Chapter 90 (2/2)
“Consider all of the other races you’ve seen in the past and all that you will see in the future to be part of Central. Unlike humans, the other races are educated on the reality of this world since their youth.”
“All of the other races?”
“… The other races need not worry about betrayal or exposing cla.s.sified information unlike humans.”
“I guess having a light mouth is the advantage of being a human.”
“How is that an advantage?”
Mazelan wrinkled and stared at Isaac, asking for further details. Isaac answered with a smile.
“It means we don’t need to go through the troubles to gather information. Humans have a traditional method of torture on their side.”
“You…”
Mazelan felt an urge to argue, but changed his mind and simply stared back at Isaac in silence. It was an insulting criticism, but one he couldn’t argue against. Frustrated, Mazelan turned away and moved on briskly as he resumed.
“That is why the Directorate of Surveillance boasts of the largest number of agents.”
“Even if there are many other races around, wouldn’t it still be difficult for them to watch all of human society on their own?”
“Just as the Directorate of a.n.a.lysis owns the Super Computer, the Directorate of Surveillance has their own trump card to keep themselves in the power game. I told you that they boast the largest number of agents in Central right? That’s because the number includes not just the regular agents who went through training, but also field agents who are deployed to gather information.”
“Field agents?”
“Broadly speaking, all agents who perform basic tasks such as gathering rumours, detecting abnormalities, and investigating suspicious targets and such that are done before a regular agent is deployed are called field agents. But the list of such agents are obviously cla.s.sified, and only the Director of Surveillance knows of it.”
“How could one person handle all of that? There can’t be just one or two agents deployed for the entire world. The number of reports that come up in a single day alone would be ludicrous, not to mention how difficult its logistics would be, managing all of their movement. And what about replacements if one of them were to die or go missing?”
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
“Like I said, it’s top secret. The ident.i.ty of all outside agents are unknown except to the Director of Surveillance. That’s the scary part. All we know is that the outside agents aren’t even aware they are one and that even the smallest and most rural village containing 10 households will have at least 1 agent. They are the greatest information network, and the Directorate of Surveillance doesn’t even look at the reports that come to them. They pa.s.s them over to the a.n.a.lysis the moment they arrive. It’s the Directorate of a.n.a.lysis that makes the decisions.”
“So they aren’t even aware they are agents themselves? So they are practically free labour, handing over information unknowingly? Wow! How cruel.”
“… Is that the impression you get?”
“Of course! It means they are maintaining such an impressive information network without spending a dime on it! Sounds very handy. Is there a way I can learn how it’s done?”
Mazelan shook his head as if he’d given up on listening to Isaac and continued on.
“The Directorate of Strategy is the hand of Central. They create plans and deploy agents to achieve mission objectives. Their main missions consist of a.s.sa.s.sination, kidnapping, manipulating information, and propaganda against conventional targets on top of planning and carrying out missions aimed at exterminating confirmed invaders and turncoats. You can consider all activities rumored to be done by Central’s hands to be actions of the Directorate of Strategy.”
Isaac rubbed his chin, intrigued by Mazelan’s explanation.
“That’s interesting. Surveillance gathers information, a.n.a.lysis makes the decision, and Strategy plans and acts according to the decision… It sounds like an efficient system if they are all equals, but they all carry the danger of becoming subordinate to each other. No. Seeing how each of the Directorates already have trump cards such as supercomputers and outside agents, maybe they are already competing over who will take the head of Central? Then what would Directorate of Strategy’s trump card be? Hm… the Dark Royale perhaps?”
“…”
Terrifying.
Cold sweat dripped from Mazelan’s forehead as he watched Isaac. There was a reason why the Directorate of a.n.a.lysis would have placed Isaac as number 1 candidate for recruitment if it weren’t for Rivelia. He never accepted the information at face value and had frightening talent in deducing the causes behind the scenes. He truly was a talent coveted by the Directorate of a.n.a.lysis.
“s.h.i.+t! the world must be going mad, considering Isaac to be a genius.’
Mazelan lamented in his mind and spoke to Isaac.
“That’s right. Unlike the Directorate of a.n.a.lysis and Surveillance, the Directorate of Strategy has military power as their card. That is the Dark Royale.”
“That’s strange. I heard some of Dark Royale’s agents infiltrated Surveillance and a.n.a.lysis?”
“That’s correct. Both the Directorate of a.n.a.lysis and Surveillance are aware of it too. As you suspect, the three directorates are both cooperating and competing against one another. Which is why all directorates have embedded spies to other directorates. I’m sure both the Directorates of a.n.a.lysis and Surveillance have placed agents in the Directorate of Strategy too. But their goal is to simply watch from the shadow, not hinder their mission or sabotage them. They are simply there as a warning not to do anything stupid.”
“Hmm… I see.”
Isaac nodded as if he’d understood everything, but Mazelan couldn’t help but feel he’d made a mistake seeing that. Mazelan felt his heart being suffocated with unease.
“So where are we going right now? Weren’t we going outside?”
The two had been talking to one another for a long time, but Isaac couldn’t help but feel curious since it seemed they were walking deeper into the Palace. Isaac tilted his head. it had been some time since he stopped seeing any Arc Royales, maids, and butlers. Mazelan glanced at his surroundings before he answered Isaac.
“We’re here. We just need to pa.s.s through this door.”
“… That’s a door? Not a vault?”
What was in front of Isaac was a giant door in the shape of a bank vault. Isaac spoke in a dumbfounded tone, but that was only the beginning of his surprise.
“Directorate of Strategy Foreign Strategic Supplies Management Team Team Leader Marvelia Zelion Lankast Hugh Gabelin.”
“… Would you look at that.”
Seeing Mazelan walk over to the panel next to the door, Isaac began to suspect what it could be, although his mind denied its possibility. Lo and behold, Isaac’s suspicion was true, and only after Mazelan went through eye scan, fingerprint scan, and voice recognition did the large steel bar of the door click, silently opening the door.
“Almost feels like I’m entering a vault, not a room.”
“Can’t be helped. Its design heavily referenced your world’s security system.”
“What’s the reason why you guys care so much about its secrecy?”
“Because it holds technology that doesn’t exist.”
Isaac immediately understood what Mazelan meant after entering inside. What lit up the area weren’t magic lamps, but light bulbs. Within the empty square room, there was only another entrance, but this entrance was also very familiar.
“… An elevator?”
Leaving the astonished Isaac behind, Mazelan approached the elevator and went through the identical procedure he did for the vault door. Soon, the door of the elevator opened with the ring of a bell.
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