episode_0014

“If Incheon is like this, what on earth will Neo Seoul look like?”

The night view of Incheon seen from the AV was beyond Ji-hoon’s imagination, and the night view of the city seen from the motorcycle felt like a lie.

To see the beauty of a city, you have to look at it from a high place. Incheon in this world was no different.

Compared to the skyscrapers of Neo Seoul that reached far above the clouds, the buildings were shabby in size, but their glamor was incomparable to modern buildings. Flashy neon signs were attached to every corner of the walls of the buildings, and advertisements that stimulated human instincts were printed on the huge billboards.

An ad showing a woman jumping around with a can of soda between her huge breasts.

A vulgar advertisement in which a beautiful woman with pure white skin takes off her panties and bra and slowly spreads her legs.

Advertisements that stimulated the most primal instincts of humans, which were impossible to imagine in modern times, were flashing on the screen. Ji-hoon only saw advertisements that tempted men, but in reality, advertisements that captured the hearts of women were also shining brightly with flashy neon signs on the giant billboards.

“If it’s the night view of Neo Seoul, you can see it over there.”

“It’s too far away to see well.”

“In Incheon, that’s also something to be thankful for, right?”

In Sonagi’s hand, who was laughing, was a cup containing a sweet-smelling, sky-blue drink.

The color of the drink in her cup kept changing every time Ji-hoon turned his head to talk, as if she was planning to drink all the drinks in the AV.

As Sonagi said, at the end of the distant horizon, you can see ‘Neo Seoul’, where huge buildings that are incomparable to Incheon are densely packed together. There are so many buildings that the rooftops are not visible that the sense of distance is strange, but the distance between Incheon and Seoul is considerable.

It is very difficult to know exactly what Neo Seoul feels like. However, even from this distance, there was a difference in splendor that could be felt, and even in the pitch-black night without a single star, there was a splendid ‘light’ that was enough to make anyone know the way and direction to Neo Seoul.

If the sun emits light that gives strength to all living things in the world, the light that Neo Seoul creates is a beauty that attracts the male. The light that captivates people even when they just look at it is whispering.

‘…It seems like he’s tempting me to come to Neo Seoul right away.’

Life in Incheon piqued Ji-hoon’s curiosity while instinctively feeling that it was dangerous for him, who had been living an ordinary modern life.

The sudden shower that calls Incheon a rural area, the huge skyscrapers visible on the horizon, and the city night view that shines more splendidly than the moon in the black night sky.

The information coming in through his nose and ears stimulates Ji-hoon’s mind. He thinks it is a dangerous place, but his desire to go there makes him excited.

If you look at the night view of Incheon with such expectations, you will understand what Sonagi said.

‘There’s not enough light. There aren’t many streetlights…’

Incheon’s streets were filled with flashy neon signs and flashy lights, but surprisingly, it was hard to find streetlights. The streets were brightly lit by flashy billboards and lights advertising stores desperately trying to sell as many items as possible to survive.

So the building without a single store looks miserable. It looks like an eyesore that doesn’t fit in with the bright lights of Incheon’s night streets, which are so dreary that the word “ugly” fits it.

Inside the shattered window of the dark building, a small flame was rising. Ji-hoon could vaguely see what the flame was.

It was a small cigarette. I didn’t see anyone smoking with my own eyes, but I could imagine what it looked like. It was just someone using a place similar to the abandoned building that Ji-hoon had desperately run to last night.

‘It must be used as a hideout for juvenile delinquents and gangsters… It seems like there are more than a few of them smoking…’

Ji-hoon, who started to feel anxious about the dark space, turned his head and looked at the dark street. There wasn’t much to see because there was no light.

“Where did we say we were going?”

“I’m going to the place called Naehang. Because Grandma Ha prepared a container.”

“Isn’t that where the ships come in at the dock? Why does it get darker the further you go? There are no streetlights.”

