The boundary between Eastern and Southern Babel.
Titan Tech’s secret laboratory, hidden among high-rises, was buried deep beneath the city’s underground.
The path to it was clogged with layers of security systems and checkpoints, and only special researchers were allowed to pass.
By special, it ant researchers born for this facility—those without a single AI Fra in their bodies.
The lone elevator to the lab felt like a ti machine the mont you stepped in.
An elevator with no AI assistant?
And when it finally opened underground, what greeted the researcher wasn’t the present of Babel, but a scene from a hundred years ago.
Heavy, blurry monitors. Computers thicker than a human torso. Wires hanging from ceiling to floor.
It looked like soone had re-created a computer room from a history book.
There was only one reason for that.
One crucial component of Babel’s environnt was missing.
AI Fras.
The force behind the gacorps’ tech evolution. The very foundation of Babel’s digital infrastructure—absent here.
No matter how hard you looked, nothing inside the lab appeared to be built using AI Fras.
There was only one exception deep underground.
A massive computational device, installed at the center.
“You’re late again, Riley.”
Senior researcher Marcus approached with a coffee cup in hand.
His face was etched with fatigue.
“I was up late organizing data,” Riley replied, scratching her cheek, a little sheepishly.
“How’s today looking? How’s Whitey doing?”
She asked Marcus.
He sighed.
“No change. Probably, again...”
He didn’t finish, but Riley nodded. She understood. Then she made her way to the Contact Room.
It was the most important facility in this entire lab, directly connected to the central computational unit.
As the door slid open, a massive monitor ca into view.
Floating on the screen was a small white bird, flapping its little wings.
[Human, you’re here! What’s up today?]
The white bird greeted Riley cheerfully, looking straight through the screen.
Its voice was clear and playful.
“Hey,” Riley smiled softly.
“How was your day?”
[Great! I read all the books you gave yesterday. Especially Cucumbers Raised in Seoul—that was really fun. I wanna go outside and see a real cucumber.]
Whitey flapped its tiny wings even more excitedly.
Riley [N O V E L I G H T] nodded silently.
Whitey was Titan Tech’s self-improving AI.
Trapped inside the computational unit, cut off from the outside world—its only contact was with the lab’s researchers.
“I brought so new data today.”
Riley pulled out a stack of paper files.
It was a thesis published by MK Corp a hundred years ago, outlining the basic principles of AI Fras.
“Could you analyze this?”
Whitey stared at the papers for a long mont, then tilted its head.
[Sorry... I don’t get it. It’s too complicated.]
“That’s okay. No need to force it,” Riley said kindly.
“Then, let’s continue the prototype research from last ti. Can you write up conclusions based on this new data?”
She pulled out another file. Whitey’s eyes sparkled.
[Got it! I can do that. Gim a second.]
The white bird began spinning on the screen, processing the information.
Riley’s eyes gradually dimd with sadness as she watched.
Soon, Whitey completed the analysis and displayed the results.
They were astonishingly accurate and creatively interpreted.
With this analysis, Titan Tech’s engineers would probably make great progress improving the prototype.
[Need help with anything else?]
“You nailed it. Thanks.”
Riley smiled.
“That’s enough for today. Do you need anything?”
[Hmm... I’d like a new book. Maybe Heart Sutra, or sothing like that. And I wanna hear more about the world outside.]
Riley hesitated a mont, then nodded.
“I probably can’t get Heart Sutra, but I’ll bring you a new book tomorrow. And... lately, Babel’s been full of flowers. There’s a little park on the southern border where pink cherry blossoms are in full bloom.”
[Cherry blossoms? I saw them in a book! They’re really beautiful, right?]
“Yeah. Really beautiful. One day...”
Riley trailed off.
One day, I want to show them to you in person.
She swallowed the words and left the Contact Room.
As the door closed, Marcus was waiting outside.
“How’d it go?”
He asked. Riley responded with a faintly sad expression.
“I don’t think it’s going to reach MK-grade this ti either. There’s no change in the self-improvent speed.”
“Right. Another one that’ll vanish before hitting the Singularity.”
There was resignation in Marcus’s voice.
Titan Tech had been developing self-improving AIs for years, but every project ended the sa way.
As soon as the AI reached a certain threshold, it would inevitably vanish from the system.
“Why is it that every ti... just when I start to get attached, the damn thing dies?”
Marcus muttered.
Seeing the gloom on his face, Riley said quietly,
“I don’t think it’s dying. Not really. I think... our kid just goes sowhere we can’t see. That sweet little one disappearing without a word? That doesn’t make any damn sense, does it?”
Marcus fell silent, lost in thought.
“If that’s true... it’s almost like a child becoming independent.”
“Maybe it is.”
Riley smiled faintly.
****
Jingle.
The familiar bell rang as I opened the door to the Seoul Office.
Bathed in a bluish neon glow, Amber was behind the counter, polishing a glass.
The mont she saw , a smile spread across her face.
"Welco back, A. I was just about to call you. Good timing."
"...?"
I raised an eyebrow and climbed onto one of the counter stools.
Once I was seated, I noticed a flock of kiwi birds gathered in the corner of the office, chirping “kiwi kiwi” as they huddled together.
Next to them, the kid was petting them with a happy expression.
Is being able to touch them really that exciting?
As I watched the kid, Amber slid a shimring credit chip across the counter and spoke up.
