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Chapter 166

Chapter 166. The 100 Who Rule the World (1)

****

Dr. Chae stared at Persona, who was locked in the isolation room. Persona let out a tired sigh.

“Mr. Persona.”

[What.]

“There’s something I’m curious about.”

[What is it.]

“It’s a secret from Dr. Kim, but… what does it mean that Dr. Kim smells like books?”

[Hey. I don’t know who he is, and I don’t know the hierarchy among the Foundation’s hounds. Even if I did, you’d know better.]

“Still.”

[I don’t know, really. Is Dr. Kim that guy? The monster who stuffed five sharks into a bucket. That girl…]

“Don’t play dumb.”

[I’m serious. How would I know what that guy is? It hasn’t even been years since I started working for the Foundation, and information about the Foundation’s hounds isn’t easy to come by.]

Dr. Kim isn’t one of the Foundation’s hounds.

He’s the one who commands them. The fact that Persona didn’t even realize this suggests he’s not very sharp or well-informed. Why would he play dumb while locked up?

He really doesn’t know anything.

“Mr. Persona. You must see more with your mind’s eye than ordinary people, right? You have better vision than a real mage like me.”

[That’s true.]

“But it seems you lack ordinary perception. If you’ve spent so much time with Dr. Kim and still haven’t realized he’s the owner of this facility…”

[Oh, really?]

“If you can’t see what’s in front of you, what’s the point of having eyes that see beyond reality?”

Persona had nothing to say to that. What could he do while locked up? Arguing would only make him feel better.

[Dr. Kim might be human, but there’s something mixed in him. It’s hard to describe, but I think there are at least three divine entities mixed within his body.]

Dr. Chae checked his watch.

One is probably due to the Popo Serum the Director often uses, another is the power of Blue Rose that forms the Director’s divinity. Then what’s the last one…?

Thinking about it, it’s obvious.

The Blue Roses are beings assembled from blood extracted from Blue Rose-0 and artifacts from certain hostile groups.

Until now, it wasn’t clear which group Director Kim was associated with.

It wasn’t easy to guess.

Think about the dead Blue Roses.

Black, who exploded, was related to Pitch Black. Paint was connected to anomalous artists. Spring, who was dismantled, was likely tied to the Machine Cult. Silver was associated with the Limited Company.

All four of them are dead.

If we believe Persona, the hostile group related to Director Kim is them. The Librarians.

They are beings who can access knowledge, magic, or entities from various worlds through the Infinite Library. It makes sense.

Like all mysteries, the answer seems obvious once you know it. A bit twisted, but it makes sense that a hostile group serving gods of knowledge is connected to the Director.

“It’s you guys.”

[Honestly, Dr. Chae. I don’t know anything. I wouldn’t even know Dr. Kim is a Foundation executive if you hadn’t told me.]

At this point, the components don’t matter. Dr. Kim is just Dr. Kim. The time when the ingredients mattered is long past.

“Mr. Persona. Thank you, and let’s keep today’s conversation a secret. Just in case.”

[What if I don’t?]

“I’ll transfer your case to the Research Department Head. If you’re lucky, you’ll be dissected dead. If not, alive.”

Persona’s mask stared at Dr. Chae.

****

The report Dr. Chae submitted was on my desk. A brown envelope marked “Confidential.” Let’s see what’s inside.

– Ring ring ring ring ring!

Startled, I dropped the brown envelope and spilled the coffee on my desk. What the hell.

The Foundation Headquarters calling first… That’s a very bad sign. What’s going on that the Headquarters is calling?

– Ring ring ring ring ring!

No time to think. If it rings three times, something bad will happen. I had no choice but to pick up the receiver.

“W-what is it?”

“Nothing major. Just prepare diligently for the East Asia Director-level meeting.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then, good luck, Director Kim.”

The call ended.

I let out a sigh. It was a short 10-second conversation, but it sent chills down my spine. The sensation of cold sweat forming on my back.

It’s nothing. I’ve literally fought gods, so why is this one call so terrifying? Why do I feel scared every time I talk to them?

I know the reason, though.