As Ji-hoon said, the further you go towards Incheon Port, the fewer sparkling lights there are.

I saw old and shabby buildings that reminded me of the word ‘moon village’, and I saw poor people standing there with fires lit in drums, feeling the cold and longing for light in the autumn weather before winter even started.

It was only a 2-3 minute flight…

Unlike the somewhat flashy downtown Incheon, the world becomes darker as you go towards the seaside. The crackling flames are becoming less visible, the number of houses inhabited is decreasing, and the number of fluorescent lights shining from the windows is decreasing to a number that can be counted on one hand.

“Inner port… No, because no more ships are coming into Incheon Port.”

“Neo, isn’t Incheon the closest place to Seoul?”

“Of course Incheon is close. But isn’t that only when you can use the sea? Do I have to teach you common sense like this?”

The rain was nagging at him, but he didn’t look like he was disliking it.

“No.. I don’t remember, so I don’t know. Please tell me. In the old days, there were a lot of ships, right? And we ate raw fish.”

“What the… Are you some kind of cryogenic? You’re talking about a story from 50 years ago.”

“What… . 50… . 50 years?”

“It’s been 50 years since those damn bastards built factories like crazy along the coast to feed their country, and the companies started a war, and all the ships were destroyed, so the sea in front of Incheon was a mess.”

“…”

“There are probably more sunken ships and containers in the Yellow Sea than water now. There is even talk that there is more oil than water, but what about ships…”

Sonagi’s mumbling while resting her chin on her hand was a shock to Jihoon.

“No… Then what did the government do! It’s the West Sea, our country’s… Yes, territorial waters! They just let those fucking bastards do their shit?”

“Then. Just leave it alone. What can we do? It’s natural that Megacorp doesn’t listen to the government, so even if our government talks to those bastards, they can’t do anything?”

“No matter what…”

“It’s been over 100 years already. The corporate guys called Megacorp and Zaibatsu are running around ignoring warnings and laws of many countries. Our country is the nobles. Well, we are nobles because we have nobles…”

Sonagi laughs softly. It seems like a pretty good joke to her, but Jihoon doesn’t find it funny at all.

“Then… what is that… you’re not doing any restoration work or anything?”

“Of course you can’t. Who can do it if there’s no money?”

“The companies must have received goods from Incheon Port or something. The entrance is gone, so they’re not going to repair it?”

“Originally, it was mainly used in the Busan area… What good would it do to restore it? Those bastards dump tons of wastewater every day. Salvaging cargo ships would be possible if there were one or two. There are too many, so it’s impossible.”

“You’re crazy about money…”

I don’t intend to say, “Our mountains and rivers are so green, so green.”

I wasn’t even the type of person to go plant a tree on Arbor Day.

However, the fact that the West Sea in front of Incheon had become a huge garbage dump where not only fish but also cargo ships could not enter was not a story that could be accepted as “Oh, I see.”

“Ah, we arrived.”

The chair shook for a moment, and then the AV stopped. Ji-hoon looked at the raindrops in confusion at the dark surroundings, where there were no streetlights or even a bonfire from a drum, but she was just lifting Park Ji-hye up lightly with one hand and putting her on her shoulder.

The AV door was already open, so Sonagi got out first without saying a word. Unlike the inside of the car, which was filled with light, it was so dark outside that Jihoon was a little afraid to go out the door… but his male pride wouldn’t allow him to show his fear in front of Sonagi.

“Is this the right place? What’s around here… Shit, I can’t see anything.”

“That’s because it’s a place to stack containers that came into the port. Well, there used to be streetlights and people working there… But it’s been decades since ships came in.”

Unlike Sonagi, who felt like she was reading a history book, Jihoon felt unfamiliar with all the stories. The Incheon he knew, that huge port, had become such a ruin without a single light…

“I can’t believe it…”

Is money that important? What does it mean that companies are starting a war? Ji-hoon had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but he couldn’t ask them.

