Chapter 56

“You are my son from now on.”

The words of Drake Stingray, the chairman.

That one sentence nearly made the tension I had been holding onto snap in an instant.

It meant the greatest threat that had been tormenting me since I transmigrated had just disappeared.

‘Now, nothing can stop me…!’

As long as I didn’t offend the Emperor, I could now stir up trouble to my heart’s content without worrying about my identity being exposed.

In other words, I could afford to enjoy this world a bit more leisurely and focus on developing the characters.

‘No. I can’t let my guard down yet.’

The last sliver of rationality I had left kept my mind from becoming completely complacent.

‘I mustn’t lower my guard yet.’

Since this was Drake Stingray, a man with the cunning of a thousand-year-old fox, those words wouldn’t have been spoken out of simple goodwill.

The truth was, my current power didn’t yet match Aaron Stingray’s peak.

In other words, I couldn’t perfectly fulfill the role of the “symbol of might” that the chairman wanted.

Yet he said such a thing at this moment…

“So, the test isn’t over yet, is it?”

“What? Hahaha!”

At my words, the chairman looked momentarily surprised, then burst into a hearty laugh, as though genuinely delighted. Then he turned to me, a mischievous expression forming on his face.

“You’ve become much better.”

“…Sorry?”

“My son Aaron wouldn’t have thought that far. Thanks to being blessed beyond reason, he never developed the habit of thinking deeply, even with his sharp mind.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. That was a compliment.”

The chairman continued.

“In short, that boy was a lion who had never known hunger. But you are a lion who has starved before.”

“I see…”

As I replied, I reviewed what I knew about Aaron, trying to guess the chairman’s intent.

The strongest might in the world.

A status and wealth no one could challenge.

Educated in the refinement required of a crown prince, yet by nature arrogant and violent.

He would display his cruel tastes without hesitation.

What did the chairman truly think of such a son? If his greatest combat weapon had uncontrollable murderous urges, how would he see it?

And knowing all that, why did he still give him the position of chairman of the Human Resources Development Foundation? What exactly did he want?

Perhaps…

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

Before I could finish my thought, the chairman spoke.

“As you said, the test isn’t over yet. But for now, you don’t have to worry too much.”

“…Understood.”

If this man said so, then so be it.

I couldn’t completely relax, but I could at least consider myself to have a small breathing space.

“Hmm. It’s about time.”

As if our business was finished, the chairman turned his wheelchair. Suddenly, a cascade of pop-ups blocked my view.

Missed calls, unread emails.

Too focused on the conversation, I had failed to notice it sooner—but it seemed the room’s communications had been blocked.

‘If I’d been careless, I could’ve died here without even calling for help…’

With a sigh of relief, I secretly checked the new email.

It was a situation report related to those Ashita bastards, and the moment I read it, I couldn’t help but frown.

As expected.

Something had gone wrong with the suppression operation.

“Shouldn’t you be heading out now?”

So he had to throw that in at the end.

I didn’t mind moving as I pleased, but apparently moving the group’s forces at will was off-limits.

‘That damn old man.’

Damn it.

Not only refusing to help, but even getting in the way. I wanted nothing more than to smack the back of his head—but I held it in.

“May I take my leave now?”

“Go ahead.”

Truly a man impossible to like.

I swallowed my pride, bowed my head in respect, then turned and left the room.

‘Drake Stingray…’

The final boss of the original novel.

An absolutely dangerous man I could never underestimate, someone I had no choice but to yield to for now.

…But not forever.

…No, not for long.

[Rabbit Team. Signal jammer ready.]

[Reindeer Team. Area sealed.]

[Wolf Team. All members ready to breach.]

These were direct orders from the Crown Prince.

The Stingray security teams had gathered in a warehouse near the red-light district known as “Cube Street,” at E-Sector 50-34 Street, to carry out the operation.

Eight mid-level Adaptee soldiers.

Thirty-two high-level Augmentee soldiers.

Two Grand-Mage-Class Techno-Wizards.

If they had followed Aaron’s original instructions, they would have brought more personnel, but for some reason, the chairman himself had reduced the numbers.

