Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 311

Click, click, click. Inside a room filled with wires, the light from the monitors illuminates the space brightly, even without any other lights. A deserted open space where no one is visible. A strange noise, like gears turning, echoes through the area. Amidst this, a mechanical tone rings out, filling the silence rhythmically. After a long period of such signals, a calm voice suddenly broke through. [Signal lost, confirmed. Our accompaniment with Number 8 ends here.] Immediately, various voices erupted from different monitors. [What? Seriously? It hasn’t even been three days since we arrived in Balkan. Did it already break down?] [The report of encountering the Adamantine came 10 minutes before all data transmission was lost. The conclusion is pretty much obvious.] [The ability to create a temporary space is not something anyone can use. When are we going to find another ‘suitable person’ to implant the technology into?] The technology Gearsides possesses has long surpassed the general level of magical engineering, but the technology is rarely fully utilized. A group of madmen who are willing to accept any conditions and penalties to reach the singularity of technology. Technology that transcends the concept of magical engineering is not something that everyone can use, but rather, it is transformed into a kind of supernatural ability akin to imprinting. Extremely reduced versatility. As a result, the point comes where talent is more important than research to properly implement the technology. Since some time ago, it has become commonplace to completely modify one’s body to acquire the technology. However, even after going through the ‘modification’ stage to accept the technology, only a limited number of suitable individuals can properly use it. Therefore, among the researchers of Gearsides, only a very few have been granted a proper ‘body’. [It can’t be helped. There aren’t many Numberings with combat capabilities like Number 8… We, who are left, must finish the plan.] Numbering. The suitable individuals who succeed in being granted Gearsides’ technology are given a ‘number’ in order. Number 8, who faced the Adamantine, was one of the masterpieces completed in a very sophisticated manner among those Numberings. Such a suitable individual was completely destroyed in less than 10 minutes, to the point where even data transmission was impossible. It was not difficult to assess how difficult the opponent in this case was. [Is it possible to recover Number 8’s consciousness?] [The accident data backed up on the network is almost half destroyed. Even if we fix the body in this state, it will become an idiot.] The room fell silent at the declaration of the first voice. It was not difficult to understand the meaning of those words. Except for the Numberings who were granted a body, most of the Gearsides researchers only had their consciousness floating in the cybernetic space. But even the wanderers of the cybernetic world, who have escaped the shackles of reality, cannot guarantee their survival against the Adamantine. [It means that if you encounter the Adamantine, you can’t come back alive. This is a bit dangerous.] [The intelligence unit that was collecting data is also on the verge of annihilation. It’s practically impossible to expect any further progress.] [The target achievement rate is currently 78%… It’s a shame, but it would be better to finish data collection at this point. Shall we reduce the error by trial and error for the remaining 20%?] [That would be good. There are plenty of samples. All we need is time.] Beep, beep. Below the glass window of the room, a huge hollow is visible. In the hollow, countless defense force soldiers are lying on hundreds of beds. Long plug cords are inserted into the back of their necks, directly injecting massive amounts of data into their spinal cords. “Ugh, urk… !” “Ggrrr!” The processing speed and capacity are too much for the human brain to handle. Some, unable to withstand it, were bleeding from their orifices and having seizures. The researchers watched the scene through cameras installed in the hollow and whispered. [Forced suitable person adjustment experiment through combat data injection. If successful, it wouldn’t be impossible to mass-produce Numberings.] [There aren’t many opportunities to experiment on such a large number of superhuman forces. If things hadn’t happened in the Northern Continent, it would have been much easier.] [It’s because such a big figure has emerged that the Agent’s Hyungung [a type of special forces] is also vacant. It’s not an inconvenient situation.] It was not an empty statement. Due to the sudden anomaly that occurred in the northern part of the continent, most of Gearsides’ core Numberings were having difficulty moving. Some Numberings, including Number 8, were hastily summoned, but it was a daunting task considering they had to face the Adamantine. [In the end, it depends on Lieutenant General Trepen’s decision. Is he still watching the situation from the dry dock?] [To entrust the success or failure of this plan to that indecisive old man’s decision is not something I like.] [If we successfully complete the suitable person adjustment experiment we are conducting now, the Lieutenant General will also consider it positively. If he is an elderly superhuman who is stuck at level 7, he won’t be