The Evil Scientist is Too Competent

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It’s been such a long time.

I spent the night not in research.

“…This world ain’t normal either.”

I muttered while skimming through the data collected and organized by AI. If you recall the cases of human experimentation running rampant in City Z, you’ll know that this world is anything but clean.

In fact, it’s even worse than Earth.

On Earth, where everyone was human except for skin color, discrimination based on skin color and human rights violations diminished significantly after two world wars. But in this world, where there were no wars to dramatically change people’s perceptions, that guy’s discrimination and unspeakable horrors still thrived.

I wish I could expose everything and bring it all crashing down, but I suppressed that desire and organized the information I had gathered.

‘First, I’ll set up a recursive function…’

The ability users that the Boss was worried about. If an ability user was indeed aware that their information had leaked, there is a way to neutralize their superpowers.

It was to leak that guy’s information infinitely.

Every second, every minute, every hour. To drive the ability user insane with incessant alarms until they end up disabling their own power. Fortunately, something that could infinitely repeat such an act was prepared. The AI would change its personality and send signals to the ability users each time. Like a community user doing IP address pranks while using a VPN…

Could a user remain sane after receiving signals hundreds of thousands of times a second? Assuming such a user existed, this alone would force them to retire.

‘The rest must be hidden away in analog form… I can’t seem to find anything online.’

The information that AI discovered was abundant enough to deserve the title “ocean of information,” but there were still many things that could not be uncovered online. A handful of information that could only be learned through real-life investigation.

Having pinpointed the possible locations of this information, I stepped out of the laboratory and pulled out my smartphone. After a long time, going out again. Since it was a risky place for me, who had no strength, I needed the help of others.

“If I bring an executive, the Boss might catch on… So I should recruit from another side.”

Fortunately, there were forces that weren’t part of the evil organization, but I could use them as I pleased. Workers who excelled both in strength and abilities, perfect for my needs.

Having contacted the two who were probably hanging out in the break room by now, I prepared to welcome them while waiting in a corner of the lab. In the distance, the declining sparkle of the stars caught my eye as if contrasting with the developed city. The twinkle was entirely emitted by the stars—things that could no longer be seen on Earth…

Just as the starlight, this world is filled with things that were never seen on Earth. For that reason, I like this world. The Regalia who allowed me to live in this world even more.

If she wishes for anything, I would do anything for her.

Literally anything.

* * *

A dilapidated building far from the urban center. The man guarding the entrance of this once-populated building yawned and stretched.

Since he started working here, the man had dealt with either chasing away homeless people who came to sneak in for a nap or unruly teenagers who came looking for a secret hideout for drinking, smoking, and sex.

So naturally, the security here was tight. No one knew that this place was a secret laboratory belonging to a cutting-edge corporation…

Who would be interested in such a rundown building anyway? It was rare for someone to come by at all.

“Hm—?”

The man guarding the entrance frowned slightly as he spotted a light approaching from a distance. The supplies that were scheduled to arrive today had already come ages ago. While checking to see if there was a shipment he had missed, the source of the running light grew close enough to be visible on the CCTV camera.

Upon seeing the sleek vehicle, the man confirmed that it was not a truck carrying supplies and quietly focused on the camera. Whether it was lost folks who wandered in here mistakenly or people wanting to secretly indulge where no eyes could see, he thought something would soon react.

Moments later, three people exited the vehicle.

“Wow—.”

The man could not help but let out a gasp at the sight of the woman stepping out from the driver’s seat. The tight black suit accentuated her ample chest and hips. A figure even unparalleled by gravure models.

Was she perhaps here for some kind of filming in that field? While he was contemplating this, the woman who had gotten out of the vehicle quietly placed her hand on her waist. At that moment, a long sword appeared from her previously empty waist.

What is this, some kind of medieval period…? The man thought, but soon shut his mouth at the sight of the collapsed abandoned factory due to the sword’s swing.

“…Crazy.”

His surprise was momentary; the reaction came quickly. Professionally, he immediately pressed the emergency button to send a warning inside. That intruders had appeared, and all related materials should be disposed of, telling researchers to flee.

However, no matter how many times he pressed the button, the signal did not go through. Feeling something was off, the man crawled under his chair and fumbled with the button, but for some reason, it remained unresponsive.

‘Damn it, what are those maintenance guys doing at a time like this…?!’

To think something would break at a time so crucial? Terrified, the man quickly grabbed the landline to call inside. Yet, remarkably, the phone was also dead.

Both the smartphone and landline were down, and even the emergency bell was unresponsive. This could not be mere coincidence. The man realized that this was also an attack from the intruders.

“…W-What am I supposed to do in this situation?”

The man hurriedly flipped through the manual. It contained rules for every action. Preparedness for situations where unassailable intruders had come in, and they smashed all communications…

[─In the above situation, it is advisable for the user to commit suicide. Those who send such skilled individuals would likely not leave even a mere guard alone…]

“J-Jump off?”

The man trembled as he read through the manual. He didn’t want to die. He had no intention of committing suicide, but… the instructions in the manual had to be followed. Reluctantly, he opened a drawer and grasped the pistol hidden inside with trembling hands.

Struggling to steady his shaking hands, he aimed it at his temple, recalling a news article he had seen online. They said that when aiming for the temple, you might not even die…

So, he kept switching between aiming at his chin, forehead, and even inside his mouth to stall for time. Finally, just as he got a grip on himself and was about to pull the trigger—something forcibly snatched the gun from him.

“U-Ugh-!?”

“That won’t do. You can’t just try to die in front of me.”

The man who lost his gun glanced sidelong at the figure who had taken it, only to feel a chill and quickly avert his gaze. The face was not visible. There were no severe scars or a mask; it was just that there was nothing physically there at all.

It was as if he was forbidden from seeing the face, only an obscured image reigned in his mind. Terrified to look at the face, he lowered his head, and for some reason, a voice he couldn’t quite remember cracked in his ear.

“Are you the security guard? I can’t find my way inside, so… where’s the door?”

“A-Ah, I can’t tell you that…”

“I see. I’ll figure it out myself then. Thanks.”

“W-Wait, what-.”

As the intruder spoke, they aimed a device resembling a scanner from a grocery store at his forehead. The moment the security guard thought it was a gun, he squeezed his eyes shut and trembled. Did they say not to commit suicide? Was this why? Was the implication behind “I’ll figure it out” a threat to kill him if he didn’t?

But as a professional, the guard clung to his determination to keep the secret to the end, and despite his quivering, he merely trembled in silence.

A beep sounded in his ear.

“Thank you for your cooperation. The door is this way.”

“…Huh?”

“Oh, you should head home now. You might get hurt if you stay here.”

The intruder said that and headed deeper into the secret laboratory. As if they naturally knew where the path was…

The stunned guard stopped trembling and stared blankly at the retreating figure. He couldn’t understand what had just happened at all.