Chapter 1808 – [Cyberpunk: Dimension Runner]

We spent time leisurely in the penthouse with a spectacular night view. Everyone said it was okay to sleep a little, so we slept for a while and watched the night view of Abyss City all night long.

Meanwhile, we talked about various things. Most of it was about the aftermath of something that happened during the day or interference with it.

“Wow, looking at the terminal, there are a lot of emails sent to my ID. It must be hundreds?”

“My daughter is popular.”

“I see a lot of things when I see my dad too.”

“Dad, whatever it is… Why are there so many?!”

“After all, he is an official from this side. He didn’t get much attention until now, but now that he sees a business that is at the level of a gold mine, he seems to be going crazy and trying to pry it in or give it to him in some way.”

As Eden said, there are emails with various offers, such as appointments, meals, or party invitations. We can’t make threats because the ecosystem restoration division we belong to is directly under Chairman Naomoto, but the numerous suggestions and invitations alone feel like pressure.

Moreover… If you look for it, there is also a name that starts with Naomoto. Since Chairman Naomoto is not alone, he is probably a second- or third-generation conglomerate with children or something like that.

There was a lot to think about, but for now, I decided to take it easy and rest until daybreak. One of the reasons we came here is vacation, so wouldn’t it be good to rest?

“There are people who are trying to hack information related to our ecosystem restoration department or the penthouse security equipment we are currently in. Well, I am handling that in moderation, but honestly, it is a bit annoying.”

“Eve is having a hard time because it’s a world like this. Just worry about the penthouse security and leave the rest alone. There’s nothing to dig into there anyway.”

“I think it would be better for me too.”

You have to have done something to find out. If you haven’t done anything, there’s no way you can find out. Even if there is something, Chairman Naomoto will be managing it, so it is nothing to worry about.

They will take care of it well, and even if it leaks, what will happen? In the first place, the ecosystem restoration project could be started right away and produce results, but it hasn’t started yet.

[Even if you can’t do it all at once, you should take some time and slowly purify it… This place really isn’t that good. The air is bad, and my skin itches.]

“Keter, you are having a hard time too. How do you feel?”

[Feels like applying camouflage cream like that used in the military all over your body.]

“That’s really terrible, but why would a kid who’s been in the military even listen to that analogy?!”

[I made a joke once. But it’s really uncomfortable and tickles.]

Even if it’s a joke, it wouldn’t be a joke if you said that.

Kether is a member of the Absolute of Nature, so if she says so, it is evidence that it is not just a matter of air, but that the land and other surrounding environments are so polluted. Perhaps the statement I heard at the meeting that the Earth will be ruined by environmental pollution in 50 years is not a lie. There may be an error of about a few years.

As we talk about various things, as the night deepens, I start to feel hungry. When I thought about it, I remembered that Eden suddenly skipped a meal because work came up, and I only ate breakfast and skipped lunch.

“Oh, now that I think about it, I’m so fucking hungry because I skipped lunch!!!!! Food!!!”

“Yes, I thought so. It looks like we have something prepared in the penthouse, but I don’t think it will suit your taste…”

“Mom warned me, but guess what!!!! She’ll have to try it before she can judge!”

“Does she have to eat it to know if it’s poop or soybean paste?”

“Don’t talk about poop while eating!!!!”

The penthouse had various things prepared. There were several types of food prepared, not just for a day or two, but more than a month’s supply. Since I didn’t know how much I would eat, I just brought one of each type.

First, there is no dish that is cooked normally. At best, you can pour boiling water into it, or it comes with a separate heating pack, so there are plenty of things you can heat up by opening it. Most of them were instant-level products that could be heated and eaten.

It’s much lower quality than the cost-effective meal kits. Still, let’s try the taste first.

“Dad, doesn’t this heat pack remind you of combat rations?”

“It’s good because I appear as a cook in this episode and I don’t have to eat if I eat combat rations.”

“It’ll be warmed up first, but will it taste good?…”

When I looked at the packaging, it said it was a hamburger steak. It probably looks like it has garnishes or something, but considering this world, the menu feels quite luxurious. However, the important thing is the taste, so open the package after it has warmed up to a certain degree.

The first thing you notice is the smell. However, it was not the appetizing smell of freshly prepared hot food, but rather an artificial scent. Thanks to this, I frown from the beginning.

And the taste… It tastes like soybean meat covered in a sweet, salty, and sour sauce. Looking at the taste of the meat, it looks like it contains some kind of cultured meat, but a lot of it is soybean meat, so it tastes a bit like chewing a wad of newspaper.

