The Druid Who Devoured the Great Nature

Separately, Reina’s resourcefulness made my own expression change.

“I didn’t know you were aware of the military’s partner companies and the reasons behind it, one by one.”

“The military is a profession where, as much as they are strict at work, they talk your ear off about everything once you get them drunk. It’s just that getting into their circle is ridiculously difficult at first; after that, there’s nothing hard about it.”

Reina, a former soldier, was a broker who had met that difficult condition from the very beginning. Considering that Reina was the only expert on the military, it would probably be impossible for an outsider to get into their circle. That’s why she was spilling know-how that would be worth a fortune.

Cromwell didn’t show any particular reaction to this either.

“However, after the first year, their interest waned.”

The reason was summarized in the documents.

“After catching the military’s eye, their performance was sluggish, contrary to expectations…”

“They thought it was a winning lottery ticket, but when they scratched it, it was a dud.”

It wasn’t that their motivation suddenly disappeared. The reason the city government put a leash on corporations wasn’t to hinder the development of next-generation technology.

‘It’s to secure it first.’

In that regard, the city government wasn’t strict. So much so that they would consistently allocate a significant portion of the city’s huge budget to support them. Having connected with the military, it was a condition where they could satisfy both their personal ambition for success and their desire for money, having received support from the city government.

‘Above all, with this kind of technology, they would think of using it for themselves first.’

Unlike the city government with its infinite capital, a terrorist organization was limited in everything, including supplies and manpower. The one who would wish for the completion of the technology more than anyone was not the city government, but Al-Raid. That’s why they had taken the bold measure of putting the technology on the market to receive the military’s support.

“Opinions are divided even among those involved as to why it happened, but that’s not important. In any case, since there was no development in the technology, it was gradually pushed out of interest, and I know that it will be decided whether to return it to a private company after a final evaluation this year.”

Of course, it would be difficult for a company that failed the final evaluation to regain its former status. It was as good as the military officially certifying that the technology had no future. The transition to a private company, in other words, was the delisting of the company.

I was lost in thought.

‘It is strange.’

If they had presented a fake technology, they wouldn’t have received the military’s investment. The military was not a group led by blockheads who couldn’t even distinguish that much. In any case, the technology was real and must have had a high expected value for development. However, it wasn’t something to be completely puzzled about, as there were more than one or two companies that collapsed due to various circumstances while doing well. A company that the military had its eye on could, of course, be like that. The technology of a rootless terrorist organization had an even greater risk of that.

‘In that case, was it more urgent to embezzle the city government’s support budget than to complete the technology?’

There was no way the city government had been made a fool of by people with such short-sightedness.

While I was reviewing various hypotheses in my head, Cromwell spoke.

“So, I looked into all the supplies, personnel, power consumption, and entry and exit records of the employees flowing into that place.”

“……?”

“Huh, you went that far?”

Both Reina and I couldn’t hide our surprise. This… was beyond the scope of a normal information gathering request.

“You can be cleverly deceived by documents, but evidence only speaks the truth. It wasn’t difficult to confirm the authenticity itself.”

“You’re right, but the process is arduous, Cromwell.”

“That’s why I even drank alcohol, which I don’t usually drink.”

“……So you weren’t just coddling him like a late-born child you got in your old age. You really judged him to be a gem.”

Cromwell shrugged. Reina stared at my face for a moment, then picked up the documents again. The next page, after the dense text. The even more packed spacing was enough to make one’s eyes hurt.

“I took a leap of faith, believing you wouldn’t say something for nothing. It’s the harvest I reaped by coaxing Jack, who said it was crazy, and even lending a hand myself.”

If there had been enough time, he might have dared to try. The deadline I had set was so tight that Jack had complained. It meant that he had gone through years of records in that short period. I even felt a little sorry.

As I was choosing my words, unable to speak readily, Cromwell said in a joking tone.

