Chapter 194 : The Player
“What happened?”
As soon as I met Hazel, I got straight to the point. It was news I had been waiting for that much. It had also taken longer than I thought, to the point where my patience had worn thin. Still, if I had obtained the information I wanted, it was a worthwhile wait.
“It wasn’t easy.”
Hazel was unusually serious. It wasn’t her usual one-screw-loose seriousness, but a tense atmosphere, as if she were conducting a secret mission.
“Was there some kind of mental barrier installed in his head?”
Among those who handled confidential information, there were often cases where such procedures were performed in preparation for the afterlife. Alfonso was a professional agent for a large corporation. He was a person who was well-versed in their intimate secrets. It would not have been strange if he had taken measures in advance to enhance his credibility.
“That, and there was external pressure.”
So it had come to that. He had mentioned his friendship with the Public Security Bureau, and it was needless to say that he had built friendships with prominent corporations. It was just as I had feared at first, so I waited for the rest of his words without any change in my feelings.
“But at least I found out who instigated Shadowfang.”
Most of all, Hazel was not a person who would bow to such external pressure. I had entrusted the investigation to her because I knew she would push through with her convictions.
“Centream.”
Hazel uttered a single heavy word. Then she glanced at me and tilted her head.
“……? You’re not surprised?”
“I expected it.”
“Then you didn’t need to ask for an investigation.”
“Guessing and making a claim with actual evidence are different things.”
Even Drexier had been cautious and had not acted rashly when he heard that Centream was the mastermind behind the instigation of the veterans. Since I had a reason to be hostile to Centream, I had to be even more obsessed with justification and evidence.
“Now, what is the Public Security Bureau going to do? Even if it’s Centream, they’ve crossed the line, so they have to be punished at the city level.”
There was no way the city government didn’t know that the megacorps were aiming for them from behind. Even if they pretended that plotting in the dark was just a matter of free imagination, it was a different story if they actually put it into action.
This was a clear act of insubordination, where a megacorp had challenged the authority of the city government. Although the city government tried to avoid conflict as much as possible, they could not overlook this.
Was there a reason why something that had succeeded once could not be done twice? If Centream got away with it after starting it, other megacorps would also challenge the authority of the city government.
To prevent this, the city government had to take a firm stance. And if the atmosphere flowed in that direction, it was a golden opportunity for me.
I could ride the flow, strike Centream, and recover the spirit’s cocoons they possessed.
“Hmm.”
But Hazel trailed off without giving a clear answer. It was an unexpected reaction.
“Why are you silent?”
I’m sure she didn’t just rush out to tell me the results of the interrogation and hadn’t heard the results of the meeting on how the Public Security Bureau would respond. No matter how much of a screw-up Hazel was, could she be that bad?
“Shall we talk about this later?”
There was a person who came in, kicking the door open. An eye patch covering one eye and a woman wearing a bulletproof vest. It was Reina, the military’s broker.
“Long time no see. Were you the one who arranged this meeting?”
“Of course. This glutton wouldn’t have such thoughtfulness.”
“……”
Hazel didn’t refute it, as it was a fact, not a slander.
“Seeing as you, a broker, have stepped forward, it seems the Public Security Bureau is planning to crush Centream with a large-scale operation that even mobilizes contractors.”
It was the same as the Al-Raid subjugation operation in which I had received a request from the Public Security Bureau. And Centream was a corporation of such a huge scale that it was embarrassing to compare it to Al-Raid.
The employment of contractors was a natural process.
“Half right, half wrong.”
“……?”
Reina smoked a liquid cigarette without even asking for permission. The hazy steam rose in puffs, obscuring her troubled expression.
“It’s true that they’re trying to hire contractors through me, but it’s wrong to say that the Public Security Bureau is going to move directly and carry out a large-scale operation.”
“Even if you put it that way, I still don’t understand.”
“The Public Security Bureau will not strike Centream. To be precise, they can’t.”
The cartridge was crushed in Reina’s hand.
“The higher-ups blocked it. Because of that, there was a big uproar within the Public Security Bureau. It’s still ongoing.”
“Is it even plausible that the higher-ups of the Public Security Bureau are covering up and being adamant about a challenge to the city government?”
The case was different from when external pressure had come in during Alfonso’s interrogation. It was impossible to block the revealed content from reaching the councilor’s ears.
The moment the interrogation results came out, a report would have been made to the city government faster than Hazel could have informed me. The Public Security Bureau was just a sword that moved according to the city government’s decision.
As such, whether the higher-ups refused or not, they were in a position where they had to follow if the councilor ordered it from the city government.
“It’s the opposite. The public opinion of the Public Security Bureau is, of course, that they should be punished. It’s the city government that’s putting pressure on them to stay put.”
“……How did that happen?”
“What do you think? Our corrupt councilors have not only taken bribes until their stomachs burst, but they’ve also sold their pride.”
“Doesn’t it make no sense to forgive a corporation that has put a knife to their own necks just because they took bribes?”
“Logically, it should be like that, but it seems reality is not like that.”
A deep contempt was mixed in with Reina’s sneering laugh.
