Chapter 60

“Edamatsu, it’s about time you prepare to move so that you won’t be late….”

The anxious secretary, unable to even meet the gaze of Edamatsu, a power broker and member of the ruling class of Mega Cop, spoke up.

Feeling a deep shadow from the secretary’s rude demeanor, which was more concerned about the eyes of their appointment than about their own duty, Edamatsu growled.

“Just because I haven’t clearly specified a successor yet. Are you that scared of the Chairman, who is living in seclusion after handing real power to the executive board?”

“!! I apologize! However… I’m concerned that this call bears a strong implication of accountability… If this continues, it will affect Edamatsu’s approval rating in the board, so please…!!”

“……”

Still, as they repeatedly bowed their head.

While glaring at the secretary, who seemed unwilling to bend their stance, Edamatsu eventually withdrew their gaze and concluded the matter at hand.

It wasn’t about being convinced, but rather that confronting an underling—especially a direct subordinate who would create discomfort in many ways if replaced—would offer no special benefit.

They wondered if their sensitive reaction would only serve to cast a longer shadow of their father.

Crisp sounds echoed.

Edamatsu carefully folded a data sheet into an immaterial form that could not be obtained other than through physical theft and tucked it into their suit jacket pocket.

Although Elysium had no particular interest in being antagonistic towards other Mega Cops, it was prudent to remain cautious due to the many remarkable individuals and organizations disgruntled with corporate practices.

Especially for Edamatsu Amagi, who had recently stirred the pot by aggressively challenging other executives and directors.

With a polished wooden desk finished with marble flooring, adorned with various framed paintings and a music box.

Even someone lacking an aesthetic sense could feel the vintage charm, the grandeur, and above all, the vastness of what could be converted to credits, stepping out of their office, Edamatsu began to move briskly.

The headquarters of Enema Corporation, one of the founding fathers of Neo Haven, occupied a vast area.

Although primarily focusing on ergonomics due to demand, its essence was ultimately biotechnology.

Not uncommon was the inclusion of the sea adjacent to the Enema site, situated on the outskirts of the metropolis for research and technological development, along with defensive advantages.

However, deep within that expansive territory, in the most fertile coastal area, stood an old Japanese-style mansion not for facilities requiring seawater, but solely for one individual.

“…I’ll wait here until the meeting concludes.”

Stiffly! The pursuers who had escorted Edamatsu from the office came to a sharp halt at the front gate.

Their posture serving him until now had been adequately attentive, but this stance resembled nothing more than an act of reverence for what could have been a wooden threshold.

…Those who enter must know their place. Within here resides the oldest monster in existence.

The founder of Enema Corporation and one of the heads ruling the world, a titan known as Ohtsuge Amagi.

Those without the qualification and experience hesitated to approach, believing even the peculiar exterior and structure of this building held profound meaning.

Of course… the offspring who inherited that bloodline understood this was a result of the wanderings their father had endured.

While no foolish person feared a simple structure, they nonetheless feared the elderly who still dominated the company despite having been out of sight for nearly a decade and coveted that power behind the scenes.

“……gulp.”

Even having visited several times, the serene atmosphere was still unfamiliar to the secretary, who swallowed hard and quickly caught up with Edamatsu as a gap widened between them.

“…The air here is always so clear.”

As they walked past a flowering cherry tree planted in a garden to never forget their roots, they meandered along a stony path by a pond where koi swam and entered the mansion.

Hanging scrolls depicting landscapes of the Far East, now nearly impossible to return to.

Gently lit lamps set a mysterious ambiance.

Closed rooms, presumably with unknown purposes, piqued their curiosity, but Edamatsu had no interest in stealing a glance, while the secretary was too worried about their own life, so they headed straight for the Tokonoma where the head was waiting.

“Chairman Amagi. Edamatsu, mandated by the executive board, has arrived. I will enter.”

With a concise greeting, the sliding door opened smoothly.

Inside the meticulously arranged tatami-floored room waited a graceful black-haired beauty.

Not tall, yet enveloped in a maternal aura that could embrace all.

Perhaps no more than twenty-five years old? The secretary confirmed the Oriental beauty who still bore the remnants of youth before greeting the elderly man beside her.

“Have you been well, Madam Suzanashi?”

“……”

The woman known as Suzanashi smiled quietly, and at the sight, Edamatsu’s face stiffened visibly.

Even the coldest of hearts would not normally react this way toward their mother, but all present understood the background.

She was. No, that repugnant thing is a Clone.

A doll with blood flowing through it, stripped of language skills for fear of dissonance with memories.

One of the many obsessions spawned by Ohtsuge Amagi.

If the newly unveiled super-regeneration technology was merely the byproduct of trying to resurrect a departed wife, other Mega Cops wouldn’t believe it unless they brought back convincing evidence too.

“In this place, you can simply call me father.”

“…I’m sorry, Chairman Amagi.”

On the other hand, the thin, wrinkled elderly man, Chairman Ohtsuge, wanted his son, who had just entered, to show respect, but after noting it would be difficult, he reopened the conversation with ease.

“About the progress of the research facility I entrusted to you. Why did you hide it from me?”

Describing it as simply brought a weight that doubled in the air with one brief statement.

The tumultuous, stifling atmosphere made the secretary bow their head deeply. Although their eyes were open, they felt as if they were shut, and while their ears were functioning, the sensations could not reach their brain.

“…I thought that the unknown malignant tumor would become more anxious if there were no reactions.”

“And so, you ripped apart your brothers and sisters like dogs and pried into their secrets?”

“Isn’t it all just a food fight for outcomes?”

