Chapter 90: Traffic Control 3
[Commencing data incineration.]
[Emergency Protocol Article 4 has been enacted in accordance with company regulations.]
[All employees are instructed to follow the designated procedures for the disposal of all informational assets classified as company property.]
Earnest Rail was currently facing an emergency situation.
He had received intelligence that the northern front in the satellite city of Zain had been annihilated, but the high-ranking executives of Earnest Rail dismissed it as inconsequential.
Hunters under contract had died?
Hunters were always pawns who pledged their lives in exchange for money.
Company employees had died?
That wasn’t a problem either.
To Mega Corp, employees were nothing more than property and obedient playthings.
What mattered to Mega Corp were money and numbers.
And, of course, the leadership of Ark, who could essentially be considered their adversaries.
“Quickly, destroy all electronic servers!”
“The AI security system is locked!”
“What? Why is it locked?”
“It’s the leadership! They’re already trying to seize control of the company AI!”
“Damn bastards!”
Even though they lived together in the massive subterranean city of Ark, the leadership, perched in the heavens as if controlling everything, would not forgive those who behaved recklessly.
Anyone who disturbed the rules and order of Ark or dared challenge the leadership, regarded as the will of Ark, would find no mercy.
That’s why Earnest Rail despised them.
He vowed to change everything rotten about Ark.
Not some trivial rules or taboos, but a world where money and power truly reigned, and humans pursued desires and struggles befitting their nature.
Not a world of order or rules, but one where individuals carved out their destinies with their own strength and principles.
Earnest Rail’s true founding purpose was to build a great world where everyone fought and ascended with their strength and beliefs.
To achieve that, he had methodically prepared for rebellion and resistance against those ruling Ark.
But he had been caught.
Why had he been caught?
Where had the leak occurred? He had no idea.
The central government had only informed Earnest Rail of one thing: evidence of rebellion had been found in Zain.
“Damn it! How on earth did the manufacturing and distribution of dolls get leaked to Ark’s central leadership? Didn’t we secure triple mana contracts with the employees and executives?”
The CEO of Earnest Rail could only clutch his head and sigh.
The ambitious entrepreneur, who ruled countless levels of Ark with money and stood atop many others, was too mentally cornered to even bother with his appearance.
Seeing this, the executive assistants either sighed or refrained from responding, already resigned.
Though they usually served him with utmost respect, the warning from Ark’s central leadership made them realize their fate was sealed.
Ark’s central leadership was known for maintaining indifference in most matters, but they were ruthless when it came to rebellion, even using phrases like “exterminate the entire clan.”
Even if someone escaped from Earnest Rail, the Overseer’s eyes would track them to the ends of the earth.
The only ones clinging to a slim hope of survival here were likely the clueless employees.
They busied themselves with the meaningless task of destroying information, grinding away at hardware and electronic documents.
“Answer me! Did the Overseer discover the doll manufacturing facility in Zain? No, dolls were originally created with the cooperation and experiments of that native faction leader! Even if the Overseer secured that leader, without evidence of the dolls, the central government wouldn’t have grounds to condemn us!”
“They likely obtained both.”
“What?”
The CEO’s dumbfounded expression elicited smirks from the assistants, who were halfway through drafting their wills.
Despite his ambition, competence, and intellect, seeing the CEO in a state of panic over the approach of the central executors was rather pathetic.
No matter how much one rebelled or schemed to surpass the central authority, even Mega Corp’s master feared death just the same.
“No point in writing a will; the central leadership will find and burn everything anyway. This is meaningless.”
The secretary discarded her unfinished will into the trash and instructed the remaining assistants to spend their time as they wished.
Then, she sat down in front of the CEO, deciding to serve as his final conversation partner out of some lingering sense of loyalty.
“Even if the central leadership secured evidence of the dolls, it would usually only result in fines or the loss of a few rights. Declaring rebellion means they’ve discovered both the manufacturing process and its purpose.”
“How could this happen?!”
