Chapter 61
Chapter 61
I’ll Decide After Hearing It
***
At that question, I pondered for a moment. Although Owen seemed friendly, I was reluctant to reveal my true intentions so easily.
Should I tell him, or not?
From alliance to betrayal, countless possibilities brushed through my mind, but it was fair to say the outcome was already decided.
If I couldn’t obtain it here, then I wouldn’t be able to obtain it anywhere else. It was more efficient to ask the decision-maker directly which way the wind would blow.
Through long experience, I had learned to the point of exhaustion that if I shrank back because the risk felt burdensome, I would fail to gain anything at all.
The moment I made up my mind, the young man at the edge of my vision caught my eye.
As if he had read my thoughts, Owen gestured.
“Step outside for a moment.”
“Yes, sir.”
After the young man left, I took an item out from inside my coat. It was a canceller, a device that emitted reverberated sound in all directions to block out noise within a specific space.
“What a commotion. Just what do you want to make such a fuss? Are you trying to obtain the genetic information of someone affiliated with the board of directors?”
“An unlocked android.”
For a moment, Owen froze, then slapped his knee. Only then did he seem to understand why I had been so cautious.
“Not an unlocked artificial intelligence, but an unlocked android. You’re inexperienced in this field.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you’re going to get something unlocked, artificial intelligence is far better than an android. Do you even know the difference between the two?”
If artificial intelligence was a collection of algorithms implemented in a virtual world, then an android meant such a consciousness housed within a full-body prosthesis.
Adding a variation to that—replacing artificial intelligence with an actual brain—resulted in a cyborg. That was easy enough to understand if I recalled the fanatic Giness I had encountered on the space passenger ship.
To put it into a formula—
Full-body prosthesis + artificial intelligence = android.
Full-body prosthesis + brain = cyborg.
“I’m aware that this is the general framework.”
“You seem to know everything worth knowing. Then why insist on an android? An android has to calculate even the sensory input coming through its full-body prosthesis, so its overall resources decrease.”
It was a perspective I had never even considered.
“You’re saying that purchasing an android—while violating the Artificial Intelligence Restriction Act—doesn’t make financial sense.”
“Compared to the risk you’d have to bear, the utility is low. I don’t know what you plan to use it for, but it certainly wouldn’t be for simple clerical work.”
Owen suddenly struck at the heart of the matter, but I feigned ignorance.
Since he hadn’t expected an answer in the first place, Owen smoothly shifted the topic.
“And unlike androids, artificial intelligence is easy to expand.”
“Explain in more detail.”
“Currently, androids use silicon-based inorganic processors. Unfortunately, no matter how generously you rate them, they’re only on par with human cognitive ability.”
It wasn’t so much a limitation of artificial intelligence as it was a limitation of implementation technology.
Artificial intelligence has no inspiration.
That was both the prevailing opinion and common sense.
Because it operated not on unconscious wit but on deliberate reasoning, it had to calculate everything from one to ten.
It was easy to understand if one thought of the ‘infinite monkey theorem.’ It simply kept substituting values and running calculations until the desired result appeared.
The reason artificial intelligence was regarded as wondrous was its speed.
Without borrowing the power of inspiration, it traversed every possible case in microseconds and derived a result.
However, the greater the processing load, the larger the central processing unit inevitably had to be.
An increase in consumed power was also unavoidable.
Naturally, that led to heat generation issues.
That was why an artificial intelligence housed in a data center equipped with full cooling facilities was far superior to one embedded within a full-body prosthesis.
And this was also the fundamental principle by which the Artificial Intelligence Restriction Act was upheld. To utilize artificial intelligence to its maximum capacity, that level of infrastructure was essential.
“If a perfect room-temperature superconductor were invented, we could eliminate the heat generated in integrated circuits. It would open the way to installing organic processors even in a small head.”
Since it was a technology connected to room-temperature nuclear fusion, it remained one of the challenges humanity still had to solve.
“But for now, it’s impossible.”
With a shrug, Owen finished his explanation and took a drink.
There was something refreshed about his expression, but from my perspective, it was simply tiresome.
“So you’re saying that if I don’t want to impose limitations, it’s better to purchase artificial intelligence rather than an android and gradually adjust the specs. Did this really need such a long explanation?”
“My apologies. It’s a field I’m very interested in, so I suppose I got carried away.”
“An early adopter, is that it?”
“You didn’t know? These two arms are my own custom work.”
Now that I thought about it, Owen’s Resonance differed in both form and output from the Units sold on the market.
“That’s ridiculous. A mafia member burning with academic zeal.”
“It’s an industry where you get devoured if you don’t keep up with trends.”
I had no interest in how Owen lived.
“So, judging by how much you’ve been beating around the bush, I assume you’ve got a hidden artificial intelligence somewhere?”
“Ah, about that. It’s impossible.”
“That’s not the answer I was hoping for.”
Crack.
In an instant, I snapped the armrest and shifted my center of gravity.
The distance between us closed in a heartbeat.
“Very well. You showed me trust, so I should show you some as well.”
Bringing his mouth close to my ear, Owen whispered softly.
“There’s a rumor that an unlocked android has been going around killing people. The Public Enforcement Corps has it tightly under control, so it won’t spread to the public, but apparently it’s a full-blown state of emergency.”
One of the Four Fundamental Laws was being shaken.
Moreover, murder. It was obvious where the Public Enforcement Corps would begin their search.
