Every Last One of Them
"Do planets have owners?"
At that question, the whole crew scrambled to read the room. But one person's eyes were shining.
It was Jeon Hye-ji.
"To determine a planet's owner, wouldn't we first have to look at whether the planet is something that can claim ownership? Can it be?"
"For those of us whose worldview is still stuck at the center of the Earth, breaking through that wall is an incredibly difficult problem. But for those whose worldview has expanded to the universe, it's perfectly obvious logic. Planets have owners."
"You're talking about that Inner Circle you mentioned before, right? The gathering of high-level elites across every field, like Neo-Mason."
At Pacific's remark, Won-goo shook his head.
"No. They aren't the planet's owners."
"Then who is?"
"Before we can argue about who owns a planet, we need to understand the difference between a planet that has an owner and one that doesn't. Earth used to be an ownerless planet once. It isn't anymore. Do you get the difference?"
"……."
"……."
"……."
Everyone fell silent. Hye-ji was no exception.
"Got it. You're judging from the point of first contact with a cosmic civilization, aren't you?" Jo Mu-sa offered.
"It's a creative approach, but wrong. When Earth was an ownerless planet, that was back in the days when the dinosaurs were stomping around."
"So it comes down to the presence of intelligent life," Hye-ji said.
"That's a good approach too, but not exactly right."
"Is it the presence of civilization, then?"
"That's not the perfect answer either."
"Ah, for crying out loud! Just tell us! You know none of us are going to get it anyway!" Pacific roared.
"I'm not telling."
"Hey, Director Gong! This is crossing a line."
"Why are you yelling?"
"Because it's frustrating, that's why."
"Most of the answers so far were close. But none of them are complete. What determines a planet's owner is the emergence of a Dominant Species."
"Dominant Species?"
"That's right. Only when there is a species that dominates that planet can anyone lay claim to being its owner."
"Director, didn't the dinosaurs rule Earth at one point?"
"They never dominated it. They were just extremely numerous on Earth. A Dominant Species refers to a single species. And it has to be an apex predator. Humans meet every condition here. An apex predator and the sole being with the largest population. Both of those have to be satisfied before a species can be called the Dominant Species."
"Aren't insects more numerous, though?" Pacific said.
"Insects aren't predators," Jo Mu-sa quickly cut in to tidy things up.
"Insects can absolutely be predators."
"Pacific. Are all insects the same insect? The most populous organism on Earth is the ant. And do you have any idea how many species of ant there are? Over 120 species on the Korean Peninsula alone, and over 12,000 worldwide. Can you call that a Dominant Species? That's exactly why the dinosaurs never became one. And living proof of that is Rafael, right here. Rafael is an elf, but she's practically at war with other elves. She doesn't even look like them. She's an entirely different species. But humans?"
"Humans…"
"There's no such spread. Exactly one species — Homo sapiens. There were multiple species of human before, but they were all wiped out."
"Director, then if the presence of a Dominant Species is the condition… that means the owners of Earth are humans, right?"
"Correct, Hye-ji."
"Then how could they sell off Earth without the consent of us, its human owners? Is that what the laws of the universe allow?"
"They did consent."
"……?"
"……?"
"……?"
"Those bastards were the ones put in place to represent humanity."
"That's…"
"Let me say it again. The owners of Earth are humans. But the bastards who sold the planet out didn't see it that way."
"They…"
"Believed they were different. Different from the rest. And there were those who went along with it. They believe class exists — and that it's the way things should be."
"Hold on. Isn't that the pro-slavery rant Oh Gu-sik goes on?"
"Oh Gu-sik does have a similar ideology. But he could never get inside their circle. Going deeper into this would take us way too far down the rabbit hole, so this much conceptual groundwork is enough. What matters starts now. So here's the really important part. The bastards who claim to represent humanity. The ones masquerading as its owners. They sold Earth. So why are we still living on this shithole?"
"Right? You said it was sold. Shouldn't that be the end of it?"
"There's a grace period. Am I right?"
"Yes. I've hinted at this before, but Gifts come in an enormous variety. And the universe holds far more planets and species than there are Gifts. If a planet is ownerless, like Earth was in the age of the dinosaurs, any civilization can just move in and claim it. But a planet with an owner is different. You can't even make casual contact. Why? Because if you do, all hell breaks loose."
"You mean the wider the universe, the more predators there are?"
"Exactly. That's part of it. But predators fighting over a single planet caused catastrophic incidents more than once or twice. So the real sharp operators of the universe got together and struck a deal. They signed a treaty."
"And that's how the Galactic Oversight Committee was born."
"Correct."
Everyone was listening to Won-goo with faces gone half white. Then his eyes met Rafael's.
"Rafael. Has anything I've said so far been wrong?"
"……."
"Well? Has it?"
"No. But there are a few things…"
Her Korean was still halting, like a foreigner's, but it had improved to the point where everyone could follow her.
"Is there something you'd revise?"
"No. It's content even I don't know."
"Is that so."
"Director. How do you know all this…"
"I don't know. So don't ask. This is exactly why I say prophecy and foresight Gifts are the pinnacle of the information category. They hold the power to change a great many things. And they are truly precious."
