How to Live as an Immortal Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Comply with the Regulations

***

The place Ga-on took Kurtnik and Wendy to was Oratic Bionics.

It was a company conducting research related to biotechnology. Naturally, it was fully equipped with the relevant equipnt and facilities, and the person he wanted to see just happened to be on duty as well.

"Mr. Sloth."

"Mr. Sloooth? Not slothfulness... Ah-ha, you an a sloth, the animal. Was it inspired by the way I taaalk? As expected, Mr. Ga-on is quite an interesting person."

Nodding to himself as if he had reached a satisfactory conclusion, Croft happily curled his fingers one by one.

"Then what should I call yooou? Mr. VVIP? Mr. Lucky Guuuy? Ah! Preeesident. That sounds appropriate."

Then he noticed the people standing behind Ga-on and tilted his head.

"More importantly, who are these people...?"

"They're my guests."

Ga-on pointed at Wendy and added,

"This one needs an examination. A thorough one. Can you do it?"

"Yeees, of course."

If it was Croft, who had already noticed the existence of Nuclase, he would be able to determine Wendy's condition without needing further explanation.

Moreover, this was a company owned by Ga-on. There was more than enough privacy here to conduct examinations quietly without attracting any unwanted attention.

Sure enough, not long afterward, Croft arranged a private space for the two of them and delivered the examination results through short-range communication.

Should it be called a blessing in disguise?

Wendy was normal.

There were no aftereffects and no rejection symptoms, contrary to their concerns.

"And the other two?"

"They're resting in the lounge."

The image of Wendy wearing a bewildered expression throughout the examination surfaced in his mind, causing an unconsciously sinister smile to spread across his face. Realizing himself, Croft quickly covered his mouth and jokingly added in a manner that didn't suit him at all.

Perhaps it could be called an occupational hazard.

Whenever an interesting subject appeared, his mouth started watering before anything else.

"At first, I thought you had personally brought a test subject, but it seems there are circumstances that cannot be spoken of."

"Needless to say, this is—"

"Yes, a secret."

Croft possessed several virtues essential for a modern person—ability and perceptiveness among them—

"Since it's my first ti encountering a case like this, would it be possible to conduct additional experints—no, examinations?"

Unfortunately, there was one flaw.

He had absolutely no sense of ethics.

"Wasn't your research supposed to be about awakening humanity's innate abilities? This must be related to that."

"Of course it iiis."

Since it was obvious he would secretly proceed even if told not to—

"Comply with the regulations."

Admonishing him was the best option available.

***

Leaving Wendy in Croft's care, Ga-on called only Kurtnik and sat across from him.

Everything that needed to be confird had been confird. Now it was ti for a guardian interview.

However, simply facing one another did not imdiately ignite the conversation.

A fire needed firewood to burn for a long ti.

That was why silence lingered between them for a while.

Neither spoke, yet both understood.

What would follow was an intimate discussion, a confidential conversation that must never leak outside.

Ga-on quietly organized his thoughts.

Wendy Weather.

The mont he saw her, he had sensed sothing suspicious about her. However, the matter was too important to judge based solely on intuition, so he had borrowed Croft's expertise.

And as expected—

"Wendy. She was a clone human."

As if he had known this mont would eventually co, Kurtnik tightly shut his eyes.

"I see."

The words that left his mouth were those of resignation.

He had probably concluded there was no way to deny it.

Ga-on had seen countless cases like this, so distinguishing them was easy for him.

Kurtnik, however, was different.

"How did you figure out that your sister had been cloned?"

"...There is a tiny scar on the back of Wendy's neck. It's so small that you wouldn't notice it unless you looked carefully. She got it from being scratched badly by a cat she used to raise. Maybe because of our height difference, it always caught my eye."

"And then one day it suddenly disappeared, so you beca suspicious."

"It's not the kind of scar that would vanish without reason."

It was the sa phenonon that had appeared with Baek Gi as well, but cloning, while seeming perfect, was actually full of flaws.

Humans live.

And they do so not in a peaceful greenhouse but in a harsh world.

No matter how careful a person might be, that life inevitably left its mark upon the body.

What technology could reproduce was, at best, genetic information. Things like scars or posture could not be replicated.

They were all things tied to the passage of ti.

If personality and consciousness were transplanted as well, they might gradually beco similar through inertia, but those were not elents that could be ford in a short period.

Wendy was no exception.

Despite being a grown woman, she was as pristine as a newborn child. Her lived life and physical body did not match, so the resulting sense of incongruity was only natural.

"But you know, sothing felt strange."

"What do you an?"

Under the Clone Human Control Act, clone humans had no human rights.

They were beings outside the protection of the law.

Soone's mirror and the darkness of modern society, despite that.

From the beginning, it had been a strict and inflexible system. There was no way those involved would handle such matters carelessly.

Perhaps because of that, even fixers did not willingly step forward.

They would report it if anything.

And yet—

"You contacted Mr. Pepe."

As a Grade 9 Advisor, he would have been able to obtain information related to Fernandez without much difficulty.

His background, personality, reputation, and even the fixers under contract with him.

"You know my face, don't you?"

"..."

Kurtnik had rejected all six fixers introduced by Fernandez.

Could it really be that not a single one of them had noticed the nature of the request?

Most likely, Kurtnik had been waiting.

"The qualification you ntioned doesn't seem to be skill. It seems to be status."

Not "Fixer" Ga-on.

But "chaebol heir" Ga-on.

"..."

Faced with a chilling gaze sharp enough to cut flesh, Kurtnik lowered his head and confessed everything.

