Five seconds. That’s how long the silence stretched after MacLeod’s devastating admission, but in those five seconds, my mind raced through a dozen different scenarios, calculations, and desperate strategies.
MacLeod had betrayed me. That much was clear. The question was why.
There were only two possibilities I could think of. Either he’d been working with someone like Valeska or Volkov all along. Some kind of elaborate setup to discredit me at the crucial moment or his Event Quest had given him an objective that required betraying me. The System’s quests could be cruel that way, forcing people into impossible positions for reasons that wouldn’t become clear until later.
Either way, I needed to cut ties immediately and find a way to prove his allegation false. The problem was that I was currently at a severe disadvantage. My jobs specialized in a whole bunch of things including investigation and legal analysis, but not political warfare. At most, I had my S-Rank Detective job and my A-Rank Lawyer job, but compared to heavy hitters like Valeska or any other leader here, I didn’t stand a chance in a straight political fight.
I could activate Full Profession Sync and force all my skills to work at their maximum capacity and cooperate together seamlessly. It would give me a significant edge, but the cost was too much at this crucial time. Shutting off my connection to the System for twelve full awake hours, preventing me from using any job or skill. All that for at most 10 minutes of activation? In a situation this volatile, with objectives still incomplete and unknown threats lurking, it was far too risky.
I should have listened when my Instinct skill flared earlier. But it was fine—my Strategist skill was already working, analyzing the situation and providing me with the most logical path forward. Create doubt in MacLeod’s words. Turn the accusation back on itself.
The five seconds ended.
"Evelyn," I said, my voice cutting through the silence with desperate urgency. "Anthony. You’ve both been observing me for years. Have I ever been subjected to any kind of experimental procedure 2 years ago?"
Behind me, Evelyn’s voice rang out clear and certain. "No. Absolutely not."
"Never," Anthony confirmed, his spy training evident in the absolute confidence of his tone. "I’ve maintained surveillance on Mr. Reynard and many governmental figures in the last 2 years. Reynard had no procedures, no medical interventions, no unexplained gaps in his schedule."
I was happy Anthony hadn’t called me Boss as that would make it suspicious if his words were trustworthy. Though it didn’t matter as that subject was still called out.
"Of course they would say that," Chancellor Volkov interjected immediately. "They’re your associates. Their testimony is hardly impartial."
"You’re questioning the credibility of an A-Rank Evaluator?" I shot back, feeling the tide starting to turn slightly. "Evelyn has talked directly with the current World President. She’s one of the few people authorized to update System information based on individual assessments. Her authority in matters of System information is virtually unquestioned."
I could see several leaders shifting uncomfortably. Evaluators held massive authority precisely because they were the ones who verified and updated everyone’s information based on what the individual’s System revealed. If an A-Rank Evaluator said something hadn’t happened, it carried significant weight.
"And Anthony is an A-Rank spy who’s worked with governmental agencies for years," I continued, pressing my advantage. "His entire profession is based on gathering and verifying information. Are you suggesting that both of them are lying under oath in front of the entire World Council?"
The room had gone quiet again, but this time it felt different. The doubt I’d been trying to create was starting to take root.
Then, unexpectedly, Liang Mei, China’s representative, spoke up.
"No such experiments were conducted," she said, her voice carrying the authority of someone who controlled one of the world’s most powerful nations. "China has extensive records of all NovaCore experiments conducted globally. There are no records of procedures being performed on Mr. Vale."
I felt a surge of shock. Liang Mei was supporting me? I’d assumed that since China had been a primary contractor for NovaCore, she would oppose me automatically. But here she was, backing my claims with the weight of her nation’s intelligence apparatus.
"Furthermore," she continued, "All research done by NovaCore is stored away. Reynard who at the time would have no governmental connections and nothing left by his father, would have no way of knowing what experiments would need to be done to give him his unique ability."
Samuel leaned forward, his expression thoughtful. "Ghana’s intelligence services have also been monitoring human experimentation programs. There is only one record of it from a couple months ago in which Mr. Vale was kidnapped and taken to a lab in northern Europe. Either way this is far after he gained his initial ability and that experiment failed as Reynard and his companions broke out."
"France concurs," President Dubois added. "Our investigation into NovaCore and other System enhancement companies like Luminex. Mr. Reynard’s history shows no indication of experimental modification."
Luminex huh? I’ll have to check that out later...
The momentum was shifting. I could feel it in the way the room’s energy changed, in the subtle shifts in posture and expression among the world leaders. What had seemed like a devastating revelation was starting to look like unsubstantiated speculation.
