Genius Warlock

Chapter 279

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Thump! Thump! Thump!

"Kyahaha!!"

Carlin and the Corpse doll-Rag2, collided mid-air, their bodies entwined.

Just before the collision, Carlin swung his arm, shattering five of Rag2's arms simultaneously. However, Rag2's relentless energy ignored the damage and seized Carlin with its remaining seven arms.

Head, face, neck, shoulders, arms, waist, legs—wherever it could grab, it did.

With a forceful movement, Rag2 exposed the awls and razors concealed within its arms, causing agonizing pain. Carlin struggled to escape Rag2's grasp, enduring the malicious assault throughout his entire body.

But the more Carlin resisted, the tighter Rag2's grip became, stretching him further and worsening his wounds.

Head, face, neck, shoulders, arms, waist, legs—everywhere.

Drenched in his own blood, Carlin lifted one leg and pushed against Rag2's chest with all his might.

However, it proved to be a fatal mistake.

As Carlin assumed an unstable stance, Rag2 activated a newly installed weapon in its torso—a four-barreled handgun.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The handgun fired relentlessly, inflicting fatal wounds on Carlin's weakened legs, chest, and abdomen without the need for reloading.

Oliver had made a calculated choice, selecting a powerful weapon that could only be used once. And it appeared to be an excellent decision.

Carlin's lifeless body crumpled to the ground, confirming the effectiveness of Oliver's strategy.

‘Hmm... quite impressive.' Oliver thought, gazing down at Carlin's corpse.

Despite its distinct appearance, Rag2, unlike other Corpse dolls such as Warlock, Bathory, and Duncan, was ironically made from common materials. It was evident when compared to its counterparts.

While Rag2 might overpower ordinary gangsters, it faced difficulties against superhumans.

But now, the truth was clear.

By hurling a miniaturized Corpse doll at an approaching enemy, undoing the minimization magic, and launching a surprise attack, one could achieve remarkable results.

‘Depending on the quality of the Corpse doll, it could even reverse the situation in an instant...'

Oliver reminisced about the previous battle, pleased with its outcome, while seeking areas for improvement.

He assumed his opponents would either be multiple individuals or possess quick reflexes to counter his assault.

"But it seems I forgot something..." Oliver mumbled, scanning his surroundings. As he looked down at his feet, he realized his oversight.

There, swallowed by the irregularly shaped corpse golem, lay Albert.

⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩

Urgh! Urgh! Urgh!

Albert had been out of the corpse golem for some time, but he couldn't stop vomiting.

Even a brief moment in the pile of corpses had been a harrowing experience.

Originally, it was meant to be a safe way to transport Albert to the control room where the World Tree was located, but it turned out to be an unintended mistake.

Oliver apologized once again.

"I'm really sorry."

"It's... it's fine," Albert forced out a lie, though he was far from being okay.

When he first emerged from the corpse golem, he couldn't contain his anger and vomited, hurling curses. However, upon seeing the shattered head, the pierced chest, and the torn-apart body of the druid, alongside the unharmed Oliver, he quickly swallowed his anger. He was a man of great patience, indeed.

Supported by Oliver, he stumbled forward, making his way to the control room of the World Tree at the center of the McClusky Security Company.

"Is... is the World Tree control room supposed to look like this?" Oliver asked, eyeing the large circular space where the World Tree was situated.

It was completely empty, which seemed odd.

It didn't appear to have been empty from the beginning. There were traces of machinery that had been installed on the walls, indicating some abandoned work.

‘But, there are so many traces. So many...'

The traces filled the huge circular space.

Albert sighed and opened his mouth, "Huh... it's certainly a bit strange."

"Pardon?"

"Druids don't use machines unlike wizards."

Having no real knowledge about Druids, Oliver asked why they didn't use machines, and Albert kindly explained.

"There's a difference in how they interact with the World Tree. While wizards use machines for efficiency, paying with mana to temporarily access the World Tree, Druids don't... They commune directly with the World Tree. I hate to admit it, but it's a superior method compared to wizards. Hence, machines are rather cumbersome for them. It's strange from that perspective."

Listening to the explanation, Oliver nodded in agreement.

It did seem odd that traces of machinery were visible everywhere if the place was operated in the Druids' way. Yet, if they had departed from the traditional approach, it was strange that no machinery remained.

It appeared more like they had abruptly halted some experiment.

"I don't know what's going on, but we should find out through further investigation," Albert remarked.

As a member of the Moirai School of Magic, Albert pulled out a thick wooden stake from his pocket. It had lumpy knots protruding from it, seemingly a device for transferring hacked information.

"I'm going to connect to the World Tree now and transfer the internal information to this stake. I'll be vulnerable during this process, so please protect me."

