＜ Episode 65 ＞
Luna’s area becomes more important as the number decreases.
District 60 is a slum.
If the 40th and 50th districts are where ordinary citizens mainly lead their lives, from the 30th district, Luna’s upper class and mid-sized companies are located.
The 20th district is a space for companies close to quasi-conglomerates and those with enormous wealth, but up to this point, ordinary citizens can still come and go.
The 10th Division is literally the space where the upper class who lead Luna lives, and it is difficult for ordinary citizens to enter, and only those with qualifications can come and go.
The single digit zone is literally Luna’s heart and everything.
Ordinary citizens never come to this place in their lifetime, and cannot come.
Invisible boundaries that stretched out from district to district.
Perhaps the boundary is farther than the despair that divides slums from cities.
***
The straight streets, as if measured with a ruler, seemed impersonal at first glance, but the trees planted at regular intervals instilled warmth in this desolate street.
Rather than reinforcing it by adding armor, cars that were elegant enough to block even 9MM bullets were leisurely crossing the city, and the faces of people walking the streets were full of gentle expressions.
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Most people were only wearing simple implants, and even those with a prosthetic body were covered with fine artificial skin, making it difficult to see with the naked eye.
It’s a completely opposite attitude from the scum of District 53 who want to show off their power by ripping off cheap artificial skin.
Seeing a sight that did not seem to be the same city at all, John unconsciously took out a cigarette and asked.
Chick.
As I lit it with my fingertips and inhaled deeply, white smoke billowed out.
If it was the streets of District 53, let alone shouting with red faces, they might have drawn their weapons and pointed at each other, drawing blood.
He could feel the eyes of the security guards staring at him from afar, but John didn’t care.
In the first place, I had never seen public security work properly, and I thought it was no different here.
The time when I dusted off the ashes of a tobacco that had been burnt out in an instant.
beep. beep. beep.
Suddenly, a machine with a body the size of a child was opening its mouth while making electronic noises at John’s feet.
“···under.”
At the machine’s gesture of urging him to take out the garbage, John put the smoked cigarette filter into the cleaning robot’s mouth.
beep!
Only then, as if satisfied, the machine that made a loud electronic sound roams the streets diligently.
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Machines roamed the streets with an attitude that they would not tolerate even a single piece of garbage, and the CCTVs monitoring the streets were cleverly hidden and invisible.
Unlike the public security guards in District 53, who roamed the streets and boasted, the police officers here were moderate in their movements, and seeing them exchanging smiles with the citizens made me think that the police officers here were still working.
It’s the same city, but it feels like you’re in a completely different world.
“I can see why Miller cares about clothes.”
It was fortunate that he was dressed in a neat outfit, but if he had been dressed as a regular fixer, he might have been dragged into the police and interrogated.
Shaking his head, John got up from the bench and walked down the well-maintained road.
***
“Long time no see. zone.”
“Sleep.”
It is said that the longer you stay with people, books and alcohol, the better, but sometimes you build strong bonds in a short period of time.
Being comrades who came out of the same battlefield is so special.
Even John, who has not changed his emotions that much compared to others because his heart is worn out, feels good for a moment.
But John didn’t express his feelings.
The clothes Zhao is wearing.
Wearing a uniform rather than a combat uniform means that Zao came as a member of the National Guard, and the position of the National Guard in Luna is by no means light.
“Looks like you’ve been doing well.”
“You too.”
Zhao with a faint smile, whether she knew John’s feelings or not, sat across from John, and a smart girl moved like a squirrel and brought a drink in front of them.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah!”
Zhao looked at Ekaterina as she turned around with a bright smile at the compliment, then met John’s gaze.
“What a pretty child.”
“yes.”
Zhao, who quenched his thirst with a drink, continued.
“Has it been two months? I’ve heard a little bit about you. He still did the job neatly.”
“Because you have to do what you get.”
Zhao laughed at the nonchalant answer.
“yes. you are such a man Confessor John Doe.”
At Zhao’s giggling words, John’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Ahh. I’m not trying to be sarcastic. It’s a compliment.”
Zhao shrugged, then put both hands on his knees and put on a thoughtful expression.
“I have something to ask of you.”
“Miller?”
At Zhao’s words, John looked at Miller, and Miller nodded.
“I decided that there was no problem with the work itself. Of course, as long as the representative of the National Guard comes out, there will be an inside story.”
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Miller folded his arms.
“It will be your decision from there.”
“Right.”
John’s gaze turned to Zhao.
Zhao’s outfit, and the fact that he would ask for work.
There was only one thing that came to mind when these two pieces of information intersect.
‘player.’
“Move your seat.”
After checking John’s expression, Zhao stood up.
***
“Welcome to.”
An elderly gentleman with white hair neatly brushed back bowed politely, and John, who bowed his head in response, opened his mouth.
