Chapter 12: Ki, Do, Hyo (5)

A semi-permanent ID cost a pretty penny.

At the very least, several hundred thousand credits, sometimes even millions depending on the profession or affiliation being forged.

This was because it wasn’t a temporary ID cobbled together by ripping apart code, but one constructed using information leaked from actual issuing authorities.

“It’s not the most expensive package. Still, I made sure to order one with all the bells and whistles, security features like a regular citizen would have.”

It was a gift from q134.2e.

That semi-permanent ID.

What she presented was an ID card, spare ID chips, various licenses, and a passport issuance certificate.

Lee Do, receiving the miscellaneous items all at once, looked them over and clicked his tongue.

“Are these usually processed this quickly?”

“If you grease the right palms, it can be done within a few days, but I didn’t actually submit it yesterday. I, uh, saw some videos of you.”

“Videos of me?”

“Yeah. I’ll admit it’s creepy, but what’s there to hide at this point? I saw a little.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean, I know. It was a bit… kinky.”

“I get it, it was kinky. What I’m asking is what the hll are you talking about, videos of me, you little sht?”

q134.2e finally seemed to understand what Lee Do meant and let out an “Ah.”

Clearing her throat awkwardly, she confessed what she’d done with the hacked drone.

“That. The video of you taking care of those Scavs.”

In other words, the time he’d made a deal in front of the Admin and the drone.

“……”

Lee Do, silently exhaling cigarette smoke, gave a slight nod.

Then, he silently smoked again.

As the cigarette glowed brightly with each drag, q134.2e, seemingly uncomfortable, blurted out, “We’re going to be working together. It’s not that weird in this line of work to dig up some dirt on the people you’re working with.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Well, as a result, I was able to get you an ID. So, it’s a win-win, right?”

“Right.”

“Honestly, I was trying to make you indebted to me with this. But I guess this makes us even, doesn’t it?”

“Right, we’re even.”

A brief silence fell after the rather indifferent replies.

“…I have one question.”

q134.2e suddenly tapped her finger on the table.

“You’re definitely Unjacked, right?”

“Is there such a thing as a not-Unjacked Unjacked?”

“My scan modules might not be able to detect what’s inside you.”

“Is that so important?”

q134.2e thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“Right. I have a ton of questions, but I won’t ask any more. You don’t seem interested anyway.”

“Okay.”

“…You don’t have anything you’re curious about regarding me?”

“What’s your name?”

“What?”

She asked back, as if she had misheard.

“What’s your name?”

“Why are you suddenly… asking for my name?”

“You said we should introduce ourselves. You did.”

“Ah.”

She looked down, then back up at Lee Do.

“Vivian Quill.”

“Vivian Quill?”

“Don’t laugh. Or…whatever. It’s the name the orphanage gave me.”

“It’s funny.”

“Just call me q134. I haven’t told anyone, so it doesn’t feel natural to me either.”

“I’m Lee Do.”

“…Lee Do?”

“I haven’t told anyone either, when you think about it. Anyway, can I get a phone with this ID?”

q134.2e, Vivian, glanced down at the identification documents she had handed him.

“Ah, right.”

“Haven’t dug up any information on Red Stream yet?”

“Nothing useful yet. I’m tracing their connections, and related names should start popping up soon.”

“Good. But don’t d*e while you’re at it. I can’t magically appear and save your a** again.”

“…That’s comforting.”

Lee Do flicked his cigarette butt to the floor and stuffed the ID and other documents into the bag he’d brought. It was the same money bag she’d given him; he’d brought it along to be thrifty.

It was also a means to buy textbooks and related materials with his new identity.

“I’m going.”

“Okay. Answer if I call.”

Vivian watched from afar as he walked away, his stand and bag slung over one shoulder this time, not both. It was the result of Lee Do’s realization that he could carry them both on one shoulder, but she was more captivated by something else.

‘…He really is a strange guy.’

And so, she didn’t bother telling him to buy things with his ID chip instead of a phone.

Because he was Unjacked.

Nothing more than disposable cannon fodder doing solo work with his bare hands, and now a crazy b@stard who’s going to rob Red Stream with his bare hands. She stood up from the table and turned back to her desktop to gather more information. She tapped the virtual keyboard, and blue holograms popped up immediately.

Even so, Vivian Quill.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have told him.’

It was a name she rarely used.

‘…Introduce ourselves.’

Even to her, the name, semi-forcibly given to her at birth, was tacky.

Lee Do.

Family name Lee, given name Do, thus Lee Do.

Lee Do himself could barely remember which Hanja character represented his name. When he thought of ‘Do,’ all that came to mind was the Dao he pondered every time he drank and thought of chivalry.

In other words, Dao was his ideology.

That was how he’d acquired the mental passive of Wu Wei, effortless action.

[TL Note: Wu Wei = effortless action — going with the flow and achieving things naturally, without force.]

The mindset that shtty things were just shtty things.

‘Ray Chen.’

Lee Do looked down at the issued ID card. At least in this city, he wasn’t Lee Do anymore.

