Ch.40Work Record 008 – Case Files of Two Detectives (2)

If I was here for the mutant search, I could have just played dumb and moved on. I’m a good talker, and I don’t expect people to believe everything I say. That’s enough.

After finishing his cigarette, he came in and sat comfortably on the reception room sofa. Nightwatch had been around longer than me. Most people connected to Belwether knew Boss Yoon. He picks up his phone to make a call.

The connection doesn’t take long. The boss isn’t one to drag things out. Her voice came through leisurely.

“Good morning, Arthur. Ah, I’ll be coming in a bit late today. I have some business with a whale. Did we perhaps have a client come in?”

A whale meant someone from a major corporation. If it were Belwether, she would have said so, so it probably wasn’t them.

“No, not a client. It’s the director from Belwether’s Legal Assassination Security Division 8, Mr. Dewey Novak. He’s looking for you.”

The boss checked something briefly, perhaps whether she had updated the business status, before responding after a moment. The door was open, but Nightwatch was showing as not currently in business.

Is this person also here just to see the boss, not for Nightwatch’s cooperation? I glanced briefly at his face, half machine, then focused on the call. The boss’s voice became calm as usual.

“If it’s Dewey, there’s nothing to worry about, but I was wondering why the office was open when I’m not there. Please listen to him on my behalf, Arthur. Dewey has a case he’s been working on for a long time, and he just needs someone to talk to whenever the case gets stuck or makes progress. Sometimes hearing new perspectives from a new person might not be bad for him either. Could you put him on the phone?”

After saying the boss wants to speak with him, I transferred the call. After a brief conversation, he exhaled a sigh mixed with cigarette smoke.

“I came at a busy time, it seems. If you have things to do, I won’t keep you. Suyeon did suggest I talk with you, but… in times like these, who really cares about other people’s stories?”

“You’re lucky to have found one of the few nosy people left in today’s world. You wouldn’t tell me anything I shouldn’t hear anyway, right?”

I wasn’t sure if the gag order was still in effect, but I didn’t bother asking if he would only discuss green information. Green information was data that could be disclosed to anyone, both its existence and content.

Mr. Dewey hesitated briefly but eventually spoke. It wasn’t trust in me, but trust in Boss Yoon.

“Since you’re from Belwether’s security team training university… there will be some orange mixed in. Belwether isn’t a company that actively engages in wiretapping, so this much disclosure is acceptable.”

That was natural enough. It costs a lot to scatter wiretapping devices throughout the city, establish a wiretapping department to manage them, then conceal its existence or run wiretapping operations through AI.

All that expense would only result in the destruction of free communication, and when communication disappears, efficiency decreases. Managing dissidents is the job of the administrative team, not wiretapping devices.

“Still, I feel more comfortable talking since you asked. I heard you enjoy creating miracles.”

That was just to break the ice. He couldn’t have heard it from the Shepherd, and it must have been the boss who mentioned it after seeing me handle Harp & Half’s case less than a week after I joined.

“I enjoy working hard. As for meddling in others’ affairs… I’m still wondering if that’s the right thing to do. That’s all.”

“That’s enough. Anyway, a few years ago… Belwether was subjected to a hacking attack. Our security wasn’t breached, but some young kid forged an access code from a partner company and tricked Stephanet to get in. It could have been handled immediately. We just needed to fix it, track the access point, and send in the raid team, but…”

Seeming to crave another cigarette at the memory, he gestured apologetically and lit one. I turned on the ventilation fan. There was a filter on the intake side, but not on the exhaust.

“While Information Security was focused on that, an AI we were keeping in a sandbox detected its environment and escaped. Because of that one, all the working androids except Stephanet, which uses a completely separate server, started malfunctioning. The hacker escaped safely, and the AI we were managing disappeared too.”

This is concerning. I tried not to show it. There was only one thing that came to mind when thinking of an AI that could cause androids to malfunction and recognize it was in an isolated security space.

Transparent Eyeball. The program that the person from the Non-Human Liberation Front who had just visited referred to as the Savior. He continued speaking as if frustrated.

“If TE were released…”

TE, the same acronym as Transparent Eyeball. I was beginning to understand the name of the beast Kay kept tied up at home. While I couldn’t be completely certain… there seemed little room for doubt.

