Estimated reading time: 13–16 minutes
Chapter 34
「…They beat it.」
「…You must be joking. This ending makes no sense. How can they accomplish in one week what we couldn’t do in two years?」
In the now familiar room devoid of objects, the two members of Public Security Division 6 stare at the screen in disbelief. It is not Orange’s livestream. In fact, this time Mishima Kanji isn’t streaming at all. Which means the footage is being captured by countless regular players.
The livestreams are largely similar across channels. They show them listening to the speech, fighting, losing. And finally, Orange alone in a mass-produced AP defeating the Strain. Aside from Orange’s final charge, no other players are able to advance – so there is no footage of Reina, with the capabilities of mass-produced AP and Orange highlighted instead.
But that isn’t the only issue. Aside from machine beast defeat videos, Orange’s channel is in principle banned. His current account also runs the risk of being frozen again due to past bans. So the fact that Orange’s figure is being spread by countless unrelated players is significant.
The two Public Security Division 6 members fall silent. The unpredictability ravages their brains.
「Were there any records of Strains being defeated without a Fusion?」
「A few cases of using nuclear weapons. Other than that, just records of driving them back.」
Of course, there is a major reason they cannot defeat the Strain. 2050’s ruin wrecks most facilities and personnel. Even firing missiles requires countless personnel for launch control, component swaps, securing necessary materials. But Old Osaka City’s population cap along with concepts of capitalism and sponsor privilege interfered.
In other words, Public Security Division 6 and the government are vastly overestimating the Strain. Mistaking the restricted Old Osaka City for Japan at total national effort. Hence the incomprehensible footage.
「So Orange, Mishima Kanji surely must be an Esper?」
「No doubt about it. That performance and power make zero sense without any supports. Way too fast reaction and weakness detection as well. Plus our jobs would be gone if he wasn’t one.」
「An excellent point. I shall write up the report, so please review later. Mishima Kanji: Multi-future sight Esper, alias Orange.」
「Have to consider countermeasures too. Can’t carelessly make a move when he can see the future, but leaving him alone is too risky either.」
「Yeah. Doing something clumsy like declaring him wanted could have him read the future and escape overseas first… He is set to enter university right? That’s our only opening.」
The two sink into thought. As stated many times, Mishima Kanji is not an Esper or anything of that sort. But the steadily accumulating circumstantial evidence keeps pushing that idea out of their conscious minds. But there is another, almost hopeful reason behind it as well.
「If it’s him, could he overcome the 2055 operations too…?」
「UYK. Stellar organism. It’s when a planet or satellite gains life-like properties, correct?」
「Yes. One definition of life is the ability to metabolize. Just as that happens for us through oxygen, water, carbon – UYK uses imaginary atoms, especially Iironine complexes, to obtain energy.」
「A living planet does sound rather odd.」
「On the contrary, it’s an ancient idea isn’t it? That the world is held up by a turtle and elephants. If you interpret the reptilian traits and those tendrils as the elephant’s trunk, it seems plausible no?」
「But those are only supporting the earth, not the earth itself」
「UYK didn’t originally exist, planets just gained life-like qualities through existential inertia. A planet enveloped by membranes of atmosphere and ground that has continued shifting with lava and quakes for eons is effectively metabolizing. It gets optimized to expand and reproduce like life by remodeling itself. It started small, just localized changes compared to the whole Earth.」
For humanity, it is a hopeless situation. The very ground they live on transforming into a star life form rather than a convenient lump of soil and metal. Humankind is no longer Earth’s masters but downgraded to becoming UYK’s parasites. Tossed about at UYK’s whims, annihilated entirely. That is doomsday.
So it’s hopeless. In that sense, the escape from Earth through the artificial sun generation project was a very correct decision. If only the moon had not acquired the properties of a star life form in such a short period of time.
