Evolve (4)
Kang– Kang–
The sound of metal striking solid ground echoed through the air. The precision of machinery interlocking with itself accompanied the noise.
The Beta Series was carrying tools and conducting mining operations. In the first phase, they used plasma cutters to slice off protruding hard rocks, then shattered them into smaller pieces for loading into transport containers.
While watching the relentless mining work, I scanned the surrounding area. The entire vicinity was dotted with bright spots—signaling everything was metal.
"This is a total jackpot. The area is absolutely rich in metal resources. It's enough to make you wonder why a place like this remains undeveloped."
"You already know the answer to that."
"... That's true."
The region was rich in metallic resources. Abundant resources were certainly an advantage, but their value depended on who owned the place.
The SSTC, which dominated Saturn and its moons including Titan, set the top priority on blue crystals. Everything else was effectively ignored. It wasn't for nothing that they treated scrap metal as waste and offloaded it to junk traders.
In fact, even by common standards, blue crystals were worth far more than general metals. If SSTC had wanted, there wouldn't have been any undeveloped areas on Titan. Non-blue-crystal open-pit mines like this could simply have been auctioned off.
But they didn't, possibly because there could be undiscovered blue crystal deposits, even with current technology.
'That's a stroke of luck for us.'
It was fortunate that SSTC didn't hire junk traders or auction these areas—otherwise, we wouldn't have any resources to mine right now.
The Beta Series diligently transported the excavated resources. From the start, I'd felt the mining operation was something of a luxury. My three years as a miner couldn't process it.
Normally, you don't use such expensive robots for mining. Early on, when there wasn't much information, we just used standard work robots. As a result, companies went bankrupt in droves.
The high value of blue crystals, billed as the next-generation energy source, sent everyone scrambling in a frenzy.
But blue crystal's wavelength fried circuits, rendering equipment inoperative and causing huge losses. Still, greed kept people from withdrawing, so they hired workers and pressed on. Horrifying incidents resulting from various psychoses plagued the tunnels, leading to compensation payouts and further losses.
As the market expanded, companies gained more options—but the market also grew more merciless. When internal problems became public, these companies were often discarded, their capabilities doubted. There were plenty of alternatives, after all.
Unless a company was sizable, it eventually faced bankruptcy. Surviving until things improved wasn't easy, and many ended up out on the streets together.
We had nothing to worry about, since our primary target was metallic resources, not blue crystals. There were no distinctive wavelengths, so circuits weren't at risk.
"Lee Hyun-woo, are you going to keep carrying that around?"
Licorice asked, half under the guise of management and supervision, as I watched the mine. She was pointing at the sample container sitting on my shoulder, apparently unbothered by the cold. More precisely, the sprout inside the container.
I shrugged.
"It doesn't want to come off. You saw earlier, right? When I tried to set it down, it made a fuss."
Carry's jealousy hadn't been unfounded. To Carry, it must have seemed like the sprout was taking its spot.
"Can you take it out? I want to see it. I didn't get a good look in the ops room."
"Just a moment."
I reached for the sample container on my shoulder. But instead of letting me grab it, the sprout dodged—quivering as if to say, 'Don't open it, I'm cold.'
"It doesn't want to."
"... You're letting a sprout boss you around?"
"You know it's not an ordinary sprout."
We hadn't run proper tests, but it was obvious this was no ordinary plant.
I mean, what kind of plant flies around at will and acts like it has a mind of its own?
'It let me use supernatural power—I should be a good host for it.'
There was one thing I hadn't told the others: the nameless sprout and I were mentally connected.
It was like being linked with invisible threads, much like when I used telekinesis. If something happened to me, the sprout would know—and vice versa. If the sprout was in trouble, I'd sense it too.
Licorice shook her head. Kanna, who had been checking the containers, walked over to us.
"The first phase is about to be completed."
"Already?"
"With all the extra robots deployed, progress has been faster than expected. For efficiency, I'd best go alone to handle the next part—unless you object? I'll leave a scout hoverbike behind just in case."
"Is there anything I need to do?"
"No. Just keep watch over the Beta Series' work."
