Chapter 305: The Pledge of Fealty
Kenji stepped out of the apartment complex.
The motion-sensor light in the hallway winked out behind him, plunging the
entryway back into shadow. The three subordinates trailing him emerged in a
synchronized, silent procession. No one spoke as they moved toward the
charcoal-black sedan idling at the corner.
The doors opened, and the four slipped inside. The driver didn't look back,
keeping his focus on the dark street.
"Headquarters, Minister?"
Kenji leaned back against the leather seat, removed his spectacles, and began
rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Affirmative. Return to the core."
The sedan pulled away smoothly, merging into the nocturnal river of traffic. The
interior was a void of sound, save for the rhythmic, low-frequency hum of the
climate control system.
The man in the passenger seat—Ironclad Silas—finally broke the silence. He
turned his head, watching Kenji's reflection in the rearview mirror.
"Minister... is the directive finalized?"
"What alternative logic do you propose?"
Kenji didn't open his eyes, his voice saturated with a terminal fatigue. "Do you
possess a superior strategy? Or perhaps you wish to return upstairs and lecture
that gelatinous entity on the sanctity of human dignity?"
Silas choked on his response, returning to his silence. He recalled the
sensation in that cramped living room. The blue slime had merely been sitting
there, yet Silas felt as if every individual breath required a monumental
expenditure of Od. It was the feeling of an ant staring up at a stellar
constellation—the recognition of an unbridgeable, unfathomable gulf in
hierarchy.
The younger man in the back—Phantom Kael—ran a hand through his hair with a
frustrated, jagged motion. "Dammit. This is a structural humiliation."
"Since when did the Federation find it necessary to bow to... to a piece of
sentient jelly?"
"And a 'Petition for Vassalage'? Offering 'Tributes'? How is this different from
the primitive tribes sacrificing virgins to mountain gods in the pre-Summons
era?"
The woman beside him—Vixen Sarah—spoke in a tone of clinical detachment. "There
is a statistical difference."
"The primitive gods offered zero response-rate."
"Ours... might."
Sarah turned to Kenji. "Minister, the Master—this Sovereign of Evernight. What
is the reliability-rating of that data? Could the slime simply be hallucinating
a hierarchy?"
Kenji finally opened his eyes, sliding his spectacles back into place. "The
probability of deception is low. The slime's psychological profile lacks the
complexity required to construct such a seamless world-view and power
structure."
"Furthermore, Master Vahn's audio-log cross-referenced the same designations:
Sovereign. God. Dominator."
"Every title points to an existence beyond our current capacity for
conceptualization."
Kenji paused, his gaze sharpening.
"But the critical data point was the mention of the 'Allowance'."
The atmosphere in the car grew even more leaden.
"It implies that within the Evernight hierarchy, there exists a set of rules
capable of governing the absolute powerful. A system of discipline that an
entity as strong as Bochi obeys willingly across the dimensions."
"An existence that views the liquidation of our world as a 'Minor Infraction'
resulting in a budget-cut... do you truly believe we possess the standing to
question their reality?"
"If their 'Allowance' is our extinction, we do not have the bandwidth for
skepticism."
Kael went silent. He felt a cold prickle of terror race down his spine.
Silas took up the thread, his voice dry. "Then what is our next phase? Prepare
the reports and the tributes, then wait for a coin-flip to determine our
survival?"
"It is the only extraction route left to us."
Kenji stared out at the city blurred by the speed of the car. "Effective
immediately, all Intelligence Department projects below Rank A are suspended
indefinitely."
"Divert every available resource toward the Evernight Protocol."
"Sarah."
"Present."
"You are tasked with the drafting of the Petition. Utilize the highest spec of
diplomatic terminology—no, scrub that. Write it as a desperate prayer. Utilize
the language of the 'Hopeless Petitioner'."
"The narrative is singular: our coordinate is being devoured by the Scourge. We
are willing to surrender total sovereignty for the protection of the Evernight."
"Understood," Sarah nodded, her expression as still as stone. To her, it was
simply another mission parameter.
"Kael."
"Ready."
"You oversee the selection of the Tributes. Bochi stated his Master favors
'Entertainment' and 'Novelty'."
"Audit our entire inventory. Every artifact we cannot parse, every item that
defies the logic of our physics—compile the list. Include the Rule-Based relics
retrieved from the Instances."
Kael's frame shivered. "Minister... those items are Top-Secret. Some are
high-risk biological or spatial hazards. If they activate during transit—"
"Do we possess the luxury of choice?" Kenji countered.
"Shall we sit and hold our 'Treasures' until we are processed by the Void? Or
shall we use them as a key to gamble on a one-in-a-million probability?"
Kael gritted his teeth. "Understood. Compiling the audit now."
"Silas."
"I am here."
"You are responsible for Lord Bochi's logistics. Fulfill every requirement with
a 200% satisfaction-rating."
"Remember: this is a Priority-Zero task."
"This..." Silas hesitated. "Is it not excessive? The High Council might flag the
expenditure—"
"I will handle the Council," Kenji interrupted. "We are betting the future of
seven billion lives. In comparison, no person or resource is irreplaceable."
"Including ourselves."
The silence in the car became absolute. They understood the stakes. They were
the dealers in a high-stakes game where the house always won, and they were
trying to rig the deck for survival.
"And Sora," Kenji added, his voice softening slightly.
"Her protection is also Priority-Zero. But remember the directive: Protection,
not surveillance. Certainly not containment."
"Bochi designated her as his 'Friend' and 'Mobile Wallet.' The metaphor is
peculiar, but the signal is clear."
"Sora is the singular bridge between our species and the Evernight. She is our
only insurance policy."
"If Sora experiences a system failure, our right to petition is terminated
instantly."
Sarah spoke up. "Deployment is already underway. Squad 'Vigil' will assume
twenty-four-hour close protection. All units are female to minimize friction. I
have three standby squads and two assault teams positioned in the shadows of the
sector."
"Adequate," Kenji nodded.
"Instruct them: they have one objective. Ensure Sora remains secure and...
satisfied."
"Whatever she desires, she receives. Her happiness is a mission-critical
variable."
Kael stared, his mouth agape. "Minister... that level of catering... she'll have
higher status than the Chief herself."
Kenji looked at him through the glass. "Can the Chief determine our extinction
with a single word?"
☆☆☆
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