"I've never met a real one, though. Nothing but con artists."
Pacific spoke with an unusually grave look in his eyes.
"It's a world that makes conning easy. Isn't that impressive, though?"
"What's impressive about it?"
"Running a scam in a world like this one. That's impressive."
"……?"
"It really is. In today's world, getting caught running a scam costs you your life. Before the apocalypse? Some bastard defrauded people of tens of billions and walked out the door after how long? Three years? You have to hand it to them for sheer courage. Scammers these days deserve full marks for guts."
"So if they're that brave, does that earn them forgiveness?"
"Like hell it does. Anyway, Earth is in the process of being sold right now."
"Th-then how long does the gr-grace period last?"
"Until the valuation is complete."
"Valuation?"
"If Earth is property, then naturally it has a price. Once that price is set, it's over."
"And then…"
"Here's where it gets interesting. A hopeful point, for us. Earth was sold in secret by a bunch of bigwigs, and the valuation is still in progress. Once it's done, everything inside Earth will have a new owner. So why are we going through all this damn suffering?"
"For fun?"
Geum Chul-soo raised his hand as he asked.
"That's possible. From the universe's perspective, there might be perverts who enjoy watching primitive civilizations of bugs fight to the death. But if that were the case, would they bother with all these complicated procedures?"
"So it has to proceed according to the agreements made by the Oversight Committee."
"Right. The great powers built the Committee, and the Committee decided that there must be a mechanism to overturn the rule of the few elites who decide everything."
"Is that what Gift awakening is? And the coin enhancement?"
"Exactly. Everything about the system we're living through right now. All of it is opportunity."
"And how are we supposed to turn anything over with that? Do we just have to survive until the grace period ends?"
"That would be simple, but no."
"Then…"
"I'll put it plainly. I've seen what comes after Earth is sold. Humanity splits into two kinds."
"No — I'm asking how we stop the planet from being sold in the first place?"
"Listen to this first. Humanity splits in two. One half gets modified into combat consumables and scattered across every war zone in the universe. The other half becomes cultivated meat."
"Cultivated meat?"
"Canned goods. Pacific. Do you think one human being — you — could fit inside a can of tuna, or not?"
Won-goo said it flatly, but the whole crew sat there in shock, mouths hanging open.
Only Rafael remained utterly unmoved.
"We're going to be canned? As food?"
"What other use does a can have? First, humanity gets consumed that way, and then only a handful of exceptional individuals are selected out for cloning. Individuals with superior brains and bodies get cloned for combat. Individuals with exceptionally tasty meat get cloned over and over for food."
"And the ruling class of Earth agreed to this? Knowing full well?"
The humor had drained completely from Pacific's face.
"It's not them getting canned, is it? That's how they think. They… only ever think of themselves. Everyone else is just a consumable."
"Even so, this is…"
"You all look pretty rattled. But this is a signal that came blaring out long before the apocalypse. I don't know how well you all remember the state of the world before it opened. Do you know one of the first things a certain national leader did when starting a war?"
"……?"
"What was it?"
"Exempting his own son from military service."
"……."
"……."
"Old men start wars, and young men pay the price…" Geum Chul-soo murmured, half reciting it.
"More precisely: masters start wars, and bleeding slaves pay for them. Because once you belong to 'them,' you never have to fight yourself."
A heavy silence settled over the Trailer.
Clap!
The sound of applause shattered it by force.
"No need to despair. We still have a chance to overturn that goddamn decision."
"How do we overturn it?"
"According to the Committee's written law, once a planet's value is converted, the auction begins."
"You mean buying the planet?"
"Buying it, sure. But how exactly are we supposed to outbid the civilizations of the universe with cold, hard cash? It's a rigged game."
"Then what?"
"Once the valuation is done, the first right of refusal to repurchase the planet goes to its Dominant Species."
"Ah…"
"Earth's Dominant Species is humanity. Which means anyone of us can buy it."
"So we have to save up coins?"
"It doesn't have to be coins. Any payment equal to the converted value will do. Fortunately, the Committee has a very well-built conversion system for exactly that."
The crew's expressions were still grim, but wheels were visibly turning in each of their heads.
Pieces of Won-goo's slippery, evasive behavior over the past months were finally beginning to click into place.
"So that's why you kept saying whoever comes with us has to come together?" It was Pacific's question.
"That's right. There are parts one man can't carry alone. And what we just discussed is a long way off. We're still in the early stages. Not all of the apocalypse's functions have been unlocked yet. Only one Underground Passage has opened so far."
"Fuck… I can't even swear enough for this."
"You're entitled to your rage, but we have a long road ahead. Keep it bottled. And there's one more important thing. Buying Earth requires qualification."
"Qualification?"
"Earth was sold by decision of the ruling class. So buying it requires qualifying as one of its owners."
"Then we… have to replace them."
Hye-ji said it in a firm, level voice. But Won-goo answered just as flatly, without a change in tone.
"'Replace' is putting it politely… let's just say we kill them. Every last one of them."