NOVEL NEXT Chapter 220
Chapter 220. The Heart of the Foundation (4)
Dr. Chloe frowned. It wasn’t exactly a look of discomfort, but more like a shark-like gaze filled with something akin to curiosity.
How strange. At first glance, Dr. Chloe appears to be a normal person with normal eyes, but why is there no light in them?
The reason is obvious. Dr. Chloe is not human. Not even something close to human.
“Why me?”
“Just… because it’ll be fun?”
I sat cross-legged in front of Dr. Chloe’s containment room. Tap, tap, tap. Dr. Chloe pressed a finger against the observation window.
“So, Dr. Kim. You’re asking me to help you take over Facility No. 1?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you asking me?”
“No particular reason. I just read some files related to you.”
Dr. Chloe stared at me.
“Oh? What did the files say?”
“That you’d cooperate in taking over Facility No. 1. That Dr. Chloe is one of the strongest humanoid supernatural phenomena in the Foundation.”
“That’s an exaggeration.”
Tap. Dr. Chloe tapped the glass again. With a crack, the observation window of the containment room split.
Dr. Chloe smiled slightly, her mouth stretching wider than what should be humanly possible. Like her cheeks had been sliced open. The back of her mouth, usually hidden, was filled with sharp teeth.
Creepy.
The security team that came in with me raised their guns, but I raised my hand to stop them. We weren’t here to fight Dr. Chloe today.
“Uh, Doctor. I’ll open the door, so come out. Fixing the glass costs money.”
Dr. Chloe wiped her mouth, and her face returned to normal.
“Let’s move.”
Dr. Chloe was escorted in handcuffs. We planned to move her to the Large-Scale Containment Room first.
“Dr. Kim. This is a trap, isn’t it?”
“Not really.”
“You think I don’t know? Saying you’ll attack Facility No. 1 is bait. You’re planning to lure me there and seal me away. Or kill me.”
Facility No. 1 is where gods are imprisoned.
It wasn’t unreasonable for Dr. Chloe to be afraid. I don’t know what happens to the gods who enter Facility No. 1.
“I really do plan to take over Facility No. 1… You don’t have to go inside. It’s a place designed to neutralize supernatural phenomena, so it’d be hard for you to enter.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Just escort my soldiers so they can enter Facility No. 1.”
We arrived at the Large-Scale Containment Zone.
The door to the containment room was slightly open, and we entered with Dr. Chloe. The containment room was the size of a gymnasium or auditorium.
In the center of the room were a few pieces of furniture. Dr. Chloe plopped down on the sofa.
Dr. Chloe looked more ordinary than expected. Jet-black hair, golden eyes, slightly sharp teeth.
But something felt off.
Dr. Chloe stared at me with lifeless, single-lidded eyes. The fangs in her mouth stood out, and her round face gave her a somewhat childlike impression.
Has her face changed since I last saw her?
“I don’t get it, Dr. Kim. Do you trust me enough to give me a weapon?”
“If you don’t want it, fine. I have plenty of other cards.”
The reason we need to deploy Dr. Chloe.
Just one or two high-level combat assets can change the tide of battle. The number of casualties could be drastically different. More than that…
“Dr. Chloe. You participated in Project Blue Rose on Jeju Island, right?”
“Yeah.”
I shrugged.
“Well… it’s like this. We’re giving you what you’ve always wanted. A chance to take on an important role in the Foundation and participate in combat.”
“Hmm.”
“If Facility No. 1 falls into my hands and I win, I’ll give you a chance to return as a doctor.”
Dr. Chloe gave a bitter smile.
“Dr. Kim. That’s all well and good, but there’s something you’re seriously mistaken about.”
“Yes.”
A finger went up.
“First. Dr. Kim. What happens when the soldiers controlled by the Antichrist’s contract and the Popo Serum enter Facility No. 1?”
“They’ll take over the facility.”
“You’ll lose control over those soldiers. Dr. Kim. Do you know why even the Administrators and high-level operators don’t mess with Facility No. 1? You’ll end up like a Roman emperor surrounded by the Praetorian Guard.”
This is the problem with high-level ability users.
They rely too much on their powers.
They think they can’t fight without their powers. What’s important is finding a way to win, not the size of your power.
Like that martial artist I saw last time.
He thought he’d won the battle of powers, only to get burned to death by an Ultra-High-Temperature Flamethrower.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Second. Dr. Kim. You don’t really trust me. You’ve prepared insurance, haven’t you? Who’s the overseer standing behind me?”
It’s Dr. Chae.
I scratched my head.
“Well… I’ll be honest. Dr. Chae and a few Foundation soldiers will act as overseers. You’ve seen them on Jeju Island, right?”
“Ah. So that’s how it is.”
I spent a long time thinking of ways to convince Dr. Chloe, but that wasn’t the important part. Insurance is a must when it’s a matter of life and death.
“Third. Have you really looked into Facility No. 1 properly? I can’t just create a way for you to enter that facility.”
I nodded.
Dr. Chae was watching us from a distance. She looked a little worried. In her hand was a staff.
“Am I supposed to control that?”
“Yes.”
“It looks scary. Do you know what it looks like through the mind’s eye?”
“It probably looks scary.”
“I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“Just do your best, Dr. Chae.”
“Oh dear.”
Dr. Chae covered her face with her hand.
The siege preparations were going smoothly. Now we just needed to make or find a weapon for Dr. Chloe. It shouldn’t be too hard.
Dr. Chloe is a sorcerer due to her lineage, but her main weapon was a sword. I heard she used to carry a greatsword as tall as a person.
What Dr. Chloe requested was a sword made from whale bone. I’m not sure why.
The Foundation scientists made the greatsword from whale bone as we requested.
“We’ve brought what you asked for.”
Bishop Oh placed a box in front of me. I opened it. A white blade made of bone, with a metal-decorated hilt.
“But, Bishop Oh. What is this?”
“A greatsword made from whale bone.”
“I mean. What does it mean?”
Bishop Oh leaned against the workshop wall.
“I’ve thought about it for a while, but there’s no clear way to know. But if we consider the symbolism of the sword and the sea…”
“Yes.”
“It’s mentioned in Isaiah 21-1. On that day, the Lord will take up a sharp and merciless greatsword to chase down the fleeing Leviathan, the writhing Leviathan, and pierce the monster to death.”
“What does that have to do with this?”
“Well… making a sword from the bones of a sea monster is a paradoxical symbol, combining the archetype of Leviathan from the Bible and the archetype of the weapon that kills Leviathan.”
The whale symbolizes Leviathan.
Making a sword from its bones symbolizes the power of God to kill even the mightiest of creatures. That’s my guess.
“I see.”
“There might be symbolism in making a weapon from the corpse of the largest animal. Like how bone-made objects are easier to handle magic with.”
“That’s been said before. Dr. Chloe isn’t human. She sees herself as a kind of divine being. The weapon she requested this time aligns with that.”
Bishop Oh stared at the white sword.
“What do you think, Bishop Oh?”
“Uh, as I explained.”
I shook my head. This time, I wasn’t asking from an expert’s perspective, but how he would describe Dr. Chloe.
“No, what do you think?”
“It’s a cynical and unpleasant symbol. It combines Leviathan, its death, and the weapon that kills Leviathan into one symbol.”
Bishop Oh looked displeased. As expected. From a Christian perspective, that makes sense.
“It’s a symbol that claims God exists, God is a monster, and God is evil. And finally, that you can seize the power of that God.”
You could see it that way.
But if you step away from the dichotomy of good and evil. We’re opposing the Foundation Headquarters, the current order ruling the world.
A kind of rebellion against heaven.
The war with the Foundation Headquarters could be seen as a challenge to providence. In that sense, it might be a fitting symbol.
I put the bone greatsword back in the box.
“Thank you for your insight. Let’s deliver the greatsword to Dr. Chloe. We need to prepare for war.”
Bishop Oh nodded.