「…But in 10 years the equation of UYK = Earth will be fully valid right? We have to somehow find the key to make the 2055 operations succeed」
「Yes. 2050 has far too many problems to defeat it. Lack of a uniting symbol, infighting between countries, public distrust – political issues that sap military strength. And above all, absence of a vital weakness.」
The infinite horizon – one of UYK’s few flaws – does not exist prior to 2050. That is terribly unfortunate. To defeat UYK without an infinite horizon means needing to blast right to Earth’s core with nuclear bombs. But that is impossible, and would only doom Earth through radiation if it occurred. Therefore, humanity must accept 2050’s destruction and fight on. Greatly reduce the population, obtain Apollyon Fusions, and strike down UYK.
That is what they believe.
A notification pops up on their terminal. Reading the report, the two fall silent again. And that silence does not lift for tens of minutes.
『Kōmitsu Solutions announces intent to defeat UYK by 2050.』
That day, the reporters are agitated. Kōmitsu Solutions is an industry leader in powered suits and prosthetics. Yet even when calling this very press conference, they do not invite the media over normally. Which means there is something more afoot.
Silence hangs in the conference hall. At the center of attention sits Kōmitsu Solutions president, Kōmitsu Daichi – as placid as ever despite his formidable aura. As Momiji’s father, he casually opens the discussion:
「It appears everyone has gathered, so I shall announce – our company will publicly release our anti-aging and age reversal technology under a free license. As of this moment, the information has been published online.」
No one understands what he is saying. It’s known Kōmitsu Solutions conducts research on anti-aging utilizing their prowess in pharmaceuticals and prosthetics jointly with universities. But it was still in early stages, not nearly ready to freely license out. For profitability from the massive investments, such technologies need to be monopolized.
A reporter starts to stand, seeking clarification. But forestalling that, the Kōmitsu Solutions president tacks on another line:
「Additionally, our powered suit, prosthetic, and mass produced AP technologies cultivated thus far will be similarly licensed out freely. Aside from personal information, everything has been made available without charge for anyone’s perusal and utilization on our homepage.」
Words he should not have added. In this moment, Kōmitsu Solutions has released all the technologies they have cultivated over the years. Those who hurriedly check their devices and realize it is true are confounded into whitening eyes. Aside from the speaker himself, no one else understands the meaning.
「Um, what exactly are you saying?」
「Shall I repeat-」
「No need for that! I’m asking why you made this announcement! Are you mocking us?! There’s all sorts of issues isn’t there, conflict of interest transactions and such!」
One reporter presses aggressively. Rightly so – there is no profitability whatsoever for the corporation. But with nonchalant poise, the president returns an incomprehensible answer:
「A prophet has appeared before us.」
「Hah?」
「The prophet commanded that we share our technologies. Otherwise we would not overcome the impending crisis, he foretold. Therefore, we can but obey.」
「….you need to go to a hospital, you are out of your mind.」
「The prophet sees the future. All of it ends in ruin. But there are means to surmount it. What is necessary is sharing information. Mankind must not stagnate for foolish immediate profits. And so we have taken the first step – you are next. True futures lie amidst the chaos.」
The reporter looks about to faint. Seeing that, the president secretly snickers – success. This was decided in discussion with Momiji a few days prior.
『Momiji, that is simply unreasonable.』
『No, it’s possible. There are countless people in despair over the current plight – by taking the lead, we can form a sort of religious cult. One far exceeding some run of the mill founder in concrete achievements. Meaning lies specifically where it seems unreasonable. Others will become convinced there must be a hidden reason making it feasible. Building the strongest faction through that, one that truly shatters catastrophic ruin.』
Momiji believes in the man called Mishima Kanji. More accurately, him supported by Kōmitsu Momiji and Shiroinu Reina. Kanji’s curiosity, intuition and most of all obtuseness are genuine. Thus he would dive into spots others overlook, continuing to cause all sorts of incidents through gaps going forward. If violence and organization shore up areas where he is lacking, interesting things may transpire. Proof lies in what her Ver 1.08 self had left behind 15 years from now. While Kanji and Reina were out of town, Momiji inhereted a handover. Poring over the records of her one-week prior self, confirming things, devising plans.
