Chapter 167

Chapter 167. The 100 Who Rule the World (2)

****

Tokyo Branch.

“Seoul? So the Seoul Branch still exists? I thought it had been handed over to the Peacekeeping Force.”

Shanghai Branch.

“That psycho monster is a Director? Isn’t he just a toy created in a test tube by the Foundation?”

Osaka Branch.

“Wasn’t the Seoul Branch Director missing? I guess they made a new one this time.”

Vladivostok Branch.

“It’s probably a mess. Just looking at the entrance tells you everything. All the rumors are probably nonsense.”

Hong Kong Branch.

“I hope this new Seoul Branch Director is at least friendly. Everyone around us is an enemy.”

Kuala Lumpur Branch.

“I heard the Seoul Branch Director personally killed Admiral Furani… Can Seoul really lend us strength?”

****

Administrator Lee entered the Director’s office.

“I’ve done some investigation and communication with other branches. As expected, the relatively weaker Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong Branches were somewhat friendly. The rest, not so much.”

“What about Vladivostok and Shanghai? Given the tense situation with the inland government and the Peacekeeping Force, wouldn’t cooperation be necessary?”

“I’m not sure, but it might just be a personality issue. They’re just… weird people.”

Well, if you think about it, who wouldn’t be stressed? Maybe only Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, who are desperate enough to seek my help, are being friendly.

“Do you have a strategy?”

“Let’s be honest. Show them our achievements, explain what’s happened, and ask for cooperation wherever possible.”

In a way, the entire Seoul Branch is like a rookie. During the absence of a Director, we must have lost a lot politically. We need to recover that.

Damn that former Director.

Why did he just disappear and cause all this chaos?

Still, this is a good opportunity to build trust within the Foundation. This Director-level meeting.

It’s also a rare chance to see how the Foundation really operates.

“We still lack too much information. Let’s gather more for now. Identify potential ally branches and check if there’s anyone who dislikes me.”

Is this how the Japanese military felt during the Pacific War?

I don’t know why there’s so much internal shooting and espionage within the organization.

Maybe the Foundation’s waters are too rotten, and with nothing else to do, they just shoot each other inside…

I sighed. Ultimately, isn’t the Foundation Headquarters, which treats the world like a chessboard, the problem? Even Administrator Patreus I saw last time.

I’ll think about that later. There’s no guarantee someone isn’t listening to my thoughts.

“Which branches are hostile?”

“Tokyo and Shanghai.”

We’re still in the phase of learning the rules of the game.

This is the first time I’m attending a Director-level meeting. As long as I don’t get bitten to death this time, it’s fine. What are these people betting on, and what do they want to gain…?

“Sigh. I was a frog in a well. I have no friends on the international stage of the Foundation, no allies to reach out to. I was nothing.”

Administrator Lee shook her head.

“More like a crocodile in a well. Lack of information is the same for other branches, unless it’s Headquarters. If anything, they should be the ones nervous.”

Now that I think about it, that makes sense.

There are fewer than forty cities in the world with over ten million people. Seoul is one of them. The number of Director-level personnel in the Foundation probably doesn’t exceed double digits.

A Director-level meeting is essentially a gathering of about a hundred people who practically control the world. How they use their power…

I have no idea. Whether they’ll adhere to the Foundation’s principle of not interfering with the front stage or try to dominate the world with supernatural powers.

It’ll vary from person to person.

And from branch to branch.

****

From the day before the meeting, people sent from other branches began arriving one by one. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like the Directors themselves were coming.

Just people. Foundation staff in suits. Foreigners each carrying oddly shaped communication devices arrived at the Seoul Branch.

Maybe those devices provide unbreakable security?

They could be some kind of supernatural phenomenon resembling crystal balls. Or, simply put, they might just be weirdly designed machines.

“So, why did you come early?”

I looked at the person sitting in the reception room of the Foundation facility. Someone from the Tokyo Branch. A seemingly ordinary Japanese woman in a suit.

“Nice to meet you, Director Kim. I’m Kana, or you can call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Is that her first name or last name?

