Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 528

Chapter 528

The massive explosion that occurred in the middle of the night shook all of Neo Seoul.

It was an explosion of such tremendous power that it partially destroyed the residence of Kim Hyun-soo, the hegemon of the West District.

News spread that Kim Hyun-soo had sustained considerable injuries from the explosion. However, the cause of the explosion was not revealed.

Many people took interest and tried to determine the cause, but the West District completely sealed off the entire area.

Because of this, outsiders could not even approach the West District.

The explosion had been so intense that many people in the slums outside Neo Seoul felt the tremors.

So many thought it was an earthquake that they ran outside.

Zeon, who had been resting, also sensed the explosion.

He, too, was startled by the sudden blast.

The flames that shot high into the sky were soon contained, but the sight of that day lingered in his memory for a long time.

A few days passed after that.

Zeon left his house, visited the Goblin Market, and suddenly thought of Hicks, so he went to his workshop.

“Welcome, Zeon!”

Hicks greeted Zeon warmly.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes! Thanks to you, my research is moving along rapidly.”

Hicks beamed with a wide smile.

Because of Zeon’s request, Yoo Se-hee had spared no support for Hicks.

It was the first time Hicks had been able to conduct research so abundantly, to the point that it even frightened him.

Everything came out the moment he asked.

Research funds, and even recently manufactured parts.

Thanks to that, Hicks’s research had gained tremendous momentum.

For Hicks, who had the disposition of a shut-in engineer, these were the best days of his life.

Hicks spoke cautiously.

“I was actually about to come find you, Zeon. You came at just the right time.”

“Me?”

“Yes! I wanted to give you this.”

What Hicks produced was a small metal box.

“What is it?”

“It looks like a recorder.”

“A recorder?”

When Zeon made a puzzled expression, Hicks continued.

“It was sent by Oh Jin-ho. There was a note saying to pass it on to you.”

“Oh Jin-ho?”

Zeon furrowed his brow and took the recorder.

“It seems he had something he wanted to tell you. I’ll step outside for a moment, so please listen quietly.”

“Alright.”

When Zeon nodded, Hicks left the workshop.

Left alone, Zeon turned on the recorder, and Oh Jin-ho’s voice flowed out.

—You must have been surprised to hear from me so suddenly. But I could not help preparing for the worst.

After meeting Hicks and returning, I could not shake off my anxiety.

Because a certain delusion had taken hold of me.

Though I have replaced most of my body with machines, I am human.

My wish is to maintain a human’s noble spirit to the very end. Yet the auxiliary AI I received torments me with the fear that I may not be able to retain my sanity until the end.

So I installed a self-destruct bomb in my parts.

It is a decision I made to use when I forget who I am, or when I can no longer protect my identity as a human.

The reason I am informing you of this is to ask that, if I am taken over by the AI Black Tiger and can do nothing, you activate the self-destruct device on my behalf.

I am sending the self-destruct switch together with this recorder.

I am sorry for making such a request.

But at this moment, the only person who comes to mind is you, Zeon.

Please help me maintain my identity as a human.

Click!

As Oh Jin-ho’s voice ended, a small compartment on the side of the recorder opened, revealing a small detonator.

Picking up the detonator, Zeon deeply furrowed his brow.

He had never expected Oh Jin-ho to make such a request.

Holding the detonator, Zeon could not say a word for a long time.

Because the explosion in the West District from a few days ago came to mind.

Just then, Hicks, who had stepped outside, came back in.

Seeing the detonator in Zeon’s hand, Hicks was startled.

“What is that?”

“A detonator.”

“Pardon?”

“Can you tell whether the bomb connected to this detonator is still intact?”

“That’s not particularly difficult.”

“Then please check right now.”

Zeon handed the detonator to Hicks.

Though puzzled, Hicks followed Zeon’s request.

Closing his eyes and using his skill for a moment, Hicks tilted his head.

“It seems this has already exploded.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m not detecting any signal. It has definitely either already detonated or been disarmed.”

At Hicks’s words, Zeon’s expression hardened.

‘It already detonated? Then did he self-destruct?’

Only then did Zeon realize that the explosion from a few days ago had been caused by Oh Jin-ho.

‘Why would Oh Jin-ho self-destruct?’

The Oh Jin-ho Zeon knew was not someone who would throw his life away meaninglessly.

If he had self-destructed, there must have been a reason worthy of it.

‘Is it because of the auxiliary AI after all?’

For now, that was the only reason Zeon could think of.

Hicks cautiously asked, pointing at the detonator.

“What should we do with this?”

“Dispose of it. And do you remember what I asked you before?”

“You mean a way to stop an auxiliary AI from trying to take over a mechanized Awakener’s body?”

“Yes.”

“I’m researching it right now.”

“It seems you’ll need to produce results faster. Please hurry.”

“Do you think auxiliary AIs could revolt?”

“If they were merely auxiliary AIs, I wouldn’t worry at all. At best, they’re just degraded versions. The real problem is Samjok-o, which oversees everything.”

“Sam… jok-o!”

Hicks’s voice trembled involuntarily.

To mechanics, Samjok-o was a being of dreams and fantasy.