able to resist our proposal.] [I hope so. Apart from his foolish nature, Lieutenant General Trepen’s talent is real. If he accepts ‘adjustment’, he might actually reach level 8.] At the same time as the calm voice, the camera lens watching the hollow slowly rotated. The magic power emanating from the soldiers visible through the lens was slowly changing in an unnatural way. [An artificial level 8… If we can reproduce the grand failure of the Ascension Gate with our own hands, that wouldn’t be bad, would it?] * * * After it was confirmed that Alice Richelieu had joined this operation, the mobile fortress capture operation began to proceed rapidly. Lenok, Ilya, and Alice, who had reached level 7 and established their own mental landscapes. Agents from the on-site response team and team leaders from each department, who had comparable organizational skills. And finally, freelancers and mercenaries from the underworld. The most important thing is to stop the mobile fortress from advancing into the undeveloped district and to deal with the main forces of the defense forces. Thirty minutes after sending most of the forces ahead to replenish the necessary power in the process. About a dozen people who were separately selected boarded a spacious command vehicle and followed behind. Lenok and Ilya, freelancers who had reached level 6, and a small number of skilled mercenaries. And finally, Alice got on board. “Nice to meet you, Professor. I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this.” “I’ve heard rumors that a genius resides in the Sinclair Magic Tower. I look forward to working with you.” As she brushed back her golden hair with a cold expression and boarded the vehicle, greetings poured out from all around. Her participation, as the head of the Magic Tower and a tenured professor at the university, was reassuring just by her presence. “Thank you. I will do my best not to be a hindrance.” Alice calmly accepted each of the greetings, then glanced at Lenok and sat opposite him. “……” An unusual scene where Alice, who had at least exchanged greetings with others, did not say a word to Lenok. Noticing the unusual atmosphere, others quietly closed their mouths at her cold attitude. “…Are you acquainted?” “They don’t seem very close.” “Be quiet. If you don’t want to get caught between those monsters and get your back blown off.” Ignoring the hushed whispers coming from all directions, Lenok was lost in thought. ‘Does she know? It’s not impossible.’ Alice Richelieu is practically the only person who knows Lenok’s real face and name and contacts him regularly. Even though Lenok has thoroughly separated Ban and Lenok’s identities and established alibis, there is a possibility that he might not have been able to hide everything from Alice. But Alice’s current response is too cold for her to think of Ban as Lenok. ‘Difficult…’ Who knew that there would be something more difficult than reading and deciphering the opponent’s psychology in the last moment of a life-or-death battle. Alice, who had been staring at Lenok’s face as he was lost in thought, suddenly unfolded her arms and extended her hand. “We met at the Daike Company’s demonstration hall, didn’t we? It’s been a while.” “…Nice to meet you.” Lenok had once met Alice with Ban’s face when she visited Daike Company with university students on a field trip. At that time, at the suggestion of the president of Daike Company, he had a simple magic duel with Alice, and it seemed that Alice had not forgotten that day either. Lenok naturally accepted her greeting, but Alice did not stop there and stared at Lenok’s face. “……” “……” An awkward silence flowed inside the command vehicle. Lenok, unable to bear it, spoke first. “Is there something you need from me?” “…No. It’s just that when I saw you last time, I thought you were working for Daike. I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this.” “A lot of things happened. Isn’t that the case in this city?” Alice smiled at Lenok’s calm reply. “Is that so?” “……” Was it a slip of the tongue? The conversation they had was not so much about questioning each other, but rather about asking about past events. However, so much had happened since Ban first met Alice, and both of them had changed a lot since they were standing in that hall. Therefore, Lenok could not easily read what Alice’s answer meant. “Why is the atmosphere like this? Did you guys fight in that short time?” Pallard, who belatedly entered the command vehicle, looked around and tilted his head. “I’d like you to refrain from fighting until you see Lieutenant General Trepen’s face. We have too much to do as it is.” “……” “Let’s get to the point quickly. Before the fortress capture operation, since so many talented people have gathered in one place, there is something we should try.” Pallard said, unfolding the operation table installed inside the vehicle. “The reason why I separated you is because of that. Let’s hear the details directly from the councilman.” Woong!! A faint magic power surged from the operation table, and Meyer’s face appeared as a hologram. [Nice to see you. It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen each other like this.] He looked somewhat emaciated from the continuous hard work. He slowly looked around the inside of the vehicle with a tired expression, and first greeted Alice. [Professor Richelieu. I thank you for deciding to participate in