Chapter 80: The Mouse and the Scientist

Cassie glanced at Sonia, who had just entered the office, gauging her reaction before opening her mouth.

“We’ve already dealt with that head of security, Hasspoon.”

The pharmaceutical company had chosen to remain silent on the matter.

Motives, power, information.

Cassie held the advantage in every aspect.

The company was already renowned for controlling other corporations through investments and real estate.

With its monopoly on the purified water business, hostility was not an option anyone dared to entertain.

Moreover, Cassie had proposed better land, eliminating any reason for resistance.

Thus, it was safe to say the pharmaceutical company’s project had been halted.

“With this, we can consider their project to spread the virus in Western Europe suspended.”

Hearing this, Amon and Sonia sighed in relief, as if the matter were personal to them.

Cassie, seeing their reaction, smiled in satisfaction.

‘They’re kind-hearted, even if they pretend not to be,’ she thought, continuing her explanation.

“That said, there’s still a potential issue.”

“A potential issue?” Sonia responded, prompting Cassie to nod.

“Yes, a potential issue.”

Although the worst-case scenario had been averted, there was no such thing as a guaranteed future.

It was entirely possible for the pharmaceutical company to proceed with their virus plan later, pretending their agreement with Cassie never happened.

“They could build the factory as per our deal and later act as though they never agreed to anything.”

Of course, such a betrayal would break their trust with Cassie, but what did that matter?

Corporate transactions often operated on such shaky grounds.

Although Cassie recognized this possibility, she chose not to mention it aloud.

The bottom line was that unresolved risks remained, and a fundamental solution was necessary.

“We need someone to monitor them long-term in that area. And here’s the point…”

Cassie’s gaze settled on Amon.

Amon was caught off guard by the unexpected attention.

“Me?”

“No. You need to stay here. I just mean you should go for a while,” Cassie clarified.

“Why?”

“We’re setting up a branch in Reketio. To monitor them so they can’t break their promises. While we’re at it, we’ll also expand our purified water business.”

Cassie intended to establish a service center — a place to restore equipment enhanced with purified water to its optimal state.

Given the company’s ability to periodically produce legendary-grade purified water, it was a feasible venture.

Amon nodded, understanding Cassie’s intentions.

“You’re right. It would be risky to leave this to someone else.”

Though perhaps overly confident, this was indeed a sensitive issue.

Whoever handled this task needed to be familiar with Cassie’s dealings with the pharmaceutical company, understand her intentions, and remain trustworthy.

Even Amon admitted there was no better candidate than himself.

“Should I recruit someone from another branch, or find someone locally?”

“Finding someone local should suffice.”

“You want me to appoint a random passerby as the branch manager?”

Cassie nodded.

Amon could only rub his forehead in disbelief.

“HR is going to complain again.”

“Let them. The people I appoint do a far better job than their recommendations.”

“Director, you’re amazing.”

“Thank you.”

After this brief banter, the two reached an agreement.

The conclusion: Amon would head to Western Europe.

Hearing this, Sonia raised her hand enthusiastically.

“I want to go too!”

“What about your internship?”

“I’ll take a break!”

“And your graduation credits?”

“Um… I’ll just substitute with field experience. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just not graduate.”

Amon was speechless.

Such a statement was only possible because Sonia placed no importance on her diploma.

While others attended theological schools to build credentials, she had gone solely to learn divine magic.

To her, a diploma was nothing more than a souvenir, unworthy of attachment.

In the end, Amon relented.

“Do whatever you want.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll graduate. I might not have finished elementary, middle, or high school, but I need at least a college diploma to not embarrass my future son.”

“…? Son?”

“Could be a daughter.”

Cassie shot Amon a suspicious look.

Amon quickly crossed his fingers into an “X” shape.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

“Well, it’s natural in a couple’s relationship.”

“That’s not what I meant… Ugh, denying it makes it sound even worse.”

It was an awkward situation, where denying it felt as strange as agreeing.

***

The three of them eventually finalized their plans.

Amon and Sonia would head to Western Europe to find a suitable candidate for the branch manager position.

It was a daunting task, akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Amon turned to Cassie and asked, “Any hints?”

Cassie shook her head.

Amon chose not to ask any further questions, trusting her intentions.

It could have meant many things.

Perhaps she truly had no vision of the relevant future, or maybe revealing too much would lock in a specific worldline.

It could also have been a subtle warning against relying solely on foresight.

Regardless, Amon felt it best to believe in her thoughts and leave it at that.