“This is Fixer John Doe. It is promised.”
“I have been notified. Mr. Doe.”
The figure of the old man guiding him with arms outstretched in a picturesque posture was that of a skilled butler, and John, managing his expression, whistled inwardly.
District 22.
Among them, the mansion, located in a secluded place, was surrounded by forest, so it seemed extremely difficult to observe from the outside.
If you didn’t know the location, you wouldn’t have thought there would be a place like this. The cleverly entered mansion was full of antique charm, just like looking at a European villa.
Even in his old age, the servants throughout the house, starting with the butler, who was standing upright, were showing neat movements one by one, as if he had come to an aristocratic family with a long history.
‘Well, it’s no different from nobles.’
Although Luna advocates democracy, isn’t it the original world going back as it looks?
Chaebol and those in power are inheriting wealth and power, and over the years, it has made a bigger difference than actual nobility.
A world that ordinary citizens cannot reach at all costs.
John had stepped into the place that formed such a world.
Tboob. Tboob.
The mansion was too big, even if it was big.
The hallway that stretched out far was daunting just by looking at it, and the dust-free interior seemed to show the propensity of the owner.
Outside the window, there was a lot of greenery, and Luna’s atmosphere, which was always gloomy, seemed to be sprayed without sparing sunlight here, so there was no discrimination like this.
“Nice.”
“thank you.”
The butler listened to John’s muttering, as if it reminded him of Seoul on a sunny day.
He had a smile that looked like a person, and what was filled with that smile was pride.
Keeping the mansion so neat must have taken the efforts of the butler and servants, so he deserved pride.
How long did you walk down that sunny hallway?
I thought it was a little over 100 meters, but I was able to reach the big door.
The old man stood upright in front of the door, knocked on the doorknob, and spoke in a polite voice.
“This is Robin. The fixer, Mr. John Doe, is here.”
“come in.”
A voice with a heavy energy rang out loudly, and John entered the room by carefully opening the door and passing by the old man who was bending over.
The sun-filled room was spacious.
The mansion that John recently bought wasn’t too small, but it was as big as a mansion with this one room.
John’s eyes moved quickly, capturing the entire room in his mind.
As if taking a picture, John’s gaze, which had imprinted the image of the room in his mind, stopped in the center.
There was a middle-aged man sitting comfortably in an antique chair and smoking a cigar.
Although he was wearing a suit that looked clearly tailored, the muscles in his large body could not be hidden even with clothes, and his hard-looking face was full of dignity.
His short-cropped hair suits him well, and although he sits comfortably, he looks ready to rise at any moment, as if a great beast is crouching down.
“Pu-hu!”
The smoke that he exhaled rose with a big breath, and the middle-aged man stood up from his seat.
The middle-aged man grinned as he met John’s eyes with a sense of intimidation as if a small mountain was rising.
“You must be a confessional.”
The middle-aged man, rubbing his cigar in the ashtray, gave off a look like a beast.
“Welcome to my home.”
National Guard retired colonel Stephen Armstrong spread his arms wide.
***
“Colonel Armstrong is a nobleman from Luna.”
John, who was checking the data that Zhao handed over, raised his head.
“Well, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a noble in Luna. But isn’t it all about what you see?”
“right.”
Looking at John nodding his head, Zhao continued talking.
“The Armstrong family has been with us since the beginning of the National Guard. Those contacts spread all over the place. To the extent that even large corporations cannot afford to do so.”
“…that’s great.”
John was amazed.
The power of large corporations in Luna is omnipotent.
Considering the level of large corporations on Earth, it is difficult even if it is difficult.
Large corporations have their own armed forces and, if necessary, even change the law, because they represent Luna along with the city administration and the National Guard.
“Colonel Armstrong… Change it to Colonel Stephen. Colonel Stephen is one of the heirs of the Armstrong family. He has great self-confidence and great ambition. There were not a few people who followed him even within the military.”
John, who grasped at once the strangeness of Zhao’s words, asked.
“You mean that person has retired?”
“…as expected, I’m quick-witted. Colonel Stephen is a great guy, but there are few people in the National Guard who are up to him.”
The Armstrong family has served in the National Guard for generations.
Among them, there were those who were in the same line as Colonel Stephen, but with stars.
“I felt the limit. Colonel Stephen changed direction. I decided to retire and declared my participation in the city council.”
“… you’re out of your mind.”
city councilor.
The most powerful force that moves Luna.
It has never been revealed how many there are, and none of their identities have been revealed.
Only a few show their faces outside, and most of them are the most powerful people who move Luna by hiding in the veil.
The mystery of the identity of the city councilor was being passed down to Luna like an urban legend, and it spawned all sorts of rumors, but they had something in common.
“Will you die?”
“It could be.”
What the city council members have in common is that they never let anyone challenge their power.
＜ Episode 65 ＞ End