The bathroom was mercifully empty, giving me a few precious minutes of solitude to collect my thoughts. I splashed cold water on my face and stared at my reflection in the mirror. The man looking back at me appeared calm, composed even, but I could see the calculation in my own eyes. The gears were turning.
I’d survived the first assault on my credibility, but Evelyn was right—this was just the opening move. My opponents would regroup during this recess, coordinate their strategies, and come back with something more sophisticated than unsubstantiated accusations about human experimentation.
The question was: how do I win a game where I’m fundamentally outmatched?
In terms of pure political warfare, I was facing opponents with decades more experience and abilities specifically designed for manipulation and control. Valeska with her psychological conditioning skills, Volkov with his economic manipulation, Chen with her information networks. It was clear that any one of them could probably outmaneuver me in a straight political fight.
But as I dried my hands, I remembered something Subject 3830 had told me during one of our conversations on that island. "People rely too much on their skills," she’d said. "They become dependent on their abilities, predictable in their approaches. The System grants power, but it also creates patterns. And patterns can be exploited."
At first, I’d thought she was just being philosophical, but then she proved me wrong when she neutralized those government agents. Now, I need to use what she told me as it might have been the key to victory.
I stepped out of the bathroom and immediately spotted my targets. Valeska and Volkov were standing near the refreshment table, engaged in what appeared to be a casual conversation but was undoubtedly strategic coordination. Perfect.
Time to gather some intelligence.
I activated my Scan skill, focusing first on Valeska.
Job: Diplomatic Strategist (S-Rank)
Psychological Assessment (Lv. 8) – Evaluates mental and emotional states with precision, identifying motives, fears, and weaknesses for targeted influence.
Persuasive Speaking (Lv. 8) – Delivers compelling arguments and emotionally charged statements that shift opinions and encourage compliance.
Emotional Manipulation (Lv. 7) – Subtly influences emotional responses, steering decisions and behaviors without overt coercion.
Strategic Planning (Lv. 8) – Constructs layered plans accounting for long-term outcomes and contingencies, adapting to evolving circumstances.
Threat Analysis (Lv. 7) – Identifies, categorizes, and prioritizes risks in environments or individuals to prepare effective countermeasures.
Social Engineering (Lv. 8) – Exploits social norms and interpersonal dynamics to extract information or gain access without raising suspicion.
I frowned slightly. The skill levels were impressive, but their levels weren’t the highest they could be. What was more concerning was the combination. She had a complete toolkit for reading, understanding, and manipulating people. But there was something missing. If she really had connections to NovaCore’s psychological conditioning research, if she was using experimentations, where was the evidence in her skill set? I would have expected her to at least give herself more skills or boost their level.
I know that Scan didn’t show job titles. That alone was frustrating since even knowing the name of her title could provide crucial insight into her capabilities.
I shifted my focus to Volkov.
Job: Economic Manipulator (A-Rank)
Market Analysis (Lv. 8) – Identifies trends, demands, and opportunities within markets to guide effective investment and competitive positioning.
Economic Forecasting (Lv. 8) – Predicts financial and market shifts using data trends and global indicators to inform strategic decisions.
Resource Allocation (Lv. 8) – Distributes assets and manpower efficiently to maximize output and stability across operations.
Financial Psychology (Lv. 7) – Understands behavioral patterns in spending and investment, leveraging them for negotiation and market influence.
Supply Chain Optimization (Lv. 8) – Streamlines production and distribution networks to reduce waste, lower costs, and increase reliability.
Crisis Management (Lv. 7) – Maintains operational continuity and stability under economic shocks or disruptions through decisive, adaptive responses.
Again, impressive but not overwhelming. His skills were highly specialized around economic control, which made sense for someone who’d positioned Germany as Europe’s economic powerhouse.
I studied both sets of skills for several more seconds, my mind racing through possibilities. Then something clicked a pattern that Subject 3830’s words had prepared me to notice.
Both Valeska and Volkov had skills that were incredibly high but also incredibly focused. They were specialists, masters of their particular domains, but that specialization might also be a weakness. They would approach every problem through the lens of their expertise—Valeska through psychological manipulation, Volkov through economic pressure.
But what if the solution to a problem lay outside their areas of expertise?
"Reynard." Evelyn’s voice came from beside me. I hadn’t heard her approach, but then again, she was skilled at moving unnoticed when necessary. I remember the Hudson Bridge project where she gave me a heart attack when she appeared behind me.
"Are you alright? You’ve been staring at them for almost five minutes."
"I’m fine," I said, turning to face her. "Just thinking."
"Do you know what you’re going to do when we reconvene?"
I met her blindfolded gaze, feeling a surge of confidence that surprised me. "Don’t worry about it."
"That’s not exactly reassuring—"
"Trust me," I interrupted gently. "I have a plan. We’ll celebrate with the rest when this is over."
Before she could respond further, I noticed Samuel Osei looking in my direction. The Ghanaian president wasn’t trying to hide his interest—he was studying me with the same intensity I’d been using on Valeska and Volkov. Our eyes met, and he gave a slight nod before walking over.
