NOVEL NEXT Chapter 210
Chapter 210. Copenhagen Analysis (3)
[Special Forces Team Leader Meeting]
[Agenda: Current Conflict Situation within the Foundation]
[Participants: Administrator Royal Guard Captain and others]
[※ The Special Forces Team Leader Grand Meeting is conducted by team leaders selected through separate procedures. The identities and operational deployment status of Special Forces members are classified, and the participant list is also classified. ※]
[※ Meeting begins. ※]
—-
[Royal Guard Captain: Let’s clarify our stance.]
[I am not pleased with the current situation. Why must we fight and die under the command of incompetent Foundation bureaucrats against fellow Foundation staff?]
[Royal Guard Captain: Yes, that’s why we’re having this discussion. Please share what you believe is the best course of action.]
[We killed Administrator Pixel.]
[Ah, so it was you?]
—-
[We are a Special Forces team that has fought alongside Dr. Kim for a long time. We cannot force you to take sides, but you must also seriously consider.]
[Who is the one capable of leading us to victory? Who can stand with us on the frontlines? Who can uphold the oaths we made for humanity and the Foundation?]
[Who can realize the ideals of the Foundation? Please think about it.]
—-
[Royal Guard Captain: I heard that an ordinary Special Forces team killed Administrator Pixel, and I was quite surprised at the time. I didn’t know it was you.]
[I heard the Royal Guard retrieved the Clockwork God’s heart from that battlefield. So, the Royal Guard must have known what was truly important in that situation.]
[The Royal Guard had two opportunities to engage, didn’t they? Acacia’s forces could engage on the aircraft carrier, and Pixel’s forces could engage at the Glass Palace.]
[Even though there were ample opportunities to capture Dr. Kim, you didn’t engage. Wasn’t that because you supported Dr. Kim?]
[Royal Guard Captain: I wasn’t at that scene, so it seems to have been a judgment call made on the spot. It’s hard to say definitively.]
—-
[Anyway. We became Special Forces members to fight threats to humanity, not to be pawns in a power struggle among high-ranking Foundation bureaucrats.]
[Royal Guard Captain: Hmm… I understand.]
[I don’t think so. Is it acceptable for soldiers to speculate on the intent of operations and make arbitrary judgments?]
[Isn’t respecting field opinions the Foundation’s way? It’s clear that the current actions do not help in controlling supernatural phenomena or maintaining order, which are the Foundation’s primary goals.]
[Royal Guard Captain: So, let’s be frank. Are the Special Forces team leaders saying they don’t want to fight Dr. Kim?]
[That’s one opinion.]
[Royal Guard Captain: How many team leaders don’t want to fight Dr. Kim?]
[Royal Guard Captain: Quite a few…]
[Royal Guard Captain: It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to share my personal opinion. I’ll gather the opinions and relay them to the higher-ups.]
—-
[※ Meeting ends. ※]
[※ The Special Forces Team Leader Meeting has no enforcement power within the command structure and is solely for information exchange among Special Forces members. ※]
I kicked open the bunker door.
BANG!
The heavy iron door, corroded by a dark force, crumbled. Now, we’re at the heart of the facility.
Before entering the command center, let’s switch weapons. I sheathed my sword and replaced the weapon in my hand with a Foundation-made rifle.
I glanced around the Basement Level 4 area. There were no signs of the enemy fleeing. On the contrary, I heard the frantic voices of several people coming from a room.
The end of the situation is near.
Ignoring the bitter sense of victory, I entered the Copenhagen Branch’s command center with my rifle at the ready. The command center was packed with people.
“Dr. Kim—”
I didn’t want to listen. I emptied the magazine into the command center. As I lowered the barrel, only a few corpses remained in the command center.
Crackle, crackle.
Sparks flew from the command center’s electronic equipment, now riddled with holes. I locked eyes with the Copenhagen Branch’s Director.
“You. Dr. Kim.”
He’s still breathing. I leaned my back against the command center wall. I wanted to avoid being attacked from behind or from my blind spot.
“Why?”
“Looks like the voodoo magic didn’t work.”
“It had some effect. If it had no effect at all, I wouldn’t have made it this far.”
“I just followed orders. I had no personal grudge.”