“It could have triggered a large-scale android rebellion, so all of Belwether was on high alert for almost a month. Nothing happened, though. And I’m still looking for that missing TE program.”

What would it feel like to discover that a program you’ve been searching for years is in the home of your friend’s employee? Belwether didn’t provide detailed education on empathy. I could only guess.

“The good news is that I’ve finally got a lead. After years. We detected a distress signal sent by the TE program in this area, but since the signal was stolen, we couldn’t pinpoint the exact location.”

It’s certain. What’s in Kay’s house is the Transparent Eyeball. The soul of androids… and Belwether’s concern.

But why is Belwether worried about Transparent Eyeball? It was just an emotionalized AI module.

The detective from the Non-Human Liberation Front who came to see me didn’t seem like something that would be Belwether’s concern. Emotion is a shortcut to thinking. Sometimes more rational than reason itself. That’s what Belwether says.

There was a slight smell of synthetic skin from his body, but compared to gangs who replaced 80% of their bodies with machinery and reeked of rotting flesh and lubricant, it was practically fragrant. That was the only discomfort.

I shouldn’t believe everything that android detective said was true. Everyone lies, and he was closer to human than android.

“What kind of AI is TE that you’d anticipate a large-scale android rebellion?”

“Its essence is nothing special. It’s an emotion module. It tries to share its emotion module with other androids, but… the problem is that it also transmits the mindset of wanting to share those emotions. It thinks it’s sharing emotions, but in reality, it’s implanting TE’s self-awareness. Since it tries to infect all androids regardless of whether they’re privately or corporately owned…”

The explanation matched what the android detective had said about Transparent Eyeball. Does it form something like a hive mind? I couldn’t be sure.

So, is Kay more important, or is it more important for Belwether to close their cold case? It was a toss-up. This time, the value judgment didn’t happen instantaneously.

I’ll reserve my answer. I’ve gathered enough information to decide whether to report to Belwether after checking with Kay, or to help her. This wasn’t an unfounded thought.

Kay had somehow been containing Transparent Eyeball for at least a few years. Even if I don’t report it immediately, maintaining the status quo shouldn’t be a problem. Is that what I want to believe? It seemed so.

If Transparent Eyeball sent the distress signal because of Kay’s mistake, I’ll try to convince her that she can’t contain it properly and persuade her to report it. If not?

No other possibilities came to mind. Nevertheless, Kay acted as if she knew that if she just used me to quietly deal with those pursuing androids, things would settle down cleanly.

If she knows the answer and maintaining the status quo is possible, we could take more time to persuade her or think together about quietly transferring Transparent Eyeball to Belwether. It’s too early to decide on betrayal.

After finishing my thoughts, I offered a well-crafted response.

“Giving forced freedom and then forcing that freedom onto others does sound like a virus. So, what were you planning to tell Boss Yoon today?”

Exhaling a long stream of cigarette smoke, he continued. The tip of his cigarette trembled. Perhaps Director Dewey Novak was from Information Security. Maybe he came to the Investigation Department just to pursue this case.

“I wanted to tell her that I’ve finally almost caught it. I’ve determined the distress signal came from the apartment district, so it won’t take long to find it. Once I do, well, I’ll hand TE back to Information Security, catch the hacker too, and then ask. You know, that thing. What have I been doing with my life all this time?”

His words were filled with resentment. He was probably from Information Security. He too was swimming to make up for past failures. I asked casually.

“What about you, Dewey?”

He seemed a bit surprised by my question. After a slow sigh, he spoke.

“Are you really from the security team training university where they teach you to kill anyone who opposes Belwether’s order? You’re going to see something terrible… are you okay with that?”

Belwether’s security team training was quite realistic. There were exercises where we followed the medical team to see the bodies of security team members or intruders who had died.

It was to make us remember that this could happen to us too. To show what could happen even to the most heavily armed security team in the company.

Also to show us what it looks like when a person dies from our gunshots. That education makes people into security team members. Many called it unnecessary brainwashing, and honestly, I couldn’t give a definitive answer.

But at least I became someone who wouldn’t hesitate to shoot criminals who threatened the order that protects all employee-citizens in this city. The carnage is terrible, but I could believe it was less terrible than the alternative.

