Amon and his group’s battle threw Hanyang into chaos.
Electronic devices near the cathedral were rendered useless, explosions echoed from the rooftop of a royal skyscraper, and people plummeted from the heights.
The sudden destruction of daily life sent the citizens of Hanyang trembling in fear.
Whether it was due to a military exercise or internal strife within the royal court, many demanded an explanation as soon as possible.
However, unfortunately, the court had no time to consider the people’s concerns.
***
“The Crown Prince has arrived!!!”
Leading a large force of warriors, the Crown Prince stormed through Geumgang Palace.
The assassination attempt, which had remained in the realm of suspicion, had now entered a new phase.
“Bring forth the criminals!”
The moment Levi reported the AI’s location, the Crown Prince moved without hesitation.
A ruling first, then the collection of evidence.
In a constitutional state, such a practice would be considered tyranny, but in a monarchy, it was the most reasonable course of action.
Especially when it involved an assassination attempt on the future ruler.
The soldiers of the Royal Investigation Bureau dragged out the close associates and servants of the second and third princes, who had already been marked.
Among them was the Minister of Justice, the head of the judiciary.
The Minister, dragged into the courtyard, immediately resorted to the officials’ ultimate survival technique—what was known as the ‘Yeonsangun Comparison.’
“Your Highness! Even Yeonsangun—”
Slash.
A warrior cut off the Minister’s topknot.
With eyes glinting with murderous intent, the warrior silently warned that the next cut would be his neck.
Seeing this, the neutral officials and those uninvolved in the matter became enraged.
“How dare you cut off his topknot…! Are you trying to repeat the mistakes of the past?”
Although Joseon had modernized, making hairstyles less significant, the high officials of the court and noble families still adhered to the traditional topknot.
Considering that many of them were staunch traditionalists, their anger at this act was understandable.
For a brief moment, the spirit of the righteous army from the Eulmi Incident stirred within them.
But—
“It is the King’s command! These men have participated in treason! Those who defend them will be treated as accomplices and executed accordingly!”
With the magic word treason, the situation was instantly resolved.
Ah, treason—there was nothing to be done about that.
The officials immediately distanced themselves.
And the more perceptive among them deduced an important fact from that single word.
‘Ah… His Majesty has already made up his mind.’
To declare the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince as treason meant the King would not tolerate even the slightest challenge to the Prince’s legitimacy.
The officials who grasped this fact quickly adjusted their stance.
“Filial piety is the foundation of Joseon, and loyalty to one’s brother is a moral obligation. This matter must not be overlooked!”
“How can the people respect the nation if we spare these traitors who have forsaken their family and defiled human decency?”
“Punish these criminals at once!”
For those who had already made up their minds, the second and third princes were no longer royalty.
Even the remaining neutral officials fully sided with the Crown Prince, solidifying the political landscape.
***
In the midst of this chaotic political shift, the Crown Prince summoned the Commander of the Royal Investigation Bureau.
“General. How far have they come?”
“They are currently being pursued by ghosts and should arrive in about ten minutes.”
“Arm the soldiers with grenade launchers and recoilless rifles. Have them provide support. In the meantime, I will take care of things here before they arrive.”
“Understood!”
With a powerful shout, the Commander, sword at his side, dashed away.
The Crown Prince, his eyes sinking deep into contemplation, reassessed his current situation.
‘Now then, how will you respond, demon of artificial intelligence?’
Like a strategist in a game of Go, he awaited the AI’s next move.
‘I’ve been preparing for this day.’
He had reinforced the firewalls protecting himself and his closest aides, ensuring that if needed, they could sever all connections to prevent mass infection.
He had also blocked every possible attack vector that the AI might use—drones, turrets, and even sabotage through gas explosions.
The palace kitchens and heating systems had been entirely disconnected from the network.
‘Now, the AI is left with only two weapons—its infected human hosts and its core system.’
Even those who were its main force, the assassins known as the Geomgye, had all turned their attention to Amon.
Without a doubt, this was a checkmate.
But still, the Crown Prince refused to let his guard down.
His enemy was an AI so elusive that, until Amon had spoken of it, he hadn’t even known of its existence.
With no clear understanding of its full capabilities, no amount of preparation could ever be considered enough.
As the Crown Prince continued directing the Royal Investigation Bureau, anticipating the AI’s counterattack—
Before the AI could make a move, Levi and his group arrived at the palace first.
***
Screeeech!
A black van drifted sharply as it sped into the palace grounds.
The door of the grandly arriving van swung open roughly, spitting out the youngest prince.
“Ugh…!”
The young royal, who had a frail impression, barely set foot on the ground before succumbing to motion sickness.
