Chapter 99 The Wine Gate's Playful Game
There's a saying that goes something like this...
It's the one you can't process after reading it.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Because I read too fast, by the time I realized what I had read, it was too late...!]
Yes, yes! That's it.
This perfectly describes how Morofushi Kagemitsu felt at that moment.
If his physical condition is normal, he might not be able to resist the urge to throw the tablet back onto the table.
Look at all the "good deeds" this organization has done!
It's heartbreaking that in today's civilized society, there are still people who are happy to engage in things like human trafficking and keeping animals in captivity.
These people control those "experimental targets" at all times, manipulating all resources behind the scenes, making them live out their arranged lives according to the script they want.
Perhaps those behind the scenes are really proud of creating an "island world," because Morofushi Hiromitsu even found a PowerPoint presentation next to the data list!
You guys, don't pollute the pure PowerPoint presentations that belong to us cows and horses!
“This is a social research base that the BOSS built at great expense on an island in the Pacific.” Pisco was still there, trying to use academic terms to beautify their behavior. “The people on the island have a unique worldview, and their behavior is somewhat different from our understanding, but that does not prevent us from collecting the experimental data we want.”
Pisco took two steps closer, flipped through several pages of the data, pointed to the few pages marked with special symbols on the data fluctuations, and said, "After years of research, we have finally made some progress."
Results...
Morofushi Kagemitsu quickly read through the description on the status bar. Just a few simple lines of text, lightly glossed over their tragic lives that had been artificially created.
Torture, deception, being manipulated back and forth between despair and hope... all for these three special marks on the paper, all for the conclusion that "life was prolonged for subtle yet reasonable reasons," resulting in hundreds of people living a life worse than death under their control.
[Anti-fraud expert #214: Most of them had been reported missing. I remember this child with a distinctive birthmark under his right eye; his family had posted missing person notices everywhere. It turns out he was abducted here…]
[Anti-fraud expert #198: We also compared other "experimental targets" who appeared on the scene, but very few matched with missing persons. Perhaps, as Pisco said, most of them have unique values due to their drastically different upbringing.]
Morofushi Kagemitsu flipped through a few more pages and noticed the project names marked in the corner of each page.
This bizarre, large-scale experiment has a seemingly poetic name: The Many Facets of Life.
But he only felt sour and bitter.
“At first, we only hoped to recreate that strange fluctuation through various arrangements, but we didn’t expect that these experimental targets would deviate from the script we gave them from time to time.” Pisco chuckled and looked at Morofushi Hiromitsu, saying, “But no matter how much they try to avoid the organization’s arrangements, it’s useless. They will eventually meet their predetermined fate.”
Even at times like these, I don't forget to remind myself that I still love Nacho.
He controlled himself to avoid any extreme reaction, casually pulling back the record.
The last few pages seemed to have been prepared especially for him, and there was even an e-bookmark on them.
The anti-fraud team located him directly here, and after seeing the content, he paused in his actions.
It turns out I was included as well.
Or rather, it was "Asakawa Sora" who was placed under observation by the organization.
The man who looked remarkably similar to himself was not himself, but his actions perfectly matched all the outrageous rumors that had circulated about him so far.
It's absurd that I have a so-called "doppelganger" on this secluded island.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: ...What is this all about?]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #19: Are they crazy...?]
That's absolutely insane.
The ailing Pisco continued recounting the past: "We once found some traces of fluctuation in that wetland park in the southern ward of Tokyo, but unfortunately it didn't last long, so we could only use Gin's name to let you go and investigate."
When the topic of the wetland park came up, Morofushi Kagemitsu calmed down completely. He thought to himself, "It really is because that incident caused too much of a stir."
[Anti-fraud expert #205: ...There's nothing we can do about it. Fate has been clearly altered, and in the process of this change, there will be energy transformations of different attributes, such as negative energy turning into positive energy. Transformation involves losses, and naturally, some overflow is inevitable.]
[Anti-fraud expert #198: I never expected it could be captured by a human machine (thinking)...]
Morobuchi Kagemitsu said sarcastically, "What a thoughtful arrangement."
“Heh, it’s fascinating to see your own story from a different perspective,” Pisco interjected, stopping him from getting angry. “Some of your trajectories are quite peculiar. After being analyzed by artificial intelligence, they often deviate from the expected path multiple times. You’re different from others.”
Morofushi Kagemitsu sneered, "How can artificial intelligence compare to a real person? It's ridiculous."
“Don’t underestimate the potential of artificial intelligence, Asakawa-kun.” Pisco seemed to recall something when he brought up the topic. “Give them some more time, and who knows, they might be able to blend perfectly into the crowd. Don’t forget, the internet is their biggest safe haven.”
