Chapter 157 - Revelation
Chapter 157 – Revelation
"Fair enough, you've provided many military equipment for us, it's time for us to repay, which information do you want to know first?" Morris asked.
Del thought for a moment. He had a lot of questions ranging from the incident that killed thousands of people that kept brought out by Cassandra or anyone involved to the real reason why he would need the information from the student that he was looking for inside of Lumbart Academy.
"I want to hear about the incident that people keep talking about, what do the intelligence know about it?" Del asked.
"Ah, that incident. Opera House incident? That incident is a massive humiliation for the intelligence agencies or the military. To be precise, it was our fault, underestimating the capability of the imperial military technology," Morris explained.
"Huh?"
"Considering the fact that they managed to smuggle something like that under our nose and we didn't even notice it one bit, it was humiliating. Even the fact that transporting that container had cost several lives and we don't even notice it."
"Morris, are you ok?"
"Ah, sorry, I was carried away. So, you see, the imperial military smuggled a bomb to the opera house, we didn't know it because the smuggler is too skilled and he managed to escape under our nose," Morris explained, but it really didn't go anywhere.
"Look, listen, this bomb kills a thousand people, and yet, it was placed inside of an opera house so I won't even think this is some sort of conventional bomb. However, there is no mention of chemical warfare in that accident, and I heard that several people were burnt in that accident. So, what is that bomb?"
"It's a nuke."
"A what?" Del couldn't believe what he just listened.
"A nuclear weapon. Yes, this is a huge threat for us, the main reason why we move several important operations to Belgram AFB. We simply don't trust the security surrounding Lullin, it's just too risky."
Del was still stuttering from the statement. A nuclear weapon? In another world? What kind of business did he get into, again? He wanted to believe that, but he couldn't. A nuclear bomb was a very advanced piece of technology that would require several engineers to produce. Why would Imperial military have that kind of weapon?
"Nuclear bomb… inside of this world… how?" Somehow, it justified the reason why they would need an ICBM in the future. If the other side had nuke, the federal military would need to show that their military had the same capabilities as the imperial military. Or else, they would be put under the threat of being bombed into smithereens.
"Military-Industrial complex creates jobs, money, and scholars, but also creates traitors and peace advocates. Now, a team with a combination of both defected to the imperial side with the hope of putting this war into a halt," Morris explained.
"HUH?" Del became more confused.
"Long story short, the imperial military developed nuclear weapon and nuclear technology thanks to those traitors. With nuke, there would be a chance of putting the federal military into the negotiating table, but I don't think the imperial military wants anything else than total annihilation of federal military," Morris answered.
The civil war had turned into something that had much more similarity to a potential of third world war even though the country surrounding Ilbistirum still fought monsters with sword and spells. This country was indeed a gem of industrial and technological development, but the scale of war that this country faced was way more complex and more dangerous than the other countries.
If another nuke detonated, it would be a huge risk. The town Del currently resided in had little to zero strategical value for military. However, a town like Lullin would have a giant strategical value since both of the intelligence agencies had a headquarter in that town.
Would it mean that Del would have to look for a nuke in that world? That was just insane, even by his standard. Looking for a weapon of mass destruction was just… out of his current ability. Heck, he would need to know where the nuke was first, and that was something that easier said than done.
"What should we do then?" Del asked.
"We have lot of options, but our priority is to make sure that no nuke detonates on our soil again. To be honest, the intelligence agencies and its agents had done a good job keeping any nuclear from entering this region, but I can't guarantee that it would always be successful," Morris said.
"So…?"
"As much as we love to lengthen this military-industrial thing, we also need to secure the future of this whole country. We can't develop anything if the other side turns everything that we have done into oblivion. So far, according to our intelligence, there is only one nuke that has been developed," Morris said.
"Ok, that's a good news, I guess?" Del shrugged.
"Not really. The scientist is still alive and we still need to retrieve them if not kill them so no nuke will ever be detonated again," Morris said.
"Alright, fair point."
"Still, Del, if you want to help us. You only need to find any gap in the imperial military and we will strike them at that gap and create an immense damage. If we want to finish this war, we need to make sure that it's quick. Right now, the interest to finish this war among the politicians is at all time low, to be honest," Morris commented.
Del just sighed. He knew that his idea of continuing his live normally was close to impossible right now. Perhaps, peace might only be achieved in twenty years or so. This had been a long tiring ride for him, he wouldn't want to be in the position of the intelligence agencies at this moment. It would be too much of a hassle and no one would like their decision.
"Alright, I think I had known enough about the nuke. Can you tell me about the student that I'm looking for?" Del asked.
"Well, the student is unknown, but we heard about a heir got evacuated to this country due to a certain condition that we don't even know anything about. This is an opportunity for us to know what kind of affair is happening on the other side," Morris commented.
"Hmm, a heir, huh? Is there any chance that you know his/her last name?" Del asked.
"Sadly, no. However, we know the teenager is sent to Lumbart Academy, but that was it. I don't know more about it," Morris said.
"Well, at least, I know what I'm going to be looking for beside the fact that the student had a telekinesis spell or something," Del said.
"And Del, command wouldn't be happy if you kill the student. If you can, capture the student and we will 'retrieve' him/her," Morris added.
"Sure, I have no problem with that. After all, if he/she remains to be a threat to our country, a little bit of wrench to its head would clear their mind," Del said.
"I like how you think," Morris added.
"Well, if I had known that I would be revived, my reaction wouldn't be that drastic. Anyway, I think we need to split our job. Anna, this is where you come into play," Del said.
"Sure, Del, what do you need?"
"I want you to figure out who our target is. I think everyone has put their eyes on me. There's no way I can move undetected in the academy, but you, on the other hand, have more privilege than me, especially since you're a part of the security division."
"You want me to snoop around the academy?" Anna asked.
"Yup, and I will snoop around Bosch and his allies. Meanwhile, you can snoop around some of our friends. First of all, you're a girl so I don't think you'll have difficulty in approaching the boys, and second, you're the SD, you won't be questioned if you snoop around."
"What will you do to Bosch?"
"I'll do what I can do. There's still a list of things to do from our previous caretaker, right? I think I still need to do that one by one. However, in the meantime, it's better for me to do nothing at all. The MSVI and the others will miss me and the SD will definitely miss you too, Anna," Del said.
"Yeah, I don't think being gone for a week won't spark any worry in our friends' mind. We just need to make that they don't think that we're dead. Although I have the feeling that Aveline had that thought."
"Hahahaha, I know her well. That's very much expected, Del. Especially since we are hunting down a slaver and a important person. Anyway, Morris, what will you do when we go to school?" Del asked.
"I'll be your guardian angel or work in the command center. Is that ok?"
"Sure, that's great."