Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Way Back (1)
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Union Solutions, an energy company located in the commercial district of downtown Omega Detroit.
It was a mid-sized firm handling everything from the production of natural gas to distribution, supply chain construction and operations, and even the refining and sale of various byproducts.
From one corner of the upper floors of its headquarters building—adorned with such a reputable name—came a sudden bellow.
"Hey, you brainless idiot! If you screw up cleaning this mess, you'd better brace yourself for your performance review, got it?!"
Only after taking a full barrage of abuse did the middle-aged man cautiously close the director's office door behind him.
'Damn that boomer asshole.'
His name was Michael, an employee at Union Solutions serving as the overall manager for facility operations and maintenance.
To put it in more familiar terms, yeah, something like the head of the facilities team.
In fact, a department head at a mid-sized company like this was treated like elite talent even in this city.
But right now, he was just another office drone getting cussed out and kicked in the shins by his boss.
"Hoo... fuck."
Michael irritably straightened his disheveled clothes and let out a deep sigh.
The subordinate who had been anxiously waiting outside the office glanced at his expression and asked carefully.
"Um... Manager, are you okay?"
"Do I look okay?"
"......"
"What are you standing around for? Follow me!"
"Yes, sir!"
The two men crossed the office hallway and waited for the descending elevator.
The subordinate, fidgeting at the sight of his boss's foul mood, ventured cautiously again.
"That... did the director give any special instructions about this incident?"
Michael sighed once more, his face a clear picture of exhaustion and irritation.
"How many years have you been at this company, and you're still asking shit like that? The accident site's out in the boonies anyway, so he said handle it like always."
"Still, with that much gas leaked, we should at least do a basic damage assessment..."
As the subordinate trailed off with a half-hearted objection, Michael shot him a pitiful look.
"You think I don't know that? That bums around there might've choked on the gas and dropped dead—who do you think doesn't get that? But the higher-ups say treat it like it never happened. Stop being so dense and just do what you're told. Remember: if no one makes an issue of it, it's not an issue."
Even then, seeing the subordinate still hesitate, Michael irritably smacked the back of his head with his palm.
"Get your head straight. Who's gonna do that investigation? You planning to waltz in there yourself? Use your brain for once. What do you think that neighborhood's like right now? It's already a crime-ridden hellhole, and now a massive accident on top of it—where do you think that rage is headed? Poke around as an outsider at a time like this, and nine times out of ten, you'll catch a bullet first."
At those words, the subordinate finally paled in realization.
Yeah, when he thought about it, that made sense. The outskirts were already shaky on security, and now the locals might've lost their homes or families overnight.
Their anger might not reach the gleaming corporate HQs in the city center, but it would sure as hell land on any half-assed investigators sniffing around the site.
Michael patted his subordinate's shoulder and gave one final warning.
"So... delete all the maintenance team dispatch logs and related management data. And keep the rest of the staff's mouths shut tight. As for the CCTV footage there... I'll handle getting a hacker I know to wipe it later. Tell everyone not to stick their noses where they don't belong. As long as we don't draw attention, we're good. And you—don't want to get dragged into security's audit room, do you? I trust you'll play it smart."
The subordinate could only nod frantically, looking scared out of his wits.
Like this, a single word from the top was all it took.
Even if hundreds died, it could all be swept under the rug without a single investigation.
That was why everyone in this city feared the name of 'corporation.'
This incident was no different. Anything unfavorable to the company simply ceased to exist.
But sometimes, that thoroughness led to unintended consequences.
With no investigation or clarification of the event whatsoever, the eyewitness accounts of the 'miracle' lingered only as rumors among the back-alley locals.
Unexpected luck from someone's perspective, no doubt.
Whether it was a fortunate coincidence or inevitable... well, probably only the gods above would know.
========
The company in question completely ignored the gas leak incident.
Even though it stemmed from their own mismanagement, they refused to take any responsibility, acting with utter disdain.
They knew full well the slums on the outskirts had no means to protest.
In this city, the weak weren't even granted the bare minimum chance to voice injustice.
And our church was still... no different, just another weakling.
Let's look at it in realistic numbers for a moment.
The difference in total production per unit area between the city center and the outskirts was dozens of times over.
A gap wider than between a developed nation and a third-world country.
The megacorporations that dominated the downtown economically, politically, and socially were in a league far beyond back-alley thugs or mafia outfits—comparison was pointless. With capital, connections, judicial sway, and raw firepower all in their grip, they were the rulers of this society.
So they were opponents we couldn't challenge recklessly yet—and shouldn't.
This incident just drove one fact home for me.
'We need... a bigger, stronger fence than what we have now.'
