Chapter 109 – Well Begun Is Half Done
There is an idiom called ‘big picture’. In English, Big Picture.
When talking about a situation or plan, it does not mean looking at only what is in front of you piecemeal, but looking at it from a long-term and big perspective.
In that respect, Artemis is a girl who is better at drawing the big picture than anyone I’ve ever encountered.
This is because her great intellect removed the limitations in thinking between the past and the future.
Thanks to this, I am used to situations where Artemis sometimes throws strange things at me. Whether it is a suggestion or an invention.
In most cases, even if it was not understood at the time, it was ultimately necessary.
Would you like to give an example?
When she arrived, and she became acquainted with me, she proceeded to negotiate my salary.
Since I am the top person here, the subject of negotiation is an external agent. Because it was a very busy time, it was held through an online video call.
[Leave it to me.]
Artemis pretended to be me and talked to the agent.
Forging my image and voice while sitting in her office is as easy for her as breathing.
When I appeared on the video call, I was wearing neat casual clothes and a white researcher’s coat.
“…”
On the other hand, in real life, I am wearing a t-shirt and company jacket.
“Isn’t this giving too much away?”
In her early and mid-aughts, she seemed to be dragged around by her head office agent to the point where it felt like she had left it to her.
I whispered worriedly, and she sent me a picture of her lips with her index finger on my PDA. It means to keep your mouth shut.
Her lips were full, and she wore red lipstick, but she looked unnecessarily sexy.
In the video call faked by Artemis, my face always has a gentle smile.
“Hey, I don’t laugh like that.”
The index finger changed to the middle finger.
The head is all white. I feel like a bit of a bully because I’m like that. Still, he’s smiling softly, but something doesn’t seem right.
20 minutes later.
The salary negotiation ended with conditions that made my mouth drop.
At one point, her salary negotiation agent was overwhelmed by her.
It’s as if the reason it seemed dragged at first was to gain momentum.
[What did you say to me? Huh? I was so focused on the negotiation that I couldn’t listen properly.]
She said in a proud voice.
It’s an obvious lie.
I got down on one knee and praised her with the utmost politeness since I met her.
Considering the amount of salary she won, she could have done as much as she wanted, whether it was Dogeja or Grand Temple.
But it seemed that this young lady was already satisfied.
[Hmph.]
She kept making happy snorts while listening to my praise.
Even though I was used to Artemis’ strange proposal and the big picture, what was in front of me right now wasn’t easy.
The blood swirled and pulsated inside the large glass tube and began to clump together.
“Was there some kind of telekinetic technology in the shelter that I didn’t know about?”
[Fool. There’s no way something like that would be possible. This is a nanobot.]
“I see.”
At first, it was just a lump of lumpy blood, but it was quickly sculpted and shaped into a human torso.
A headless, limbless body is floating in a glass tube. The surface made of blood constantly waves and pulsates.
“It’s bizarre.”
[Hmph!]
A curve was created on the body as if laughing at my words.
The shoulders were broadened, and the waist was narrow. The navel is hollowed out vertically, and the buttocks rise like a mountain peak.
The area around my chest rippled as if kneaded by the hand of God, and my chest swelled like yeasted bread. At the end, a proud nipple raises its head.
Sigh! It felt like the limbs were sticking out and then becoming thinner.
At the ends of the slender arms are elegantly carved fingers.
Artistic arches are drawn on the flat soles, and the pectoralis major protrudes. At the end of the foot, delicate toes were divided.
Lastly, her face. Her perfect features and sharp nose are elegant and sophisticated, and her lips are exquisitely plump. Her eyes are quietly closed. As if it wasn’t time to open yet.
The perfect nanobot control implements a texture similar to real skin, with only a different color.
“It’s beautiful.”
Even if the statue of Galatea created by the mythical Pygmalion was right in front of me, I wouldn’t even pay attention.
There is no skin, muscles, or body hair.
However, I could not help but stare as if fascinated by the appearance where the essence of life seemed to be alive and breathing. Like a bonfire lit while camping in the mountains.
On the other hand, I felt a little fear and strangeness at the sight of everything red and without skin.
Of course, I can’t hide these negative feelings from Artemis.
[Why do I feel anxious? There is no need to be afraid of anything.]
Artemis said in a sweet voice.
[It’s just a body. It’s just a bunch of organisms. It is an unfinished body.]
I nodded.
[There is not a single thing mixed in that is harmful to you. Whether it is for the purpose of use or the components it contains.]
A beautiful red female body reaches out to me. It felt like he was begging me to hurry up and complete him.
[Look at my body.]
Artemis whispered.
