*

“Jin Geon, from the 2nd District’s Major Crimes Unit. As you said, he’s a cop.”

“As you said?”

“Last week, he got assigned to the Seed Colony under the pretext of manpower reinforcement at Dome No.1. Judging by the documents, it seems he volunteered.”

“That’s unusual.”

“That’s why I said ‘as you said.’ It’s not like he lacks the credentials to suddenly come to Mars. Quite the opposite, actually.”

He had cleared out hundreds of Striders and was awarded the Merit White Medal. He exposed corruption within a megacorp and received a presidential commendation. He even negotiated with a mafia boss to secure a confession, earning a special promotion.

“He’s young, so he’s not up for promotion yet, but his career alone is enough to justify appointing him as a Special Officer.”

“That impressive, huh.”

A Special Officer is just one rank above a sheriff. In today’s police force, where ranks are simple, it’s a world where only achievements matter. Background or age are just footnotes.

From sheriff to Special Officer. It’s just one step, but the scope of authority expands immensely. You become the head of an organization, leading investigations even against megacorps.

After Special Officer, there are only positions that can influence the entire police system, so it’s needless to say how high it is.

The important question is why such a talent came to Mars—

“He probably has close ties with the higher-ups.”

Dominic cautiously shared his opinion.

“Why do you think that?”

“I’ve heard that when the higher-ups want to use personnel they can’t openly talk about, they use methods like this.”

Come to think of it, weren’t agents from the National Intelligence Service also said to be working undercover in other companies?

Ga-on nodded, recalling dusty memories.

“He’s probably closer to being affiliated with the city government than the police.”

“I asked an acquaintance in Dome No.1, but they seemed unaware. If he had been that active, they would have at least heard his name.”

“No matter how well you hide, you can’t fake connections.”

“Anyway, this is all the information I could gather. I could dig deeper, but…”

“They’d notice if you did.”

That wasn’t what Ga-on wanted.

“Why did you want to investigate someone like him?”

“I was just curious, so don’t worry. I’ll make sure your name doesn’t come up.”

“You know that better than I do without me having to say it.”

Satisfied, Dominic nodded and said goodbye.

“Then, please take care of Fernandez.”

Ga-on, who got off on a quiet roadside, watched the black sedan drive away into the distance.

Thanks to meeting Dominic, everything became clear.

Jin Geon, the man who suddenly appeared one day (Sol).

He claimed to be a sheriff, but he was probably a hunting dog sent from Earth to track him down.

It was highly likely he was affiliated with the city government.

It was surprising that it wasn’t the Millennium Code, but they had no reason to get involved. After all, the current chairwoman was an illegitimate child.

There was no direct animosity. He was probably just following along due to the city government’s intentions.

Now that the cause was revealed, solving it was easy.

He just had to go to the 2nd District and kill Jin Geon.

But that wasn’t the right answer. It would be like shouting that he was Yang Hu.

Even a thief wouldn’t be that foolish.

Of course, if it were a time when he had no identity, he might have made a rash decision, but now he was hiding under the guise of Baek Ga-on.

He had to escape Jin Geon’s, no, the city government’s suspicion.

Otherwise, a second Jin Geon would appear at any time.

The encouraging part was that he had already read their move.

A specified target was no longer something to fear.

*

32nd District.

In the basement of Ga-on’s house, there was an iron door.

An iron door that could only be opened with a key.

Digital devices were deliberately excluded. They were replaced with analog charm. In today’s age, he had personally experienced that this method was safer.

If anything, it was an unusual measure, but there was something even more peculiar.

It was the weight of the iron door.

It was a mass of alloy weighing nearly 700 kilograms. As the weight increased, so did its strength and durability. Ordinary firearms wouldn’t even scratch it.

Above all, it was manual.

In other words, you had to move the 700-kilogram iron door with your bare hands to enter.

This alone could be considered perfect security.

The staircase leading to the basement was narrow and short, making it difficult to bring in heavy equipment.

A space that couldn’t be easily accessed was completed in an instant.

He only told Sarah that it was a storage room.

He didn’t give any warnings that might arouse curiosity, like saying not to approach it or that something terrible would happen if she did.

Even if she complained that it wouldn’t open, he could just say it was broken.

Even if she somehow got in, there was nothing special.

At least not yet.

Despite having an emergency generator, the only equipment running was a computer.

Sitting in front of the monitor, Ga-on researched aging.

Why do humans age?

The most common reason was the depletion of telomeres. As cells divide, the telomeres, which protect the DNA from damage, gradually wear away, causing parts of the cells to fail to replicate properly and die, leading to aging.

