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A person came and went in America.

It’s not strange at all.

It happens all the time, and the number is probably enormous.

There’s nothing odd about this story.

Just an ordinary story.

But there was certainly someone who focused on it.

To be precise.

“Did Shaman Park Jinseong leave?”

Amidst these, there was someone who was focusing.

[Voice data is unclear. Please repeat for easier search in the database.]

“Did Shaman Park. Jin. Seong leave?”

[Searching keyword ‘Park Jinseong’, ‘Shaman’. Checking linguistic systems… searching. Confirmed to be similar to Asian language systems. Starting search based on big data. Confirming… search completed. High probability confirmed in Northeast Asia language. Is that correct? Confirmed. Continuing search… Chinese tonal system not present. Excluding Chinese data from big data. Continuing search. A clear final consonant is present in the user’s pronounced keywords… similar languages confirmed. Korean, Joseon language… accessing database. Confirmed the realm using Joseon language has perished. Country name ‘Unified Korea’ confirmed to be Korean. Searching for information related to that country. Please wait a moment….]

That person was standing upright.

And facing that person was something that did not bleed.

Instead of a face, it had a display, and instead of a vocal cord, it had a speaker, long wires instead of blood vessels, and a massive server capable of holding a vast amount of information instead of a brain.

And within that, something artificially created existed, devoid of human personality or soul.

People referred to it as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

[Now I will explain the current location information of Shaman Park Jinseong. Currently, Shaman Park Jinseong is aboard a government-owned ‘747-8’ airplane. The current flight path code is….]

“Please exclude the flight path code from the explanation.”

[Excluding flight path code explanation. Shaman Park Jinseong is currently nearing his destination, Unified Korea.]

Beep—

[New data has been updated. The airplane safely landed at a South Korean airport, and Shaman Park Jinseong has arrived in Unified Korea. Coordinates -]

“No need to explain further. Please display the information on Shaman Park Jinseong. I’d like it to be shown on display number four so that I can monitor the updated information in real time.”

[Ending explanation.]

The AI did its best to answer the man’s questions.

As much as its performance allowed.

But the best and the top are similar yet different.

As a man, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed with the AI that answered him.

‘Optimization is still incomplete.’

Far from surpassing the singularity, it had performance that couldn’t even come close, so naturally, he felt disappointment proportional to its lacking performance and the distance from his objectives.

Yearnings.

“Resume the paused Project J-11-b-103-4.”

[Is Project J-11-b-103-4 correct?]

“Yes.”

[Resuming Project J-11-b-103-4. Simultaneously contacting code name ‘Those Who Prevent the Synalo from Passing’. Confirming the project… starting plan code name ‘116-118’. Delivering appropriate aircraft information… linking with code name ‘Black Sea’, beginning data through the deep web….]

“Wait. Let’s use traditional methods instead of the deep web. Transfer that information to a USB, and select the zealots among ‘Those Who Prevent the Synalo from Passing’ to discreetly drop the USB along their travel routes through the drug dealers in their occupied regions. Continue the operation until they acquire and verify the USB and once the first USB has been verified, corrupt the data of all other USBs.”

[Plan modified. Proceeding with the project….]

“And.”

The man paused the orders for a moment and looked at the display.

His gaze landed on the information regarding Park Jinseong.

That information was continuously being updated.

Whenever he moved, satellites responded to confirm his coordinates, and Ai hacked CCTV to capture his appearance, recording video and photos in the database. Not only that, they meticulously analyzed his expressions and gestures, dissecting him one by one.

Moreover, they analyzed every single item he wore, everything he possessed. They left no stone unturned, even secretly accessing the particular brand’s server to check purchase records for commercial products and comparing the patterns, symbols, and forms of divine objects to determine their origins— and what kind of abilities they might have.

“It doesn’t seem like he’ll come back to America. Moreover, considering he keeps moving toward the inland… I suppose I don’t have to worry about variables.”

Tasks no AI could even dare to conceive.

No, even for an AI, it was a job that required quite a bit of computational effort.

“Since the variable has moved outside the US, I suppose there’s no need to worry… End the analysis on Park Jinseong. Shift your focus back to the project.”

[Executing command.]

As the man commanded, the AI immediately ceased its analysis on Park Jinseong.

The immense resources previously allocated for analyzing Park Jinseong were now redirected entirely toward the project, and this time the project began to proceed at an incredible pace compared to before.

In fact, it was generous enough to do multiple reviews to ensure accuracy.

Compared to the sluggish progress made while analyzing Park Jinseong alongside the project, it was indeed a world apart.

The man watched this operation with a calm expression….

“Shaman Park Jinseong. I have a feeling I will see you again someday.”

He sensed a premonition.

* * *

Kidnapping is surprisingly common.

Especially kidnappings using modes of transportation are even more so.

For instance, forcibly putting a target in a vehicle by aiming a gun at them, stopping the car in some way and pulling the driver out to take the vehicle, or even storming the cabin with guns or axes to seize control.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong to say there’s a correlation between modes of transportation and kidnapping.

Back to even before there were metal-made vehicles.

During the days when people rode horses or oxen.

Or even going back as far as those ancient times when people used another person instead of an animal.

But these kidnapping acts can be subdivided when you delve into them further.

Among those subdivisions, this would undoubtedly be the shortest in history.

“Hi, Jack?”

Currently occurring kidnapping.

Kidnapping via airplanes… that’s ‘hijacking’.

Bang—!

An airplane soaring through the sky.

Gunshots echoed in the cabin.

As if cheerily greeting Jack, they rose from their seats with seamless movements, as if they had practiced beforehand, pulled out weapons, and even fired them.

They shot at people to avoid creating holes in the airplane.

“Ahhhh!”

“Screaaaaaam—!”

They shot at the people who were sitting beside them.

With weapons that looked like they came from a 3D printer, they shot them in the arms or legs, their screams eliciting smiles from the shooters. Even relishing in the panic-stricken screams of the passengers, as if they were appreciating a sweet piece of music.

Anyone could see these were heinous criminals.

“Dear brothers and sisters here, and these pagan scum. We hope you listen to us well starting now.”

They wore disconcertingly different faces.

Showing smiles, yet their muscles moved incorrectly, creating an artificial sensation.

As if something was used to fix that smile under their skin.

The unnatural feeling when forced by tools rather than trained.

It was clear that they were wearing some type of mask.

They spoke to the people while wearing these masks.

“From now, you will perform a sacred mission with us.”

Together with us.

“We will give a warning to humanity, repeating the error of the Tower of Babel.”

They were about to deliver a warning message to the people.

 

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