Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Even Next Time As Well
***
***
After Ga-on disappeared together with Sakuya, Irai, who had been staring for a moment at the footprints they had left behind on the snow, turned her head toward Jin Geon.
“As you said, Team Leader, he’s an unpredictable individual.”
“What do you think?”
“I estimated the probability of him being Yang Hu at nearly thirty percent, but I believe it would be fine to lower it to twenty percent.”
“May I hear your reason?”
“Judging from Yang Hu’s behavior thus far, there is a high probability that he was unaware of the information regarding the infected.”
“That would make sense.”
Unlike Mars, Earth was under perfect control by the municipal government. The unique environment of the Dome made that possible.
“If it truly were Yang Hu, he wouldn’t have called us. From his perspective, it would mean he had unexpectedly encountered one of his own kind.”
“So instead of notifying us like this, he would have investigated separately? That’s a reasonable point. But……”
As usual, Jin Geon narrowed his eyes and stared at Irai.
“We can’t rule out the possibility that he realized it after coming to Mars, can we?”
“I understand the concern you’re raising, Team Leader, but at that point it enters the realm of miracles. It’s true we must consider every possible scenario, but if we begin assuming even things that cannot realistically happen, there will be no end to it.”
“You’re right. It’s needless worry.”
Wasn’t there something more important than uncertain risks right in front of us?
Jin Geon pulled open the boy’s gas mask and recalled Ga-on’s testimony.
“He said the boy emitted cold air. It must be either cryokinesis or frizokinesis. In your opinion, Irai, what stage would you say he is?”
“I believe he’s close to Stage 2.”
Even among the infected, not all displayed equal performance. Depending on the progression of the infection, the differences could be vast.
If Stage 1 meant barely managing to grasp one’s own ability, then Stage 2 was the level at which one could freely use it in daily life.
“Isn’t there a possibility that he’s Stage 3?”
“Stage 3?”
It was the phase in which one honed their innate trait to the extreme, transforming into a human weapon.
The scene was a blind spot without CCTV, making it difficult to obtain precise footage, but one thing was certain.
“Didn’t Baek Ga-on say he handled it without any equipment? He cannot possibly be a Stage 3 infected.”
Hadn’t the girl said so as well?
That although the boy’s ability was threatening, it was not powerful enough to surpass common sense.
“Sakuya, was it?”
To Jin Geon, she was nothing but unsettling. She had been the one to step forward first and insist that Ga-on acted in self-defense.
If it were up to him, he would have dragged her to the station and interrogated her until she confessed the truth, but doing so would inevitably expose the boy’s existence.
Regrettably, the infected were classified as top-level confidential information in and of themselves.
Even if Ga-on wished to speak about it, it was our position to stop him.
So we made a quiet deal.
Ga-on would forget about today’s events, and Jin Geon would overlook his deviation.
“This is troublesome.”
In the end, after going in circles, we were back where we started.
At times like this, coercive measures were the most fitting. I wasn’t talking about lukewarm sanctions like random inspections or voluntary accompaniment.
Violence.
It was the magic key capable of solving any problem.
However, judging by the way Ga-on had handled the infected, it was evident that he was no easy opponent. If we stepped in recklessly, we might only complicate matters further.
That was when Hwirang, the man wearing glasses, approached and reported the results of his investigation.
“I searched this punk’s citizen ID, but the person in the database was someone entirely different. It seems he planned to use it briefly and discard it—he didn’t even bother altering the basic personal information.”
“So he implanted someone else’s device.”
“Looking through the records stored in the device, it seems he met with the Pier Gang several times.”
Just as Ga-on had claimed, the boy appeared to have assisted in device extraction. In other words, he hadn’t lied to escape the situation.
“This complicates things.”
Now that there were signs the infected were moving in an organized manner, securing manpower was essential.
Perhaps, just as Ga-on wished, we might have to entrust him with a request.
If only to uncover the true intentions he was hiding.
***
After Catalina, Ga-on barged in again, dragging yet another burden with him, and the old man erupted in anger.
“I told you. My shop is not a meeting place.”
Regardless, Ga-on held out the arm he had obtained from the ripperdoc.
“And this is?”
“I had a scuffle before coming here. Unfortunately, I couldn’t catch him. For a mere ripperdoc, he was quite strong. No, I suppose I should say he was skilled at running away.”
“As someone in the same line of work, I cannot tolerate such discriminatory remarks, but as a more complete personality than you, I shall let it slide. So what exactly are you trying to say?”
“I need help. Luckily, what he dropped was a prosthetic arm. The signal shouldn’t be dead yet, so if we trace it, we should at least be able to pinpoint the location.”
“No, don’t demand it as if it’s a given. Do you think that’s something that can be done instantly?”
“Either way, it means you can do it. Just handle it before sunrise.”
Since the device had been destroyed, it would be difficult for him to contact other factions for the time being. Missing the boy was a prime example.
He might deviate from expectations and contact the forces behind him directly, but even the ripperdoc would know that showing them his thoroughly battered state would bring no benefit.
We had to deal with him before he made his next move.
“I showed you goodwill last time, but this time is different. Why should I involve myself in something that doesn’t even make money—”
Ga-on pulled out a small case from inside his coat, and the old man fell silent almost at the same time.
