CHAPTER 396: CHAPTER 394 NOAH’S ARK PROJECT_1

The caravan safely made its way to the Prime Minister’s residence.

The security here was even tighter, with uniformed police patrolling the streets and rooftops.

Within a one-kilometer radius, the area was cleared, creating a no-man’s land, with protesting crowds held back by the police on the outermost perimeter.

Snipers were positioned high up to surveil the surrounding area.

Surrounding the Prime Minister’s residence were heavy machine guns – true military weapons.

Even the strongest martial artist could not break through the net of firepower woven by heavy machine guns.

CIA agents disembarked first to survey the surroundings, followed by the leaders of the seven countries and their entourages.

A large group poured into the Prime Minister’s residence, entering the grand banquet hall adorned with landscape paintings on the walls and a carpet patterned with cherry blossoms.

An ancient wooden Round Table was set there, coffee cups upon it, and chairs arranged to match the number of leaders and their attendants.

They took their seats.

The CIA agents stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows inside the hall, Morimoto Chiyoda among them, her gaze fixed on the Prime Minister’s residence’s rockery and bamboo grove.

To be honest, she did not enjoy this oppressive atmosphere.

Even a simple gesture of raising one’s hand could be interpreted as an anomaly and lead to one being apprehended on the spot.

She stood there stiff as a statue, her eyes scanning the outside, her thoughts on the discussions taking place behind her, curious to hear what these people were talking about.

As the host, Kumazo Yasuda naturally spoke first. "Welcome, everyone, to this meeting of seven countries hosted by Japan. We truly apologize for the delay caused by some earlier issues."

He stood up, employing traditional Japanese bowing techniques.

"Well now, we all know what caused the delay. We’ve gathered here not to engage in formalities," said Italy’s first female Prime Minister, Gia. She had joined the meeting to clarify certain matters. "I’m not well-educated, so let me be straightforward about the issue with Dio. Mr. Prime Minister, shouldn’t you explain this to us?"

Everyone present was shrewd and could tell that while she seemed to be accusing Japan, she was actually pointing a finger at someone else.

Kumazo Yasuda did not reply, wanting to see what the attitude of the American representative was.

However, everyone in the room had underestimated the thickness of the old man’s skin. He responded lightly, "The incident that occurred in Tokyo, Mr. Prime Minister, you ought to offer an explanation to everyone."

Kumazo Yasuda cursed inwardly.

But he was uncertain: how much was America willing to reveal? Should he disclose everything he knew, or only a part?

"Regarding this matter, we are conducting an investigation. Many excellent individuals have perished in this quest." Kumazo Yasuda decided to evade the issue, steering the conversation towards mourning the dead.

British Prime Minister Nack didn’t want to hear such platitudes. He was the most eager to get things settled and threw out his trump card. "This is a photograph taken off the coast of Wales, UK. Please have a look."

He asked his Cabinet Secretary to distribute the photo to the leaders present.

Kumazo Yasuda was well aware that this photo was probably the reason Nack wanted the meeting.

He took the photo, his pupils contracting sharply as he exclaimed, "What is this?"

"A Monster from a Different World!"

"Different World?!"

The Chancellor of Germany and the Prime Minister of Canada, among others, showed shock on their faces.

This was something they were hearing about for the first time!

All eyes turned to the old man.

Nett’s expression was unchanged, his emotions seemingly suppressed by layers of wrinkles, as he said lightly, "As for the matter of the Different World, we have only recently acquired intelligence."

Unable to suppress the matter any longer, Nett chose to take the lead, saying, "Jack, please brief everyone on the situation regarding the Different World."

"Yes, sir."

Jack stepped away from the window and approached the Round Table. Facing the gathered eyes, he began to present intelligence regarding the Different World. This included information such as the radar-detected fluctuations of the entrances and the conditions before entering these portals.

Nack listened intently as well.

His MI6 had not acquired any of this intelligence.

The information blockade in this area showed a tacit agreement among the major nations.

After hearing Jack’s report, Nack took a deep breath and said, "Humanity is now facing a critical moment of life and death; we need to stand united."

Nett said nothing, just sitting in silence.

Unfazed, Nack smiled and said, "We are allies, so I’ll be frank with you. The emergence of this huge Monster is likely related to environmental deterioration. I have decided to upgrade the equipment at Serafield to prevent further leakage. Environmental issues are not just something the Pacific island nations should care about; it’s imperative for all of us to pay attention and implement strict and effective environmental policies. Especially in matters concerning the protection of nuclear facilities, we must stop discharging those pollutants into the sea."

In the past, they would cry out for environmental conservation but did little about it; they held the banner high while claiming any credit for themselves.

The common people’s perspectives were limited. They could not see those who were doing the work, only those who were vocally supporting the cause.

Without understanding the truth or the reasons, as long as the voices were loud, they could steal the fruits of environmentalism or even tarnish its reputation.