"When I attended a private party in place of the assemblyman I serve, I caught a brief glimpse of it. I saw you barging in. Afterward, I looked into it and found that the person called Baek Gi had completely disappeared, leaving only Mr. Ga-on behind."

It was obvious whom Baek Seok-do had acknowledged as his blood relative.

"As expected. I figured soone like you would show up sooner or later."

B&B and Baekdu were controlling information, but there was no guarantee that their control was perfect.

After all, they could not regulate personal experiences or the knowledge people had accumulated.

"I'm sorry."

The fact that his younger sister had transford overnight into sothing unknown placed pressure on Kurtnik beyond imagination.

Simply put, it was an overwhelming fear unlike anything he had ever experienced.

His rational mind could not overco his instinctive revulsion, and every second twisted him apart.

Even enduring it was painful.

Yet despite that, an unconscious sense of responsibility continued to well up without end.

Perhaps it could be called familial affection born from animal instinct.

The ideal solution would have been to request an investigation from the Public Enforcent Corps, but Kurtnik could not bring himself to do that.

It wasn't that he doubted their capabilities.

Since the case violated the Clone Human Control Act, it was obvious it would be resolved cleanly.

What he truly worried about was the disposition that would be imposed on Wendy during the process.

No one cared about the well-being of a clone human.

The thought that even the last legacy left behind by that child might disappear weighed heavily on Kurtnik's heart.

How could he act in a way that would not sha him before his sister?

Kurtnik agonized over that question countless tis.

He prided himself on having extensive social experience and considered himself successful among his peers, yet this was the first ti he had faced a situation like this.

All he could feel was confusion.

Then, he thought of Ga-on.

He heard that the man he had expected to secure a prominent position within Baekdu was instead working as a fixer.

It felt as though a revelation had descended from the heavens.

The signpost was so unmistakable.

The destination was so clear.

It felt as though it had been prepared specifically for him—

"I couldn't help but co."

"As you said, I'm relatively free from various restrictions. But you know what that actually ans."

To reveal the identity of Baek Ga-on, which he had gone to great lengths to conceal in order to solve a case?

The cost-benefit calculation simply did not add up.

A clever man like Kurtnik could not possibly be unaware of that.

"So..."

Having run out of things to say, Kurtnik could do nothing but fall silent.

Just as it seed the silence would drag on, Ga-on clapped his hands once and dispelled the atmosphere before adding,

"Let's recalculate. Your paynt is too vague and has too much excess attached to it. So what exactly is it that you want?"

"I want the people who turned my sister into that to pay an appropriate price."

"That sounds like a request beyond your ans."

Sensing an atmosphere that suggested rejection, Kurtnik hurriedly elaborated.

"I've served under Assemblyman Rouge for eight years. We're close enough that I even know how many pairs of socks he owns."

"Assemblyman Rouge, you say..."

He belonged to the Pioneer Party.

And the Pioneer Party was one of the two major parties that divided the legislature.

At the very least, he was not so insignificant figure.

"With his full support and backing, I'll be running in the upcoming legislative election. If I'm elected, I'll fulfill any request you make."

Kurtnik sprang to his feet and prostrated himself, pressing his forehead against the floor without the slightest hesitation.

It was the sort of theatrical display that seed borrowed from sowhere, so Ga-on's eyes only grew colder.

"Everyone is desperate. Everyone struggles with all they've got. Yet strangely enough, politicians seem exempt from those emotions."

From Ga-on's perspective, having personally witnessed how the Third World War unfolded and how it ended, it was nothing more than a worthless promise.

"There's no guarantee you won't change your mind after you're elected."

A first-term legislator was not powerless.

If Kurtnik needed to be punished at that point, Ga-on would have to move Baekdu, and that process would be extrely troubleso.

Repaying kindness with hostility, he could even end up damaging Baek Seol's already precarious position.

Of course, that might be considered excessive speculation.

In the first place—

"There's no guarantee you'll even be elected."

"That's..."

Kurtnik closed his mouth with a troubled expression.

Indeed, it wasn't sothing that could be resolved by apologizing after losing the election.

Even when offering the future as collateral, there were limits.

He had accumulated a considerable amount of wealth while working as an aide, but his circumstances had long since surpassed the bounds of ordinary calculations.

It was then that Ga-on subtly pressed him.

"What are you hesitating about? You have sothing you can give right now, even if the future is uncertain."

Sothing he himself wasn't aware was paynt?

"What exactly would that be..."

"The dirt that Assemblyman Rouge is hiding."

At that mont, it felt as though a fishbone had lodged itself in Kurtnik's throat.

It was a subject he had avoided until now.

"You said you've worked under him for eight years. Then there must be at least one or two things."

"That..."

Asking how Ga-on knew would have been foolish.

The rabbit has three burrows.

Preparing cards to use in an ergency was not a survival tactic unique to Kurtnik alone.

"If he's influential enough to interfere and push forward a first-ti candidate, then even if he lacks fa, he's at least a senior figure. Soone whose influence extends beyond his district and carries weight within the party."

It wasn't sothing he needed imdiately, but it wouldn't hurt to have it.

Having reached that conclusion, Ga-on leisurely tilted the scales.

"You seem to be feeling guilty. Then I'll sweeten the deal. If you're elected, as you said, I won't use it. You'll have already paid the price yourself."

"How am I supposed to..."

Believe that?

Kurtnik was about to say it, but the mont he looked at Ga-on's face, he closed his mouth.

Right.

This was exactly where their discussions kept circling back to the beginning.

In the end, one person had to bend their will for the conversation to move forward.

And the one who had to bow their head was the more desperate person.

Realizing his own situation, Kurtnik let out a sigh that sounded almost like a groan.

"I humbly ask for your help."

And with those words, he declared his surrender.