*

Baek Ga-on kicked the fallen doctor aside and approached the man. Other than his slow breathing, there didn’t seem to be any other signs of trouble. He was probably just deeply sedated and unconscious.

Not bad. It meant he didn’t have to explain the situation at length.

After covering the man with a blanket, Ga-on stepped outside and headed to a place he hadn’t visited yet. The ominous sign labeled “Processing Room” caught his eye for a moment. Considering the nature of the Pier Gang, this was likely the final destination.

Sure enough, inside, four people lay unconscious. They hadn’t been harvested yet, so they were still intact.

Since they didn’t need immediate medical attention, Ga-on turned away. He was here because he had accepted a request. While humanitarian work was good, he first needed to confirm if the people on the list were still alive.

The destination was clear.

---

A room located in the deepest part of the basement.

Ga-on arrived at the place where the records of past misdeeds were kept and pulled out a magnetic cable from his pocket.

Click.

One end was attached to the Device, and the other was connected to the port. A prompt for a password appeared on his retina.

A situation within expectations.

Ga-on had lived a long life. He had accumulated knowledge in various fields, including a few tricks. Handling hacking tools was one of them.

It wasn’t on par with the skills of a Diver or Tuner, but it was enough to breach a street gang’s hideout. A simple decryption program was all it took.

Once connected to the database, Ga-on quickly sorted through the information and soon found the transaction ledger. The names of the missing persons buried within quickly surfaced.

He had hoped, but all he saw were dry reports stating they had been disposed of.

And the last modification date was a week ago.

It was a tragedy that occurred even before he received the request, but he couldn’t help feeling bitter.

In truth, it was a foreseen event.

Hadn’t he seen it on the way? The space named “Processing Room.”

The Pier Gang never intended to send back the people they kidnapped alive.

It was unfortunate, but there was nothing he could do. For the sake of the sacrificed, he had to copy their final moments.

While saving the data, a peculiar list caught his eye.

The Device extracted from this place, the equipment that should have been on standby, was paying a fixed amount to someone every month.

Searching through the records, a familiar name appeared.

[RYS Company]

It was the mysterious company that the citizen ID contained within the Device had been diligently sending money to before Ga-on received the implant.

Now it seemed they were connected to the Pier Gang as well.

Which meant the real Baek Ga-on also—

‘Went through a similar process, perhaps.’

There was a high probability he was from a socially vulnerable group. Of course, it was just speculation, so he didn’t jump to conclusions. Knowing wouldn’t change anything anyway.

It was then that Sarah contacted him.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

[A guest from the police came to the mansion. It seems they’re curious about the incident that happened before.]

“When did they come?”

[24 minutes and 10 seconds ago. I wasn’t going to mention it, but it felt odd. Master Doby also thought it would be better to inform you, so I’m passing it on.]

“Wasn’t it settled?”

The incident had been smoothed over by Maximum Noise’s president, Colin. There was no reason for the police to suddenly get involved now.

[It seemed they came with the intention of formally filing a report.]

“I hope my name doesn’t come up, even by accident.”

[Even if we try not to mention it, they asked about you first.]

It seemed this was why Sarah had contacted him.

“They asked about me?”

From the police’s perspective, a fixer was no different from a mayfly. They wouldn’t pay attention unless directly involved.

[It seemed more like genuine curiosity than interrogation. As you know, one person suddenly disappeared in the middle.]

“You mean Sprinter.”

It wasn’t surprising since the broker, Fernandez, had also approached after catching the scent.

[Fortunately, they didn’t seem to have any complaints about the process or procedure.]

“So who came to investigate?”

[From what I heard…]

Just as Sarah was about to mention the person’s name, the communication abruptly cut off.

It wasn’t due to an electromagnetic pulse. If it were, an error would have appeared on the Device.

There weren’t many devices capable of controlling the surrounding environment so cleanly.

Moreover, hadn’t he used it once before?

‘Controller.’

A trump card carried only by high-ranking officials in the police. Someone had undoubtedly entered the basement. And they were quite the troublesome type.

His uneasy premonition was spot on. Just as he was about to tidy up the magnetic cable, he sensed a presence.

“That’s far enough. If you’re doing something, please stop. Acting rashly will only increase your sentence.”

The voice from behind was that of a young man. But in modern society, judging someone by appearance alone was foolish.

Ga-on raised his hands and replied nonchalantly.

“I’m a fixer. I came here on a request.”

He turned to face the voice, but his effort was met with a warning shot.

Bang.

The bullet grazed the tip of his cheek without warning and embedded itself in the wall.

A trickle of blood from the torn wound dripped onto the control pad, but Ga-on didn’t even blink.