“A week ago, a doll was leaked in the northern front of Zain, prompting a request for a pursuit team. After reorganizing the pursuit team, the final emergency report mentioned the appearance of a Humanoid Calamity, concluding with the annihilation of the northern front.”
“That’s not a problem! Employees can always be rehired, and the front can be reorganized anytime! But why did those arrogant central bastards suddenly latch onto us? They never declare rebellion without concrete evidence!”
The secretary shrugged.
The reason for declaring rebellion was simple.
Everything they thought wouldn’t be exposed had been uncovered, and material evidence had fallen into the hands of the central leadership’s agents.
“It’s not just the annihilation of the front. They likely also captured the ‘Demonic Baron,’ the origin of the dolls and their manufacturing.”
It had to be that way.
The moment Ark’s central command, arrogantly controlling everything in its grasp, detects the scent of rebellion, it descends from the heavens and turns everything into a sea of flames.
Given the current circumstances, the only remaining course of action for Earnest Rail is to dissolve the company.
He must destroy all information, documents, evidence, and discussions related to the dolls and their production methods to desperately prove his innocence, but…
“No, this can’t happen. Yes, I’ll start again. I have the money and talent to do it…!”
“Well, give it up, Director. Central has already declared rebellion, and none of us will survive this.”
“Giving up is not in my vocabulary! From the moment I founded this company, that word…”
“Oh my, is that so? Such a remarkable conviction, I see~.”
-Chill!
“…!”
A chill.
A sense of unease.
The grotesque sensation of hundreds of insects crawling over their skin caused the CEO, his secretary, and all the employees of Earnest Rail present to freeze in their tracks.
-Tap, tap.
The sound of high heels, the kind worn by a noblewoman, echoed.
Although it was a faint sound, all the “traitors” of Earnest Rail felt as if it was right next to their ears.
“Uhuhu, such a commotion. It reminds me of the lower-tier black market. But being Mega Corp, shouldn’t your executions be conducted with a bit more dignity?”
“Hands up!”
-Bang!
The heads of the guards aiming their weapons at the owner of the high heels exploded.
“Eek?!”
“Kyah!”
“To think that even elite guards, equivalent to Second-Class Overseers, were taken down in an instant…”
The employees of Earnest Rail knew how terrifying high-level Overseers were.
They had occasionally observed the Overseer Corps they collaborated with from a distance.
However, a First-Class Overseer was on an entirely different level.
When the guards’ heads exploded just now, mana had not even moved.
All the employees, being awakened individuals or possessing equipment or enhancements granting them a certain level of power, could sense mana without effort.
And yet, when that woman with her hair tied in buns smiled and gestured lightly, the guards’ heads exploded without any flow of mana, manifestation of power, or visible attack.
“Well! Meeting like this is fate, isn’t it? Isn’t it proper manners to introduce oneself in such a situation?”
The woman grabbed the hem of her aristocratic skirt, spun lightly, and bowed slightly.
“I am Fira Dunhill. After returning from an expedition, I found myself in a holiday season. Not wanting to spar emotionally with the elders of my household, I voluntarily took on an execution trip as a First-Class Overseer~.”
“Fi-Fira Dun…hill…?”
The secretary swallowed hard.
Even if one had never heard the name Fira Dunhill, there were not many First-Class Overseers who could be sent on expeditions.
And a First-Class Overseer capable of leading an external expedition was one of the highest-tier monsters, incomparable to ordinary Overseers or awakened individuals.
The overwhelming confidence to handle an entire Mega Corp alone was merely an added bonus.
“Oh, right! I should inform you of this first.”
Fira casually waved her hand, and a holographic electronic document appeared at her wrist.
“Effective immediately, by unanimous decision of the esteemed Administrator, all rights to defense, resistance, property preservation, inheritance, family survival, and life itself are hereby revoked from all entities affiliated with or related to Earnest Rail~.”
“No, no. Nooo!”
“Spare me!”
“Mom, mommy!!!”
-Bang!
-Thud!
But those who tried to flee, those who screamed for their lives, all had their heads burst once again.
