NOVEL NEXT Chapter 230
Episode 230. Attempt to Smuggle Dangerous Items (1)
The sushi was delicious.
Patreus was separating the rice from the salmon sushi and only eating the fish part, while Libertas was picking it up with bare hands and eating it.
It might seem funny to eat sushi with bare hands, but since it’s made with bare hands, isn’t it natural to eat it that way? Surprisingly.
However, Patreus wasn’t talking. There were civilians around, and if a talking cat were seen, it could cause problems.
“When are you going back to work?”
“Hmm, maybe tomorrow?”
The war is over, but there’s still work to be done at the Seoul Branch. From Vladivostok to Kuala Lumpur, I need to start managing my kingdom.
“You’re returning quickly, faster than I thought.”
“Yes.”
There are many plans. Responding to dangerous supernatural phenomena, treating humanoid supernatural phenomena, restructuring the Foundation that’s always on the brink of civil war, and the Foundation ignoring real-world problems.
For now, they’re just plans.
The cat administrator looked at me as if he had something to say but didn’t speak. I grabbed the cat administrator and brought him close to my ear.
“Dr. Kim, how about taking a break? You’re an administrator now, and I think it’s too risky for Dr. Kim to be in the field.”
I was just thinking about it. If I take Patreus on Instagram, I could make a fortune. A cat that talks and understands human speech.
In a week, he’d be a celebrity.
Well, anyway.
I petted the cat administrator’s head and put him down. I might be in the field less now, but being at the Seoul Branch is important.
“I should return soon.”
The Foundation’s civil war is over, but the hostile groups haven’t disappeared, nor have the supernatural phenomena.
The Foundation’s main tasks remain the same. With the civil war over, the hostile groups might start acting again.
I need to return quickly.
Somehow, the other administrators don’t seem busy at all. Are they not doing much work?
[※ Urgent Important Mandatory Response ※]
[Attempt to Smuggle Supernatural Phenomenon]
[Author: Personnel Department Director Min]
[The missing items are as follows:]
[Supernatural Phenomenon P-3003. One Popo Serum.]
[Supernatural Phenomenon O-1594. ‘Pendant of Gluttony’.]
[The employees who discovered the missing items immediately informed the Foundation Security Team and the Personnel Department.]
[Based on CCTV, gait analysis, and traces left in the transparent safe where the supernatural phenomena were contained, several suspects have been identified.]
[I suspect Dr. Kim from the Macrobiotics Department. The Personnel Department is currently pursuing Dr. Kim. The Ethics Committee will be convened soon.]
“Would you like to explain?”
The Seoul Branch Ethics Committee has been convened.
Three members have been convened: the Personnel Department Head, Dr. Kang from the Humanoid Research Department, and the Research Department Head.
The person to explain is Dr. Kim, a middle-aged man in a lab coat who looks ordinary. The Personnel Department Head flipped through the documents.
Dr. Kim looked around nervously.
“Um, I’m sorry, but can’t the disciplinary committee proceed after Dr. Kim returns?”
The Personnel Department Head shook his head.
“This is not a disciplinary committee. It’s a meeting to understand the truth of the incident. Whether Dr. Kim will be disciplined is another matter.”
“Understood.”
“By the time the disciplinary decision is made, Dr. Kim might have returned to Seoul. Then…”
The Personnel Department Head put down the documents.
“Please explain properly.”
Dr. Kim thought for a while but had no choice but to open his mouth, sweating nervously.
“I have a sick daughter.”
Dr. Kim said gloomily.
The Research Department Head chuckled, and Dr. Kang hit him with a crumpled paper. The Research Department Head bowed his head with a thud.
The Personnel Department Head continued.
“So, you tried to steal a supernatural phenomenon with healing effects to treat your daughter?”
“Yes.”
Was it necessary? The Personnel Department Head pondered for a moment and looked at Dr. Kang.
“Is there any reason it wouldn’t work? Can’t the child be treated? Most illnesses can be treated.”
Dr. Kim shook his head.
“It’s not that kind of problem.”
“Please explain.”
“My daughter isn’t just physically ill. Besides her physical illness, she has intellectual disabilities, developmental delays, and autism.”
“I see.”
It’s not a problem that can be solved with precise surgery or expensive medication. Indeed, in such a situation… Even the Foundation’s medical facilities couldn’t guarantee success.
