Ch.183Careless Whisper!

#183

“What? Are you saying that a person from the 20th century uncovered a secret that the original discoverers couldn’t figure out even by the 21st century?”

Howard Hughes was born in 1905, not long after the 20th century began.

Dexter frowned upon hearing that they were falling behind someone born 100 years ago, especially when even OSA scientists didn’t know how to extract Negatives.

“He went beyond extraction to discover processing methods and applications. Of course, it wasn’t Howard Hughes’ achievement alone…”

“My specialty is essentially fighting, so I have nothing to say. Anyway, so what?”

“According to the information your friend sent, there’s a paper about Negatives on planet Keoria that was presumably written by Howard Hughes and his scientists. It seems they brought it as spoils from some failed planet, but the Keorians apparently haven’t touched it at all, treating it as an ordinary document.”

“Still, doesn’t it have significant tactical value?”

“According to your friend… ‘They only translated the title to list it as spoils, and since it was a paper from an unknown planet, Keoria’s New Weapons Development Institute probably didn’t trust it.'”

“That’s plausible.”

“Wait a minute. In this universe, the only ones who know how to use Negatives are some members of the Galactic Union, us, and the Commander’s group.”

“That’s why I obtained the paper and investigated the list of scientists.”

William pointed to several branches next to Howard Hughes’ photo.

All three were photos of people they had never seen before.

“I thoroughly searched the names of scientists listed in the paper and found a total of six names. Five of them lived peaceful lives. Some of them helped establish the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and many scientists and engineers affiliated with OSA come from that institute.”

“Oh, that means there’s an issue with the whereabouts of one person, right?”

Jesse said, pointing to the photos of the five people.

“You’ve hit the nail on the head. That’s right, there’s only one whose whereabouts we don’t know.”

“What’s his name?”

“George Hayward. At the time, he was a PhD from MIT’s Department of Biology and Public Health. Today, his field would be considered biotechnology.”

“MIT means he’s from Boston… How did he meet Howard Hughes?”

“Hughes may have been known to the public as an eccentric, but he was indispensable in scientific circles. He’s known to have provided research funding and full support for many projects. As I mentioned before, he had aircraft companies and manufactured drilling equipment.”

Despite his many eccentricities, Howard Hughes often financially supported the scientific community with his exceptional foresight.

Even today, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute continues his legacy with his vast inheritance, supporting his spirit of challenge and groundbreaking, progressive research.

“Then this George Hayward must be quite old.”

“Younger than Howard Hughes, but if he were alive today, he would have been dead for quite some time.”

“How did the other five react regarding the Negatives?”

“They likely never spoke about Negatives until their deaths. Despite all five being remarkable scientists, nothing about Negatives has been publicly published in papers.”

William then distributed Howard Hughes’ paper, which he had received from Elijah, to the other three people.

“I can’t believe it wasn’t left in America but was buried in a warehouse on some random planet.”

“Have you read it, Mr. Pilgrim?”

“Of course I have. It details extraction methods and usage instructions, but there’s something particularly concerning.”

“What is it?”

“It’s definitely a codename, but I can’t imagine what kind of object it is. The name is Jupiter. I’ve marked it with a sticky note, so you should be able to find that section easily.”

As William said, there was indeed a suspicious sentence highlighted with a fluorescent marker.

[The potential applications of Negatives are limitless, and it is determined that preparations should be made to systematically create scientist-centered development and utilization structures like Jupiter, fully reflecting the diverse opinions of such scientists.]

“Jupiter… that’s the name of a Greek god, isn’t it? The god of lightning?”

“So my guess is that it might be something like a drone that floats in the sky and discharges electrical energy. Considering he named one of his planes Hercules, he seems to have quite a fondness for Greek mythology.”

“It’s a shame there’s no detailed explanation about Jupiter.”

“I agree with Mr. Pilgrim’s thoughts. It seems to be an aerial attack method using Negatives.”

“Imagination is good, but the problem is where this Jupiter thing is, right?”

Jesse was right.

Five of the six scientists died without revealing anything about these research results, and the whereabouts of the last one remain unknown.

Usually when such results emerge, that last person often holds important information or knows similar methods.

“We need to search through Howard Hughes’ birthplace, various records, or find the whereabouts of this George Hayward person.”

“Mr. Pilgrim, since when has George Hayward been missing?”

“Since around the time Howard Hughes died, so… from the mid-1970s, his whereabouts have not been revealed.”

“But… how do we find someone from 40 years ago?”

At Himena’s words, everyone fell silent simultaneously.

* * *

As Dexter sat in the staff area folding paper airplanes with a blank expression and tossing them into the trash can, Judy, who was sitting next to him, slapped him on the back.

“You may speak politely, but your actions are quite rough, aren’t they?”

“When someone shows such a lack of enthusiasm, even I would get angry!”

“Shouldn’t Judy embrace me warmly like a mother no matter what I do?”

“I do embrace you, but scolding is also a mother’s role, you know? Pull yourself together.”

“That was mean.”

When Dexter pulled out another piece of paper to fold into an airplane, Judy jumped up from her seat and tried to pull him to his feet.

