TCWGRF 10

He pulled up both corners of his mouth, concealing even the chill that seemed capable of freezing everything, including his true intentions, within a faint smile, and expertly slipped into the crowd of people.

“Has there ever been another person who rose to the position of chief commissioner at such a young age?”

“It is probably the first time since the city was founded.”

“We have high expectations, Chief Commissioner of Public Security.”

Unlike a moment ago when it was all criticism, as soon as Samuel entered the banquet hall, the atmosphere changed completely as if nothing had happened, and empty pleasantries began to be exchanged.

Everyone treated him like the Party’s dog. However, he was the one who would protect their homes while in charge of the city’s security, and since his adoptive father was, in name and reality, a Party executive, they could not just run their mouths carelessly.

“Haha. Thank you.”

Among those present, there were also people who feared Samuel, who had a snake-like countenance.

Not only was it impossible to know what he was thinking, but even if he smiled in front of them, the next day he would be dripping with killing intent as he mercilessly arrested those who were determined to be enemies of the Party.

Those who laughed cheerfully and were optimistic about the city’s future thus became beings of the past at Samuel’s hands. He was a demon and a butcher not only to the rebels but also to the city’s dignitaries.

“The chief commissioner’s father is nowhere to be seen again today.”

“Indeed. A father would surely have wanted to see this moment. Even if it is his outsider adopted son.”

Since they could not directly insult the person in front of them, the topic of conversation naturally shifted to ‘his adoptive father who did not come to a place that should be celebrated.’ It was a jab at his situation of not being acknowledged by his adoptive father, hoping to make Samuel uncomfortable.

For a long time, Lot had not been fond of standing side by side with his adopted son at official functions. He had taken him in reluctantly and raised him out of necessity, so even if he tried to hide it, it was bound to show subtly.

If he had been less rash or a person who could see the bigger picture, he would have pretended to cherish Samuel, at least on the surface. There was no need to act benevolently like a real father. All he had to do was a little bit of acting.

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot that the new chief commissioner is not on very good terms with his father. Hoho. Forget the question.”

Samuel smiled at the rude opponent who did not even give him a chance to respond. His reddish lips and the corners of his eyes drew parallel arcs, but no one thought he was genuinely smiling.

“Lot, that person hasn’t particularly enjoyed places like this for some time now. Isn’t that right?”

A man, with a group of supporters and beautiful women trailing behind him like a tail, approached Samuel and casually placed a hand on his shoulder. His appearance alone slightly ventilated the chilly atmosphere.

“In the old days, he used to swarm to banquets like a fly. It seems his tastes have changed after becoming an executive. Hahaha.”

“Chairman.”

Samuel bowed deeply to him in respect. His name was ‘Beres,’ dressed in clothes that tightly wrapped his chubby body in shiny fabric, with a beard as coarse as a pig’s bristle, and a face that smiled complacently.

He was the son of the current, bedridden Party leader, the chairman of the ‘Central Council’ which legislated the city’s laws, and also one of the main attendees whose name was on the first page of today’s invitation list.

“Ah, I heard that some old folks called you to the capitol the other day and gave you a hard time. If it hadn’t been so early in the morning, I would have gone out and taken your side. You know I’m a heavy sleeper in the morning.”

“…Haha, not at all. I don’t consider it a hard time either.”

“For the sake of your position, I wanted the inauguration ceremony to be held quickly, but those stubborn people threw a fit, saying it couldn’t be done.”

Beres grumbled as if he were dissatisfied with the members of the Central Council, but one should not be deceived by that cunning face.

He was destined to be the ruler of the city from birth, but thanks to his suspicious father, the path to obtaining the throne reserved for him was a distant one. Nevertheless, his rise to the position of chairman of the Central Council at the age of forty was purely due to his own competence.

Within the city, there was no one who could match Beres in scheming. He stopped at nothing to get what he wanted and dealt with traitors mercilessly. Ferocity was his way of gaining power and a method of struggle that was bound to succeed.

