Absurd Cleverness

Absurdly enough, Glori-ah’s claim that this would definitely be an achievement was right.

Though she probably didn’t want to be proven right in this way.

“What? “An objectively very clever kid?” Is this what you call clever? Huh?”

Karla Daniel growled, throwing Henry Malik’s room door open so violently it seemed like it would break.

She spoke while forcefully shoving data into Gloria Dusk’s outdated neural interface, which would take a long time just to receive it.

“Do you know how serious this is? Huh? Do you even have a clue? I’m asking because I’m genuinely curious: just how the hell did you raise your kid for him to get mixed up with terminus?”

As if she had finally checked the delayed transmitted data, Gloria Dusk’s pupils widened in shock.

The data contained a long, secure log from the inside Area between Henry Malick and a figure named 'Guhme', who introduced himself as an executive of terminus, a supposedly benevolent group seeking to put an end to McMillan’s Opening Plan - the second coming of the End Pandemic that would lead the city to ruin - and save as many people as possible.

The two had talked about many things over a long period, and Henry Malick seemed deeply impressed by this mysterious figure, Guhme.

'I don’t know if he’s really an executive of terminus or not… but he’s no ordinary criminal.'...