How to Live as an Immortal Chapter 008

No Brand Knows

*

"Well, it's neither good nor bad."

To begin with, Shin didn't know what an ordinary life was.

Just as a fish swimming in the sea cannot understand the feelings of a beast running on land.

While he could intellectually predict how it might be, emotionally it didn't really resonate with him.

"If I were you, my assessment would have been a bit different."

As Shin looked at him as if to ask what he meant, Thomas continued.

"Looking back, I realize I spent all my time regretting and reflecting. I never thought human life could be this short."

"No one has spent their life as righteously as you, Master."

Shin, who had watched him closely, could guarantee that.

"And I don't have a child who has grown up as properly as yours. I'm certainly not someone to be envied. I may be complete as a living being, but as a human, I'm defective. Because I can't even put a period to my life as I wish."

At those words, tinged with regret, Thomas couldn't hide his embarrassment.

"Oh dear, I seem to have said something unnecessary."

"So let's stop this pointless talk. Tell me about your trip to Mars. I've never been there, so I'm quite curious."

At Shin's urging, Thomas recalled his memories.

"Everything there is different from here."

"Well, you can move around freely there, for one."

"Perhaps because of the place, it's more open-minded. Both the people and the technology. On my way back, I even saw someone marrying an android."

"That happens on Earth too, though rarely."

"But they can't escape the gossip here. The atmosphere there is different. Let's just say it's better that way. The perception of fixers is much better too. There's an abundance of work."

"You mean there are a lot of incidents and accidents."

"In any case, it would be nothing short of paradise for professions like fixers. Don't you think?"

It was such a blatant suggestion that it felt like a subtle recommendation. Shin shrugged and retorted.

This year, he had been running around here and there unusually often, and it seemed he had learned a lot from it.

"It wouldn't be bad, as you say, Master. If only I had a device."

There were a few ways to travel between continents. But travel between planets was extremely limited. Even Shin couldn't challenge it recklessly. Moreover—

"The spaceport is run by the city government, isn't it?"

It was an area that even the all-powerful MegaCorp couldn't invade at will. In other words, no matter how much money you had, it was useless without a legally recognized identity.

It wasn't for nothing that Shin had postponed and forgotten about Mars.

"Oh my, you haven't forgotten who I am, have you?"

A voice so small that it wouldn't reach other guests.

Only then did Shin seem to understand what Thomas was trying to say.

Thomas Russell was the owner of Attitude and a famous broker known to everyone in this area. But even for someone like him, there were things possible and things impossible. The prime example was device procurement, or in other words, issuing citizen IDs.

Until just a few years ago, he had expressed negative opinions about it.

"Don't tell me you've found a way?"

"I just brought back a gift for you on my return from my travels."

Though he didn't mention it directly, the mischievous expression he had never shown since growing old said it all. He had suddenly recommended Mars, and it was clear he had secured a ticket to get there.

"You sly fox. So when are you giving it to me?"

"Your birthday is coming up soon, isn't it? It wouldn't be appropriate to unwrap it right away."

"You're saying I should wait until then?"

As if to say what more needed to be said, Thomas smiled.

Shin, who had drained his vodka martini to the bottom, also smiled in response.

*

After that, Shin began to meticulously organize his personal affairs. The record of living in Dome No.3 for 19 years was by no means short, but this was a move he had experienced several times before. Now he erased his traces by following the procedures almost mechanically, with rapid efficiency.

If there was one process that should never be forgotten, it was extending the rental period of the storage warehouse. Regrettably, he couldn't carry antiques or other equipment with him. He had to reduce the volume.

The best approach was to only take the funds needed for settling. After all, there would be similar places in other domes, so there was no reason to feel regretful.

Everything went smoothly until the final stage.

Or rather, it would have gone smoothly.

If he hadn't felt that strange gaze.

He had been living quietly, even cutting off the occasional jobs he took on, so this was extremely puzzling. He couldn't think of any reason to clash with anyone. But if asked whether there was anything on his mind, that wasn't the case either.

It was possible that Security Officer Jeremy, unable to forget his grudge, had betrayed him. It wouldn't be implausible for him to hire someone to keep an eye on him.

But that assumption didn't last long.

He had just realized that the group tailing him was qualitatively different from Gerald's gang he had dealt with a few days ago.

This wasn't a group that a security officer could control by throwing them a few coins.

Finally, after luring them to a secluded empty lot, Shin muttered in a low voice.

"Why don't you come out?"

It was incomprehensible what could be so resentful to follow him for three days straight. As Shin clicked his tongue briefly as if bored, his gaze filled with burly men. A presence different from ordinary criminals. Even a blind person would have noticed how different this was.

'Striders?'

Whether they had successfully settled in the dome or not, each was armed with menacing weapons.

At that moment, a man who appeared to be the leader stepped forward and asked abruptly.

"You know about the Brand, don't you?"

Oh, Shin exclaimed, piecing together the words.

"I know about No Brand."

The man bared his canine teeth at the wordplay that wasn't even worth a hollow laugh.

