Chapter 179

Meeting someone you know in an unexpected place always brings a surprise.

Especially when that person is a teacher you usually know well. And an instructor is also a kind of teacher.

However, the feeling can greatly change depending on the location of the meeting.

If that place happens to be a secret private military company’s research laboratory conducting human experiments, it’s even more so!

“Aah… how, how are you here? A young student… you shouldn’t be in a place like this!…”

The moment I saw Instructor Frederick’s face, I thought I had to quickly explain the situation.

His face was stained with a tremendous sense of despair.

“I’m sorry… those academy folks finally caused trouble… because of this deficient adult…”

While he murmured, I looked around.

This was a blind spot that the surveillance cameras I had seen beforehand couldn’t reach, and neither the guards nor the researchers were paying attention to us.

I hurriedly explained the situation.

“No, actually, it’s true that I was kidnapped, but it was deliberate!”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“You remember my unique ability, right? Actually, I’m a clone. I’ll explain in detail when I come back at night.”

Without waiting for him to reply, I quickly returned to where I originally was.

At dawn, Violet quietly sneaked into the instructor’s room and woke him up.

“You’re going to destroy the academy? Then why did you come here?”

“I told you, it’s part of the operation. So don’t worry about me. I already figured out the surveillance system and guard patrol intervals here. And look at this. Ta-da!”

I took out the automatic rifle from my inventory.

Seeing a weapon materialize out of thin air, the instructor couldn’t hide his surprise.

“I’m going to send all the bad guys here straight to heaven! Just wait a bit!”

Just as I was about to turn around, the instructor spoke quietly.

“…Aren’t you curious about why I was brought here?”

I shrugged my shoulders and replied.

“About that? I don’t know, but isn’t it part of the plan you were discussing with Professor Albert? I’ll ask the professor directly later since he’s at our house right now.”

The instructor gave a hollow laugh and nodded.

“I see… that’s a relief…”

Just then, the sound of guard footsteps was heard. I quickly crouched down flat on the floor and reverted.

As we had breakfast, we thought.

“What could have brought him here?”

“I don’t know. By the way, where are the team members right now? At the airport?”

“Yeah! They said it was a team-building event on the surface.”

According to plan, our friends should have been checking in to board a plane to Cascadia Island by now.

By the way, what were those former educators and seniors at Polaris scheming about?

Whatever it was, it was undoubtedly something that would provoke the academy and clan’s ire.

Professor Albert was currently hospitalized.

While I considered waking the professor to ask him, a sudden call came in. It was from the office where two doctors were working.

“This is assistant Violet! They finally seem to have understood something. They said they’re going to start explaining now?”

That sounds really fortunate. We had been struggling to interpret the research materials we had stolen up till now.

That slave we captured in Vittorio City seemed to be a tremendous help.

“They’ve been seeing answers since yesterday and stayed up all night working on it.”

Twenty minutes later, a presentation was held on the first floor of the factory.

Yurik walked in among the countless Violets sitting on chairs and the floor and said first.

“I’ll get straight to the results. There’s a large-scale ego control annihilation system beneath the academy.”

“What? Ego annihilation?”

While the Violets struggled to comprehend, Ennis, who was standing next to Yurik, added an explanation.

“To put it simply, the moment that thing operates, all Awakened Ones within a 3km radius lose their ego and become puppets.”

The Violets were all shocked by such an outrageous outcome. They thought it was a suspicious plan, but the scale was enormous.

We were momentarily silent in the factory.

After a minute, we erupted in a chain reaction of screams, like bombs going off one after another.

“Ahh! Losing oneself? That’s too awful!”

“What’s the principle? Is there a way to stop it?”

“Is that really true? But what’s the use of that?”

“Hey! Everyone quiet down! The adults are trying to explain!”

“You too, shut up!”

As the commotion continued, there were sounds of tapping from the speakers.

Yurik was floundering and tapping the microphone that was set up at the temporary podium.

