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“Edamatsu-nim, you should prepare to leave soon, or you’ll be late…”

The secretary, unable to hide his anxiety, spoke to him, a powerful figure difficult to even meet eyes with, and a member of the ruling class of the Mega Corp to which they belonged.

Edamatsu, feeling a deep displeasure at the impolite behavior, which was practically a prompting, and more specifically, at the attitude of being more concerned with the person he was meeting than with him, whom he should be assisting, growled.

“He hasn’t explicitly named a successor yet. Are you so afraid of the Chairman, who has handed over real power to the board of directors and is living in seclusion?”

“!! I’m sorry! But… I judged it to be a summons with strong reprimanding undertones… If this continues, it will affect Edamatsu-nim’s approval rating on the board of directors, so please…!!”

“……”

Even while repeatedly bowing his head.

He glared at the secretary, who showed no intention of backing down from his argument, then withdrew his gaze and finished the work he was doing.

It wasn’t so much that he was convinced, but rather that confronting a subordinate, especially a direct secretary whose replacement would undoubtedly lead to various inconveniences, wouldn’t be particularly beneficial.

He also wondered if his sensitive reaction might inadvertently amplify his father’s shadow.

Rustle, rustle.

He carefully folded the paper-based data, which could only be obtained through physical theft, and placed it in his suit’s inner pocket.

Even if Elysium wasn’t particularly interested in being hostile to other Mega Corps, there were many capable individuals and organizations dissatisfied with corporations in the world, so it was never a bad idea to be cautious.

Especially for Edamatsu Amagi, who had recently aggressively targeted other presidents and directors, creating animosity.

Marble-finished floors, a heavy wooden desk, frames with real paintings and a music box.

He left his office, which even someone lacking or devoid of aesthetic sense would find classic, majestic, and, above all, feel an overwhelming sense of how much it would be worth in Credits, and began to move busily.

The headquarters of Enama Corporation, one of the founding contributors to Neo Haven, had a very large site.

Even though it focused on ergonomics according to demand, its essence was ultimately biotechnology.

It was not strange that Enama’s site, located on the outskirts of Metropolis to be advantageous for research, technology development, and defense, also included the adjacent sea.

But deep inside that vast territory, in the most affluent coastal area, there was not a facility that needed seawater, but an old-fashioned Japanese-style residence for only one person.

“…I will wait here until the meeting is over.”

Abruptly! The pursuers who had escorted Edamatsu from his office to this old house stopped sharply in front of the gate.

If their attitude of serving him had been sufficiently respectful until now, this was a display of reverence as if the wooden threshold was a diagonal line.

…Let those who enter know their place. What resides within is the oldest monster in this world.

The founder of Enama Corporation and one of the heads of the Mega Corps that control the world.

It was a devil’s den where the giant named Otsuge Amagi (託宣 天城) had disappeared.

Those without the qualifications and experience believed that even the building’s incomprehensible appearance and structure had profound meaning and hesitated to approach it.

Of course… his children, who inherited his bloodline, knew that this was the result of their father’s longing for his homeland.

There were no fools who were frightened by simple structures, but they feared the old man himself, who still controlled the company despite not having appeared for nearly a decade, and coveted his power behind his back.

“…gulp.”

The secretary, who had visited this place several times while serving him but could not get used to the serene atmosphere, swallowed hard and quickly followed Edamatsu, lest the distance between them widen.

“…The air is always clear here.”

They passed a cherry tree with flowers in full bloom, planted in the garden to remind them never to forget their roots, walked along a stone-paved path following a pond where carp were swimming, and were able to enter the residence.

Hanging scrolls throughout the corridors depicted scenes of the Far East that were now difficult to return to.

The subtly lit lamps created a mysterious atmosphere.

The closed rooms, whose purpose could not be guessed, stimulated curiosity.

However, Edamatsu, whose blood itself proved his legitimacy, had no interest in glancing sideways, and the secretary valued his life, so they headed straight to the tokonoma (a symbolic room for welcoming guests) where the head of the family would be waiting.

“Chairman Amagi. Edamatsu of the board of directors, who was ordered to be summoned, has arrived. I will enter.”

With a concise greeting, the sliding door slid open.

Inside the neatly decorated, tatami-matted room, a graceful black-haired beauty stood attentively.

Though not tall, she was enveloped in a maternal love that seemed to embrace everything.

She couldn’t have been more than twenty-five at most? The secretary, confirming the Eastern beauty who was not only young but still had a youthful air, paid his respects to her first, before greeting the old man beside her.

“Have you been well, Suzunashi (鈴無) Sama?”

“……”

The woman called Suzunashi smiled silently, and Edamatsu, seeing this, openly hardened his face.

Even the world’s most cold-blooded person would never make such a reaction when seeing his mother, but everyone in this place knew the inside story.

She is. No, that disgusting thing is a Clone.

A blood-flowing doll from which even the ability to speak has been removed because opening her mouth would create a sense of disconnect from her memories.

One of the imitations born from Otsuge Amagi’s countless obsessions.

If even the super-regeneration technology to be revealed this time is merely a byproduct of the experiments to revive his deceased wife, other Mega Corps will not believe it and demand plausible data.

“You can just call me father in this place.”

“…I apologize. Chairman Amagi.”

On the other hand, the old man, Chairman Otsuge, with his gaunt and sagging skin and rows of age spots, seemed to want his entering son to also show respect, but… he only reaffirmed that it was difficult to expect and readily brought up the matter at hand.

“The progress of the research institute you were entrusted with. Why did you hide it from me?”

To call it readily, the air became twice as heavy with just a brief word.

The secretary bowed his head deeply in the swirling, murky atmosphere. His eyes were open, but it was as good as closed, and the sensations entering his ears did not reach his brain.

