Why had Naomi called him?
The answer was not difficult to guess.
‘Because I'm the only one who can mediate.’
Without question, what Professor Lee Su-jong wanted was a specimen of the Queen and King's corpses.
The Bishop and Rook specimens were just as rare, but they could never compare to the King and Queen.
There was nothing strange about it.
Professor Lee Su-jong.
At this point in time, he was the unrivaled authority on Creature research.
If anything, it was more puzzling.
Had he simply submitted a request to the Ministry of National Defense, transferring ownership would not have been particularly difficult.
The moment Mercato fell, the influence he already possessed had risen dramatically.
Even if Jin Crow, who had personally killed them, had entrusted the rights to Lillian's laboratory, if the Ministry of National Defense truly wanted them, they could have overridden those rights without much trouble.
It would have been troublesome, but by no means impossible.
‘Yet he came here himself.’
The Training Dummy was certainly important.
At present, it was being used to train cadets, but once the frontlines expanded and full-scale war began, it would become an essential part of military training as a whole.
But was it truly more important than analyzing Creature theory and discovering their weaknesses?
At least in his opinion, he could not help but side with Professor Lee Su-jong.
And yet, the man had personally come here.
‘Well, that's just the kind of man he is.’
Lillian was fuming at the thought that the specimens she intended to study might be taken away.
But Professor Lee Su-jong probably believed he had shown proper courtesy in his own way.
Of course, the problem was that it absolutely did not look that way.
“There are too many eyes watching.”
At his words, Lee Su-jong glanced around.
Perhaps because of the commotion.
Even the researchers, who usually had little interest in other people, had begun looking over one after another to see what was happening.
Looking between the now somewhat calmer Lillian and Lee Su-jong standing before him, Jin Crow quietly spoke.
“For now, let's continue this discussion inside.”
“That would be best.”
“Ugh, this is so annoying.”
It was an entirely reasonable suggestion.
And so, they moved to a small conference room inside Lillian's research facility.
The researchers naturally withdrew.
The only people left inside were Jin Crow and Ner, Lillian and Naomi, and Lee Su-jong and Rico.
Perhaps because they had changed locations,
an awkward silence settled around the round table where each of them took a seat.
After hesitating for a moment, Naomi entered the break room, poured coffee, and placed a cup before each of them.
“Thank you.”
Breaking the silence, Lee Su-jong took a sip of coffee before taking out a brown cigarette and lighting it.
Fssst.
The scent of burning tobacco drifted through the meeting room.
Jin Crow also placed a cigarette between his lips before speaking.
“What exactly is this about?”
“What else? He barged in demanding we hand over the King and Queen specimens.”
She must have been that upset.
Unlike usual, Lillian glared straight at Lee Su-jong through her properly adjusted horn-rimmed glasses.
Meanwhile, the man receiving her glare calmly addressed Rico.
“Rico.”
“Yes, Professor.”
Rico smiled with her signature slightly drooping eyes, took a small device out of her bag, placed it in the center of the table, and snapped her fingers.
Snap.
Immediately, countless holographic charts appeared before Lillian and Jin Crow.
Lee Su-jong quietly began speaking.
“Everyone keeps talking about Mercato lately, but unfortunately, that was actually one of the more fortunate outcomes. At the very least, the planet and its habitable land were preserved.”
After extinguishing the cigarette that had already burned to the filter, he rubbed the dark stubble on his chin before continuing in a detached, cold voice.
“This is the damage sustained by the Empire and the Federation over the last ten years. To be precise, over 3,512 days. A total of 231 planets have suffered attacks.”
“…….”
“……Hmph.”
Jin Crow silently listened.
Although Lillian still looked displeased, she merely smoked her electronic cigarette without interrupting.
Naturally.
She already knew what he was trying to say.
“Of those 231 incidents, 146 occurred within the Empire. However, until six months ago, the total death toll barely exceeded five billion. That alone proves every previous attack was little more than ‘reconnaissance.’”
It was something Jin Crow had once explained to the cadets.
Indeed, the aggression and scale of Creature invasions changed dramatically after the battle on Planet Aurum.
Having said that much, Lee Su-jong emptied the still-hot coffee in one gulp before crushing his cigarette into the ashtray with visible irritation.
“But now it's different.”
Even the slight traces of polite speech he had been using disappeared.
His voice became utterly cold, devoid of emotion.
“The Queen and the King. I classified the appearance of those creatures as ‘Legion’-class. Mercato was only the beginning. The next time a Void Rift opens, humanity will face even greater losses.”
Lee Su-jong looked directly at Lillian, whose face had hardened.
Then, in a voice filled with unwavering conviction and pure reason, he declared,
“We need research. We have to uncover their weaknesses. There is no guarantee that the next planet will have a Quad Gear or a Penta Gear waiting to defend it.”
“And that's exactly why we need the Training Dummy.”
But Lillian also had her own argument.
Exhaling the sweet-smelling vapor from her electronic cigarette, she looked at Lee Su-jong with a much calmer, yet equally cold expression.
“And while humanity's hanging by a thread, you want research? Right now, what's urgent is obtaining data on their combat capabilities and behavioral mechanisms.”
“I am more than capable of doing that.”
“Not better than me. Unlike you, who focused on theory, I can accumulate real combat data. No one in this field is more qualified than I am.”
“……How arrogant.”
“As if you're one to talk.”
Lee Su-jong's brown eyes collided with Lillian's pink ones.
Both had been called geniuses.
Neither seemed willing to give an inch.
