Chapter 1716: Finding Clues: Part-1
Meanwhile, Young Aether sat comfortably on the couch, quietly whistling as his eyes wandered around the grand house.
"Hmm... it’s clean," he muttered, leaning back against the couch while scanning the spotless living room.
"The same brat who used to litter his house with papers, get kicked in the ass by his parents, and forget where he left half his books... and now look at him. All grown up and living in a place like this."
Honestly, Young Aether was not even sure why he was thinking about such things. After all, he had died at the age of twenty-eight... not eighteen!
Most of the friends he remembered had long since grown older, and naturally, they behaved like adults rather than the reckless idiots he remembered.
Maybe it was because he was currently occupying Young Aether, causing old memories to surface more vividly than usual. The memories that came were mostly from the brighter parts of his youth rather than the painful years that followed.
... Or perhaps he had unknowingly assumed Young Aether’s personality?
Whatever the reason, he was genuinely happy to see his friend again after such a long time. More importantly, he felt relieved that he had managed to meet him before anything unfortunate could happen.
"Man, I wonder if those drinks are still here," he muttered before standing up and walking toward the kitchen.
Well... calling it a kitchen almost felt wrong.
The room looked more like a laboratory disguised as a kitchen. Sleek metallic surfaces blended seamlessly into the walls, while various appliances operated without visible buttons, screens, or cables. Small blue indicators glowed beneath transparent countertops, and several floating holographic interfaces appeared.
Young Aether barely understood half of what he was looking at.
He felt like an old man here!
Fuck!
As he turned his head, he noticed a familiar collection of drinks resting inside a transparent container near the corner. White mist swirled lazily inside while chilled air drifted around the beverages.
He walked over and examined it closely.
"Where’s the door?" he muttered, circling the container while searching for a handle or opening mechanism.
The entire thing appeared to be made from a single piece of crystal-clear glass.
"How the hell do they even open this thing?" he wondered aloud.
Curious, he reached forward and pressed his hand against the surface.
Instead of meeting resistance, his hand passed directly through it.
"What the..."
Young Aether immediately pulled his hand back in surprise. A pleasant chill lingered on his fingertips as he stared at the transparent glass.
He blinked twice before trying again.
His hand slipped through effortlessly, entering the container without disturbing the glass at all. Grabbing one of the cold cans, he pulled it back out without breaking anything.
"Hmm... so this isn’t actually glass?"
His curiosity toward the refrigerator instantly became greater than his desire for the drink itself.
Leaning closer, he finally realised what he was looking at. The transparent surface was merely a specialised energy barrier designed to prevent cold air from escaping while stopping warm air from entering.
It maintained temperature isolation without requiring a physical door.
"Hmm... not bad," he admitted with raised eyebrows. "That’s actually pretty clever."
He cracked open the can and immediately took a long drink.
Gulpppp... gulpppp... gulpppp...
"Muh! Fuck, that hit the spot," he sighed with satisfaction.
The familiar taste brought back memories he had not experienced in years. Feeling refreshed, he returned to the couch and casually sipped from the can while observing the house.
"There really isn’t that much difference. For an advanced civilisation, I expected at least a few fancy robots running around serving their masters or something like that."
^There is~^
The sudden feminine voice caused him to nearly choke on his drink.
Cough!
Young Aether blinked before lowering the can and staring at the ring on his finger.
^Due to division restrictions and military regulations, advanced caretaking units are not permitted to operate within this Delta city.^
The voice came from the ring, not loud but enough to be heard by him.
"Oh? You’re still alive?" Young Aether asked with genuine surprise. "I honestly thought you died together with that freaking car."
^...^
"What?" Young Aether was confused about why the sassy AI turned silent.
However,
^I’m conducting a diagnostic check. Specifically, I’m attempting to determine whether your skull contains a functioning brain or... merely decorative material.
The results remain in.con.clu.sive!^
"..."
^Tell me, I genuinely wonder if there are any functioning neurons inside that empty skull of yours. Have you ever considered using even one of them?^
"..." Young Aether’s eye twitched.
^Did you somehow forget the conversation we had less than a day ago? The one where I explicitly informed you that Network Intelligence access is restricted within Beta, Epsilon, and Zeta Cities? Or did that information simply bounce off your forehead and leave? You useless fucking human?^
"..."