“…I thought the unknown fiend would be more impatient if there was no reaction.”

“So, you bit and dug up the flaws of your brothers and sisters like a mongrel?”

“Isn’t it all just a fight for a piece of the pie for the sake of results anyway?”

If they were going to keep even him, a prodigal son, in check, it was just a small deviation shown to mean that they should be prepared to suffer corresponding wounds. Edamatsu declared confidently.

Seeing this, the Chairman quietly put a kiseru (pipe) in his mouth and took a puff.

A talented delinquent, an excellent mad dog, a son who hates his father.

He regarded the world as a blackboard on which to write and erase letters, or a playground where sandcastles were built and destroyed. Edamatsu, who had been present at his mother’s deathbed, had hated and avoided him all his life.

Nevertheless, there was a clear reason why Otsuge could not help but cherish Edamatsu.

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

“…I will listen respectfully.”

“Because I thought there wouldn’t be a fool in this venerable bloodline who would deliberately provoke you, who has the least interest in my position, with a facility that doesn’t even generate profit.”

How anxious and bloodshot would the eyes of the successors be under a half-immortal monarch?

Moreover, if new technologies were developed every day, and the king’s death only grew further away, it wouldn’t be strange if someone crossed the line.

The exhaled cigarette smoke was quickly sucked into the purifier installed so that it wouldn’t be visible on the ceiling.

“……So. The researchers, including the doctor, are all dead, and the data has been completely eliminated?”

“Considering the scale of the forces engaged and the time it took to reacquire the facility, I judged it to be a terrorist act aimed at data loss, rather than external leakage or robbery.”

Data loss, terrorism. Every time ominous words were listed, the old man’s face turned red and his whitish eyebrows shot up to the sky.

“And…! What was in that place, what century-long plan was in progress, do you know?”

Edamatsu shook his head with a polite but somewhat rebellious attitude.

Then, the Chairman, frustrated that he did not realize the seriousness of the situation, spat out the answer without hiding his intense emotions.

“Deus ex machina. Dr. Makarovich was carrying out the so-called Goddess Revival Project!”

“……I see.”

Ah, another ant hell created by the delusions of a great prophet.

Edamatsu, keeping the irreverent sneer that would have made the Chairman cough up blood to himself, chimed in casually.

“The cradle that was supposed to nurture the hacker who would make me, your mother, live forever in perfect condition has disappeared, and I absolutely cannot condone that…!!”

…Has he truly gone mad as a result of refusing anti-aging surgery and Implants, and living for nearly 200 years with drugs and medical devices, because he wouldn’t apply unfinished technology to himself?

“…You were trying to create a goddess. And a hacker at the same time…?”

He asked, finding the contradictory expression difficult to understand in terms of common sense, as he was trying to get scolded appropriately and leave the place.

Then, the old man, who had been a frontline scientist in his younger days, tried to teach his son, who showed interest with fiery eyes.

“What do you think humans, the cells that make up the body, are? Cells are biological robots! Robots that don’t want anything, don’t feel anything, and only repeat the commands given to them! And humans, the culmination of that, are the most perfect and miraculous mechanical life forms that were unlikely to be born!!”

Clone Suzunashi politely placed a cup in front of him as he spoke passionately.

Whether Edamatsu was horrified by the sight of her being more like a slave than a devoted wife or not. The old man, having moistened his parched throat with pre-prepared tea, continued to explain his lifelong masterpiece-like hypothesis.

“The whore of Elysium who chases after a futile complete brain uploading, and the brain in a jar of ExaTech who advocates for the mechanical replacement of flesh, could not deny the fundamental regression theory I established! Our bodies are not like prisons, but simply ships with flawed designs!”

“Then what is needed to repair the ship? The right tools. The language of life, more numerous than the stars scattered throughout the universe, the protein system that makes up humble carbon-based organisms, is ultimately composed of electrical signals. Shouldn’t we create an absolute scepter that can violate and dominate that mystery?!”

“If we can reverse the many wrong decisions and commands that the foolish human brain has made over thousands of years of evolution, without relying on incomplete means such as Implants or genetic manipulation! We can become flawless while preserving Purity!”

A wave of shrill madness that echoed throughout the mansion passed.

The unfortunate genius, once again trapped in his narrow, aging body, looked at his son, who would become his limbs, with burning eyes.

“So… find the culprit. Whether it’s an underground organization dissatisfied with Enama, another company, or… even if you believe it’s an inside job, as you do. Recover everything you find and bring it to me…!!”

Silently, Edamatsu, showing his willingness to follow his will by bowing his forehead to the table, rose to his feet.

And unfortunately, he had no intention of obeying.

There was only the joy of being able to legally harass executives and make the old man anxious.

But finally. On his way out, Edamatsu recalled a possibility he hadn’t considered until he heard the explanation.

A way to flawlessly explain the accident that only led deeper into the labyrinth the more he investigated.

“…What if that great goddess of yours. Was angered by the insignificant humans and the lab and escaped on her own?”

The old man, who was taking medicine from his wife to replenish his spent energy, scoffed at those words.

“Hmph! You sound like that Makarovitch fellow. I may have grandly expressed it considering the importance of my project, but a mere surgical tool! How can a lump of flesh in a test tube have a soul?”

“…I understand.”

He glanced at Suzunashi, who couldn’t erase his empty smile, and left the outdated house with his unfocused secretary.

Meanwhile, at that moment, a hacker who couldn’t even imagine secrets of birth or hidden abilities was too busy walking a tightrope.

“You’re… Anastasia the hacker? I see you’ve already submitted your resignation?”

“…The mental shock was so great, I need some rest.”

Her terrifying sanpaku eyes scanned every corner, and her clasped hands, in contrast to her darting tongue, created an atmosphere of terror. She could only hope that her carefully prepared alibi would work.