Chapter 110
Chapter 110
I Don’t Die
***
The old man lying on the bed had a face like a dried-up rice field. Seeing the life-support apparatus connected to his nose and mouth, his health must have worsened even further in the time I hadn’t seen him.
‘Death isn’t far off.’
This was my first time having a private meeting with Baek Seok-do, the Chairman of megacorp Baekdu.
However, through previous encounters, I had already concluded that he was an unpredictable sort. The last attack had proven as much. Even though it could have been prevented in advance, he had watched and left it unattended.
He valued competition above all else and even imposed it on his children, yet nothing was left in the end. Come to think of it, even ordering that Ga-on be found was the same.
It was no different from throwing a stone into a calm lake just to stir ripples.
It only complicated the inheritance dispute, bringing no tangible benefit whatsoever. For a man to carve flaws into the megacorp he had built over a lifetime with his own hands—it didn’t suit him.
Did Baek Seok-do truly want to see his youngest son before he died?
From beginning to end, it was a question.
“Come closer.”
When I sat down by his pillow, I felt his gaze scanning my face.
“You really don’t resemble her.”
“Yeah? That’s a shame.”
“Even your manner of speaking, even more so. If I were just a year younger, I would’ve raged about fixing that habit, but at this point, playing the role of a father would be laughable.”
Soon, his coarse breathing was filtered through the life-support device.
“Do you remember anything from when you were young?”
“Nothing good will come from hearing it.”
It was a story from over three hundred years ago.
But perhaps he misunderstood my thoughts, because Baek Seok-do’s eyes were already digging into the past.
“I declared that I met love in another colony and bore fruit from it, but that isn’t the truth. Your mother was a hostess who only attended to VIPs. There must have been countless men besides me who passed through her.”
I hadn’t heard this before.
At that thoughtless, unhesitating confession, I let out a low groan. At least I had believed that their meeting hadn’t been a lie, yet even that had been betrayed.
“Still, I didn’t dislike it. She knew very well how to handle a man like me. That’s why I grew attached to her. Looking back now, she was a woman with great ambition. One day, she suddenly disappeared, burdened with an enormous debt.”
“So she realized she was pregnant and immediately went into hiding.”
“That’s right.”
She must have disappeared from Baek Seok-do’s sight altogether, knowing she might have to abort the child. Perhaps Yeosanghwa had wanted her child to become a key figure within Baekdu.
“What do you mean by an enormous debt?”
“If a pregnant woman wants money, there’s only one reason, isn’t there?”
“…A genius baby.”
In other words, a “genius baby.”
It referred to a child born through indiscriminate genetic manipulation. A representative example would be Ilya, the undefeated champion who had retired from UIFC.
However, that was only among the successful cases.
Naturally, genetic manipulation merely pushed one beyond human limits—it didn’t allow one to transcend the limits of life itself.
There was a clear boundary. Manipulation that ignored the gene pool would only bring disaster.
Because of that, most genius babies were miscarried during childbirth—after spending ten months as something resembling a lump of flesh.
Even so, there were many parents who didn’t give up. They gambled with their own offspring, treating them like a lottery ticket that could elevate their status.
In modern times, genius babies had emerged as a social issue alongside Parasites. It was one of the side effects produced by the basic income system and advanced technology.
Still—
“Nothing surprising.”
“Yes, you could call this rambling as well. But at least for me, it worked as a favorable turn.”
“A favorable turn?”
I was about to ask what he meant when I suddenly paused. I hadn’t noticed because I was focused on the conversation, but my reaction speed was a beat slower than usual. It felt as though I were walking inside a dream. The instincts honed through countless experiences rang an alarm.
“This is….”
Before I could even finish speaking, my eyes shut on their own. My consciousness slipped away faster than my will could resist.
Thud—
***
Looking down at Ga-on, who had collapsed, Baek Seok-do shook his head. Even though an odorless, colorless narcotic sleeping agent had been dispersed at nearly a lethal dose, Ga-on refused to fall asleep easily.
That was why he had to reveal even unnecessary personal details. If things had gone wrong, he might have had to dig all the way back into childhood memories.
“So he was exposed to radiation… perhaps that gave him resistance in this regard as well.”
“He’s probably become a mutant. In order to survive.”
Right on time, Alfredo entered and placed Ga-on onto a stretcher cart.
“Yes, that. I’m concerned whether this child’s physical condition might have any effect on me.”
“There’s no need to worry. His internal cells appear to have stabilized over time. As long as he doesn’t undergo extreme genetic modification, it shouldn’t affect his life.”
“So there won’t be any issue with the surgery.”
A brain transplant was not something to take lightly like a heart or other organs, even with the utmost preparation. The entire nervous system had to be replaced.
It was no different from creating life itself. No—since it had to be stitched into an existing framework, it was far more difficult.
That was why he had even sought advice from ‘them.’
“What about the surgical team?”
“We’ve prepared only unlocked androids. After the procedure is complete, they will all be incinerated.”
A measure only possible because Baekdu was synonymous with androids.
“How long will the surgery take?”
“If there are no complications during the operation, it will be completed within 8 hours, 34 minutes, and 12 seconds.”
“It will be quite a short night. Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, Chairman. I hope you have pleasant dreams.”
Under Alfredo’s guidance, he drifted off into sleep.
Today, Baek Seok-do would become Ga-on.