I waited for a moment, but Kana didn’t elaborate. Probably not her real name. She probably just wants to be called that.

Being a Foundation employee is just a guess. She might not even be a real employee, just an interpreter tasked with bringing that peculiar communication device.

Surprisingly, her Korean was fluent.

“Is this place safe?”

“Yes.”

“Is there something like an Information Isolation Room? A place where we can talk really safely.”

I thought about it for a moment. Do we have one?

****

Information Isolation Room.

Equipped with soundproofing, Faraday cages, and magical barriers to block memetic information leaks. A barrier where information cannot escape.

The only way to take information out of here is to carry it in your head. It’s a facility that’s occasionally necessary, though it feels a bit excessive.

“Electronic devices will break if you bring them in.”

“I know.”

After passing through a metal detector, we entered the Information Isolation Room. Kana looked into the distance and sighed.

The woman who introduced herself as Kana had a similar vibe to Administrator Lee. Maybe she’s in a similar situation? Like, someone the Foundation raised right after high school.

I’m curious about her position. Is she an aide to the Tokyo Branch Director? An employee? Or just an interpreter? Probably an aide, given she requested the Information Isolation Room.

She did seem a bit anxious. So, why did she come to see me early?

“Feel free to speak.”

“To cut to the chase, the Foundation is afraid of you, Director Kim. This goes for Headquarters and the branches near Seoul as well.”

“I haven’t been to overseas branches, so I wouldn’t know. I don’t have much to compare to.”

Kana scratched her head.

“How many top-tier humanoid supernatural phenomena are you keeping in the Seoul Branch?”

I’m not sure. Let me count.

Among the staff, there’s me, Nanami, and Dr. Chae.

Among the contained entities, there’s Hasti, the Returnee, and Cosmos. Cosmos’s own power is weak, but her teleportation gate ability is absurd, so she’s top-tier.

And then there’s Dr. Chloe, who’s locked up.

Librarian Persona, Kairos, and Lee Se-ah aren’t top-tier, right? So, seven top-tier supernatural phenomena, or maybe ten if we’re being generous.

“Three.”

Let’s just mention Hasti, Ahn Yuri, and Cosmos. No need to reveal all my cards to her, especially when I don’t fully understand the situation.

“That’s a lot. The Tokyo Branch only has one. Other branches are probably similar.”

“Oh, really?”

Ah, so that’s how it is.

Kana nervously glanced around.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is this: Foundation Headquarters doesn’t exist. It’s not the powerful entity we think it is.”

“Evidence?”

“What evidence is there? Aside from the occasional phone call or one or two people visiting, Foundation Headquarters doesn’t exist. The world is actually run by the Director-level personnel who control the cities. About a hundred Directors and around two hundred Special Forces Team Leaders who enforce the Foundation’s military power.”

“Hmm…”

“These three hundred people are the ones who practically rule the world. Everything else is secondary.”

The world Kana described was simple.

Where does human society’s power come from? Obviously, from humans. Where do most humans live? In cities. The Director-level personnel who directly control the cities rule the world.

I looked at Kana.

“So, what’s your angle in telling me this?”

“It’s to emphasize how important the Director-level meeting is. It also means that those who are wary of Dr. Kim have their reasons.”

I sighed. Already like this, these people. Kana flinched under my gaze.

“What does the Tokyo Branch want?”

“What we want… is probably similar to what other branches want. You didn’t kill the Far East Fleet Admiral, did you? We want the Seoul Branch to be stable, with no more suicidal executives, and no more Foundation executives being killed.”

It was a bit rambling, but the conclusion was clear.

They want assurance that I won’t cause problems and that the Seoul Branch can handle its current issues.

I can handle the problems, but the rest is unclear. It’s not like I wanted to fight Furani, right? We were just attacked on Jeju Island.

“Assurance that I won’t cause problems?”

“Yes… We’ll need assurance that you’re a trustworthy partner first. Then we can move on to constructive discussions.”

So, if they don’t get proof of trustworthiness, there’s no constructive discussion.

“Alright. Since I’m the new one, it’s my job to prove my trustworthiness. I’ll talk to the Tokyo Branch Director.”