Chapter 70
Chapter 70
Just Find Them
***
***
After coming out of the repair shop, I sat on the hood of an unidentified vehicle and waited for Maximus to come out. Now that Nodetech’s dedicated PMC had been deployed, it would have been excessive for me to interfere.
All the more so if it was an interrogation.
Before long, Maximus came up from the basement.
“Did you get anything out of Grant?”
“He killed himself during the interrogation.”
“I must have misheard. You said he died?”
“It couldn’t be helped. He used a micro drone he had hidden inside his nostril to stir up his own brain.”
He might have thought there was no way he would survive after seeing Maximus’s face, or perhaps he believed that with Hiro’s shield gone, there was no escaping the Family’s punishment.
Whichever it was, it was obvious that an end more dreadful than death had been waiting for him―
“Is that his way of telling us to go screw ourselves? Still, I guess he had some guts.”
“As it happens, we’ve already obtained permission from headquarters to use the Brain Stalker.”
Brain Stalker.
As its name suggested, it was a device that could peek into another person’s memories. From the description alone, it sounded like anyone could conduct an interrogation with it, but in reality, it was an unfinished product.
First of all, its function itself was certain.
Except for the fact that one could not select the point of view or the time.
Memories jumbled together in millisecond fragments were no different from scraps of paper shredded in a cutter.
To see a completed puzzle, one had to wrestle with 100 billion pieces.
If the capacity of the human brain were converted into data, it amounted to 256 billion gigabytes. To extract the desired information from that, there were countless obstacles to overcome.
Because of that, the Brain Stalker had naturally been sidelined by the logic of the market economy. It was simply more efficient to conduct a persistent interrogation instead.
Of course, if the one who was supposed to talk ended up dead like this time, there was no choice but to use it, but it was a futile endeavor.
In the worst-case scenario, one could wander a vast ocean without even realizing that the brain cells containing the relevant memory had already died.
And yet, judging by the fact that they were pushing forward with it―
“Looks like you’re pretty pissed?”
“He’s someone who slipped past Nodetech’s eyes. There can be no such thing as complacency.”
“I don’t care how you deal with him, but this matter will remain a debt. Don’t forget that.”
“Who do you think you are, trying to saddle me with a burden?”
“They were targets I could’ve handled on my own. Even so, I made the offer to you to share the credit.”
“How laughable. Do you think Nodetech would falter over a single favor from the likes of you?”
Though we had cooperated for a brief moment because our interests aligned, the gap between us was clear.
A mere fixer and a megacorp team leader.
There was no need to say who held the upper hand.
“Don’t get mistaken. I acknowledge that you have some skill, but that’s all. There are more than enough fixers who can replace you.”
Having judged it to be an immature threat, Maximus growled.
Since I had expected as much, I replied calmly.
“Of course not.”
Whether the source code was leaked or the device smashed to pieces, Nodetech’s standing would not fall. Unless someone staged a rebellion against the board that operated the Seed Colony, it would continue on as it always had.
“But the person standing in front of me would be the one smashed.”
My eyes turned endlessly cold.
“Not only would there be a stain on your career, but your future would become very uncomfortable. Losing track of a person of interest for three weeks is a blunder among blunders. Am I wrong?”
At the precise remark, Maximus’s mouth shut like a clam.
It was a reality he had been trying hard to ignore.
Come to think of it, wasn’t that the very reason he had tried to erase Preston’s traces?
“But a fault can be offset with merit. Like this time. We found where Eden was developed, didn’t we? And before things escalated.”
“You…….”
“The Lucchesia Family will serve as a suitable prey.”
The reason I had deliberately brought Maximus along was to make that fact clear.
And at the same time, it was a small gift—and a warning—to Owen, who had not been entirely honest.
“So let’s talk productively. I’ve shown you the cards I’m holding. Now it’s your turn, Mr. Spider.”
At the way I neatly organized the situation, Maximus let out a hollow laugh.
If he insisted, it wasn’t impossible for him to wriggle out of it, but he wanted to avoid a pointless war of words.
All the more so against someone as cold-headed as me.
“I don’t know who that bastard is either. However, the moment I heard that he had appeared, something came to mind. A similar incident happened eight years ago.”
“Eight years ago.”
“Just in case, I’m speaking in terms of Pioneering Power.”
“Then say sixteen years ago. Don’t make it confusing.”
Eight years ago by Mars’s standard meant sixteen years in Earth time.
It was only natural.
Mars’s orbital period was twice that of Earth.
One year on Mars was two years on Earth.
It would have been nice if there were a substitute term, like how a day was called a Sol, but that distinction was meaningless.
If one used Mars as the standard, someone in their twenties would have to be recorded as ten years old. At times, the bizarre phenomenon of a thirty-six-year-old being the same age as an eighteen-year-old would occur.
Updating the year in two-year units was a calculation unsuited to the animal called human. The interval was too long to properly list events and periods.
A minor discrepancy that had arisen when a species born on Earth migrated to Mars.
That was why, despite having Pioneering Power, they still borrowed the Common Era calendar.
Mixing the two appropriately, as they did now, was the next best option.
No one found it confusing.
Displaying time differences was one of the most basic functions built into a device.
“Anyway, this is as much as I can tell you.”
“Why not just make it clear?”
“It’s not a subject that can be mentioned carelessly.”
“Even for you?”