Hmm. I’ve never heard someone who does good deeds say that. You made dozens of my curse dolls, and now you say that…
Beep. The radio went off.
[This is Nanami. The top floor is clear.]
“Yes. Let’s move to Saltholm Island.”
All that’s left is to clear the Copenhagen Branch’s command center. I pulled an incendiary grenade from my belt, threw it into the center of the command center, and left.
One, two, three.
With the sound of the explosion, white smoke and flames burst from the command center door, and orange flames purified the blood-stained command center.
I confirmed the explosion from a distance and moved to join Nanami.
“This is Dr. Kim. The objective is complete. Cease combat and prepare for withdrawal.”
Beep. There was no immediate response.
[This is Hasti. Preparing for withdrawal.]
[This is Ahn Yuri. Understood.]
Above all, we need to quickly withdraw the Black Dragon heading to Saltholm Island. It must be taking a beating by now. Let’s get out first.
Denmark is currently not a country at war.
The firepower and combat capabilities of the Foundation’s Copenhagen Branch are significantly inferior to those of Seoul, Beijing, or other Foundation facilities.
The situation at the Saltholm Island facility was similar.
The Black Dragon, glimpsed through the storm, was attacking the Saltholm Island facility.
But it didn’t seem like the Black Dragon was exerting much power. It wasn’t directly destroying the facility. I’m not sure why. Is the Black Dragon lighter than it looks?
Anyway.
The situation is over.
I don’t know where Hasti and the Hero are, but they must be moving to a safe location. The massive Black Dragon also returned to the sea and soon disappeared.
The Black Dragon must have returned to its egg state.
Hasti probably retrieved it.
It’s a shame the Saltholm Island facility is still intact, but since we’ve achieved our objective in Copenhagen, we’ll withdraw and prepare for the next battle.
[Administrator Council Meeting.]
[Participants:]
[1st Administrator Veritas]
[7th Administrator Molotov]
[11th Administrator Raven]
[Veritas: I’m skeptical about whether you all, who said you’d kill Dr. Kim, even have a plan. Shouldn’t we at least contain him to negotiate?]
[Raven: We have a plan.]
[Veritas: The methodology has changed. Dr. Kim wiped out everyone at the Copenhagen Branch this time. Not a single one left.]
[Raven: I know.]
[Veritas: He didn’t do that in Beijing, or when boarding Acacia’s aircraft carrier, or when attacking the data center or Pixel’s base.]
[Raven: He’s a dangerous man.]
[Veritas: This is going to kill me. Have you found a way to kill Dr. Kim? Or at least a way to contain him, or reconcile?]
[Raven: The sorcerers at the Copenhagen Branch tried to suppress Dr. Kim with large-scale voodoo magic. It did damage him, but Dr. Kim retaliated by killing everyone at the Copenhagen Branch on sight.]
[Molotov: Terrifying.]
[Veritas: Reconciliation is out of the question.]
[Raven: Veritas. Even if you, as the Chairman, don’t want to hunt Dr. Kim yourself, can’t you do this?]
[Veritas: What?]
[Raven: Secure the Ananda-Class Supernatural Phenomena and key facilities. Where do you think Dr. Kim’s blade will strike next? The Spear of Longinus, Facility No. 1, Iris, or the Zoo of the Gods?]
[Veritas: We’ve raised the alert level. Even Dr. Kim can’t directly attack Ananda-Class phenomena or facilities.]
[Molotov: It’s appreciated that the Chairman is fulfilling his role, but if his power is tied up in defense, offense will be difficult. The Administrators opposing Dr. Kim will gather their strength at Thule.]
[Raven: Good.]
[Veritas: Did you see the Special Forces Team Leader Meeting? The atmosphere was unusual. The Foundation’s senior soldiers are growing dissatisfied with the consecutive defeats.]
[Raven: Is that so…]
[Veritas: It’s a call to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. If the Special Forces team leaders’ opinions start to align, and dissatisfaction builds, even we will be in trouble.]
[Raven: We’ll definitely kill Dr. Kim at Thule. He has no choice but to come to Thule.]
[Veritas: Don’t set up strange flags.]
[Raven: This time, he really has no choice but to come to Thule. I’m at Thule. Dr. Kim has to come here to kill me. The trap is complete, and we’ve prepared top-tier combat assets to finish him off.]