[Guwaah Ah !!!!]

“Keter doesn’t seem to suit your taste at all.”

[It’s so artificial!!!! So I hate it!!!! I would rather just scoop up dirt than eat this!!!!!]

Come to think of it, Keter was good at eating everything, but he liked the natural taste of fruits and vegetables. So, it would be difficult to say that it is food filled with the taste of artificial seasoning, which is the exact opposite of Keter’s taste.

“…”

Eve just quietly chewed and swallowed, and then just gulped down some water to clear her mouth. Seeing as I never touch it again, it must be tasteless.

And Eden… Chews a piece of hamburger steak with an expressionless face that is hard to see when eating. She and Eve look like twins, so much so that you can’t tell them apart by their facial expressions.

“It doesn’t taste good.”

“Oh my god!!!! I can’t believe you said that Eden tastes bad!!!!!”

Our Eden is the kind of kid who just says no even when Kodari Gangjeong appears in military rice cake. However, if Eden said it was not tasty, it would be understandable.

I guess it really doesn’t taste good. Even if it were because he had a certain appetite, in reality, the dishes that Eden said were not tasty would just be stuffed into his mouth to survive.

Even considering that this is a good product that we treat ourselves to, it would not be a joke for the public to eat it, so it is not surprising if it goes beyond tasteless and is terrible. I’ll have to go and try it first to find out, but it won’t be much different from what I expected.

“Improvement in food culture!!!! We need a huge improvement in food culture!!!!”

“Yes, but it is still a bit difficult. It may be possible to mobilize all the Cherub facilities, but it will not be a fundamental solution.”

Cherubim’s plant facilities boast an outstanding production capacity that can feed everyone here, but apart from that, unless you are willing to take responsibility from start to finish, you should not get involved at all.

Why do you use me as an excuse for being involved in a dimensional civilization and not let Horizon appear on Earth? The word responsibility is that heavy.

So, unless we come up with a fundamental solution here, it would be difficult to make a huge improvement in the food culture, as Eden suggested. It would be much better to focus on environmental restoration projects.

[First, we need to create a place like the Garden of Eden to use as a starting point. Is it Chairman Naomoto? Anyway, ask that person if he has a place that could be used as a Garden of Eden.]

“There’s that… And what else?”

“First, this place is polluting the environment so recklessly that the self-cleaning effect is meaningless. If we don’t do something about that first, I think it will be the end of the story.”

[Should we try improving seeds from plants that have the effect of purifying heavy metals and radioactivity?]

“I will give you information about the main environmental problems here, so please improve it to fit this area. Then, it will be more effective because it is specialized.”

[Hey!!!! It is a temporary alliance only for today!!!!!]

“I haven’t forgiven you yet!!!!”

“What are you guys doing?”

They are representatives of the two concepts of science and nature, but at times like this, they are a perfect fit. No, I think that’s why it’s true.

Anyway, we spent the night leisurely chatting and killing time, and before we knew it, the day had come. However, even though the sun was shining, the foggy air made the city cloudy, perhaps due to the environment here.

It’s not like British smog during the Industrial Revolution. No, it’s better because there wouldn’t have been any radiation there.

Once the sun came up, we decided to do some activities. First, we decide to take Yves and Keter with us to see Chairman Naomoto. Even if no one else knows it, they would very much welcome Keter, which can terraform and purify the environment.

And the next day, we prepared to head to Naomoto Company headquarters again. As I headed to the headquarters in the limousine that was prepared separately, I was able to leisurely look around and enjoy the outdoors.

“It’s like a highway, but the scenery is worth seeing. I like it because it feels different from Korea.”

“Nature is as nature is, and developed places have their own beauty as they were developed.”

[So which one is better?]

“No, why are you asking that?”

[So!!!! Which is better!!!!!]

“Personally, nature is better. As technology develops, human malice becomes more complex and greater…”

[It’s my victory!!!!]

“Which taste wins!!!!”

“Actually, the best thing is a landscape where human civilization has collapsed and nature is lush.”

[Oh, I like that too.]

“Dad, Keter is going to become the Great Demon King!!!! If the couple is going to become the Great Demon King, stop them!!!!!”

“Who are the couple!!!!”

[… You won’t do it?]

“… At least later.”

“Ah, Dad and Keter are at odds!!!!!”

“Ugh, I don’t know what this indescribable feeling is!!!!!”

While we were chatting like that, we arrived at Naomoto Company’s headquarters again. Unlike yesterday, today everyone started to focus their attention and whisper, as if our rumors or related news had already spread.

