Chapter 141 – Macro Management

Chapter 141 – Macro Management

California Earthquake Early Warning System. At this point, it was the only earthquake warning system in the world that was still under Macro Management.

Like Jayden, who came to comprehensively manage everything from weather radar observers to monster alerts, this was also a remaining workforce, just in case they might be useful.

However, unlike weather radar, no particularly unusual seismic activity was being reported. At most, it was just detecting signs of Sand Squids moving through tunnels, but recently, even the Man was rare.

Thanks to the Man, the Man’s position was ‘Chicken Ribs’ the Man itself. At this point, the team was at a crossroads of whether to be disbanded or not.

So, recently the Men were trying their best to prove their worth. They would detect and report all unusual signs, just like the Man.

Today, moreover, there was a big case to report.

“Team Leader! Take a look at this data!”

“Hmm… What is this?”

However, the Team Leader’s expression was not good as he checked the data.

“These short, regular vibrations, around magnitude 4.2… This must be the Artillery Barrage of a Photon Destroyer.”

The Artillery Barrage of a Photon Destroyer was, of course, recorded by seismographs.

For example, just as the impact of a nuclear bomb is recorded. For instance, the atomic bomb that exploded in Hiroshima caused vibrations of about magnitude 5.

However, the Artillery Barrage of a Photon Destroyer was of a different class than a nuclear bomb, producing different patterns of tremors, allowing them to be distinguished from each other.

In the past, it might have been a big deal. But now that the Artillery Barrage of a Photon Destroyer has become quite common, such data was not very important.

Naturally, the Team Leader’s expression was one of disappointment.

But the researcher, seeing the Man’s expression, quietly added,

“Team Leader, there’s another page.”

“Huh?”

But the moment the Man turned to the next page,

The Team Leader’s expression changed to one of shock.

“W-what on earth is this?”

Seismic data that looked as if a Photon Destroyer’s Artillery Barrage had been fired hundreds of times per second in succession. To the Man’s common sense, it was absolutely impossible to Fire Manipulate.

“Where is the epicenter of this?”

“Portogal, near the city of Porto.”

“My goodness, that’s where the Lord is right now! Someone hand me a phone immediately! This needs to be reported directly to higher-ups!”

The Team Leader made a fuss.

‘Siwoo might be in danger.’

This information was crucial for the survival of The Man’s team (and by extension, the survival of Humanity).

However, if the information flowed through the normal chain of command, it could take longer than necessary.

The Man immediately began to contact Jayden, the liaison officer, directly. This would have been unimaginable under normal circumstances.

“What is it?”

Jayden, who received the call from The Man.

“It’s urgent. In Portogal, where the Lord is currently…”

The Team Leader started to chime in belatedly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jayden, for his part, would not disregard the contact from the Earthquake Team. News that something could threaten the Lord was as important an issue as it was for The Man.

While it was midday in Portogal, due to the time difference, it was the middle of the night in California… but even The Man’s tired mind seemed to clear up with the call from the Earthquake Team leader.

“Ahem.”

The Man, having cleared his throat once like that-.

“Lord, there is an urgent matter I need to convey.”

He began to report.

“Yes, yes. That’s right. It just happened.”

Jayden spoke in a proper posture, as if he were bowing to the smartphone.

“What? Did I hear that correctly?”

The Man then made a confused expression.

“So… you’re saying the Lord did it himself?”

He heard the news that a rapid-fire artillery barrage had been launched from the Photon Destroyer. However, after hearing some explanation, Jayden unconsciously sighed.

“Sigh… It’s not a very important story, is it?”

It was half a sigh of relief… but the other half was a sigh of frustration. His eyes, having woken up at the crack of dawn and wasted his effort just like the Man, clearly showed signs of being at ease with fire manipulation.

‘Seriously, what should I do with the Earthquake Team……’

It was a moment when he thought about disbanding the Earthquake Team in a fit of pique.

A mumbled question came from the smartphone.

“Oh, yes? How did I know?”

The man’s tension suddenly eased, and Jayden’s naturally relaxed posture returned to attention once again.

“The Earthquake Team reported it. They said vibrations were detected……”

And the man heard something unexpected.

The man shouted in a changed tone of voice.

“Oh, yes! It’s water theory. Detecting vibrations from the other side of the Earth is a huge asset to our faction… Hahahaha!”

Siwoo had only given one compliment.

But suddenly……

‘The Earthquake Team will remain intact.’

Jayden was making a decision completely opposite to what he had been thinking.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jayden wasn’t the only one who heard the news of the rapid fire.

“Have you heard the recent news?”

“Yes, about the rapid-fire upgrade?”

The news that the rapid-fire capability had been enhanced throughout the entire Legion was spreading like wildfire within My Faction.

However, not all machines in the Legion could exert the same castle-like power as the previous Photon Destroyer.

‘It would have been great if that were the case……’

It was a regrettable point, both last time and this time.

The rapid-fire upgrade proceeds in two main parts.

First, similar to advanced research, the entire Legion experiences an increased rate of fire. Depending on the type of machine, the efficiency ranged from 1.5 times to over 2 times.

However, this was nothing compared to the rapid fire of the Photon Destroyer, which could fire hundreds of times per second like a machine gun.