"The fundamental problem," I said, my confidence growing as more support materialized, "is that no one here actually knows the direct origins of the System. We know it came into existence when the first job was created thousands of years ago, but the mechanisms by which it grants abilities and displays information remains mysterious."
I gestured around the room, meeting the eyes of world leaders who were now listening intently rather than dismissively.
"You’re assuming that because my abilities are unusual, they must be the result of experimentation. But that’s pure speculation. The System has been granting random jobs and abilities for millennia without any human intervention. It can produce Event Quest that display information akin to knowing the future. Why is it impossible that my abilities are simply another random manifestation of the System?"
President Chen looked frustrated, her information broker instincts clearly telling her that the conversation was slipping away from her control. "The ability to hold multiple jobs simultaneously is unprecedented—"
"Is it?" I interrupted. "How many people throughout history have actually tried to do 2 jobs? How many have been in situations where the System might grant such abilities? The precedent for what’s ’normal’ is based on a very limited sample size. And worse of all due to rank discrimination that you all allow, you’re focus has always been high ranking individuals which prevents you from potentially noticing anomalies present in lower ranks."
Valeska was watching the exchange with calculating eyes, and I could see her reassessing her position. The easy victory she’d thought she had was evaporating as more world leaders began to question the foundation of the accusations.
"The burden of proof," I continued, drawing on my legal training, "rests on the accusers. Mr. MacLeod has made a claim without providing any evidence. He has shown no documents, no witnesses, no physical proof of any kind. Meanwhile, I have multiple credible witnesses, including representatives from major world powers, confirming that no such experiments took place."
The silence that followed was different from the earlier tension. This was the silence of people reconsidering their positions, of leaders realizing that they’d been swayed by dramatic accusations that didn’t hold up under scrutiny.
MacLeod himself looked uncomfortable, his earlier confidence replaced by something that looked almost like regret. Whether that was because his objective had been completed or because he was realizing the magnitude of his betrayal, I couldn’t tell.
"Furthermore," I said, deciding to press my advantage while I had it, "this entire line of questioning is a distraction from the real issue. We’re here to discuss the future of global governance, not to engage in character assassination based on speculation and unsubstantiated claims."
The room was definitely shifting in my favor now. I could see it in the body language of the various delegates, in the way conversations were flowing. China, Ghana, and France were clearly in my corner now, while several other countries seemed to be wavering, reconsidering their positions.
I felt a surge of cautious optimism. My third objective of disproving the accusations against me seemed to be completed. I couldn’t check, but for now, the tide had turned, and I now had what looked like definitive support from three major world powers.
MacLeod remained an unknown variable. I couldn’t tell if he’d betrayed me completely or if he’d simply been fulfilling an Event Quest objective. Either way, I’d have to treat him as potentially hostile going forward, which was disappointing but manageable.
I checked the time on my phone. Six and a half hours left. The pressure was still on, but I was in a much better position than I’d been just minutes ago. With the accusations largely discredited and solid international support, I could start pushing more aggressively for the changes I wanted to see.
The momentum was with me, and I wanted to take advantage of it while—
"Ladies and gentlemen," Dr. Zimmermann’s voice cut through the room’s murmur of conversation. "I’m going to call for a short recess. We’ve covered a lot of ground, and I think everyone could benefit from a brief break to process what we’ve discussed."
I felt my heart sink. The timing couldn’t have been worse. I had momentum, I had support, and I had a limited window to complete my objectives. A recess now would give my opponents time to regroup, to strategize, to potentially coordinate against me.
"How long?" I asked, unable to keep the frustration out of my voice.
"Thirty minutes," Zimmermann replied. "We’ll reconvene at quarter past the hour."
I nodded, trying to keep my expression neutral despite the internal cursing. It wasn’t directed against me personally, just unlucky timing. But in a situation where every minute counted, thirty minutes felt like an eternity.
As the room began to empty, delegates rising and moving toward the exits, I caught Evelyn’s hand.
"Good work," I murmured quietly. "Thank you."
"We’re not done yet," she replied, her blindfolded face turning toward me. "This was just the first wave. They’ll regroup and come back stronger."
She was right, of course. The accusations had been deflected, not defeated. My opponents would use the recess to coordinate their next move, to find new angles of attack.
But I’d survived the first major assault on my credibility, and I now had solid international support. That had to count for something.
I just hoped it would be enough for whatever came next.