"Mr. Vale," he said as he approached, his voice carrying the warm authority that had made him such an effective leader. "I wanted to have a word with you."
"Of course." I stepped slightly away from Evelyn, giving us a measure of privacy. "And Samuel, thank you for having my back in there. Your support means a great deal."
He waved off my thanks with a casual gesture, but his eyes remained serious. "Don’t mention it. Though I suspect you know I didn’t do it purely out of the goodness of my heart."
I appreciated his directness. "I assumed you had your reasons. Mind sharing what they are?"
Samuel glanced around the room, taking in the various clusters of world leaders engaged in their own strategic conversations. "You’re an interesting man to follow, Reynard. I’ve been watching you for some time, even before this meeting. Your approach to problems is... unconventional."
"Is that a compliment?"
"In my experience, conventional approaches lead to conventional results. And conventional results won’t solve the challenges we’re facing." He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice. "I’ve been preparing for significant changes to the global order. When those changes come, I want to be on the side of someone who thinks differently."
Before I could respond, we were joined by President Dubois of France and Liang Mei of China. The timing felt too coordinated to be coincidental—they’d clearly been waiting for an opportunity to approach me together.
"Reynard," Dubois said, extending his hand. "I wanted to express my support for how you handled that situation earlier. Accusations without evidence have no place in diplomatic discourse."
"I agree," Liang Mei added, though her expression remained carefully neutral. "The burden of proof should always rest with the accuser."
I shook both their hands, acutely aware that Liang Mei’s cybersecurity abilities meant she probably knew more about me than I was comfortable with. But for now, she was an ally, and I needed all the allies I could get.
"Thank you both," I said. "Your support was crucial in turning the tide."
"What are you planning to do when we return?" Liang Mei asked, her tone suggesting genuine curiosity rather than suspicion. "Valeska and Volkov won’t make the same mistake twice. They’ll have coordinated a more sophisticated approach."
I looked at each of them in turn. Samuel with his quiet intensity, Dubois with his diplomatic concern, and Liang Mei with her calculating intelligence. These were some of the most powerful people in the world, and they were looking to me for answers.
"In pure job and skills comparison," I said slowly, "I won’t be able to beat Valeska. Her abilities are specifically designed for the kind of political warfare we’re engaged in."
The reaction was immediate and not particularly reassuring. Samuel’s eyebrows rose, Dubois frowned with concern, and even Liang Mei’s carefully controlled expression showed a flicker of disappointment.
"That’s not exactly confidence-inspiring," Samuel said dryly.
"Perhaps," Dubois added carefully, "you should consider a more... collaborative approach? Work with those of us who support you to present a united front?"
I shook my head. "That would just turn this into a factional battle, and Valeska would love nothing more than to divide us into competing groups. No, this needs to be settled differently."
"Then how?" Liang Mei asked, her tone sharp with frustration. "If you can’t match her in skills, what exactly do you propose to do?"
I felt the weight of their expectations, the pressure of time ticking away toward objectives I still needed to complete. But I also felt something else, the crystalline certainty that comes when seemingly disparate pieces of information suddenly form a coherent pattern.
"I’m going to prove that jobs, ranks, and skills aren’t everything," I said, surprising myself with the conviction in my voice.
The three world leaders exchanged glances that clearly questioned my sanity.
"Reynard," Samuel said gently, "those things are literally the foundation of how our society functions. The entire System is built around the principle that higher ranks and better skills translate to greater capability."
"Exactly," I replied. "And that’s where it’s flawed. I came here to prove and show that the System is flawed remember?"
Before any of them could ask what I meant, Dr. Zimmermann’s voice echoed through the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll be reconvening in two minutes. Please return to your seats."
I started walking back toward the main conference room, the three leaders falling into step beside me. I could feel their concern, their confusion, their worry that they’d thrown their support behind someone who was about to commit political suicide.
"Keep your eyes open," I said as we approached the doorway. "You’re about to see thousands of years of history get flipped upside down."
"Reynard," Dubois said urgently, "what are you planning?"
But I was already moving through the door, my mind focused on the pattern I’d finally recognized. Valeska and Volkov were masters of their respective domains, but mastery creates rigidity. They would approach every problem through their areas of expertise because that’s what had always worked for them.
Subject 3830 had been right. People rely too much on their skills. They become predictable in their approaches, dependent on the patterns that have brought them success. And in that dependence lay vulnerability.
I took my seat as the room settled back into its formal configuration. Around me, I could feel the tension building as world leaders prepared for the next phase of whatever battle we were fighting. Valeska caught my eye from across the room, giving me a smile that was probably meant to be reassuring but came across as predatory.
She had no idea what was coming.
Neither, if I was being honest, did I have all the details worked out yet. But I had the framework, the understanding of where their blind spot lay. Now I just needed to execute it properly.
The next few minutes would determine whether Subject 3830’s observation about the limits of skill-based thinking would prove prophetic, or whether I was about to demonstrate the very hubris that had brought down countless others who’d thought they could outsmart the System.
Either way, I felt a sense of excitement that I couldn’t explain and for a moment, I wished Mark were here to see this.