Sunday, 9 May 2001.
Arachne Base, somewhere around the world.
Deep beneath an undisclosed location, hidden far away from the eyes of governments, corporations, and even most intelligence agencies, there was an underground base filled with technology that should not have existed so casually in 2001. The place looked like the inside of a secret war room mixed with a research facility and a very expensive library. Rows of monitors displayed encrypted global feeds, satellite images, political movement reports, economic graphs, shipping routes, and classified information gathered from all over the world. Steel cabinets were filled with thick folders, each one labeled with names of countries, politicians, corporations, criminal networks, and dangerous individuals who could shift history if left unchecked.
Yet despite the serious atmosphere, the person sitting in the middle of that base was currently not reading any of those reports.
She was playing games.
A beautiful woman in relaxed clothes sat in front of a computer that looked far too advanced just for gaming. The machine beside her could probably break into military-grade databases, predict stock manipulation patterns, or run simulations of regional conflict, but right now it was being used to run Audition Online from ZAGE. Her fingers moved across the keyboard with terrifying speed, each input landing with near-perfect rhythm. The screen flashed with colorful effects, the music reached its peak, and her character danced across the stage as if national security depended on her combo chain.
"Come on, come on, come on…" the woman muttered, her eyes glowing with fierce concentration. "You think you can defeat me with that pattern? Cute. Absolutely adorable. I have survived assassination attempts with less pressure than this."
Behind her, an elderly butler in a clean black suit stood silently with a tray of tea in his hands. His expression was calm, but the slight twitch near his eyebrow revealed the deep exhaustion of a man who had seen this kind of nonsense far too many times.
The final notes arrived. The woman's fingers blurred. The combo landed perfectly.
The screen exploded with victory effects.
"Phew! I nailed it!" the woman shouted triumphantly, lifting both hands like she had just won a war instead of a rhythm game match. "Sebas! Did you see that? Perfect timing. Flawless execution. Absolute domination. This is why I am feared."
The woman was Alissa Chyne, leader of Arachne, one of the most secretive organizations in the world. Arachne was not a simple intelligence group, nor was it a government agency. It was an old hidden organization that had spent generations interfering with the world from the shadows, not for conquest, but for correction. They protected important individuals, disrupted dangerous political manipulation, shielded reformers, exposed corrupt elites, and quietly prevented conflicts before they grew into wars. Their battle had been going on for so long that most people did not even realize how different the world had become because of them.
In Zaboru's previous world, corruption, unnecessary wars, political assassination, and elite manipulation had spiraled far worse in many places. But in this world, some of those disasters had been softened, delayed, or stopped entirely because Arachne had constantly interfered. The world was still not perfect, far from it, but it was better than it should have been.
And right now, the leader of that organization was grinning at a rhythm game score like a teenager who had just proven a point to the universe.
Sebas sighed deeply and placed the tea tray on a nearby table. "Miss Alissa, I find it difficult to believe that you ignored a board meeting because you were busy playing games."
Alissa leaned back in her chair and waved her hand lazily. "Come on, Sebas. That board meeting was for what? It was not even for Arachne. It was for my father's company, and honestly, they can survive without me pretending to care about a logistics presentation for three hours."
"Your father's company is still a major enterprise."
"And that major enterprise has executives who are paid too much to read charts while saying words like synergy and efficiency." Alissa took her tea, sipped it, and then pointed at the Audition Online screen. "Meanwhile, this required actual reflexes. You tell me which one is more valuable."
Sebas stared at her calmly. "The board meeting."
Alissa gasped dramatically. "Betrayal. From my own butler. After all these years."
"I have served you faithfully for many years, Miss Alissa. That includes telling you when you are being ridiculous."
"That is why I keep you around. Your honesty is irritating, but useful."
"I am honored, I think."
Alissa smirked, then tapped a few keys to exit the game. The colorful music screen faded away, replaced by a series of encrypted reports already waiting in the background. Her playful expression gradually sharpened. It was a smooth change, almost frightening in how quickly it happened. One second she was a carefree gamer bragging about her combo, and the next she looked like the true leader of Arachne.
"But Sebas," she said quietly, "what about Akaishidan? That Akechi… Rashomon. He is really dangerous."