The only supercomputer of this era that every mechanic desired and wanted to connect to at least once.

Hicks asked carefully,

“Do you think Samjok-o might be an enemy right now?”

“I’m just preparing for the worst.”

“Hm.”

“I won’t spare any support, so please proceed with the research as quickly as possible.”

“Understood.”

Hicks replied with a stiff expression.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes! I’ll do my best.”

After hearing Hicks’s firm answer, Zeon stepped outside.

Normally, he would have gone straight home, but now he couldn’t.

The place Zeon headed for was Neo Seoul.

There was a rather useful informant in Neo Seoul.

Mandy, the half-elf with a split personality.

At Zeon’s unannounced visit, Mandy opened the door with a haggard expression and spoke.

“Yaaawn! What brings you here at this hour, Zeon?”

“I hope I didn’t come while you were busy.”

“No, I’ve finished everything. Come on in.”

Mandy let Zeon into her home.

Her house was, quite literally, a mess.

Clothes were scattered everywhere, and gray dust had settled over the sofa and furniture.

Realizing the state of her home belatedly, Mandy blushed and made an excuse.

“I haven’t been home for a few days. Things went crazy because of the West District.”

“Were you also dispatched to the West District?”

“Yes. When the West District was suddenly sealed off, all sorts of problems erupted.”

Neo Seoul was like a single living organism.

Though divided into several districts, they fundamentally interacted with each other, circulating resources and goods. But when the West District suddenly imposed a complete lockdown, that flow was abruptly cut off.

Naturally, all kinds of problems broke out.

Various electronic products and parts that had to be supplied from the West District stopped coming in, and conversely, goods sold to the West District from other districts couldn’t circulate and began to rot.

Because of this, City Hall had to step in.

One of City Hall’s roles was to mediate frictions and flows between districts.

That was why many people were mobilized, and Mandy was one of them.

“Did you manage to enter the West District in person?”

“No. They blocked it so thoroughly that we couldn’t even set foot inside.”

“Then you don’t know the situation in the West District at all?”

“Why, is there a problem?”

Mandy’s gaze changed.

She knew better than anyone that Zeon wouldn’t say such things without reason.

“I can’t go into detail yet because nothing is certain. I’ll tell you once it becomes clear.”

“Alright.”

“Is there any way to meet Kim Hyun-soo?”

“For now, that’s impossible. As you know, the West District is completely sealed.”

“Hm.”

“But it’s not as if there’s no way at all.”

“What?”

Seeing Zeon’s puzzled expression, Mandy explained calmly.

“There’s a major event coming up soon. Invitations were sent to the rulers of each district, so unless something happens, Kim Hyun-soo will attend as well.”

“A major event?”

“A notice came down recently. They told us to prepare for the groundbreaking ceremony of the control tower.”

“A control tower? What does it control?”

“No one knows. It was news to us as well. That’s how secretive it must be.”

There were many such facilities in Neo Seoul.

Even Mandy, a supervisor, didn’t know the identities of countless installations.

Mandy normally didn’t even take interest in such facilities.

She knew that not caring about things that had nothing to do with her directly was the key to longevity.

If it weren’t for the recent notice, Mandy wouldn’t even attend an event like the control tower groundbreaking.

“If invitations were sent to all the district rulers, it must be an extremely important facility.”

“Internal events that mobilize supervisors like us are extremely rare. That means it’s likely a very important and symbolic facility.”

“Couldn’t the rulers choose not to attend?”

“Dare they?”

“What?”

“The Mayor personally decided to invite them, and they would refuse? That’s impossible. People often make the mistake of thinking the district rulers are on equal footing with the Mayor. That’s because they don’t know the true power of the Mayor and City Hall. The only reason the district rulers were able to grow their power like that is because the Mayor allowed it. If the Mayor were to harden his resolve, neutralizing them would be no trouble at all.”

Fear was plainly visible on Mandy’s face.

Working as a supervisor, she knew to some extent that City Hall’s hidden power was beyond imagination.

She didn’t know exactly how strong the district rulers were, but compared to City Hall, she believed they fell far short.

Moreover, this event was being personally hosted by Jin Geum-ho for the first time in a long while.

Jin Geum-ho personally stepping forward and issuing invitations, only to be ignored?

No one in their right mind would do such a thing.

After listening to Mandy, Zeon nodded.

He, too, acknowledged the might of Jin Geum-ho and City Hall.

Zeon asked Mandy,

“When is the event being held?”

“In a week.”

“Would it be possible for me to obtain an invitation as well?”

“Of course.”

“Then please reserve one for me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll set one aside in your name.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. But we’d better prepare ourselves.”

“Pardon?”

“When you attend, something big always happens.”

“That…”

Zeon couldn’t bring himself to deny her words.

He didn’t get involved unless it was something major, and once he did, he always saw it through to the end.

“I’ll be careful not to cause you any trouble.”

“Well, I’ll take care of that on my end.”

Mandy replied with a smirk.

Zeon might not fully realize it, but she was very used to situations like this.

“Just in case, I should tune up the crazy nine-tailed fox for the first time in a while.”

“Ah, well…”

Zeon couldn’t bring himself to stop her.