“Ahem! There was a brief commotion~.”
From the now-quiet severed heads, something began to emerge.
Maggots.
The heads of those who had screamed and begged for their lives had exploded, revealing a massive swarm of maggots inside.
“To continue, the lives and properties of all ‘human beings’ affiliated with the traitorous Earnest Rail will be reclaimed by Ark’s central authority through legitimate procedures and execution plans.”
Now, the people could no longer even scream freely.
Fira ignored them all with a smirk and continued speaking as if she were enjoying herself.
“If you have complaints about the central authority’s procedures, ‘rebels’ should address them to the executors handling your case.
For issues excluding death, injury, dismemberment, or torture, you may bring the appropriate documents to Administrator 33 at Central Administration!”
“W-What is that supposed to mean? You’re saying we’re all just supposed to die!!”
“Correct~! That’s the right answer! Unfortunately, there’s no prize for getting it right. But as expected of a Mega Corp executive! Your sharp and precise grasp of the situation is exactly how you climbed to your position!”
“We… we only followed orders! We just did what we were told to do!”
“Yes, yes~ You knowingly accepted money while rebelling, violating Ark’s Prohibited Articles on Order Preservation, and assumed that following orders would absolve you of responsibility?”
“You… you’re so cruel…!”
“Yes, yes~ This little one is nothing but a merciless maggot, so I wouldn’t know about that~”
Fira’s playful laughter was chilling, and the employees of Earnest Rail instinctively felt it.
‘We’re all dead.’
They realized that none of them would leave this place alive.
“I-I don’t want to die! I’m getting out of here!”
“I can’t die like this!”
“She’s alone! Now’s our chance!”
Soon, the employees of Earnest Rail descended into chaos, screaming and panicking.
Some, despite knowing death was inevitable, tried to escape in desperation.
Others, in the middle of the turmoil, stuffed wads of cash into their bags.
A few, including the CEO, attempted to attack Fira with murderous intent.
Meanwhile, others, like the assistants and secretary, gave up entirely, kneeling in a prayerful stance to some unseen entity.
Regardless of their reactions, Fira was utterly delighted.
‘Our Alice has landed a big catch~!’
As expected of the promising junior she and Oriana had vouched for.
‘It’s common for Hunters to work just to rack up achievements, but who would’ve thought she’d not only detect Mega Corp’s rebellion and secure material evidence but also manage to persuade the Demonic Baron~’
Demons, especially noble ones, were notoriously prideful and uncooperative with humanity.
Nobles, in particular, refused to bow their heads, even under threats of death, torture, or coercion.
Yet Alice had somehow succeeded in winning her over.
While it wasn’t unheard of for demons to naturalize into Ark, such cases were typically rare anomalies.
Especially in a case like this, where a baron, the ruler of a demonic territory, applied for human integration alongside her entire domain and race—it was extraordinarily rare.
Moreover, the baron now served as both evidence and a witness to Earnest Rail’s rebellion, making Alice’s accomplishment undeniable.
She had even helped subdue the Humanoid Calamity Gaia.
Her contributions had already surpassed the level of a mere Overseer candidate.
Even First-Class Overseers rarely managed to secure so many significant achievements in one go.
‘Ah, Alice. It hasn’t even been that long since we parted, and you’ve already become so dazzlingly competent! Oriana must be so proud! I feel like abducting you and claiming you as my own little sister!’
Fira’s face slowly began to split vertically as her greed and desires stirred.
Through the widening gaps, non-human eyes, teeth, and a writhing tongue appeared.
Those eyes turned toward the approaching, fleeing, or despairing humans.
“Now then. Gnawing bugs, stinging bugs, birthing bugs, burning bugs, exploding bugs, and breeding bugs.”
Fira adjusted her stance again.
Grasping the hem of her skirt with elegance and smiling, she looked like a goddess descended from the heavens.
“It’s dinner time.”
Her body and face soon split open vertically, revealing sharp, countless teeth and tongues within.