Chapter 58
Chapter 58
So, it turned out that way after all
***
The prison guards who walked behind Amal released the restraints binding his limbs. Then they slowly removed the goggle-type terminal mounted over his face.
It was a beat later that Amal, who had been slumped as if dead, regained his senses.
Due to being detained for so long, his hair was disheveled and his clothes shabby, yet his two eyes alone shone like starlight.
“Even if you isolate the mind inside a machine, nothing changes. I simply exist as myself. Long ago, the Buddha said that suffering arises from not knowing.”
No one was flustered by the sudden sermon. They were all well aware of it. Of what kind of man Amal was.
“What does it mean not to know? It means not knowing that one’s suffering stems from attachment, and not knowing where that attachment leads. To be bound by the yoke of concepts that are naturally imposed upon us after being born into this world—life, relationships, the body, health—is to invite suffering upon oneself. Therefore, one who truly seeks enlightenment must cast off everything and reach nirvana.”
Leaning comfortably against the wall as if seated on a wooden porch floor, Amal continued speaking.
“Even if I am confined here and can never leave for the rest of my life, there is no reason to be impatient. All things in the universe are bound to change, and human affairs are no different. Yes, just as you have come here.”
A piercing gaze shot forth as though it could see through one’s innermost thoughts, but Piper remained indifferent.
“Prisoner number 0001. There is something you need to take care of.”
“Another ‘request,’ is it.”
“It is a matter that requires urgency.”
Amal rose from his seat and approached Piper. Though small for a man, the force of presence born of long years overwhelmed everyone present.
The prison guards drew their firearms in an instant, as if seized by a reflex.
Though gun barrels were leveled at him from all directions, Amal calmly opened his mouth.
“Oh, calm yourselves. Would you not startle an old friend I have met after so long?”
“Prisoner number 0001, know your place.”
“You seemed a little younger ‘back then.’ I suppose the outside world is still as complicated as ever?”
At that moment.
Recalling that day sixteen years ago, Piper ground his molars. It went without saying that he roughly twisted Amal’s arms behind his back and clamped on the handcuffs.
“You have become quite talkative compared to then. Despite your sermon, was the life of a widower so painful?”
As they immediately dragged Amal away, numerous personnel gathered around them.
Four personnel were in powered armor.
Four gunners were equipped with submachine guns.
And two prison guards stayed close by Piper’s side.
The security detail alone numbered ten.
It was enough to fill the wide corridor, yet even this felt insufficient to Piper.
Back in the days of Daeshil, four had died due to a moment of carelessness.
This was information classified as Level 1, never once leaked to this day. And yet Piper knew it because he was the sole survivor.
Yes, the ones who had become Amal’s prey last time were his colleagues.
No matter how docile he appeared, Amal was still a prisoner.
And not just any prisoner, but a ferocious beast beyond redemption. Though he laughed heartily, no one could tell when he might suddenly turn. That was why they swiftly escorted him to a sealed chamber.
By design, in the underground level that was not supposed to exist within the Maze, there was a Connector modified for a special purpose.
It was a device resembling a medical pod produced by Inatomi Corporation.
An object created solely for one person.
Entering it with practiced movements, Amal asked,
“How many years this time?”
“Fifty.”
***
Preston Calyx, a professor at Isabella Public University, was only able to leave work late at night. With the paper he had poured his heart into nearing completion, his daily life had become a continuous cycle of research and verification.
After getting into his vehicle, Preston activated autonomous driving mode and immediately closed his eyes. Though it was only a ten-minute drive home, that did not make him any less sleepy.
However, the peace did not last long.
He sensed something amiss at the first traffic light. He was supposed to go straight, yet the car had turned right.
It was not the route home. He knew it could change depending on traffic congestion, but the current time was 2:35.
And not in the afternoon, but in the morning.
Something was wrong.
Preston quickly stopped the car and switched to manual control, gripping the steering wheel. In that brief instant, it felt as though he had already traveled several hundred meters.
It was then that a shadow revealed itself amid the flickering headlights.
The figure had appeared without warning, merely standing there.
As if it had been waiting from the very beginning.
As though possessed, Preston stared straight ahead.
A raincoat that glowed faintly like a neon sign.
Beneath the pulled-down hood, a helmet stood out. It was not merely an impression. On the visor, a hologram engraved like a tattoo constantly shifted its form.
Was it a deformed depiction of a yaksha or a haetae?
There was no denying the oppressive appearance. Above all, the tactical design was striking.
A wearable full-body enhancement suit.
Protective gear.
There was no other way to describe it but fully armed from head to toe.
The strange standoff did not last long.
As if intending to tip the scales of balance, the other party suddenly drew out a weapon.
If one saw that and still could not imagine what would follow, he would be no different from a fool.
Preston hastily reversed, turning the wheel as he attempted to report the incident to the Public Enforcement Corps. No, he tried to.
“Why……”
But only a message stating he was out of service range appeared. It was only natural to assume it was connected to the series of events unfolding.