“I’ve repaid the debt of handing over your profile to Reina without your permission. No matter how good an opportunity I thought it would be, that was my judgment, and it might not have been yours.”

Hearing that, the burden lifted a little.

“Of course, if nothing had come out after going this far, I would have held a grudge. It was quite a strenuous labor for me too, so even if Jack had kept quiet, I would have personally demanded a corresponding price.”

Reina burst out laughing.

“So this is how you, Cromwell, discipline your contractors. It’s worth noting.”

“You misunderstand.”

Although it was a lighthearted remark, a chill went down my spine. It was a request for which I had already deposited a considerable amount of money to meet the tight deadline. He was a man whose talent was extorting money from his clients. If he had extorted more allowances under all sorts of pretexts, this request would have definitely been a loss.

“Anyway, after analyzing all that data, I found that the numbers often didn’t add up. There were clearly more supplies, people, and various other things than the support provided by the military.”

At those words, I had a feeling. This was it. The answer that would resolve the suspicion I had about the flow of this incident was here.

However, Reina, who didn’t know this, gave a common-sense rebuttal.

“It’s a common occurrence for a company on the verge of being kicked out of a partnership to desperately gather all its resources.”

“The amount was too substantial to be packaged as such admirable effort. Would you believe it if I said that the scale of the supplies alone was comparable to the support sent by the military?”

“……It was that much?”

“It’s an amount that Boulderveer Industries, with its scale, would never have been able to digest and would have had problems. But on the outside, there was no sign of it, and they even hid it tightly.”

“Was there any news that the city government’s support budget was cut this time?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Then it must have already been an enormous amount, and the scale of the additional supplies was the same as that.”

No matter how positively one tried to interpret it, the stench could not be hidden. The two veteran brokers instantly reached a conclusion that was close to the truth.

“They were receiving support from another source, separate from the military.”

“And their contract with them probably takes precedence over the one with the military.”

“These damn bastards.”

Reina, who had the two identities of a former soldier and a broker, couldn’t hold it in and vented her anger, fuming.

A secret contract. Perhaps there was a group that had reached out to them even before the military.

‘And the identity of that sponsor is probably not Al-Raid.’

This was a fact that could be guessed from the scale of the support, even without knowing that Boulderveer Industries was a front for Al-Raid. It wasn’t an amount that a mere terrorist organization could gather.

“……So, you’re not telling me to report these bastards’ outrageous backroom dealings to the military and get a reward during this busy time, are you?”

After a moment, having calmed down, she said with her eyes wide open.

“Are you saying that the reason these guys committed such a cute act is somehow related to Al-Raid?”

“I confirmed it in Bordon’s ledger.”

She finally realized why I had made her attend this briefing, which at a glance seemed unrelated to her.

“Al-Raid’s supplies flowed into Boulderveer Industries. It must be their front company. I’ve already handed over the data to the Public Security Bureau and reached this conclusion, so there’s no possibility of it being unrelated.”

When I sought agreement from Hazel, who had been chewing on jerky all this time, she looked around and then nodded. Follow current novels on novel⚑fire.net

…Did she even know what was going on?

Still, apart from my personal distrust, the security officer’s affirmation guaranteed a minimum level of credibility.

“So there’s a corporation sponsoring a terrorist organization.”

“It connects with what the Public Security Bureau’s forensic scientist confirmed.”

“If it’s true, it’s not something that can be ignored.”

Reina took out her phone from her pocket and hastily sent a message somewhere.

“This commotion won’t end just by raiding Al-Raid’s headquarters. There’s no law that says a method that has succeeded once can’t be used twice.”

The corporation… that would have sponsored the terrorist organization.

If they weren’t rooted out, the Public Security Bureau would face the same challenge again later. This was related not only to the pride of the Public Security Bureau but also to the safety of the city’s upper class.

“Did you say you would undertake a separate operation with a security officer if you found something from your investigation?”

Reina, who had checked the message, subtly hinted at the sender’s identity to me.

“Permission has been granted. Congratulations on getting what you wanted.”