"Yes, I understand," Oliver replied, spreading his mana around to monitor their surroundings. Meanwhile, Albert infused his own mana into the stake and plunged it directly into the World Tree.

Pak!

"If I recall correctly, some of them were also on my payroll, weren't they? Has justice turned a blind eye?"

The security bureau had been established amidst numerous controversies, and their exact role remained unclear. However, Shamus had paid a substantial amount to them in anticipation of potential emergencies.

Yet, they had been infiltrated.

"Yes... but there were those who refused the money."

"So, one of the non-compliant individuals targeted us. Who?"

"A man named Arthur. He's one of the team leaders in the security bureau. He acted on his own before his superiors could intervene."

"The excuses for incompetence are always the same... What's their objective?"

"On the surface, it's to dismantle the illegal operations run through McClusky Security Company, but I suspect there's more to it."

"ABC?"

Instantly, Shamus grasped the situation.

His ability to make such judgments showcased why he had not only thrived as a solver in this city but also managed to retire safely and lead a successful business career.

"Yes, we haven't found concrete evidence yet, but we've confirmed that Arthur had several meetings with government officials from the Ministry of Interior who are not favorable towards us. Moreover, this guy named Arthur—"

"—Enough, stop. He's targeting ABC."

Shamus swiftly reached the conclusion. With ABC's stock value currently soaring and no previous operational issues, there could only be one answer.

"And what about our people?"

"...It appears they have all been defeated."

By ‘our people,' Shamus referred to Jeffrey, Catal, and the others—his druids, his true subordinates.

Feeling a mix of anger and frustration, Shamus clenched his teeth before speaking again.

"It's surprising... I didn't expect anyone from the security bureau, who primarily focus on average combat prowess and organizational ability, to stand against our people. Did they come at us with significant force?"

"No, only a small number of teams under the team leader's command were involved."

"That's peculiar then."

"They hired a solver. Dave."

Shamus halted in his tracks.

"...That guy never seems to fade away, does he? Is he my enemy?"

"And the Moirai School is also involved. Traces of World Tree hacking have been discovered. Is that alright?"

"It's fine. Although I do own stocks there, I've never been involved in management, so it's not my concern. I've only provided loans and invested in other companies, so there's no direct connection. Ignore it."

"No, I'm referring to traces of Eve."

Dugan glanced around before speaking again.

"...We deleted all the crucial information, but as you know, complete erasure from the World Tree is impossible, right? We intentionally left behind the information that led to the discovery of Eve, just in case. Would that pose a problem?"

"Uh... It's fine. Don't worry about it. It's already happened, and they can't do much with just that. We druids couldn't gain any significant advantage, so what can the impostors achieve?"

Shamus spoke nonchalantly, but his judgment was sharp. For someone juggling extensive business ventures and projects, this particular case didn't warrant much concern.

He didn't even believe that the likes of Moirai could unearth anything substantial.

"Let's focus on the pressing matter at hand. Whether they target ABC or McClusky Security Company, all the illicit businesses operating there will be exposed... Inform our contacts in the paper company to stay silent and comply with the agreement. If they fail to understand, show them their share of money and their family addresses."

"Yes, understood. That won't be a problem."

"Good... How is Eve faring? What's the return rate?"

"It remains the same. Eve itself is growing, but controlling it is becoming more challenging, so we can't fully utilize its potential."

Dugan appeared troubled, but Shamus didn't pay much attention.

Isn't there a saying that those who seek power must bear its weight? The same principle applied.

"It's okay. It doesn't matter. I wasn't planning to use it immediately anyway. Just keep a close watch on it... It's something we stumbled upon miraculously, and we can't afford to lose it."

"We understand, don't worry."

"Good... Now, get in touch with Craig."

"Craig? Why all of a sudden?"

"We need more bait."

"Bait? Haven't we already achieved our target?"

By "target," Dugan referred to the investment funds flowing into ABC.

Surprisingly, the current influx of investment funds had surpassed 1 trillion and was on track to reach 2 trillion.

An astronomical figure that was hard to comprehend.

But Shamus didn't seem satisfied with it.

"Indeed, we've reached our target. Every day, numerous individuals bring their money directly to me... Honestly, destroying a few companies is no longer a big deal. Even if we skim off a portion of the investment funds flowing into ABC and distribute the profits, we can sustain ABC for a while."

"Then why call Craig? I'm unsure if we should distribute the profits."

"We need to maximize our gains while we can. I don't plan to settle for just 2 trillion in the world's wealthiest city. We should aim for at least three or four times that amount. And to do that, we need an equivalent amount of bait... So call Craig. Let's plunder the world's richest city together."

(To be Continued)

OR

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