How to Live as an Immortal - Chapter 259
Only Noblemtl
How to Live Immortally Episode 259
259 FD Shield disappears today
* * *
I leave Columbus and walk down the street.
The sudden drizzle made his coat wet, but Gaon ignored it and checked his device. The photo that had just been sent showed three people.
Leo becomes a troubleshooter to get revenge.
An android named Nez, who imitates her daughter.
And Jerry, who was managing the set colony.
Why were they in the hands of FD Shielder when they had set out to find a new life? There was no need to ask. The last time I saw them, all three had to be treated.
They must have been caught while trying to get parts or medicine. This must have been the reason why FD Shielder changed course and took a hard-line stance.
The fact that Gaon was identified meant that the three people had to endure severe torture to confess the truth, but I wasn’t disappointed.
Rather, I feel like it was brave to have held out until now.
The place designated by FD Shielder as the meeting place was the headquarters located in District 17.
A decision that will not tolerate even the slightest variable.
Gaon, who had arrived where they wanted, looked up at the tall building.
It’s probably about 30 floors.
It was a weight class that did not fit well with a large company, but it seemed like a reasonable choice for a security company where the number of field work is overwhelmingly greater than that of office work.
As I take off my rain-soaked hood and enter the hall, a person approaches me.
He was a middle-aged man with a dignified air that made it hard to believe he was just a guide. What’s more, his two legs were prosthetic.
“you?”
“My name is Michele Pound, Vice President of FD Shielder.”
“I’m thinking of leaving the other guys behind and facing them myself.”
“Even Mr. Gaon came bravely.”
An expression containing the sentiment that “I thought he wouldn’t come, but he found the place on his own and came to find me.”
“You told me to come.”
“I guess our invitation was inconvenient.”
“Even the weather is like this.”
“I see. It seems like the heavens are also watching this situation with interest.”
Michele was always polite, but underneath it all, there was a feeling that something wasn’t right. Why not? There was a set amount of things a rookie problem solver could do against a problem solver company run by Numbers.
It was obvious who would win.
The important thing is how you tie the knot.
Michele himself came out to greet them to ensure a perfect ending.
“Oh, I see.”
Of course, this was absurd to Gaon, who had just been fighting in space.
Unfortunately, Gaon’s public perception is that he is a promising young star with a promising future. This perception becomes even more negative when limited to those who know his personal circumstances.
It has reached a point where he is demoted to a young master who monopolizes the industry’s performance while carrying Baekdu on his back.
“As I warned you, you didn’t bring any weapons.”
“These days, it’s trendy to carry it around with you. Well, I’m not saying that I’m one of those people.”
“Either way is fine.”
It seemed as if he could handle that much. Michele’s confidence was not without basis. Even as he walked, he felt the presence of people here and there.
There were only those who were close to or had reached first class.
They say it’s a company founded by problem solvers, but it clearly shows that they focus on force rather than financial power.
As soon as I got on the elevator, the chairman’s office was right there. Normally, there would have been a series of boring security checks, but since he was so eagerly awaiting the meeting, all the little formalities were skipped.
It must be a declaration of intent that you alone can be erased from this place.
As expected, upon entering, there was an elite force lined up that was incomparable to the people waiting outside.
The depths of the FD shield.
A man was sitting under everyone’s guard.
With his neatly styled pomade and tidy ascot tie, the aura radiating from his sturdy physique, like a tree with deep roots, was truly profound.
His name is Nicholas Pound.
He was the leader of the current FD Shielder.
“You… … .”
* * *
“… … Is that the fighting dog that has been getting a lot of attention lately?”
He held on with superhuman patience to his two legs that were about to jump out at any moment. After dozens of investigations, the answer that Nicholas had come to hold was right before his eyes.
“I never thought you’d come alone. You’re as bold and brave as I’ve heard. To the point where I wonder if you’re actually stupid.”
“Now that we have the introduction, let’s get to the main point.”
“Yes, since you came here, I guess you must have guessed it.”
There were so many things I wanted to ask, but there was one thing I was most curious about.
“What happened that day?”
“The question is too broad.”
“Don’t make me ask twice. Aren’t you the only one from the 5th unit that was sent to find the gold vein to return alive?”
“… … .”
“Why did my son die and you survive? What on earth happened?”
“Instead of gold, a strange substance came out of the cave. Everything was swept away in an instant.”
“So what you’re saying is, you ran away because you were afraid of dying?”
Nicholas, who didn’t hide his feelings, answered with a shrug. He couldn’t just say frankly, “I set a trap, and then I got caught up in it so rudely.”
There were things that had to take priority right now.
“So what about your colleagues?”
“Oh, that’s it. Here, take it.”
As Nicholas gestures, the contents of the box roll out.
There are three objects rolling around on the floor out of nowhere.
It was a head. The same face that remained in my memory.
