Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Aeon's Proposal
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"That's a shame you're a fan. I don't think I can chat with a smile on my face today."
"Would you care to explain why?"
"The current situation arose because the military's supply line delivered bioweapons—born from human experimentation—to the garrison."
"Human experimentation? Is that true?"
"You're the one I should be asking. And until the Federation forces prove they're uninvolved in this incident, no military personnel can enter the garrison. We're concerned about evidence tampering."
It was ridiculous for them to say that after we'd already smashed everything to bits, but I got straight to the point.
They had clearly cooked something up to put Saladian in a tough spot.
But whatever it was, our preemptive strike had turned it to dust.
The monster had emerged from the supply line, and these freaks were the same entities as the ones that showed up at the meeting.
'No matter how well they spin their excuses, they can't deny this outright.'
As expected, Murphy didn't respond easily.
He glanced over my shoulder at the interior, now mostly cleaned up, before opening his mouth.
"...I'll need to report to my superiors. I'll be back."
"Hold on."
Saladian stepped forward.
He approached, radiating clear displeasure, and spoke.
"You're trespassing on my garrison and now you want to just leave? Can't have that."
"..."
"Besides, you're all unfamiliar faces. Could there be a colonel on this planet I don't know about? What's your affiliation?"
Saladian seemed ready to throw down right then and there, Federation forces be damned.
But that wouldn't fly.
"We're from the Enforcement Division. We came here to apprehend a criminal. We already sent the official notice."
"The Enforcement Division is under Mus..."
"Ah, right. I remember seeing you alongside Saladian." Saladian shot me a look.
His eyes questioned why I'd suddenly jumped in.
But he played along with my glance.
"............So, did you catch the criminal?"
"Fortunately. We're preparing to transport him now." After a few more exchanges, Murphy and the Enforcement Division agents all left.
The fighter jets circling overhead had vanished long ago.
Once they were gone, Saladian turned to me.
"Why are you covering for those bastards?"
"Didn't I tell you? They don't seem as bad as I thought."
"Bad or not, you just let guys who pulled this crap walk?"
"They're not actually from the Enforcement Division."
"Then what?"
"I'm guessing Aeon."
"...What?"
Saladian stared at me in shock.
Aeon wasn't a name you heard every day.
The organization was seen as Earth's superhuman guardians, but it wasn't even certain they were superhumans, and all their activities were shrouded in secrecy.
They never appeared at official events like the Superhuman Summit, and even when active, they mostly operated under cover identities like just now.
What was certain was their immense influence within the Federation, including the military.
Especially in politics—their sway surpassed even Darmosa's.
Crossing Aeon could make life extremely uncomfortable, even for a superhuman unit leader. It was unwise to pick a fight rashly.
"What the hell would those guys want?"
"That's what we need to figure out from here. Either way, clashing with them gains us nothing. Our goal's basically achieved anyway."
Saladian agreed with me but still looked sour.
'No helping it.'
I'd stepped in because of the monster不安 element, but prying further would be meddling.
I'd done plenty already—and put Saladian in my debt, too.
For now, we should celebrate wrapping up the incident without casualties.
*
The monster issue blew up exactly as we'd planned.
Federation citizens voiced massive concerns and suspicions over bioweapons made from human subjects.
The data we'd compiled and provided helped fuel that.
Releasing just one in a city could rack up ten thousand casualties, or how they exhibited extreme aggression toward humans.
Exaggerated, sure, but obvious enough to stick.
Doubts that the military created the monsters were another hot topic.
The Federation forces initially claimed ignorance.
But it was undeniable fact that the monsters came from a military supply line.
No mega-corp or family, no matter how powerful, could touch a Federation supply vessel.
The flames didn't die down easily.
As suspicions mounted, the Federation forces shifted gears, promising a thorough investigation to root out those involved. They managed to calm public sentiment for the moment.
No telling how much rotten flesh they'd cut away going forward, but I was satisfied with the momentum so far.
Whoever the culprits were, they wouldn't dare deploy monsters lightly now.
It had blown over without casualties this time, but a repeat would demand more than scapegoats.
So I figured I could wash my hands of it.
That is, until I ran into Murphy at the space station where I'd docked to inspect the ship before heading back.
"...Guess it won't be that easy, huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"Not talking to you, Colonel."
Murphy wasn't wearing his visor this time.
His slightly upturned eyes and thick straight brows gave off an air of firm conviction and stubbornness.
"I figured you'd be busy elsewhere. What brings you here?"
"I came to see you. Acting Superhuman Unit Commander Leonard."
"..."