If even a wayward youth like himself intended to stake a claim, then he ought to brace for a fitting injury, Edamatsu boldly proclaimed.

At the sight of this, the Chairman calmly took a hit off his kiseru.

A talented troublemaker, an excellent lunatic, a son who loathes his father.

To him, the world was merely a blackboard to write upon and erase, or a playground where he built sandcastles only to destroy them. Edamatsu, who had stood by his mother’s side during her death, had loathed and avoided it his entire life.

Yet, there was a clear reason Ohtsuge could not help but cherish Edamatsu.

“Do you know why I entrusted that place to you?”

“…I’ll listen carefully.”

“There isn’t a fool in this honorable bloodline who’d agitate you, the one least interested in my position, for a facility that wouldn’t yield profits.”

Half of them—succession heirs beneath a seemingly immortal monarch—must have been exceedingly anxious and drained of blood.

Moreover, as new technologies were developed every day, pushing the king’s death further away, it was no surprise that someone would cross the line.

The cigarette smoke, not to reveal itself too soon on the ceiling, was sucked away by the purifier.

“……I see. All researchers, including the doctor, are dead, and the data has been completely wiped?”

“Considering the scale of the combat and the time for facility reclamation, I concluded that this was a terror attack aimed at data loss rather than external leakage or theft.”

Data loss, terror. With every mention of those unsettling words, the elder’s face turned red, and his pale brows shot up towards the sky.

“Furthermore…!! Do you know what was there, what grand plan was being pursued?”

With an obedient yet somewhat defiant posture, Edamatsu shook their head in denial.

Realizing he had not grasped the gravity of the situation, the Chairman did not hide his intense emotions as he spat out the answer.

“Deus ex machina! Commonly known as the resurrection project of the goddess, which Doctor Makarovich was conducting!”

“……I see.”

Ah, once again, it was an ant hell birthed by the delusions of a great prophet.

Had the Chairman known this, Edamatsu might have choked on blood from an irreverent laugh that he kept hidden within as he simply nodded.

“I can’t allow the cradle that was supposed to nurture a hacker capable of eternally keeping you and your mother alive in perfect condition to disappear…!!”

…Was it true that he himself, rejecting anti-aging surgeries and implants, chose to live nearly 200 years using drugs and medical devices, had gone mad?

“…So, you were trying to create a goddess. At the same time, a hacker…?”

Edamatsu questioned, attempting to escape from the situation after being scolded enough.

Immediately, the once front-line scientist in his youth, eyeing Edamatsu with a flame of interest, attempted to teach his son.

“What do you think cells, which constitute human bodies, are? Cells are biological robots! They want nothing, feel nothing, and merely repeat the commands given to them! And humanity, the culmination of this, is the most perfect and least probabilistic miraculous mechanized life form!!”

The Clone Suzanashi placed the cup gently before him.

Whether Edamatsu was appalled by the sight of a woman more resembling a slave than a devoted wife or not. The elderly man quenched his throat with prepared tea and continued to elaborate on his life’s opuses—the “hypothesis.”

“Even the harlot of Elysium chasing hollow perfect brain integration. Even the evocative brain within Exatech’s tube claiming to replace flesh with machines. They cannot deny the fundamental regression theory I established! Our flesh is not a prison but simply a poorly designed vessel!”

“Then, what do we need to fix the ship? Precisely the right tools. The languages of life far more numerous than the scattered stars across the universe, the protein structures comprising humble carbon-based organisms are ultimately composed of electrical signals. We need to create an absolute scepter that can violate and dominate this mystery?!”

“If we could reverse all the countless wrong decisions and commands the foolish human brain made over the thousands of years of evolutionary process, we could achieve purity without relying on imperfect means like implants or genetic alterations! In keeping our innocence, we could become flawless!”

A resounding wave of lunacy echoed throughout the mansion.

Once again, the misfortunate genius, trapped in a narrow aged form, looked at his offspring with glowing eyes, hoping they would become his limbs.

“So… find the culprit. Whether it’s underground organizations harboring grievances against Enema, other corporations, or even if you think it’s an insider’s doing as you believe, it doesn’t matter. Retrieve everything you can find and bring it to me…!!”

In silence, Edamatsu bowed, nearly touching the forehead to the ground in a gesture showing their will to comply.

And unfortunately, they had no intention of obediently following.

Only the joy of being able to legally torment the executives and making the old man anxious remained.

However, lastly. On their way out, Edamatsu recalled a possibility that hadn’t crossed their mind before receiving the explanation.

The more they investigated, the more the incident fell into an abyss, but there was a potential explanation that could clarify it all.

“…Is there no chance that the esteemed goddess out of anger at the insignificant humans and research facility escaped by her own will?”

The elderly man, receiving the medicines handed by his wife to replenish his energy, sneered at those words.

“Hmph! You sound just like that Makarovich! Although he grandiosely expressed the importance of my project, it’s only a mere surgical tool! How could the flesh in the test tube possess a soul?”

“…Understood.”

He caught sight of Suzanashi, unable to erase her empty smile, and took his blank-eyed secretary out of the era-displaced house.

Meanwhile, at that moment, a hacker, unable to imagine secrets of birth or hidden abilities, was preoccupied with a precarious tightrope.

“Our… Hacker Anastasia? It seems you have already submitted your resignation?”

“……The mental shock was quite severe; I need some time to recuperate.”

The fearful three hundred-eyed gaze surveyed the surroundings, and the clasped hands, contrasting with the flickering tongue, created an atmosphere of dread. She could only hope her diligently prepared alibi would hold.