There was too much to learn from the woman who was lifted onto Sonagi’s right shoulder, ‘Park Ji-hye’. If I asked her everything I was curious about, it would be a waste of time and I might lose the precious opportunity to go to Neo Seoul.

“Ah.. But come to think of it. You don’t have implants in your eyes, so you really can’t see anything?”

“You know that now…”

“Who doesn’t have a chip implanted in their brain and doesn’t wear artificial eyes? No one except my friend.”

Sonagi stretches out his left hand behind him. It looks like a teacher holding out a hand to a kindergarten student to prevent them from getting lost, but Jihoon holds onto that hand carefully.

“You, isn’t that woman heavy? She looks like she weighs more than you.”

“This is nothing.”

“Hey, but still… no matter how bad it is, I can’t carry a woman who looks like she weighs over 50 kilos on one shoulder…”

“That’s because I have implants in my arms too. I didn’t break my good arm and replace it with cyberware, but I’m still much stronger than you, right?”

Sonagi was really unmoved. She didn’t bother to show off her strength or lift women like dumbbells. To Sonagi, this was just normal.

“That…you mean the thing that was on your arm last time? The white button-like thing on your forearm.”

“Yeah. Muscle strengthening implants. What was it? I think it was some kind of hormone or drug. It’s semi-permanent. If you have a brain chip, you can control it yourself. ”

Sonagi finally stops talking. While he was quietly looking at something in the darkness, Jihoon suddenly sees a red light flash in front of him and puts his hand on his waist.

“Identity… not…confirmed…”

A voice is heard along with a crackling sound. It is a relatively audible human voice, but it feels like anyone can tell that it is a synthesized voice.

“Should I hack it?”

“No, it’s okay. I have the card my grandmother gave me.”

Sonagi shook her head and held out her right arm. She held out the barcode on her wrist, and the red-bodied robot scanned it for a long time.

“How long has this… robot been here?”

“Probably… older than us. Don’t worry, they’re the ones who manage containers.”

The robot, having finished scanning, moved its body very slowly and approached the red container. To Ji-hoon’s eyes, it was still a huge mass moving in the darkness, but So-na-gi could see everything.

“Oh…”

The moment the container opened, there was finally a source of light. Inside the container were two pure white lights, a black computer, several wooden chairs, and an operating table.

“What on earth is that old lady? Where on earth does she prepare these things…”

Ji-hoon followed Sonagi inside, surprised by the container filled with items that looked like something out of a crime movie.

Park Ji-hye was sleeping soundly, not even imagining what terrible thing was about to happen to her, and Sonagi put her down on a wooden chair and sat her down, naturally handcuffing her.

“Can you do it?”

Sonagi took a small piece of gum out of his breast pocket and put it in his mouth as he asked.

“Hacking?”

“Hacking, and by messing with this woman’s head… can you find out the blueprint and the location of the physical server?”

“Of course you can’t. I told you before. I’ll make you cooperate. ”

In response to Ji-hoon’s words, Sonagi remained silent for a while and then scratched her head with her left hand.

Sonagi approached Park Ji-hye, grabbed her hair, made her bow her head, and tapped something with his fingers.

“See here? If you peel off the artificial skin on this side, an external port will be exposed that can be forcibly connected. Since hacking was your job anyway, I won’t interfere further, but if you feel like you’re screwed, call me, okay? ”

“Don’t worry, you will definitely succeed.”

Ji-hoon took his smartphone out of his pocket with a smile. This was the only thing he believed in from the beginning.

“You can make this woman feel like she’s the most trustworthy person in the world. Wait for it, Rain. You might get jealous later.”

“What the… Seriously, this is fucking crazy! Get crazy! Stop talking nonsense and just screw things up!’

Cyber hypnosis app. Sonagi, who had no way of knowing about such a thing, hit Jihoon on the back with her hand and went out of the container.