Watching the confrontation in silence, Jin Crow quietly muttered,
“Why not just conduct the research together?”
It was an entirely reasonable question.
The one who answered was Rico, standing one step behind Lee Su-jong.
With her slightly drooping eyes, Eastern features, and black hime cut, she scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“The thing is... we perform every kind of experiment imaginable on the specimens. By the time we're done, most of them are either destroyed or no longer capable of functioning in their original state... Haha......”
She smiled wearily.
As if agreeing with her, Naomi carefully added,
“On the other hand, our priority is preserving the original form as much as possible while recreating the biological skeleton, artificial organs, and artificial muscles to achieve the highest possible synchronization with the original.”
“I understand. So it was impossible from the beginning.”
It truly was not an easy problem.
Because whether it was Lillian or Lee Su-jong, both of them were making arguments that were practically the accepted truth.
‘This isn't even a question of which came first, the chicken or the egg.’
Of course, inwardly, he leaned toward Lee Su-jong.
Not because he looked down on Lillian.
But even if they immediately produced a King and Queen Training Dummy for the cadets, he questioned how much practical value it would truly have.
‘But what about the Bearers of the Stars?’
All of them had faced the King.
Baek Hui-young and Dokgo Ran had held the frontlines until the battle ended.
Was there anyone more qualified?
They were the sharpest spear that would defend this galaxy.
Then wasn't it only right, as an educator, to provide them with training worthy of that role?
His deliberation did not last long.
Looking back and forth between the still glaring Lee Su-jong and Lillian, Jin Crow took a sip of coffee before speaking.
“How about each of you takes one?”
“What?”
“If it's one each, then I'll take the Queen.”
“Yes. Exactly.”
As though he had expected Jin Crow to suggest precisely that, Lee Su-jong calmly nodded.
Lillian, on the other hand, looked at him in complete confusion.
“What is this supposed to......”
But he had not made this decision simply because he happened to possess Solomon.
“From someone who fought them firsthand, the Queen was hardly a combat unit. The King, on the other hand, was unquestionably a creature born solely for battle.”
Just as Lee Su-jong had named them the "Legion"-class, the Queen's role was closer to that of a commander directing the Creatures.
The pinnacle of all mass-produced units.
The real problem would begin once the higher species above them appeared, marking the true beginning of humanity's destruction...
‘But it's still too early to worry about that.’
Perhaps his explanation convinced her.
“Hmph. Fine. We'll do it that way.”
“Then the matter is settled.”
Or perhaps she had secretly expected this outcome all along.
Though still dissatisfied, Lillian seemed to realize there was no other choice.
She leaned back in her chair and took a deep drag from her electronic cigarette.
Meanwhile, with the discussion concluded, Lee Su-jong stood and accepted the bowler hat and bag Rico handed him.
“My thanks for making the wise decision, Instructor.”
“Your research has been an immense help, Professor.”
“...I heard you're teaching anti-Creature warfare?”
At that moment, something flickered across Lee Su-jong's eyes.
Jin Crow clearly saw it.
But he simply nodded without mentioning it.
“I'll observe one of your lectures before long. Until then.”
“Thank you very much, Instructor...!”
With those words, Lee Su-jong left the meeting room.
Following behind him, Rico gave Jin Crow a bright smile and a polite bow before leaving as well.
Creak.
The door closed.
The moment it did, Lillian slumped deep into her chair and muttered tiredly,
“......Haa. This is so irritating. My blood sugar's dropping.”
Then she rummaged through the pocket of her lab coat, pulled out a chocolate bar, and stuffed it into her mouth.
It was quite a sight.
She did not resent Jin Crow.
In truth, she already understood.
Whatever reason had brought Lee Su-jong all the way here, he had made a significant concession in his own way.
Perhaps because of that,
the anger burning in her head quickly cooled.
Before long, while reviewing the data extracted from the King's body, she began muttering absentmindedly.
“The basic skeletal structure is close to humanoid, but it underwent rapid cellular destruction and abnormal bodily protrusions. So first, the skeleton should be formed by combining Carbin Alloy and Ricoton material... But then the thermal efficiency becomes unfavorable... First, once the irradiated corrosion reaches its half-life... Ugh.”
“But if you do it that way, there's a high chance the body's balance will collapse.”
“I know. But those wings. To compensate for the imbalance caused by the protruding wings......”
After muttering for some time, she frowned as though she had reached a dead end.
Standing beside her, Naomi manipulated the hologram and displayed additional data while cautiously offering suggestions.
Even so, neither of them seemed to find an answer.
‘......What are they talking about?’
Naturally, Jin Crow understood very little of it.
He simply drank the rest of his coffee in silence.
Then—
As Lillian struggled with the problem, Ner quietly walked over and stared at the hologram for a moment before softly speaking.
“Wouldn't this be solved by applying Dardo's Seventh Law?”
“Huh?”
At that instant,
Lillian and Naomi's eyes met.
Lillian immediately shoved the rest of the chocolate into her mouth, rapidly calculated something in her head, and then let out a bewildered murmur.
“T-That's right?”
“......You're right.”
A problem that had stumped both the genius Lillian and the android Naomi—
A girl who looked no older than ten solved it with a single sentence.
“Hmm.”
Faced with that unbelievable reality, both women stared blankly at Ner.
At that moment, Jin Crow calmly stood up, placed a hand atop Ner’s head, and said in an even tone,
“......She's a child I'm sponsoring. She's a genius.”
It wasn't a lie.
Yes.
It wasn't a lie.
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