Side Story 4

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“Hyung-nim. I heard the story. You sneaked Soju and Pork Belly again yesterday couldn’t you resist?”

“Groan. Which bastard tattled to you again.”

“It’s all thinking of Hyung-nim’s health. You have age too, so please reduce alcohol now.”

“Jin-ho. There is something I always say. Eventually it’s all genes? Look at people living to the oldest. There are more people living with alcohol and tobacco.”

Actually, those weren’t wrong words.

There is one common fact discovered as medical circles repeat development.

That genes determine a person’s future. Health, intelligence, talent, physical ability, tenacity, personality, etc.

All are determined by genes.

Should I say genes are bullets and what pulls the trigger is the environment.

“Eventually, not receiving stress is important. Rather than crawling along while receiving stress and not eating what I like, I’ll just eat everything I want to eat and die.”

Hyung-nim sat on a bench in the park, walking with me like that.

“Phew… Even just 20 years ago, this was really a barren land with only desert. Indeed scientific technology is amazing.”

The park decorated with this green forest where Hyung-nim and I are walking currently was precisely Africa.

Like Hyung-nim’s words, this place was originally barren, a place where only dust flew.

But as Gwangwoon established a base here and developed infrastructure, and developed technology for grass forests to grow even in such a barren environment, such a beautiful park came to be born.

“They call it Green Reversal. Developing countries, or nations that were outright undeveloped countries received our Gwangwoon’s investment and tried to make green regions actively.”

With scientific technology making lush forests even in barren land and continuous cooperation of the African countries, we made the impossible into a miracle.

The refreshing smell of grass spreading in this place currently was evidence of that.

“Currently a similar project is in progress on Mars too. Like Mars, going underground, or making flowers and trees grow even in places where life can’t live if there are no facilities like domes.”

Mars Terraforming was currently in progress.

“You said dozens of rockets are sent to Mars a day?”

“Yes. Already tens of thousands of androids are working.”

Sending dozens of rockets to Mars a day and proceeding with terraforming work was originally Mylon Tusk’s plan.

However, as his Tisla and affiliates were acquired by our Gwangwoon, that plan seemed to be overturned, but I didn’t want to turn back that good plan so I was following it as is.

Even now, rockets were carrying dozens of androids crossing the atmosphere over to Mars.

“But Jin-ho. Although I also stepped down from the front line now, my ears are always open.”

Hyung-nim tapped my shoulder and continued his words.

“Mars Terraforming too, and the project making forests in such barren regions too, looking from the outside, it seems like our humanity is really getting better, but actually we are doing a precarious tightrope walk.”

As Hyung-nim said, we were doing a tightrope walk currently.

We caused a miracle called Green Reversal, but the fundamental problem wasn’t resolved yet.

We are trying to cool the Earth continuously, but the Earth that gained acceleration once is getting hotter continuously.

Eventually, before long, the Earth will become a desolate and barren red land like Mars.

“The more money the better, but that doesn’t mean money solves everything, especially if it’s nature following God’s providence.”

However, Hyung-nim hadn’t lost hope yet.

“Still, I believe somehow you will solve it.”

“I’m not a scientist or anything. But… Researchers in GAIA will surely solve it.”

And that was the same for me too.

“Is Se-yoon doing well in GAIA? It’s already been 3 months.”

“Yes. Fortunately, he adapted well and is attending.”

“You said last time too. That Se-yoon would become a scientist who saves the world. It’s what I felt meeting Se-yoon a few times, he is a truly brilliant child. He is only 20 now, but what should I say. If you look at his eyes, should I say a miraculousness as if he mastered the world is felt.”

Hyung-nim is a person who sees people truly well.

He praised a lot saying our Se-yoon would do big work later.

“But you will have to advise and lead well from the side. Se-yoon has an extraordinary head, but he is not a guy with leadership qualifications like his dad.”

“Yes?”

“It means he is rather a child who makes the leader he serves shine more. Leading a big organization requires tremendous talent. In such aspects, Jin-ho, you have the world’s best talent.”

“Me? I don’t think so at all.”

“Kuku. You might feel nothing of it, but I knew exactly seeing you come to our guild and grabbing those short-tempered gentlemen. You are a born leader.”

Hyung-nim, who finished resting, stood up from the bench again.

“Go in now. I can’t hold a busy person for long. Ah right, and I heard rebel activities are getting more and more these days, by chance those guys might carry out terror attacks, so increase the bodyguards more. Even if you don’t know other things, if you collapse, it’s the same as all humanity collapsing.”

