Story Reader / Main Story / 29 Source Beacon / Story
Charles Norman, the former Chief Executive Officer of Norman Mining Corp, has been absent from thirteen management meetings.
Per Chapter 5, Article 11 of Norman Mining Corp's internal regulations, in the event that the Chief Executive Officer is absent from over twelve management meetings, the Supervisory Board is entitled to commence a vote to elect the next Chief Executive Officer.
Bong—
As the pendulum strikes heavily against the wall-mounted vintage quartz clock, the sharp second hand heralds a new cycle of ceaseless running amid the ticking sound.
It's time.
Well, then... the vote starts.
Leonardo Norman is wearing his usual insouciant smile.
In the dimly lit room, the board members are seated on couches, passing around the precious paper documents in their hands. Whispers break the silence occasionally, but soon, only the rustling of pages prevails.
Leonardo narrows his eyes, appearing to casually inspect the room's decor.
Once he takes over the role of the Chief Executive Officer, from there...
I endorse the replacement of the Chief Executive Officer with Leonardo Norman.
I endorse the replacement of the Chief Executive Officer with Leonardo Norman.
I abstain.
The votes have exceeded half. Just one more...
Wait.
The door opens silently, allowing bright light to pierce through the darkness within the room.
A pink-haired girl in an exquisite dress appears expressionless behind the door.
Victoria?!
Leonardo abruptly stands up, staring in disbelief at the girl before him.
You shouldn't be here. Go back.
...
She walks straight into the conference room without even giving Leonardo a glance.
According to Chapter 5, Article 11 of Norman Mining Corp's internal rules, direct relatives of the Chief Executive are eligible to run for the next Chief Executive.
I, Victoria Norman, am hereby applying to become a Chief Executive candidate.
Victoria!
Victoria, you of all people should know that this is not a place to play house.
Leonardo has garnered many benefits for Norman Mining Corp—including protecting the Group's assets during the military strike on Kurono Labs in Babylonia.
But you, Victoria, what can you bring to Norman Mining Corp?
I have a lead on "Dominik's Legacy".
The girl speaks calmly as she signals the person behind her to present a stack of documents.
"Dominik's Legacy" is crucial to the reactivation of the Zero-Point Energy Reactor and all the glory of the Golden Age.
It is also what Norman Mining Corp... has been pursuing all along.
What?!
...Victoria! Do you even know what you're doing?!
Of course, I do.
The projection device activates quietly and analysis reports come into focus clearly in midair.
Babylonia previously intercepted a message sent from Gestalt. The content was nothing out of the ordinary, but—
This message had no recorded transmission backup, and there is no trace of it in the existing data within Gestalt.
Babylonia immediately began internal analysis. It eventually found this message from the Golden Age in a dusty archive.
After comparing the timestamps, they confirmed this was no silly prank or April Fool's joke.
I think everyone here knows what that means, right?
It's... a piece of information that shouldn't exist?
Dominik built Gestalt, and Gestalt holds more information about Dominik than anything else.
But after the transfer of Gestalt and Dominik's disappearance at the Zero-Point Energy Reactor, part of the data in Gestalt could no longer be accessed.
—The data wall has been breached from the inside. This is our opportunity to intervene.
The "Heralds" of Norman Mining Corp will lead us back to the golden times of our glory.
...
Am I the one going crazy or is it you, my dear Victoria?
Leonardo...
There are many things that aren't as they seem.
Victoria speaks softly as she brushes past Leonardo.
She is sitting at the head of the conference room table, right underneath the bear's head.
During the trade meeting, I've already reached an agreement with the military. If the plan passes, Norman Mining Corp will sell Helium-3 to the military at 25% below market price and provide some specific data from the time of Gestalt's construction.
With this as our bargaining chip, Norman Mining Corp will dispatch technical and research personnel to join the military's investigation into the sealed data of Gestalt.
Norman Mining Corp still holds the long end of the stick—we once assisted Dominik in building the foundation of the first-generation Gestalt. We participated in the entire construction of Gestalt.
As long as we can extract "Dominik's Legacy" from the sealed data, with Norman Mining Corp's technological capabilities, we can develop new Inver-Devices, new Constructs, and even—
A large-scale "cleansing" of the Punishing Virus, to reconstruct Earth's Zero-Point Energy Reactor.
We will inherit Dominik's Legacy. We are looking at a new era for Norman Mining Corp standing where we are.
Still nothing?
No, the operational speed is far from what it was before with the parts changed.
Dammit... What if we don't replace them?
If we don't do that, and assuming all other factors are controlled for—and by other factors, I mean all components' processing precision meeting the IT1 standard.
