I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 640

"Compared to the old photos, you've changed so much. I don’t know if it’s because your life has become more relaxed, but your expression... it’s really improved."

"Well, it’s inevitable. The investments I made while serving as the Minister of National Defense have grown by thousands of times and are now paying off. Some kind-hearted kid is making sure my retirement is secure, so how could my expression not improve?"

"...Ah."

At the same time, she stares at me intently. I realized what she was thinking... It was because I had appointed her as a director of the think tank.

Well, it was understandable. The think tank was currently making about 25 billion dollars annually. And frankly speaking, most of that was pure profit. Only about 10% of that went for things like advertising, salaries, and facility management.

The reason was simple. The original business model was based on taking the software Icarus owned, downgrading its performance, and selling it. After the downgrading process, there wasn’t much left to do.

There was no need to develop new software or invest in other unnecessary areas, nor did we have to spend money on big advertisements to compete with others. Why would we need to compete when a national team player appeared in a local neighborhood football match?

Anyway, back to the point.

The profits were directly linked to my wallet, and I owned about 90% of the company’s shares. It used to be 99%, but I’ve been distributing them little by little. Honestly, I only needed to keep 51% to stay in control.

Aside from that, as I mentioned earlier, I invested in necessary facilities, did a little advertising, and paid generous salaries. The money involved in all of this was at most 500 million dollars.

Since the money was multiplying, I had no trouble distributing it generously to the board members, and as a result, the founding fathers of the country... were essentially winning first prize in the Korean lottery every month.

One of the directors in front of me, Janet, was no exception.

Hmm.

It would be weird not to be grateful.

"Well, I’m glad to hear that. Is there anything going on with the think tank?"

"They jokingly say it's the best post-retirement job. And it’s true. I still have things to do, so it’s not boring, and my treatment hasn’t changed much from before."

"Considering the technology you’re handling, I guess you meet the people you used to work with often."

"Of course. There's the added benefit of being much more at ease than before."

Just as she said.

The technology applied to Icarus Gear... while it could be called over-technology, it was fundamentally military technology. Moreover, she had seen firsthand how prototype products from DARPA worked, so she was well aware of what this technology could achieve.

For someone like her, who had been promoting this technology to the four-star generals she used to know, it was impossible for the supply companies to be in short supply. In fact, within ten years, the world might be ruled by the Biyam-nati.

If we were to turn everyone in the world into a Biyam... would it be a utopia?

Enough with the pointless thoughts.

"I heard Spencer General came to the expo near Rochester last time."

"That's not all. Friends from defense contractors were practically fighting to ask me something."

"Those guys should just finish what they were doing. Whenever they see a tasty-looking pie, they always try to grab a fork. They should know to leave some for others after taking the big pieces. Tsk…"

"Well, so I took the infantry share."

"You made the infantry unemployed."

"Ah, that…"

Suddenly, a punch landed, knocking the wind out of me. It hurt like hell.

Well, it’s not as bad as actually being dragged to the front lines and getting shot, right? Besides, I didn’t completely make them unemployed—after all, someone still needs to control the drones remotely.

And I couldn’t just skip straight to the unmanned drones. Even in the other world, the occasional turret or drone would accidentally hit civilians, and if they got hacked or hijacked, it would be a huge problem.

The same goes for humanoids. To prevent such incidents, we would need to deploy AIs for every person in the U.S. military, but how would we handle the aftermath of that?

While I was still reeling from Janet's intense punch, the conversation continued.

"You were looking into the infantry replacement business when my term was nearly over. Thanks to that, I secretly explored one possibility back then."

"...What was it?"

"It was about turning all the infantry into reserves. Naturally, I didn’t tell anyone… I don’t have a hobby of setting off bombs before my term ends. Hehe."

"A bomb level...? That sounds more like a nuclear bomb level."

Thinking about it, it was definitely a matter that could be discussed thoroughly, especially when it came to things like submarines.

Although the army wasn’t directly involved, considering how unbearable the working conditions were for submarine crew members, if remote control technology were introduced, they would definitely welcome it with both hands.

The fact that a human wouldn't be piloting the vessel would make for extreme, but monumental changes in design.

Of course, the same applies to the Air Force as well.

"But someone will eventually bring up the story. I left a seed, and that might be enough. But if there's one thing I can be sure of, Eugene, it's that I’ll be able to see that result before I’m buried in the grave."

"...Would you like me to do some therapy with Icarus Gear?"

"Well, if I want to live longer, I might consider it. If they ever sell life extension technology, I could rake in more money… As long as the gear exists, the operators could live forever."

"Right."

As I mentioned before, the device I wear on my wrist isn't just a gear.

The nanomachines powered by semi-permanent energy automatically repair cells, manage the immune system, eliminate cytokines from the body, and directly replace any weakened parts as time passes.

It halts aging permanently and even reverses it.

In that sense, Icarus Gear could be considered a technological singularity from the other world. But, well, it was destroyed by a virus. If it hadn’t been destroyed, by around 2030, they would probably be mining Mercury.

Anyway.

"Let’s stop talking about outdated stuff. If you’re curious, you don’t have to worry about the think tank. It’s running on its own by now."

"That’s probably true."

"If you’re curious, just check your email regularly. Although, judging by the fact you’re asking, I’m guessing you haven’t checked it often. But considering your position, I can understand that... I believe you’ll handle it well."

"Yes."

"This is quite a nice lounge. For an old man who crossed the sea, it’s the perfect place to rest... I think I’ll take a break here for a bit. Is that okay?"

"You’re still in great shape, what are you talking about...?"

Chuckling, Janet, the former Minister of Defense, leaned back into the soft sofa and began dozing off.

"...I’ll contact you today. Say hello to the others for me."

"Who’s coming?"

"...I think you know better than anyone."

At the same time, she slipped into sleep.

It seemed like there was no more talking to her for now, and when she woke up, she’d come down on her own. I figured I’d end the conversation here for today. With that thought, I left the lounge.

Who else might be coming? The names that came to mind were Marcus from Blaze Company and Rapier... I had received an email earlier saying they were coming today, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they called.

Thinking that, I took the elevator down to the first floor. The number of people walking around was still so many it was impossible to count... I wonder where Dice and the others are?

Just as I was about to take my first big step, suddenly, an unknown number called.

"...Did someone I know give out my phone number?"

I’d given it to acquaintances, but I blocked advertising calls and surveys, so it couldn’t be that. It was probably a wrong number, but typically, the Icarus Gear would investigate and block such calls, so if this call got through to my personal phone, it was quite a rare occurrence.

I swiped to answer the phone and held it to my ear...

[Ah, ah... This is my first time in Korea. I’m not sure if this number is still active. Youngest?]

"...Serkins, the lieutenant colonel? How did you make it all the way to Korea?"

[Ah, that’s right. It’s been a while. I left the secretary position, so it was inevitable. Now, I’m the vice president of a security company contracted with the think tank. I came to see some of the old bosses from back then.]

"Ah."

It was, of course, someone I knew.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

"Is this some kind of meeting spot?"