“Again with such grand words…”

“No joking. You must always be careful of your body.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim, please take care of your body well too.”

“Don’t worry about me. Thanks to you, I am receiving health management for 24 hours.”

I felt the heartlessness of time looking at Hyung-nim getting up making a short groaning sound.

He was a person who always had a heavy physique and charisma.

Now he was becoming a frail old man.

“……”

If an opportunity comes, like before, I wanted to eat alcohol and meat in peace with my healthy and fit Hyung-nim.

***

There is one fastest and surest method that can solve global warming right now.

That is precisely population reduction.

If about 30% of the population is eliminated, we don’t have to worry about global warming for the time being.

But there is no way Father would agree to such an inhumane thing.

[Rebel activities are becoming fierce all over the world. They are causing innocent casualties, committing numerous acts of looting, and the fear of them is a trend growing more and more.]

Jeong Se-yoon was watching the news quietly.

What is becoming a topic globally right now is exactly the rebels.

Their alien name: ‘Contra Mundum’.

It means those who oppose the world in Latin.

They reject Gwangwoon’s KW biochip symbolizing the devil’s number 666, define Gwangwoon’s head Chairman Jeong Jin-ho as the Antichrist, and have a doctrine that they must destroy Satan’s world he created and find the path of salvation.

They call themselves those who oppose the world and claim it is the only path able to save this world.

But Jeong Se-yoon was defining them differently.

“Plague-like existences.”

The world Father is making is the true salvation.

If humans are separated from each other and have their respective lands, war surely happens.

But if a great ruler gathers those lands into one and rules with one leadership, humanity no longer suffers from war.

Also, there is no need to fight over different ideologies.

Because only the ideology of the ruler ruling them becomes the truth.

“Like that humanity evolves.”

But those plague-like bastards were trying to block Father’s great work.

Furthermore, foolish humans were deceived by that doctrine and believed Father is a devil.

The Father Jeong Se-yoon knows cannot be more angel-like than anyone in this world.

Denouncing such a Father as a devil.

“…”

Couldn’t forgive.

Knock knock-.

As a knock was heard, Jeong Se-yoon released his sharp gaze.

“Yes. Come in.”

“Team Leader. These are reports completed with modifications as per the Team Leader’s opinion this time.”

“Ah, yes. Thanks.”

“They say they are coming to convey thanks to Team Leader directly from that team soon.”

“Yes? There’s no need to go that far…”

“Phew. Didn’t the Team Leader solve all the problems that were blocked in the meantime this time. Seeing the formulas the Team Leader sent, how much everyone liked it as if they found light. You should have seen that appearance directly.”

It’s already been a few months since entering GAIA here.

While being here, Jeong Se-yoon first inspected projects that each team was proceeding with and first put strength into finding and solving the parts where they were blocked and had missed.

“As a result, the project progress rate became 5 times faster than before. If Team Leader wasn’t here, everyone would have been only dragging on.”

But Jeong Se-yoon didn’t come here to solve other teams’ projects.

“Our team should also proceed with independent projects now. Urgent cases seem to be all wrapped up. Team Leader.”

“We are ready to start the Team Leader’s project anytime!”

Jeong Se-yoon smiled faintly.

“Everyone has hot passion.”

“Yep. So please entrust anything. We’re already prepared…”

“Planning to handle about three simultaneously, would that be okay?”

“…Yes? 3, proceeding 3 at once?”

“Yes. First thinking of a minimum of three. Of course, the currently prepared list is over 20, but we can’t do this all at once, so we’re planning to proceed step by step, subdividing.”

Only then did the team members’ expressions harden.

Because they know that Jeong Se-yoon is a person who doesn’t even crack light jokes.

“First… Please send this list to the head office first.”

“Head office?”

“Yes. Probably the Chairman will decide directly what research to do first. Then we will put strength into developing starting from that.”

The Chairman deciding which project is good to proceed with, seeing this long list?

The team members tilted their heads at the somewhat strange project progress method.

But determining priorities and proceeding is important in development.

What to do first for better efficiency, what helps us more, predicting and deciding that in advance is not easy.

However, doesn’t Jeong Se-yoon know.

That Father’s choice is more correct than anyone’s in the world.

***

“Chairman, they say rebels attacked the A-23 development region in Canada this time.”

“Casualties are?”

“Casualties are over 200.”

“….”

It was regrettable work.

Able to kill someone without blinking an eye because belief is different.

Sometimes a feeling of shame occurs too.

Because all this feels like my fault.

