Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Affiliate Labs and Performance Tests
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# 36
"You mentioned the president on the way here, and it jogs my memory. Didn't you say you caused some kind of accident?"
"An accident? So, did you look into what happened?"
"Yeah. Well, nothing out of the ordinary."
It wasn't a particularly complicated story.
The combat machine industry had taken a massive hit from the sudden policy change, but not everyone went under.
In the narrowed market, there were still those scraping by on their superior skills.
The man named Kim from the lobby and his group were like that.
They probably saw this shift as a ray of hope.
If they could just apply Salmon Lab's technology, the combat machines they built could qualify for military contracts too.
But the new technology was a complete monopoly, unlike before.
Salmon Lab held the core tech.
Without this control system that prevented neural parasite infection, even the most advanced tech was useless.
To make matters worse, demand from non-alien sectors had flooded to Salmon Lab as well.
In the end, an absolute monopoly market had formed.
'So they're snapping up desperate people's tech at rock-bottom prices.'
From a business standpoint, it wasn't a bad decision.
It was guaranteed profit—sharing it would just be foolish.
But even if it was efficient business, those on the receiving end had every reason to curse.
"You knew about it?"
"No need to worry about it. Things were bound to go this way."
Fontana spoke in a calm voice.
I was conflicted.
The key was the technology preventing neural parasite contamination.
It wasn't just material engineering—it was a complex interplay of neural chip design and programming.
Considering its impact on the entire process, it accounted for at least 70%.
Even if they released everything else externally, it wouldn't amount to much.
"They might feel hard done by, but there's no helping it. The most we can do is give them a bit more money, but that won't erase all the resentment."
"Hmm..."
I agreed.
That said, we didn't need to hog everything.
The director was worried that releasing the remaining 30% would lead to endless haggling, but that level of hassle was tolerable.
"Let's divide up the roles as far as we can manage."
"Really? It's going to get messy..."
"Then how about this."
"Huh?"
In cases like this, the solution was simple.
Scale up.
Of course, with secrets to protect, we couldn't just hire researchers willy-nilly.
"Bring them in as affiliate labs in exchange for partial equity stakes."
"Affiliate labs?"
"Yes."
"Affiliate labs, huh. You sure? You've been stressing the risk of tech leaks. This is basically opening the door ourselves."
Affiliate labs.
To maintain a subordinate relationship, simple funding wouldn't cut it.
Technical collaboration was essential.
But that opened the door to raw 'information' leaking out.
They'd need a certain level of access rights, and inevitably, some 'information' would slip through somehow.
It would undermine the very reason we'd run Salmon Lab so closed off.
Still, I was confident.
"We can handle that level of risk now. Salmon Lab has real influence these days."
Worst case, I could call on Darmosa for help.
He understood my work better than anyone and wanted things to stay this way.
Plus, after the recent uproar, a lot had changed.
The higher-ups in the Human Alliance wouldn't touch Salmon Lab recklessly—they were being careful on their own.
Ordinary suspicions.
Ordinary greed.
They weren't enough to push against Salmon Lab, which was growing too fast.
"Fewer people bothering us lately, right?"
"Oh, come to think of it... yeah, it's been quieter the last month or two."
"No need to deal with every clueless idiot. Have the ops team weed them out. They won't try anything major."
"Got it."
We'd keep brainstorming the affiliate lab collaboration model.
No need to decide right now—we could watch and see.
"And meet those uncles yourself."
"Do I have to?"
"I promised. They were squeezing out tears... Honestly, aren't they just like you, Director?"
"Like me?"
"Talented scientists who got unlucky with timing and can't shine. Their tech looked pretty impressive."
"Can't shine? I've always shone. I just didn't step forward."
"Fine, I get it. Right?"
"...Ugh, can't ignore the president. Alright~."
Fontana replied with an annoyed look.
'She seems like a big fan. Anyway, she'll handle it.'
My praise for their skills wasn't empty.
Looking at their research outputs, it was clear why they'd clung to life by a thread for decades despite their dire straits.
If random people I'd run into were this good, what about those we actively sought?
'We have plenty of capital. The more top talent we grind into the machine, the better the results.'
Squid's best chewed, engineers shine when burned.
A truth proven by human history.
"Uh... you're making a sneaky face."
"Me? Where? I'm pretty high up even among cadets looks-wise."
"You? Nah, you're more... yeah, you are good-looking."
"Right? Haha."
I wasn't thrilled with the body's previous owner, but the body itself held up anywhere.
Top and bottom.
Augmented humans were the best.
"Good family, rich, talented, handsome too. Ugh, lucky bastard."