-Wasn’t there a VIP note saying there’d be a wizard? Why don’t I see any anti-magic gear?

-Headquarters’ approval got suddenly canceled.

-Another internal politics thing up top?

-Most likely.

-Damn it. If there really are spellcasters, we’re the ones who’ll die.

The security division soldiers cursed among themselves.

Warlocks and Witches.

If Techno-Wizard referred to high-tier hackers who could dive into cyberspace, these were humans who dealt in actual magic.

Just like in novels or media, they were people who made contracts with supernatural beings to wield power beyond human limits.

They could create fire from empty hands, call down lightning from the sky, talk to wild animals or monsters, and even use a human heart as an ingredient in alchemy.

They were, quite literally, the exact image of the witches people believed in during the Middle Ages.

Human in appearance and able to converse, yet fundamentally inhuman—in other words, beings classified as [Mystic].

-Come on, do you really think there’s a wizard in a place like this? I heard it’s just a gathering spot for some phony Buddha followers.

-Let’s just finish this quickly and head back.

[Arcane]s, simply by breathing, scatter an unknown energy called ‘mana’ into the air, causing reality distortion. This acts on the human body much like radiation, breaking down cells.

Therefore, to face higher-ranked [Mystic]s, one needed Adaptees with nanomachine-induced immunity to mana. Even high-level Augmentees were virtually powerless against [Mystic]s unless they had specialized equipment.

Wizards and witches, in particular, had the trait of scattering massive amounts of mana when using magic.

And since they possessed human-level intellect and emotions, hunting them required equally high-level Adaptee soldiers.

It was obvious that with the current force on site, they would struggle badly if even a slightly high-ranked [Mystic] appeared—let alone a wizard.

Still, orders were orders.

If the higher-ups said they couldn’t spare the gear or manpower due to their own circumstances, what could be done?

When they said “jump,” you jumped.

The soldiers grumbled among themselves as they waited for the signal—and soon, it came.

[Signal confirmed. Breach!]

[Wolf Team, breaching!]

Three teams, each composed of one Adaptee and four Augmentees, formed ranks and quickly descended underground.

With live map reading from a Wizard, they swiftly grasped the terrain and moved without hesitation—nothing could stop them.

The basement was divided into multiple rooms, with Ashita-kyo believers gathered in both monk robes and everyday clothing.

When the heavily armed soldiers burst in with guns, armor, and cyberware, the believers inside panicked.

The Stingray soldiers pointed their weapons at them.

[On your knees, hands on your head!]

“Huk! W-Who are you people!”

“W-We were just praying and training here!”

[Shut your mouths.]

The soldiers contacted command, asking how to handle the believers.

[There are more people than expected. They appear completely unarmed.]

One of Ashita-kyo’s basic doctrines was “severance from technology.”

Among the believers, not only were there no Adaptees or Augmentees, but most had even removed the basic cyberware needed to survive in New Valhalla City.

They offered no resistance. It seemed like they could be left alone, but command decided otherwise.

[We don’t know how many more are deeper in. We don’t have the manpower to secure prisoners. Leave no loose ends.]

[Roger.]

Click.

The soldiers’ muzzles all aimed at the ordinary believers. Before the believers’ shocked faces could even change into screams, the guns roared.

Bang! Bang! Bang-bang-bang!

Metallic rain poured equally upon men, women, and children, and a grotesque crimson splashed in every direction.

After emptying their magazines in an instant, the soldiers reloaded and kicked through the corpses, confirming kills.

They moved forward, slaughtering every believer they saw without exception. Those who had fled or hidden after hearing the gunfire met the same fate.

Supporting Techno-Wizards tore through the complex interior and fed data to the soldiers, who, armed with high-level military scanners, tracked down even the hidden believers.

[Clear. Proceeding deeper.]

Only after confirming zero survivors and zero escapees did they advance into the inner sanctum of the temple as if nothing had happened.

Then—

Kugugugugu—!

A strange vibration.

At the same time, a Techno-Wizard monitoring the scanners from outside called in.

[Hold. Strange movement detected 50 meters behind Wolf Team.]

