Ch.321Work Record #046 – Operation Chair Takeover (3)

I show Mr. Günter the materials I’ve prepared and spend time demonstrating a brief practice run. What started as a deceptive strategy has now genuinely put my mind at ease.

Finally, when it’s time for the actual shareholders’ meeting to begin, I stand up. As I’m about to head down wearing the Boogeyman’s signature black one-way display helmet, Mr. Günter blocks my path and adjusts my appearance.

Though my tie was neat enough that even Belwether would have approved, Mr. Günter untied it and retied it himself. He also brushes the shoulder lines of my crisply angled suit with his palm before expressing satisfaction.

I don’t bother arguing and head toward the shareholders’ meeting hall. I spot the Los Angeles branch director who replaced Walter, and the security for the meeting hall is being handled by the Hammers. And here I am.

I’ve been deliberately holding back from talking about rank because it might sound arrogant… but yes, it seems I’ve become someone who belongs at this level now. Occasionally, I notice people recognizing the Boogeyman’s helmet.

I didn’t need to sit among the shareholders. Instead, I could leisurely read the content appearing on the personal virtual screen in the back room of the meeting hall with Mr. Günter. This is a privilege beyond imagination.

The initial general resolutions weren’t matters for me to intervene in. I was interested in the LA branch audit report on whether the coup cleanup had been properly completed, but everything else sounded like generalities.

Those two hours didn’t feel tedious. After all, it’s not often one gets the chance to read Belwether’s financial statements. And so, the time for me to speak begins to approach.

As the general resolutions conclude, content regarding the special resolution—the most important agenda item of this shareholders’ meeting—begins to appear on the virtual screen in my field of vision. Not a single mention of mutants.

That’s to be expected. This wasn’t about mutants. The only words that appeared on my virtual screen were “Amendment to Company Charter.” This is a personal matter for only a few people.

For most shareholders, it’s simply about changing the company charter. Keeping this in mind, I walk out to the shareholders’ meeting hall with Mr. Günter. Mr. Günter stays behind while I stand alone at the podium.

I hope my voice sounds like a beast’s howl. I could speak Mr. Günter’s name, but they wouldn’t be able to hear it. Even being able to say it is my privilege.

I do something I haven’t done before. I remove the Boogeyman’s helmet, place it on the podium, and speak with my face exposed. Most of the shareholders were participating through displays.

They look just like tombstones. Emotionless faces visible through displays that don’t convey human emotion. I need to make these faces excited.

“For the company, its employees, and shareholders. Today, I am Arthur Murphy, a Belwether-certified freelancer, exercising the right to propose agenda items on behalf of Chairman Günter. I’ll skip the pleasantries.”

Belwether doesn’t appreciate complicated courtesies and flattery. The company motto contains the core and fundamental values of the company, so we simply recite it like a mantra.

“The agenda I’ve proposed is to completely abolish Article 37 of the company charter, the principle of mutant hunting for variable elimination—in reality, the principle of mutant hunting for the complete end of the extinction war.”

When the words “extinction war” naturally leave my mouth, the expressions of some shareholders on the display, and even Mr. Günter’s, stiffen slightly. I’m not afraid. Rather, I feel refreshed and excited.

It’s not their discomfort that excites me. This is something Mr. Günter would never have said, and I’m thrilled because it means I’m running beyond his shadow. I savor this moment to the fullest.

I display the materials. I attach some documents about Operation Prometheus that Mr. Günter had obtained, along with the full text about Operation Prometheus that I brought from Mila’s bunker. Of course, I got Mila’s permission.

She granted permission for this without showing much discomfort. By officially acknowledging to the world that Prometheus is dead, by burning the corpse and burying it, I’m setting Mila completely free.

“The reason is simple. This charter was written based on inaccurate information. The attached document is the original of Operation Prometheus, and the Prometheus drone mentioned in the document…”

I flip to a photo showing a Prometheus drone with half its head cleanly sliced off by a high-frequency blade. It was taken by Belwether’s chairman’s security team, and I hadn’t touched it at all.

“I destroyed it, and it was certified by Chairman Günter and Belwether’s chairman security team. Prometheus’s fire was physically destroyed after the drone was destroyed. The federal government’s contingency plan has been eliminated.”