"Lucky? I'm the president, you know."
"Presidents contribute to the lab. Ah, since it's like this, contribute. You got time, right?"
"Yes. Planning to stick around the lab till today."
I followed Director Fontana back to the outer sector.
It was the performance testing ground.
The combat androids from earlier tests were already scrapped and piled in a corner.
"You want me to test these?"
"Yeah. We're short on real-combat data."
Lies.
I glared at the slyly grinning director, demanding the truth, but it didn't work.
She justified it with a smug tone instead.
"We've got plenty of anti-alien data. But we're not limited to aliens, right? Orders for personal bodyguard use are pouring in lately. For that, we need data against martial artists..."
"I heard you invited even instructors for tests."
"We did, but more data's always better. Right?"
True enough, but not everything true was welcome.
Still, curiosity won out, so I agreed.
I changed into the gear for detailed data collection and entered the test area.
It resembled a sparring room.
Tough Sode plating covered the inner walls, overlaid with a barrier.
"First up is the humanoid combat android. Main weapons: fixed sword and mid shield."
"For bodyguard duty?"
"Yeah. Feel free to smash it."
The floor soon split open, and a battle android popped out.
A model I'd never seen.
It advanced slowly, shield forward—looked sturdy.
'Let's probe it first.'
I closed in.
As I strode forward, narrowing the gap, it stepped back half a pace and hugged the shield tighter to its upper body.
Fitting for a bodyguard model.
So I threw a punch next.
Just to test.
But it ramped up output and swung its left-hand sword at my arm.
'Reacting like that...?'
Probably because I was unarmed.
I considered taking it easy but decided to trade blows lightly to gauge more.
Not bad.
Solid weight, stable.
But if that was it, it'd be disappointing.
Then, a change.
"Huh?"
Mid-parry on the sword, the shield dropped—and suddenly a laser fired.
Aimed right at my eyes.
I dodged reflexively, and it unleashed a barrage of blinding light like a flashbang chain.
I'd effectively lost my sight.
"How's it feel, Mr. President!"
And it didn't stop at one dirty trick.
A foul-smelling poison gas had filled the air—who knew when it'd been released.
It contained a cheap nerve agent disrupting bodily rhythms.
My deep lung capacity and the treatment fluid handled it fine.
But the deafening noise that followed was harder to endure.
Not just noise.
The kind humans hate most—like nails on a chalkboard, stockpiled for maximum irritation.
If the goal was to piss me off, mission accomplished.
"You bastard!"
No more holding back.
I charged aggressively to smash the combat android.
It hurled the shield at me.
Something felt off, so I dodged instead of blocking—and it exploded at point-blank range.
"Urk...!"
I curled up tight and backed off.
Head a bit dizzy, shrapnel embedded in my left upper body, but no major damage.
"Ha, poison on this too. Sneaky as hell."
"Pffft...!"
I yanked out the debris, licked my finger, and smeared saliva on the wounds.
The shield-less android kept up the sensory assault.
"Definitely effective against humans. Most would be neutralized in a single armor suit."
"Right?"
"What else you hiding?"
"Nothing now."
Not buying it.
Instead of closing in, I hurled a chunk of debris from my body.
As it sworded it away, I circled to its blind spot and chucked another.
Once mine were gone, I scooped floor scraps and threw those too.
It tried agile blocks, but missed 30%—soon pinned and shut down.
"Air this place out."
I shook my hands and demanded.
Fontana replied with a deflated tone.
"That's it? Kinda anticlimactic."
"Clear it fast. Don't wanna know what else you rigged."
"Alright, alright."
Broken armor oozed sticky fluid.
Close quarters would've been trouble.
"This all you prepped to mess with me? Careful—I might do something in my stress."
"Ah, hold on!"
Fontana's voice barked orders over the still-open comms.
At least the next ones seemed legit.
'This was vicious, though.'
Facing multiples would've been dicey.
Humans had too many weaknesses—this fight proved it.
I loosened up as the next opponent rose: a combat spider from the war spider model.
Time to feel it out with my body again.
*
I spent two days total at the lab.
Busy as hell.
Handled backlog, got faces with the researchers.
Briefed the dispatched ops team on my management policy, praised their hard work.
It steadied the floating atmosphere at Salmon Lab, if only briefly.
'This'll do for now.'
Salmon Lab was my home base.
But time was getting tighter.
I needed people.
Capable, meticulous, fiercely loyal.
'Do people like that even exist?'
Unlikely.
Especially with secrets big enough to shake the Human Alliance.
I wouldn't rush, as always.
They'd show up eventually.
More pressing was my next destination.
The top priority for this outing was there.