That wasn't hard. Actually, it was a free ride. And the travel time wasn't long anyway. I nodded in agreement.
"I'll be back quickly. Comms are always open, so let me know if anything happens."
Kanna gave a slight bow and withdrew. She immediately got into the armored vehicle and drove away with deft movements.
'Definitely convenient.'
There was a pang of guilt about shifting work to someone else, but since Kanna and her team joined, there hadn't been much for me to do.
Back in town, it was always, 'I'll do it,' or 'There's no one else, so I'll take care of it.' Now, things were much more evenly divided.
Now, I was more like a grenade. Instead of jumping into odd jobs, my role had mostly become charging ahead and taking out enemies in battle.
"Licorice, it might be a bit late to ask, but can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"How's the refining going to work?"
"You're only asking now?"
"... That's why I said it feels a bit late."
Though I'd given a heads-up, Licorice didn't bat an eye, merely giving an indifferent snort.
"I told you before that the Albatross and Griffin were constructed for special ops purposes, right? Special operations usually mean solo missions. So, both ships have their own facilities to process resources found locally. Didn't you see them when you toured the ship?"
"Um... Oh, do you mean the bottom-right sector?"
"If it's the section connected to the exterior, that's right."
"Last time, Kyle blocked me from entering there. He said it looks rugged but actually contains precision machinery, so I shouldn't mess with it."
Just as Licorice said, I'd toured the ship but hadn't checked every room. There were several I couldn't enter for one reason or another, and afterward, I lost interest.
"While we're at it, have a proper look around. You haven't even seen the escape pods, have you?"
"No, but I know where they are."
"It's better to see for yourself than to just know. Once this job is finished, let's walk around together."
"Later, I— ... Alright. Let's look around together."
I swallowed the words I'd meant to say. Licorice's face turned sour the moment I said "later," which was a little frightening.
Using the excuse of inspecting what the Beta Series had excavated, I slipped away. Not that it mattered—Licorice casually trailed after me, making my movement pointless.
Having her follow me felt like a pet trailing its owner. For a moment, I found it unintentionally cute. I was about to keep going, but quit before Licorice could get annoyed.
Kanna returned before long. She swapped the trailer for one already loaded with byproducts and headed back to the Albatross. She repeated the task.
When the mining operation reached its target, I gazed out at the distant horizon and spoke up.
"Licorice."
"What is it?"
"Do you think the body is more important? Or the mind?"
"What? W-where did that come from all of a sudden?"
Licorice was strangely flustered, her eyes flickering. She parted her lips and asked,
"... Do you know something?"
"Huh? Know what?"
"Tell me honestly."
"There's nothing to confess... I was just asking. It's boring standing still, and nothing else is happening."
I made it sound unimportant on the surface, but the truth was the opposite. This question was actually very serious to me. It was about how I should handle my relationship with Celestia.
Perhaps Licorice was bored too, because she soon composed herself and pondered deeply.
"... That's not easy. If I have to choose, probably the mind. Thoughts don't always go the way you want them to."
"The mind..."
"I guess, more precisely, what matters is where the self—the thinking subject—resides."
"So if the mind's the same but the body changes, that's the same person. But if the body's the same but the mind is different, then it's a different person."
"You really are asking something you already know, aren't you?"
"Huh? No, I mean—about what?"
When I protested my innocence, Licorice seemed torn. Clearly, she thought I was hiding something.
'Now that I look at her, she seems really tired.'
Licorice had pronounced dark circles, as if she hadn't slept well.
I asked what was going on, but she just turned her head, saying it was nothing. She didn't seem willing to talk.
I gave up quickly. My head was already full of confusion. I didn't have room for anything else.
Mind or body—which comes first? I was stumped by the very first question. In truth, I wasn't even sure the two could be meaningfully separated.
Aren't they separate but impossible to fully untangle?
'If your body changes, aren't you a different person?'
All the relationships built by the previous body wouldn't apply the same to the new one. Then there was personal identity, and whether other people would accept you.
If you were lucky, or insisted hard enough, or for several reasons, others might treat you as the same person. But it was only "treating" you—nobody could be exactly the same as before. Dissenters would certainly appear.
