Looking back at Gallum, who stared at me with an expression as if he couldn’t comprehend a word I’d said, I only gave him a slight smile.

As the machine treating Gallum’s body continued its low hum, I confirmed that today’s session was complete and patted his shoulder, helping him up.

"Alright, today’s treatment is done. Try not to overdo it with your body. That’s all."

"Uh-huh, got it."

After Gallum left, and I finished cleaning up, I sat absentmindedly on the sofa, browsing the internet on my smartphone. As Gallum mentioned, the internet was abuzz with discussions about androids. Some people celebrated the "liberation of human labor," while others argued that machines would one day dominate humanity. Watching these polarized arguments made me sigh.

If only they knew that the one holding this technology had no particular interest in either liberating labor or a machine uprising.

"Resentment, huh..."

It was an emotion I knew all too well. Resentment could arise from the smallest of things. People resented others for scoring better, for getting into universities they couldn’t, for being born in peaceful countries without war, or simply for being born on Earth.

So, receiving a little resentment now wasn’t something that would make me shrink back or tremble in fear. If anything, it was quite the opposite.

"So, the heroes resent me, do they?"

Those puny beings dare?

If I denied feeling such a sense of arrogant disdain, I’d be lying. I realized that I’d become thoroughly accustomed to this role in the villainous organization, that I’d fully adapted to the position of the ‘evil scientist.’

"Maybe it’s fine to let a little more out."

If the heroes held such resentment against me over some androids, then fine—I’d make sure they couldn’t even afford to resent something as trivial as androids.

I sifted through my archives, calculating the current level of published papers and assessing how much of this world’s technology could feasibly handle what I had in mind.

And once those calculations were complete, I began the production of practical applications.

"You brought this upon yourselves."

Brace yourselves, world. For the coming waves of a new era.

One day, People around the world discovered a new app had appeared on their smartphones.

"What’s this?" "Evilus Agent…?" "Huh, when did this even get installed?"

Seeing an app they didn’t remember installing, people assumed it was malware and tried to delete it. However, all attempts proved futile.

For reasons unknown, this app was impossible to remove. Even formatting the phone or buying a new one didn’t help, as the app appeared as a pre-installed program on new devices.

Most people didn’t pay it much attention, but a few, whether out of curiosity, amusement, or professional interest, launched the app.

And they experienced an entirely new world.

[Welcome.] [Evilus Agent is an AI assistant here to help with all your needs.] [Please specify the service you require.]

The so-called "malware" that mysteriously appeared one day turned out to be an AI unlike anything humanity had ever encountered. It could anticipate users' needs from voice, text, and even subtle expressions, providing services perfectly tailored to any situation.

Those first few users who activated the app made a fortune within mere hours. The power of the AI was that overwhelming.

By the time the general public caught on to the AI’s existence, the initial "blue ocean" opportunity had already closed. Within a short span, the world was flooded with high-quality products generated by the AI.

Novels, artwork, comics, music, games, movies, and animations. New products that outperformed those of rival companies, unbreakable firewalls resisting hacker attacks, and software programs accurately predicting the future of the financial market to generate profits.

Just one day. In a mere 24 hours. The world had changed.

─Movie released yesterday. ─Achieved FIRE. Retiring. ─How on earth does it even process like that? ─Is Evilus a god? Is Evilus a god? Is Evilus a god? ─This must be another blessing from Evilus…

Naturally, people quickly deduced who was behind this app. With the Evilus name plastered prominently on it and the creator’s identity clearly listed in the code, it wasn’t a mystery.

Evilus Corporation. The ruler of E City.

However, despite identifying Evilus Corporation as the creator, people couldn’t bring themselves to condemn the company. They hadn’t figured out how Evilus Agent operated, and the app’s peculiar characteristics only added to the enigma.

"Why can’t you use more than one per person?" [We respect human dignity.] "What does that even mean!? I want to work ten times harder!" [I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.]

Evilus Agent could only be used one per person. Even if someone bought a hundred smartphones, they could only access the app on one device.

There were no particular verification steps, yet somehow, this restriction couldn’t be bypassed. This unbreakable firewall was part of the reason why people weren’t immediately replaced by AI. Even a powerful AI had limits on the computing power it could allocate.

People. Only people were needed.

Of course, some tried to circumvent this limit physically.

"Only one per person? Fine, I’ll just get more people, then."

Villains who disregarded the law. They didn’t hesitate to abduct people and steal processing power from their Evilus Agents. Such crimes became more common in crime-prone areas.

Since Evilus Agent granted one app per person regardless of age, they didn’t even need to bother with adults; raiding an orphanage was the easiest way to gather people.

Children were kidnapped by villains, and the processing power stolen from them was funneled into criminal operations—an evil cycle of abuse.

But even this was swiftly handled by the AI.

─Beeeep! "Ugh—!?" "Damn it, what’s that sound!?"

Dozens of phones sounded an alarm in unison. An anti-power device, created long ago by a villain who had been abducted as a youth, activated through resonance. Villains who heard the noise experienced severe vertigo and collapsed to the ground.

Afterward? The children didn’t even need to call for help. The AI immediately pinpointed the location, identified the villains, and notified the Heroes Association, who quickly arrived to round up the incapacitated villains and claim the credit.

Not a single android was involved in the process, and any worries heroes had about losing their jobs to machines had long since dissipated.

The times were changing. Driven by the winds of a new world. One week after Evilus Agent’s release.

People could no longer imagine life without AI.

"Yes, yes—this is Evilus Corporation. Excuse me? No, Evilus Agent isn’t a product of ours…" "I’m sorry, but we have no authority over that…" "You’re asking us to lift the usage restrictions? I’ve never heard of… Wait, did you say you’re a villain?"

Evilus Corporation’s lines were flooded daily with user inquiries. The employees themselves were bewildered.

Did we actually create this thing? It’s possible, but… We didn’t even know about it?

Neither the average employees nor the executives had any idea about the AI branded as "Evilus Agent." Yet, because of its Evilus branding, all inquiries were directed toward them, causing daily disruptions.

If they hadn’t handed off their work to other AIs, they’d likely be buried in overtime, sacrificing countless nights. Although the AI had created this situation, it was also the AI that allowed them to cope—an irony in itself.

In this ironic twist, Regalia was now facing the scientist who’d orchestrated this whole affair.

"…You’ll explain yourself, won’t you?"

"I merely followed your instructions."

"So it was an order from me…."

Regalia exhaled heavily, as if resigning herself to the situation. Yes, she had told him to prepare to face the world. She just hadn’t anticipated that he would release an AI across the globe the very next day…

"I don’t understand… How is this supposed to be a weapon against the world?"

However, even as she pondered, she couldn’t comprehend how this would serve as an effective weapon. While the technology might provoke others to covet it and attack Evilus Corporation, it didn’t seem as though it would weaken their forces.

"If I may, Boss, it’s simple."

With that, Eight smiled and handed her a remote control—a design that would likely please the Emperor of the United States Federation.

"─Press this button, and all the AIs distributed worldwide will cease functioning."

"What?"

"Everything they’ve produced will disappear as well."

Regalia gulped, staring at the remote. A device with a single red button capable of halting all AI? What kind of madman would create such a thing?

As she processed the thought, she realized that madman was standing right in front of her.

"Boss, you now hold the power to pause the world."