kscans

Chapter 183 - Interlude: Proof of Life

"Relic, how did it go?"

"Ah, it's done. With this, my work is finished. All that's left is to live out my days in this empty prison."

"What's with that tone? You still have things left to do, don't you? Like revenge."

"Revenge? Ban's betrayal was something we orchestrated, wasn't it? Besides, all of 'Red Snake's' information will be made public. Ban will suffer for it, and perhaps his arrogance will lessen a bit. It is the last lesson we can give him."

"You're quite kind. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the warden. You took on some unpleasant jobs to hack the information here, didn't you? Wasn't it against your principles?"

"I have no such thing as principles. No matter how you dress it up, a crime is a crime. Besides, I just wanted to show off my power. Did you think I was some kind of vigilante thief of justice?"

"I didn't think that, but your last job wasn't to show off your power, was it? With this, your beloved will be cleared of false charges. It will take time, but eventually she'll receive a large compensation and be released."

"...It was not a show of power, but it was not for justice either. And do not use words like 'beloved.' I was simply repaying an old debt."

"To repay a debt, you got yourself arrested as a criminal. To me, it seems like a self-sacrificing devotion. Could it be love?"

"Consider your age."

"Age has nothing to do with love, does it? From our perspective, she's a young girl, but I thought you two made a good pair."

"You misunderstand. I meant you should consider your age before spouting words like 'love'."

"Hahaha, you've got me there. That aside, are you really not going to get revenge? Doesn't the scar on your forehead ache? If you're going to do it, I'll lend a hand."

"Unnecessary. The preparations for revenge are already complete. I've planted a hacking program that will release the information whenever I please. The next time I find him disagreeable, that warden is finished."

"...As expected of you. I've worked with you a few times, but it seems I was never needed after all. You can do everything by yourself. Was I just in the way?"

"Not at all. You cannot play chess alone, can you?"

"...That's the perfect answer. It makes me happier than being told my hacking skills were valued."

"By the way, what will you do? I can arrange for one person to escape from Prison. There is no need for you to stay here with me."

"In this age of resource depletion, is there anything fun to do outside? Besides, I'd be in trouble if my chess partner disappeared, wouldn't I?"

"...I am sorry. To have you accompany me all the way to Prison..."

"We've been over this many times, haven't we? Besides, with this body of mine, if I'm discovered in the wrong place, I'll be experimented on. It is safer here."

"I see. Then, once again, I look forward to working with you as my partner here."

"I'll be your chess opponent as many times as you like. Though I'll win next time. Oops, it's time for rounds. Talk to you later."

"Yes. Later."

Relic said this and cut the communication.

Normally, individual communications were not possible in Colony "Prison," but that was of no concern to the two of them. They had gotten themselves arrested on purpose. Having made all sorts of preparations before their capture, they were in a state where they could do anything, even if they were in solitary confinement.

There was a reason they had been so perfectly prepared for their capture.

It was to save a single woman.

She was a woman who had been framed and sentenced to life in prison. She was someone Relic had been indebted to in the past, and this was his way of repaying that kindness.

Her life sentence was connected to the warden here. The warden of this Colony "Prison" was born into a wealthy family, one of the clan that managed this colony.

To put it bluntly, he was scum. He would frame people he took a liking to, regardless of gender, and make them do his bidding in exchange for favors here.

One could say he was rotten to the core from the start, but in an era of resource depletion, many people surrendered themselves to their desires. Moreover, he had the money and power to do so. It was not surprising that he had gone off the rails.

The woman Relic was indebted to was beautiful. For that reason alone, she was framed as a criminal.

The fabricated information existed only in this "Prison."

The two of them, Relic and Sonia, had intentionally been captured and infiltrated Prison. Relic, as a famous hacker, was favored by the warden and lent a hand in his criminal activities as ordered.

During that time, Relic acquired all the fabricated information. Just a moment ago, he had arranged for it to be made public. Due to his power, the warden himself would likely not be arrested, but at the very least, the falsely accused criminal would be released.