He wasn’t the great Daehyup of Jianghu, nor a nameless druggie vagrant kicked around in the streets, or just another extra.

He was Ray Chen.

The heavy Chinese influence was likely Vivian’s consideration.

After all, the great Daehyup, as reflected in the window, was a sharp-looking Asian man, nothing more, nothing less. Even though he couldn’t dress himself up like a manly man, he was comparable to the handsome men and beautiful women of the martial arts novels.

That’s the kind of person the great Daehyup was.

-[Q134.2e]
Got some info on Red Stream. These are the guys most likely connected right now.

Lee Do unfolded his flip phone. He hadn’t even begun to consider getting a phone contract, yet a message arrived less than 10 minutes after returning to the motel.

-[Q134.2e]
Their location is a bit tricky, so I’ll have to dig a little deeper.
There’s this place called Madded Pit, and one of the VIPs who frequents it seems to be linked to Red Stream.
I think that b@stard is one of Red Stream’s money sources.
He was one of the prominent dealers who emerged a few years ago.

After the short message, she attached a map.

Madded Pit.
It was one of the most influential clubs in Sector 11-A, mentioned even in other districts. It was a club that had survived even before Red Stream was taken down, so her words weren’t entirely without merit.

Lee Do put a cigarette in his mouth, about to light it, when another message arrived.

-[Q134.2e]
Oh, and absolutely do not stir up trouble like a rabid dog.
Nothing is certain yet, so this is just setting a general direction.
I don’t know who they’ve deployed to the club since they’re resurfacing, and above all, if you cause a commotion, they’ll catch wind of it first.
Just take a look around, get a feel for the situation.

He glanced at the message and lit his cigarette.

He folded his phone, brushed off the dust clinging to his jumper, and took out one of the textbooks he had laid out before going to get his semi-permanent ID and put it in his black bag.

It was a textbook teaching a martial art called Tai Xu Quan.

Though it shared the same “Tai” as Tai Chi Chuan, it was different.
There were many manuals preaching about martial arts, Dao, and self-cultivation, but Tai Xu Quan, as he’d skimmed through it, seemed to have a different approach.

Its core principle was to embody the vastness of Tai Xu, the void, in one’s Qi and unleash it.

The path to embracing emptiness and forgetting substance, that was the essence of Tai Xu Quan.

Or so the book said.

‘It basically just sounds like hitting really f*cking hard.’

Lee Do exhaled a long stream of smoke, grabbed a new pack of cigarettes, tied his loose shoelaces, and left the motel.

He moved.

He walked through the glittering night streets.

Even in the dead of night, trains and hyperloops zipped relentlessly above the city, without a shred of guilt.

They passed by, and beneath them, countless people passed by.

A few were suited businessmen. Most wore shabby hoodies and jumpers, a mix of suits and hoodies, some dressed like rockers, and there were other outfits he couldn’t even begin to imagine.

It was like the graffiti and scribbles on the haphazardly painted walls.

The dazzling art that added aesthetics to Sector 11-A’s entertainment district.

‘Sh*tty aesthetics.’

Of course, the question of how aesthetics could be sh*tty was like an existential question about the city itself. People gathered here for work, to escape emptiness, or simply for pleasure.

No one bothered with such questions.

“The entrance fee is 2,700 credits, and if you want a seat, you have to order a bottle. Standing is free.”

“Huh- what was that-?”

“The entrance fee is 2,700 credits- if you want a seat, you have to order a bottle- standing is free.”

And since Lee Do was also caught up in it, he didn’t bother thinking about it either.

With the commotion at the entrance, the passersby interested in the club couldn’t even hear the guard. The great Daehyup wasn’t one of them. He patiently waited in line, and when it was his turn, he paid and descended into the basement.

The thumping bass crawled along the edges of his ears like insects, tearing into his eardrums.

The wide frequency of the ripping 808 bass was no different in this cyberpunk world. The only difference was his hearing, honed to its limits to confront the threats of Jianghu.

“F*ck yeah! Let’s go crazy like motherless orphans!”

“Aghhhhh!”

“Bark louder, bark louder, I said!”

“Aghhhhhhhh!!”

Lee Do approached the bar, weaving through people who had at least one body part replaced with machinery. Since everyone was screaming and rubbing against each other, there were relatively few people sitting.

He settled into a vacant seat and gestured to the bartender.

“Can I take your order?”

“Cheapest thing you got.”

“The cheapest, and the most popular. A whiskey with a bite, like ZeroShot. FEEL-highgood. 820 credits.”

Sipping the liquor served in a small glass for 820 credits, Lee Do opened his bag.

-[Q134.2e]
The VIP room will be in full swing around 2 or 3 AM.
From then on, if you see anything suspicious, contact me immediately.
Like I said, don’t stir up anything.
Absolutely not.

It wasn’t the time Vivian had mentioned yet.

He put a cigarette in his mouth, took another sip of his drink, and pulled out a book from his bag, opening it.

Tai Xu Quan.
An educational book that absolutely did not belong in this place flashing with blue lights.