“If you turn around, I’ll assume you intend to retaliate. Just answer my questions.”

Indeed, this was how the police operated in this era.

Excessive force, coercion, and intimidation.

The presumption of innocence was tossed into the trash.

“I told you, I’m not a gangster. Look at this honest face.”

“That’s for me to decide.”

The man took a step closer, and an unfamiliar scent wafted over.

Tobacco-leather, a mix of tobacco and livestock. The primal, masculine fragrance was so intense it felt suffocating.

The man was an enhanced human.

One far beyond the ordinary.

“What’s your name?”

“Baek Ga-on.”

“Please submit your citizen ID.”

When he sent his personal information via short-range communication, the man nodded.

“Your record is clean. No prior offenses. It seems you haven’t been in the Seed Colony for long.”

“That’s right.”

“May I ask where you were before that?”

“I wandered here and there. You could find out with a background check, right?”

A strange sense of discord ran down his spine at the seemingly unrelated question.

A normal police officer would focus more on the Device extraction incident.

Why was he prying into personal details?

“Are you really with the police?”

“Oh dear, if you’re saying that, it seems I’ve been quite rude to an upstanding citizen. You may turn around now that the verification process is complete.”

The intimidating tone vanished, replaced by a sudden change in Attitude. It almost felt like he was being mocked.

As he slowly turned his head, the man’s appearance came into view.

A suit without a wrinkle and neatly combed hair. Most notably, his eyes were narrowed in a perpetual squint.

Though he wore a constant smile, his expression was utterly untrustworthy.

“I’m Jin Geon, a sheriff with the 2nd District’s Major Crimes Unit. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Ga-on.”

As he flaunted his police badge, the badge came into view.

When he scanned the recognition tag, confirmation of his rank came from the government office.

“A sheriff investigating a mere gang, huh.”

“The importance can vary depending on who’s involved.”

“To come all the way from the 2nd District, it must be something significant.”

“The Major Crimes Unit has no sanctuaries in its investigations. And someone I’ve been watching closely made a move.”

Jin Geon’s meaningful smile was as sly as a snake. It was so meticulously arranged that not even a needle could penetrate.

Since he admitted his mistake and maintained decorum, there was no room for vague criticism.

Of course, considering the relationship between the Pier Gang and the police, it wasn’t without suspicion.

Perhaps he had personally appeared to destroy evidence.

But contrary to such concerns, investigators swarmed in to handle the missing persons.

Though the scene became chaotic, Jin Geon continued speaking unfazed.

“By the way, it seems all the gangsters are dead.”

“Really? I didn’t see anything. Someone must have come before me.”

Revealing that he had dealt with them could lead to being dragged to the station for questioning.

Even if he were released on grounds of self-defense, it would undoubtedly involve a tedious process. There was no reason to step forward when there was nothing to gain.

“In that case, I’ll conclude the inquiry about you under my authority.”

“A wise choice.”

Just as Ga-on accepted Jin Geon’s goodwill and was about to leave, a remark brushed past his ear.

“I thought for sure Mr. Ga-on couldn’t stand injustice and acted, but it seems you’re more flexible than I thought.”

A comment that was either praise or mockery.

However, the intent was clear.

It wasn’t worth engaging with.

“Maybe so.”

Ga-on shrugged and waved goodbye to Jin Geon.

*

Upon reaching the surface, Ga-on saw the police setting up a perimeter. It seemed the area had already been designated as a crime scene.

He discreetly slipped past them and onto the road, replaying the recent encounter in his mind.

When Jin Geon pulled the trigger, Ga-on had definitely dodged. But that was just his own delusion. The thin line on his cheek proved it.

It meant his actions had been anticipated.

Judging by the scent, he was likely someone with highly developed instincts.

The silver lining was that he had suppressed his regenerative abilities in that fleeting moment.

If he had given Jin Geon any leverage, who knows what might have happened. Despite his friendly demeanor, his words and actions were laced with a sense of testing.

But it was all subjective judgment, with no concrete evidence.

Still, Sarah might know the answer.

[Mr. Ga-on? It seemed the call was cut off earlier. Are you alright?]

“It’s nothing. I was in the middle of a scuffle with the gang. So, what was the name of the police officer looking for me?”

[He said his name was Jin Geon.]

“Ah, I see.”

As expected. It was the same officer who had shown interest in him.

He had feigned ignorance in the basement, but he had approached intentionally. He probably didn’t even consider that he and Doby might be close.

That was likely why he had appeared so confidently.

“A troublesome guy has appeared.”

Swoosh.

As Ga-on’s finger brushed over his cheek, the straight line of the wound vanished as if erased.