Novel Full Chapter 1684: [Subject Found]
Chapter 1684: [Subject Found]
Beta City
This was the first city that Lackey had seen after arriving in the Terra Empire.
After spending two days running, hiding, searching, observing, and marking important locations across the borders, he could confidently say that he understood more or less how this city operated and what it was capable of.
Towering holographic advertisements stretched across entire skyscrapers, displaying smiling infants surrounded by rotating strands of luminous DNA. Massive gene-sequencing symbols floated above transit routes, while countless digital billboards projected streams of genetic data into the air.
Even the city’s outer borders glowed with advertisements promoting customised offspring and advanced biological enhancements, making it painfully obvious that something significant revolved around genetic engineering here. [Imgincmt]
And Lackey, of course, already had a rough idea of what this city specialised in. Still, he decided to ask the old man for a proper explanation.
"Listen, young man, this Beta City is also known as The Genome Forge. It’s a place where people can design their own children, edit their genes, alter their appearance, improve their potential, and even grow them inside artificial wombs.
Yes... That’s right... No need for women anymore... ahaha."
The old man suddenly laughed while sitting behind the registration counter. His metallic fingers danced across a translucent holographic keyboard that flickered above the desk.
No physical monitor existed anywhere nearby, yet he kept typing as he continued speaking with Young Aether.
"And this city is governed by Governor Genome Beta, one of the Governors operating directly under the President. If anything happens within the city, it becomes the Governor’s responsibility to handle it.
In fact, for the last fourteen years, she has personally overseen this genetic development initiative. Through enormous effort, investment, and research, she successfully transformed this city into one of the Empire’s greatest biological research centres and raised its status to the Second Order."
Young Aether remained silent and listened carefully to every detail the old man revealed.
Truthfully, he wasn’t sure why the old man had suddenly become so talkative. During the past few days, nearly every conversation has revolved around recruitment attempts and job offers.
Yet after the incident involving the mech-suits, the old man seemed unusually willing to share information.
"Oh? Second Order? You mean every city possesses its own order ranking?"
Young Aether asked curiously while watching the old man’s mechanical arm. The metallic limb moved with impossible precision, processing inputs at a speed no ordinary human could ever hope to match.
Thuck, Thuck, Thuck...
Tiny blue status lights travelled beneath its alloy plating each time his fingers touched the holographic interface.
The old man nodded.
"Yes. Every city possesses its own order designation, and that ranking is determined by Aevum. The greater the Aevum, the greater the authority, influence, and privileges that city receives from the Empire."
Young Aether frowned slightly.
’*Now that’s a valuable piece of information,*’ he thought.
"How does someone obtain Aevum?"
The old man glanced toward him before speaking.
"Say... you’re from the slums, aren’t you? I could help you improve your lif—"
"And I already told you that I don’t like working under someone else," Young Aether interrupted flatly.
The old man released a long sigh and shook his head.
"How exactly are you planning to survive with that attitude? Do you have someone waiting for you in Epsilon City?"
Young Aether hesitated.
"Don’t tell him, you little cunt!"
The dark voice echoed violently inside his mind.
"Well... yes."
The old man stared at him for a moment, visibly dissatisfied by the response.
"Fine..."
Then Young Aether hesitantly asked,
"Say... do you know anything about the other Empires that everyone keeps talking about?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the old man’s expression changed.
The casual smile vanished.
The warmth disappeared from his eyes.
For the first time since Young Aether had met him, the old man looked genuinely cold.
"Let me warn you," he said quietly. "No matter what you do, do not ever... fucking ever... get close to those monsters. If you do, you’ll lose everything."
Young Aether frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The old man didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he turned toward a framed photograph resting on the corner of the desk. Unlike the countless holographic displays surrounding them, this picture was physical.
A man.
A woman.
A little child.
All three smiled brightly at the camera, frozen within a moment that time could never reclaim... not even the time itself again!
The old man’s mechanical fingers paused above the holographic keyboard.
"Life is precious," he said softly. "So live it to the fullest extent possible. Leave behind as few regrets as you can... ahaha."
A sudden laugh escaped him.
Yet it sounded forced.
As if he had remembered something from his past.
Young Aether noticed the subtle sadness hidden behind the laughter, but he chose not to press further.
