SWNOVELXO Chapter 197
Chapter 197. The Battle for the Supernatural Space – Garden (1)
Special Forces ‘Walpurgis’.
Special Forces ‘Kunai’.
Special Forces ‘Dreamwalker’.
Special Forces ‘Ghost’.
These are the Special Forces deployed to Korea by the four Administrators who supported Dr. Kim’s subjugation, attacking the Seoul Branch and aiming to kill Dr. Kim’s gods.
“Ah, ah. Can you hear me?”
Luna, the team leader of Walpurgis, glanced at the communicator. Honestly, the communication wasn’t going smoothly.
From Vladivostok to Kuala Lumpur, the entire region is under Dr. Kim’s control. North Korea is a complete mess right now, with nothing functioning properly.
Mobilizing the military to occupy the Seoul Branch or using Special Forces to incapacitate the government—these things have become largely impossible.
Administrator Acacia’s plan failed. Administrator Pixel is dead. For Luna’s Special Forces to operate within Korea now, they must move in secrecy, avoiding the eyes of the Seoul Branch.
[We hear you.]
“From now on, I’ll explain the plan. Our goal is to kill Dr. Kim. To achieve this, we will kill those who support Dr. Kim and his gods.”
[Understood.]
“There are seven gods supporting Dr. Kim.”
That’s quite a lot.
“The monster from the Aden Gulf is in the East Sea, Ganymede has been recovered from the Great Lakes, Jörmungandr is temporarily incapacitated. That leaves the Black Dragon, Cernunnos, Dr. Chloe, and Popo.”
Luna paused for a moment.
Dr. Chloe is a mystery, so we’ll skip her. Popo is always with Dr. Kim, so they’re irrelevant. The Black Dragon has shown itself in Beijing.
“We’ll start by killing Cernunnos.”
So, there’s only one target to go after now.
“Special Forces ‘Walpurgis’ and ‘Kunai’ will move to the Garden to kill Cernunnos, while Special Forces ‘Dreamwalker’ and ‘Ghost’ will use magical means to paralyze the Seoul Branch.”
The team leaders under Luna expressed some doubts. They still seemed unsure.
[This is Kunai-1. Are we sure we can handle the Seoul Branch’s high-level combat assets?]
Luna nodded.
Suppressing humanoid supernatural phenomena is one of the Foundation’s specialties. If they couldn’t suppress humanoid supernatural phenomena, the Foundation wouldn’t have lasted this long.
Besides, there are those who have fought them before.
“Ghost. You’ve fought them, right?”
[This is Ghost-1. We can handle it. Last time, four of Acacia’s Special Forces fought a fake Dr. Kim, and they won all the battles except against Misteltein.]
They won the battles. It’s just that Acacia died, and the day’s battle ended in chaos.
“You heard it, right? A Pygmalion unit killed Misteltein, but Ninetail subdued the mage, the Royal Guard took down the Hero, and Ghost chased off someone we don’t even know.”
[Kunai-1. But didn’t we lose in the U.S.?]
“In the U.S., Dr. Kim and his allies avoided fighting the Special Forces as much as possible. They didn’t even enter the facilities, right? It was another Special Forces team that killed Pixel directly.”
So, this situation isn’t hopeless. Luna clapped her hands to conclude.
“The plan is set. If we attack the Seoul Branch, Dr. Kim will reveal himself. Then we’ll figure out how to capture him. For now, we’ll target his support base.”
Lee Hwa, Head of the Support Department at the Seoul Branch.
There were rumors in the Foundation that she was either raised by the Foundation or was one of its experiments, like the Research Department Head or Dr. Kim. But that wasn’t the case.
Lee Hwa was just an ordinary person.
Anyway.
The atmosphere at the Seoul Branch was a mix of anticipation and worry. Many were concerned they might die in the Foundation’s civil war.
If Dr. Kim becomes an Administrator and the Seoul Branch is promoted or new facilities are built in Korea, there might be a promotion party.
They’re already building several facilities.
Lee Hwa sighed. Dr. Kim’s promotion to Administrator, the promotion party—none of that mattered to her.
What would she even be promoted to? There’s no one above the Head of the Support Department except the Research Department Head, the Director, and Nanami.
Why is work so hard? Why is the treatment so poor? Lee Hwa scratched her head.
“Department Head! Big trouble!”