Unlike the Foundation’s enemies, who are always analyzed and dissected, the Foundation Headquarters feels like an absolute entity. An opponent I can’t fight against.

Well… That’s a problem for later.

Let’s focus on the Director-level meeting the Headquarters mentioned. What even is a Director-level meeting?

****

“Director-level meeting? Hmm. The Chief Researcher died three times in a row, so things are chaotic, and we haven’t had one since the Director went missing.”

Nanami scratched her head with a nonchalant expression. Well, I’ve rarely seen Nanami surprised.

“Is that so?”

The Seoul Branch Director has been absent for a while, so we haven’t had Director-level meetings. Thinking about it, they probably did hold them. The Seoul Branch just wasn’t present.

“Ms. Nanami. Please inform the Director’s Office staff. Find out who’s attending this meeting, what agenda they’re bringing, and what discussions they’re proposing.”

Nanami nodded.

The preparations didn’t take as long as expected.

Administrator Lee, Advisor An, and Advisor Cha. Aren’t they the most capable people in this country? This task proceeded smoothly.

Advisor An.

The oldest among the three mentioned.

“It’s been a while since we’ve dealt with Foundation politics.”

“It’s always been part of the job. It’s just that we’ve only now gained the means to confirm the results.”

“Did you find out who’s attending?”

“The list of participants is as follows. In order of the Foundation facilities’ size: Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Osaka, Kuala Lumpur, Vladivostok.”

I tilted my head.

The list seems a bit odd.

“What about Beijing and Khabarovsk?”

Everyone knows Beijing, and Khabarovsk is the largest city in the Russian Far East. Shouldn’t they be on the list?

“There are no Foundation branches in Beijing or Khabarovsk. Those guys don’t want to let in a Foundation influenced by the West. The Chinese and Russian interiors are the Peacekeeping Force’s domain.”

“The West’s influence, you say?”

“That’s what they think.”

I tilted my head.

“Even now, the Vladivostok and Shanghai branches make a lot of concessions to them. What do those guys even want?”

“Who knows.”

Anyway, the Foundation can’t completely ignore the influence of other groups. As I’ve said before, there are fewer than five governments on Earth that the Foundation truly respects.

You could say there are five.

Nuclear weapons, nuclear submarines, overseas military bases, supernatural research groups—countries with these elements.

The US, Russia, the UK, France, and China.

Although the Foundation occupies most of the world map, it’s not impossible for some major governments to team up with the Peacekeeping Force and keep one or two key cities out of the Foundation’s hands.

The game must go on.

What can you do? If you kick out all the gamblers just because you lost a few rounds, who’s left in the casino?

“Seven people. Anything we should be particularly careful about? Did you find out what they want?”

Advisor An shuffled through some papers.

“Uh, can we sit down and talk? This conversation might take a while.”

“Let’s grab a meeting room.”

****

The meeting room wasn’t far.

Four people from the Director’s Office and the Support Department Head were seated. The Support Department Head was quietly munching on what looked like nachos in the corner.

“Let’s start with the first one. What could the Tokyo Branch want from us?”

Of course, they’ll bring documents or people before the meeting, but we need to figure it out in advance.

“Isn’t it the Blue Rose-0 issue?”

Nanami shook her head while looking at me.

“Blue Rose-0 is classified anyway. What’s there to know or question? It’s managed by the Foundation Headquarters and the Far East Fleet.”

“Right.”

“The most important thing is this. What everyone’s most curious about is how intact the Seoul Branch and the Korean Branch are. They want to know how stable we are.”

Show strength. That’s the first thing to do.

If we can’t do that, we won’t even make it to the negotiation table. Then there’s no need to know what’s needed at the negotiation table.

“Let’s put it on the agenda. Request information or resource exchange and cooperation regarding the recent increase in supernatural phenomena, and discuss it to showcase our strength.”

“Okay.”

It’s the most basic and common-sense approach.


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I Became a Mad Scientist for the Foundation

I Became a Mad Scientist for the Foundation

미친 재단의 과학자가 되었다
Status: Completed Released: 2024
I am the chief researcher of the Foundation. If I don’t work well, I die.

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