This was because the conditions were not met.

For such a rapid fire, the machine in question had to be-.

One, it had to be near me.

Two, it had to receive a massive amount of mana from me.

Although after such a barrage of gunfire, parts like the gun barrel had to be replaced as they would overheat and melt, even that was a satisfactory result.

For instance, I could have directly used my immense mana to operate and fight in the capital city, but since my ability was not meant for fighting on the front lines, it was not efficient.

In contrast, the rapid-fire enhancement, which allowed me to command specific machines, was an inherent part of my ability. It boasted immense efficiency.

Furthermore, even machines not near me effectively had their firepower increased by 1.5 to 2 times or more-.

‘It took a bit of a detour… but it was worth it.’

It was advantageous in many ways.

Especially seeing the large crater created by this ‘demonstration firing,’ a satisfied smile naturally appeared.

* * *

Meanwhile, we were staying in Porto for about a week. This was, of course, to ensure supplies and the protection of the citizens.

This was where most Europeans gathered, and of course, people loyal to Spain were also present.

As such, everyone on the bridge was watching Seongjae’s actions carefully with a slight sense of anticipation.

That’s because he was the guy who had been singing about ‘Spanish sisters’ and so on.

However… Seongjae, who had been like that, was unexpectedly quiet.

“Okay, I’ll head back to my private quarters first then.”

It was, somehow, a bit disappointing.

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one who found him puzzling. Lai, who had bonded with Seongjae and the engineer guy, calling each other older and younger brother, even asked him directly:

“Seongjae, aren’t you going to meet the Spanish ladies?”

It was a moment when everyone’s ears perked up.

“Hahahaha, Rai. What are you talking about…?”

But Seongjae seemed to be trying to laugh it off. Rai tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.

“Seongjae, isn’t it true that you like Spain Noona?”

Rai wasn’t the only one reconfirming it like that.

“That’s right, Seongjae. Go outside and look around!”

Minju was also urging Seongjae to go out.

“Oppa, should I pick out some clothes for you?”

Furthermore, Sua was even offering to pick out his clothes.

“Um… that…”

But Seongjae was fidgeting.

“Seongjae?”

And… it was the moment Rai tilted his head again, as if cornering Seongjae.

“Of course, I’m the only one who likes her! I don’t want to get rejected after coming all this way!”

Seongjae made a bombshell declaration and rushed out of the bridge.

“Ah…”

“It seems…”

“Yeah…”

At that, everyone just nodded in agreement.

Especially Seoyeon, who was a shut-in-.

“Yeah, yeah, I understand that feeling.”

She nodded repeatedly.

***

There was also that incident with Seongjae, but…

I wasn’t just idly playing around in Porto either.

[Analysis complete.]

[Restoring Forgotten Knowledge of Magitech Civilization. <6/7>]

Even the Evolution Essence I finally secured.

Now, only one Essence remained.

However, I no longer had time to hesitate.

[Time remaining until Final Predation Day: D-125]

Because there was a lot I needed to prepare before Final Predation Day. At the very least, I wanted to restore all of the Forgotten Knowledge before The Man.

‘If it’s a strong opponent, it’s right to prepare as much as The Man.’

The situation openly revealed when the opponent would attack. I, The Man, was a Pro Gamer who made a living utilizing such timing.

I had to use this information to its fullest extent.

‘It’s not like I’m in elementary school anymore.’

I smiled for a moment, recalling old memories. When I used to gather with friends at PC bangs in elementary school, we would often make up neighborhood rules like ‘no rushing for 10 minutes.’

And then, just like then, the way to win was the same.

‘Make the most of the given time.’

Since I knew when the opponent’s attack would come, I minimized combat investment and widened the economic gap.

In other words…

‘It’s time for another shortcut.’

It was time for Macro Management again.

And to smoothly proceed with Macro Management, integrating the currently living Humanity and collecting the last forgotten Essence were top priorities.

‘Then my destination must be Cape Town, Africa. And the location of the last Essence…’

Cape Town was the last faction beyond my influence. And when I asked for the location of the last Essence, the Assistant AI stepped forward and showed me its location on the screen.

What the zoomed-in screen pointed to was a colossal monster.

‘The last Essence is a Monster Special Individual…’

Considering that the Giant Nest in Siberia, which was a special entity, possessed the Essence of Forgotten Knowledge, it wasn’t too strange.

As The Man slowly moved away from the screen and the surrounding terrain began to appear, I noticed an unusual phenomenon.

“What is it, humans and monsters together?”

Too many Monster Collaborators to simply be considered Mutants or Villains. I had a strange premonition that a significant number of them might be ordinary humans.

As The Man continued to zoom out, I was able to pinpoint the location of the Man Monster.

‘Hmm… this must be Lake Victoria… southeast Congo.’

Southeast Congo. Geographically, it was located in the heart of the African continent.

I confirmed The Man’s location and made a plan.

“Well, it’s good that I’m on my way to Cape Town anyway.”

And it just so happened that I had completely finished provisioning and defending the Citizens in Porto over the past week.

“What are we waiting for? Shall we depart now?”

ROAR!

With a roar, the Fleet began to rise once again.