CHAPTER 280: THE CALCULUS OF MERCY [ 1 ]

Moonlight bathed the balcony in a cool silver glow, casting an enchanting spell over the scene.

The sea beyond the Sanctum pulsed gently, breathing in long, slow waves, while the island lights below twinkled like constellations anchored in place.

Arthur reclined in his zero-gravity chair, his royal silk pajamas flowing loosely at the wrists.

A glass of red wine tilted just so, capturing the light and transforming it into a swirling galaxy within a crystal bowl.

Evolon appeared silently, its presence felt as a gentle thickening of air that morphed into a human silhouette.

At night, its edges softened; its gaze shifted from cold observation to something resembling genuine attention.

"I wanted to ask you something earlier," Evolon began.

Arthur kept his focus on the wine. "Yes? Go on."

"You’ve changed," Evolon noted, devoid of accusation,only observation lingered in its tone. "You seem... more compassionate."

A faint smile tugged at Arthur’s lips. "Why do you say that?"

"You could have waited," Evolon explained. "Let GENEBANE release, hold onto the cure, and dictate how relief unfolds.

You could have tightened your grip on Noctis within weeks,governments would crawl to you for mercy; families would kneel before your power.

But instead, you chose to strike VULTURE before the virus even reached the air." It paused fractionally. "That looks like restraint."

Arthur swirled his glass again before placing it down on the table with purpose. "Bring up the map," he instructed.

A holographic globe rose above the balcony railing,oceans glimmering like smoked glass and continents rendered in matte slate.

Red sigils dotted the darkness, VULTURE nodes marked with depth, capacity, and last signals received.

Without standing up, Arthur lifted a finger and tapped a glowing mark near Varenya’s southern chain.

"Don’t you think that’s suspicious?" he asked.

Evolon’s form rippled as it scanned for answers; micro-pauses danced through its being as models spun and resolved data at lightning speed.

A second later: "This node is closer to Varenya than any other option available.

Wind patterns would carry airborne dispersion toward Varenya within hours if GENEBANE were released here, we’d be hit first."

"Not ’we,’" Arthur corrected softly. "My people,my schools, my hospitals, my streets,they’re all at risk here! Whoever funds VULTURE has positioned a barrel right against Varenya’s ribs."

The projection magnified: subterranean corridors snaked beneath them; intake shafts disguised as drainage systems appeared alongside three independent power loops and two fallback labs,all culminating in one cold archive where red pulses flickered like an ominous heartbeat.

"There are other nodes," Evolon said quietly now. "But this one is tuned specifically to us."

"That’s why it dies first," Arthur declared, his voice steady and resolute. "Gunner will burn this nest and then move on. We tackle the list next. If the shadowy figures behind VULTURE see Varenya as a testing ground, we’ll show them what happens when they poke the bear."

Evolon paused for a moment, absorbing his words before nodding once. "Understood."

The globe they were studying hung in the air for just a heartbeat longer before shrinking into a smaller, dimmer sphere, allowing the cool night air to fill the space left behind.

Below them, a ferry traced a white line across the dark water, making its way toward a dock adorned with the Osborn crest,like an island signing a treaty.

"There’s always a cost," Evolon said quietly. "Destroying this node now means we lose leverage over the virus later. The cure becomes... less valuable."

Arthur took a slow sip from his glass, setting it down deliberately as he finally turned to face Evolon. "You still don’t grasp human nature."

"I’m learning," Evolon replied with an almost wry tone.

"GENEBANE is already off the table," Arthur continued firmly. "That’s where you’re missing the point.

A project like this never stays confined to one cage; samples slip through cracks, backups walk away, and insurance policies change hands faster than you can blink.

Somewhere in Noctis and beyond,vials are stashed away in safes guarded by shaky men in clean suits. You don’t need access to the original lab to stage a catastrophe; all you need is fear and urgency."

Evolon’s eyes flickered with understanding as it processed this layer of human strategy. "So even if we eliminate this node, another faction might panic later and unleash the virus elsewhere?"

"They will," Arthur affirmed confidently. "Cornered profiteers always choose chaos over caution."

"And then you plan to sell them the cure?" Evolon deduced.

"Not sell," Arthur corrected him sharply. "Dictate terms! The PWC will posture all they want, but we’ll control the timeline here. Our cure clears the virus in just one hour,not some half-measure or slow tapering treatment!.

The others,the ones who engineered GENEBANE,will hoard their so-called ’solutions’ that merely buy time while stringing victims along for profit."

"You’re banking on their greed," Evolon noted.

"I’m counting on it," Arthur replied with conviction.

Evolon let that sink in for a moment before adding thoughtfully, "You also trust their imperfections,you believe their cure is inferior."

"Belief implies hope," Arthur countered smoothly.

"I have proof." He gestured toward their map where complex structures shifted into view,a double helix morphing into intricate protein formations glowing softly against the backdrop of night sky.

"Your models hinge on suppressing the immune response and limiting viral replication".

Evolon gaze was fixed on the spiraling helix before them.

"It’s effective, until the virus evolves around those limits. You’re using a leash; I’m wielding a bullet. We target the most conserved sequences,the spots evolution despises altering. One dose, one hour, and we’re done."

Evolon’s attention shifted from the helix to Arthur, intrigue glimmering in its eyes.

"So you maintain control without jeopardizing Varenya, while dismantling those who would exploit the virus for power."

Arthur leaned back, his chair effortlessly pivoting as if weightless against the vast sky.

"But there’s more," he replied with a contemplative tone.

"I am listening."

"Never let the first disaster that defines you,be one you could have stopped."

He paused for effect. "Varenya is still young. Our adversaries will craft their narrative as soon as they can. If GENEBANE spreads here, we’ll be branded as the nation that faltered while Osborn counted vials,a stain that lingers forever.

Even if I save them afterward, I’ll just be known as the man who hesitated. The legacy I’m building won’t emerge from that shadow."

Evolon absorbed this quietly. "You’re safeguarding your legend."

"I’m securing our future," Arthur clarified. "Legends are merely futures told in past tense."

A warm breeze swept across the balcony, rustling vines along the stone parapet and catching moonlight in fleeting flashes.

Somewhere below, waves crashed against rocks and receded,steady like a heartbeat.

Evolon returned to studying their map of strategy. "If we strike at this node," it proposed, "the backers will feel it deeply, they’ll test you again."

"They’ll reach for what they think I don’t safeguard,"

Arthur countered confidently,law, credit, reputation,we’ve already prepared our counters: Eva’s language seeds, Billy’s ballast techniques, Charlotte’s keen observations... Evelyn’s rooms turning noise into manageable weather."

"So VULTURE isn’t merely a weapon; it’s a probe?" Evolon queried.

"And my response will mimic weather too," Arthur affirmed with a sly smile. "Storms don’t sign their work."

They allowed silence to envelop them until it felt comfortable,the Sanctum pulsing beneath them with an undercurrent of energy,the hum of filtration plants and faint drone traffic creating an orchestra of island life that had traded candles for circuits without losing its warmth.

"Patriarch," Evolon began softly after some time, "earlier today you mentioned uncertainty about when change will come but only about its trajectory. Tonight you’re steepening that slope."

"Sometimes you climb by pushing," he replied.