One shareholder indicated their intention to ask a question, and after receiving Belwether’s permission, began to speak. It was an expected question, but one I could easily deflect.

“Is there no possibility of a quasi-Prometheus operation using mutants, separate from the Prometheus drone you destroyed?”

“In the current situation, I believe not. I cannot prove the non-existence of something that doesn’t exist. If such a thing exists, please provide evidence.”

The questioner was satisfied for now. People crave justification. When that justification disappears, there’s bound to be resistance. I consider it as such and move on. Another question comes in.

“Can you list the five megacorporations that have certified you?”

“Belwether Corporation, Heroism & Hope Entertainment, New World Communications, Panacea MediTech, and Fitts & Morrison.”

This question is a bit more painful, but still within the expected range. I just listen as he slowly builds up the content of his question. I wait for the punchline.

“So you’re one of the returned children that Panacea MediTech calls miracle children. And among the megacorporations that certified you, Panacea MediTech’s name is included.”

“That’s correct.”

“And as you said, if the mutant hunting regulations are withdrawn, Belwether naturally has no reason to insist on Hollowwood Creek. Since this is why Belwether can’t cooperate with them more efficiently.”

The punchline is about to come. I need to break through in reverse at this timing. It may not be the perfect method, but it doesn’t matter. I hope my voice sounds like a beast’s howl.

“That’s correct. And Panacea MediTech will immediately contact Belwether after this resolution passes to attempt cooperation with Belwether on better terms than Hollowwood Creek.”

He probably expected me to say “but.” After that, he would have asked if I was working for Panacea MediTech. I gladly bite back in reverse.

“Because Panacea MediTech doesn’t fail to understand Belwether’s mutant hunting, but rather fails to understand Belwether’s efficiency. Does Belwether prohibit discrimination out of compassion?”

I take a breath. I continue speaking. These aren’t questions expecting answers. The same goes for everything I’m about to say passionately.

“Does Belwether try to preserve humanity out of compassion? Does Belwether use this efficiency instead of words like good and evil, black and white, out of compassion? No. Efficiency is a goal to be pursued in itself.”

I need to first state what Belwether believes, then prove that my actions align with it.

In this moment, I needed to appear like a fanatic of efficiency… and I actually was a fanatic of efficiency.

Efficiency is beautiful. It makes people work. It’s a reason to strive. A reason to live diligently.

It’s a reason not to fall into helplessness and despair, and it’s an old promise, never kept, that if you work hard, you can be happy.

I believe efficiency will fulfill that promise. I worship myself for believing that. I’m just not a fanatic of Belwether.

“But they are different. They think mutant hunting is the result of hatred, and the salvation of returned children is the result of compassion. Therefore, they emotionally distrust Belwether.”

“I gave assurances to break that distrust and achieve communication efficiency. I did so to ensure Belwether could welcome a more efficient partner than Hollowwood Creek without being hindered by their petty sentimentality.”

Is my voice howling like a beast? It doesn’t matter. If I can’t emit that non-standard charisma that beast-howling people exude, I will persuade them with human words and logic.

“Are you saying that cooperating with a hostile company is for Belwether’s benefit?”

“I recognized that it was Belwether’s incomplete information that made Panacea MediTech a hostile company, and I corrected that inefficiency with my own hands. Is there still reason to consider them hostile?”

Amusingly, he wasn’t saying anything wrong. The ultimate purpose is emotional and personal, as he suggested. It doesn’t matter. This action is objectively more efficient for Belwether.

“How can we be sure that you’re not plotting for the benefit of others rather than Belwether, hidden behind such an ‘exemplary’ attitude?”

Hearing those words, I take out the weapon case I had placed under the podium. I place Hubris, Chance’s hand, and the small Misdeed and Social Courtesy from my waist onto the podium.

“Do you think I could plot to shake Belwether with these?”

He will use the words I’ve thrown at him as weapons, to stab at the place I’ve determined in the way I’ve set. I receive his information through Belwether connected to my mind.

So he’s the Belwether New York branch director. No wonder his questions were so sharp, having survived in the midst of nationalist territory, but it didn’t matter. I discover his name.