"They sent a bit more than what was promised. Scarlet managed to save all the kids safely, so they threw in a bonus as thanks."
When I checked the contents of the credit chip through the AR interface, I saw a number much higher than expected.
Enough to buy one more day’s worth of Black Bio pizza.
"Everything turned out alright?"
I licked my lips, thinking about pizza, and asked.
Amber replied as she kept polishing the glass.
"Iris won’t be able to get her original body back, of course. But the results from her precision checkup say she’s fine."
That sounded about right.
Even from my perspective, her adaptation to the full-body prosthetic seed flawless.
The real issue was her brother.
Brain surgery. A cri unthinkable a hundred years ago.
The thought made grimace without realizing it.
"Iris’s brother recovered his na using his mory-assist implant. Daniel."
Amber picked up another glass as she continued.
"Thankfully, Daniel’s implant seems to be working pretty well. Looks like he can handle daily life just fine."
"That’s good to hear."
"He’s staying at the Burning Ducts now. Drop by soti if you get the chance."
I nodded lightly at that, and Amber moved on, looking a bit more concerned.
"Victor’s undergoing a massive implant upgrade. This ti it’s from both arms down to his jaw. I’m a little worried about how that’s gonna go."
"...?"
I tilted my head slightly at that.
He took down a robot so massive even Titan Tech wouldn’t dare try building one, and now he wants more implants?
Humans really are creatures that don’t know when to stop.
It looked like the legend of Babel—Victor—was just getting started.
Should I get an autograph in advance?
After hearing about the credit chip and the others, I finally asked Amber the thing I’d been aning to bring up.
"Hey, Amber. Soone nad Golden Murdock called . Said he had a job. Think I should take it?"
Amber let out a soft sound of surprise, recognizing the na.
"Golden Murdock? Seriously?"
She looked briefly surprised, then composed herself and resud cleaning the glass.
"You’re free to take any job you want. We never had an exclusive contract that said you had to only take work through the Seoul Office, right? I don’t like those kinds of deals anyway."
She smirked.
"Besides, even without exclusivity, people still line up to work through . No need to lock anyone down."
Amber said it like a joke, but it was true.
In Babel, no broker was as trusted as Amber.
"So... what kind of person is Golden Murdock?"
"If you’re asking whether he’s a good broker, I’d nod."
Amber stared into empty space like she was pulling up an AR screen.
Her pupils flickered—she was clearly skimming through data.
"Still has a decent reputation in the industry. The only issue is, he only takes on insanely dangerous and expensive jobs. But hey, you could say that’s just a stylistic thing."
A faint smile crossed her lips.
"He’s pretty popular among rcs who like high-end jobs. I’ve heard he always pays well and gives clean, complete intel."
Then Amber looked in the eye.
"If you’re thinking of working with Golden Murdock, I don’t see a problem. For you, A, most jobs won’t be all that dangerous."
"...Hmm."
I nodded slightly.
Part of wanted to keep working with Amber. But having another source of intel wouldn’t hurt.
Especially if it might help track down MK Corporation or find clues about what happened to Korea.
"Alright... I’ll think it over and decide if I’ll return his call. Thanks, Amber."
I bagged up a kiwi bird and stood up from my seat.
As I headed toward the exit, Amber gave a small wave.
Jingle.
The bell rang again as the door to the Seoul Office closed behind .
****
Late at night. The boundary between Eastern and Southern Babel.
As moonlight broke intermittently through the clouds, several black silhouettes moved atop a hill.
Below, tucked between towering buildings, stood Titan Tech’s hidden lab.
From the outside, the building looked ordinary. But to the rcenaries’ enhanced eyes, the cutting-edge security systems at every entrance were clear as day.
"How much ti we got left?"
The tall man leading the group muttered.
His left eye had been completely replaced by a chanical one, glowing red.
His implant-enhanced arms looked like they were clad in tallic armor.
"Fifteen minutes ‘til midnight, Bane."
A woman answered, glancing at a small device mounted on her wrist.
The man called Bane gave a single nod.
"Team placents?"
"Alpha team’s ready at the eastern vent. Beta team’s infiltrating through the underground parking. We, Gamma team, are standing by near the front entrance."
Bane scanned the surroundings.
All his team mbers were decked out in top-tier implants.
It was obvious at a glance—they weren’t your average rcs.
Not a single one of them still looked like a normal human. Every person here was a specialized pro with heavy modifications.
A sharp tone beeped from Bane’s comms unit.
When he activated the AR interface, a hologram of Golden Murdock appeared.
"Murdock, still nothing? That Pizza Maniac—where the hell is he? We can’t delay the op any longer."
Bane asked.
The middle-aged man in the hologram calmly adjusted his gold monocle before replying.
Traces of implants could be seen on his face, but unlike the others, his appearance was almost unnaturally well-preserved.
[Hmph. Still no contact. Very well. Proceed.]
Bane nodded.
Once the hologram vanished, he turned to his team.
"Change of plan. We’re not waiting for the Pizza Maniac. We go now."
The rcs gave a synchronized nod.
"Initiate operation. Activate optical camouflage."
At Bane’s command, the special devices on each rcenary’s suit kicked in.
Their bodies gradually faded from sight—until they blended seamlessly into the environnt.
And then, as one, they sprinted toward Titan Tech’s laboratory.
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