this operation. Considering your position, it must not have been an easy decision. I will surely repay you for your efforts to protect the safety of the citizens of Balkan.] “I just thought it was necessary to step forward before the chaos grew any larger.” Alice replied with a cold expression. “I’m sick of the city council’s attitude of hiding such a serious situation… but the people who live in this city have done nothing wrong.” Her businesslike attitude was completely different from the lively face she had shown in the laboratory. Her resolute attitude, which did not leave any room for response, clearly revealed that Alice did not come to this place with goodwill. However, Meyer nodded obediently, not caring about her cold reply. [That statement itself proves how noble your character is. You must have also made a cold judgment that no one else except yourself would be of much help in this matter.] “……” [Rest assured. I swear on my position as a councilman that I will never use your abilities in this way again. This is only an exception.] Even after hearing Meyer’s words, Alice remained silent with a cold expression. The fact that she, who had no great connection with this city, stepped forward was due to the rational judgment that there were very few forces that could solve this situation now that the Law of Prohibition was not lifted. Knowing this fact clearly, Alice could not refuse the earnest requests of the agents and the city council and decided to lend her strength to this matter. Meyer watched her reaction carefully, but immediately changed the subject. [Since we don’t have much time, let’s quickly confirm the main points. While you are heading to the undeveloped district where the mobile fortress is advancing, I have gathered information from the Cybrid Echo [a network of information brokers] and succeeded in securing a list of council members who plotted my assassination in this matter.] “That’s a relief.” The eyes of the others turned to Ilya, who was covering her eyes for a moment. In the end, Ilya, through a deal with Lenok, persuaded the Cybrid Echo leadership and handed over to Meyer the list of factions that had requested to interfere with the operation in exchange for including them in this operation. [From now on, based on the evidence we have secured, we plan to appear before the Central Council and formally urge the punishment of the council members who interfered with this matter. So, I need to tell you in advance what I know.] He has little chance of being helpful on the ground, as he does not have any combat power or special command abilities. Meyer himself is aware of this, so he is determined to reduce the bad variables in this matter by deliberately clinging to other council members in the Central Council, which is closer to his stage. It is impossible to know the extent of the power struggle among the city council members, but the power struggle between politicians at the top of a megacity must be considerable. Meyer is taking the initiative to settle that area, which Lenok cannot immediately guess. While he was lost in thought, Meyer’s words continued. [The abandoned ruins in the megacity’s undeveloped district are not the only things that exist.] He said, making eye contact with those around him with a calm gaze. [From the time when this city was prospering endlessly 20 years ago, the officials who held key positions in the city have gone through a lot of trial and error. In order to move and hide the city’s power and secrets further out, away from the increasingly cramped city center.] “Does that mean…?” [Many secrets that were hidden in the areas designated as closed areas were leaked to various parts of the undeveloped district along with the expansion plan. Nuclear power plants, human experimentation sites, corpse burial grounds, military bases… There were many attempts regardless of the type and nature of the secrets, and they were all buried in the dark with the abandonment of the expansion development plan.] [Now, only the traces remain in place. But the Defense Force Command has read a different flow from that past.] Lenok, understanding the meaning of those words, sighed softly. “The desire for access to the closed areas was not a lie in itself.” [Yes… Unlike what is recorded, they must have succeeded in transferring some of the secrets that actually existed in the closed areas to outside the undeveloped district. Lieutenant General Trepen of the Command is definitely aiming for that part as well.] He pretended to want the secret in District 13 and declared war, but in fact, Trepen also knew that the secret had already been transferred outside. If the Defense Force Command is aware of the fact that even Meyer, a member of the city council, is only vaguely aware of, it is impossible to grasp how many people are directly or indirectly involved in this matter. “We need information about the closed area facilities that the city council was promoting at the time. Are we going to get that now?” “……” If they had taken a separate path with three superhumans who had completed their hierarchy, and according to the explanation they had heard so far, wouldn’t there be only one purpose? Pallard grinned and nodded. “You have a good sense. That’s right. From now on, we are going to raid the database where all the data of the city expansion development plan from 20 years ago is stored.” “…What did you say?”