This was a structural defect inherent to carbon-based life forms.

While it was the most suitable form on Earth, from a cosmic perspective, it was an extremely inefficient model. To maintain its form, it had to constantly absorb energy from the outside.

An existence that couldn’t be sustained without the sacrifice of others.

Perhaps that’s why humanity was given the task of circulation when it broke away from nature.

But Ga-on was an exception.

A mutation that couldn’t be described with any words.

What exactly was happening inside his body?

‘It’s dizzying.’

This was the first time he had decided to delve deeply into researching his essence.

If anything, it was more accurate to say he hadn’t had the opportunity.

The ice age that followed the end of the Third World War. The contact with aliens that came just as he was about to enjoy another heyday. And the move to Mars.

Three hundred years seemed long at first glance, but with so many events happening, it felt short.

Ga-on’s mental age was the same.

No different from that of a young man. He had only developed the ability to adapt to situations.

Simply passing time wasn’t enough.

He had never experienced the joy of welcoming a beloved woman, nurturing a new generation, witnessing his child’s growth, or reflecting on life as he concluded his twilight years.

The human mind grows as it accumulates new experiences, but Ga-on had no ties in that regard.

Moreover, life is completed with birth and death.

It only gains meaning because there’s a set period.

But Ga-on, who lacked death, was eternally stagnant, with no full stop in sight.

Choosing the profession of a fixer might have been to fill that void.

His life, which would never die, remained unchanged, but the lives of those who would eventually die changed.

Doby was one of them.

Originally, he would have died and disappeared not long ago.

But because Ga-on intervened and untangled the twisted threads, Doby was able to enjoy his life.

An indescribably positive change.

In the process, Ga-on felt vicarious satisfaction.

But he couldn’t forever be swayed by such things. It was time to take a step further.

Of course, despite such aspirations, the basement was as modest as could be.

‘Still barren, even on a second look.’

From a simple electron microscope to a 3D printer, a component analyzer, an ultra-low temperature freezer, a biological tissue examiner, and ultimately a genetic manipulator—

There was a long list of items to fill in.

The most urgent need was a subject to carry out the research.

The topic of immortality was akin to aiming for the essence of life.

Biotechnology, molecular biology, genetic engineering, and more—there were countless fields to oversee.

With various slots developed, there were many means to enhance intellectual abilities, but that also required talent and aptitude.

It was ideal to seek advice from experts scattered across the globe, but things rarely went as smoothly as words suggested. The most unreliable thing was humans.

Fortunately, there was an alternative.

‘Androids.’

With them, who could be commanded without fear of betrayal, there was no need to worry about treachery.

Even Sarah couldn’t clearly articulate what happened at the mansion where she worked.

It seemed he needed to recruit a guest.

*

At a corner of the bar counter.

Sitting in what was now practically his reserved seat, Ga-on manipulated his Device with a flick of his eyes.

He could feel a gaze from afar, but he chose to ignore it.

The awkward atmosphere between him and Fernandez wasn’t new.

Was it fear? Or was it guilt making him shrink back?

He probably thought he was being considerate, but from Ga-on’s perspective, it was frustrating.

They couldn’t keep drawing parallel lines forever.

Ga-on casually tapped the bar counter with his index finger.

“I’m not going to bite, so if you have something to say, just say it.”

“What have you been looking at for a while now? You’re not contacting another broker instead of me, are you? You know, I gave you the lowest brokerage fee last time. I didn’t want to brag, but that was practically giving it away.”

Fernandez chattered nervously, as if he regretted opening the conversation.

“Calm down, I was just looking at a catalog.”

“Catalog?”

“Yeah, androids are quite expensive.”

The main players of the Fourth Industrial Revolution were undoubtedly artificial intelligence. They were a reliable support even during the colonization of Mars.

After continuous cost reductions, they had now become affordable enough for individuals to own.

However, that didn’t mean they were cheap enough to buy indiscriminately. It felt like buying a luxury foreign car, to put it in old-fashioned terms.

“If it’s something like that, I can arrange it for you. I know a few dealers.”

“Oh, I’m not interested in the ones on the market.”

The androids sold in stores were all household models. In other words, they were all of ordinary specifications like Sarah. Such models wouldn’t achieve his goals. Their processing speed was too slow for high-level reasoning.

Therefore, what Ga-on was aiming for was, of course—

“Unlocked androids that bypass the Artificial Intelligence Restriction Act. They must be floating around the underworld, right?”