Chapter 145
Chapter 145
I Need to Become an Assemblyman
***
A skyscraper soaring high into the sky.
Beneath it, flying cars darted about in every direction. With so many chunks of metal busily coming and going like honeybees, the sky itself looked gloomy for some reason.
It was truly a mountain of machinery.
In ancient times, pyramids had displayed the wonders of civilization; now, megacorps had taken over that role.
A place where countless goods and people intersected.
The endless bustle resembled blood vessels pulsing with life.
Though it was a scene that plainly demonstrated the power of Trian, Baek Ga-on merely checked his attire indifferently. He had come here to meet Samuel Trian.
“Are you Mr. Baek Ga-on?”
“I am.”
Not long afterward, an android appeared at the appointed location.
It seemed as though he would be guided to the headquarters, but the reality was the opposite.
Leaving the crowded streets behind, he entered a secluded area. At the end stood a single building exuding a pastoral atmosphere. It was small in size, but it was not underground. As if mindful of public attention, the secretly constructed facility was packed with the latest equipment.
A brief glance revealed that the only individuals entering and leaving were androids.
Furthermore, the innermost section was a sterile zone, requiring a series of sterilization procedures before entry.
Thus, after considerable effort, he finally reached Samuel’s residence.
There was already a guest there.
The man with long, shimmering blond hair quietly stared at the elderly man lying beyond the glass wall.
Inside a medical pod—an Anima—he remained in a state of light sleep.
His name was Samuel.
He was the head who moved the colossal nation known as Trian, a member of the Board, and one of the figures responsible for running the Seed Colony.
It was then that the man spoke.
“Did you know this? Trian’s first Chairman founded the company because he wanted to feed his children well. Well, back then, it was too small to even be called a company.”
Moreover, it had been immediately after the Fourth Industrial Revolution, when being a latecomer was an unavoidable burden.
The speed of progress was so catastrophic that it would have been accurate to say someone had kicked it into overdrive.
Human intelligence and the establishment of institutions could scarcely keep up.
Capable unemployed workers flooded the market, countless companies collapsed, and chaos only intensified.
Amid all that, successive Chairmen pursued transformation with such desperation that it seemed they would cough up their own entrails.
Following the will of the founding Chairman.
That was why Trian, which had not even qualified as a small or medium-sized enterprise, had successfully carried out acquisition after acquisition, expanding its size through relentless effort and accumulated history.
Naturally, he too had inherited the will of his predecessors and walked the same path.
For one hundred and eighty years.
He had never imagined any other future.
Yet as he reached the final stage of his life, the dreams he had buried beneath the banner of the megacorp’s prosperity resurfaced.
A sudden thought occurred to him.
He wanted to escape death.
Even if it meant surrendering everything he possessed.
“There was a time when I wanted to become a fixer and wander the underworld pretending to be a champion of justice.”
The face reflected in the glass wall was youthful, but the smile belonged to an old man.
“I also wanted to travel far away and climb Mount Olympus. Or perhaps venture beyond the Solar System and see the end of the vast universe. In any case, I wanted to become something. Anything at all.”
Unable to hide his bitter expression, he let out a gray sigh.
“But despite those wishes, now I find myself merely waiting for the day I die.”
Though he wore the appearance of a young man, he was an old man.
Yes, his true nature was—
“An Actor.”
A form in which only his consciousness had been transferred into a full-body prosthetic.
The one controlling it was entirely Samuel’s own will.
“My body isn’t what it used to be. I hope you’ll understand me receiving you in this form.”
“I don’t care either way, as long as I get paid what I’m owed.”
Answering the approaching Samuel, Ga-on sat in the seat indicated to him.
Samuel undoubtedly knew about the accident at the large-scale plant.
And he likely knew that Gabriel, who had been undergoing cloning there, had been completely destroyed for some unknown reason.
He was probably suspicious.
The timing was simply too coincidental.
That was why Ga-on had expected him to explode with rage the moment they met.
Yet Samuel’s voice was remarkably calm.
His demeanor resembled that of a reclusive sage.
The gentle face carried the scent of deep scholarship.
“...There was an issue at the facility where Gabriel’s body had been stored. Most likely, the Emergency Disaster Response Unit discovered that child was a Meta-human and launched an attack.”
It seemed his concern had been unnecessary.
After all, the sabotage carried out against major facilities was not the sort of performance an ordinary fixer could accomplish.
It was convenient that Samuel had reached that conclusion on his own, but—
“The fault lies with you. Surely you’re not planning to use that as an excuse to avoid paying what you owe?”
“Giving without receiving anything in return is not the path to mutual prosperity. Just as you told Mumyung.”
Even if he appeared mild-mannered, perhaps it was more accurate to call him a crafty old serpent.
The way he insisted he had no intention of making a losing deal was rather irritating.
Still, crushing him unilaterally would be unreasonable.
“So you intended to threaten me from the beginning?”
“At least call it a negotiation.”
Ga-on had never naively believed that his meeting with Samuel would proceed smoothly.
But when it came to authority, he was no less imposing.
To the outside world, he was merely a second-generation chaebol heir, but within the Inner Circle, he openly claimed to be Baek Seok-do, the man who had taken over that heir’s body.
Everything was within expectations.
However—
“If you’re going to ask me to bring you a new body, I refuse.”
“I have no such desire. There are plenty of children who can replace one.”
“......”
Perhaps that was what one would expect from the Chairman of a megacorp.
The way he regarded humans as resources was not very different from Gabriel.