Nack now felt that continuing the former approach was not acceptable.

The sight of the giant Monster truly frightened him.

The randomness and the inability to prevent the appearance of Different World portals were like the Sword of Damocles hanging overhead.

The moment it fell wasn’t the scary part. The terror was in never knowing when the sword would drop.

Lately, Nack had been suffering from insomnia. He felt unsafe wherever he slept, fearful that he might turn over to find a Monster in his room, one indescribable by human language.

"We must protect the environment!" he said again, his voice laden with gravity.

The atmosphere in the hall grew silent.

Gia looked at the photo of the huge creature, thinking of the Different World and Griffith.

She rubbed her temples and said, "What’s the deal with Dio? Is he one of our Superpower Users, or an Angel Envoy from the Different World?"

"An Angel Envoy from the Different World," Kumazo Yasuda responded, carefully glancing at Nett from the corner of his eye.

He noticed that the man appeared to be in some strange state. The oppressive gloom that had previously been on his face had vanished. It was replaced with a hint of confusion, as if he didn’t know where he was or what he was supposed to do next.

Nett just sat there, listless.

As the President entered this state, a member of his entourage spoke up. "We are more than willing to share all the intelligence we’ve gathered with our allies and lead everyone out of this predicament. Here is our proposed plan, called Noah’s Ark. We hope you will take a look."

The United States had been aware of Nack’s desire to turn the tables and had prepared a contingency plan in advance.

That was to present a project even larger than the Takamagahara project, involving research cooperation between nations.

If countries poured a significant amount of money and talent into Noah’s Ark, the United States would naturally share various pieces of intelligence.

Nack flipped through the Noah’s Ark project proposal, which detailed various research initiatives and the financial contributions, personnel, and experimental materials required from each country.

All experiments would be carried out on American soil.

The United States guaranteed that the results obtained would be used for the benefit of the participating countries in the project.

So, they expect us to invest a great deal of money and manpower only to receive American protection after research results are obtained?

If they did not agree, the United States would have an excuse not to share the related intelligence with them.

Damned Russia!

Nack cursed inwardly.

Without the strong support of MI6 during the White House incident, how could the KGB have possibly kidnapped the Director of the CIA? And then they had the gall to renege on their promises afterward.

The treacherous bear.

Although Nack would not have shared the intelligence either, it didn’t stop him from vehemently cursing the bear’s shamelessness.

Considering these matters, Nack’s thoughts deepened. Should I agree or not?

His eyes turned to his Cabinet Secretary.

The man, taking his gaze off the proposal, said, "We have no objections to this plan. But is it really safe to conduct everything in the United States? Monsters appear in places with harsh environments. So, wouldn’t areas with beautiful surroundings be safer?"

"Please, do not worry. There is no place safer than the United States."

"How is the reconstruction of Washington D.C. progressing?"

Those present began to haggle.

Some might think a marketplace haggler is meticulous. But in international relations, that’s where the real quibbling occurs, with even the choice of words being scrutinized for faults.

Morimoto Chiyoda listened to the conversation, looking through the window at the bamboo grove, her thoughts on Aozawa’s exams. I wonder how he’s doing. What should I make for him tonight to give his brain a boost?

BRRRING!

The melodic bell rang, signaling the end of the morning exam.

Aozawa put down his pen and shook the sleeping Hojo Tetsuji awake. "Tetsuji, wake up, the exam’s over."

"What?!" Hojo Tetsuji was first stunned, then his eyes widened, and he let out a cry of despair.

Last night, he had gotten his wish to study with Little Sayuri at Nomura Makoto’s house until the wee hours. This, coupled with the mental fatigue from previous exams, had led him to doze off at the mere sight of the math paper.

Hojo Tetsuji, looking at his nameless math paper, could only pick up his pen and write his name.

"Try harder this afternoon." Aozawa patted his shoulder. He hadn’t used Time Stop to hit Hojo Tetsuji earlier simply because if Hojo didn’t get math, he really didn’t get it. An overnight cram session wouldn’t have helped.

Better to let Hojo Tetsuji get some good rest for the afternoon’s exams.

"Darn it!" Hojo Tetsuji sighed and took his paper, walking up to the teacher’s desk.

With the exams over, the hallways were filled with students complaining about their poor performance and claiming to have done terribly. Whether their statements were true or false, only those who knew them well could tell.

However, some took these confessions to heart.

Phew, it seems I’m not the only one who did badly, Ayatsuki Iroha thought, breathing a sigh of relief. She had thought she was the only one failing, but it seemed there were quite a few others in her class who hadn’t done well either. She felt comforted by that thought.

Takahashi tapped her on the head and teased, "When the class president says she performed poorly, it means she didn’t get a perfect score. You, on the other hand, call getting double digits ’performing poorly.’ How can you even compare?"

"..."

Ayatsuki Iroha suddenly felt very alone.