Sebas's expression became serious as well. "Yes, Miss. Akechi Hamazou is not someone we can treat lightly."
Alissa leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. Her purple web-shaped necklace shimmered faintly against her neck as she looked at one of the reports. "This situation between Akechi and Zanki from ZUSUGA is going to escalate badly. Zanki has Steve Jobs and Bill Gates behind him now, and they are planning to create a scandal around Zaboru. That alone is already troublesome enough, but involving Ayumi's past and the Hamazou name? That is stepping into Akechi's territory."
She reached toward a nearby cigar case, took one out, and lit it slowly. The smoke curled upward as her eyes narrowed. "This really complicates things. I pity Zaboru a little. He is insanely smart, full of passion, and has the kind of charisma that pulls people toward him without even trying. But he is not suitable for the ugly side of business at all. In game development? He is terrifying. In creativity? Absurd. But in this kind of poisonous corporate war?" She exhaled smoke and sighed. "He is too clean in some ways."
Sebas nodded. "From my perspective, Akechi is extremely intelligent. Not merely in the normal academic sense, but in the way he reads movement. He appears to have a strong instinct, almost like a hunch ability, but the dangerous part is that he does not rely on instinct alone. He uses that hunch to connect facts, patterns, motives, and timing. That makes him very difficult to mislead."
Alissa smiled faintly. "Rashomon indeed."
"And his subordinates are also troublesome," Sebas continued. "They are difficult to track. Some of them have almost no presence in the field, and their information discipline is unusually strong. Without Zico's technology, we would have far more difficulty monitoring them."
At the mention of that name, Alissa's face twisted slightly. "Zico. That old fart."
Sebas coughed lightly. "Miss."
"No, no, I respect him. I do. His technology is incredible. His brain is still disgusting in the best way. But Sebas, that old fart drains our budget like water through a broken pipe. Every time I approve one of his projects, the finance department starts looking at me like I personally stabbed them."
Sebas smiled faintly. "His inventions are useful."
"They better be useful. At this point, I have funded enough of his experiments to buy a small country and turn it into a vacation island." Alissa rubbed her forehead. "And now his son and daughter, Paula and Raiola, are starting to experiment with strange things too. Paula sent me a report last week titled 'Preliminary Testing of Emotion-Responsive Interface Behavior.' Do you know what that means, Sebas?"
"A new interface technology?"
"It means she made a machine that gets moody if you insult it."
Sebas paused.
Alissa pointed at him. "Exactly. That pause. That is the correct reaction."
Sebas adjusted his gloves. "To be fair, Miss, it is already in the Tesla family blood to experiment. Their descendants are brilliant, but yes, perhaps slightly insane in the head."
"Slightly?" Alissa raised an eyebrow. "Sebas, one of them tried to make a coffee machine that calculates the drinker's future productivity."
"It brewed excellent coffee."
"It also called me 'emotionally inefficient' before breakfast."
Sebas lowered his head politely. "An unfortunate wording issue."
"It was lucky I did not throw it into the ocean."
Sebas wisely chose not to respond.
Alissa waved the topic away with a tired sigh. "Anyway, despite their madness, their inventions are useful for Arachne, so we let them be. But back to Akechi. What do you think we should do?"
Sebas looked at the report showing Akechi's face. "That depends on how far Zanki, Jobs, and Gates are willing to go. If they only attempt reputational pressure, Akechi may respond quietly. If they threaten Ayumi directly, or if the scandal places her children in danger, the situation may become far more severe."
Alissa looked at the image of Akechi on the screen. His expression was calm, almost emotionless, but his eyes carried a cold sharpness that made most people uncomfortable. Alissa, however, smiled.
"Well, Akechi is on ZAGE's side. We obviously do not need to antagonize him." She tilted her head slightly while studying the photo again. "And Sebas… he is quite a looker, don't you think?"
Sebas's eyes brightened immediately.
Alissa noticed and instantly regretted saying anything.
Sebas clasped his hands behind his back and said, "Oho."
"Do not 'oho' me."
"Miss Alissa, you finally found someone who interests you aside from Zaboru."
"I said he is good-looking. That is an observation. I observe many things. I lead an intelligence organization. Observing handsome men is still intelligence work."