"Let's move somewhere quieter. There's a good spot over there for talking."
I nodded slightly, and Murphy led the way.
I excused myself to Roze and followed.
'Aeon, huh...'
I'd pegged the monsters as Aeon's doing because of Murphy.
He was one of Aeon's rare external operatives.
But Aeon clung to secrecy—extreme acts like creating monsters weren't their style.
If Murphy hadn't shown up, Aeon never would've been on the suspect list. 'Have they shifted tactics? No way. There's no trigger to provoke Aeon yet.'
I needed to talk to him to clarify that, at least.
"I came to see you, Acting Commander, with a single proposal."
"A proposal?"
"Before I get to that, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Murphy, in charge of Aeon's external operations."
Surprisingly, he came out with his true identity right away. "So the Enforcement Division bit...?"
"That's my real identity too. Double cover."
"Why bother with that?"
"That's an Aeon security matter I can't discuss. If not for this proposal, I wouldn't have revealed it today."
"...Fair enough. What were you doing on Diubai Planet? Was 'apprehending a criminal' a lie too?"
"Yes."
He admitted it coolly, no flinch.
Who admits a caught lie so brazenly?
Still, since he'd approached me on friendly terms today, he was forthcoming.
"The truth is, we went to Diubai to track down test subjects. But somehow they knew we were coming and moved them to the garrison ahead of time. Without that chaos, we'd have lost them for good."
"...So that was coincidence too?"
"If you mean our quick arrival at the garrison, yes."
I pieced a few things together from his words.
First off, what I'd thought was a trap was wrong.
Murphy and his team lingering at HQ? They were hunting monsters too—I'd just misunderstood.
No superhuman unit commander's moves tracked that precisely either.
Why stash bioweapons at the Desert Superhuman Unit's ground garrison? Simple: a military figure like Murphy couldn't easily access it.
Who'd suspect bioweapons hidden there, of all places?
"Sorry I couldn't be upfront then. I didn't want to fuel more misunderstandings with you or Commander Saladian."
"..."
"And thanks for the help. It kept things from escalating unnecessarily."
He meant when I'd held Saladian back.
"Aeon really has no ties to the monster creators?"
"Correct."
"Who's behind it?"
"We've narrowed it down. It'll be handled quietly within a week."
Gears clicked into place.
Murphy's appearance had bugged me from the start, but now the puzzle fit.
Aeon resorting to radical monster-making? Nonsense.
"If that's true, good."
"Soon there'll be a major personnel shuffle. Watch for it—you'll see I'm not lying."
"You'll need to clear up Commander Saladian's misunderstanding too."
"We'll handle that separately."
I nodded.
No reason not to trust him after laying it all out.
If he was lying, that'd be a huge mess—but that's not my problem.
"So, this proposal?"
"It's a form of partnership. Starting with intel sharing, up to manpower and knowledge. Just accommodate us when we ask for something feasible."
"Even if I make requests?"
"Mutual, of course."
This deal favored me hands-down.
Aeon's influence dwarfed mine.
They could do far more for me than vice versa.
"What makes you think I'd agree?"
"We've observed you closely for a long time. We've concluded your existence is vital to the Federation's survival. That's why."
"..."
"This judgment factors in not just your personal abilities, but those around you too."
"You investigated my circle? That's unsettling."
"No malicious intent—rest assured."
He wasn't mincing words anymore.
'That much is true, at least.'
Aeon wanted the Federation intact for their goals.
More precisely, humanity's survival was easier with the Federation around.
In the original story, after the Federation fractured, Aeon united the splinter groups.
"But words alone won't build trust. So I brought a gift."
I'd already been sold.
But "gift" shut me up.
Murphy pulled out a key and a memory chip from his pocket.
The chip looked standard, but the key resembled a ship's master key.
R3D3 read the chip and briefed me.
"Ownership and operating rights to the Raplasia Planet space tourism colony?"
"I hear the Lachesis family recently relocated there. It's become a white elephant for us—hope you put it to good use."
Just tossing this as a gift?
I couldn't hide my shock staring at the colony specs on my retina display.
This was a large-scale colony.
Capacity for a million people, packed with tourist attractions and amenities fitting the purpose.
R3D3 noted rumors: some tycoon built it for the stunning Raplasia views, only for the front lines to form right next door, tanking it.
Even bankrupt, it wasn't cheap. Talk about a big swing.
'With this...'
Not just the Lachesis family—we could house plenty of other refugees.
Tourism might be off the table with Styx front looming, but war profiteering was viable.
Even as a space station, it'd pay off.
I caught myself coveting the gift already.