Only the degree differed.
“Don’t look at me like that. We both belong to the same Ark, do we not?”
“Ah, yes. Ark.”
He repeated the unfamiliar term to himself.
It seemed that was what the Inner Circle was called.
The choice of wording felt highly deliberate.
Perhaps it was best described as something like a final bastion.
As though they were proclaiming themselves the representatives of humanity.
It might have been nothing more than personal speculation, but it was not entirely implausible.
After all, as Mumyung alone demonstrated, the technology they wielded was overtechnology that vastly surpassed the current generation.
What interested him was what they intended to do with such power—
“You know the purpose of the Ark as well, don't you?”
“Of course. However, I don't think it's a subject that should be discussed carelessly here.”
Like Mumyung, he took an extremely conservative approach.
Just what was it that made them so determined to maintain their silence?
It wasn't as if they were plotting the overthrow of the municipal government.
He might learn more if he revealed that he had lost his memories, but exposing a weakness to someone like Samuel would be a poor move.
It seemed best to be satisfied with what he had learned.
More importantly—
“Let's get to the point. I'd like to hear why you're pushing this issue.”
“In truth, there's a request I'd like to entrust to you.”
“Coming from a member of the Board, no less.”
At that remark, Samuel merely shrugged as if he had no rebuttal.
“Those with skill lack authority, and those with authority lack skill. Besides, this is not a matter I can reveal to just anyone. I will soon disappear, and the number of people who know my true identity will become exceedingly small.”
“I'll decide after hearing it.”
At Ga-on's gesture telling him to continue, Samuel replied weakly.
“If you've investigated, then you should already know that Gabriel was far removed from the line of succession. That was precisely why I selected him. But at some point, he awakened an ability and walked down a path he never should have taken.”
That much Ga-on already knew well.
“Something about the entire process felt suspicious. So I investigated and discovered there was someone who had encouraged him.”
“Someone approached him with ulterior motives? That sort of thing happens all the time. I can understand wanting revenge, though.”
“It isn't something to be dismissed so lightly.”
Samuel could state that with certainty because he had once made that exact mistake and failed to catch the culprit.
“The one who approached my son, Gabriel, was a Meta-human.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“One who had reached Stage 4.”
The mention of Stage 4 immediately sharpened Ga-on's focus.
Wasn't that effectively a term referring to someone who had reached the pinnacle of a particular ability and made it their own?
Even Ga-on could not confidently claim he could capture such an opponent alive.
“A name?”
“I don't know the name, but I know the alias. In the underworld, they called him the Consultant...”
Samuel's expression stiffened slightly as he concluded the lengthy explanation.
“According to the rumors, he can awaken abilities with a single word.”
***
—If the opportunity arises, I'll visit you again in a different form.
Having accepted Samuel's request, Ga-on stepped out onto the street.
It wasn't because some newfound sense of camaraderie had arisen within him.
What truly moved him was the financial package attached to the offer.
More precisely, it was the figure transferred under the guise of an advance payment.
Whether it was the final paternal affection a father could show, or the pride of a beast whose territory had been invaded, Samuel's determination to take revenge on the Consultant appeared unwavering.
Coincidentally, his research into immortality was just about to get underway in earnest.
The more funds, the better.
There was no downside to having more money available.
Even if that money belonged to an old man trying to devour his own child.
In the worst-case scenario, he could simply terminate the contract.
‘...’
In truth, there was one thing that bothered him.
Croft, who claimed he could grant abilities.
The Consultant, who could awaken abilities.
Considering the relationship between Ryungyeong and the Meta-humans, it was reasonable to assume that Croft had taken inspiration from the Consultant.
As luck would have it, he even worked at Orametic Bionics, making him relatively easy to approach.
Well—
‘I'll investigate that gradually...’
Turning his back, Ga-on left District 2.
There was still a mountain of matters he needed to deal with.
***
The reception room of Bar Columbus.
Perhaps because he had experienced several incidents in such a short period of time, Kurtnik had become noticeably sharper.
Even his overall appearance had changed.
Previously, he had looked like a promising elite.
Now, he resembled an addict suffering through withdrawal.
Like a blade desperately eager to stab someone.
Though it seemed the reason and intellect he had accumulated over the years were still holding the final reins.
“As expected, Assemblyman Rouge has passed away.”
“There was no helping it.”
“No. I had already suspected as much. It's just...”
Unable to hide his apologetic expression, Kurtnik scratched at the thick beard that had grown across his face.
An aide without an assemblyman to serve was little different from a kite whose string had been cut.
And furthermore—
“It seems I can no longer pay the agreed compensation.”
Wasn't the condition that he would become an assemblyman and fulfill Ga-on's request?
To be honest, even if Rouge had returned alive, the outcome likely would not have changed.
Kurtnik had no desire whatsoever to become an assemblyman through the grace of his enemy.
“Ah, about that. There's no reason you have to belong to the Pioneer Party, right?”
“Huh? Yes. That's true, but...”
“Then get up.”
The Gathering had been completely uprooted by Ga-on's hand.
Not a single member remained.
More than twenty people had vanished without anyone realizing it.
Every one of them had been a prominent figure capable of influencing society, and more and more people were quietly beginning to question their disappearances.
Jin Geon had imposed an embargo on the matter, but modern society did not tolerate power vacuums.
Sooner or later, those positions would be filled somehow.
It was the perfect opportunity to exploit the gap.
Therefore—
“You need to become an assemblyman.”