“Thanks to you, we are able to hold such a grand inauguration ceremony, so I am nothing but grateful.”

Beres firmly gripped and slightly shook the shoulder of Samuel, who was expressing his gratitude. His greasy hands, from having picked at oily food in the meantime, left a blatant stain on the pristine white uniform that had not a speck of dust on it.

“Anyway, congratulations. I hope you will continue to follow the Party’s orders faithfully in the future.”

“Yes. Of course, Chairman.”

“And go back to your family home once in a while to ask after your adoptive father’s well-being.”

“……”

“Lot, that person is getting old too, so his temper isn’t what it used to be. He only has daughters under his roof, so as he gets older, wouldn’t he need a sturdy son like this? Even if that son fooled around with the daughters his father cherishes. Ahaha.”

With those words, Beres wrapped his chubby arm around the slender waist of the woman standing next to him and left, heading toward his supporters.

By directly blurting out his opponent’s controversies, he silenced the mouths of others before leaving, which was extremely rude yet also made him seem like a magnanimous man of action who did not care for petty grudges.

“…The chairman is as consistent as ever.”

If not that, it could be that he had fled with his tail between his legs to avoid a confrontation with his political enemy.

“Vice Chairman.”

Samuel bowed deeply to the old man who had approached quietly and alone, just as he had to Beres. This was because he was Gideon, the undisputed number two in the Party, the vice chairman of the Central Council, and the chief of political affairs who oversaw the city’s administration.

“Ah, don’t do that. We are both chief commissioners, this is too much.”

Although he said, ‘both chief commissioners,’ the chief commissioner of public security and the chief of political affairs were worlds apart.

While the chief commissioner of public security led the military and police to eliminate the city’s enemies, the chief of political affairs ran the entire city. From a slice of bread the citizens ate to a sip of water they drank, everything was under the influence of the chief of political affairs, and his power extended from the core of the Party to the lowest-ranking workers.

For decades, he had consistently served the city, not shying away from ridiculously low positions and trivial concurrent posts for his status, and his supporters were constantly striving to place him in the Party leader’s seat. Yet, he himself always wore shabby clothes and sought to hide his presence by being humble.

Although he was an old man who appeared small and even shabby on the outside, he was a person who knew the fatal secrets of the city and its enemies better than anyone and knew how to strike at their weaknesses. His popularity and hypocrisy were also what Beres was most wary of.

“I knew you would one day become the chief commissioner of public security.”

“Is that so.”

“Regardless of origin, is there anyone as loyal to the Party as you?”

Samuel knew well that this was a compliment devoid of sincerity. So, he expressed his gratitude with a bit of exaggeration.

“For the vice chairman to see me in such a light, I don’t know where to put myself.”

People living in the city could never be separated from their ‘origin.’ It was the only standard that distinguished them from the people of the outside.

To them, Samuel was always a foreigner, a being who should be excluded first and foremost.

“Hahaha. I am sincere. I have been quite fond of you for a long time.”

Figuring out the inner thoughts of Gideon, who was smiling benevolently, was a difficult task even for Samuel, who had dealt with numerous rebels.

Usually, it was not difficult to grasp people whose desires were clear.

Those undergoing severe torture wanted to survive, so if you guaranteed just that, they would spill secrets they should not, and women hiding their desires under their dresses or base men would leak information held by their fathers, husbands, superiors, or friends in exchange for a night together.

The only thing Gideon, a universally acknowledged elder of the Party and well over sixty, seemed to want was to become the next Party leader, but there were many suspicious aspects to him to say he desired only that.

He was not the type to easily reveal his desires and did not speak unless it was necessary, so Samuel could only guess based on the movements of his supporters or the occasional brief conversations.

“Today is your day, so enjoy it to your heart’s content.”

“Thank you, Vice Chairman.”

He briefly tapped the clean shoulder, not the one Beres had stained, and whispered softly.

“…If you have urgent business, it would be alright to leave for a moment. No one will mind.”

Having finished his greetings to the protagonist, Gideon naturally moved away toward those he was acquainted with.