After their discussion concluded, Amon and Sonia left the office to prepare for their journey to Western Europe.

“See you in a few months.”

“Bring back some souvenirs.”

“Got it.”

Cassie saw them off with a wave.

As the office door closed behind them, Cassie was left alone.

She stared at the door they had exited, her mind lingering on Sonia’s image.

Murmuring to herself, she said, “I’m jealous…”

The nest yearned for its pair, as it always did.

***

Amon and Sonia arrived in Western Europe, specifically in Paris.

As always, their seats were in premium class.

By now, Sonia had grown accustomed to the comforts of her “honeymoon package,” and she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Upon their arrival, they did not immediately begin their mission.

With no leads or clues to guide their search, there was no point in rushing.

Instead, they decided to trust in the forces of fate and wandered the city as though they were tourists.

The air in Paris was heavily polluted, rivaling the infamous smog of London.

In this city, having a pair of filtered lungs was not a luxury but a necessity.

Lacking such modifications, Amon and Sonia resorted to wearing masks as they wandered aimlessly through the city.

During their walk, Amon wracked his brain, searching for any semblance of a clue.

Like brushing dust off a rusty old machine and oiling its gears, he pulled memories of his past life to the forefront of his mind.

The first thing that came to mind was:

‘A side quest?’

There was a similar situation in a game he had once played.

In it, the pharmaceutical company had plans to release a virus, and the player had to stop it.

As it was a side quest, players could choose to ignore it entirely.

However, once accepted, the quest would periodically remind the player of the growing devastation, invoking guilt.

If you stubbornly avoided completing the quest until the very end of the game…

“You turned a blind eye to the deaths of 328,451 people in Western Europe. Congratulations, Adolf the Second.”

***

The backlash was fierce, with players outraged over being compared to Nazis for their inaction.

Eventually, the developers revised the content.

But that wasn’t the important part.

What mattered was how the side quest was resolved back then.

“Let’s see…”

Amon delved deeper into his memories.

The conclusion he reached was:

‘Rejected.’

The protagonist in the game was only capable of destruction and killing.

Thus, the quest involved avenging the victims by targeting certain individuals rather than halting the virus’s spread.

While the ending was upgraded to “At least you tried,” it never achieved a fundamental resolution.

This made the quest a poor source of inspiration.

Amon continued to search for potential leads.

‘The NPC allies?’

“None of them are useful.”

Most were dead, in hiding, or irrelevant to the issue.

“What about miraculous items or events?”

There was nothing capable of stopping the deliberate release of a virus.

“Maybe I should seek help from an evil-aligned NPC?”

The thought crossed his mind briefly, but he dismissed it almost immediately.

The risks were too high, and he wasn’t confident he could deal with them.

Dozens of possibilities flitted through his mind.

Then, while lost in thought, Amon accidentally bumped shoulders with a passerby.

He must have let his guard down while revisiting his past life memories.

Instinctively, Amon checked his wallet, then remembered his coat’s extra-dimensional storage feature and felt sheepish.

Finally, he turned his attention to the person he had bumped into and apologized.

“I’m sor—”

Amon stopped mid-sentence as his eyes met the passerby’s.

In that moment, a face from his past flashed through his mind.

‘Could it be him?’

The image of a well-intentioned scientist came to mind.

He was a London-born scientist with a desire to help others and the talent to make it possible.

However, his eccentricities earned him a reputation as a “gag character.”

‘His defining trait?’ Randomness.

His inventions yielded inconsistent results, often accompanied by unintended side effects.

Despite this, many sought him out, treating him as a roguelike challenge in the chaotic Punk City.

Amon himself had relied on the scientist’s help in his past life.

And this passerby looked exactly like that scientist.

Amon hesitated, wondering if it could just be someone with a similar face.

But the man’s actions quickly erased his doubts.

“My apologies. I’m in a bit of a hurry—brrring, brrring! One moment, please, the doctor would like to say something.”

The man suddenly mimicked the sound of a ringing phone before pulling a hamster out of his pocket.

Cradling the hamster in both hands, he adopted a solemn tone and addressed Amon.

“Greetings. I am Henri Moiré. May I have a moment of your time? I’d like to discuss you and your wife.”

“Wait, Doctor, she might not be his wife!”

“Oh, my apologies. Is she not your wife?”

Switching his voice between characters, the man left Sonia too stunned to speak.

Watching this unfold, Amon knew for certain.

‘It’s him.’

The genius scientist who shared a consciousness with a mouse.

Henri Moiré & Dante.

It was undeniably him.