[What do you mean?]

[The scanner’s picking up movement. You’d better check again.]

Impossible.

They had just cleared everything, killing even the hidden ones. Could there have been some kind of secret room?

Puzzled, the soldiers carefully changed course, watching all directions without leaving a gap—

“Grrraaah…!”

And then they saw it.

Something moving in a grotesque way.

Humanoid in shape—

It was, without a doubt, the believers they had shot and killed just moments ago.

The corpses.

Were moving.

[It’s a wizard! We have a wizard!]

“…!”

The information crackled over the comms.

Iri turned in shock toward the monk in front of her. A faint, inscrutable smile formed on Araya’s lips.

‘So this was the card he’d been hiding?’

No wonder he’d seemed so relaxed.

But there was a problem.

Aaron had clearly mentioned the possibility of a wizard among the enemies when explaining the operation.

‘I already made preparations for a wizard.’

Unaware of the outside soldiers’ situation, Iri smirked openly at Araya. But then, through the internal comms, Maria’s warning came.

[Listen carefully, Iri.]

[What is it?]

[Due to current internal company circumstances, we have no preparations at all against a wizard. The situation is against us.]

[W-What? But Director Aaron—]

[Stay calm, Iri.]

[Y-Yes!]

Maria soothed her.

Realizing she couldn’t let her panic show, Iri clamped her mouth shut. Then Maria gave her an order.

[That monk, “Araya,” is most likely the wizard. I’ll handle him. You take that student, “Silence,” and get out of here.]

[But—]

Iri started to protest—

And the monk began to move.

“Aaron Stingray. If you’re going to come at me like this, then I have my own methods.”

With a mutter to himself, he gestured into the air. From the place where the main hall and the sewers connected, something began to creep forward.

Zombies.

More precisely, a mix of living people and zombies. The living ones had empty eyes, as though under some kind of control.

And that wasn’t all.

[Gahhh— Aaaagh—!]

Silence, who had been pinned under Iri’s shield, suddenly burst out with monstrous strength, thrashing violently.

Foam frothed at his mouth as he struggled desperately to break free from Iri’s restraint.

“W-What the hell?! I put in a restriction chip—how is he even moving?!”

Iri tried to use [Thousand Pound Weight] to stop his movements, but at this rate, Silence’s body would surely break under the strain.

“Damn it, Maria!”

Iri called to Maria for help, and Maria immediately deployed all her internal weapons at once, aiming them at Araya.

Without the slightest hesitation, she opened fire.

The gunshots slammed into the basement walls, the noise sharp enough to tear eardrums. Sparks flew, and countless shell casings clattered onto the floor.

But then—

“T-That’s impossible…!”

Someone suddenly rushed in at tremendous speed to shield Araya.

It was none other than Stingray Augmentee soldiers deployed for this operation. Their bodies were torn in rags, bleeding heavily, their eyes glazed over.

They had also been turned into zombies.

“W-What the hell is going on?!”

Iri shouted as she struggled to keep Silence pinned under her. Meanwhile, the number of zombies and mind-controlled humans swarming toward the Main Hall was steadily growing.

Maria kept pouring out bullets, but Araya used the humans as shields to block her attacks.

In the end, Iri lost hold of Silence, and Maria’s internal firearms finally ran out of ammo.

“Iri!”

Maria shouted.

“The mission has failed! We need to get out of here now!”

“But—!”

Just as she was about to reply—

Drrring—!

Someone initiated a video call to both Iri and Maria at the same time. In this situation, there was only one person it could be.

“M-Master…?!”

“You are…!”

[Seems you’re both having a hard time. Can you show me the current situation?]

Maria immediately turned her camera to the surroundings, and upon seeing it, Aaron’s expression darkened with displeasure. He frowned and muttered something under his breath.

[That damned bastard… So he did mess with “that,” after all.]

“W-What did you say?”

Iri asked, but Aaron either didn’t hear her or ignored the question. Instead, he looked both of them straight in the eyes and spoke firmly.

[Listen, both of you. I’m on my way there right now. If you want to live, follow my instructions.]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep