Corpo Age-Chapter 250: Compliance Committee

Titus Adair - AeroDynamic

The news of Rollo’s capture by the security forces of the consortium inevitably spread to every major corporation that had planted eyes and ears in the right places. Events like these weren’t uncommon, as it was one of the many methods used in the corporate world to undermine their rivals.

The consortium itself naturally knew this, but allowed itself to be used as a tool. It was better to have the various companies report on each other than to have them conspire together. It also helped enforce their rules and kept everyone in line. If they made a rule tomorrow that said killing innocent civilians was illegal, hundreds if not thousands of corporations would instantly snitch on their rivals.

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As the owner of an A-Class corporation, Titus naturally heard the news as well. He had just warned the young corporate hotshot not long ago, so he wasn’t surprised at all. In fact, he was rather relieved.

His company appeared powerful to the average person, but their competitors were naturally just as powerful. It resulted in them having their hands tied. Then, there were the colossal organizations at the S-Class or above to worry about, too.

Seeing Rollo fall into a non-violent predicament was much preferable to him. It meant he had time to come up with a plan and converse with his patron. After he had heard the news, he did exactly that.

He executed a series of bizarre actions in an attempt to convey the news. Once that was done, he tended to his own preparation.

The warning from the NPC didn’t just concern Rollo. A storm was coming that would shake the world. While no details were given, Titus didn’t take the warning lightly.

He discreetly ordered his company to take emergency measures, prepare their war assets, and stock up on vital supplies. It was normally cheaper to purchase ready-made goods, but in situations like these, self-sufficiency was more crucial. That meant he opened up the company’s wallet and purchased a large amount of advanced equipment to fulfill his company’s needs.

By the time he had set everything into motion, his assistant reported to him about the latest proceedings of Rollo’s trial.

“Sir, Mr. Halls is set to appear before the compliance committee tomorrow morning.”

“How much sway do we have with the final decision?”

“Not much, sir, but it should be enough to prevent any foul play in the background. The consortium monitors these things closely, so it shouldn’t be a concern, anyway.”

“What of his company? How are they reacting?”

“We haven’t seen anything so far. Their usual leaders who made decisions in the absence of Mr. Halls were all captured together with him. It seems they’re just waiting it out and complying with any legal demands the consortium makes to them.”

“I see. Well, continue our mobilization efforts as planned and notify me of any new developments.”

I stood by the window of my cell, which was basically an upscale apartment unit, and glanced out at the stars outside. It wasn’t surprising that the accommodation meant for corporate executives was still lavish despite it only being used when one of the elites was suspected of a crime. Thankfully, I had made it into this exclusive club.

They were so lenient on me that I could access the greater web as usual and even carry out my work as per usual. I was especially relieved to learn that since I could contact my employees. The only caveat was that I couldn’t step out of this room, and neither could Claire nor Thorne.

We knew our lines were most likely tapped, so we kept our discussions short. We confirmed each other’s well-being and contacted our subordinates to ensure our business was running.

“Sir, the construction of the null hulls is going according to schedule, slated to be finished within the next week. Should I proceed with the expansion plan into the other cities in the solar system?”

“Yes. How is the progress with setting up offices across all these different space stations?”

“It’s going as planned.”

“Details?”

“Umm, sir? Do you really want me to disclose that over a public line?”

“Lucy, go ahead. It’s not like the consortium has never seen the intelligence depart of a corporation before.”

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“Okay…”

As my head of intelligence, who was taking the role of interim CEO, was going over the details, I moved over to lie on the fancy couch in the middle of the room.

All my stress flew away the moment I reconnected with my employees. They couldn’t access our facilities or equipment while the investigation was ongoing, but that was only for the known ones. The consortium was definitely monitoring our calls and the movements of these employees, but that wasn’t anything new. I had prepared ways to discreetly convey information, and the situation with Lanus should be under control.

Lucy had it all under control. She had been chosen to manage the company for us while we were gone. I selected her because the intelligence director was one of the few people who knew most of our secrets. It was the nature of their job to know, so that meant she was already someone I could trust.