This is a trick that Mr. Günter could stop at any time if he wished. I was delegated authority by the chairman, and I was using that authority. The delegation should have been only for the right to propose agenda items, so it’s a trick.

But Mr. Günter didn’t mind. Just as he didn’t stop the New York branch director from trying to turn public opinion by weaving in my personal information, he wasn’t stopping this trick of mine either. Then I must run.

“I don’t mean you could plot to shake Belwether with such things…”

“You’re wrong. You can, Mr. Frank Neville, Belwether New York Branch Director. I highly regard the vigilance and skepticism you’ve acquired while operating a branch in federal territory. However…”

Only on his virtual screen, I show images of him captured by Belwether’s city surveillance system—which no one except the chairman can avoid—arranged sequentially to follow his daily routine. I intimidate him.

“If that disposition were used against efficiency, at any time, truly at any time, I could have corrected the situation in a quick and convenient way for the efficiency of Belwether that I believe in. But I didn’t.”

It was pure bluff. I couldn’t have even thought of doing this until I entered here and was delegated authority by Belwether. Of course, I’ve said it several times during the shareholders’ meeting, but it doesn’t matter.

Because they won’t see it that way. The world is not a mass of truth or matter, but simply our will and perception. Belief can shake that perception. Therefore, it can change the world.

After boldly showing that I threatened the branch director, I continue speaking. I needed words that could eliminate the negative emotions they had toward me at this moment. A reversal is always effective.

“I chose the difficult, hard, slow, and tiring method. Because I believed that efficiency, efficiency, and only efficiency could self-correct efficiency itself—not terrorism and violence.”

How much I’ve done for this one moment, and how much my faith has been shaken. I decided not to get sentimental. That’s something to do in private time. Right now, I’m working.

“We are always tempted. To solve problems with fists, knives, guns, bombs, missiles… satellite weapons, gravity wave generators, plasma torpedoes, and hundreds of thousands of nuclear weapons.”

Words spoken by someone who openly reveals they know the truth about the extinction war will carry weight. I continue with well-crafted words. Right now, not pleading is pleading.

“Did we succumb to that temptation? Or did we deny that temptation and build Belwether with faith in efficiency in a broken world? I will follow that old and noble path.”

When saying this… somehow I feel like Marcus Cavendish. There’s only one difference between us. He couldn’t bewitch himself with his beliefs, and I succeeded.

“So, feel free to call it a conspiracy. Say that betrayal for betrayal’s sake, tragedy for tragedy’s sake, and ruthlessness for ruthlessness’s sake are the principles of this world. It doesn’t matter. I will deny it to the end.”

After slowly catching my breath, I add one final sentence.

“Just as all of you did right after the extinction war.”

Reality is censored. The connection between the Belwether-certified freelancer and Panacea MediTech visible before my eyes becomes invisible. Words asking to deny what they’ve believed until now become inaudible.

Truth is produced. The image of a person trying to change the world solely for efficiency is created. The image of a person trying to walk the path that the old seekers walked, only for the love of efficiency, is created.

Yes, everything is about love. It’s about my Eve whom I love, about the efficiency I love… and it’s also for Mr. Günter, who taught me family love, and for Belwether.

Finishing my speech, I extend three fingers and salute in the headquarters style. I hoped the weight of the words to follow would be different from when I first started speaking.

“That concludes my statement. For the company, its employees, and shareholders.”

Those emotionless people in the displays raise their hands with only three fingers extended in the headquarters style. Everyone made their decision while suppressing their emotions as much as possible, thinking only of efficiency.

Efficiency doesn’t give difficult answers. If you discover that you’re acting based on judgments made from incorrect information, you correct your actions with the right information. That’s all.

Therefore, even at this moment, efficiency gave a simple answer. The mutant hunting principle was deleted from Belwether’s company charter. I swallow the urge to shout in triumph and jump up and down.

Of course, it wasn’t unanimous. There was opposition based on the perfectly rational judgment that unilaterally breaking the cooperation contract with Hollowwood Creek could damage Belwether’s credibility.

They need not worry. Hollowwood Creek will soon disappear. It will disappear so soon that even the word “soon” is excessive. The waves surge. I see my Moby Dick. It’s time to grasp the harpoon.