Chapter 121. Yukgaejang at a Funeral (3)
“Thank you all for coming today.”
No. 11 wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stepped onto the stage.
Every eye in the room immediately turned toward him.
“My name is Aiden Maxwell. I am the director in charge of this project.”
He put on what even he knew was a fake smile.
Over the years, he had learned that nothing lowered the guard of foolish people better than looking harmless.
“Many of you are probably skeptical about this project. After all, dramatically increasing intelligence in a short period of time is no easy feat.”
“But Abraxas does not lie.”
A presentation screen appeared behind him.
It showed a young Black girl smiling in an oversized doctor’s coat.
“Anna Pruca. She entered medical school at the age of five, obtained her medical license at eleven, and opened her own hospital at twelve.”
Murmurs of amazement spread through the audience.
The screen changed again.
This time, a young East Asian boy was speaking fluently with several foreigners.
“Lu Wongchan. He spoke ten languages by the age of three, and by twelve, he had mastered every language on Earth.”
The image changed again.
A small white girl stood in front of NASA, waving at the camera.
“Sanciel Chaplina. She earned a doctorate in astronomy at five and joined NASA as an astronomer at eleven.”
Every explanation drew more admiration from the crowd.
Everyone stared at the children on the screen with envy.
If only my child could become like that.
No. 11 knew exactly what they were thinking.
He mocked them silently before continuing.
“Amazing, isn’t it?”
“All of these children went through the Sophia Project conducted by Abraxas.”
Then he lightly added,
“Ah, I nearly forgot the most important person.”
The screen changed once more.
A silver-haired girl was solving a complex mathematical equation on a blackboard.
“Nova Hanson. She solved calculus problems at the age of one and earned three doctorates simultaneously at four.”
“She is the greatest success produced by the Sophia Project.”
This time, the audience reacted far more strongly than before.
No. 11 had been waiting for that moment.
“Impressed?”
“Don’t worry.”
“Your children can become like this too.”
“The project we are about to launch is on an entirely different level from the old Sophia Project.”
The presentation switched again.
[Aeon Project]
Those two words appeared in red against a white background.
That alone was enough to draw everyone’s attention.
“The Aeon Project.”
“This will give you and your children a new future.”
Longing filled the eyes of the people watching.
No. 11 spread his arms wide and addressed the entire room with confidence.
“So trust us.”
“And entrust your children to Abraxas.”
“Haaah.”
After the presentation ended, No. 11 wiped the sweat from his face and sighed.
Standing in front of a crowd was exhausting in its own way.
“You worked hard.”
No. 8 approached and handed him a dry towel.
No. 11 accepted it.
“So?”
“How did the audience react?”
“They’re enthusiastic.”
No. 8’s ears twitched.
“Every one of them is excited about the Aeon Project.”
With his exceptional hearing, he could pick up everything from quiet murmurs to conversations and phone calls throughout the venue.
Understanding the public’s reaction after No. 11’s presentation was easy.
“Of course they are.”
No. 11 sounded unsurprised.
“In a country like Korea, where people are obsessed with education, who wouldn’t be interested in a method that raises intelligence?”
No. 8 tilted his head.
“Still, none of those people seem interested in what eventually happened to the Sophia Project subjects.”
It was true that the Sophia Project subjects had been born with extraordinary intelligence.
It was also true that they had distinguished themselves from a young age and become objects of admiration.
But their endings had all been horrific.
Anna Pruca, who had opened a hospital at twelve, suffered from severe depression and later died from a drug overdose.
Lu Wongchan, introduced as a linguistic genius, developed the delusion that “language was eating away at him” and committed suicide by drilling into his own skull.
Sanciel Chaplina, who joined NASA at eleven, later developed schizophrenia, carried out a mass shooting at a nearby school, and was killed by police.
Why did the parents gathered here care only about the achievements of those geniuses?
Why did none of them wonder how their lives ended?
No. 8 genuinely could not understand it.
“That is the kind of country Korea is.”
No. 11 openly mocked them.
“It’s full of parents willing to make their children do anything if they think it will get them into a better university.”
“For us, that simply means we’ll never run out of test subjects.”
Whenever he looked at them, Korean parents seemed painfully obvious and easy to manipulate.
“Oh, Doctor!”
A woman spotted him from across the room and hurried over.
It was Hyeona, the woman who had once asked him to clone her son.
No. 11 greeted her with a pleasant expression.
“Have you been well, ma’am?”
“Thanks to you.”
She proudly showed off her swollen belly.
“Our son is growing well too.”
No. 11 smiled with satisfaction.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“By the way, when will your new project begin?”
Hyeona immediately got to the point.
No. 11 laughed and waved a hand.
“Hahaha. Even so, we need to wait until the fetus has developed to a certain degree.”
“Please be patient a little longer.”
“Oh, but we were hoping to start as soon as possible.”
Hyeona’s face was full of anticipation.
“These things are better the earlier you do them, aren’t they?”
“We’ll begin the project soon.”
No. 11 reassured her.
“And when we do, you’ll be the first person I invite.”
“I’ll be waiting!”
Hyeona hurried away again.
No. 11 smiled broadly and waved until she was out of sight.
Then his expression changed to one of contempt.
“Idiot.”
No. 8 cautiously asked,
“By the way, how exactly do you intend to carry out the Aeon Project?”