“This is a drive I took from the unlicensed clinic he was running. You, of all people, should understand the value of what’s stored inside.”
He was a man renowned for his expertise in brainwashing to the extent that he could control overall brain activity merely by modifying Slots.
In other words, he had forsaken natural morality, not his talent.
A drive containing records of how he performed procedures and what techniques he used was no different from treasure to a ripperdoc.
Of course, to obtain its contents, it would have to be decrypted first.
After accepting Ga-on’s offering, the old man let out an awkward dry cough.
“Just this once.”
“Next time as well.”
***
Occupying one of the few hospital rooms in the unlicensed clinic, I sat in a chair and conserved my strength. In any case, I had no choice but to wait until the old man uncovered something.
It was then that I heard a knock at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Sakuya.”
Sakuya entered carrying a pillow and gave an awkward smile.
“I couldn’t fall asleep.”
After that brief excuse, she crawled into the bed without even asking for permission. It wasn’t the sort of clinginess one would show to someone they had only met twice, but I understood.
“It seems what that guy said is bothering you.”
Even though she had pulled the blanket over herself, I could clearly see her flinch as if I had struck the mark.
“You shouldn’t become an actress.”
“That’s why I was trying to become an idol.”
It wasn’t unreasonable for Sakuya to be struggling.
What we heard from the boy who introduced himself as Lucas had been quite shocking.
What he and the ripperdoc had orchestrated was a perfectly structured prostitution system.
They implanted partially brainwashing-capable Slots into trainees and sold them to high-ranking elites who desired youth.
They would plant suggestions when summoning them and erase their memories when sending them back, so from the outside, no one could notice anything.
Moreover, since the trainees exchanged information among themselves and new blood regularly flowed in, there was no need to interfere forcefully.
It could not be called anything but a vicious cycle.
All of them were brokers and sponsors,
and at the same time, all were victims and perpetrators.
The only ones toyed with by advanced technology were innocent boys and girls.
What Abigail had tried to expose after awakening from her delusion must have been precisely this reality.
No matter how far morality and ethics had fallen, trampling upon the very foundation of humanity would undoubtedly cause no small upheaval in modern society.
Yet even now, one question remained unresolved.
Who had ignored Producer Raju’s report and socially buried Abigail?
The force of a Meta-human was certainly outstanding, but it only functioned in the shadows.
What I had listed required unmistakably public authority.
We had to assume that, separate from the Meta-humans, there was a force operating in the light.
Looking at the entire sequence of events, they were likely the true masterminds.
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you suddenly apologizing for?”
“If I had been able to handle this power better, I could have asked more.”
As she said, Sakuya’s ability was the kind that could not be used twice on the same target. The limited information she had obtained from Lucas was proof of that.
Another drawback, if it could be called that, was that she couldn’t use it unless her emotions were heightened. Of course, despite being riddled with flaws like this, its potential was limitless.
Depending on how it was developed, it could yield tremendous results.
That was, of course, if circumstances allowed it.
“From now on, don’t use it even out of curiosity. Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“You may not realize it, but there are many people who don’t look kindly on our existence.”
“I know. Like the Illuminati or the Freemasons, right?”
As expected of Miss Retro.
I answered quietly and gave a bitter smile.
“Is that why you hid your ability, oppa?”
It wasn’t as though I could recount centuries of life here, so I simply nodded in silence. Seeing was believing, and after today’s exhausting adventure, she must have realized quite a lot herself.
But her interest seemed to lie elsewhere.
“What’s your dream, oppa?”
“To live long and healthy.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected reply, Sakuya let out a small laugh. It was far too straightforward to have come from someone who seemed to live so seriously.
“It means that compared to someone like me, you’re the one dreaming an actual dream.”
When my hand brushed through her hair, Sakuya quickly hid her face under the blanket. Instinctively, she must have felt that she had made an expression she shouldn’t let me see.
She was a strange young woman, far beyond her age.
Come to think of it, she had been like that from the moment we first met.
“If I truly don’t give up, can I achieve my dream?”
“At the very least, you won’t stop.”
“I’ll pray that your wish comes true too. Go to sleep.”
She added confidently, holding out her hand.
“Take my luck with you.”
“Judging by everything that’s happened to you lately, it seems like you’re the one who should be receiving it, not me.”
“Ahem, but thanks to that, I met you, oppa. All that’s left now is to rise again.”
“Sure, sure.”
The moment I clasped her hand, Sakuya tightened her grip.
“And even if you can die and come back to life, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, right?”
At those words striking the core, I shook my head as if she were impossible. In the end, that was what she had wanted to say.
“I guess I’m used to it, so I don’t really know anymore. Still, thank you. It’ll probably still hurt, but I think it’ll feel a little warmer.”
The one truly hurting was probably Sakuya.
Her longed-for dream had been shattered, she had been betrayed by a colleague she trusted, and she had nearly been killed by someone she didn’t even know. And yet the reason she could still worry about someone else was likely because she was strong by nature.
“Yawn.”
After a while, once I confirmed that Sakuya’s breathing had evened out, I got up and left the hospital room at once. The message I had been waiting for had arrived from the old man.