Chapter 127
Chapter 127
I Introduced the Technology
I had heard that Whitney had personally put a hole between his eyebrows. Unless I had seen it wrong, he must have come back to life through some method. I never expected to run into a trail leading back to Ryungyeong in a place like this, and Ga-on’s eyes narrowed into crescents.
“The sample you showed me last time kept bothering meee. A few things came to mind……”
It was then that Croft, having noticed Ga-on’s gaze, reacted.
“Ahhh, so the person in question is hereee. Nice to meet youuu, my name is Croft Shen.”
“I’m Baek Ga-on.”
As the two exchanged greetings, Daniel stepped in between them at just the right moment to mediate.
“You can probably tell from the surname, but that's my son. He’s a senior researcher at this company.”
“So a father and son work at the same company. If it's common, it's common enough, but……”
He was a member of that Ryungyeong organization. The fact that he maintained a normal professional life as well was unexpected. On top of that, it was his father's company. Judging only by appearances, he was a proper elite.
Ga-on had spoken out of genuine surprise, but to Daniel it seemed as though he were criticizing the company for valuing blood relations over ability.
Naturally, an explanation that sounded suspiciously like an excuse spilled from his mouth.
“I’m not saying this because he’s my son, but he truly is capable. He’s probably a talent rarely seen even within Inatomi Corporation. I personally persuaded him to join us when he was about to enter another company.”
Having boasted so confidently, Daniel subtly pushed Croft toward Ga-on.
“Since fate has brought you together like this, I think it might be good for young people to have a conversation with one another. What do you think?”
***
After entering the laboratory assigned to him, Croft placed a beaker filled with coffee in front of Ga-on. So there really were people who used laboratory equipment as household items. Finding it fascinating, Ga-on accepted it with curious eyes.
“I’ve wanted to meet you for quite some time.”
“Me?”
“Cases like yours are rareee. Surviving through a genetic transformation instead of dying immediately after radiation exposureoo.”
“It’s not that rare.”
The Third World War itself was proof of that. Humanity had survived amid the chaos of nuclear weapons falling like torrential rain.
Though they survived carrying all kinds of aftereffects.
“Interestingly enough, the mechanism is similar to what happens when using a drug called Nuclaseee. Looking only at the sample, I wondered whether someone had resorted to an extreme method to avoid genetic testing.”
Nuclase.
No one had brought up that possibility until now. Even Ga-on could not help but flinch at Croft’s intuition.
Of course, he did not let that agitation show on the outside.
“I’m jokinggg. If you abuse it to this extent, nine times out of ten you diiie. Unless, of course, you happen to possess some extraordinary abilityyy.”
Whether intentional or accidental, his way of speaking was strangely irritating.
As someone who had participated in Eden’s development, there was no way he lacked information about Meta-humans.
‘Is he probing me?’
Of course, it could simply be a guilty conscience reacting on its own. This wasn’t some back alley. They had met in the middle of a bustling district.
In truth, there was no need to think about it for long. A report to the Public Enforcement Corps would resolve everything neatly. Even now, there were plenty of people who would leap out of bed at the mere mention of the Eden Park drug factory incident.
But if I did that, Orametic Bionics, which I had only recently acquired, would become nothing more than waste paper.
As a bonus, Baek Seol’s goodwill would be trampled into the ground.
Furthermore, Croft was showing up to work openly and without concern. Even if something unexpected happened, he was probably prepared to escape somehow, which was why he could afford to remain so relaxed.
Rather than that, it would be wiser to figure out how to make the most of him.
Wasn’t he the very person who had seen through the true nature of Nuclase at a glance?
If I could bring him into the research on immortality, it would be an excellent bargain.
As the conversation naturally continued, Ga-on was finally able to hear a fragment of the true feelings Croft had been hiding.
It was dissatisfaction with Orametic Bionics.
“If it were meee, I wouldn’t have chosen such an old-fashioned approachhh. The company’s current vision is at least a generation behind everyone elseee. If you want to attract investment capital, you need something revolutionaryyy.”
“For example?”
“Genetic engineering that surpasses the gene pool itself. What do you thinkkk?”
“That’s no different from Genius Babies.”
Children born through indiscriminate genetic manipulation—Genius Babies.
The proposal Croft advocated was no different from rolling the dice until success finally appeared.
It was an extremely irresponsible idea, but—
“What if the subjects were enhanced humansss? Enhanced humans that surpass enhanced humansss. Yes, how about superhumansss?”
With nothing more than a slight shift in perspective, the entire picture changed.
“Unlike Nodetech, which is obsessed with mechanization, Alpha Stroke focuses on biological enhancementnn. If we sold them the patent, we could go public immediately and climb all the way to the top.”
It was a detailed and ambitious proposal.
His explanation flowed without hesitation, as though it were something he had been contemplating for a very long time.
Could such an idea really be Croft’s alone?
“That sounds tempting.”
“Yes?”
“I want to invest. You heard it too, didn’t you? I’m a member of Baekdu. I may be a newcomer, but I’m not so lacking that I can’t provide initial funding.”
“Then my explanation was insufficienttt. That was merely an exampleee.”
The lips that had been running nonstop froze instantly.
Ga-on had no desire to dig any deeper.
All he wanted was to understand the truth behind it.
Judging from what he had heard, cultivating superhumans seemed to be part of a plan currently being orchestrated by Ryungyeong.
