The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 100



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Episode 100. The Sheriff (5)

Separately, I also noticed Reina’s skills.

“I didn’t know that they knew every single one of the military’s collaborating companies and their reasons for doing so.”

“The military is a job where they work hard at work, and if you give them a drink, they will gossip about every little thing. It’s really hard to get within their line at first, but after that, it’s not hard at all.”

Reina, a former military man, was the go-between who met those difficult conditions from the start.

Considering that the military’s expert is Reina Hana, it would probably be impossible for an outsider to get within their line.

So, I guess that’s why he’s spouting out know-how that’s worth a fortune.

Cromwell didn’t really react to this either.

“However, interest waned after the first year.”

The reasons were outlined in the documents.

“After coming into the military’s sights, the results were sluggish, contrary to expectations… … .”

“I thought it was a winning lottery ticket, but when I scratched it, it was a dud.”

It’s not like I suddenly lost my motivation.

The reason city governments keep corporations on a leash is not to stifle the development of next-generation technologies.

‘To preempt.’

In that regard, the city government was not strict.

Enough to support a significant portion of the city’s massive budget.

Since he had connections with the military, he had the opportunity to satisfy both his personal desire for advancement and his desire for money, since he received support from the city government.

‘Above all, if it’s a technology like this, we should think about how we can use it ourselves.’

Unlike the city government with unlimited capital, the terrorist organization had limited resources, including materials and manpower.

The person who most wanted the technology to be perfected was not the city government, but Al Reid.

That is why they took the bold step of putting their technology on the market and receiving support from the military.

“Even the people involved have different opinions on why this happened, but that’s not important. In any case, since there is no advancement in technology, it is gradually being pushed out of the spotlight, and I understand that a final evaluation will be conducted this year to decide whether or not to return it to the private sector.”

Of course, it will be difficult for companies that were eliminated in the final evaluation to regain their previous status.

It’s the same as the military declaring that this is a technology with no future.

To put it simply, the conversion to a private company meant the delisting of the company.

I was lost in thought.

‘It’s strange.’

If we had put forward false technology, we would not have received investment from the military.

The military was not a group led by idiots who couldn’t even tell the difference to that extent.

In any case, the technology was real and had high prospects for further development.

However, it is not entirely surprising that there have been many companies that were doing well but then fell through the cracks for various reasons.

Of course, it could be the case that a company the military had its eyes on would do so.

The risk was even greater when it came to the technical capabilities of a terrorist organization without a foundation.

‘So was it more urgent to use the city government’s support budget than to perfect the technology?’

There is no way the city government could have been fooled by people with such short-sighted vision.

Cromwell said as I was considering several hypotheses in my head.

“So they investigated all the materials, personnel, power, and entry and exit records of employees flowing in that direction.”

“… … ?”

“Huh, you went that far?”

Neither Reina nor I could hide our surprise.

This… went beyond the scope of a typical information gathering request.

“Even if you can cleverly deceive with documents, evidence only tells the truth. It wasn’t difficult to confirm the truth.”

“That’s true, but the process is arduous, Cromwell.”

“So, you must have drank alcohol even though you didn’t drink it.”

“… … It wasn’t for nothing that you kept me wrapped up like a late bloomer. It was because you judged me to be a true gem.”

Cromwell shrugged.

Reina stared blankly at my face and then picked up the papers again.

The next chapter, which is full of dense text.

The gaps between the gaps were so tight that it hurt my eyes.

“I believed that you wouldn’t say anything unnecessary and ran into you. I reaped the rewards by calming down Jack, who said it was crazy, and even helping out.”

If I had had enough time, I would have tried it.

The deadline I gave was tight enough that Jack complained.

That means we went through several years of records in that short period of time.

I even felt a bit sorry.

As I was choosing my words, unable to speak, Cromwell said jokingly.

“I repaid my debt for handing over my identity to Reina without your permission. No matter how good an opportunity I thought it would be, this was my judgment and not yours.”

That relieves some of the burden.

“Of course, I would have been resentful if I had done all this and gotten nothing. It was too much work for me, so even if Jack had kept quiet, I would have charged him the appropriate amount myself.”

Reina burst into laughter.

“Cromwell, is this how you discipline your contractors? It’s worth noting.”

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

It was a remark that passed by without any weight, but it sent shivers down my spine.

It was a request that had already entrusted a considerable amount of money to a tight deadline.

He is a gentleman who is good at taking money from his clients.

If they had taken more allowances under various pretexts, this commission would have definitely been a loss.

“Anyway, when analyzing all that data, there were often inconsistent numbers. There was clearly more material, people, and various other things than the support the military gave us.”

Those words struck me.

This is it.

Here was the answer to my doubts about the flow of events.

But Reina, who didn’t know this, returned a sensible rebuttal.

“It’s common for companies that are on the verge of being shut out by their partners to pull together all their resources in a desperate bid to survive.”

“The quantity was considerable for such a special package. If you just consider the scale of the supplies, would you believe that it was comparable to the support sent by the military?”

“… … That’s it?”

“It would have been an amount that Bolder Beer Industries could never have digested and would have been a disaster. But there was no sign of it on the outside and they even hid it tightly.”

“Have you heard any news that the city government’s support budget has been cut this time?”

“As far as I know, there wasn’t any.”

“The amount would have already been enormous, but the additional supplies are the same amount.”

No matter how I tried to interpret it positively, the stench could not be hidden.

The two experienced brokers quickly came to a conclusion that was right on the mark.

“They were also receiving support separately from the military.”

“And their contracts will take precedence over the military.”

“These fucking kids.”

Reina, who has two identities as a former soldier and a broker, couldn’t stand it anymore and started to vent her anger.