"Cut the crap. I have no intention of playing along with you."

"I'm being sincere, though."

"Don't play dumb. The field investigation is over. I'm not asking because I really don't know."

"I'm telling you, it's the first I've heard of it."

But contrary to his words, Shin's mind was racing.

It seemed to be related to the Striders he had encountered recently. After all, the young man he had dealt with then and the man before him now bore a striking resemblance. He had been so cocky until his death, which made sense now.

"I know that my brother had been staking out the pawnshop for a while, scouting for prey. And that you were the one who came into the picture on the day he died."

"......"

As Shin held his tongue, the man blurted out as if he had expected this.

"The Fixer Shin. A famous figure known to everyone in this area. Never failed a job you've taken on, right? For 19 years at that."

While it might sound like a record-breaking, legendary expert at first glance, the man knew the inside story.

"But when I looked into it closely, it was laughable. Investigating affairs, intervening in school violence, and resolving loan shark issues. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard it. I thought you were playing house or something."

"It might seem trivial to you, but for those involved, it's a matter of their entire lives."

"Right, and now it's your problem too."

"Even if I keep saying I don't know, you won't believe me, will you?"

"At this point, that doesn't matter. I have to avenge my brother somehow."

Shin, wiping the smile from his lips, ran his hand through his hair once.

"As much as I like volunteering, taking on unpaid town cleaning is a bit burdensome."

"Ah, so that's how you felt when you dealt with my brother?"

The man, his expression growing even more ominous, narrowed the distance and raised one hand. The moment he flicked his fingers, the atmosphere in the place would change dramatically.

The taut air signaled an explosive situation.

In the midst of this, where even breathing felt uncomfortable, suddenly an unnaturally large shadow stepped between them.

"Del."

At the heavy voice, the man, Del, faltered.

"Didn't I tell you to lay low for a while? It's a period of intensive crackdown. Didn't I inform you?"

The giant bent down to meet Del's eyes.

"Or was my advice useless?"

"No, sir."

Shin knew who this person was. A man who exemplified how organized crime had adapted and evolved as humanity progressed to the point of venturing into space with the advent of the 24th century.

An executive of the Guerrilla Family, an organization that divided the underworld of this area.

His name was Mark Rossi.

In other words—

"Mr. Steroid, you came at the most interesting time."

"Cut the nonsense."

Mark, dismissing Shin's words as if annoyed, cast his gaze towards Del and the Striders following him.

"You guys stop this too. This guy is a fixer I'm in charge of."

"This is a matter of my family's reputation. Even if it's you, Mr. Mark, you don't have the right to interfere."

"Does this sound like a request to you? This is an order."

Mark, gripping Del's shoulder as if to squeeze it, growled.

"It's because you can't distinguish between when to stick your neck out and when not to that you always remain on the fringes."

It was a statement bordering on insult, but Del had no choice but to endure it like swallowing a fireball. The difference in physique was overwhelming. Both internally and externally.

In the end, he had no choice but to turn away.

Shin, who had been dispassionately observing the group disappearing like an ebbing tide, turned his head.

"So, what's this about?"

"I'm hurt. Have we become so estranged that we only meet when there's business?"

"If you didn't have a purpose, you wouldn't have bothered to interfere."

At this sharp observation, Mark opened his mouth as if admitting defeat.

"A broker is looking for a fixer. There's only one thing this could mean, right?"

"You're going to give me a job?"

"That's right."

It was an incredibly suspicious approach. Given his position, Mark didn't provide delivery service. At most, he would contact lazily via messenger, sticking to the policy of 'Let the desperate ones come and beg first.'

Moreover, the trust between the two had long since crumbled.

Because of Mark's misdeeds a year ago.

"You haven't forgotten, have you? You lied to me."

Until then, Shin had been carrying out requests out of habit.

It was the same on the day the incident occurred.

At first, he had personally stepped in upon hearing news of an innocent victim. But lo and behold. What he faced at the end was Mark's dirty laundry. To be precise, Mark's dirty laundry that had already been perfectly resolved.

"You deceived me to catch the guy who ran away with your secret ledger."

Though he had pulled out belatedly after realizing the situation was getting complicated, it was undeniably troubling.

He had clearly been used.

For personal gain.

He knew the guy was rotten to the core, but he hadn't expected him to be so blatant, which is why he had cut off contact and lived separately.

"Put aside that stale grudge. I paid you handsomely for that job, didn't I? More importantly, it's about the request. It's a request that's not bad for you either."

"Not bad for you, you mean?"

"It's come down from up there."

For a moment, Shin hesitated. Judging by his cautious demeanor, it was highly likely that Mark was referring to the city government or MegaCorp.

"This doesn't seem like a conversation we can have here. Let's go somewhere quiet."

Since this was the first time he had been so insistent, Shin quietly acquiesced. After all, he had no intention of taking on any requests as he was organizing his affairs, but there was no harm in listening.

Not neglecting to gather information was also a virtue of a fixer.