"Of course, Miss. Very strategic."
Alissa narrowed her eyes. "Your tone is disgusting."
Sebas continued with a calm smile. "Zaboru is a married man. A very married man. Extremely married. Tragically unavailable. But Akechi is not."
Alissa rolled her eyes. "Hey, bastard, is that really where your mind went first?"
"Miss, with all due respect, the organization needs continuity."
"Do not turn my romantic interest into succession planning."
"But it is succession planning."
"I will throw this cigar at you."
Sebas bowed slightly. "I will accept it as part of my duties."
Alissa groaned and leaned back. "You are lucky you are useful."
Sebas chuckled. "We all trust your capabilities, Miss Alissa. If you wish to test Akechi, we trust your judgment. But yes, I admit, I am excited. Arachne needs an heir eventually, and your standards are so high that half the world's elite bachelors have already failed without even meeting you."
"My taste is not that unreasonable."
Sebas gave her a look.
Alissa clicked her tongue. "Fine. My taste is high. But that is not my fault. Zaboru exceeded nearly every category. Intelligence, passion, creativity, charisma, absurd physical ability, beautiful family devotion, and that stupid smile. Unfortunately, he is taken, and I cannot hoard him. Damn Ayumi. She really hit the jackpot."
Sebas sighed as if he had heard this exact complaint too many times. "Miss…"
"No, listen. Look at what Zaboru does. Do you remember that commercial where he played Guitar Hero 2 for ZEPS 3 using their new projector brand, the Z-Focus? He played on a highway, projecting the game onto truck screens from the top of a car. On the highway, Sebas. Can you believe how badass that is?"
"Yes, Miss, you have mentioned it seven times."
"It deserved seven mentions."
"You also made the analysis department review the commercial frame by frame."
"It was for cultural impact."
"You asked them to measure how attractive he looked while playing."
"That is also cultural impact."
Sebas slowly closed his eyes. "Miss Alissa, Zaboru is taken."
"I know, I know." Alissa waved her cigar in surrender. "Do not worry about it. I am not stupid enough to disturb that. Ayumi would probably smile sweetly while removing my spine, and honestly, I respect that."
Sebas nodded. "A wise conclusion."
Alissa turned back toward Akechi's profile. "But Akechi is different. He is dangerous, intelligent, cold, protective, and somehow handsome in a way that says he has never laughed at a joke but might destroy a city for his family. That is interesting."
Sebas smiled. "So you wish to test him?"
"Of course. Not too much. We are not trying to become his enemy. But I want to see what kind of man Rashomon really is when pressured from the right angle." Alissa's smile became sharper. "Still, we cannot let him kill Zanki Zagashira, Steve Jobs, or Bill Gates. If Akechi kills them, the world gets messy. Too messy. Markets shake, governments ask questions, intelligence agencies start barking, and suddenly I have to attend meetings again."
"Truly a nightmare."
"Exactly."
Sebas looked toward another report. "Then should we interfere directly?"
Alissa shook her head. "Not yet. Arachne cannot interfere too much here. Zanki is playing a filthy game, but he has not crossed the point where we must crush him. Bill and Steve are being cruel, but they are still operating inside the ugly boundaries of business warfare. Akechi is preparing to retaliate, but he is on the defensive side because they targeted his sister and brother-in-law first. If we move too early, we become the ones disturbing the balance."
She tapped ash into a tray and continued, "For now, we observe. If Akechi aims to ruin Zanki, we allow some of it. If he tries to erase him completely, we stop it. If Bill or Steve push the scandal too far, we quietly bury the worst parts before they explode beyond control. But if they merely get humiliated?" She smiled. "That is not our problem."
Sebas's eyes lit up again. "Miss Alissa, you sound like you are looking forward to seeing Akechi work."
"I am looking forward to studying him."
"Studying him."
"Yes."
"With interest."
"With professional interest."
"Romantic professional interest?"
Alissa threw a pen at him. Sebas dodged it with the calm reflexes of a man who had served her since childhood.
"Excellent throw, Miss."
"Shut up."
Sebas smiled warmly. "Forgive me. I simply find it refreshing. You are often surrounded by men you find either boring, stupid, corrupt, or already married."