As our gazes finally turned to the podium, he opened his mouth with a distressed expression.

“Uhm, ladies and gentlemen? Miss Violet? I’m sorry, but we need you to be quiet so we can explain.”

“Ah, sorry!”

“I’ll be quiet!”

While we awkwardly closed our mouths and waited, Yurik began explaining in front of the blackboard.

“Now, let’s briefly review what the research process has been like to understand why such interpretations came about. I mentioned that progress had been minimal, right?”

“Yeah, you said the data was scattered.”

As we chimed in, Yurik nodded and continued speaking.

“Exactly. The materials or data you brought lacked crucial connecting keys. It was like trying to identify whether something was a taxi or a bus with only the blueprints and composition ratios of some car parts. I wasn’t well-versed in applied areas like barriers or magical circuits.”

Clearing his throat briefly, Yurik proceeded.

“I imagine the internal situation of the research facility was quite closed off. No one, except Professor Sturgis, knew exactly what they were doing. This is based on my speculation from my doctoral experience. It must have been like that. Ah, I might have digressed a bit.”

“No, it’s fine. Keep going.”

“…Fortunately, ever since Ennis joined recently, interpretations of the blocked parts have started accelerating. Plus, one day, I had an interesting thought. Upon re-examining everything, it strangely started to draw one large picture. The moment the idea hit me, I realized it was a familiar shape. Do you know what it is?”

As he said that, Yurik looked at us oddly.

I understood what that gaze meant.

Every time I brought coffee to the desk while doing assistant Violet’s work, that curiosity and academic enthusiasm often surfaced.

“What is it? Why are you looking at us suddenly? Don’t leave us in suspense, just say it!”

As we urged him on, Yurik slowly pointed at us and shouted.

“It resembled the composition in the head of the boss. It’s the Violet Network!”

“Wow! That’s amazing! But what is it?”

As Yurik turned his head, Ennis, who met his gaze, as if ready, turned on the projector and opened her laptop, typing away.

“Then from here, I’ll continue the explanation. Based on the given data, the construction method of the magic formulas identified in the interpretations so far is as follows.”

As the light from the projector illuminated the whiteboard, a complex magic circle, intricately woven like a web with surrounding circles, gradually revealed itself centered around a large circle.

“Wow! That’s amazing. What is that?”

“It’s a design program for magitech. It’s one of the software I requested last time. I’ll add other images to make it easier for the boss to understand.”

Ennis had a rare confident expression.

There was a reason she asked for those previously unheard strange programs to be bought.

The shape of the magic circle finally appeared on the screen.

In addition, Ennis performed a few more tasks; a brain-shaped icon was superimposed over the circle of the magic circle.

“Wow.”

I could finally understand why Yurik mentioned the Violet Network.

Except for the huge brain in the middle, the formation of multiple interconnected brains was somewhat similar to our network.

“…What you’re seeing is the most simplified structure inferred from the research we conducted. With each connected element added, the complexity of the system multiplies. Since the data is insufficient…”

As Ennis closed her mouth, Yurik began explaining again.

“As you can see in the picture, this system forcibly connects the brains of different Awakened Ones to the main brain of the central system. When this system activates, about three stages of processes proceed almost simultaneously.”

“First, a powerful hypnosis and suggestion that immobilizes the ego activates. This process uses highly controlled ether wavelengths.”

“While the ether wavelength takes over the brain, the connecting network is established. Then the brain is forcibly linked to the central control system.”

“In the final stage, everything converges.”

As Yurik explained, a dark shadow gradually descended over his face.

“So what happens then?”

“…I don’t know for sure. It could become a puppet, or the will could be taken over and fall into an unconscious state. But what’s certain is that once it activates, it can never return to its original state. When everything is over, the subject’s ego and memories will be destroyed. Considering it involves hypnosis and suggestion, this is intentional.”

“Is there a possibility of becoming a ghoul? Like the Vision Prism?”