“I’ve been to all the major hospitals in the country and even Tokyo University, but all I got was the answer that there’s no solution…”
Dr. Kim trailed off, and the Personnel Department Head nodded.
“So, Dr. Kim, you stole two supernatural phenomena to treat your sick daughter? That’s why you tried to steal the Popo Serum and the Pendant of Gluttony?”
“Yes.”
The Personnel Department Head sighed.
“It’s fortunate there was a reason, but why do you think it’s called the Pendant of Gluttony? It’s not a toy to give to a child.”
“I know. I know…”
Dr. Kim couldn’t continue, and the Ethics Committee looking down at him remained silent. It wasn’t a situation to easily add words.
The Personnel Department Head crossed his arms.
“That doesn’t explain it. You know, Dr. Kim, what happens if you inject a dangerous supernatural phenomenon into an autistic child? Do you have another purpose? Selling it outside?”
“Absolutely not.”
Dr. Kim shook his head vigorously.
“Let’s say Dr. Kim really planned to use those two supernatural phenomena on his daughter.”
“It’s true.”
“There’s no guarantee the illness will be cured. The Popo Serum has only been used on trauma patients so far, and there hasn’t been a single report of increased intelligence after administering the Popo Serum.”
“Yes…”
“Um, didn’t they say that all illnesses are cured after administering the Popo Serum?”
The Personnel Department Head looked at Dr. Kang, who shook his head. As if he didn’t know.
“The subjects who received the Popo Serum were only deceased combatants. There’s no evidence that it can treat autism or intellectual disabilities.”
“It’s possible.”
“The Popo Serum is still a supernatural phenomenon. The intellectual disability might improve, but it’s impossible to predict what terrible results might occur.”
The Research Department Head raised his head.
“Let’s just do it.”
“Research Department Head.”
“Honestly, aren’t you curious? There’s patient consent. The chances of a good outcome seem high.”
“That’s insane. Even if we consider it, we’d have to convene the Ethics Committee again for human experimentation, and there’s no way such an experiment would pass. And this patient doesn’t have the capacity to consent.”
“If the patient is unable to make a judgment, can’t the legal representative make the decision?”
Dr. Kang argued as much as he could, but he was no match for the Research Department Head in a debate.
Then, Dr. Kang turned back to Dr. Kim, sitting in front of the committee.
“Are you really going to entrust your daughter to these people? How can you leave your child in the hands of such cold-blooded people in the lab?”
The Research Department Head made a sour face.
“It’s not that bad.”
“It is that bad.”
A cough. The three Ethics Committee members held their breath, and Dr. Kim spoke.
“To be honest, it’s just a selfish wish. My daughter doesn’t have the intellectual capacity to understand that her situation is a tragedy. She wouldn’t even understand what a tragedy is.”
“Hmm.”
“Please permit the treatment attempt. Or let me talk to Dr. Kim.”
Dr. Kim blinked.
The Personnel Department Head sighed.
“Dr. Kim isn’t a god. Praying to Dr. Kim won’t change anything.”
“Still.”
The experiment’s content is to treat Dr. Kim’s disabled daughter using the Popo Serum.
The Research Department Head is in favor.
Dr. Kang is against.
The Personnel Department Head seems to be against.
Dr. Kim himself is in favor and is asking to call Dr. Kim to make the decision.
Dr. Kim continued.
“I love my daughter, but she will never read a book, talk to family or friends, go to school, drive, have a job, or anything…”
A choked voice.
“Please. I just want to hear her say, ‘I love you, Dad, thank you.’ My wife quit her job because of our daughter. Please. Even if something goes wrong…”
Dr. Kang avoided the desperate gaze. The Personnel Department Head sighed. The Personnel Department Head and Dr. Kang also found it hard to ignore the request.
As he spoke, even Dr. Kang was persuaded. If it were Dr. Kang’s child who was sick.
If there’s even a sliver of hope for the child and family to return to normal life. If it were Dr. Kang, wouldn’t he really have stolen that supernatural phenomenon?
Thinking with his hand on his chest.
Dr. Kang couldn’t answer that he wouldn’t have made a similar choice.
Since Dr. Kang wasn’t a hypocrite, he had no choice but to change his stance slightly.
“Dr. Kim… It will be an irreversible decision. Whether the outcome is good or bad. Personally, I don’t have a good feeling about it.”