This is what we're going to end up with based on the new model of your new plan...
The 3D projection device begins working and quickly constructs a 1.8-meter tall concrete-like heavy apparatus.
Do you really want to carry this mini Central Purification Filter on a mission?
...****!
Not to mention that, according to current ground reports, the spread speed and concentration of the Punishing Virus in the Hetero Zone mean that even if this small external filtration device is 60% more efficient than a standard protective suit, it still isn't enough to purify the virus.
...Moving on to plan B then.
Argh... Still not working, huh?
Don't be sad. The military wouldn't have asked us and the Science Council to conduct joint research if this were a no-brainer.
Science Council, Engineering Force, and Cosmos Technicians Union.
Nearly all of Babylonia's top experts in Inver-Device technology, energy dynamics, and Omega Weaponry are here.
Zero-Point Energy Engine on the moon has reached its operational limit within the Area, but the Omega Weapons produced are still a mere drop in the bucket for this disaster.
Without the Omega Weapons' line of defense, the Hetero-Creatures' attacks will intensify, and the rising concentration of the Punishing Virus will further deter ordinary Constructs.
From the day the Hetero Zone disaster restarted, no one here has really had a moment of rest.
The research labs and testing ground are brightly lit. Researchers work tirelessly through the night, each trying to find the best solutions.
While fully committed to creating the second Hyperreal specialized frame, they continue to progress in many other directions.
The intricacies of specialized frames mean they can't be mass-produced, but... the researchers must create new devices that can adapt to more Constructs.
Is there a way to enhance the purifying capacity of the Omega Weapons?
Is there a way to develop a new kind of external filter?
Is there a way to save more Constructs and human lives?
Everything they are doing now aims to slowly turn the "unknown" into a "possibility".
Karenina and Teddy fall silent as they look at the model on the table together.
Well, why don't we...
A gray-haired female Construct wearing the Cosmos Technicians Union emblem is standing beside them. She looks at the model on the table and suddenly talks.
Why don't we use the Inver-Device for modifications like we did before?
Mika...? Why are you still here?
Constructs don't need to sleep.
Mika steps forward to operate the terminal without giving Karenina a chance to react.
My mentor and I revisited Dr. Kalon's research on the Inver-Device. We haven't exactly teased apart this technological Black Box, but we've made some other discoveries.
The goal of the Inver-Device is to "neutralize" the Punishing Virus.
But due to limitations in its materials, technology, and various other factors, all current mass-produced Inver-Devices have a processing limit, which prevents ordinary Constructs from entering areas with higher concentrations of the Punishing Virus.
So, based on this, if we equip the Inver-Device with a more powerful processor—
That's out of the question!
They pay no notice to the group of researchers now surrounding them.
The Inver-Device is more complicated than any device we currently know. We can't just modify the processor in the Inver-Device when we've lost as much data as we have...
The risk is indeed high... With the inherent dangers of the Inver-Device, I am worried that the disaster with the earliest Constructs will happen again.
If only we had access to the data Dominik left behind...
True. Would have saved us a lot of time had we had access to that.
But what should we do now? Drag Dominik out of Reactor 1?
Well, we don't need to go that far...
That's just wishful thinking. Now, why don't we spend some time simulating a few more options if y'all have got time to mope around with long faces?
Dominik has been gone for a while now, but time doesn't stop when heroes leave.
—And your research paper shouldn't stop just because Dominik is gone.
Hey, we should still go with the plan we discussed yesterday. We'll start with the Omega Weapons...
If we can't alter the Inver-Device, should we consider adding a more powerful external processor?
Yup.
Are you thinking of using Gestalt...?
Yup.
What about the issue of reverse infection of Gestalt?
I've read all the data from when Gestalt was compromised.
And, in the interest of playing it safe, I suggest we install needles for monitoring M.I.N.D. and electromagnetic pulse frailty rings on the Constructs participating in the experiment.
I will participate in this experiment.
Electromagnetic pulse frailty rings? Do you really think that's gonna outrun the Punishing Virus?
...
Forget it. Look, here's a solution I got for you.
If the initial plan works, I'll establish a small isolation area within Gestalt. All incoming data will only pass through the isolation area, and if reverse infection occurs, we'll immediately abandon the infected region and destroy it.
By integrating the Inver-Device into Gestalt, we can amplify consciousness and enhance the processing power of the Inver-Device...
A new test model is quickly constructed.
Success rate is over 60%. Assemble a new team to start rehearsing the new option.
Karenina and Mika will lead the group. Teddy and I will be assisting. The rest of us here with continue working on what we've been working on.
Hand me another wrench... and don't ask me dumb questions like what happened to the last one!
