Chapter 405: Custom Order (1)

Graham Campbell, Technical Strategy Team Leader for Achilles.

He was an Archmage-level shock sorcerer who had reached level 7, and at the same time, a formidable combatant who fearlessly modified his own body with the company’s technical equipment.

Whatever life he had lived to reach this point, it was clear that he possessed abilities well-suited to his power and position.

His decision to boldly put the level 7 Word Sorcerer—one of the greatest forces brought here today to confront Lennok—at the forefront.

Even his attitude of focusing on system construction and functional verification, to the point of completely consuming himself and all other combatants.

Regardless of whether his method was efficient and correct, it was evident that such decisiveness and bold judgment ran deep within Graham’s character.

Lennok closed his eyes, trying his best to empathize with Graham, but…

“…As expected, I don’t really empathize. If it were me, I would have either been much more cautious or taken an extremely aggressive approach.”

“Master, I told you that process isn’t really necessary.”

“It’s the process of digitizing a person’s entire memory and accessing a database. I think it’s worth trying, if only to control the recoil after the connection is complete.”

At the final moment of the battle with Graham Campbell.

Lennok partially deployed Davi’s Cyber-Domain using the system’s power, then miniaturized the system itself and slammed it directly into Graham’s head.

It wouldn’t have been strange if his brain had completely cooked from the excessive information, but surprisingly, Graham merely collapsed with a blank expression, maintaining a perfectly normal complexion.

Using Davi’s transcendent computational ability, Graham’s entire cerebral cortex was scanned, and the system was miniaturized by adjusting the permissible information volume.

Then, Achilles’ system was temporarily installed inside his thought circuits, replacing his human consciousness.

It was an absurd and preposterous notion, not only in the physical realm but also in terms of magical formulae.

However, within this Dream Reality Transference, where reality and the Cyber-Domain overlap even slightly, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Though it was a partially deployed Domain, it was unequivocally a gap between reality and virtuality, manifested by fully premising the potential of a cyber-spirit.

Within that space, even the out-of-the-ordinary feat of traversing life and the Cyber-Domain to interfere with data from another dimension becomes somewhat possible under specific conditions.

“232 access points detected. Data packet replacement in progress. Initiating intrusion into Achilles HQ security network.”

Thump!!

A gigantic three-tailed fox with its large front paw placed on Graham’s forehead.

Along with Davi’s words, Graham’s upper body, which had been lying blankly, staring at the rainy sky, jolted significantly.

At the same time, thousands of complex programming languages appeared over his eyes, rapidly scrolling across his retina.

“Access granted. Biometric authentication: Graham Campbell. Verified as HQ executive. Opening HQ database.”

“Gah…!!”

Graham’s face foamed at the mouth and convulsed violently.

Lennok watched his expression intently, raising a shield above his head to block the pouring rain.

“We need to finish before his basic life responses completely stop. You understand, right?”

“Of course.”

Davi, who had been playfully patting Lennok’s head with her three bushy tails, replied with a confident voice.

“It’s my first time connecting an organic body to a network as a terminal, but simulations are all complete. At this speed, we can finish everything before Achilles’ higher-ups detect us.”

The reason Lennok went to such lengths to extract information, rather than simply killing Graham Campbell.

It was to turn Graham himself into a living terminal and directly access Achilles’ powerful security network.

As a company that prided itself on security, Achilles’ network firewall was so strong that even Davi found it difficult to breach head-on.

That’s why Lennok planned to use Graham’s biometric information, as one of Achilles’ executives, to infiltrate the network and extract information.

Although the process changed slightly due to the presence of the spell-based defense system, they successfully landed on their originally intended objective.

“Final approval complete. Search code: Madrich Onnion. Commencing acquisition of network access terminal coordinates!”

“Hehegh…!!”

Downloading and extracting all information within a security network takes a long time and is an absurdly difficult task to accomplish right here and now.

However, throwing a search code into the network and identifying the location of the terminals that respond to it is something Graham’s authority can quickly achieve.

For something within Achilles to respond to the code ‘Madrich Onnion’ itself was tantamount to extracting a list of those deeply involved in this matter.

Davi perked her ears and instantly began to backtrack the coordinates of the internal network terminals, sending them to Lennok’s phone.

Beep, beep, beep!!!

Lennok, who had been meticulously checking the terminal information scrolling across his phone’s message screen, suddenly furrowed his brow.

“This is…”

“Network firewall reversal confirmed, coordinate backtracking is coming in…!! Terminating connection. 3, 2, 1…!!”