Silence settled between them for several seconds before the old man suddenly spoke again.
"I need your Origin Card to continue the registration process."
"My Origin Card?"
Young Aether frowned.
After all, they were creating a fake identity. Why would his Origin Card be necessary?
The old man immediately noticed the hesitation in his eyes and responded with a warm smile.
"If you intend to pass through Delta City or even Alpha City, you’ll need to provide both your ID and your Origin Card. The verification systems there are much stricter than anything you’ll find in Beta."
He leaned back in his chair before continuing.
"And if they discover even the slightest mismatch between the two documents, they’ll kill you right there on the spot. No investigation... None of that bureaucratic bullshit the other divisions love so much."
Young Aether remained silent.
So far, he hadn’t shown his Origin Card to anyone inside Beta City.
Not once.
’So there shouldn’t be any problems... right?’
Young Aether thought before directing his attention toward Log.
’Log, can you change the name and occupation?’
!~Ding~!
[The Origin Card was created according to the Contract established with Amara Rosavere, a Faker among the Origin List. Altering the registered name will immediately alert the Origin List. The card will then be revoked.]
Young Aether clicked his tongue inwardly.
’What about the occupation?’
!~Ding~!
[It is possible.]
’Then do it.’
Young Aether waited several seconds before summoning his Origin Card.
He glanced down.
<
Lackey
Occupation: The Thief
STR: 50
INT: 50
AGI: 50
CHR: 50
SIN: 50
>
Young Aether’s lips twitched.
’Thief? Really?... Fuck it.’
He resisted the urge to curse aloud.
Shaking his head inwardly, he handed the Origin Card to the old man.
The old man looked at the status screen projected above the Origin Card, and for the first time, genuine surprise appeared on his face.
"Strength, Intelligence, Agility, Charisma... everything is fifty. Damn, this is the first time I’ve seen something like this."
He mumbled to himself before placing the card on the desk.
Young Aether frowned.
’So the abbreviations are the same as what Lyirrs predicted... hmm.’
His thoughts lingered on the familiar status values before another question surfaced in his mind.
"Do you know anything about... SIN? What does it mean?"
The old man shook his head.
"No. Unfortunately, the Arcane Goddess never explained what SIN actually represents. She only acknowledged its existence and said something along the lines of, ’The truth will reveal itself when the time comes.’ At least, that’s what the President told the public."
Young Aether nodded thoughtfully.
His gaze remained fixed on the old man, carefully observing every subtle reaction.
He had expected at least some response to the name Lackey.
Confusion?
Suspicion?
Yet the old man showed none of those things and simply continued working.
’Sigh... so Lackey isn’t a strange name after all.’
After a brief pause, another question slipped from his lips.
"The other worlders..."
The old man’s mechanical fingers paused momentarily above the holographic interface.
"If you’re curious about the other worlders," he said, "why don’t you visit the Zoo near Beta Tower?"
Young Aether blinked.
"Zoo? You mean... You, people, keep them inside a zoo like some kind of freak show?"
For a brief moment, something terrifying leaked into his voice.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
The killing intent hidden beneath those words wasn’t particularly strong, yet it was sharp enough to make the air feel heavier.
The old man looked up in surprise.
"Young man?"
"H-Huh? Nothing. I mean... I heard they were people too. Maybe some of them were decent people or perhaps even good peo—"
"Brat."
The old man’s voice turned cold.
"You should be grateful that I’m the one hearing this. If someone else had heard those words, your head would’ve been chopped off for treason before you could explain yourself."
Young Aether remained silent.
"There is nothing human about those wicked monsters," the old man continued with visible disgust. "They are nothing but disgusting creatures that should’ve been eradicated long ago."
Young Aether stared at him for several more seconds.
The old man’s expression never changed.
His hatred seemed genuine.
Eventually, Young Aether broke the silence.
"I’ll take my leave. I’ll come back tomorrow morning to collect my ID."
Without waiting for a response, he placed the large black hat upon his head with an elegant motion and walked toward the exit.
The automated glass door slid open with a soft hiss.
The old man eventually returned to his work.
Yet a frown lingered on his face.
"Even if he wasn’t born here... how can he be unaware of such basic details?" he muttered curiously. "The slums suffer far worse nightmares than anything here... hmm..."