Power against power. There were scummy millionaires like the warden, but there were also millionaires who loved justice. He sent the information there. They would undoubtedly move to release the innocent.

With this, Relic's final job was finished. Thinking this, he lay down on the bed in his solitary cell.

A few months later, Relic was summoned by the warden.

Relic and Sonia had been working on hacking countermeasures in this Colony "Prison." Information about the warden's various corruptions and fabrications had been passed to another millionaire. He himself had not been arrested, but the warden was furious. He was determined to find the culprit.

At first, Relic was suspected, but it was impossible to contact the outside from within Prison, so he was quickly cleared of suspicion. Since then, he had been entrusted with the job of protecting against external hacking.

Of course, Relic had contacted the outside from Prison. When he was hacking on the outside, he intentionally left evidence to show off his power. But this time, he had left no trace. There was no way he would be found out.

Weary of what he would be asked to do, Relic headed to the warden's room.

When he entered the room, he found the warden in a good mood. He was even offered some of his prized wine, so much so that Relic wondered if it was a sign of some cataclysmic event. But of course, he hadn't had a change of heart, nor was he rewarding Relic. It was an act to request a new job.

The content of the conversation was this.

Relic and Sonia had been chosen as test players for the "Another Frontier Project." It seemed the latest technology was being used in the project, and the request, or rather, the order, was to steal it.

They would have a special device implanted in their bodies and use it to board a spaceship. The job was to send information from the inside.

Honestly, he hated following the warden's orders, but he was interested in this latest technology. He didn't know the full scope of the project, but it seemed to be a virtual reality technology, and the warden had apparently paid a large sum of money to learn about it.

His good mood probably meant he was imagining how to use the technology he hadn't yet obtained to make money. Relic was amazed that he could think only of making money in times like these.

But Relic reconsidered.

The warden was also of a certain age. Resource depletion was a problem, but that was still some time away. Before that, the warden would die of old age. So he had chosen to live honestly according to his own desires.

Relic saw that and thought he was the same.

He too had lived as he pleased. What he did was different from the warden, but he could say he too had been true to his desires.

The game of hacking, which could also be called a battle of wits. He had become addicted to it, breaking through countless security systems. He had no interest in the information he obtained. It was the process of obtaining it, the thinking at that time, that he loved.

In those moments, there was nothing else. No joy, no sadness, no anxiety, no fear, and he didn't even feel the passage of time. He focused his consciousness on a single thing. It was that pure state that Relic loved.

A world with nothing around, a world of pure thought. Such a beautiful world.

Relic accepted the warden's order.

He never had the option to refuse in the first place, but this was probably the first time he had wanted to do it himself.

He was interested in the technology, but more than anything, he was grateful to be away from the warden. Besides, if there was new technology, there was new security. His last job was finished, but it wouldn't be bad to spend the rest of his life on his hobby.

And another desire emerged.

Relic had only ever taught his skills to Ban. That Ban was now in Prison. He wanted to leave the knowledge and skills he had acquired to someone. A proof of his life, a desire to leave that behind emerged.

The Another Frontier Project had other test players. Perhaps there was someone who could inherit his skills.

With that in mind, he accepted to become a test player for the Another Frontier Project.

(What am I thinking at this age? No, is it because I am this age? To die without leaving anything behind. To think I would find that lonely, perhaps I did have a human heart after all... If I had realized it sooner, perhaps my life would have been different.)

The face of the woman he had saved from false charges floated in Relic's mind. He hadn't seen her in years, and although she had been exonerated and released, he didn't know what had happened to her since, and her image was only a faint memory.

For a brief moment, he imagined a life where he married that woman and raised a child. But he immediately shook the thought from his head.

Such a life would never come to pass, no matter how many times he lived. No matter how many times he repeated his life, he would always seek power, and his life would never intersect with hers.

Besides, it was because he had the power of hacking that he was able to save her. This was the right life for him.

Thinking this, Relic's lips curled into a smile. He bowed once and left the warden's room.