Biting his lip, Preston had no choice but to press down on the accelerator relentlessly. He had no idea what was happening, but he felt that if he could just shake off that one pursuer, somehow he would manage.
In that instant, a harsh metallic sound rang by his ear.
Checking the opponent through the side mirror, Preston could not suppress his shock.
Human and machine.
There was clearly a vast difference between the two, yet the opponent followed as if it were only natural.
Borrowing the power of civilization.
Crackle.
Each time the opponent’s feet touched the ground, sparks shot up and formed a single line. A technology that accelerated by using electromagnetic repulsion—magnetic levitation.
A device that would normally be used for massive trains was embedded in that figure.
Far too excessive for an individual.
It was obvious that some force or organization stood behind them.
A glance at the dashboard showed the speed exceeding 200 km/h. Even so, the distance continued to close.
It was time to make a decision.
Preston pressed a button in the corner.
The vehicle he was driving was not an ordinary product.
A PAV (Personal Air Vehicle).
Commonly called a flying car, it was a model capable even of vertical takeoff and landing.
Long ago, to commemorate becoming a professor, it had been the first and last luxury purchase of Preston’s life.
However, since he had rarely used it, he was not entirely confident in its related functions—but it was better than dying.
Whiiing.
Lift was generated in an instant. Only after the vehicle defied gravity and rose into the air did Preston let out a sigh of relief.
No matter how many functions it possessed, he had assumed it would be impossible to pursue him into the sky.
But as always—
The opponent exceeded his imagination.
Thud.
It was no exaggeration to describe it as flying—a radical leap.
Even as his mouth fell open at that extraordinary physical ability, Preston did not forget to turn the wheel. With no foothold in midair, he firmly believed that if he dodged just once, he would gain the advantage.
But the opponent was one step faster.
Using a blade as a pole, they thrust it into the front door.
It was inevitable that a narrow gap would open into the driver’s seat.
“Keugh.”
As the blade pierced through his thigh, Preston screamed.
Though his mind blurred from the pain, he did not give up and pulled a handgun from the glove compartment. A moment ago, he had not had the firing distance, but now it was different.
At this range, he could at least attempt a counterattack.
Roughly gauging the opponent’s position from the direction the blade had entered, Preston pulled the trigger, hoping it would at least pose a threat.
But that expectation—
Ting.
Vanished along with a dry metallic sound.
The opponent did not carry just one blade.
Two.
“Dual swords?”
The moment he muttered that, the front door was carved apart like cube steak. The distance between them closed in an instant.
“I am the mistake of the past and the price that must be paid. You may think you deceived the world, but the world was not deceived.”
A mechanical voice seeped out from within the hologram helmet.
Though it was impossible to identify who it was, I felt I could tell that the opponent’s age was immeasurable. It was not a tone one could dare to imitate.
“I merely waited for the appropriate time. Do not worry. Every person who just crossed your mind will soon become one who never returns.”
“So, it turned out that way after all.”
At the words that seemed to read his thoughts, Preston closed his eyes. The moment he realized the truth, resistance felt meaningless.
The instant the two blades embroidered the air, the PAV exploded.
***
Arriving at the scene, Jin Geon looked down at the half-destroyed PAV.
Its exact product name was Ort NO.9.
It was a luxury item manufactured by the megacorp R&C. Though an older model, I had heard that its spaceship-like flowing curves had been considered groundbreaking at the time.
“Who did you say the victim was?”
“Preston Calyx, a professor at Isabella Public University.”
At Irai’s report, Jin Geon let out a low groan. The reason he had come here was not to act as a Sheriff.
Rather the opposite.
As I gazed at the front door, crushed inward as if sucked in by something, I spoke.
“It resembles the traces Yang Hu leaves behind.”
“After comparing it with the collected data, it came out as a 68 percent match.”
“That is ambiguous.”
It was a figure that could not be ignored, yet not one we could cling to either. Above all, the murder weapon was intriguing.
“A monomolecular blade. Has any gone missing from military control?”
“There have been no reports of loss. A few may have flowed into the back alleys, but none of this level of specification.”
“Where was Mr. Ga-on at the time?”
“It has been confirmed he was staying at his residence.”
“What is the possibility that the request he received is connected to Professor Preston?”
“It is extremely low. Perhaps because the request he completed last time was satisfactory, he has not shown any notable movements lately. And…”
“I know. That he does not accept requests that are not morally justified.”
Even so, we could not help but be cautious.
There were not many these days who wielded swordsmanship so advanced.
Moreover, were there not skid marks left along the path the PAV had taken?
Irai was not unconcerned about that point either.
But—
“It is suspicious that information allowing us to infer his identity was deliberately exposed. Especially to the extent of killing an innocent person. It could be a copycat.”
“It is too early to judge. Whether it was truly Yang Hu who came here, and whether Professor Preston was truly innocent.”
We had nothing given to us, yet it was familiar to Jin Geon. Moreover, the scene was filled with a scent.
Yes, a scent I had always smelled since my time in Dome No.1.
The scent of conspiracy.