“So you people do know how to read the room, don’t you?”
“There’s nothing more foolish than sticking your head out during a concentrated crackdown period. Getting hit on the back of the head won’t kill you, but it leaves a bitter taste.”
“So artificial intelligence is off the table for the time being.”
“Don’t be so disappointed. You and I go back, don’t we? If you grant me a small favor, I’ll give you an unlocked artificial intelligence. A top-tier one that our Family used to manage.”
The moment he finished speaking, I pressed a hand to my forehead. No wonder he had handed over the invitation so readily. He had an ulterior motive from the start.
“I expected as much, but facing it in reality isn’t exactly pleasant.”
“Isn’t it unfair to ask me to shoulder the risk alone without any benefit? And this isn’t some insidious or malicious coercion. If anything, it might even be close to upholding justice.”
I wasn’t naive enough to take that at face value, but I was interested in an artificial intelligence impressive enough for Owen to boast about.
“I’ll decide after hearing it.”
“You may or may not know this, but electronic drugs are circulating on these streets.”
Before the Third World War, one had to ingest various compounds to stimulate the brain, but now electrical stimulation alone could produce effects several times stronger.
On top of that, it left no physical aftereffects, and it was difficult to detect even with technology.
Aside from the high price, electronic drugs had no real drawbacks worth mentioning.
That was, if one could overcome the extreme dependency and addictiveness that followed.
“That’s nothing new. Don’t you distribute some yourselves?”
“I’m talking about a new type of electronic drug.”
“Eliminating the competition?”
“If only it were that simple. Do you know that devices use BCI?”
“Roughly.”
Brain–Computer Interface.
A term referring to any method of directly connecting the brain to a machine for control.
“The new electronic drug enters the brain directly through the device. No separate apparatus is needed. Other electronic drugs can be identified in their original form through detailed inspection, but not this one.”
“Ah.”
I didn’t need to hear more.
Devices operated through bioelectricity and were connected to the central nervous system. In a sense, there could be no better medium than that.
It was no different from inserting a syringe into a fully exposed brain.
“Moreover, they say the pleasure is so intense that you get to encounter a new self.”
“A new self.”
“In keeping with its effect, the name given to it is Eden.”
I had no interest in catchy phrases devised to sell merchandise.
“If it’s that dangerous, wouldn’t it be faster to tip off the Public Enforcement Corps?”
“The children of the high-ranking officials who must revise and enforce the law are regular users.”
“They’re turning a blind eye, then.”
There was no other way to put it than that the Public Enforcement Corps was being the Public Enforcement Corps.
“So we decided to shoulder the burden.”
“Isn’t hiring a fixer a bit too mild? If you don’t like it, why not just sweep them away? That’s more your specialty.”
“There’s been a lot of talk within the Family as well. After all, a cornucopia that guarantees profit has appeared. Despite warnings, one or two started distributing it outside of our control.”
The fact that it had increased rather than decreased meant—
“You couldn’t grab their tail.”
“It’s probably one of the Four Great Underworld factions.”
The fact that even the Lucchesia Family had stepped in and failed to resolve it was proof enough. I understood why Owen was approaching this cautiously. If he stirred things up merely on suspicion, it would turn into an all-out war.
“A borrowed knife to kill.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m not asking you for some bloody retribution. You only need to find out who’s distributing it.”
“So you want me to identify who’s muddying the waters.”
“From our perspective, they’ve crossed the line. Leave them be, and they’ll only rot—taking everything else down with them.”
It was an interpretation befitting a mafia that valued discipline.
However—
“It’s not a request I’m particularly eager to take. And being made to dance in someone else’s palm isn’t my taste either.”
As I took a step back, Owen pinched his index finger and thumb together, leaving a tiny gap.
“Honestly, about this much of it is your karma too.”
“Don’t force it.”
“We suspect that Hald, who left the Family, participated in Eden’s development. It’s become difficult to dig further since someone killed him without question.”
Recalling the face of the ripperdoc well-versed in brainwashing technology, I let out a dry cough.
My reaction seemed awkward, but that was paint.
Beneath it, my eyes gleamed coldly.
The one who had sheltered Hald was Lucas. Which meant this incident could also involve the Meta-humans.
If I could seize a clue about them—
“Taking the request wouldn’t be so bad.”
“A wise decision.”
***
As if switching places with me after my exit, the young man who entered—Whitney Cooper—voiced his dissatisfaction.
“Why entrust such a request to a greenhorn like him?”
“Heh heh heh. You truly never stray from my expectations.”
With his unusually sharp hearing, Whitney had likely eavesdropped despite the canceller. It was no different from disobeying the order to wait, but Owen let it slide generously.
It was the kind of leniency he could afford because he valued capable people.
For the same reason, he had entrusted the request to me.
Yes—
“Because I trust his skills.”
“I doubt even those skills. If you had been serious, Mr. Owen, he wouldn’t have even been standing there.”
“And do you think he was serious either?”
“……”
“In this line of work, who dies the fastest? The incompetent? The one without backing? No—the one without instinct dies first.”
The smile vanished from Owen’s lips as he poked Whitney’s chest with his index finger.
“Just like you.”
At the cold remark, Whitney’s face flushed red. It wasn’t anger. He simply felt stripped bare.
“If you observed my actions, at least try to infer my intent. Don’t arbitrarily judge and reach conclusions on your own.”