant was that the four seasons were also about twice as long.
On Earth, it was August 1, 2321. It was the height of summer, but on Mars, it was Pioneering Power Year 65, 12 Sol of February.
“Achoo.”
—It was winter.
***
Unarmed.
Without capital.
Without connections.
If one were to describe Ga-on’s current situation, it was nothing but miserable. He was no different from a stranger who had fallen straight out of the sky. Still, that was only for a day or two. After living nearly 300 years, one inevitably picked up some tricks, whether one liked it or not.
After parting ways with the girl, he headed straight for a capsule hotel.
A place where food, clothing, and shelter were provided.
Since parasites who had failed to secure a home mainly lived there, it was barely enough space to lie down, but from Ga-on’s perspective, who had to save every single Pia, there was no better place.
In fact, he had planned to get a studio apartment, even if it was small. He had obtained a device and would receive a basic income every month.
The subsidy given to a single-person household was 2.15 million Pia as of this year. As long as one did not indulge in luxury, it was enough to make a living without working.
However, when Ga-on checked his balance, he could not help but spit out a curse.
[155,000 Pia]
That was the entirety of his assets.
The basic income system was unified based on Earth time and was currently in effect. Coincidentally, today was even the very day the payment was deposited.
And yet it did not even exceed 2.15 million Pia.
What on earth had happened.
As Ga-on looked through his usage history to see what was going on, he was able to find a suspicious reason in the payment list.
‘Automatic transfer?’
Every month, 2.15 million Pia, meaning every time the basic income came in, it was being sent somewhere.
[RYS Company]
It was a company he had never heard of or seen before. Even when he searched for it, nothing came up. As if someone had blocked it.
It seemed to be connected to the previous owner of the device, in other words, the real Baek Ga-on. Thinking about it, he might have had acquaintances or relatives as well. If luck was bad, they might even run into each other on the street.
But—
‘There’s no way they’d distribute something like that.’
Either way, there was no choice but to cancel it for now. Even if he wanted to recover the money that had been siphoned off, the other party was a ghost company.
It was probably the same group that had sold the device.
It was regrettable, but Ga-on was in no position to stand on moral high ground either. They had likely set up the automatic transfer precisely to exploit that point.
Their determination to suck him dry down to the last drop was almost admirable.
“There are just too many thieves in the world.”
Shaking his head, Ga-on stood up from his seat.
He had planned to return to being a fixer only after enjoying a leisurely daily life for a while, but schedules were always bound to change.
Fortunately, this time he did not need to rush around looking for a broker.
He was already set to receive a request from a user he had worked with for a long time in Lost Saga, ParadiseMaker.
***
The outskirts of Seed Colony, District 43.
Unlike the domes, the outer areas seemed to be a symbol of wealth. The direction the address pointed to was thick with the smell of money.
It felt unusual from the moment he entered. Not only had the appearance of the patrol drones changed, but the distance between each mansion gradually widened.
It looked as though they had purchased the value called leisure. The bustling district he had passed through earlier now seemed like a noisy countryside in comparison.
On top of that, the proportion of androids moving through the streets increased sharply. It was not that he could distinguish them because of any special ability.
It was simply that their vividly glowing primary-colored hair caught his eye.
This was a characteristic given to androids under the Artificial Intelligence Restriction Act. External elements had been added so they would not be confused with humans.
By coincidence, it seemed that one android shared the same route, and they ended up walking side by side for a while.
Along a wall overgrown with vines.
Continuing on, straight ahead.
That was when a voice came from right beside him.
“Surely you’re not following me?”
“No.”
“I’m only saying this just in case, but my workplace is nearby. It also happens to be around the time patrol drones pass through.”
“So you’re saying you’re a law-abiding citizen.”
“I am an android capable of reporting to the Public Enforcement Corps.”
It truly was just a coincidence, but perhaps she found it hard to believe, as the android deliberately issued a warning.
He wondered what kind of place had trained her like that, but after seeing where she stopped, he naturally nodded in understanding. From the front gate alone, it boasted a presence distinct from the other mansions.
By chance, it even matched the destination he was heading for.
He tried to enter naturally by following her, but the moment he approached, two men came over from the other side and stopped him.
And they were armed.
“This is private property. If you have no business here, please leave.”
“Dobby Howard is inside, right? I came to see that guy.”
He revealed the real name of ParadiseMaker, which he had learned not long ago, but the man did not budge.
He wondered if he had mistaken the address, but since they did not deny it, it seemed he had come to the right place.
“What is your relationship with him?”
“Friends.”
Of course, that came with the condition that it was online.