Thud!!

Immediately after Davi counted down and lifted her front paw from Graham’s forehead, Graham, who had been foaming at the mouth and convulsing, rolled his eyes back and passed out.

Lennok suppressed his body with mana threads, then pulled out his phone.

“Panua, are you still watching?”

“…Confirmed.”

She too seemed a little bewildered, as if she didn’t quite understand the current situation.

“It seems the battle ended some time ago. Can we proceed with cleanup…?”

“I had some information to extract personally. It’s all done, so you don’t need to worry.”

Lennok put his phone back into his coat pocket and chuckled.

“If all goes well, we might be able to pull out some key City Government figures involved in this matter.”

“Oh, I see… If there’s anything I can help with, please let me know anytime.”

“For now, I plan to hand over the interrogation to the Cartel. I’d like to ask you to handle that part, if that’s alright?”

“No problem. Once we secure material evidence that Achilles was involved, we’ll have enough leverage to put up a fight within the City Council.”

Panua’s voice suddenly turned cold.

“You’ve worked incredibly hard today. We will ensure the reward after everything is settled will be more than satisfactory.”

“…Handle it without rushing. Through this incident, I want to secure a list of individuals within the City Council who were directly involved in the Black Consumer Project. I hope that process isn’t significantly disrupted.”

“Of course.”

Lennok hung up the phone and sighed, looking up.

No sooner had he finished communicating with Panua than sirens began wailing throughout the streets, and he could feel police cars and fire trucks approaching.

This incident would be disguised as the collapse of Dyke Corp.’s first branch due to a construction error, and under the pretext of rescuing the involved parties, they would naturally be dragged to the Cartel’s basement.

Now that they had secured material evidence linking these individuals to Achilles and the City Government, there was nothing left for Lennok to do immediately.

He simply needed to disappear from the street.

Lennok concluded this and immediately moved into the dark alley.

As the wizard’s figure slowly faded into the alley, the red and blue siren lights became clearer through the dust.

“You failed?”

“Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a failure… but it seems they were determined on their side too.”

“…”

“We succeeded in collapsing Dyke Corp.’s first branch as planned, but none of the execution personnel are reachable. It appears everyone was incapacitated during the engagement with Adamant Thunder.”

“Call the CEO.”

“What are you planning to do…?”

“Pick someone suitable to take the fall and have them appear. I’ll contact the judge directly.”

With Madrich Onnion’s connections, who had served as the head of the judicial system for decades, it wouldn’t be difficult to assign appropriate charges and smooth things over.

The voice belonged not to Madrich himself, but to one of the councilmen attending to him, yet even that alone allowed for limitless possibilities.

“You can’t even handle one simple thing and make things hard for—”

Click!!

At that moment, the dark room was brightly illuminated, and someone walked in.

The man with a thick build, revealed by the light, bellowed at the sudden illumination.

“Which bastard is this!! I told you repeatedly not to turn on the lights so carelessly…!!”

“Councilman Giuseppe. It’s our first time meeting in person, isn’t it?”

The deep voice was abruptly cut off by the unexpected soft words of an old man.

Giuseppe, turning his head with an annoyed expression, saw an elderly man.

On his left shoulder was the emblem of the Audit Bureau, given only to five out of all the Lower House councilmen.

Only then did Giuseppe recognize his counterpart, and his expression twisted greatly.

“John Meyer…”

“So the rumor that you spend all day holed up in a dark room engrossed in strange activities was true.”

Meyer, the old man, looked down at Giuseppe’s face and smiled greedily, then asked.

“You’re still quite young, aren’t you? Why not go out and exercise? Or perhaps there’s a reason you can’t leave this room?”

Meyer’s lips stretched into a long, thin line.

“I hope the rumor about you gaining an unnatural youth by sucking vampire blood isn’t true.”

“…”

Giuseppe gulped, put down the phone he was holding, and forced a smile.

“…It may seem strange to Councilman Meyer that I’m still in my prime, but I’m getting to an age where my strength is waning. I simply lack the energy to attend the Central Council every day.”

“Is that so?”

“So, I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from such terrible rumors about vampires and bloodsucking… It’s utterly disgusting just to hear it.”

Giuseppe waved his hand and asked.

“So, what brings the Lower House’s rising star, who prevented the Defense Force’s rebellion, to my mansion? Have you come to boast about receiving the Audit Bureau’s cap?”

Meyer seemed to half-listen to Giuseppe’s words, then scanned the room he was in.

