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I was ordered to stay here and was denied my return.

I’m a bit annoyed, but I have to accept it since I’m on the payroll funded by taxes.

I understand, but honestly, my mood is ruined. Everyone else is out having fun while I’m stuck working.

Whether he knows my feelings or not, Colonel Clevenz just kept rambling on.

— “Since a few days ago, we’ve been disrupting all communication networks within a 5 km radius of the Research Institute. Access has been restricted, and as we can’t communicate with the outside, you can put any concerns about information leaks aside for now.”

That means they’ve blocked industrial spies from getting in.

With the shutters down and jamming in effect, there’s no way Camila Lowell’s health and abilities will get leaked.

— “The problem is that the hero’s security becomes inadequate during the inspection. I’ll assign a few people as security personnel, so don’t worry about that.”

Camila Lowell’s safety is at least somewhat secured.

Not knowing how inspections typically go because I’m from a liberal arts background made me a bit anxious. But since Clevenz usually takes care of serious issues, I felt a bit more at ease.

Suddenly, with nothing to do, I remembered his casual remark to have a good time and couldn’t shake the thought. Could it be that he sent me here, where I have no tasks, to keep me out of trouble because something might happen if I got a vacation?

So, feeling a bit uncertain, I asked him.

“Then, am I really only supposed to be a conversation partner?”

— “What nonsense are you on about? Did the poison finally get to your head?”

He told me not to talk such nonsense.

“I thought you said to be a conversation partner.”

— “Were you planning to have a date at the Research Institute? A guy getting paid shouldn’t be fooling around during work hours.”

Clevenz clicked his tongue at me. I really feel like I want to resign.

— “For now, just take an interest in what’s being investigated, and if needed, I’ll lend some advice.”

“So you mean to support the investigation?”

— “Because there’s hardly a difference between industrial spies and information agents, you probably know better than some desk jockey, right?”

That’s a fair point. Clevenz seems to expect me to use my experience to assist in the investigation.

I thought I was finally getting a break, but I’ve been played.

— “Well then, since the hero might be bored, it’s fine if you chat a bit. But don’t get too carried away.”

“Yes.”

— “Then, go on and do your job.”

The call ended.

Just then, darkness was being pushed away by light from over the mountains.

After staring at the sun for a while, I turned away.

“…I guess I’ll need to do some overtime.”

Looks like another night of work is confirmed.

—

Episode 3 – A Fantastic Vacation

I dragged my exhausted body down to the Research Institute.

After submitting my identification and going through a body search, I hopped onto the tram heading toward the headquarters, guided by an employee.

It’s something like a magnetic levitation train utilizing magic power. I’m not a science major, so I have no idea how it works.

Anyway, after dozing off for about two minutes, I heard the announcement that we had arrived at the destination.

Getting off, I stamped my access pass received at the entrance and asked an employee to call someone before entering the meeting room.

After about five minutes of waiting.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

A suit man and a soldier strode in. The Research Institute Internal Affairs Officer and the Information Agency Dispatch Team Leader.

“Nice to see you again. It’s been only two hours.”

“Colonel? Didn’t you say you were returning?”

“Haha…”

It felt a bit awkward to admit I got turned around, so I just offered him a seat with an awkward smile.

“The thing is, I received orders from the higher-ups to assist with the investigation.”

“What kind of assistance are you referring to…?”

“Just advice and stuff. I’m not leading the investigation or anything complicated like that.”

Their expressions turned slightly vague at the notion of an outsider weighing in. The investigation had just begun, and what kind of advice would be needed? They were busy enough as it was.

I completely understand. The troubles of the frontline workers are all too familiar.

But since it’s an order from above, we all have to work together whether we like it or not. No need to waste energy on authority battles among savvy individuals – let’s just compromise and start the meeting.

“For now, the hero is supposed to arrive here for an inspection the day after tomorrow… no, tomorrow. Everyone is aware, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. The higher-ups have taken care of the complicated issues, such as information leaks and safety, so let’s focus on catching industrial spies.”

“Sounds good. Where should we start?”

With the logistical matters settled, the conversation flowed smoothly.

The first to speak was the Research Institute Internal Affairs Officer.

“Currently, we are investigating all research personnel, so it’s uncertain whether a proper inspection can be carried out.”

“I was under the impression the inspection was done using equipment. Is there any issue?”

“We can perform the inspections, but it’s the researchers who analyze the data….”

We have the equipment for CT or MRI scans, but I understood that there’s no doctor on hand to make the diagnosis.