And on the point of humanity’s hopeless situation, the Kōmitsu Solutions’s president agrees as well. That’s why, despite how abrupt and outlandish the strategy is, he approved this Prophet plan. Those who know of HAO would immediately tie the Prophet and Orange together. So those who understand the meaning should take the bait.
This strategy has two purposes. First is securing Mishima Kanji’s safety. Gaining a position as a ‘sage who foresaw 2050’s events to avert disaster but was mocked’. Certainly more trustworthy than a government only considering escape. Second is forming the faction Momiji spoke of.
There are still countless unseen factions. And countless known ones paralyzed by future awareness. By having Kōmitsu Solutions perceived as an altruistic corporation through consistent actions, cooperation becomes easier to obtain. Misconceptions about Orange will spur that on, further accelerating things.
「The future is bleak. That’s why allies are necessary to advance. Our company seeks cooperators. Individuals and corporations alike. Gather under the Prophet, share information, and save the world. Our goal is to save the world before 2050.」
「My my, Kōmitsu Solutions is really going at it.」
「Their policies align perfectly with ours. Professor, why don’t we offer our support as well?」
Diverse machinery lines the area, all inorganic brain mimics. For passive future sight in Espers. Cyborgs have two key concepts – Kōmitsu Solutions’s human enhancement, and Hereafter’s systematization and sharing of abilities.
Far underground lies Hereafter headquarters. Stroking his beard while looking askance, the fat man dubbed Professor remarks “I see, I see.” He formulated the techniques to observe, solidify, and insert futures central to HAO’s efforts.
「Our objectives of future alteration independent of state control seem to be gaining traction. The update announcement went out?」
「Yes. Along with Kōmitsu Solutions’s information release, we observed the future shift significantly. Version 1.09 guidance has just finished going out.」
「Hmm. Wonder if things will change much this time. Or did an influx of useless rich idiots emerge thanks to that immortality…? Well, no matter – commence the update.」
The men converse casually. For the past two years they were shackled by the state. But freed from those bonds just a week ago, this is the result. Mass produced Apollyon, Moon UYK, negative mass matter, age reversal technology, defeating a Strain.
The stagnated future seems ready to change. Surmounting ruin may be possible. But more than that, their nonchalance stems from monopolizing technology to observe the future.
「We ought to have that Prophet Orange work as a new faction for our future’s sake! Hahahaha!」
「And if unpleasant situations emerge, we can just retrieve him. So many uses for a multi-future sight Esper who can influence fate directly after all.」
Laughter fills Hereafter headquarters. And soon, that smiling is overwritten by shrieks. Those screams herald the beginning of month-long maintenance.
「The future keeps changing! Measurements way too far off predictions to compensate!」
「Quickly recalibrate! The instrumentation is malfunctioning!」
「It’s no use! Blackouts up to pathway A-07!」
「I see a city now! Not collapsed!」
「This can’t be, Osaka City is floating in 2060…!」
「Someone changed the future during updates! So all these computations…!」
The few organic seers also chime in reports. An unthinkable situation utterly dismissed as improbable during updates. The Professor sprints into the server room, howling at the nonfunctional equipment arrays. True, he had set this stage up.
「Who in blazes caused this—–!!」
「Alright. Upload of Horizon Ventures and GullyZone Industries data complete! Time for Robo-Go!!!!!」
Yet the fool moving the world is none other than this man, Mishima Kanji.
『Version 2.00 Update
Regarding Old Osaka City:
・Doomsday Administration Bureau established.
・Negative mass matter generators intact.
・Additional weaponry and modifications implemented.
・Mass produced Apollyon effectiveness acknowledged.
・System shift from selecting bodies to customizing parts based on a base frame.
・Arm-RE011 by RE Corp added.
・Anti-Strain rocket launcher RE01 by RE Corp added.
・Gatling arm RE010 by RE Corp added.
・Shoulder mini-missiles RE11 by RE Corp implemented.
・Head vulcan RE01 by RE Corp added.
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・2050’s ruin has not been averted.
・Success rate for 2055 operations is 0.ᦲᦲᲖၦ■■%』
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