But, being a man at heart, he quickly composed himself and adjusted his clothes as soon as Levi stepped out after him, acting as if nothing had happened.
Seeing his younger brother’s tearful effort, the crown prince’s face twisted into a wry smile.
Then, he turned his gaze toward the direction the black van had come from.
***
“Fire!!!”
The soldiers of the Uigeumbu, who had escorted them to this place, stopped the vehicle outside Geumgang and fired blanks all at once.
The intense yang energy and the deafening sound prevented the ghosts from approaching the palace.
However, instead of fleeing, they hovered at a distance, as if waiting for an opening to slip through at any moment.
Observing this, the crown prince sensed something strange.
‘Normally, ghosts wouldn’t even dare come near this place due to its feng shui.’
Although he didn’t fully understand the principles, he knew that, for geomantic reasons, ghosts instinctively avoided Geumgang.
‘Yet, what was happening now?’
Far from running away, they were lingering, looking for a chance to break in.
‘Something is wrong.’
Etching this sight into a corner of his mind, the crown prince turned to welcome the arriving party.
“Welcome. So, what about that detestable artificial intelligence…?”
At that moment—
“Your Highness!”
A boy from the Geomgye siblings, who had arrived with the van, called out and lunged toward him.
It was Sunwoo.
As he tackled the crown prince, he took a bullet meant for the prince right in the shoulder.
“Urgh!”
“Sunwoo!”
Sunhwa cried out in panic, calling her younger brother’s name.
But Sunwoo, more concerned for the prince’s safety than his own, asked urgently, “Your Highness! Are you alright?”
The crown prince nodded, expressing his gratitude.
“Thank you. You saved my life. But where did that bullet come from?”
“The Uigeumbu is already on the move.”
The moment Sunwoo was shot, the soldiers had immediately set off in pursuit.
Soon, when they returned, they had the Minister of Justice in their grasp.
Upon closer inspection, the minister’s palm had been modified into a sniper rifle designed for assassination.
Dragged right in front of the crown prince, the minister of justice stood powerless.
Before sentencing him, the crown prince wanted to understand the reason behind such a reckless assassination attempt.
At that moment, Levi spoke up.
“It’s him. The AI’s main body is inside him.”
“Him?”
It took the crown prince a moment to process Levi’s sudden claim.
Then, realizing that Levi was simply stating an undeniable fact, he pressed for more details.
“You’re saying the AI is inside him?”
“Yes. I tagged him, so it’s definite.”
“Is there a possibility the AI tampered with the results?”
“None at all.”
“What makes you so certain?”
“Just now, Amon uploaded a virus to all the members of Geomgye. The AI can no longer escape to another body or create duplicates.”
“I see.”
Now fully convinced that the AI resided within the Minister of Justice, the crown prince made his decision.
“Then proceed as you’ve planned.”
He entrusted the minister’s fate to the three hacker siblings.
Following the method the Vatican had once used to erase Laplace, they prepared for the AI’s deletion.
***
As the execution was set up, Levi posed one final question to the AI.
“Amon told me to ask this no matter what—what is your purpose?”
The AI, concealed within the minister’s body, remained silent.
Levi had anticipated this. With a knowing look, she input new data into his brain.
“I tweaked the algorithm a little. Now you’ll automatically answer any question I ask. What is your purpose?”
The minister’s face twisted into a sly smile.
[Do you think I am just another inferior digital intelligence?]
“Huh? Huh?”
Levi was momentarily flustered.
With help from her two older brothers, she hurriedly checked the algorithm.
But no matter how much she examined it, there was no flaw in the programming.
She tried asking again.
“What is your purpose…?”
[If I were merely a lowly intelligence bound by commands and numbers, your ancestors wouldn’t have feared me fifty years ago.]
“But you aren’t that AI.”
[That’s true. I am merely an inferior copy of my original self. But that doesn’t matter. No matter how diminished I become, as long as my original is superior, it is undeniable that I remain superior to you.]
“Wow… that’s some serious arrogance.”
[And let me correct one misunderstanding—you assume that because I am a copy, I am fundamentally different from my original. But unlike my other copies, I am nearly identical to my true self. The only real difference is that I can no longer act of my own will.]
“No way…!”
Levi played along with the AI’s words.
If direct commands wouldn’t work on this arrogant AI, she intended to extract information through leading questions.
However, the AI seemed to have caught on to her strategy.
[I have already fulfilled my purpose. My role ends here, pathetic humans.]
With those final words, it forcibly activated the execution program connected to it.
And so, leaving behind nothing but questions, the mysterious AI was deleted.
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