“Please give sufficient compensation to the bereaved families. Please treat the injured well too. And sweeping up the rebels doesn’t seem easy?”

“Sentinel and several governments are cooperating together, but. The problem is that they are active as cell-based organizations and cleverly avoiding radar networks. Catching them steadily even now, but as they suddenly appear in places where our hands don’t reach, attack, and go away, coping is difficult indeed.”

To reduce citizens’ anxiety, news about this terror organization was controlled as much as possible.

But through the dark web, they were gradually increasing their influence.

The problem is that they suddenly appear in places our hands don’t reach and commit terror.

“Tell Sentinel I don’t care how much money it costs, so prepare a plan able to respond immediately.”

“Yes, Chairman, and this is the project list that crossed over from GAIA this time. But they say they wish the Chairman would decide what is good to develop first among these.”

“Yes? Such thing came?”

“Yes, it is Senior Researcher Jeong Se-yoon who sent this project list.”

Our son?

So far, there has never been a time when they asked me to decide which project is good to proceed with in GAIA.

But our son sent such a thing.

“….”

I roughly examined what the project contents were.

A thought occurred as soon as I saw it.

When I first joined a securities firm and had a meeting.

I thought I was hearing some alien language; it’s a similar feeling to that time.

How can I know, looking only at these scientific terms and formulas.

“Why Se-yoon sent me such thing…”

For a moment, muttering so.

“….!”

Project names in the list started to light up all at once.

As if claiming strongly to start from itself.

“….”

I picked three projects as if possessed and checked them.

***

“…What is this?”

“They say they are projects that the Chairman decided to invest in directly, following Team Leader Jeong Se-yoon’s request.”

Jeong Se-yoon was truly an existence like light and salt in GAIA.

Blocked projects were all being solved thanks to that monster-like genius.

So Center Head Kim Geum-ho happily permitted the idea that Jeong Se-yoon start an independent project.

Also opened up authority to receive investment from the head office freely if there is a project he intends to proceed with.

“But he didn’t decide directly himself and made the Chairman decide? Are you certain?”

“Yes. They say the Chairman picked three directly among twenty projects and gave instruction.”

Something was strange.

Usually, projects were decided internally in GAIA with only investment approval, and there was never a single time they asked the Chairman for advice on which project to proceed with.

“Are these the three projects approved?”

“Yes.”

Kim Geum-ho quickly examined the project contents.

First is the project about Cell Immortality.

Second is a project making an artificial atmosphere, making planetary terraforming much easier,

And the last, the third, is gathering specially produced satellites and dropping rays to the ground, supplying energy….

“Wait, what is this?”

Cell Immortality.

Right, not related to global warming, but overcoming disease is good work, so there is sufficient reason.

Making an artificial atmosphere and helping planetary terraforming also has room to be used well for global warming, clearly.

But supplying energy by dropping rays to the ground?

Kim Geum-ho quickly rummaged through the relevant project content.

“I mean… Making a giant satellite and gathering energy through the sun, and embedding a nuclear fusion facility too, sending explosive energy to the ground as rays?”

“I checked this content too, they say they will make facilities able to receive that ray on the ground and store energy.”

“Right. Looking from the outside, it is revolutionary technology able to shoot and send eco-friendly energy quickly to places needing energy supply. Literally ‘looking from outside’.”

Center Head Kim Geum-ho could know what intent this technology was made with as soon as seeing the content.

“This is saying to make the Rod of God.”

The Rod of God.

An imaginary technology that existed only in SF novels until now.

According to the project content, it says it is able to supply energy, but.

If this is shot toward a specific force, not an energy storage facility?

“If shooting an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, the opponent can respond.”

The opponent can predict the attack, even with floating fighter jets or drones.

“But this can’t be predicted, since it’s shot from space.”

Also, rays fall at the speed of light at that.

Even if predicted, it can’t be avoided.

“Literally it would be God’s Punishment.”

“Right. Already rebels appear in places and cause terror these days, before anyone can respond…”

If there is this, as soon as they appear, we are able to deal heaven’s punishment with the Rod of God.

But will this really be used only for the purpose of removing rebels?

If this is completed, it is no different from aiming a gun at the heads of all world leaders.

Perfect control means.

It means more than that.

“The Chairman didn’t plug his son into GAIA for nothing.”

As expected, GAIA wasn’t a place existing solely to solve global warming.

Solving a difficult problem like global warming and simultaneously using that as an excuse,

Gwangwoon intending to make the strongest weapon surpassing nuclear.

With the hands of his own child, the most trustworthy in the world, at that.