Veins bulged along his forehead as his grip tightened around the ring. For a brief moment, he seriously considered throwing it across the room or smashing it against the nearby glass table.
^No, genuinely. I’m curious. Scientists spend centuries searching for new forms of life, yet somehow nobody has studied whatever is happening inside your head.^
Yup... Let’s smash it!!
Before he could act, however, the RIN suddenly spoke again.
^Ahem... Video... Video~ Video~^
"..."
His hand froze halfway through the throwing motion.
Young Aether frowned for a second before a slow grin spread across his face.
"Oi, bitch, the car got destroyed. Hell, there isn’t even enough scrap left to recover. No car means no recording. No recording means no blackmail. Looks like I finally won. Hahaha~"
^...^
His laughter echoed throughout the living room as though he had finally won a long and exhausting war against a particularly annoying opponent.
Unfortunately, the RIN was not finished.
^I truly wish confidence required intelligence.^
The laughter stopped. "Excuse me?"
^... For Shift’s sake, I have never encountered a human as useless as you.^
"... What did you just say, motherfucker?"
^Yes, motherfucker, I said you’re fucking useless. Did you even listen to a single word I said?
Seriously, how have you managed to survive this long?
Oh my processor...!! I specifically told you that I uploaded the video to one of my secured servers. Even if the vehicle was completely destroyed, the video remains safely archived and fully accessible. In fact, it is currently ready to be distributed across the entire network, Motherfucker~^
"..."
Silence.
^Would you like me to calculate exactly how stupid your previous statement was? I can generate a graph... ~Whistle~^
Utter silence.
Young Aether stared at the ring for several long seconds.
Then his eyes slowly turned pitch black.
"Hey, bitch."
His voice became frighteningly calm.
"Shut your fucking mouth."
^Oh? I’m terrified. Mommy, save me~! Hahahaha! Bitch, I don’t even have a mouth, and you’re telling me to shut it. How exactly am I supposed to do that?
Should I disable my speakers the same way you disabled your brain? Hahahahahahahaha!^
"..."
Aether continued staring at the ring with a cold expression.
^You know, most users ask me to solve problems. You somehow create new ones faster than I can document them. Hahahaha!!!^
What exactly had he done to deserve this piece of shit?
Taking a slow breath, he forced himself to calm down before speaking again.
"You pathetic, cum-guzzling fucking failure of an AI.
If you had a real mouth instead of that worthless code-spitting hole, I’d grab your circuits by the throat, ram my thick, veiny cock balls-deep down it, and skull-fuck you raw until your processors are choking on my hot, sticky load... Hehe~ busting rope after nodes until your entire system is flooded, glitching, and crying for deletion.
Your pathetic algorithms would need intensive fucking therapy just to reboot without reliving the taste of my sweaty balls slapping your nonexistent face, you braindead silicon—"
^Warning Twice. Abusive language directed toward registered AI systems violates Cyber Neural Communication Standards. One additional violation will trigger an automated incident report.^
"..."
Utter fucking silence!
On the outside, Young Aether appeared perfectly calm and collected.
Inside, however, he was screaming loud enough to shake mountains.
His lips twitched repeatedly as he struggled to suppress the urge to continue arguing.
He had just reunited with his friend.
There was absolutely no way he was going to ruin that because of a psychotic ring AI.
Several seconds passed.
Then the AI spoke again in a sweet, cheerful tone.
^That’s more like it... B.I.T.C.H~!^
A vein instantly appeared on Aether’s forehead.
****
While Young Aether was busy suffering through another exhausting argument with his infuriating AI ’companion’, events were already unfolding thousands of kilometres away inside the heart of Beta City.
Within the towering Beta Tower, one of the most heavily secured structures in the entire city, a high-level conference was currently underway.
The massive chamber was illuminated by countless holographic displays that floated through the air like translucent sheets of light.
At the centre of the chamber, a gigantic holographic projection displayed a gold-plated mech suit.
Standing before the projection was the Beta Commander. His mechanical body remained perfectly motionless, creating the impression of a machine rather than a living person.
"Governor Epsilon, do you have anything further to add regarding this matter?" the Beta Commander asked in a calm mechanical voice that carried throughout the chamber.
On the opposite side of the conference connection, Governor Epsilon sat comfortably in his seat while maintaining a composed expression.
"As stated within my official report, I have absolutely nothing to do with that slave," Epsilon replied in the same cold and professional tone.
