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While I was resting in my room, I looked over the investigation records of the ‘former detectives’.
It is no exaggeration to say that the former was also an Archie Bigtima user. They tracked Kinuan by connecting elements that ordinary people would not have detected.
Kinuan hides himself through contradictions. He deliberately chooses to do things that other people would not do.
‘That can never happen.’
The moment you think like this, you lose sight of Kinuan. You cannot find him with logic armed with rationality.
Intentional irrationality and illogicality were Kinuan’s weapons. He never moved according to others’ expectations.
‘Irrationality and illogicality.’
There is no need to go far. This is also why I was able to corner the Emperor.
‘It’s funny. Since we have higher cognitive and higher thinking abilities, we don’t need sophisticated logic and planning.’
In situations where there are simple facts and clear benefits, the judgment of the average person and the Archie Bigtima user are the same.
However, in situations where the facts are unclear and it is not clear what the benefits are, the judgment of Akiess Bigtima users is completely different from that of the general public.
Even Archie’s Bigtima users don’t act with perfect prediction and expectation of a certain outcome. They just blindly accelerate it because they know that the more ‘variables and confusion’ there are, the better it is for them.
So if the situation is not in my favor right now, I can just make it more confusing, like I did during the storm.
… … Now I understand.
This is also why Kinuan personally dealt with the assassins targeting Francek.
‘He just wanted to cause more chaos in Akbaran. The more unpredictable the chaos, the more choices he has and the more influence he has. The actions of the embodiment of chaos.’
And at the end of the day, Kinuan would have chosen the option that was most beneficial to him.
My forehead and the bridge of my nose are throbbing as if blood is rushing to my eyes. Let’s stop here for today.
Dalgrak.
I reached out and picked up the thermos filled with tea. The tasteless water was sloshing around. Tea was very expensive, but it was one of the items that Japa Trading Company handled.
Huroop.
I closed my eyes and drank the tea. From that moment on, my nervous system, which had been on edge, quickly regained its composure.
Tea contains ingredients that are effective in calming the nerves. However, its physiological effects are actually minimal.
The stabilizing effect I felt was a psychological mechanism.
‘Thought Stopping Routine.’
The more skilled you become at Aki’s Victory, the harder it is to consciously stop thinking. When you encounter a difficult problem, it is hard to stop thinking. You will keep thinking until the problem is solved, and you will become exhausted. You will only be able to stop when you are exhausted.
If you keep thinking like that, you’ll go crazy. I’ve experienced this clearly during the storm.
‘Kinuan’s frequent drinking of tea… must have been a routine to stop accidents.’
I was following Kinuan. A tranquilizer would be the best, but if I were to administer the drug every time I wanted to stop thinking, I wouldn’t be able to handle the side effects.
Drinking tea, which has a mild sedative effect, sends a signal to the brain that it needs to rest now. Luckily, my brain understood my intention.
‘I am still learning from Kinuan.’
I laughed because of the old memories. The conditions for entering Aki’s Victory came to mind again.
‘Learn by stealing.’
There was a reason Kinuan offered me tea every time I came.
‘Whatever your intention, you did teach me well.’
I didn’t push myself for a week. I knew my unstable state better than anyone else.
While resting, I looked through my predecessor’s records and acquired information about Border City. I also checked to see what I could about the Empire’s activities and news.
And I went to see Lapis and had the new body checked.
In the corner of the machine shop was an old monitor. Lapis often turned on a television broadcast while working. There were hundreds of broadcast channels in Border City.
-Snake, snake, snake, healthy snake meat, and tasty, snake, snake, snake. These snakes are raised in sterile farms. They even fry the skin and eat it as a snack. Do you know? I like men who are like snakes, lalalalala.
I frowned as I sat on the maintenance chair. An advertisement was playing on the monitor.
A human woman with her vital parts covered in snake skin was dancing and singing. The broadcast from Border City was, to me, a native of the Empire, a miserable freedom.
In common parlance, every channel seemed like a brothel advertisement. There was a real sense of lack of regulation.
“La la la, snake, snake, snake… … .”
Lapis hummed a song as she examined my body. Tarpa was about the same height as me, sitting down, considering he was of a childish build in human terms.
“I feel like I’m going crazy when I listen to that song, so turn the broadcast off.”
“Even if you don’t want to hear it, you’ll get used to it. Angus Regina is the most popular singer in Border City these days. She’s the star idol raised by Boss Jafar… … .”
Lapis was talking nonsense like she was a fan of Anguis Regina.
“What about the retina display?”
I cut her off. Lapis brought the metal box from the table.
“I ordered it in combat spec as you requested. However, it won’t be as responsive as the original eye.”
Lapis took an ampoule of nanomachine liquid out of the box. Nanomachines were a fairly expensive procedure.
Knock, knock.
Lapis placed three drops of nanomachine liquid into each of my eyes. There was a crackling sound as the liquid was applied in a thin layer to my cornea.
I blinked a few times. My vision was distorted by light distortion.
“Hmm, it seems to be holding the spot well. I’ll insert the chip too. It might sting a little.”
Lapis, holding the chip injector, lifted the hair on my right temple.
Phew!
