The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 253: Strategic Meeting

The afternoon the next day, Lane drove through the heavy gates, entering Forbidden Zone No. 74. Vulcan was already waiting for him at the gate, with a whole entourage. Even though Lane had already told him before that it wasn’t necessary... But then again, his visits were such a rare occurrence, that it was no surprise he wanted to put some effort. Lane was the Boss, after all, while Vulcan was one of his earliest recruits, and a very dedicated one at that.

"Meet me in the office together with Blanc," Lane said, as he rolled down his window, nodding lightly at Vulcan in acknowledgment.

And then he drove away. Just because Vulcan gathered people to greet him, it didn’t mean Lane had to indulge them, when he wasn’t interested in such purely performative ceremonies. He headed straight toward the office building serving as his organization’s headquarters, taking a brief look at the city streets...

It... hadn’t been that long since he last came here, now that he thought about it. Only around six months, maybe even less. It was just that his life had changed so much since then, that it felt as if it had been ages...

Unlike his life, Forbidden Zone No. 74 hasn’t changed much, if at all, though. Maybe there were some slight differences, like a bar or shop getting opened or closed, but nothing major. His favorite bakery still stood, and that was all Lane cared about. Due to the short notice of his trip, there wasn’t enough time for him to ask Damien to prepare him any treats for the journey... Well, technically he could have just postponed it, he was the Boss, when or if he came was entirely up to him... But he wanted to get it out of the way as soon as possible.

Before he had a chance to change his mind, and stay at home, lounging on Damien’s couch and eating freshly cooked, healthy meals, made by his boyfriend with love.

He parked his car in the underground garage, and went upstairs to his office. Blanc was already there, waiting. He didn’t come to welcome him at the gate. Whether it was because he understood Lane’s lack of interest in such things, his personal distaste for doing useless things, or a hardly hidden sense of superiority he felt despite his lower rank, Lane didn’t know. But as long as Blanc fulfilled his purpose, it didn’t matter what the man thought. Lane didn’t care whether people personally respected him. It was enough that Blanc knew to stay in his line.

Neither of them spoke to each other, besides a simple greeting, not until Vulcan arrived a few minutes later and the meeting could start. Vulcan and Blanc then presented their reports, pretty much summarizing the things Lane had already read in the mails, only adding some details that didn’t make it into the formal reports, or any new information that hadn’t been passed onto Lane yet...

And Lane just let them talk. He actually wanted it to drag on for as long as possible, because the other issues, the main reason he came to the Zone this time...

"...and that makes it the fourth Restricted Zone in the Capital," Blanc finished his speech. "With this, I suggest we make our next move, planting the Fertilizer at the borders of the Restricted Zone to spread the Manaforming. There are several possible approaches I have devised. They are..."

Right. That was it. The progress of their plan to speed up the Manaforming of the world, starting from the Capital. That was one of the major goals of their organization, a necessary step that civilization had to take toward progress... It was a prerequisite to many of their other agendas, such as increasing the awakening rate until every adult was an Esper or a Guide, or easing the restrictions placed on Espers regarding the use of their abilities... And in Lane’s case, helping his grandmother escape the dungeon and roam the world freely again.

It wasn’t so much that Lane had forgotten about those goals, or that he no longer wished to achieve them. It was just that...

He lived in the Capital. And so did Damien. As well as plenty of other people Lane did and didn’t care about. And they could continue to live there... The problem was that if they proceeded with their plans, before the stability, there would be a long period of turmoil. There would be monsters, fighting, a lot of chaos... Right at Lane’s doorstep.

Just when his own life had gained a sort of stability he had never known before.

Not to mention, there were bound to be casualties. Before the Capital transformed into something even remotely resembling Forbidden Zone No. 74, monsters would flood the streets, running amok and causing a lot of bloodshed. It was inevitable. Sacrifices are necessary for the sake of progress, that’s what Lane had been taught. Even Diana said so...

But Damien would hate it. Hate what Lane had done. Maybe not entirely on his own, but he took an active part in it.

Perhaps... he would even hate Lane for it.

However, to back out now? What would that make of all the destruction they had already caused? Wouldn’t it be all for naught?

Lane tapped his fingers on the desk. He had no answer for that. Honestly, he was probably never made to hold a position of power... Indecisive, impulsive, acting on the whim as he was.

"It’s not a good time," he finally said. "The Association is currently on alert."

"Have they discovered anything? Regarding our activity or the Fertilizer."

"Well... No," Lane admitted unwillingly. Neither the Association discovered the Fertilizer, nor the government of country K. The reasons behind the reactivation of dungeons, which happened not only in their country, but also all around the world (Lane’s secret organization wasn’t the one with Manaforming as their goal, after all), remained a mystery to most. Some were speculating that it was just a natural phenomenon...

And Blanc naturally was aware of it as well, having read the reports from their spies. There was no point trying to deny it.

But with Lane unable to provide a good argument, Blanc pressed further, "Then it is essential we proceed with the plans soon, as not to give the Association any more time to investigate. With the expansion of the Restricted Zones, they will be busy trying to get it under control, giving us more freedom to execute other missions..."

"I understand. I will give it some consideration, and let you know once I make a decision," Lane cut him off, getting up from his seat. "Let’s end the meeting here. Tomorrow, I would like to inspect our forces. Starting from our elite units. At 10 AM, in the training center."

Having said that, he walked out of the office, not even waiting for an answer.