A mountain of papers piled up—a chaotic testament to the tireless efforts of a high-ranking executive with an unnervingly overpowered cheat-like ability to go unnoticed. Six had spent years collecting every scrap of information she could find.

Of course, Six wasn’t an intelligence officer or an administrative clerk who could neatly organize reports. The documents she gathered were an incoherent jumble, filled with scattered notes, making them incredibly difficult to read and even harder to interpret.

I glanced at the boss, who was buried in the pile of papers, and spoke.
“I’ll let the AI organize these. It’s likely we already know some of this information, and once sorted—”
“No.”
“…Excuse me? But, Boss, reading through all this on your own—”
“Can you be certain it’s safe?”
“…What?”
“Someone like your assistant, the Meister, who can control AI. Or someone who can sense when their information has been leaked.”

The boss’s words made me fall silent. The possibility of another Meister existing seemed remote, but the chance wasn’t zero. Nothing in this world is ever truly 0%. Even if it wasn’t an identical ability, there might be a similar one with comparable effects.

Seeing my hesitation, the boss continued while sifting through the papers.
“Only those who are aware of Six’s existence—that is, those freed from the recognition-altering effect—can read these documents, correct? Even if someone with that kind of ability exists, they wouldn’t know their information has been leaked.”
“Logically speaking, yes.”

The type of individual the boss referred to—someone capable of detecting when their information was compromised—wouldn’t be able to notice Six’s involvement. Her ultimate presence-suppression ability concealed even the act of obtaining the information.

However, if the AI read, stored, and categorized these documents, the secrecy would be broken. The source of the information would shift from Six to the AI.

“Which is why, even if it means I have to read every single page myself, I won’t rely on others for this. Not even you, scientist. Though I appreciate the offer, this is my responsibility.”
“…Understood. Then I’ll take my leave. But, Boss, one thing to remember.”
“What’s that?”
“We’re always ready to act as your arms and legs whenever you need us.”
“I know.”

The boss smiled faintly as I exited the office, leaving her engrossed in the mountain of documents. Watching her, a strange unease began to stir within me.

I didn’t know the boss’s ultimate goal. Why had she created Evilus? Whom was she targeting by assembling an army of S-rank operatives?

‘I heard her parents were killed on her birthday…’

I only knew that her motives were likely tied to that tragedy. I’d never probed further; delving into her personal vendetta without permission would have been invasive, not to mention inappropriate as her subordinate.

But things were different now. Knowing the boss was willing to uncover confidential information from every corporation except Evilus made it clear how deeply committed she was to her goal. If she was ready to pour her entire being into this mission, it was my duty to understand what that mission was.

‘If there really is someone out there with such absurd abilities… where do I even start?’

I fiddled with my smartphone and dove into the vast ocean of the internet. Even though I doubted the critical information the boss sought would be publicly accessible, information had a way of leaving traces.

No intelligence system in this digital age could be entirely analog. Even the CIA deposited agent salaries into bank accounts, rather than handing them over in cash.

If I could connect to all the world’s information, I could theoretically survey the entire world. While the volume of data was beyond human capacity to process, that’s what AI was for.

“Let’s get to work.”

I turned toward the computational device in my lab, its heat radiating like a small sun. It was an AI built for moments like this—to handle the impossible, the inhuman.

Billions of interconnected systems synchronized as the AI processed the vast sea of global information in an instant.

For a moment, the world itself seemed to pause.

“Hm… Ah, there we go.”
“What happened?”
“Oh, nothing much. The AI just froze for a moment…”

The man sitting across from me frowned.
“Damn AI… why don’t you turn it off for a while?”
“I’m considering it. It’s practically common knowledge that these systems eavesdrop on us.”
“This era… who’d have thought we’d be scared of machines like this?”

Grumbling, the men gathered their devices and placed them in a storage locker. Even so, the guards at the entrance waved metal detectors over them to ensure no hidden tech had slipped through.

After navigating security tighter than any airport, the men entered the meeting room and sat at a round table. The attendees were familiar faces—each ruling over their respective cities. While not all 26 rulers were present, nearly half of them were.

“…Apologies for the delay. My fortune for today was a bit unfavorable.”

A woman, the last to arrive, entered the room, twirling a blade that emitted a mystical chime. Despite her dramatic entrance, the gathered rulers didn’t look impressed.

“Still putting stock in fortunes?”
“With supernatural powers around, you doubt the divine?”
“Well, your fortunes are more superstition than science. They’re not like verified abilities.”
“Oh? The spirits tell me you’ll lose more hair soon.”
“W-what!?”

The man instinctively patted his balding head, while the woman took her seat silently, surveying the room. The amusing exchange didn’t distract the others, who all wore somber expressions. The gravity of the situation was apparent.

“…Let’s begin the meeting.”

The host’s announcement was followed by collective sighs from the rulers. The mood was dire.

“This month, the number of businesses acquired by Evilus has increased by 20% compared to last month. The corporation, already enormous, continues to grow.”
“Shouldn’t we try to contain them?”
“How? Regulations won’t work, and we all know it.”

Evilus’s explosive expansion was unmatched, though other corporations were growing as well—just not at the same rate. The difference came down to one thing: their AI.

“Let’s not forget—the only reason we’re surviving is because they distributed that AI to everyone. If Evilus decides to withdraw it tomorrow, we’ll all be ruined.”
“Exactly! By giving us this technology for free, they’ve effectively put us on a leash!”

They hadn’t realized how terrifying AI could be. Scientists had once claimed that developing AI a week early was equivalent to advancing 2,000 years ahead. Back then, it sounded absurd, but now, swept up in the current of AI’s capabilities, the truth was undeniable.

“…Should we use ‘him’?”
“Are you serious? Him?”
“Yes. The justification is clear—they’re disrupting global balance. If we can secure a majority vote…”

The mention of "him" silenced the room. They all knew it was the only viable option, but invoking his power required approval from a majority of the coalition.

Would anyone dare challenge Evilus at this point? Even with unanimous support from those present, it wouldn’t be enough to secure the vote.

“Let’s think it over a bit more…”
“Think? Time is running out—”
“We can’t all go down with the ship. If Evilus decides to pull the plug—”

The discussions dragged on, their search for countermeasures against Evilus yielding no solutions. Time slipped away, unacknowledged.

They should have valued every moment. Time wasn’t their ally—it never had been.