When 124 asked curiously, and the mention of ghouls and the Vision Prism turned Ennis pale.

Yurik shook his head.

“A ghoul transformation? Well, it’s not impossible, but unless issues arise during the connection process, that wouldn’t happen. If it’s the professor I know, he likely put safety measures in place. Unless unexpected variables occur, if it fails, it’ll just result in casualties.”

As we watched the presentation, 457, deep in thought, suddenly raised his hand and asked.

“But, mister and miss, why do their magic always erase memories and egos? We can distinguish between ego and consciousness. It would be easier to just connect them directly, wouldn’t it? Is it because of a lack of technology?”

“I think it’s for the smooth control of the system. Everyone has different preferences and personalities, right? The same goes for Awakened Ones. Just by looking at the color of sword energy or magical power, they differ slightly. Each person’s environment and tendencies affect the use of magical power as well.”

Hearing that, we nodded in agreement.

Our friends’ magical power colors were all different.

We had red, Daphne had green, Irene had gold, and Kalia had bright purple!

“There are many instances where even computers using different operating systems or programming languages can’t be compatible with each other. If a program built on a different operating system is recklessly operated, or if computers with different systems are connected and activated without discretion, what do you think would happen?”

“There would be errors, or they’d break down?”

“Exactly. I think that’s probably what they’re trying to prevent. Comparing humans to machines is dreadful, but annihilating the ego can be seen as a sort of compilation process. Any more questions?”

As if waiting, we all continued to ask one by one.

Is there a way to destroy it, what are the defenses, why resort to such means, and what can be done with it…

“The method for destruction is simple; just destroy the special particle accelerator used to emit the ether waves. As for defenses? There are none. The moment you’re trapped in a barrier within a 2-3km radius, there’s no way to stop it. Oh, one of your friends had a protective shield as a unique ability? Unless it’s a high-output shield or advanced magical protection system, it’s hard to stop that.”

“As for the means and intentions… I don’t know. But seeing that such a sophisticated system has been established, I think it’s not just for simple terror purposes. It seems to be designed to operate for a long time. If it is activated? Depending on its use, it could enhance someone else’s unique ability, or perhaps be used for computation…”

After finishing the explanation, Ennis, perhaps recalling earlier events, spoke in a trembling voice, sorrowfully.

“Whatever the case, that… is truly something that should not be done. It’s a crime against humanity and academia. Engaging in acts that break minds on unsuspecting students. Such wrongdoing again…”

She struggled to hold onto the podium and began to tear up.

The watching Violets spoke.

“We understand the adult’s situation. So hang in there. We’ll help with our work, right? We’ll testify at the hearing and stand in court, you said. You’ve prepared for it all.”

“…That’s right. I said that and then showed a disgraceful side. I’m sorry.”

Yurik, looking bewildered, asked.

“…Hearing? Testifying? What does that mean?”

“Ah, you don’t know. Just ask directly!”

As the two continued their conversation, the Violets rushed outside.

While the presentation was ongoing, the plane carrying Violet and her friends arrived at Cascadia Island.

As soon as we stepped out of the airport, the warm breeze, blue sea, and beautiful scenery welcomed us.

“Hey guys, this is the place for our team-building event. Are you ready?”

Daphne said, looking around in amazement.

“It’s really amazing. Just as the rumors said, it’s beautiful.”

While Irene was calling for a car to the villa, Kalia stared blankly at the surroundings and mumbled.

I heard on the plane that this was her first travel by plane.

“Wow, it’s my first time traveling outside the island.”

“Yay! Kalia, you’re grateful, right? Then express that gratitude a bit more! Shout ‘Violet for the win!’ for us!”

“…Hey, you truly… Alright, fine. …Violet for the win!”

Hearing Kalia’s shout, Violet 56 giggled.

Shortly after, we took a chartered car and headed into the city. The first day was for sightseeing, and the second day we would head to the villa Adela lent us.

It was two days before the start of the revolutionary operation.