His gaze remained fixed on the door through which Young Aether had left.
Something about the young man felt strange.
Unnaturally strange.
Soon, the sky outside gradually darkened.
The glowing towers of Beta City illuminated the night as streams of flying vehicles crossed the skies between skyscrapers covered in holographic advertisements and a wanted Person: Lackey.
Inside the pawn shop, the old man continued working on Young Aether’s fake identification.
To an outsider, the desk appeared almost empty.
There were no monitors.
No visible displays.
No terminals.
Nothing.
Yet inside the old man’s vision, multiple translucent interfaces floated before his eyes.
Documents.
Identity records.
Security protocols.
Government databases.
All of them existed within a digital layer visible only to him.
His right eye appeared normal from a distance.
However, anyone standing close enough would notice the truth.
A sophisticated optical lens continuously rotated and shifted within the artificial eye, processing information far beyond human capability.
Hours passed.
The old man continued working without rest.
The shop grew quieter as midnight arrived.
Finally, he released a tired yawn and pressed the final confirmation key.
Click.
"There. All that’s left is uploading the Origin Card information into Beta Tower’s database."
He stretched his ageing body and rolled his shoulders.
"It’s already late... hmm."
Picking up Young Aether’s Origin Card, he glanced at its surface.
Only swirling black-and-white mist occupied the card’s display, twisting endlessly as though concealing something hidden deep within the fog.
"Lackey... that’s a really strange name."
The old man muttered curiously before placing the Origin Card onto a transparent scanner.
Thin red beams immediately emerged from beneath the glass surface, sweeping across the card with a beaming sound.
He then placed the unfinished Gold Card beside the Origin Card.
Instantly, the scanner’s red beams accelerated.
Faster.
And faster.
Dozens of scanning lines raced across the transparent platform, continuously moving between the two cards.
Within the old man’s cybernetic vision, a white interface appeared before his eyes.
[Processing...]
[Connection Initiated...]
[Scanning Origin Card... 1%... 2%... 3%...]
As the scanning progressed, thin black lines slowly began appearing across the previously blank surface of the Gold Card.
The old man frowned.
"Hmm... why is it taking so long?"
Normally, the process would only require a few seconds.
He had already bypassed Beta Tower’s security verification protocols and removed the database restrictions that usually interfered with forged identities. Once that step was completed, the transfer process should have proceeded smoothly without interruption.
Yet for some reason, the system was taking its sweet time.
One hour later...
[35%...]
[36%...]
"The fuck...?"
The old man’s eyebrow twitched.
"I’m going to sleep."
Grumbling irritably, he disabled the visual displays inside his cybernetic eye and stood from his chair. Leaving the scanners and automated equipment running, he shuffled toward the back room before collapsing onto his bed.
Moments later, soft snores echoed through the shop.
"Zzzzzz..."
After an exhausting day of work, the old man slept peacefully.
Meanwhile, the machines continued operating.
The scanners repeatedly swept over the Origin Card, their red beams moving faster and faster as if desperately attempting to read information that refused to be processed.
Then...
Spark~
A tiny spark erupted from the Origin Card.
The fluctuation lasted less than a second.
Yet the effect was immediate.
Every scanner connected to the system violently trembled.
The red beams distorted.
Warning signals briefly flashed across hidden circuits.
And then...
Everything changed.
Your (vision ) POV suddenly plunged into the fluctuating red scanner beams and flowed deep into the machine’s internal circuitry.
The perspective raced through countless layers of circuit boards where quadrillions of transistors flickered on and off simultaneously, as though the entire system had encountered something it was never designed to process.
The vision continued forward, following the movement of electrons vibrating through conductive pathways at impossible speeds. Electrical currents surged violently through microscopic channels before rushing directly into the connected cables.
A moment later, the energy burst skyward, transforming into a fluctuating wave that spread through the atmosphere.
BOOOOBBB!
Within a matter of seconds, the ’Your’ vision travelled across vast distances. Miles vanished beneath it almost instantly as countless neon-lit buildings blurred into streaks of colored light along the edges of its path. The perspective continued accelerating, passing beyond the borders of Beta City and crossing through multiple cities without slowing. Only after reaching another colossal tower did it finally begin to decelerate.