A messy room, strewn with greasy snacks and strong liquor. But nowhere in the vast room was there a window for ventilation.

Then, Meyer noticed the faint, flickering eyes behind Giuseppe’s flushed face. Reading a reddish aura within them, Meyer smirked.

“No. I’ve merely come to work. I’ve personally obtained information that could jeopardize the city’s safety, you see.”

“…What?”

“Do you know anything about the recent string of terrorist attacks against Dyke Corp.?”

Lennok held the phone, listening to the voice on the other end.

“It was much easier than I thought. He’s an amateur who doesn’t even know how much he should lie.”

“Is that so?”

“Just shake him a little more, and he’ll stumble and spill some useful information.”

Meyer chuckled, sounding satisfied.

“I never imagined I’d be able to arrest a fellow councilman so soon after getting the Audit Bureau’s plaque. This is thanks to you.”

“Though it’s related to the Black Consumer Project, I never expected you to step forward so readily for this matter.”

Lennok, who was watching the street scene through the window, replied.

“Considering who’s behind this, it’s highly unlikely to be beneficial for you, Councilman.”

It wasn’t an empty compliment.

Meyer, who had formally inherited a council seat, couldn’t possibly be unaware of Madrich Onnion’s standing among the City Government’s high-ranking officials.

Despite the fact that confronting Madrich, who wielded powerful influence over the City Council through various connections even after stepping down from his official position, would essentially mean making an enemy of him, Meyer readily accepted Lennok’s call and directly raided the councilman.

As a result, they caught circumstantial evidence that Councilman Giuseppe Collini had been in close contact with Achilles Inc.

Meyer, using the authority of the Audit Bureau, temporarily suspended all of Lower House Councilman Giuseppe Collini’s powers and placed him under house arrest.

Lennok himself was slightly impressed by Meyer’s decisiveness, as he handled all of this in just 48 hours.

But upon hearing Lennok’s words, Meyer burst into hearty laughter.

-Hahahaha! You only think that way because you don’t understand the nature of this field.

“What do you mean?”

-It means that me being at odds with the former Chief Justice right now isn’t that important.

Meyer chuckled meaningfully and continued.

-What’s important is that by taking charge of this matter, I draw attention to myself, not only within the City Council but also from public opinion outside.

“…”

-It doesn’t matter what the newspaper headlines say. ‘Rebellion of the Old Newcomer,’ ‘Rampage of the Impudent Audit Bureau,’ ‘City Council’s Messy Disregard for Former Officials’… As long as my name is firmly imprinted in the minds of Vulcan’s citizens.

“Is that so.”

-A councilman who directly takes action, regardless of success or failure. Having this image imprinted is enough. This city has been slowly rotting for too long, to the point where it’s losing its self-sustaining ability.

Meyer said that, then laughed with a voice full of conviction.

-Whatever happens later, they’ll know it’ll be difficult to easily cast aside a councilman who takes such a stance. That old Chief Justice couldn’t possibly be unaware that there are no enemies or allies within the council.

Did he truly believe that even if he made an enemy of Madrich right now, they could change their stance at any time depending on their mutual interests?

Lennok understood what Meyer was saying and nodded.

“You wish to achieve a stature that makes it difficult to push you out of the game.”

-I knew you’d understand right away. The more people perceive me as someone who takes big risks, the harder it will be for other councilmen to push me out.

The old man’s greedy laughter echoed through the phone.

-Even the Elder Council, who observe everything from the top of this city.

“…”

He had heard rumors.

The Central Council, which held all administrative power in the megacity.

Among the Senators who stood at its apex, only a select few powerful figures could occupy the Elder Council.

The fact that Meyer directly mentioned the absurd rumor that all acts of electing and serving as the city’s mayor were carried out by the Elder Council’s hands,

It was as good as saying that it wasn’t just an absurd rumor.

-By then, wouldn’t I be able to hear directly from those people what happened during the project? Apart from helping you, I have my own way. And I believe this path is not mistaken.

“I understand.”

Even at his advanced age, near the end of his life, where did that sharp judgment and insatiable greed come from?

Lennok still didn’t think Meyer was a good person, or someone who would always be helpful to him.

But it was clear that every time he conversed with Meyer, Lennok was forced to reflect on himself in a different way.

-I apologize, but I can’t talk for long. Even as I’m speaking with you now, my other phone is ringing off the hook.

“Understood. I’ll contact you again soon.”

-Because I wielded the Audit Bureau’s authority so boldly, the Senate will have a headache too. It’ll take some time to sort this out, and the City Council’s internal information network will be paralyzed to some extent.