The concept of self is about being an individual and independent, but there's no such thing as a complete individual from the beginning. Values, personality, preferences—all are shaped by outside influences, often unconsciously.
It's a question with no definite answer... yet also one where you can give a definite answer, depending on what you prioritize.
That was the gist of what Ian had said in the vision: who I am is ultimately determined by how I see myself.
I remembered nothing, yet my mind—or some part of it—might belong to Ian. I liked to think my body was entirely my own, but there could be pieces of Ian mixed in.
In the end, nothing had changed. I'd failed to answer for myself, so I was back at the same starting point. Every step just took me in circles.
If I were alone, I'd have made a quick, decisive decision and moved on. But because Celestia was involved, I couldn't. It wasn't a problem to be solved by fighting desperately. Only my head grew more tangled.
As I clutched my head, groaning, Licorice—who had been nervously pacing in circles—was startled and came up to me.
"What's wrong, Lee Hyun-woo? Get a grip!"
"... I am holding it together. That's exactly the problem."
"This isn't good. Anyone talking nonsense like you should get some rest."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
Licorice ignored my protests. When she saw Kanna returning, she grabbed me as if to keep me from running off.
"I said I'm fine!"
"If you're fine, why are you clutching your head?"
"That's because of something else..."
"So you admit there's something wrong, then?"
While we were going back and forth like this, Kanna pulled up the armored vehicle in front of us. The driver's side door clattered open, and Kanna hopped out.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing. By the way, isn't it time to wrap up?"
"I think so. We mined as much as Kyle requested. If it's not enough, we'll just come back—it's not far, after all."
"Let's head back."
"Yes."
Without hesitation, Kanna got back in the driver's seat. She didn't seem to mind all the chores. I wondered if the army would have people like Kanna. That was almost tempting.
'Probably not.'
If everyone in the army were like Kanna, the higher ranks wouldn't be so rotten. People are the same everywhere. Once self-correction fails, things are hard to restore.
The Beta Series, which had been hard at work, stopped and loaded themselves into the transport bay. When I looked at Licorice, she wore a defiant expression, almost like, 'What are you staring at?'
"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"
"...!"
Instead of Licorice, one of the Beta Series bots toppled over. It quickly regained its balance and moved nonchalantly, but I saw everything. I also saw that Licorice's eyes were greatly disturbed.
"If it's something hard to talk about, that's fine. I have something like that, too."
"..."
"This one thing has made me think a lot lately. I want to live simply, but life doesn't go the way you want."
I let out a long sigh. Licorice, uncharacteristically, looked flustered before finally squeezing her hand tightly, as if making a decision.
"I'll tell you."
"What?"
"I said, I'll tell you. Tonight, or tomorrow at the latest. But you have to tell me yours too."
"Can't it be now? To be honest, I could actually do it now."
"I can't. I'll need a bit more time to prepare."
She turned her head sharply, telling me to just accept it.
'I didn't mean we had to spill secrets.'
I had just meant we shouldn't be so obviously secretive, since nobody can expect total openness. I couldn't believe I was doing a secret swap at my age. Though I wasn't sure of my exact age, I was probably in my mid-twenties.
The armored vehicle, now hitched to the trailer, turned and started moving forward. Ker-klunk. As it rattled over the rough ground, the whole chassis shook.
Soon, we returned safely to the Albatross.
Kyle, who had been waiting in advance, began transferring the materials in the trailer directly to the processing room. Once again, the Beta Series did the heavy lifting. Bless technology—if we'd had to do it ourselves, it would have been a nightmare.
Licorice, after reminding me not to forget her promise, left for another location. So did Kanna, apparently with other business. Only Kyle and I remained.
We stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to do. But the tension quickly faded in an unspoken agreement: let's just get on with our own business.
"I'll be watching the processing operation now. Are you planning to stay here?"
"Mind if I watch? I don't really have anything else to do."
"Watch? It'll be boring, you know... Well, suit yourself."
Kyle nodded good-naturedly. With the Beta Series handling most of the work, he seemed to be in no hurry. Back in the town, he used to be a monster from the overload.
