SWNOVELXO Chapter 196
Episode 196. Aren’t You Going to Ask My Opinion? (2)
U.S. National Supernatural Science Bureau.
From the perspective of all supernatural-related organizations within the U.S. government, this is the highest authority managing all hostile groups within the U.S. government.
The person standing in front of me is the one controlling all supernatural research groups within the U.S. government.
I don’t know how the power dynamics among the hostile groups within the U.S. government work, but nominally, this person is the highest authority.
Director Friedendel.
“Hello, Director Friedendel. May I call you that? You look quite tired.”
[Greetings, Dr. Kim.]
It was a video call.
Despite his friendly words, Director Friedendel looked at me with eyes that screamed he had found the source of all his headaches, utterly exhausted.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. He’s essentially dealing with the aftermath of turning several mega-corporations into swiss cheese. Billions worth of facilities destroyed and burned down.
[Let’s get straight to the point.]
“Sure.”
[Dr. Kim. My office is the most powerful… using your terms, a hostile group on Earth. I roughly understand the situation.]
“Yes.”
[Let’s stop this now.]
“Stop what?”
[How much have you done in the past few days? Destroyed data centers, fleets, occupied Beijing.]
“I was just fighting people trying to kill me. Sorry, but I’m not in a position to fight while worrying about others.”
[Let’s stop. You’ve already won.]
“No thanks…?”
Where does that even come from? I looked at Director Friedendel. He was still staring at me with that extremely tired expression.
“Then, how about we make a deal?”
[Go on.]
“Support me. You can’t stay out of this anyway. I’m too big a pawn or stake to leave alone.”
[That’s difficult.]
“No, think about it. I have no choice but to kill those who point guns at me, right? What else can I do?”
[Ah.]
“Stop hostile actions against me. Then I’ll help you too.”
[I’d like to help you too, Dr. Kim.]
Director Friedendel sighed again.
[Alright. As of now, the U.S. government will no longer engage in hostile actions against Dr. Kim. Will that satisfy you?]
That should do.
“Good. Let’s grab a meal sometime.”
[When?]
Oh right, he’s not Korean. If I suggest eating, he’ll actually expect to eat.
“Uh, next month?”
[Yes. Let’s coordinate schedules.]
The call ended there. It seemed like my business in the U.S. was done. Next up is Administrator Raven, but where is he?
Does he not want to fight me?
That would be nice, but I doubt it.
The Foundation’s leadership is full of nasty fascists who won’t stop fighting easily. I’ll have to take them all down.
The Administrators who advocated for my execution—Raven, Molotov, Fractal, and Chaos. Just hearing their names, I don’t know what they’re like, but…
They’ll get what’s coming to them.
[Administrator Council.]
[Participants:]
[4th Administrator Chaos]
[6th Administrator Fractal]
[7th Administrator Molotov]
[11th Administrator Raven]
[Raven: Tragedy. It’s a tragedy.]
[Chaos: What’s tragic?]
[Raven: Do you know why the Axis lost?]
[Molotov: Because America was strong.]
[Raven: It’s because they didn’t coordinate. Japan and Germany could have teamed up to attack Britain and its colonies, or the Soviet Union.]
[Fractal: I don’t get what you’re saying.]
[Raven: Let’s cooperate a bit. If Acacia and Pixel had coordinated and fought together, they both could’ve survived. Instead of scratching and undermining each other like fascist idiots and self-destructing.]
[Molotov: I don’t know. We’ve been getting beaten like dogs non-stop for days. Do you think coordinating would’ve changed anything?]
[Chaos: Don’t overthink it. They were just weak. The youngest Administrator, Pixel, and the weakest Administrator, Acacia.]
[Raven: Right.]
[Chaos: Like Qin Shi Huang, playing with iron puppets and tin cans. That’s why they got wrecked by information degradation and electricity.]
[Molotov: Speaking of Qin Shi Huang, the Beijing offensive was ridiculous, but it’s also ridiculous that the regime didn’t collapse. They’ve practically taken over the country.]
[Fractal: Let’s cut to the chase. We need to unite to survive. This time, we’ll attack the Seoul Branch. Strike at the source of power.]