A thin chip was inserted under my skin. The chip, which is implanted subcutaneously, will control the retinal display.
Srrrr.
As the chip and nanomachines connected, the distortion in my vision disappeared. Soon, a virtual interface appeared in my field of vision.
It was a sight I missed in many ways.
“How to remove it?”
“You asked me how to remove it right after the procedure? It’s a little disappointing.”
“If I get hacked, my vision will be out of my control. I can’t just trust it.”
Unlike cybernetic prosthetics, chips are vulnerable to hacking because they are not subject to brain signals or control. Unless they are standalone devices that completely exclude wireless connections, there is always a risk of hacking.
“If you break the control chip inserted into the temple, it will fall out together.”
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My pupils would be moving dazzlingly. There was a lot of information to check. The wireless linkage between the retinal display system and my belongings was also coming to an end.
The auto-tracking pistol and terminal, which take a long time to link, have also been completed.
Beep.
I saw a message pop up in the corner of my eye. It was a call from Jafar.
* * *
I went to Jafar’s office at the top of the building.
Jafar was looking down at Border City with his pack on his back. His back looked more gloomy than usual.
“I need you to do something, Mr. Luca.”
“I wasn’t just looking for Kinuan?”
I replied, plopping down on the sofa.
The candy basket on the table was filled with poison-flavored candies. It said that there was a 1/1000 chance of death. I wonder what it tastes like. I hate to admit it, but Japa’s products stimulate my desire for challenge and curiosity. If I were ten years younger, I would have been crazy.
“It’s a matter of finding people. It might be difficult for others, but for you, it’s as easy as taking a walk. It’ll also help with rehabilitation.”
Jafar slowly turned towards me. His face was dark in the backlight.
“If you are going to use people for work outside of their contract, there has to be compensation.”
“You’re more petty than I thought. How much did you receive from me… … Hoyooooooo… … . By the way, it’s very difficult to hear Tajirun say that you’re petty.”
When he said that, a corner of my heart was pricked. Although it was very difficult to find Kinuan, Japha’s material support was also quite great.
“You know that what I want is not material support.”
I prepared myself mentally by looking at Jafar’s tongue. He sticks his tongue out three times before saying something important. It’s like a swish, swish, swish.
“When Giselle Custoria went missing… … the person in charge of security was with her. That person is still in Border City.”
Okay, it’s good that you prepared yourself mentally.
‘You’ve managed to keep that fact a secret all this time!’
… … I almost turned this place upside down by shouting. Of course Jafar didn’t say anything. Information is an important means of dealing that can keep me.
There is nothing to be angry about. Jafar is a merchant, and he does business with me. Even better, I am the one who benefits from the transaction.
‘Rationally, rationally.’
I took a short, deep breath and intertwined my fingers.
“It seems like the step-siblings got along well.”
Japha, sensing the knot in my emotions, said:
“We went to school together. There was a kid there who would chase after Giselle and bully her, but I beat him up. We became close after that.”
… … It is true to some extent.
“Anyway, if you grant me this favor, I will also tell you the location of the person in charge of security.”
It was a deal he had no choice but to accept. Jafar was a seasoned businessman.
* * *
Border City also had separate affluent residential areas. The place I had just arrived was one of those affluent residential areas.
The 21-story luxury apartment had tight security from the first floor. Guards wearing full-body combat uniforms and armed with excessively heavy weapons walked around. It felt like I was in some kind of military facility.
As I stood at the entrance, an armed guard stared at me silently.
“This is an entry pass guaranteed by Company Japa.”
I held out a liquid crystal card with a security code flowing like water. It was an access card that Jafar had issued in advance. Jafar was one of the investors in this luxury mansion.
There was a commotion while I was getting my badge checked.
“I’m Neneuneneun! I’m Anguis’ boyfriend! Ask him! Ask him! Anguis, I’m here! Anguiseuuuuu!”
I looked back. A few guards came out and beat the screaming human male with iron clubs. I could hear bones breaking.
“If you keep doing that, someone will die.”
As I blurted out, the guard in front of me laughed.
“Even if they get better, they’ll come back. If you just send them away, they’ll come every day. There are more than a few people like that. Half of our security work is dealing with Anguish Regina’s stalkers.”
“Is Anguish Regina that popular?”
When I asked, the guard showed a look of surprise even through his helmet.
“Did you just ask about Anguish Regina’s popularity? You’re not from Border City. Snake, snake… .”
“The song is fine. It’s not like I was hypnotized by some group or anything… .”
I grumbled and pushed past the guard, only to be faced with a momentary paralysis of choice.
It was a 21-story mansion with 20 elevators. Each floor had its own elevator. There was no such thing as a ridiculous amount of money.
Chiik.
I took the elevator to the 19th floor. The interior was about the size of a single room.
As expected of a private elevator, the interior was filled with personal items. The shelves were filled with flashy jewelry and cosmetics, and one wall of the elevator was completely filled with closets for storage.
Woof.
The inside of the closing elevator doors was filled with photos of Anguis Regina. She is Japa’s exclusive idol. She is also the woman who sings the song I find so tiresome…
… … He was also the person I had to find.
‘Anguis Regina has gone missing.’
The time was yesterday, or the day before yesterday.