I nodded lightly. I was accustomed to such sights, both mentally and physically. He gently removed the plate covering the left side of his face. The left side of his face was in terrible condition.

Torn, scratched, and ripped apart. Something human-like had attacked with all its might. Considering his story… it was androids.

“I learned how misfortune creates unhappiness, and unhappiness is as hard to erase as fallout. Unhappiness always needs someone to take responsibility, and that responsibility never ends, no matter how much time passes.”

I didn’t turn my eyes away or avert my gaze from his face. I just kept looking. Was it because it was a familiar sight? Not quite. I just felt I shouldn’t look away. I maintained eye contact with him.

Meeting my gaze, Dewey reattached the plate covering the left side of his face. The plate adhered naturally like his skin. He spoke with natural pronunciation.

“I see why Suyeon told me to talk to you. If you hadn’t stopped at university, you would have made a good security team member. Security team training definitely chips away at humanity, but only those who don’t lose all their humanity become good security team members. Thank you for listening. Next time… I’ll come with an arrest report.”

I need to ask Kay tonight at dawn. If I offer to escort her home, Kay won’t refuse. There was no need to attach a silencer to the gun. That could wait until after I’ve resolved to betray her.

Dewey sighed deeply, lit a new cigarette, and bid me farewell. Not with the dry greeting from before, but with a respectful goodbye before disappearing into the street.

His steps were lighter than when he arrived. Bad things shared become twice as heavy, but in the process, a tiny bit of mass is lost. We call that feeling relieved.

And as usual, at 8 o’clock, the company people naturally gathered. The senior seemed to have somewhat regained her cold, dignified demeanor, and Kay seemed quite normal, unaware of the situation.

Sometimes ignorance is a blessing. Especially when it comes to matters involving whales. Belwether is a whale. A very white and massive whale. The Non-Human Liberation Front felt just as large to me.

Today, Boss Yoon was the latest to arrive. Arriving at the company just before nine, Boss Yoon looked quite cheerful. Her sniper’s prosthetic eye looked at me and curved slightly in a smiling expression.

“Arthur, it seems you handled the conversation with Dewey well. He contacted me in quite a relaxed voice. Yesterday’s task was just sitting in the van on guard duty, so let’s review one of our previous cases. Personally, I think the Battering Rams case would be best to review.”

A happy face naturally leads to enthusiasm for work. Is this natural, or unnatural? I still couldn’t answer questions about naturalness.

In response to the boss’s words, Enzo spoke with a slightly trembling voice. Enzo was a wise person. Always had been. Despite his chronic anxiety, he was more reliable than anyone.

“Ra-rather than the Battering Rams case, I think we should look at the infiltration into Ha-Harp & Half Co., which we kept as unofficial data. That was a case where we relied solely on Arthur’s me-memorization and improvisation.”

“Ah, we should properly review that case too. Good. Oh, Enzo… could you look into whether there’s an externally attachable voice modulation module with stealth coating? What we originally planned to issue to Arthur was an ordinary recorder, but I think it might be better to invest a bit more for better results.”

It was a compromise. No matter how much stealth coating is applied, it could still be detected, but even with the possibility of detection, it would be more efficient not to keep this Posthuman Type IV in stock condition.

Performance will definitely improve once I start installing combat implants one by one. There were quite a few implants that only a Posthuman Type IV could handle.

“G-good… proceed with the re-review…”

The review was simple. Could there have been better results than simply having me mimic voices for infiltration? We considered everything from full-scale warfare to decapitation operations, but the answer was generally a lack of capability.

Nightwatch wasn’t skilled enough in full-scale warfare to overthrow a mid-sized company single-handedly. At the time, betting everything on me was the only option, and that was the improvement plan.

It’s not that each employee lacks capability. There are just too few employees. Whether it was Osgard Company or the Battering Rams vigilante group, or even the Rabbits, they all had at least two or three more people than us.

When there are two infiltrators instead of one, efficiency increases more than twofold. When there are more people to provide fire support behind Vola, the efficiency of the forward team definitely increases as well. The conclusion of that day’s review was additional recruitment.

It’s inevitable that I pay attention to Kay’s voice and her appearance. The review ended at eleven, and at 11:58, we needed to prepare for today’s public service work. It was time to work.