The trailer was rolled over to the Albatross's work sector, and soon the mining byproducts started pouring onto the conveyor belt. Kwa-rurur. The chunks, broken down for easier smelting, tumbled along. Kyle picked one up and examined it.
"As expected of Titan ore—it's high quality."
Of course it was: metal from a moon rich in blue crystal deposits.
"Do you think it'll be enough for repairs?"
"That's what I'm here to verify. Good ore is one thing, but if the processing goes wrong, it might not reach the desired strength."
Kyle began the actual processing. As he activated the facility, the chamber quickly heated up. Rotating rods tumbled the fragments inside, distributing the heat evenly and making a constant rattling noise.
Thankfully, the equipment seemed to be working well. Kyle's face didn't show any signs of concern. We leaned against the wall, sort of like an impromptu campfire, absently watching the byproducts liquefy into a molten, lava-like state.
A comforting warmth filled the chamber. The ventilator was releasing just enough heat to keep it from becoming overwhelming, but not so much that the chamber cooled too fast.
It was pleasant. My body relaxed. Apparently the sprout felt the same, as it nudged the lid open and propped up a leaf.
"Hyun-woo, did you know that Europa produces metals too?"
"Isn't it all just ocean?"
I've never been there, but Europa is one of the most successfully terraformed moons, and I'd heard it was mostly water—so floating or underwater cities were the norm.
"You can't mine it conventionally. They extract and refine stuff that comes up from hydrothermal vents in the deep sea."
Kyle muttered that he knew because he had a friend on Europa. He kept his gaze fixed on the chamber, but there was an unmistakable sadness in his voice.
"It was a beautiful place. Too precious to disappear so tragically."
"..."
"I'm just saying. Not like I have anywhere to talk about this, so don't mind me."
"Kyle."
"Yes?"
"We couldn't save Europa, but we can protect other places—together. After we escape Titan."
"..."
Kyle fell silent. He was still staring intently at the process, but it was as if he saw something far away.
He opened and closed his mouth several times, hesitant, then spoke, putting on a purposely light tone.
"Are you joining Myosotis too, Hyun-woo?"
"Seems like it. I didn't even know myself."
When I said Celestia had decided without telling me, Kyle chuckled.
"You're more than welcome. Frankly, it's been getting tough on the boss alone."
He said, with an undertone of concern, that those pureblood supremacists were so inhuman, he worried more about them than alleged monsters.
"And you and Celestia—I hope you two work things out. She doesn't seem totally uninterested, you know."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You didn't know? Wait, how could you not...? Well, maybe it's normal for the people involved to be clueless."
Before I could fully process Kyle's words, Celestia suddenly poked her head inside.
"Are you talking about me?"
Kyle and I both gasped at the same time. We weren't even gossiping, but her sudden appearance startled us. Celestia noticed and frowned.
"What's this? You're not talking behind my back, are you?"
"Haha...! Of course not. We were just discussing Europa. It's a shame such a beautiful place is gone, but it's probably a treasure trove now, right?"
"Oh, right. Yes. The metals from there—top-notch. But with illegal mining running rampant, it's a pity...!"
"... Is that so?"
Celestia glanced suspiciously at me and Kyle. We both broke out in a cold sweat—for different reasons: I was still awkward around her, and Kyle because his boss had shown up out of nowhere.
Just as Celestia, sensing the weird mood, was about to step inside, a chunk of processed ore suddenly shot out toward her.
"If you have something to say, say it—like asking for a raise—"
"Celly!"
As I realized the rock was heading for Celestia, I instinctively called her name and used telekinesis. My supernatural power unfurled like thin threads, snatching the fragment mid-air. It hadn't been traveling that fast, so I managed to catch it in time.
Once it was safely caught and dropped to the floor, I breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing had happened, but I turned to check if Celestia was alright—only to freeze at the look on her face.
Time seemed to unfreeze as Celestia, voice trembling, asked,
"... Hyun-woo, did you just call me 'Celly'...?"
"... Did I?"
And that was when I finally understood what it meant to be confused. As I looked at Celestia, a faint memory flickered in one of my retinas.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】