334 – The Past (13)

“I’m sorry…”

“No. You don’t have to apologize to me.”

At the Nuclear Weapons Management Laboratory, a subsidiary of the U.S. Department of Defense, Jeter was listening to the explanation from the person in charge.

“I’m sorry. I was afraid of punishment…”

They knew that the nuclear warhead shell had been lost before and after Dok Soo-hee came to visit. Even if it was just a shell and not a nuclear warhead, it had to be strictly managed.

However, they were afraid of being punished, so they falsely reported that the product was ‘discarded due to a defect discovered during the manufacturing process’ instead of ‘lost the shell.’ They also had a complacent mind that ‘what could happen with just the shell?’

“Is it because of that shell…”

“No, nothing happened. I just came to check since Soohee mentioned it to me. Here, here is the shell you were looking for.”

“thank you…”

They came to check if there was a possibility that Dok Soo-hee had a ‘real nuclear weapon’. Their goal was achieved.

Jeter returned to the Players’ Association headquarters with his teleportation ability. He refused all meetings and stayed in his office for 7 days. The only contact he had was with Mahesh who occasionally came in to deliver water and sugar.

A week later like that.

“Doksoohee.”

“Still no news.”

Dok Soo-hee did not appear on the 26th floor. There were many top players who had connections with the association, so I asked them to look for her separately, but none of them said they had ever seen Dok Soo-hee.

“Chairman, the VIP keeps requesting a call.”

“Go yourself.”

Also, the president was looking for Jitters, and he seemed to be in deep trouble at the moment.

“I feel like my head is going to burst these days. I really think I’m going crazy.”

“What’s going on?”

“The crime rate has skyrocketed. When you look into assault cases, they’re often trivial. It’s hard to believe, but… people seem more sensitive than before.”

“Is that possible?”

“I don’t know. What do you think? Do you think it’s possible?”

“…”

All of America became ‘sensitive’ in an instant. It’s impossible to prove, of course. Of course it’s impossible.

“I don’t know.”

As it was, it was clear what had happened. But as Mahesh said earlier, the player crime rate was still the same or had decreased…

‘Did it only affect the general public?’

It might be the influence of magic… Jitter thought.

“This is beyond my control. Could you increase the frequency of player patrols…?”

“It’s not something I can force you to do. I’ll just ask you a favor. I’m a representative, not a leader.”

“… Okay. And…”

“As for that, right now… we haven’t come to a conclusion either. I think it would be better to talk about it later.”

“… Good.”

The agenda the President wanted to bring up was simple: the ‘returner’ issue. Instead of giving an answer right away, Jeter returned to the Players Association and immediately called a meeting of Team Alpha.

“Please, I want you to be honest with me.”

Jitter asked.

“Do you think I… am wrong?”

I had heard it through Mahesh, and I had enhanced my hearing to hear it myself. The team members were… confused.

They sided with Jeter in the confrontation between Jeter and Doksuhee. However, that doesn’t mean they wanted the two to fight. It’s the same reason why no one would want to win when their father and sister fight.

A fight between the two? That could be possible. But I didn’t know that they would fight so fiercely, risking their lives, and destroying the headquarters. And a nuclear bomb. Even though it was a bluff, it was also shocking that Dok Soo Hee took out a nuclear bomb. Suddenly, shocking events occurred one after another, so I couldn’t come to my senses.

“I felt while talking to the President today that I might have been a little bit wrong.”

Also, when Jeter heard the president’s words, he naturally thought of it as ‘an opportunity to increase player influence’. When social order is in chaos, players can suppress crime, and in the process, individual players can be heroized, and overall social influence can be increased. This was the opportunity Jeter had been looking for.

‘This is… beyond my control.’

The expression on the president’s face as he spoke was full of deep emotion. Full of all sorts of negative emotions. It was hard to look at, and even Jeter could see that he was suffering.

“Do you think I… crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed?”

In the meantime, Jitter himself, who had been calmly weighing the pros and cons, realized that he might have been a little wrong.

Maybe there was a better way to do Dok Soo Hee’s work.

Jeter didn’t always think he was right. He knew that it was more dangerous to push forward even when he was wrong. That’s why he wanted feedback from his team members.

“My thoughts are…”

“How do I see it…”

It was a little late, but Jitters changed. And that small change had a big impact on what would happen next.

“Let’s go back.”

And time is like water, if you don’t touch it, it will flow on its own.

It means that even if you regress, the same thing will happen again.

[I suffered damage.]

[Return to the moment you first entered the 19th floor.]

***

The fight, defeat, and escape between Dok Soo-hee and Jitter were repeated again. Even Jitter’s transformation occurred.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, that’s for sure.”

“… You won’t regret it.”

“…yes.”

As in previous episodes, Michael Jeter’s team debated and debated. Some argued that Dok Soo-hee was right, some argued that Jeter was right, and some argued that somewhere in between, they should take the middle path.

“Doksoohee is…”

“Still haven’t come out.”

“…”

I removed the trap that Jitter had set up in the conference room and sent Mahesh to the 26th floor to try to talk to him, but Dok Soo-hee still didn’t show up. I couldn’t tell if she was being scheming or if she hadn’t regained consciousness.

In any case, there has to be a conclusion to the meeting. Jeter’s team came up with what they thought was the most reasonable conclusion. It was a conclusion that was closer to Jeter’s opinion, and as a result, Michael Jeter was able to feel confident in himself.

So, the report was compiled. Jeter gathered Team Alpha’s opinions and made suggestions to the President, and the President agreed to some of them.

“Instead, I think I need to reinforce that ‘plan’ I mentioned earlier a little more. The risk I’m taking is too great.”

“Yes, I understand. I completely understand.”

“And… I think this. Would it be right for the two of us to decide all this between us?”

The president was not a closed-minded person, but he was not someone who could ignore everything and pursue efficiency like Jitter.

What he feels now is an excessive sense of responsibility. Originally, the position of the US President was supposed to be a position that required a sense of responsibility, but this was on a different scale. It was truly a matter of the fate of ‘humanity’.

“What do you want to do?”

“…call the leaders.”

The President has called a meeting. Leaders from around the world are gathering in the United States.

**

“The air is stuffy.”

“Yes. It looks like we’ve come to quite a deep place.”

This wasn’t the first time the US president had called on leaders of different countries, but it was the first time he had done so in such depth and with such a high level of security concern.

“Is that okay?”

“It’ll be okay.”

Because of security concerns, he couldn’t even have bodyguards accompany him, but that was okay. Association President Michael Jeter was there. I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard that the guy said that you can’t kill him even if you shoot him. He’s the embodiment of chaos, so worrying about him is a waste of time.

“It’s been a while.”

“Hehe, how have you been?”

Since the US President had not yet arrived, there was a lot of talk and even secret dealing going on in the room. At the same time, there was also speculation about the meeting.

“What is happening?”

“That’s true.”

A recently discovered genetic problem? A war in the Middle East? What could be so important that it would bring together world leaders, and with such urgency, to a basement like this?

“Maybe… it has something to do with that ‘book’.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s persuasive.”

Some sharp leaders speculated that it might be related to the privilege and source of power of the American president, the ‘Book of Truth’. This was also quite convincing to other leaders. They thought that it might be a prophecy about the future and that their support was needed to prepare for it.

“Oh, you came.”

“Please take a seat.”

The US President then enters. Michael Jeter takes his seat behind him. Some leaders were suspicious because the president’s expression was so bad, and they wondered what was going on.

“Today’s agenda is.”

None of them, really none of them.

“I am a returnee.”

I didn’t expect what the president was going to say.