I realized that if we stayed this pathetic—trampled unilaterally and treated like we never existed—we couldn't protect anyone or anything properly.
So no more coasting on the present. It was time to steadily bulk up the church's weight class.
Naturally, my personal routine would get busier too.
No more leisurely part-time gigs like before.
Which was why... for one last goodbye, I'd just arrived at the pizza shop.
"........"
Pushing open the familiar shop door, I sensed the bustling presence near the counter.
Ding-a-ling—
"Welcome!"
The boss lady greeted energetically, then spotted me and went wide-eyed. Her gaze darted between my face and the empty air before her pupils dilated, eyes spinning like crazy.
"Uh, u-um... E-Eve, th-that is... E-Eve... N-no, S-Saintess?"
The boss lady seemed torn between treating me like her cute part-timer or revering me as the miracle-working saintess worshipped by crowds.
Watching her, I thought to myself.
'Actually, our boss lady's kinda oblivious, huh.'
Sales had spiked suspiciously one day, and the problem customers who used to hassle the place vanished clean—yet she'd just smiled innocently and been thrilled.
Sometimes I wondered if she was playing dumb on purpose, but this reaction suggested she'd truly been clueless all along.
Look at her now—not even meeting my eyes, jerking around like a broken robot.
Leave her like this, and she'd glitch for hours, so I sighed lightly and reached out.
I took her frozen hand and guided it to my cheek.
She'd always loved stroking my cheeks for their soft feel.
Drawn in, she absentmindedly fondled my cheek with her familiar touch, then snapped to and called my name.
"Eve...?"
"Yes, boss lady. It's me. Treat me like old times, easygoing."
At my gentle reply, she finally seemed to regain a bit of composure.
But still in a dazed voice, as if it all felt unreal, she muttered.
"Our cute little Eve... was really the saintess... My God..."
She hadn't known, but apparently, she'd been one of the people collapsed at the church during the gas leak.
She'd witnessed my miracle firsthand, and for days after, she'd been confused if it was a dream or reality.
"You feeling okay?"
"Yeah, thanks to you, Eve. I really owe you."
After exchanging light check-ins like old times, I cautiously got to the point.
"Boss lady, truth is... I came to say goodbye. And to thank you for everything."
She wasn't surprised—I'd texted ahead about quitting the part-time job.
She just gave a slightly wistful smile.
"Yeah, I should be the one thanking you. Customers flocked here thanks to you."
The boss lady confessed she'd expected me to quit soon after starting, figuring I'd go into modeling or something.
"But I thought it'd be debuting as a model or entertainer or whatever. Who'd have guessed this..."
Still shaking her head in disbelief, she looked at me warmly and said.
"Even with church work keeping you busy, drop by sometime. Pizzas on the house. Our cute saintess is always welcome."
No matter what I was called or became, her warm heart stayed the same—and a bright smile bloomed on my face too.
"Yes! I will! I'll text often!"
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Ahead of the church's full expansion, the pizza shop part-time wasn't the only personal loose end.
There was one more important matter left.
Knock knock—
A light knock echoed at the church office door. I paused my work and replied.
"Come in."
The figure who appeared from the slowly opening door was Fixer Kayla—the first connection I'd made in this strange world, and someone I hadn't seen in ages.
"Eve, long time no see. Doing well? Heard you pulled off something huge this time."
Kayla strode into my office with her usual brisk tone.
"Ahaha... It just kinda happened."
I gave an awkward smile and exchanged brief greetings.
Soon, Kayla lounged on the sofa and cut straight to it.
"I tore through the academic databases as requested, hit up closed libraries that might have relevant records, even went door-to-door at grad schools in the city interviewing professors in the field."
The reason she'd come to the church herself? I'd commissioned her for something crucial not long ago.
And now, it seemed the results were in.
Kayla placed a small data chip on the table.
"Never imagined I'd set foot in dusty old places like that. Gave me a real fresh experience."
To reiterate, she was a fixer. An ace investigator who excelled at digging up needed intel during missions.
She might not analyze or comprehend expert knowledge herself, but at aggregating existing info and spotting leads within it, she outshone any layperson.
If even she couldn't find it on commission, my abilities never would've uncovered it.
'That's why I trusted her with it.'
I swallowed dryly in unconscious tension as Kayla continued.
"So, about that investigation you requested—[Analysis of the Existence of Other Worlds and Practical Feasibility of Dimensional Travel]... Stripping away all the fancy theories, pretty much every professor I talked to boiled it down to one conclusion."
Yes. What I'd tasked her with before was...
Whether I could truly go home—to my original world—and the odds of it.
"........"
With the answer right before me, my heart began to pound fiercely.