Then it fell.
Like someone plummeting from an immense height... ’Your’ vision plummeted down.
The vision dropped through the massive structure, passing floor after floor in rapid succession.
Security checkpoints flashed by... Surveillance systems... Restricted facilities.
Layer after layer of security disappeared beneath the descending perspective as it moved deeper underground. Eventually, it reached the lowest levels of the structure and continued even further until it arrived inside a pitch-black chamber hidden beneath everything else.
The room was shrouded in darkness.
Only a single red light blinked within the void.
Blink...
Blink...
Blin--
The crimson light pulsed rhythmically in the darkness before suddenly stopping.
Silence followed.
Then, without warning, a screen activated.
A pale glow illuminated part of the chamber as words slowly began typing themselves across the display.
[Subject Found]
The letters appeared one by one without any visible input, as if someone was typing them.
Their faint glow of letters reflected across a massive glass tube positioned nearby. The cylindrical container was filled with an unknown liquid, and countless cables extended from its surface into the surrounding darkness.
Then...
Plop.
Something moved inside.
Ripples spread through the liquid.
And within the depths of the glass tube, a shadow slowly shifted.
****
The next morning, the old man woke up and immediately froze in shock.
"What the fuck happened?"
His eyes widened as he stared at the ruined scanner and damaged equipment scattered across the desk.
Thin wisps of smoke still rose from several burnt components, and when he reached out to touch the scanner, he instantly pulled his hand away. The metal casing was scorching hot. Cursing under his breath, he hurried toward the power controls and shut down the entire shop before any further damage could occur.
After waiting several minutes, he carefully picked up the completed Gold Card from the scanner. A fresh barcode had already been imprinted onto its golden surface, indicating that the process had somehow finished despite whatever catastrophe had occurred during the night.
"Thank goodness it finished its job..." he muttered in relief.
His gaze drifted toward the destroyed equipment again, and a deep frown appeared on his face. During all his years working with forged identities, hacked databases, and illegal registrations, he had never experienced anything like this.
The damage appeared to have originated from within the circuits themselves rather than from any external source.
"Maybe they’re just too old," he eventually said to himself. "I guess it’s finally time to buy some new equipment."
Pushing the matter aside, the old man activated the morning news feed through his cybernetic eye and walked over to prepare coffee. The machine hummed softly as it brewed, filling the workshop with the rich aroma of roasted beans.
"Let’s see if they’ve finally caught that Criminal Slave."
He casually placed a biscuit into his mouth while looking at the floating news display.
<<< Captured Monsters Have Escaped and Mercilessly Killed Zoo Visitors. The Death Toll Has Risen to 270, While Numerous Bodies Remain Unidentified. The Total Number of Missing Visitors Has Reached 502 Since Yesterday. >>>
The old man’s expression immediately stiffened.
The broadcast switched to footage from the scene. Blood stained entire sections of the zoo. Emergency drones hovered over collapsed structures while soldiers and rescue teams searched through debris and mangled remains.
Some areas had been blurred by the media, yet enough was visible to make his stomach churn.
"Zoo? The one near Beta Tower?"
The biscuit nearly fell from his mouth.
"W-Wasn’t that what I was talking about with that young man yesterday?"
A strange sense of unease slowly spread through his body.
The timing was too coincidental.
Far too coincidental.
Trying to calm himself, he continued watching.
<<< Initial investigations suggest that the incident may have been caused by the escaped Criminal Slave. However, authorities have not yet found definitive evidence. Local Police and Beta Soldiers have secured the area and have been conducting investigations throughout the night. >>>
The old man’s grip around his coffee cup tightened slightly.
Hissss!
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the pawn shop’s sliding door opened with a soft mechanical hiss.
The old man’s head turned instinctively toward the entrance.
Standing there was a young man wearing a large black hat.
"Did you finish the job?"
The voice was cold and indifferent, just like how he talked before.
Yet this time the old man noticed something hidden beneath it. A faint amusement lingered within the young man’s tone, accompanied by a subtle cruelty that hadn’t been there before.
The old man’s throat suddenly felt dry.
"Gulp."
Without realising it, he swallowed nervously as an unpleasant feeling settled inside his chest.
___
[A/N: Sorry, the Chapter got bigger]