The corners of Samuel’s mouth rose as he stared vacantly at his retreating back. It seemed that Gideon was probably the only one who knew the purpose of stubbornly pushing for a conspicuous event, despite being an unwelcome chief commissioner of public security.

Everyone knew that the two most important people in the city were here, and sycophants were already beginning to gather, so as the great man had said, it would be fine to leave for a moment.

Samuel checked the clock on the wall. The appointment time was approaching. Although he had set it unilaterally, the ‘other parties to the appointment’ would not deviate from his expectations or disappoint him.

Samuel, who leaned over slightly to give an order to his adjutant, grabbed the wrist of one of the women who had been casting sticky glances at him, the one in the most eye-catching dress, and exited the banquet hall with light steps as if heading to the restroom.

Even though it was an event for him, no one paid much attention to Samuel leaving his seat.

His legs trembled uncontrollably with anxiety and his hands were wet with sweat, causing Isaac to drop the thin wire he was holding to the floor several times against his will.

‘No, no. Get a grip.’

Leaving the dozing Vincent behind, Isaac, who had suppressed his presence to the limit, stood coincidentally in front of Room 301 on the east side of the Public Security Bureau’s main building, the records archive.

It was a temporary collection of documents that might be used someday, preserved for future policy-making or for creating meaningful analysis data, though currently useless.

The past of the city, covered in layers of dust, where even the person in charge had to look for a long time to find anything, was all gathered there.

‘The list should be in the Public Security Bureau’s records archive. It is, after all, a place that collects data on citizens’ births, deaths, and changes of residence.’

‘Unidentified deceased persons or criminals are also recorded for the time being. Their appearance, height, and so on.’

‘I understand how you feel, but it’s a place you shouldn’t enter recklessly. Though where in the Public Security Bureau wouldn’t be like that….’

Every single explanation Vincent had added about how to find a missing person was stuck in his mind, and Isaac just could not let it go.

Even the person who said it told him to forget it and concluded it was impossible. But for Isaac, who had come to the city to find Asel without any proper plan, those words became his only hope.

A month had passed since Asel left for the city and his whereabouts became unknown. On top of that, a few days Isaac spent gathering information and making inquiries in District 28. And then, another week had flown by since he was chosen for the patrol and started searching for him while patrolling the outskirts near the outside.

During the month and a half that had passed, he had not found any small clue, not even someone who looked similar.

The city was harsh and he was innocent, so perhaps he had become a corpse while trying to sneak in, hidden in a sewer or a garbage truck, without ever reaching his ideal.

A part of his heart might have been trying to give up even with that thought. He hoped he was alive, so they could hold hands and escape this godforsaken place, but he needed a little assurance. That, contrary to his expectations, he was not dead, that he was alive somewhere in the city.

If he just knew that, what Isaac had to do next would become clear. Not giving up until he found Asel, who was somewhere in the city, and until they met again.

Even if it took a lifetime, as long as he was alive, it was fine. Even if any danger lay in wait, as long as there was even a small possibility of meeting, it was acceptable. He could bear any risk, so all he needed was a tiny bit of hope.

‘Just a little more….’

The opportunity given today was a completely unexpected windfall for Isaac.

It was just the day before yesterday that he heard from his partner about what kind of place the records archive was, and it was yesterday that he heard the news about the patrol being summoned due to the new chief commissioner’s inauguration ceremony.

After that, the third floor, which was close to the patrol office and had the fewest places to look around, was assigned as their patrol area for Vincent, who had difficulty climbing stairs due to arthritis, and his only supervisor, his partner, dozing off and falling asleep in a corner. Everything fell into place perfectly, as if it had been arranged.

A small anxiety brushed past him, that it felt as if someone had looked into his situation and prepared this, too much to be dismissed as a simple coincidence, but he was in no position to turn back now over such a suspicion.

‘Please, work.’

After meticulously shaping the arbitrarily bent wire and inserting it into the keyhole, Isaac, this time more carefully and slowly than before, turned the wire in one direction.

‘It worked…!’