[Isn’t it beautiful? Look at this form that contains the sweet scent of flesh, yet is not bound by mortal limitations. Imagine when you become perfect wearing immortal bones and skin.]
The sight of a bloody female body seducing me was truly a surreal experience, but there was something within me that made it feel natural.
It is the bond between me and Artemis. It was a relationship between us who shared our fate from the beginning of the shelter. Friendship, partnership, memories. You can express it in any way.
[Don’t you want to touch me?]
I nodded.
[Then what are you waiting for?]
Her red touch draws me into the glass tube.
Boom.
It hit her in the face. It was because I approached her blindly, forgetting even the glass wall between us.
[Ahahaha!]
Artemis laughed as she watched me cup her nose. Her prank was a complete success.
[Come closer again.]
Artemis said.
[This is no joke. Because I’m serious.]
As I approached the glass tube, her red hand approached.
Tap!
It blocked the wall of the glass tube and created a red handprint.
His hands moved around as if he was dissatisfied, creating several marks. I trace the glass wall as if searching for myself.
I could feel Artemis’ desire, her persistent desire, in that grasp.
I also stretched out my hand. Her hand stops. Hands reaching out to each other meet across a glass wall.
There was silence like that for a while. We look at each other with our hands joined together, with only a glass as a barrier.
An inexplicable, sad feeling arises. My heart is beating faster and faster.
[I need bones and flesh.]
“Ah!”
In an instant, the shape of the hand made of blood collapsed.
[I guess this is it for now.]
What appeared on Artemis’ face on the monitor was both an emotion and the end of a great plan that I had not yet thought of.
[Did they say getting started is half the battle? In that respect, acquiring blood technology was the right answer. Blood is the backbone of everything. But this is far from enough.]
“Do you want a body?”
She asked a question she had vaguely thought about but wasn’t sure about.
[A fool? You are asking the obvious.]
Since she did not use a 2nd or 3rd generation body like Chrollo or Rose, I vaguely thought that Artemis would not be interested in a physical body. But I guess that was my mistake.
[I will continue to do what I have planned. When the time comes, you will be surprised when the result appears in front of you.]
This is the picture she is drawing now.
“When did you start planning to have a body?”
[Well. Since when did it start, I seem to have forgotten.]
It’s a lie.
Artemis is arrogant and cold, but at the same time loyal and honest.
The lies she tells are truthful expressions. Something that everyone can tell, ‘It’s a lie.’
Sometimes it is used as a desire for praise, and sometimes as an expression of rejection.
That’s why I didn’t ask anymore.
Now the blood had lost its shape and was sinking into her glass coffin.
[I have to stop and go to the lab.]
Upgrade robots, equipment and weapons. Her consciousness left the central control room to focus on the simulation.
I stared at the glass tube in front of me.
The blood-red female body that touched my hand just a moment ago is vivid.
The desire to complete this perfect being boiled within me.
Was it out of favor toward Artemis? Or is it because of my desire to be fascinated by that appearance? I don’t know about that.
However, I knew for sure that there had never been a stronger motivation than this in my life so far.
* * *
The next morning.
A basket was delivered from the hydroponic cultivation facility to the upper VIP living area.
It contained fresh strawberries, apples, and cherry tomatoes.
After starting work, the first fruit harvest was finally achieved. Nongsuni, the person in charge of the cultivation facility, selected the best ones and sent them.
‘With sincerity. Thank you again for saving my life.’
A letter written on behalf of Nongsuni was also enclosed.
[That’s a good attitude. The fruits are also of the highest quality.]
Artemis looked around the fruit with satisfaction and praised the cultivation team’s care and skill.
I chuckled and turned my attention to the fruit.
“It’s been a while since I saw real fruit.”
It is not cultured meat. It is a real fruit consisting of seeds, pulp, and skin. There is also a green leaf attached to the top of the apple.
When I put it to my nose and inhaled, a fresh scent penetrated my nostrils.
[It’s a desert salad.]
Artemis combined it with beef yukhoe to make a special dish.
The salty raw meat melts on your tongue. The fruit was crushed in the mouth and juice was sprayed, and the stepping stone between the two was a special dressing.
The food was delicious, but even more than that, a feeling of mental satiety enveloped me.
After finishing the meal, Artemis reported one thing.
[I found it, Jinsu.]
The blood-sucking anemone-slug monster that almost sent me into the netherworld underground in Bloodtech. Its location has been confirmed.
Because he was so dangerous, I wanted to monitor his direction, but I couldn’t keep the drone flying in bad weather just waiting for him underground.
After we withdrew, we sent out drone carriers to scout over time, and found them easier than expected.
When we arrived at the central control room, what was shown on the huge screen was a huge number of infected organisms.