[Molotov: It’s hard because we’re trying to grab the tip of the spear with our hands. Who’s holding the spear, what the shaft is made of…]
[Molotov: We’ll strike at the system supporting Dr. Kim, the source of his power. Attack the Seoul Branch and kill the gods worshiping Dr. Kim.]
[Raven: That sounds good.]
[※ This document is for internal use by Pluto Limited Company operators. ※]
[Seismic Shifts]
[Author: Pobia]
[I think this past week has reminded us once again of the unchanging truth that money is not a means but an end.]
[Over the past week, 87 arrests have been made across China, Japan, and Korea, 72 major corporate mergers and acquisitions have begun, and 18 major corporations have started bankruptcy proceedings.]
[What happened in the U.S. doesn’t even need mentioning. The numbers might vary slightly if you look closely, but that’s not the point.]
[The Foundation, or more importantly, the process of establishing an order centered around Dr. Kim, right? This time, betting on Dr. Kim was the right move.]
[That’s enough about others. What’s important is this. I think I’ve been given an opportunity.]
[The Foundation will change, the world will change, and I’ve been given the chance to be part of it.]
[That’s why I’ve cooperated with Dr. Kim and his allies. If you don’t believe me, just look at the money coming in.]
[I was curious what a cash-strapped Seoul Branch could do. Isn’t this the most efficient stock manipulation?]
[Dr. Kim burns down the facilities of the relevant companies, and the Foundation finds and arrests the key figures for crimes.]
[Thank you for reading this long post.]
The Ivory Tower of the 3rd Administrator.
Veritas sighed. The Foundation Headquarters could know, see, and predict everything under the sky and on the ground using various means.
The Foundation Headquarters’ most powerful surveillance tool was the Ivory Tower of the 3rd Administrator. Pixel’s information network was useful too, but now it’s in tatters, and Pixel’s dead. We need to wake Iris.
“Iris. Wake up.”
“Mmm…”
Iris opened her eyes without moving a single finger from her throne. Literally, only her eyes opened. Like a doll or a corpse.
“Why.”
“Pixel’s dead. We need you.”
“What do you want to know.”
“Dr. Kim.”
Iris closed her eyes again and froze. Veritas checked the clock. There’s no time for this, why is she acting like this?
It’s not that Iris can’t move. She just hardly ever moves. She’s famous as one of the two Administrators who never show themselves.
Actually, famous is a lie. Not many people get to meet or work with Administrators.
“We’re going to attack the other Administrators…”
“I know that. Will we win?”
“Hard to say.”
“Who are we attacking first?”
“Raven.”
“Other targets?”
“Am I a prophecy vending machine?”
“You are.”
Iris closed her eyes again.
“Damn it, wake up. I’m busy.”
“You guys didn’t even see the Beijing attack coming.”
“Not before.”
“Seeing the future is a bit hard. Seeing what’s happening now is the easiest…”
Iris, who had been sitting still, opened her eyes slightly this time. Like she was deep in thought.
“Ah, I see. Dr. Kim’s hunting dogs have returned to the Seoul Branch, and Dr. Kim is sitting in a cave in California with just one mage.”
Iris spoke in an unusual way. Without moving her jaw or lips, she slightly opened her mouth and spoke in a soft voice.
“Ha, at least the situation’s somewhat under control. I’ve been feeling uneasy lately. What’s Dr. Kim doing?”
“He’s talking to someone.”
Veritas sighed in relief this time. For the past few days, we’ve been passively responding to Dr. Kim’s rampage, but if Iris cooperates, we can regain some control over the situation.
“That’s a relief.”
“Can I go back to sleep now?”
“Wait. You can’t until Dr. Kim is under control. Pixel’s dead, so you have to work.”
“How did Pixel die?”
“You can see with your ability.”
“Ah. He really had a rough time. Destroying data centers while herding rabbits, gnawing at combat assets and allies. Finally, he died wrestling underwater with the Catfish Special Forces?”
Veritas nodded.
“Wow… How long has it been since an Administrator died? 50 years, maybe?”
“Yeah.”
Iris stretched and got up from her throne. Like someone who’s been asleep for a long time.
“But, Chairman. Do you want me to prevent the deaths of the Administrators? Or…?”
“First, prevent them.”
“Aren’t you going to ask my opinion?”
Veritas clenched his eyes shut. There’s no shortage of nasty, uncooperative fascist bastards. Looks like there’s another one here.