It was a common thing.
People often described their own experiences as though they had merely heard them from a friend.
“To be honest, what I envisioned is something else entirelyyy. In a way, you could say it’s a field that’s related to you as well, Mr. Ga-onnn.”
Croft subtly changed the subject.
I had wondered why he had uncharacteristically given me an opening, but was it a bluff intended to gauge my disposition? It seemed there was something else he really wanted to say.
“I’m not trying to belittle my father’s achievements, but the research being conducted right now won’t be enough to treat someone like you, Mr. Ga-onnn. Special cases require special prescriptionsss.”
Croft stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“If my prediction is correct, you only have about five years lefttt. Persisting stubbornly on a single path isn’t always the answerrr. You know that better than anyone, don’t youuu?”
His tone provoked fear of death.
His words were tempting.
No matter who heard them, it was the kind of verdict that would inevitably make them anxious.
“You’re talking as if you have a solution.”
“I can’t say I’m certain eitherree. But it goes without saying that pursuing two tracks is wiser than relying on a single oneee. There’s a saying about not putting all your eggs in one basket, isn’t thereee?”
“Separate from Orametic Bionics, you mean.”
When Ga-on gestured for him to continue, Croft resumed speaking.
“I’m researching a method of awakening humanity’s innate potentialll. It’s a little different from genetic engineeringgg.”
“It’s not legal, is it?”
“I merely wanted to let you know that such a path existsss.”
Croft never denied it.
Perhaps he was the type with exceptionally strong intellectual curiosity.
To put it plainly, he was a mad scientist.
The kind of person who cared more about seeing the truth than obeying regulations.
I felt as though I finally understood why he had abandoned ordinary life and thrown himself into Ryungyeong.
There was no need to ask.
Judging from our conversation just now, the next research subject Croft had chosen was—
‘Supernatural abilities.’
Coincidentally, it was connected to the very field that occupied my own thoughts.
***
The expansion work was complete, and Veda’s installation had been finished as well.
My previous house had not been small, but comparing it to this mansion was absurd. Considering that the entire third basement level was filled with rack cabinets, the evolution was beyond compare.
Of course, power consumption had increased dramatically in proportion.
The amount exceeded ordinary residential usage, enough to attract the attention of the Public Enforcement Corps or a megacorp. Fortunately, the name of Baekdu smoothed everything over. There happened to be an affiliated factory nearby.
Since there was a clear source from which electricity could be supplied, the risk of drawing suspicion was significantly reduced.
[Master is quite sensitive.]
Perhaps because the supporting facilities had improved, Veda’s sense of self had become even stronger.
As a bonus, her emotional expressions had become unusually rich.
[No, perhaps meticulous would be more accurate. I wasn’t referring to your personality. I was mainly talking about your body——]
“Just shut up.”
Not exactly the direction I had wanted her development to take.
Letting Veda’s nonsense go in one ear and out the other, I moved on to assessing the situation.
“What happened with the analysis from before?”
[Results of eight consecutive analyses: 51,657 overlapping base sequences have been detected between the samples.]
Three billion base pairs.
Of those, less than two percent actually constituted genes.
The traits that distinguished one individual from another amounted to only 0.1 percent.
Finding distinctive patterns within such a vast ocean was encouraging enough.
“Remove the patterns that can be found in ordinary humans.”
[19,566 base sequences remain.]
What I was searching for was the element that made a Meta-human a Meta-human.
If Meta-humans belonged to the same species, then they should share a common root.
If that was true, the principles behind supernatural abilities should also be similar.
Even if the manifested forms differed.
Perhaps those differences were phenomena created by tiny variations, just like human individuality.
What I wanted was the realization of supernatural abilities.
Ultimately, it was the elucidation of immortality.
In that sense, the transformation ability was an ideal starting point.
It allowed me to consciously induce changes at the genetic level.
However—
[Implementation is impossible using only the built-in simulator.]
“So it’s a matter of empirical verification.”
I would have to personally confirm everything one step at a time.
No matter how many test subjects I had, it would never be enough.
It would become a grand undertaking that even a megacorp could not casually reproduce.
Even if I accepted every risk and played the card of clone humans.
But that wasn’t the case for me.
I possessed a body that would not die until the experiment was complete.
***
“You’ve moved somewhere quite nice. I’d like to live in a place like this at least once myself, but I’m a public servant, after all.”
Jin Geon spoke as he looked around the mansion.
It was the first time I had seen him since my hospitalization, yet why was I already getting tired of him?
Dropping onto the sofa, I gestured for him to stop talking nonsense.
“Hand over the housewarming gift.”
“It seems you’re more interested in the gift than in seeing me.”
Jin Geon set a sealed attaché case onto the table and entered a code.
Psssh—
The lid opened with a sound like escaping steam.
The item revealed inside was—
“A sword hilt?”
It was a black device.
Though it featured smooth curves that fit comfortably in the hand, it was far removed from what I had imagined.
“There’s no blade.”
“Come to think of it, carrying a sword around has its drawbacks. It’s not as though you can walk around with a long carrying case slung over your shoulder at all times, can you? For a fixer like you, Mr. Ga-on, that problem is even more severe.”
“So...?”
Holding the hilt, Jin Geon flicked it as though snapping it outward.
In that instant, a blade shot out from inside the hilt.
Its speed was nothing short of lightning-fast.
“I put technology into it.”