“Ah, why are you doing this?”

“Because it’s frustrating! Go do another round of patrol or something. I don’t know what you’re working on with Himena, but you can’t just keep moping around like this.”

Reluctantly, Dexter got up and left the staff area, and Judy poked her head out and said:

“Will you tell me later what’s bothering you?”

“Sure, whatever.”

Dexter, who was accustomed to having others solve his problems for him, was genuinely feeling completely stuck for the first time in a long while.

Searching for information on George Hayward, Dexter had no idea where to start looking for someone who had disappeared over 40 years ago.

Still, not wanting to show his frustration to the inmates, Dexter forced himself to straighten his shoulders and was looking around Building 4 when he felt someone watching him from the second floor. Dexter looked up.

‘Seems like he’s troubled.’

Caransa, leaning against the railing, winked at Dexter and silently mouthed words to him.

Whether intending to seduce him or not, Caransa wasn’t wearing a shirt or underwear under his prison uniform, and seeing this, Dexter frowned, openly showing his displeasure.

“Don’t make that sour face and come over here, Officer Hughes.”

Despite Dexter’s expression, Caransa beckoned to him.

Knowing that ignoring Caransa would likely lead to even bolder behavior in front of other inmates and officers, Dexter went up to the second floor and pointed at Caransa’s prison uniform, saying:

“Don’t you know shame?”

“I got you to come over, didn’t I? So it was an effective action.”

“I’m appalled. So, why did you call me?”

“Obviously because you were making that sour face.”

Caransa gestured to Dexter, inviting him into his private cell.

“Seems like you’ve got something troubling you.”

“You’re perceptive.”

“Being a cartel boss’s wife requires some level of perceptiveness.”

With those words, Caransa winked, and Dexter felt something peculiar.

‘Somehow the way of speaking is similar to mine.’

Caransa sat on the bed, crossed his legs seductively as if to say “look at me,” and said:

“Tell me. Maybe I can help you?”

“Well, I’m not sure an inmate can help me. Especially the wife of a cartel boss who’s losing power.”

“If you help me, I’ll help you too. It’s simple, isn’t it?”

Dexter had been racking his brain alone without finding any quick answers.

The thought crossed his mind that if he could use criminals spread across the country to find information related to George Hayward, he might be able to give them a momentary glimpse of light in the name of protecting Earth.

‘I’m not some kind of god, light my ass.’

Still, the idea of using criminals to uncover unsolved mysteries was quite tempting.

‘Even Sherlock Holmes used vagrants to gather information.’

Finally, Dexter took Caransa’s hand.

“As long as it doesn’t cross the line into criminal activity, I’ll help to some extent.”

“What’s your definition of crossing the line?”

“People dying.”

“So you’ll allow up to wheelchair-bound?”

“Well, that depends on the circumstances.”

“Dexter, you’re quite bold.”

Caransa pulled out a neatly folded note from the pocket on his chest and said:

“I’d like you to find out what happened to these people. They’re all capable individuals, so they shouldn’t be hard to find, and if the kids act up, just say ‘Desert Rose’ sent you, and they’ll stop immediately.”

“Desert Rose? Isn’t that a bit childish?”

“I didn’t come up with the nickname, so don’t worry about that.”

When Caransa narrowed his eyes, it was a reaction no different from any other woman, making Dexter chuckle.

“I thought a female cartel boss would be different, but inside you’re just like any woman your age.”

“Oh my, is that a compliment?”

Immediately, Caransa smiled seductively and tried to approach Dexter, who promptly stood up and left the cell, saying:

“Where do you think you’re coming closer? When the job is done, your subordinates will contact you, so we don’t need to talk separately.”

Caransa, who had never encountered someone immune to her charms despite knowing she wasn’t unattractive, was offended when her allure failed to work. She shooed Dexter away with a gesture, saying:

“Well… suit yourself.”

“I’ll contact you later.”

At Caransa’s behavior, Dexter’s expression softened, and he giggled as he left the cell.

When Judy saw Dexter coming down from Caransa’s cell on the second floor with a smile on his face, different from before, she narrowed her eyes and stared at him.

“Did you meet Caransa?”

“I agreed to solve one of her problems in exchange for her helping me solve something that was bothering me.”

“Why are you revealing secrets to criminals instead of me?”

“Well, it’s not yet time to talk about it.”

In fact, Dexter was waiting for flight permission for a few hours of space travel for Judy, Jesse, and Emily.

Believing that seeing once was better than hearing a hundred words, he was waiting for flight permission rather than explaining more to Judy, but the problem was that the permission would only come through in three days.

While he understood Judy’s feelings, Dexter was frustrated that things were unfolding this way when only a few days remained. He took Judy’s hand and said:

“I’ll be able to tell you in a few days.”

“Then why tell criminals and help them, but not tell me when I want to help you?”

“I said I’ll tell you everything when the time comes.”

“Dexter always has secrets… Don’t tell me Aisha is actually your daughter?”

“Hey now, how did the conversation turn to that?”

“Then tell me what it is!”

As Dexter struggled to appease Judy, he pondered who he should first share the contents of the note in his pocket with.

‘Who would know criminals best?’