“What’s the big trouble now?”
“People aren’t coming to work.”
“Huh? Why?”
How could that be? Lee Hwa sighed again. Why aren’t they coming to work?
“First, let’s figure out what’s going on and report it to Dr. Kim. Let’s find out who didn’t come and which departments are affected.”
The Garden, a Supernatural Space. I should have thought of this earlier. I sat quietly, staring at the map. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
Returning to the Seoul Branch wasn’t a good idea. The Seoul Branch could become a target, and enemies might swarm in.
Being in the Garden was the solution. It’s almost as fortified as the Seoul Branch, and the Garden makes it difficult to approach or attack. Communication is possible, and it’s easier to receive support here than elsewhere.
I looked at my phone.
It’s the Support Department Head again. What’s she saying now?
[Dr. Kim.]
“Yes.”
[Employees aren’t coming to work. There’s been a huge number of sick leaves. Today, 20% of the Seoul Branch employees either took sick leave, annual leave, or simply refused to come to work.]
20% of the employees aren’t coming or are refusing to come to work?
Why?
“What’s the reason?”
[We don’t know yet.]
“Have you tried memetic testing?”
[We’re trying our best. But there are too many people who didn’t come, so it’s taking a while.]
They still don’t know.
“Alright, find the cause.”
[Understood.]
“Is it just the Seoul Branch? Are there similar phenomena happening in groups outside the Foundation?”
[No.]
“It’s probably not biochemical weapons. Memetic agents need a certain propagation process, so that’s unlikely. It could be some kind of mental attack.”
[Ah!]
The Support Department Head let out a cry. I sighed. Why is she like this now?
“What is it?”
[An employee committed suicide at their residence. What should we do?]
“Sigh… At least we have a direction. Department Head, immediately set up a buddy system and activate the emergency contact network. Make sure no one else commits suicide. And—”
I hesitated for a moment.
“Announce that we’ll give a bonus equivalent to half their annual salary at the end of the year and consider salary renegotiations and promotions. After all, if I’m promoted to Administrator, the Seoul Branch will need to expand its workforce.”
[Oh, really?]
The Support Department Head didn’t seem overly excited. Maybe she expected it. Or maybe she doesn’t think there’s much room for promotion.
Of course, the Support Department Head’s opinion isn’t that important. I scratched my head.
“By the way, Department Head, if you want, you might be able to head a new facility once it’s built.”
[Really?]
This time, the Support Department Head reacted positively. She’s a simple person.
She’s always calculating what’s in it for her, and when she gets something good, she immediately shows her happiness.
“And mobilize the Retrieval Team to physically locate the employees who are currently unreachable.”
[Understood.]
“If I return directly, the attacks might intensify. I need to stay in the Garden, but I’ll provide as much support as possible. Please convey that.”
[Understood.]
The Support Department Head hung up and disappeared. She’ll handle it, right? I got up from my desk.
The Garden was peaceful.
There’s no GPS here, no risk of an aircraft carrier approaching, or cruise or ballistic missiles falling. It’s surrounded by green forests.
The forest, which makes up most of the Garden, is extremely dangerous to enter.
But from the outside, it’s a beautiful sight. A rainbow-colored jungle with colorful flowers and butterflies flying around.
It’s a safe space. At least safer than Earth, where Administrators are constantly hunting me.
Nanami looked at me.
“What did the Support Department Head say?”
“Someone at the Seoul Branch committed suicide. Nanami, you should probably return to the Seoul Branch to reassure people.”
“What about finding the cause?”
“Go and see. I’ll stay in the Garden until we catch the tails of the other Administrators.”
I’m not sure how we’ll catch their tails, but Nanami nodded.
“Can I be honest?”
“Of course.”
“Hiding in a space outside reality doesn’t seem like a good idea. Find a clue quickly and get out. If you’re worried about drawing the enemy’s attention, go to the Tokyo or Beijing Branch.”
Nanami tilted her head.
“Do you really think so?”
“I get that it’s relatively safe, but hiding in the Ivory Tower doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
“Understood.”
I know why she thinks that. The Garden isn’t reality, and it’s not land the Foundation should rule. I nodded.
I’ll return to reality when I have the chance.
“Anyway, Nanami, return to the Seoul Branch today. I’ll leave the Garden within this week.”
“Alright.”
Nanami smiled slightly and left my office. I watched her go.