“… … .”
Gaon, kneeling on one knee, faced them with coldness. Just as his face had become colder, his mind had also become colder.
“… … If I come, my colleagues will be spared, that must have been the deal?”
“Trading only happens between people of equal status, but that’s not the case with you and me, is it? To be honest, I’m not only surprised, but also sorry. I never thought you’d believe such a bluff.”
Clearly, when they said goodbye, the three of them were moving forward in harmony, supporting each other.
But that future is castrated and stuffed into the present.
It was a brief encounter, just a brush of clothes. But it was enough time to understand their hard work. Knowing the story made me feel even more immersed.
“Yes, he is more than enough of a colleague for you. I tried to hear stories about what happened at the scene, but he refused to talk at all. Especially not about you.”
You could tell just by looking at Nicholas’ face that it was a compliment, but not a compliment. His face was engraved with mockery and ridicule.
It was a mockery of three people who threw away their lives like straw to keep their loyalty.
“I bet the FD Shielders were having a blast. Wouldn’t they? They were a group that got crushed by an Outrider crew like High Conduct.”
The events of a few hours ago unfolded in Nicholas’ mind.
Even when I called out the name of FD Shield, the three remained unmoved. I could tell without even asking. They all had a glimmer of hope in their hearts.
“But you shouldn’t have caught me doing that in front of you. Doesn’t that make you want to kill me?”
Thump, Nicholas got up, slamming his two prosthetic legs down hard, and growled. It was no different from the roar of a beast that had lost its cubs.
“Just as you lied.”
“… … .”
“Unfortunately, the on-site examination has already been completed. The conclusion is that most of Group 5, including Quentin, were murdered by someone.”
The disaster occurred while both the Outriders and the FD Shielders were busy clashing in the Set Colony. It was obvious who the culprit was.
Nicholas said he had guessed who the culprit was from the beginning.
If so, the question remains.
“Why?”
“What do you mean?”
“Strictly speaking, they are third parties. There would be no reason to kill them.”
“They moved the high conduct from behind.”
“They would have moved anyway.”
“Well, they are full of greed, so I guess a war would have broken out with them someday.”
Nicholas admitted it plainly. There was nothing wrong with the three of them. Normally, he would have admired their skills and offered to scout them.
But the timing wasn’t good.
“This is just venting. Isn’t this an industry where if you look down on someone, they die? My son has become a vengeful spirit and is wandering in a foreign land. It’s not right to make a humane decision based on what other people think.”
Nicholas, who immediately dealt with the mercenaries who had returned to life, as soon as he obtained information. As a father, he sent condolences to his son, Quentin―
“I appreciate it. I think you’ll be last in line.”
I guess they invited you to the headquarters to treat you specially.
“You know there’s something wrong with that statement, right?”
“error?”
“Your argument would only be valid if I were a helpless plaything that could be exploited by you.”
Just as no one would jump into a fire with a bundle of straw to vent their pent-up anger, if you wanted to end it as a momentary distraction, you had to have the initiative to start and end it at any time.
therefore-
“You say I can’t handle you?”
The fighting spirit that does not die out even when cornered. It is easy to infer that this is not a result of a lack of will, but rather a result of clever political logic, when you think about his origins.
“Yes, you are the owner of Baekdu, right?”
It was a megacorp that was nominated for the board of directors.
“It might be a hassle, but if you show sincerity, I’ll let it go.”
If he wanted, he would even pull out the FD Shield pillar and offer it as an apology. He was neither a legitimate son nor an illegitimate son. Baekdu would accept it without complaint for the price that was overflowing.
He had the connections and the money to do so.
In that sense―
“You haven’t forgotten who I am, have you?”
“It’s Numbers.”
No.93 Giraffe Pavilion.
A master of engraving and the president of FD Shielder.
“Yeah. That’s me.”
In the distance, thunder flashes, illuminating the chairman’s office.
The tension between the old and new generations is growing increasingly taut.
But that was only the feelings of those around him, and Gaon, who was in the eye of the typhoon, was calm.
“I’m not feeling so good right now. You probably don’t know my abilities yet, so give me a chance. Those who trust their instincts, get out of here. Then you can at least save your life.”
Laughter erupts here and there at this outrageous remark, and soon it spreads uncontrollably.
But that only lasts for a moment.
thud.
As Gaon stepped on the ground, the headquarters building shook, and the noise completely died down without leaving any reverberation.
Something is strange.
My intuition, built on countless experiences, sounded the alarm, but it was already too late.
The moment Gaon stretched out his arms to the person closest to him and performed Arahan, the atmosphere changed.
A spiral flow that scratches the stomach, twists the bones and muscles, and eventually squeezes the skin.
Everyone who saw their comrade’s monstrous appearance as if he had been ground up in a grinder opened their eyes wide.
“FD Shield disappears today.”