Psst.
Teddy! Don't laugh at me!
I'm not.
Teddy...? Hold on.
Asimov calls out to Teddy, who is about to leave with Karenina.
Yes?
That thing from [player name], Dominik's "invitation". Have you figured out the second lock?
Um... not yet, but I've already figured out some computational patterns.
It likely uses a data lock with the Conundrum algorithm from the Golden Age. It looks complex, but it's not entirely unsolvable. I just need more time.
The Golden Age...
After all, it's Dominik's "invitation".
Dominik...
With a complex mix of emotions in her eyes, Teddy stops talking and walks toward Karenina.
If we... use the Zero-Point Energy Reactor, maybe we can finish this part like this...
The Zero-Point Energy Reactor? Why are you bringing that up again?
Isn't that supposed to be our "last resort"? Many projects are launched with the Zero-Point Energy Reactor as a prerequisite.
I just heard two researchers over there saying how they want to connect the Omega Weapon to the Zero-Point Energy Reactor to bump up its output rate.
And then what? Fire a cannon from the moon and blow up Earth?
That would indeed rid us of the Punishing Virus, though.
Well... I wasn't part of their discussion.
Speaking of which, Dominik was the one overseeing production for the Zero-Point Energy Reactor, no? Could it have something in common with the Inver-Device?
Dominik... We've been hearing that name a lot these days.
She taps on the terminal a few times without much emotion in her eyes.
Hmm?
Did Dominik manage to solve the Punishing Virus?
Uh, not really...
Did Dominik come up with the specialized frames, too?
Not quite. He did make the Inver-Device, but it's Asimov and his team that completed the specialized frames...
A stream of data flashes across the screen. Teddy finally finished the task at hand, but she wasn't in a good mood.
The Engineering Force can't just rely on a captain like you, Karenina, to build skyscrapers, and our research system can't always depend solely on Dominik.
Dominik?! What Dominik?
...
She slams the terminal's screen shut.
I think I understand what you're trying to say...
Dominik left behind so much technology, yet remains nothing more than someone of the past.
As long as we keep moving forward like migratory birds and salmon swimming upstream, life will find a way.
In the lab ahead, countless researchers work day and night to experiment with one solution after another.
The future is where hope lies, no?
What purpose does a civilization serve exactly... if all it does is rely on one person for progress?
—Teddy?
...
What's up with you today...? You're being a little strange.
Or did some keyword trigger this special mode of yours?
Hmm... Was it "the last resort"? Or "reactor power supply"?
I got a bit too excited... It's nothing. Maybe I'm just a bit tired.
"Fire a cannon and blow up Earth"!
You might as well blow up your brain. Yeah, that would do it.
The rare break doesn't last long. Barely a few minutes have passed before Asimov rushes back with new data.
I really don't want to deal with your grumpy face... but what happened?
Just got a notification. The Hetero Zone is still spreading.
Based on data from the Gray Ravens and the other elite squads, the Red Tide is already approaching the Clean Zone.
Crimson tides crisscross on their eyes as it surges toward the edge of the Clean Zone.
And the Gray Ravens uploaded some very important news.
The Hetero-Creatures... might be forming a community.
Asimov taps on the video.
With a poor signal reception, it's hard to make out what's going on in the video.
The footage first shows some humans in military boots before showing Lucia fighting in the distance.
In front of Lucia is a sprawling Red Tide. The Hetero-Creatures are standing in groups among the trees... apparently observing the situation.
Look over here...
Asimov points to the edge of the video with a frown.
Alert, in formation, launch assault.
...****!
They've started to form "groups".
There's no time left.
First of all, Gray Raven found the Hetero-Creatures demonstrating group behavior during their investigation, which had never been seen before.
All the locations where we've seen this behavioral change in the Hetero-Creatures, including those in the Hetero Zone, are spread outside the Clean Zone in an arc.
Simply put, we cannot guarantee that the existence of the Clean Zone hasn't caused unexpected mutations.
Mutations... If all Hetero-Creatures exhibit group behavior...
They also seem to be working together... and it seems like they are being controlled.
This has been described in witness and combat reports since the beginning of this year.
The Hetero-Creatures were pretty crazy before, but they seemed to be moving slowly in an orderly fashion just now when we saw them from the airplane.
Anyway, all we know now is that they are slowly moving north and it'll keep getting harder for us to launch counterattacks and break through.
The soft branches of the Red Tide spread unhindered through the soil.
They repeat and they inherit—and they gradually reach the branch at the treetop.
Species compete for survival, and desire drives their evolution.
Plundering and devouring, they... are about to develop their own "civilization".