“Fortunately, not all the councilors are spouting nonsense as if they’ve been shot in the head. The council has been split in half. One side is making a fuss about striking Centream, and the other is opposing it, saying they should deal with it cautiously. It’s absurd that I have to express this as a fortunate thing.”
“So the Public Security Bureau can’t move because the city government can’t issue an order because their opinions are not united.”
“You got it right.”
And that commotion would probably not be resolved in a short time.
‘Was this the basis for Centream’s confidence?’
If they had won over half of the councilors, it was understandable that they would be confident. On the other hand, it was also frightening.
It meant that if they hadn’t experienced several failures recently, they could have taken over the entire city government. If that had actually happened, it would have been a truly terrible thing for me.
“I understand that the Public Security Bureau can’t step in. But according to you, isn’t it meaningless to hire contractors? It’s not like you know what conclusion the city government will come to, so it’s just to prepare for later.”
“The organization of the Public Security Bureau can’t move, but it can’t control the personal movements of its members. Especially in the case of a security officer, they have the authority to move without the permission of their superiors.”
It was one of the privileges that a security officer had. This privilege of not being disciplined even if they investigated without permission was also the reason why Hazel could move according to her own convictions.
“And if it’s Hazel, who is notorious for being a troublemaker even among the security officers, it wouldn’t be strange if she caused some kind of unexpected action.”
“So it’s not the Public Security Bureau, but the security officers who will punish Centream.”
“We’re trying to set the stage like that. We can’t just let a tumor that’s eating away at the city be, can we? There’s a limit, but it’s much better than just sitting around and watching.”
Although she was a former military officer, Reina was an outsider, and Hazel was the type to act first before planning. In other words, this was a stage set by the Public Security Bureau.
It meant that they would make Centream pay the price one way or another. It was a relief that the worst-case scenario seemed to have been avoided.
“If the Public Security Bureau has decided to move like that, it would be better to act as quickly as possible.”
“Do you know something?”
“It’ll probably be reported soon, but to tell you in advance, Centream is preparing to terrorize the city by moving the veterans. If you miss the first move, you’ll be in trouble.”
“What? What are you talking about…”
Just as Reina was about to ask for details.
A deafening roar struck the area. The building shook as if there was an earthquake, and the furniture inside was overturned and rolled around, creating a mess.
Fortunately, no one was hurt. Reina, like a former military officer, crouched under the desk to take cover, and Hazel immediately drew her gun and guarded the surroundings.
I shattered the half-broken window and went behind them. The screams of the citizens tearing through their ears, the cracked and collapsed buildings, the smoke rising in puffs.
The outside was a scene of chaos. In a city that was immune to most accidents due to inter-organizational disputes or corporate conflicts, it was unlikely that such a big commotion would be caused by just an explosion.
The roar and vibration continued without end. Explosions were happening simultaneously and continuously in several places.
This was not called an accident.
“Centream finally made the first move.”
Terrorism.
***
Demian Graham’s eyes were fixed on the TV. All the screens were broadcasting different channels without overlapping. But even if the channels were all different, the screen that was visible was the same.
It was a scene of Demian’s speech.
[…….]
The sound was not turned on. Since the man on the screen was himself, there was no need to hear what speech he had given.
What was important was that his speech was spreading throughout the city.
“How is the public opinion?”
“They are generally expressing sympathy. Following the Shadowfang, and now this terror, the security of the city has been threatened twice in a row, so they are questioning and denouncing the city government’s rule.”
“That’s a relief. The veterans did a good job.”
Explosions had occurred in various parts of Gellerg City. The scale of the damage was enormous, to the point where even the city’s core infrastructure, including the underground sewers, had been hit.
It was a work of Centream, achieved by supporting and instigating the veterans.
“Yes, with this, the city government will not be able to question us about the Shadowfang case.”
They had already won over nearly half of the councilors and made them their allies. In addition to that, even the terror of the veterans.
The possibility of the city government being hostile to Centream had completely disappeared with this.
“Let’s control the city’s unrest and introduce a vigilante system. Ultimately, so that we can replace the Public Security Bureau.”
If they legally seized military power, there would be nothing to hold them back from then on. The pendulum of power in this city would swing from the city government to Centream.
It was the moment they finally seized the hegemony of the city.
“But even if the city government doesn’t, other companies will definitely interfere.”
“Unfortunately, that’s something we have to endure.”
He had no intention of causing trouble so quickly. The problem was that Alfonso had died and, as feared, the Public Security Bureau had revealed that Centream was the mastermind.
He had to make the first move. The backlash from other corporations was an unavoidable side effect in the process of rushing things.
“Even so, we are at an advantage.”
He had led the flow that would shake the city government’s ruling system. Other corporations could not reverse this flow.
At best, they could only ride on it. Centream’s preparations were not so sloppy that they would fall behind in the competition with them.
“This time, we won’t be held back by the interference of some insignificant things.”
Especially the contractor named Allen. As much as he had interfered in important phases as a mere contractor, they had also prepared countermeasures for him.
“Phew.”
It was just a little bit until he achieved his lifelong aspiration. Demian smiled, immersed in a sense of superiority, as if this city was already in his hands.
***
“We have to settle things with Centream this time.”
Claire said, looking down at Demian’s image on the TV screen.
“If it’s between us, you’ll naturally join us, right?”
(End of Chapter)