NIP Chapter 289: The Debate
Chapter 289: The Debate
Chief Lyra Frost closed her eyes and drew a long, heavy breath.
Her fingers tapped a rhythmic, staccato beat against the mahogany surface of the
table. Click. Tap. Click. The sound didn't dampen the voices in the room; if
anything, the arguments grew more abrasive, reaching a fever pitch of
desperation.
"Containment! We must initiate containment protocols immediately!" Chairman
Ironclad roared, his voice like a booming drum that rattled the alloy walls. "An
inter-planar entity with an immature psyche is a blade without a hilt! We must
seize the handle ourselves!"
"Chairman, I will state it one final time: your logic is a gamble!" Director
Selene snapped back, refusing to yield a single centimeter of ground. "You are
betting the entire future of our species on the benevolence of a monster! If its
'Master'—this Sovereign of Evernight—decides to manifest in retaliation, what
wall do we have left to hide behind?"
"A wall?! Director, look out the window! We have no walls left! We are standing
in a graveyard! Choosing not to gamble is simply choosing a slower death!"
"A slow death is preferable to a planetary wipe!"
"ENOUGH."
Lyra Frost ceased her tapping and slowly snapped her eyes open. Her voice wasn't
loud, but it possessed a clinical coldness that terminated the shouting
instantly.
Every gaze in the room locked onto the Chief.
"I have processed your assessments," she began.
"Chairman Ironclad's containment strategy is the most aggressive, offering the
highest potential yield but the highest risk of total failure. Minister Kenji's
neutrality is statistically safe but risks missing a critical window of
opportunity. Elder Hideo's submission is the most direct extraction route, but
it carries the highest degree of uncertainty regarding our long-term autonomy."
"Three paths. Three flavors of risk."
"But before we finalize our stance, I require you to review the latest
demographic data."
Chief Frost picked up a physical file from the table and slid it down the row.
As the council members began to flip through the pages, she recited the numbers
from memory.
"Last cycle: total global Night Watchmen—32,342." "This cycle, as of last
month: 21,107." "Net liquidation: 11,235 personnel."
"Cause of death: 8,000 processed during Instance Summons. 3,235 terminated by
Street Anomalies in the Real World."
"New recruits who achieved successful awakening this cycle: 3,008."
"Every year, we suffer a net loss of over eight thousand combat units. At this
rate of attrition, the Watchman infrastructure will undergo total structural
collapse within three years. At that point, humanity will lose its capacity for
organized resistance."
The council members stared at the files, the weight of the ink becoming a
physical burden.
"And yet," Chief Frost continued, her voice turning grim, "the manifest-rate of
the Scourge is increasing."
"Last cycle, recorded Anomaly events: 120,000. This cycle, with four months
remaining, we have already breached the 150,000 mark."
"Furthermore, the Tier-rating of the invaders is scaling. Today, the frequency
of Tier 1 anomalies has spiked by two hundred percent."
"Last month, in East-Sea Sector, we recorded the first physical manifestation of
a Tier 3 Anomaly in the Real World. It liquidated three Watchmen squads—fifteen
personnel—in seconds. I had to intervene personally to neutralize it."
She paused for a long duration, allowing the data to sink in.
"Therefore, the time for debate has been spent. We must establish a directive."
"I call for a vote. Support for the Containment Strategy, show of hands."
Ironclad didn't hesitate, thrusting his hand into the air. Three others
followed.
"Four votes."
"Support for the Neutrality Strategy."
Minister Kenji raised his hand, accompanied by two others.
"Three votes."
"Support for the Submission Strategy."
Elder Hideo let out a long sigh and slowly lifted his hand. Four others joined
him.
"Five votes."
Chief Frost looked at the final member—the Minister of Logistics, Silas, who had
remained silent throughout the session.
"Minister Silas. Your assessment?"
Silas stared at the table for a long time before speaking. "I abstain."
Chief Frost nodded. "Final tally: Four for Containment. Three for Neutrality.
Five for Submission. One abstention."
"By the rules of the Council, the Submission Strategy holds the plurality."
"However," she paused, her tone sharpening, "this variable is too critical for a
simple majority rule. I have heard your logic, and I have analyzed the risks."
"Chairman, your desire for a weapon is sound, but we lack the 'Od' to wield it.
Minister, your caution is commendable, but static observation is a luxury we no
longer possess. Elder, your desperation is valid, but we cannot surrender our
logic before we understand the terms of the contract."
Chief Frost stood up, her frame casting a long, jagged shadow across the maps.
"I have formulated a Fourth Option."
The room went cold. "Fourth Option? Chief, explain."
Frost raised a hand, cutting off the murmurs. "We do not contain. We do not
ignore. We do not submit."
"We Monitor."
"We dispatch our most elite Night Watchmen to shadow Sora. Their directive is
protection and data acquisition. They will record every breath Bochi takes,
analyze his output, and map his psychology."
"Simultaneously, we maintain three redundant contingency protocols."
"If Bochi continues to display benevolence, we initiate a friendship-resonance
and petition for cooperation." "If Bochi remains neutral, we follow the momentum
and do not interfere." "But... if Bochi manifests active malice..."
Frost's voice flattened into a terrifying drone.
"I will personally engage the entity. I will utilize the 'Sanction Key' to drag
him, along with myself, into the Instance: [The Eternal Grinder]."
"We shall both be processed. Neither will achieve extraction."
"Are there objections?"
A collective gasp rippled through the room. [The Eternal Grinder] was the only
Instance in the Federal archives marked with the "Absolute Termination" tag. To
this day, its survival rate was a flat zero percent.
Seeing the silence of the room, Chief Frost gave a single, firm nod.
"Then the session is concluded. Execution commences immediately. Our singular
objective remains: The persistence of the species."
She turned and exited the chamber without another word. The remaining members
stood slowly. Only Elder Hideo remained, staring at the empty seat at the head
of the table.
"I hope..." he whispered to the shadows. "I hope this time, our gamble holds the
winning hand."
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