This relaxed atmosphere lasted all the way into the next day when I was summoned before a panel to be interviewed. I was brought to a spacious room where elevated seats surrounded a platform in the middle of the room. It was just like the stage I used when I introduced my Shade to the world. However, this time it was a lot more intimidating, as they were looking to find any faults with me.

I stepped onto the platform alone and glanced up at the five people who would be hearing out the case. The woman in the center cleared her throat and spoke out on their behalf.

“Mr. Halls, I am Ashley William, the head of the compliance committee. Today, we’re here to ask you a few questions today. I hope you will answer truthfully, so we can promptly conclude our investigations.”

“Of course.”

“Then we’ll get started right away. Mr. Halls, you’ve been accused of engaging in the creation of sentient artificial intelligence that goes against our policies. Are these allegations true?”

“No, definitely not.”

“Then can you explain how your support team operates that allows them to achieve such great results no matter the time of day?”

“The details are a trade secret, but it is generally from our preparation. We’ve simulated ways to attack our systems in every conceivable way before the release of our software products. That means we have a comprehensive manual on how to address these security concerns.”

“If that is the case, how come nothing like that was found within the grounds of your offices?”

“Due to security concerns, of course. If we had the easily accessible, we’d be vulnerable if people got hold of our countermeasures. This manual is available to me and a select few.”

The committee shared glances with each other and fell silent. They knew better than to ask me to show them the manual. No company was willing to share anything related to their defenses, whether it be material or digital. They could try to force me to spit it out, but even then, it wouldn’t help. I could’ve made up this manual at any point prior to this meeting. That course of action would only damage their image among the other companies.

They conversed among themselves for some time before, finally, one of the men sitting to the very right asked me a question.

“Then are you willing to take part in a test? We can simulate various ways to assault your game. We would like to see how comprehensive this manual of yours is.”

“That would only be possible if your consortium signs a formal non-disclosure agreement.”

“That can be arranged.”

So far, their attitude kept me guessing whether they were with me or against me. If my adversary bothered to set up this elaborate plot to trap me, they should have accounted for how this trial would go, but I wasn’t seeing any signs of that yet.

Very soon, a couple of terminals were brought into the meeting room and placed before me. They allowed me to hop on it to check on its system before bringing a contract for me to sign.

The tests promptly started after that, where an isolated version of my game existed within a virtual sandbox and they employed various means to undermine it. The connections leaving this room would certainly be monitored, so I went at the problem myself.

I wasn’t as accurate as Lanus, but as its creator who has upgraded my software engineering skills to plus twelve, I knew a thing or two about defending against cyber attacks. The test wasn’t something easy to verify anyway, as there were numerous ways to handle every situation. I could always say the results weren’t as optimal as I didn’t have my team to assist.

However, I was too naive. The panel frowned at my results not long after they were out.

“Mr. Halls, the characteristics of your solutions seemed to be entirely different from the previous solutions you employed. It is hard to believe you are the same person who handled the previous incidents.”

“Of course, it would be different. We usually have my employees vet through everything and work with me to solve these issues. In this case, only I was involved.”

“Still, the differences are not subtle.”

Just as I was conjuring up new excuses, smoke suddenly filled the meeting room we were in.

“What is this?”

“Is there a fire?”

“No, the alarms have been disabled! We’re under attack!”

“Get down, everyone!”

The scene quickly grew chaotic as the doors slammed opened while the hidden guards in the room emerged.

Before I could even accurately assess the situation, I spotted a dozen figures leap by around me, and the sound of metal clashing filled the room. The silhouettes of people fighting moved at speeds so fast that my eyes could barely keep up. From this alone, I could tell these forces were the cream of the crop. It wouldn’t be surprising if their employers were one of the pinnacle corporations.

That immediately elicited a guess about the identity of these intruders. If they appeared here with this timing, the chances were that they were sent by my guardian angel, the NPC.

Is it really necessary to take action here? Even if they get me out of here, wouldn’t that just get me into a hostile relationship with the consortium? We wouldn’t be able to stay in business that way. Seriously, what was my supposed ally thinking?