A high-ranking official of the Public Security Bureau.

“On the day of the operation, you and Hazel will be in charge of investigating Boulderveer Industries. If you need more manpower, say so now. I’ll suggest it to the Public Security Bureau.”

“No, two is enough.”

“Good.”

She jabbed her finger at the company name on the document. As if to crush and mash it.

“The Public Security Bureau has granted full authority. The order is to find out who is behind them, by any means necessary.”

“I will do my best to meet your expectations.”

After discussing the details, I left the office with Hazel.

‘The flow of events where the outcome of terrorism is the rise of corporations was not a coincidence.’

Given my circumstances where I had no choice but to be at odds with Centream, the increase in corporate influence was a troublesome matter. Preventing this was something I also wished for.

***

Due to the prolonged inspections, the atmosphere in District 5 was unsettled. Even the media had caught the scent and were reporting on what was happening in District 5 one after another. It was widely known that it was a suppression operation against the terrorist organization Al-Raid.

When a typhoon comes, one should avoid it, not face it head-on. The number of personnel conducting inspections on the roads had dropped to around a hundred a day, as the citizens watched the atmosphere and held their breath.

[We will soon commence the operation.]

I checked Taylor’s report. Today was the day of the operation to deploy forces to Al-Raid’s headquarters. The Public Security Bureau had given up on the idea of proceeding with this secretly. Instead, they had boldly leaked it to the media. This operation also served as a large-scale publicity stunt. The city government wanted to show how they handled challenges to their authority, and the Public Security Bureau wanted to warn that they were not just an organization in name only.

[Be careful.]

Perhaps because we had grown fond of each other during the inspections, he was worried after hearing about my situation. I couldn’t even let out a scoff. A rookie who was in over his head, worrying about someone else right before the start of a major operation.

[Worry about yourself.]

I replied and straightened my clothes. I checked the condition of my weapons and my own condition.

「The World Tree straightens its sturdy branches.」

A spirit twinkled brightly on my finger. I had prepared as much as I could.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Hazel came running over. The air was heavy, and the wind was chilly. It was the day of the operation to raid Al-Raid’s headquarters, and also the day of the attack on Boulderveer Industries.

***

Boulderveer Industries had its headquarters in a shared office on the upper floors of a building. Should I call it bold that a terrorist organization’s front company was doing business by renting a shared office? That was probably why the company’s suspicious movements had not been caught by the military’s surveillance. They must have judged that since it was already under public surveillance, any suspicious circumstances would be reported quickly.

‘They really like to catch people off guard.’

They said their goal was to destroy the city’s system… it certainly felt like they were analyzing and using it well. Of course, this was information that a terrorist organization, oppressed by individuals and the city government, could not find out just by running around. Someone well-versed in the city’s system had sold them the information.

‘The corporation backing them must be quite something.’

Support supplies comparable to the military, and information power well-versed in the city’s system.

‘A megacorp?’

Even if it wasn’t revealed, it wasn’t difficult to narrow down the candidates for which corporation it might be.

‘I’ll find out soon enough.’

I stood away from the entrance of the building. The atmosphere of this place, Al-Raid’s front company, was calm even in the face of the crisis of their headquarters being destroyed. It was a confidence that their identity couldn’t have been exposed. And confidence was sometimes easy to mistake for arrogance and delusion.

The Public Security Bureau had granted me full authority in this operation. The term ‘full authority’ felt awkward for a team of just two, but if one of them was a security officer, it became a matter of course rather than being grandiose.

“Shoot when you’re ready.”

[Okay.]

A light flashed from the top of the building opposite. It was as brilliant and hot as if the sunlight had been gathered in one place.

[Firing.]

For a moment, my vision was dyed white. My ears went deaf, and even the sensation of my feet touching the ground was distorted. Soon, the lines of objects returned to my vision, and color spread.

KWAAAAAAANG!

Along with the collapse of a building.

(End of Chapter)