"That is because most men are boring, stupid, corrupt, or already married."
"A painful but efficient classification."
"Thank you."
Sebas picked up the pen from the floor and placed it neatly back on the desk. "Then about our Spider School in Japan?"
Alissa's expression shifted again, her playful annoyance fading into focus. "Right. How is it going? The little genius, Zaboru's son, is about to come, isn't he?"
Sebas nodded. "Yes. Arrangements are already in motion. The school's surface identity is stable, the staff background checks are complete, and the special curriculum is ready. We also assigned Paula as one of the professors."
Alissa immediately stared at him.
Sebas stared back.
There was a long silence.
Finally, Alissa said, "Sebas."
"Yes, Miss?"
"You assigned Paula."
"Yes."
"Paula Tesla."
"Yes."
"The woman who made a machine that called me emotionally inefficient."
"A brilliant woman."
"A dangerous woman."
"Also true."
Alissa slowly rubbed her temple. "Let's hope she does not accidentally teach four-year-olds how to build a railgun out of classroom supplies."
Sebas considered it. "I believe she would not use classroom supplies."
"That does not comfort me."
"She would likely bring better materials."
"Sebas."
"Yes, Miss?"
"You are making it worse."
"My apologies."
Alissa sighed deeply. "Still, Paula is brilliant, and if anyone can recognize abnormal intelligence in children without panicking, it is probably her. Zaboru's son is not normal. His paintings alone are already ridiculous. I saw the latest image from the report. A four-year-old should not be creating a battlefield composition with emotional direction, movement, and symbolic contrast."
Sebas nodded. "Zenshin Renkonan appears to be exceptional."
"Exceptional is too soft. That child is strange." Alissa smiled faintly. "But then again, he is Zaboru's son. Of course he is strange."
"And Ayumi's son."
"True. That makes him even more troublesome."
Sebas looked over another document. "The Spider School will keep him safe while also allowing us to observe his development discreetly. We will not interfere unless necessary."
"Good. I do not want Zaboru to think we are manipulating his child. That man is kind until you touch his family. Then I suspect he becomes something else entirely."
Sebas nodded solemnly. "A reasonable concern."
Alissa leaned back, staring at the glowing monitors around her. Arachne's web stretched across countries, corporations, families, and secrets. Zaboru, Ayumi, Akechi, Zanki, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Zenshin, Paula, and countless others were all becoming tangled in patterns that could reshape the next few years.
Then the Megaman X3 icon on her ZEPS 3 caught her eye.
Her serious expression weakened.
Sebas noticed immediately and sighed. "Miss Alissa."
"What?"
"You are thinking about playing games again."
"It is still Sunday."
"You have at least twelve classified reports waiting."
"Reports age like wine."
"No, Miss. Reports expire like milk."
Alissa stood up, stretched, and grinned. "Sebas, the world has survived for centuries with Arachne working in the shadows. It can survive one more hour while I play Megaman X3."
"One hour?"
"Two at most."
"Last time 'two at most' became six."
"That was a special case."
"You said the boss fight was personal."
"It was."
Sebas looked at her with long-suffering patience. "Miss Alissa, please remember that you are the leader of a secret organization dedicated to making the world a better place."
"And right now, making the world better requires me to defeat Mavericks."
"That is not how geopolitics works."
"It is how morale works."
Sebas sighed again, but there was fondness in it this time. "Very well, Miss."
Alissa grinned like a child getting away with something and booted up her ZEPS 3. The screen lit up, the Megaman X3 title appeared, and the leader of Arachne, one of the most dangerous women in the world, sat forward with sparkling eyes.
"Alright, Zero," she murmured. "Show me why everyone loves you so much."
Sebas stood nearby, watching his mistress abandon classified reports for another ZAGE game, and quietly wondered whether Zaboru Renkonan understood just how dangerous his influence truly was.
To be continued.
Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get minimum 50+ advance chapter and additional 1 chapter a week for 4$ considering subscribe to my patreon patreon.com/Zaborn_1997
Or buymecoffee https://buymeacoffee.com/Zaborn_1997 which same with patreon
current Patreon/buymecoffe chap 1246
Also Join my discord if you want https://discord.gg/jB8x6TUByc