Ch.190Emergency Quest (2)

# Chapter 190: Emergency Quest (2)

According to experts, while the removal process is handled physically, it doesn’t require separate surgical procedures.

There might be some bruising in the area where the chip is located and some lingering pain, but otherwise, there are no issues.

Perhaps it’s because this matter often requires quite a bit of medical knowledge.

Maybe it’s because we write “vaccine removal procedure” but read it as “Prosnack Verichip removal.”

Within the Diplomatic Enforcement Agency, quite a few people mistakenly thought this involved drilling into perfectly healthy people’s skulls to extract chips.

“Isn’t that right?”

“No, it’s not.”

Naturally, for the few with medical backgrounds, such statements were literally…

“Whether it’s a vaccine or a verichip, if we’re going to remove it anyway, can’t we just rip it out by force and reattach it?”

“Where do you get the audacity to spout such nonsense, you medical ignoramus!”

…enough to provoke an immediate full-power punch to the stomach.

It acted like a magical spell that triggered indiscriminate violence.

Apart from such discussions, there were quite a few people who felt puzzled about the removal process.

“Isn’t it just an artificial biocontrol chip that utilizes electromagnetic components? Couldn’t we just fire an electromagnetic pulse at it?”

More simplified methods, like some kind of “electrical grilling,” were occasionally suggested.

“Think about it. The brain operates on electrical signals, right?”

“Yes.”

“And where is the chip located?”

“Mostly in the head area, right? Sometimes elsewhere.”

“What matters is the ‘majority.’ Anyway, if the chip is near your head and we zap it with electricity, what do you think will happen?”

“Uh…”

“It won’t just be the chip that gets crispy. Your brain will also become a nicely fried snack—crispy on the outside and crispy on the inside!”

“Oh.”

With genuinely angry medical experts deliberately dishing out such scoldings, those suggestions were quickly buried in the abyss.

Of course, I also lacked knowledge in this area, so I was equally clueless.

“Minister, you surely understand this well, don’t you?”

“I would think so, wouldn’t you?”

“Well, if you don’t know, we’d be happy to explain it to you directly.”

‘Get lost.’

If I admitted I didn’t know, the empire’s greatest minds—well, maybe not the absolute best, but just one level below—would swarm in and scramble my brain.

[Progress: 13.32%]

After quickly checking the quest progress…

“Riel, hurry up and explain to me what exactly this is.”

“If you’re going to keep doing this, just go ask them yourself instead of always pestering me.”

I was busy stuffing useful information into my head through the most accessible source, RielWiki.

—————————–

Meanwhile, perhaps due to the sheer scale of the operation…

Since it was an operation occurring simultaneously throughout the empire, all sorts of discord began to erupt everywhere as time passed.

“Minister, I heard the Health and Welfare Ministry’s website was temporarily shut down because it couldn’t handle the excessive traffic.”

“…A DDoS attack in this day and age?”

“No, there were so many people storming in to express their opposition, saying they couldn’t receive vaccine removal surgery.”

‘Why…?’

It was incomprehensible why people would refuse the surgery when they had already received the vaccine shots.

-“Minister, we have records showing vaccines were distributed to a primitive planet meant for monitoring civilizational development… what should we do about this?”

“…”

Thanks to the collaboration between that damned former Pope and former Health and Welfare Minister, it was revealed that these bastards had interfered where they shouldn’t have.

-Waaah! Waaah!

“What now…?”

“There’s an anti-vaccine inspection rally outside the Diplomatic Enforcement Agency, and on the opposite side, a pro-inspection rally is countering them.”

Since it was revealed that I was the one leading this operation, surplus individuals who didn’t want to be inspected gathered to protest…

-Kyooooot!!!

-“Everyone, let’s eat first and then talk!”

“…What’s that?”

“Oh, those people are a group traveling throughout the empire on a pilgrimage, saying that wherever you are, Minister, is a sacred site.”

“Then why are they distributing food to both sides of the protest?”

“I have no idea.”

Meanwhile, on one side of the protest, as Riel mentioned, the pilgrimage group had settled in and was engaged in volunteer work, distributing food…

It was a total mess—or rather, a state of utter chaos.

“Sir, there’s an urgent message from the Ministry of Internal Affairs…”

“Urgghhh.”

“Minister, the Health and Welfare Ministry is requesting additional personnel…”

“Urgghhh.”

The tasks I had to handle were piling up insanely, pushing me to the brink of death by overwork.

If there was any consolation, it was that due to the situation and the overwhelming workload, I was barely clinging to life thanks to my two capable secretaries, Alina and Riel, and the voluntary sacrifices(?) of the weak flesh-bags known as regular office slaves.

And in this state of barely hanging on, I diligently tackled each of the issues mentioned above.

For example, those who crashed the Health and Welfare Ministry’s website…

-Master System Administrator OFF.

“All the information is here, and since it’s by my order, coordination with the local planetary governor will be established…”

“So you want us to round them all up and lock them away, Minister?”

“Of course.”

Upon discovering that they weren’t just simple idiots but actual cyber terrorists, as revealed through the Master System Administrator…

After coordinating with the Ministry of Internal Affairs…

“You have two choices.”

“W-what are they?”

“One is life as a slave of the sacred Empire.”

“…?”

“The other is life as just a slave.”

“But they’re both the same!”

I gave them the binary choice of living as an office worker and coding slave or being sold as a real slave in the slave market.

As for the vaccines spread on primitive civilizations…

“If it doesn’t get discovered, it’s fine, right?”

“That’s right.”

I had infiltration specialists who underwent temporary genetic modification work diligently on vaccine removal operations for half a year.

And regarding the protesters…

“Riel, let’s have an honest conversation.”

“What’s bothering you now, Minister?”

“Those protesters, honestly, they seem meaningless now.”

This was partly because the number of pilgrims and fanatics mediating between the two protest groups had grown to overwhelm both sides.

“Um, excuse me…”

“Hehehe, this fellow actually dared to contradict what the Saint said.”

“Hehehehehehe…”

“Haha…”

“…Such a blasphemer!!!”

-WHACK!

Our fanatics were showing that they wouldn’t tolerate anyone ‘opposing’ whatever I did.

“W-we are against vaccine insp—”

-GLARE!

“…going to get inspected! Hooray! Hooray!”

“Smart young man.”

“Excellent young man.”

They were showing that they could “enlighten” the opposition without the Diplomatic Enforcement Agency under my command having to get directly involved.

—————————–

Moreover, such behavior was quite beneficial to me in a way…

-“Have you all seen this recent video?”

-“Oh my goodness.”

-“Is it truly proper governance to use religious authority to restrict the free will of innocent citizens?”

If I had directly…

No, if I had used personnel from the Diplomatic Enforcement Agency or the purge squad…

At the very least, if I had used civil servants or imperial soldiers to suppress the protesters, I would clearly have faced all sorts of opposition attacks, including the TV commentary…

-“But isn’t this simply a case of one crowd clashing with the protesters?”

-“…”

-“In fact, I understand the Diplomatic Enforcement Agency has strictly maintained a non-interference policy regarding the protesters’ activities…”

Since it was merely our fanatics, including the pilgrimage group, who had taught the protesters a lesson…

As a result, the opposition lost their driving force to counter this incident…

It provided some vitality and refreshment to my life, which was otherwise burdened by an enormous workload.

But everyone knew that discord doesn’t always end so favorably…

About a week after the protest incident…

“Minister, we have a big problem!”

“…Sigh.”

I was about to face what was probably the greatest obstacle in carrying out this operation.