Considering they are all being detained underground to catch industrial spies, how could we trust them to handle inspections?

Those gathered here aren’t researchers, so we decided to put off discussing that issue for later.

“Conducting investigations now to root out industrial spies is quite burdensome. As you all know, spy investigations require considerable time and manpower. Right now, combining Internal Affairs and dispatched personnel, we barely have over 50 people.”

That means we’re short on personnel. I scribbled down the Dispatch Team Leader’s claim in my notes and nodded.

“Does that mean we need to request additional dispatches?”

“Yes, but most of the Information Agency’s capabilities are currently allocated to intelligence collection and analysis, so it’s unlikely we can bring in extra personnel.”

Why are we talking about intelligence collection and analysis? My confused expression must have prompted the Dispatch Team Leader to clarify.

“We have received an overwhelming amount of intelligence over the past month….”

Recently, Clevenz had opened cabinets and swung around smoke grenades, which naturally caused chaos across the continent, disrupting power dynamics and state affairs.

All the information collected has turned into scrap paper.

So what’s the Information Agency supposed to do? I don’t know exactly what’s needed, but I can tell the agents are going to have to work late nights.

Just think about how it was when Kim Jong-il died. The military and police were all on high alert, and the Blue House, which had been celebrating the president’s birthday at noon, was thrown into chaos, with intelligence officers rushing to take calls. It’s a roughly similar situation.

Since Clevenz caused this, I felt a twinge of guilt towards the agents because it was largely due to me.

Anyway, additional personnel deployment is impossible at the moment.

“How many research personnel do we have here?”

“There are 917 researchers in total.”

“So we have a little over 100 individuals to investigate all 900 of them.”

I understood that meant the situation was pretty messed up.

Considering the 839 that were expelled from the Defense Science Research Institute during the tense stages of the Cold War, that’s not too unusual a number.

“Doing some quick math, it means one person has to investigate 18 individuals…”

“And we also have to search for the leaked research data and the employees’ quarters.”

“Wow.”

Ending my exclamation with the acknowledgment that it’s unclear who leaked the information, the meeting room fell silent.

Since we are still in the early stages of the investigation, confusion reigns, and the number of investigators is grossly insufficient compared to the size of the institute. It’s clear that if this continues, we won’t be able to conduct any inspections whatsoever.

“Shit….”

A curse slipped out between my fingers as I buried my face in my hands. I could feel the pitiful stares of the suit man and the soldier.

“Colonel, have you been asleep for a few days…?”

“I’ve been averaging only four hours of sleep a day for two months.”

Four hours? Five hours? I don’t even know. I’ve had plenty of sleepless nights.

I squeezed my head tightly, trying to find my original pace.

“Is the hero definitely coming tomorrow?”

“She’s scheduled to arrive at 10 AM.”

Looking at the clock, it was 7:38 AM. We had just a little over 24 hours left.

Great. If I start working now, I should be wrapping up around the time she arrives.

“Everyone, since we’re still in the very beginning of this investigation and it’s already chaotic, the range we need to cover is just too broad to handle, right?”

“It seems we haven’t even been investigating for a week yet.”

One investigator managing nine suspects is quite the tall order. If we keep this up, one of us is bound to collapse from overwork.

I started tapping on the desk, letting my tongue wiggle.

“This situation isn’t about capability but about scale and scope.”

“That’s right.”

“Then let’s just shrink the range we need to investigate.”

Two pairs of puzzled eyes turned towards me.

“I have a good plan. Would you care to hear it?”

—

My plan was straightforward.

Pruning.

Let’s drastically cut down the number of suspects since there are too many to investigate.

“Is that even possible…?”

“Oh, just listen first.”

Ignoring the Internal Affairs Officer’s doubts, I prodded a notepad with the pen available in the meeting room.

“The number of suspects is over 900, right? 917? Either way, that’s a lot. A number we can’t handle.”

I wrote 917 down on the notepad.

At the same time, I ruffled my brain to extract the information I knew.

“Let’s narrow it down to those who are important here.”

“Important individuals?”

“What’s the hierarchy among the researchers in this institute?”

“They’re ranked from lead, responsible, senior, to junior. It’s more detailed, but that’s what I know.”

Lead. Responsible. Senior. Junior.

I wrote those four words on the notepad, adding one more: Confidential.

Now it’s time to start talking.

“You all know where I belong, right?”

“…We only have our guesses.”

“You guessed correctly. Anyway, I’ve been involved with many institutes like this from that place.”

No one here didn’t know that was about overseas operations.

