Chương 52: Chapter 14 The Search Beyond(Part 1)

Video analysis of Seth's footage was left to Chiyoda and the others. Whether progressing deeper into the Gate would always lead explorers to the same location remained unknown, but Seth's recording had confirmed the existence of Safe Spaces, along with several other important discoveries. I had no desire to try one myself, but apparently those bizarre creatures could be eaten as well. That alone solved part of the logistics problem. It meant we could stay underground much longer. Still, there was another issue...

"Has the resource catalog already been shared with every country?"

"…The higher-ups decided on a phased disclosure policy."

"What? Not an immediate release? That's far too dangerous. The catalog contains more than just resources and medicine. There are weapons listed in it as well."

"We're aware of that. This isn't the place for this discussion. Let's move somewhere else. Mochida, prepare a soundproof room immediately."

"Understood!" Mochida hurried out of the room, leaving Chiyoda and me alone. Akamine gave me a brief bow before returning to train with the police officers. The resource catalog... I had been the one who requested it, but at this point its value was beyond measure. The livestream had mentioned immortality, rejuvenation, and regenerative medicine, but the catalog contained far more than that. The problem was that most entries were nothing but names.

Take something called a High-Molecular Decomposition Device, for example. Judging from the name, it probably decomposed plastics. Would that really matter? Perhaps society could simply return to petroleum-based materials. But the word decomposition suggested the possibility of complete annihilation instead. Nothing was more frightening than handling something completely unknown while it remained completely unknown. Chiyoda led me into a small room. Four white walls. No windows.

Two single sofas faced each other across a small table. If someone had to work in this room every day, they'd probably lose their mind.

"Mochida, please leave us. What we're about to discuss is still too much for you."

"…Understood." Once Mochida left, Chiyoda and I sat facing one another. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Seeing this level of caution, I couldn't help but wonder if the government was contemplating something far more dangerous than I'd imagined.

"To begin with," Chiyoda said, "after your livestream, we thoroughly analyzed everything we could and consulted experts across numerous fields before making our decisions."

"The catalog... No, how much information was actually disclosed to the rest of the world?"

"We shared our estimates regarding the Gate's opening schedule, everything we've confirmed about Classes, information regarding resources, and several other subjects. Every country first had to analyze your livestream, so I'm sure they've had their hands full."

"So... the complete catalog hasn't been released?" Chiyoda removed his glasses, wiped the lenses, put them back on, then rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands before his face.

"Immediately after your broadcast, we conducted an exhaustive investigation into you. Your birth. Every school you attended. Your employment history. Even the results of your aptitude tests. We investigated nearly every factor that makes up the person known as you.

"And our conclusion was simple.

"You're ordinary.

"There was nothing exceptional about you. After graduating high school, instead of attending university, you chose to enlist in the Self-Defense Forces.

"I graduated from Kyoto University and now serve in this position. If we competed on a written examination, I would defeat you without question." He wasn't wrong. A high school graduate stood no chance against someone from Kyoto University. Still, people chose different paths in life. Once you entered society, adaptability often mattered more than academic scores. The fluorescent lights reflected off his glasses, hiding his eyes and making it impossible to read his expression.

"And yet," he continued, "that same ordinary person encountered the unknown, negotiated with it, and returned carrying information that changed the world." Was he criticizing what I'd done? I never expected every decision I made to earn universal approval. I knew many people had died inside the Gates. Statistics could tell me how many. But numbers never told me who they had been. That was why I refused to empathize too deeply. If I did... I'd lose my ability to make rational decisions.

"Everything inside the Gate is at one's own risk," I replied.

"Wasn't that the government's official stance?"

"If my words sounded like criticism, then I chose them poorly." A faint smile crossed Chiyoda's face.

"I was praising you."

"…Praising me?"

"Yes.

"You remained calm in an unpredictable situation.

"You negotiated with a completely incomprehensible being and even secured a place at the negotiating table.

"More importantly, you did everything you possibly could to prove your own identity.

"If there had been no footage...

"If there had been no witnesses...

"And if you had appeared as that young girl from the very beginning...

"No one would have believed you.

"Academically, you're an ordinary person.

"But intelligence cannot be measured by test scores alone.

"In that regard...

"You're remarkably wise." He finally relaxed his posture.

"So trust us.

"And rely on us.

"You're no longer alone." He was right. The manpower was certainly there. Whether it was enough remained to be seen, but at least there were people willing to listen. People willing to believe me. Then all I had to do...... was keep moving forward.

"Understood.

"I'll leave the matter of the catalog to you.

"But what's your reasoning?"

"Putting aside Inspector Tachibana's case, we've confirmed through Akamine and the others that those without the proper Class cannot draw out a weapon's true potential.

"At present, every weapon we've recovered has essentially been a slightly different version of the starter equipment.

"If we revealed everything now, other nations might begin competing to secure them immediately.

"That is why we've limited disclosure to resources and medicine."

"I see.

"So you've chosen national interest.

"If chaos erupts now, everything becomes far more complicated.

"Stabilize the situation first.

"Then investigate the recovered artifacts properly."

"Exactly.

"And your livestream made that possible.

"After conducting countless verification tests, I can honestly say it was an extraordinary achievement."

"Because I never mentioned the weapons?"

"Yes.

"If you want to attract individuals or investors, profits are far more persuasive than weapons.

"And the Gate offers the greatest profit imaginable." There were countless reasons for one person to kill another. But if all you needed was a pair of hands... There was little reason to risk your life searching for weapons inside a Gate. Medicine. Gold coins. Those were infinitely more valuable. As for how governments chose to move... I'd leave that to Chiyoda.

"Yes," he continued.

"Medicine and gold eventually end up in private hands.

"Weapons are different.

"They spread from one person to another.

"At the moment, no nation has made any particularly aggressive moves.

"The most we've seen are attempts to relocate Gates into their own territory."

"They're deliberately inviting disaster?"

"That's simply a difference in perspective.

"You see the Gates as dangerous jack-in-the-boxes.

"But from an economic standpoint...

"They're the most efficient resource source imaginable.

"So long as you're willing to ignore the human cost.

"The fewer natural resources a nation possesses, the more desperately it wants a Gate.

"Even the major powers have begun moving."

"Companies exist to pursue profit.

"When nations start doing the same...

"I suppose Gates will eventually become a form of international currency.

"The whole world might end up becoming isolationists." Whether the Gates were infinite or not, I didn't know. But they could provide food, clothing, shelter, and raw materials. For any country wishing to withdraw from the rest of the world... They were the perfect room to lock themselves inside.