Though I had subtly struck a nerve, Maximus indifferently turned his back and disappeared underground.
Since it wasn’t as though I had gained nothing, I didn’t stop him any further and tapped on my probe.
“You heard all that, right?”
[You want me to dig into the incident from sixteen years ago?]
“It was probably concealed just as thoroughly as this one.”
Just as Preston’s death had been changed into a simple flight accident, and Hiro’s death into an inter-organizational conflict.
[This is going to take some time.]
“Just find it. After that, I’ll take care of the rest.”
***
It was true that Hiro had participated in the development of Eden, but that didn’t mean he had been solely responsible for its distribution. As Owen had explained, there must have been a force backing Hiro.
Most likely, production was also taking place there. Grant’s sudden action had cut off the trail, but there were countless places managing Eden. I only needed to pick one of them.
It was right then that I received a call from Ray.
“Sounds like you’ve pulled yourself together.”
[Thanks to you.]
“That’s a relief.”
[What were the results of the investigation?]
The question of who X was still remained, but in truth, that wasn’t important. The causal relationship had been uncovered.
Preston was an intellectual worthy of respect, but at the same time, he had been a powerless head of household.
The endless nursing care.
A wife whose condition kept worsening nonetheless.
And the debts that continued to pile up.
Under pressure that went beyond what was bearable, Preston had eventually sold the most valuable thing he possessed.
And not to an academic society, but to the underworld.
In a way, there was a strong argument that his end had been self-inflicted. A person without compassion might have clicked their tongue and dismissed him as not worth a second thought.
But there was at least one person in this world who would surely understand and embrace him.
So I answered honestly.
As plainly as possible, selecting only what had been confirmed.
[So that’s what happened.]
Just from her voice, I felt like I could tell how devastated Ray was. She sounded on the verge of sobbing.
“Are you okay?”
[It’s all my fault. When my father brought home that large sum of money, I should have pressed him about where he got it. I should have had a more serious conversation with him.]
But regret was late no matter how quickly it came. Ray seemed as though her heart was being torn apart by the lesson she had learned too late.
“If it’s hard to talk, we can speak again later.”
[No. There’s one thing I absolutely have to tell you.]
“What is it?”
[If the electronic drug called Eden really, truly was developed by my father, then he would have hidden an Easter egg inside it.]
“An Easter egg?”
[Yes. My father always left a trace in every program he created.]
“A kind of signature.”
[As you said, something like a mark. Though I don’t think my father would have intended it to be used that way this time.]
As it happened, I had some Eden obtained from Club 999. The conditions were not burdensome for testing.
Having obtained a new lead, the corner of my lips curled upward.
“You’ve been helpful. I’ll express my gratitude, Professor Ray.”
[I’m the one who’s grateful that you told me the truth without hiding anything.]
***
An unlicensed clinic located in District 39.
The old man frowned when he confirmed the face of the guest who had barged in.
“Everything’s fine, but it’d be nice if you weren’t here.”
“Shouldn’t you be used to me by now, Mr. Shah Rukh Khan?”
“So, what kind of trouble have you brought today?”
I took a small coin-shaped package from inside my coat and held it out to the old man.
“This is……?”
“A new type of electronic drug that’s started circulating on the market.”
“Ho, so this is Eden.”
“Seems like you’ve heard the name?”
“Yeah. Idiots who can’t even tell whether I’m a drug dealer or a ripperdoc come looking for it all the time.”
A beat later, the old man realized what I was asking for and shook his head.
“Are you confusing me too? I’m a ripperdoc, not a Diver or a Tuner. If you want to dig into a program, leave it to a specialist.”
With a faint smirk, I stepped aside.
“That’s why I brought one.”
Only then did the girl who had been hidden behind me reveal herself.
A girl with her hood pulled over her head, Noah Lee.
When her gaze met the old man’s, she awkwardly waved her hand.
“Hello?”
***
Noah joining us was an entirely natural progression. She had a debt to repay me. In fact, the one who first offered to step forward had been Ray. But after watching the entire process unfold from the side, Noah couldn’t bring herself to leave her alone.
Telling her to resolve it herself would have been too cruel.
So she volunteered first.
As Noah took a seat and adjusted the settings with skillful hands, I watched her with curious eyes.
“Wasn’t your major neurobiology?”
“I did earn that degree, but I have a few others as well.”
At Noah’s tone, as if she were speaking about doctoral degrees the way one might talk about driver’s licenses, I couldn’t help but admire her.
“I’ll trust you, Miss Phytoncide.”
“I almost felt touched, if only you hadn’t brought up that nickname.”
Grumbling, Noah connected a magnetic cable to her device.
Soon, she inserted the package into the port.
It was then that an enormous volume of data poured across the monitor occupying one wall.
Projecting a hologram into the air, Noah sorted and dismantled all the data with mere gestures of her hand.
“As expected, it’s full of encrypted algorithms. I can see it’s passed through several hands besides Professor Preston’s. The randomization is nearly perfect as well.”
Like all digital information, it had the advantage of being easy to copy and store.
Electronic drugs were no different.
For Eden to retain its value, it had to remain unreplicated by anyone. Therefore, it was no surprise that the defenses were thorough.
“If we had a quantum computer, I think we could break through somehow. It’s a shame. I guess there’s a limit to what a shop-grade computer can do.”
At the absurd complaint, the old man snorted.
“My apologies for not setting up a large-scale data center inside the shop.”