Meyer chuckled.

-You know what I mean, right?

It would take some time for Madrich to properly receive information about the current situation.

If they could find his hiding place and turn the tables before that, it would be enough.

Meyer was openly informing Lennok of that fact.

Lennok hung up the call, rummaged for a cigarette in his pocket, and let out a satisfied sigh.

‘Should I call it luck…?’

The fact that a Lower House councilman was among the terminals tracked using Graham Campbell’s access authority.

And that John Meyer readily extended a helping hand upon hearing the story was hard to consider a mere coincidence.

He had never imagined that the connection started from a pharmaceutical company’s referral would lead this far, or that it would be helpful in this way.

Especially at this moment, when information within the City Council was relatively scarce, Meyer’s presence was proving helpful to Lennok in many ways.

Even as he deeply realized this, Lennok’s expression was not entirely pleased.

‘He’s certainly not naive. Someday, he’ll expect payment for his goodwill.’

They were only cooperating and wishing each other success because their goals aligned in uncovering the project, but he knew that the means could change at any time.

He always had to be aware that even if Meyer was a great help now, their relationship could someday turn worse than an enemy’s.

As Lennok thought this, he put the cigarette in his mouth and was about to flick a spark with his finger, when

“Excuse me… smoking is prohibited inside the building.”

A very polite voice came from right beside him.

“…”

Lennok, looking embarrassed, naturally put the cigarette away and scratched his cheek.

“My apologies. I was just lost in thought for a moment…”

“Not at all, Mr. Van. There’s a smoking area on the rooftop; I can guide you there if you’d like.”

The employee, turning around with a smile, continued.

“It seems it will take some more time for the additional options for your bike to be completed.”

Behind him was the curious sight of various metal plates and mechanical parts floating complexly in the air, assembling themselves magnetically.

The monster bike Lennok had custom-ordered from Otterville through Sebastian’s connections.

Lennok himself had arrived at the site to acquire a new bike after his previous one was destroyed in the Hanghasa Labyrinth.

“Mr. Sebastian and the CEO are also there, I believe.”

“…Alright. Let’s go up.”

Taking the elevator to the rooftop, he saw two people sitting opposite each other in a smoking area inside a large glass booth.

A middle-aged man with a somewhat relaxed demeanor and Sebastian.

Sebastian, realizing Lennok had arrived, immediately waved, and the middle-aged man abruptly stood up.

“Van, over here. You’re a bit later than I expected?”

“I was watching them adjust the bike’s options. I was thinking of taking it once it was finished, but it’s taking some time.”

“It’s because your requested options are exceptionally difficult. The CEO here says there are many new technologies being introduced for the first time, so it’ll take longer to combine them.”

Sebastian said, pointing at the middle-aged man who stood waiting for Lennok.

“This is Victor Essien, the CEO and founder of Otterville. We’ve known each other for quite a long time. Please say hello.”

“I’ve truly wanted to meet you.”

Victor firmly grasped Lennok’s hand and bowed his head, then looked up at Lennok with sparkling eyes.

“It wouldn’t be enough even if I thanked Mr. Van once a day, but without a picture, it was difficult to properly remember your face. It’s a great honor to finally meet you.”

“…Have I ever received a request from Otterville?”

Even Lennok himself was slightly taken aback by the enthusiastic welcome. The answer came from Sebastian.

“Ever since you started riding Otterville’s custom bike, inquiries for similar products have greatly increased, apparently.”

“…”

“Our bike production line sales have more than doubled. We’ve certainly benefited a lot from Mr. Van’s frequent use of the bike.”

“Haha…”

Only then did Lennok realize the reason for Otterville’s CEO’s fervent welcome and let out a wry smile.

Since he used the bike whenever he had a chance while active as Van, it was natural that attention would be drawn to the bike’s existence as much as to Van himself.

Naturally, Otterville, known for manufacturing the bike, saw its sales increase accordingly.

“So, I’ve inadvertently been attracting attention and promoting for you. I should be getting paid for advertising, not paying them.”

Victor bowed his head with a slightly sheepish expression.

“Of course, I don’t intend to let it end with just empty words. In that sense, I’d like to propose something new regarding the bike we’re making for you, Mr. Van. What do you think?”

“Hmm?”

“You asked us to focus on the bike’s combat power and mobility, didn’t you?”

Victor said with a strange expression, unable to hide his smile.

“I think we can create quite an interesting item.”