If you look at the chatter over there, as expected, they are talking about the results of our ecosystem restoration project and various false rumors related to it. It seems that the number of rumors that a horse without feet can travel a thousand miles has increased in just one night.

First, because there were strangers like Eve and Keter, the security guard who had checked our backgrounds like yesterday approached us with his head bowed, probably because the manual said that background checks had to be done separately. And, as if to express his gratitude, he requested a background check on Eve and Keter.

“Welcome, President Eden, and Vice President Choi. You two are fine, but the background of the people in the group behind you will need to be checked separately. Please cooperate.”

“Isn’t it natural? You’re having a hard time because of us.”

“No, thank you for saying that.”

His eyes were sincere. There are probably people here who, if they have a lot of money, start by telling the truth and saying things like, ‘Do you know who I am?’ People who have positions and respond obediently like us would be more comfortable and grateful.

Additionally, Eve and Keter are also subject to separate background checks. First, the two people were in the same ecosystem restoration division as us, and their positions were team leaders. In fact, there are no employees or anything like that, so he is only a team leader in name.

“Confirmed. Keter, leader of the Ecosystem Regeneration Team of the Ecosystem Restoration Division. And Eve Choi, head of the Data and Electronic Security Team. Welcome to the headquarters.”

“It’s been confirmed, so can I come in now?”

“Yes, there were instructions from the Chairman to send you up so that we can meet you right away if you come. You can use the VIP elevator.”

The treatment is very different. After all, there are people, and you have to see it.

Afterward, we took the VIP-only elevator we took yesterday and went up to the upper floor of the headquarters. Chairman Naomoto’s office was on a relatively upper floor, although not on the top floor, where something explodes on the roof. Chairman Naomoto, who must have already been doing his work, greeted us when we came.

Of course, Kana was next to her, and she looked at Eve, who had come with her, and gave a light wink, expressing her happiness. If you look at it, it looks like a cat greeting you.

“Ah!!! Welcome!!! I’ve been waiting for you!!!!!”

“Hello, Chairman.”

“Okay, did you have any inconveniences? It’s your first night here, so if there’s anything that’s uncomfortable or bothersome, don’t worry, let me know.”

“Well, to be honest, everything else was okay, but the food…”

“Oh, that’s right. First, the natural food ingredient production plant will talk separately and supply ingredients, but there will still be a shortage since there is no meat. That’s why a single bluefin tuna caused such a reaction at yesterday’s meeting…”

First, grains and plants can be grown, just like rice and wasabi, but it seems that meat, which is less efficient, cannot be grown. There is a huge difference in the amount of resources required to grow 1 kilo of meat and 1 kilo of grain.

You can do it if you’re extravagant, but it’s limited to land creatures such as cows, chickens, and pigs. As you can see from the world’s oceans, fishery resources such as bluefin tuna have been destroyed long ago, making farming impossible.

There seems to be some frozen bluefin tuna left, so perhaps frozen ingredients are the only ingredients. I don’t know what the market price will be.

“First, if you want to rest, please name our company and rest comfortably. I said I’ll give you anything, so if you need anything, just tell me.”

[Then, first, get some land of a certain size to build a restored ecosystem similar to the model house.]

“Ah, if that’s the case, I have prepared something in advance. I’ll introduce it to you later, so tell me when you feel like it. Actually, you can go right now, but…”

[I’m going to take some rest today. We’ve only been here for one day!!!!]

“If that’s the case, I have no choice. I’m not in a position to force it. But be careful.”

[Caution?]

“Because of what happened yesterday, interest in the ecosystem restoration division has grown. The news must have spread not only within the Naomoto Company, but also to other mega-corporations through insiders. Be careful, because they will definitely do something about it. It’s good to do it.”

Snowballing with a single bluefin tuna is amazing. It seems like rich people’s eyes light up when they have to spend money on the luxury of gourmet food…

Thanks to this, it will likely be noisy while staying here. I wanted it to be as effortless as possible, but on the other hand, it actually had a cyberpunk vibe. The lawless atmosphere of a dystopian world is not bad.

It’s nice to know that I can act lawlessly. If you hit the first one from over there, I think you will be innocent even if you kill!!!!

[Should we gather those people and turn them into fertilizer?]

“Uh, that’s a bit much.”

[Now that I think about it, it would be difficult to make fertilizer because implants and all are made of metal. The cost-effectiveness is probably bad, so I have to give it up.]

No, that’s why you quit?!?!

Sometimes I think that the law of nature (Keter) is more scary than human malice (me).