Side contract.

Perhaps there was a group that reached out to them before the military.

‘And the identity of that sponsor is not Aleid, is it?’

This was a fact that could be guessed from the scale of the sponsorship even without knowing that Bolderbeer Industries was a front company for Al Reid.

Because it’s not an amount that a single terrorist organization can gather.

“… … So, during this busy time, you’re not asking me to report these guys’ dirty tricks to the military and get a reward, right?”

After a while, the real her opened her eyes wide and said.

“Are you saying that these guys doing such a cute thing has something to do with Al Reid in some way?”

“I checked it in Bordon’s ledger.”

She finally realized why I had brought her to this seemingly irrelevant briefing.

“Al Reid’s supplies have been leaked to Bolderveer Industries. It must be their front company. The information has already been handed over to the police department, so it’s highly unlikely that they’re unrelated.”

When I asked Hazel, who had been chewing on beef jerky, for consent, she looked around and nodded.

… … Do you know what I’m talking about?

Still, my personal distrust aside, the sheriff’s affirmation provided at least some credibility.

“Are you saying there are companies that support terrorist organizations?”

“It is in line with what the police investigator confirmed.”

“If it’s true, it’s something I can’t ignore.”

Reina took her cell phone out of her pocket and quickly sent a message to someone.

“This won’t end with just sweeping away Al Raid’s base. If a method works once, there’s no reason it can’t work twice.”

… … a company that supports terrorist organizations.

If they are not rooted out, the police will face the same challenges in the future.

This was a matter that was related to the safety of the city’s upper echelons, separate from the pride of the police department.

“Didn’t you say that if the investigation reveals anything, you will conduct a separate operation with the sheriff?”

After checking the message, Reina hinted at the sender’s identity to me.

“Permission has been granted. Congratulations on getting what you wanted.”

A high-ranking official in the police department.

“On the day of the operation, you and Hazel will be in charge of investigating Bolderveer Industries. If you need more manpower, tell me now. I will make a suggestion to the Public Security Bureau.”

“No, two is enough.”

“good.”

She ran her finger over the company name on the document.

As if they were trying to just crush and crush it.

“The police department has given us full authority. They have given us instructions to find out who is behind these guys by any means necessary.”

“I will try to live up to your expectations.”

After discussing the details, I left the office with Hazel.

‘The series of events in which the result of terrorism was the rise of corporations was not a coincidence.’

Given my circumstances, where I have no choice but to be a centrist and a swindler, the growing influence of corporations is a troubling thing.

Preventing this was something I also desperately wanted to do.

***

The atmosphere in District 5 was tense due to the prolonged inspection.

Even the media was sniffing around and reporting on what was happening in District 5.

It was widely reported that it was an operation to wipe out a terrorist organization called Al Raid.

When a typhoon comes, you should avoid it rather than confront it.

Citizens held their breath and watched the situation closely, as the number of people conducting road checks dropped to around a hundred per day.

[We will soon begin the operation.]

I confirmed Taylor’s report.

Today is the day to deploy troops to Al Raid’s stronghold.

The police have abandoned any idea of ​​doing this secretly.

Instead, he confidently leaked it to the press.

This operation also had the meaning of a large-scale publicity stunt.

The city government wants to let people know how they handle challenges to their authority, and the sheriff’s office wants to warn them that they are more than just a name.

[be careful.]

I wonder if he had developed some kind of affection for me while checking in, because he heard about my situation and became worried.

I didn’t even laugh out loud.

My nose is three feet long, and I’m worried about someone right before I go into a major operation.

[Don’t worry about it.]

I returned the answer and opened my clothes.

I inspected the condition of the weapon and checked its condition.

“The world tree stretches its sturdy branches straight out.”

The spirit twinkled above my fingers.

I’ve prepared enough.

“let’s go.”

“huh.”

Hazel came running towards me.

The air was heavy and the wind was chilly.

It was the day of the raid on Bolderveer Industries and the start of the operation to clear out Al Raid’s stronghold.

***

Bolder Beer Industries was headquartered in a shared office on the upper floors of the building.

Should we call it bold that a terrorist organization’s front company was renting a public office to conduct business?

That may be why the company’s suspicious movements went unnoticed by the military.

Since it was already under public surveillance, they probably thought that if there were any suspicious circumstances, intelligence would come in quickly.

‘You really like to take things by surprise.’

They said that the goal was to destroy the city’s system… … I got the feeling that they were definitely analyzing and utilizing this well.

Of course, this was information that individuals or terrorist organizations oppressed by city governments could not have found out by working hard.

Someone familiar with the city’s systems sold them the information.

‘The company that backs it up is probably not that bad.’

A wealth of support materials comparable to the military, and information power well versed in the city’s systems.

‘Is it Megacorp?’

Even though it wasn’t revealed, it wasn’t difficult to guess which company the candidate was.

‘You’ll find out soon enough.’

I stood away from the entrance of the building.

The atmosphere here, a front company for Al Raid, was calm even as their base was threatened with destruction.

They are confident that their identities will not be revealed.

And confidence can sometimes be easily mistaken for arrogance.

The police gave me full authority on this operation.

The word “full authority” might sound awkward for a group of just two people, but when one of them is a sheriff, it becomes a natural rather than grandiose statement.

“Shoot when you’re ready.”

[huh.]

A light flashed from the top of the building facing the building.

It was bright and hot, like sunlight gathered and concentrated into one place.

[firing.]

For a moment, my vision went white.

My ears were ringing and even the sensation of my feet touching the ground was disturbed.

Soon the lines of objects returned to my vision and colors began to spread.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

With the collapse of a building.