Though I was worried about security, knowing that mentioning it could lead to suddenly disappearing, everyone knew the stakes. A quick phone call to Clevenz could send over a confidentiality agreement or two.

“Truth be told, industrial spies and information agents are essentially the same. The difference lies in whether the information they bring is classified or research data. Therefore, the first thing we check when looking to recruit people is their access to intelligence.”

I wrote down “Access to Intelligence.”

“This determines whether they have access to the information I want or not. Additionally, there are several more important factors.”

The word “Colleague” appeared on the notepad.

“The next thing we check is the motivation.”

The Dispatch Team Leader seemed to catch on.

“You’re referring to recruitment motivation.”

“Yes.”

Recruitment motivation.

“There are various criteria to assess the motivation. Money, ideology, religion, self-esteem, desire for revenge, upbringing, living environment, ambition, and so on.”

This is a common modern intelligence method.

It’s often called the MICE/RC categories, and there are unique guidelines for intelligence agencies.

Need urgent cash due to a family member’s illness?

Desiring recognition within their group?

Having a peculiar ideology?

Holding a strong grudge against someone?

Having an unusual, hidden preference?

Once the analysts assess these elements after evaluating access to intelligence, operatives will try to recruit them.

Usually, we call those seeking information informants or intel personnel while referring to the one managing them as an information officer, handler, or supervisor.

This process continues for a while until an informant’s usefulness fades or they’re caught, at which point the “contract” is terminated.

“All of these requirements are tied to desires. If it’s determined that someone can bring the desired information, we assess these desires and then we attempt recruitment.”

“And how do you do that?”

“Typically, it involves forming common ground and persuasion, but sometimes it can even involve exploiting weaknesses or blackmailing with family members.”

While the Dispatch Team Leader nodded impassively, the Internal Affairs Officer’s expression darkened slightly.

Whether or not he liked it was not my concern.

“Anyway, knowing these elements allows us to identify who the potential traitors are.”

Who has access to confidential information? Who has motivations for recruitment?

As long as we grasp those two, we can drastically reduce the number of suspects.

It’s not like a mere intern could smuggle out vital research data.

I rested my pen and finished my explanation, and the Dispatch Team Leader looked at me keenly.

“So what do we need to do?”

“You have access to the researchers’ personnel records or personal cards, right?”

Just for reference, the personal data and security clearance of research institute employees are all classified.

Which means that given their role in the Intelligence Agency, they can review them anytime as necessary.

“Let’s take those researchers who have access to critical data and start investigating them first.”

“…I’m not sure if there will be any information on personal preferences.”

“Anyway, seniors and leads won’t have been cleared for confidential access, so by removing them and digging deeper, we’ll surely find something.”

“Understood. I’ll start by classifying by authority.”

“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”

I got up, shaking off my chair, and ripped the notepad into pieces, stuffing them into my pocket.

“Let’s get to work.”

—

— ‘…Using access to intelligence and tendencies is a sensible approach.’

“Is it alright if we proceed like this?”

— ‘That’s for those people to handle themselves. We’re not in a situation to worry about that right now, so I’ll allow it as long as it’s not excessive.’

Clevenz’s voice had an undertone of exhaustion.

“I’ll take that as approval and proceed.”

— “Right. There are still 25 hours until the hero’s arrival.”

Currently, it’s 08:46 AM. Only one day remains until Camila Lowell arrives.

Whether it’s a signal or a magical wave, it seems that communication isn’t viable down in the underground; I had to come outside to report.

Wearing my communication device, I strolled slowly along the walking path, and suddenly, Clevenz threw me a random comment.

— “Watching you work is truly fascinating.”

“Really?”

— “You’ve only been with us for a short while, yet you know so much. Do you happen to have any relatives working in intelligence?”

In my past life, my grandfather and father were intelligence personnel.

Though my father kept quiet about it, I heard countless anecdotes from my grandfather, who was a former investigative officer.

“No, I don’t have any relatives working in that area.”

— “Hmm. Then you must have studied pretty hard.”

Thinking of people I likely won’t see again sometimes chokes me up. Wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, I spoke.

“Now that you’ve handled most problems, I’ll work together with these people to catch the industrial spies.”

— “You’re quite confident. As long as it’s not torture, I’ll let you do what you want.”

“Thank you.”

— “I’ll treat you to a meal when you finish work.”

After exchanging a few more casual words with Clevenz, I ended the call.

The pleasant sunlight illuminated the walking trail.

Feeling that gentle warmth filtering through the leaves, I turned my steps back towards the Research Institute.

Now it’s time to greet Camila Lowell.

 

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