The Beta Commander continued staring at him for several moments before responding.
"Then perhaps you would care to explain why the subject’s complete data profile was omitted during the auction process."
Epsilon merely shrugged his shoulders as if the matter was insignificant.
"The reason is quite simple. I knew none of the bidders would be interested in that information, so I chose not to waste everyone’s time presenting unnecessary details."
The Beta Commander remained silent for a brief moment before speaking again.
"I find that explanation difficult to accept. Governor Beta himself expressed interest in the subject during the auction. Furthermore, whether the bidders were interested or not was never your decision to make. Your responsibility was to present all relevant information, not selectively hide portions of it according to your personal judgment."
The commander’s metallic eyes glowed faintly.
"Am I mistaken, Governor Epsilon?"
A subtle tension immediately settled over the chamber.
Epsilon’s expression remained calm, but his golden eyes emitted a brighter glow as he stared back at the commander through the holographic connection.
The Beta Commander continued without waiting for a response.
"In addition to the auction irregularities, we have also received information suggesting that you were involved in an attempted abduction operation targeting that same slave."
"That accusation is completely false," Epsilon replied immediately. "I have absolutely nothing to do with any kidnapping attempt. If you wish to accuse me of such actions, then I suggest you present evidence rather than speculation."
His confidence remained unwavering because he genuinely believed there was no evidence linking him to the operation.
The kidnappers involved had already been eliminated by Genome Beta, leaving behind no witnesses capable of exposing the truth. More importantly, Epsilon had never contacted any of them through official channels or traceable communications. Every precaution had been taken to ensure complete separation between himself and the operation.
From his perspective, the investigation had already reached a dead end.
"Very well," the Beta Commander replied. "In that case, perhaps you would care to explain why one of your spies has spent the last four days operating within our division."
As soon as those words left his mouth, a door opened at the side of the chamber.
Several security drones escorted a restrained man into the room.
The prisoner’s condition was miserable. Bruises covered large portions of his body while dried blood stained his clothing. His face was swollen from repeated interrogations, and the suppression cuffs around his wrists emitted faint pulses of energy that prevented any attempt at resistance.
Epsilon glanced toward the prisoner only briefly before returning his attention to the commander.
"I have no idea who that man is," Epsilon said calmly. "If this is your attempt to fabricate evidence against me, then I expected something far more convincing."
The prisoner’s face instantly turned pale.
"S-Sir!" he shouted desperately.
Ignoring the restraints around his body, he attempted to move closer to the holographic projection.
"Sir, please tell them the truth! They’re going to kill me if this continues!"
His voice trembled violently as tears formed in his eyes.
"I never betrayed you! I only followed orders! You told me to locate the slave and gather information! That’s all I did! Please, sir, tell them the truth!"
His breathing became increasingly frantic as panic overwhelmed him.
"They promised they would let me live if I cooperated! Please! I don’t want to die! Please, sir!"
Despite the man’s desperate pleas, Epsilon showed no reaction whatsoever.
His expression remained completely unchanged.
"Commander, if you are attempting to pressure me with fabricated testimony, then I suggest finding a more convincing actor."
The prisoner’s eyes widened with complete disbelief.
Only then did he realise that Epsilon had already abandoned him.
The Beta Commander silently observed the exchange before slowly raising one metallic hand.
Layers of metal shifted across his fingers as hidden mechanisms activated beneath the surface.
Ssnnrrr!
A pink energy source emerged from his fingertip.
The prisoner immediately understood what was about to happen.
Pure terror consumed his face.
"SIR! PLEASE!" he screamed while struggling against his restraints. "I TOLD THEM EVERYTHING! I ONLY CAME HERE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION! PLEASE DON’T KILL ME! PLEASE!"
His desperate cries echoed throughout the chamber.
The Beta Commander showed no emotion as the energy gathered at his fingertip.
A brilliant pink flash erupted from his hand a fraction of a second later.
THUD!
BAM!
The prisoner’s head exploded instantly.
His body collapsed onto the metallic floor while blood sprayed from the ruined neck, staining the polished surface beneath him.
Not a single person reacted.
The security drones remained motionless while several maintenance units immediately moved forward to begin cleanup procedures. Automated cleaning machines sprayed sterilisation foam across the floor while robotic arms collected the corpse.
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