***
A sea of corpses and blood stretched beyond the horizon. An inescapable swamp of death. This was beyond the unconscious—the deep consciousness. A place I had visited once before.
Judging by the mechanism, a drug on a level similar to Eden must have been administered.
It seemed I had been distracted after hearing such an intriguing secret for the first time in a while.
“No wonder he handled things so hastily.”
Now everything made sense.
From the very beginning, whether or not I was his biological child had never mattered to Baek Seok-do. What he truly wanted was fresh youth. A replacement part to swap out his dried, worn body.
The reason he hadn’t criticized Baek Gi for not updating the device, and why he had left Ga-on alone despite his interference—both were to broaden his range of options.
“What a complete piece of trash.”
Some might say there was no need to insist on a living body. Escaping into virtual reality could also be an answer.
That wasn’t entirely wrong.
There was a technology called ‘full-brain emulation.’ As the name suggested, it converted everything within the brain into electronic data and engraved it into circuits—a way to house one’s life inside a machine rather than a biological body.
Of course, as seen with Brain Stalker, it was still incomplete. Humanity had succeeded in reading brain information, but organizing and analyzing it was still under research.
Even if one miraculously succeeded despite all the obstacles, there was no future.
The act of copying consciousness, personality, and memories could be interpreted as a violation of the Clone Human Control Act. The term “cloning” wasn’t limited to the physical body.
The same applied to the Special Act on Virtual Reality.
Since it was established under the premise that virtual reality should be treated the same as reality, even if one only existed within virtual reality, a cloned human would still be treated the same as in the real world.
And digitized intelligence was synonymous with artificial intelligence. It could also be interpreted as a violation of the AI Restriction Act.
In short, full-brain emulation violated three of the Four Fundamental Laws—a grave matter that even the chairman of a megacorp couldn’t avoid the repercussions of.
It wasn’t strange that Baek Seok-do was desperately searching for a host to parasitize.
“So it’s come to this after all. Should I really call myself defective after all?”
Suddenly, a low growl echoed. Its source was the top of a tower made of corpses. It was the black beast I had seen before.
Its body was so developed that the fibers of its muscles were clearly visible. Covering it was a hard, smooth carapace like a full-body armor, and from its temples protruded two horns.
It was a being that could be judged as the self-awareness of immortality.
“Long time no see, Mr. Beast. Hmm, is the nickname ‘Beast’ too ordinary? Still, the rhyme works, so maybe it’s fine.”
“Cut the nonsense. So what are you going to do?”
“What am I going to do… there’s nothing to do.”
I could simply draw out my regenerative ability and wake up like this. However, if I did, killing Baek Seok-do would be inevitable. And naturally, I would have to fight a fierce battle against the private soldiers selected by Baekdu.
Even if I proved his crimes, as long as Baekdu didn’t collapse, the pursuit would continue. And the one leading it would, in all likelihood, be Baek Seol.
Recalling her gentle smile, I came up with another approach. In fact, it was the most rational method.
“I just need to wait.”
“Wait?”
Almost at the same moment the black beast voiced its doubt, another guest appeared in the deep consciousness. A man who had used even his own child as fuel to sustain his life—
“Where is this…?”
It was Baek Seok-do.
Still wearing a bewildered expression, unsure of what had happened, he looked around as I approached him and spoke.
“This is inside my consciousness.”
“Your consciousness?”
After glancing once at the hellish landscape and once at my face, Baek Seok-do grasped his situation and let out a hollow laugh.
“Ah, so that’s what happened. Then you must be like the last flicker of a dying flame.”
A byproduct of connecting the nervous system—something like a dying hallucination.
Having interpreted it as he pleased, Baek Seok-do placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You may have already noticed, but I’ll make good use of your body. Compared to a lowly life like a fixer, living as a successful businessman and rising to greater heights would be far more meaningful.”
“This is rich, you piece of junk. There’s a clown even more ridiculous than you.”
Between the black beast’s endlessly curling lips, massive fangs were revealed. Startled by the low growl, Baek Seok-do widened his eyes. A being beyond his comprehension had appeared—so much so that it was strange he had only noticed now.
“What is this…?”
“Baek Seok-do.”
Cutting off his confusion in an instant, I stepped forward.
The fact that Baek Seok-do had appeared here meant the brain transplant was nearing its end. This wasn’t my dying hallucination—it was his final moment. So I decided to correct his misunderstanding.
“The one disappearing is you.”
“Hah, me? Yes, denying death when it’s right before your eyes is only natural for a human. Even I was the same. But turning your head doesn’t make reality run away. Consider this the final lesson I give you as your father—engrave it well.”
An arrogant and self-righteous statement. Within it was an unshakable certainty. Yes, Baek Seok-do’s desire might have been wrong, but his method itself had not been. However—
“Unfortunately, you chose the wrong opponent.”
Attempting a brain transplant in his remaining time was nothing more than a desperate gamble, a reckless move that would hasten his end.
He might have praised himself for achieving perfection, but from design to execution, it was filled with flaws.
Because—
“I don’t die.”
Immortality meant imperishability. Imperishability meant eternity. And eternity was a promise destined to last until the end. Such a promise was not a law that mere humans could break.
Tap, I placed one hand on Baek Seok-do’s head and muttered.
“I’ve seen countless people until now. And the end of those who gave in to greed was always the same.”