Morofushi Kagemitsu did not respond to these far-fetched speculations.
“There’s no need to be so upset, Asakawa-kun. Only codenamed members of the organization have this honor of serving as the ‘Observer NPC’ on the island—Mello came up with this fancy name that’s hard to remember—anyway, it’s a sign that the organization trusts you.”
“Trust…” Knowing that he couldn’t show his dissatisfaction with the organization at this moment, Morobuchi Hiromitsu could only shift the blame to Pisco. “If it weren’t for those inexplicable rumors, I might have trusted you more.”
Pisco wasn't surprised that Morofushi Hiromitsu knew he was behind some of the rumors, and simply said, "But you've actually profited quite a bit from it, haven't you?"
[Anti-Fraud King No. 11: Wait, since the topic has drifted to those forum articles...]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #19: Oh no, I have to check! These people aren't trying to freeload off my writing, are they?! Wait... this is from my story, "That Night We Brushed Past Each Other"! No wonder they wanted to work with me on AI writing!]
...Alright, another organization's operation mystery has been solved.
Morofushi Kagemitsu placed the tablet back on the table and probed, "The special person you mentioned isn't just me, right? The organization and I are both operating within the safety zone. Why do you have to bring this up with me? Aren't you afraid I'll do something that deviates significantly from your predictions again?"
Pisco only said, "There are others in similar situations to you, but only you and her are still alive."
Morofushi Kagemitsu said, "Her?"
Pisco prompted, "You've met her, and you even went on a mission with her once."
"Vermouth".
[Anti-fraud expert #205: Vermouth.]
Both Morobuchi Kagemitsu and Anti-Fraud King realized what was happening at the same time.
Pisco did not deny it.
[Anti-fraud expert #148: ...Sometimes, you can trust #198's intuition.]
[Anti-fraud expert #214: Vermouth has been in the organization for many years. Does she know something about the experiments on this island? Or perhaps...]
“She’s your pet cat. Even if you trust her, you’ll still unconsciously want to bring a wild one over, right?” Morofushi Kagemitsu asked cryptically.
Pisco coughed lightly and said, "She has an unchanging exterior, but no immortal soul."
[Anti-fraud King No. 66: This description... I think I understand. The organization wants to use fate to achieve immortality, but in Vermouth's case, perhaps only half of their expectations have been met.]
[Anti-fraud expert #198: This is normal. While drugs can maintain the physical body's immortality, consciousness will eventually fade. Unless one abandons most of their ego like we have, they will never possess a so-called "immortal soul."]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Plain language is much more comfortable to hear; reject riddles!]
“So, the organization’s goal is to pursue immortality.” Morofushi Kagemitsu shrugged, his tone softening again, which Pisco interpreted as an acceptance of everything. “A very old-fashioned wish.”
“This is essentially no different from ‘letting consciousness exist forever in the data cloud,’” Pisco said, his tone no longer serious. He stood up and gestured for Morofushi Kagemitsu to follow. “It’s all about trying to change one’s inevitable fate of death.”
Morofushi Kagemitsu went out with him, heading towards an inconspicuous spot: "This kind of thing is mysterious and elusive. It's just an occasional blessing, how can it be taken as an eternal favor?"
“The BOSS has always been good at seizing opportunities, and his ambitions are beyond your comprehension.” Pisco simply used the BOSS’s will to suppress him.
Therefore, Morobuchi Kagemitsu said no more.
After a moment of silence, the two arrived at the corner of the side staircase.
Pisco made a few gestures on his notebook, and the wall in front of him began to shake, revealing a hidden room.
Morofushi Kagemitsu felt it was expected; it would be strange if such a manor didn't have some secret passages.
[Anti-fraud expert #26: Following this secret passage, you can find eight other tunnels. Wow, how do they manage to dig so many tunnels?]
[Anti-fraud expert #148: Capitalists' henchmen know how to dig tunnels.]
“This leads to the organization’s first underground research facility, which was also the original research lab,” Pisco said. “Your copy is in there too.”
Morofushi Kagemitsu understood his meaning and went along with it, saying, "Do I need to cooperate with you to do something in order to get the documents back?"
Pisco coughed again: "Smart people never need me to say anything more."
Whether this "clever person" was forced to do so by circumstances is another matter.
[Anti-Fraud King #148: No rush. We've already broken through here. Taking over the system here will only take a day or two. We'll get our revenge then.]
Of course.
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Author's Note: The original concept for the Anti-Fraud King was a personality imagined by the people on the island, but it was too heavy and didn't fit the tone of this story. I also found it difficult to describe this past in a lighthearted tone, so I made some changes.
However, the secrets of the island have not been fully revealed, and they are still struggling to live and resist!
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