Chapter 44 A Necessary Evil

So This Was All Part of the Foundation’s Grand Plan!

44: A Necessary Evil?

So This Was All Part of the Foundation’s Grand Plan!

Ophelia’s worldview collapsed.

For the past sixty years, she had followed the teachings of her late mentor, firmly believing that the Chaos Insurgency and the Foundation were two mutually hostile organizations.

Because of that, she had always treated the Strategic Security Administration as a mortal enemy.

But today— After hearing these so-called “secrets” from Ethan, Ophelia fell into severe self-doubt.

Was my mentor wrong?

Is this really the truth of the world?

And then another question appeared in her mind.

If I were sitting on the Supreme Council…

would I create an organization like the Chaos Insurgency?

Ophelia was no longer the simple frontline operative once known as Viper.

She had been Madame Hydra.

Now she was the Grand Duchess of Hydra.

After spending so many years in positions of power, she had long since stopped viewing the world in simple terms of black and white.

So she reversed the situation and placed herself in the position of the Supreme Council.

Then— To her despair, she realized that she might genuinely have created an organization exactly like the Chaos Insurgency.

The reason was simple.

Wherever there was light, there would inevitably be darkness.

No matter the nation or organization, once it became large enough, there would always be people responsible for handling work that could never be exposed to the public.

Dirty work.

Black operations.

Things that would be condemned if they ever came to light.

Viewed from that perspective…

The Chaos Insurgency looked almost exactly like the part of the Foundation specifically created to handle such work.

Ophelia’s expression continuously shifted.

Inside the aircraft cabin, there were only four people.

Ethan.

2B.

Ophelia.

And her adjutant, Leah.

The more Ophelia looked at this arrangement, the more her uneasy suspicions solidified.

Eventually— They became certainty.

If the Chaos Insurgency truly wasn’t the Foundation’s secret black-operations arm, why would Ethan deliberately bring only her and her adjutant into a separate cabin?

Even if she was one of the Chaos Insurgency’s highest-ranking commanders, there was no need to isolate her like this.

There weren’t even any ordinary Foundation guards or soldiers present.

That meant whatever Ethan was telling her was classified to the point that he didn’t even want lower-ranking officers to know.

Ophelia had once worked her way through HYDRA’s hierarchy until she’d become one of its core leaders.

She understood perfectly well that the larger an organization became, the more seriously it treated secrecy.

If the Chaos Insurgency had truly been split away from the Foundation specifically to carry out dirty work— Then naturally, the fewer people who knew the truth, the better.

Wasn’t it common for FBI or CIA personnel involved in certain black operations to eventually receive completely new identities and begin new lives afterward?

Dirty work could never be allowed into the light.

And perhaps that was exactly why the Chaos Insurgency existed as…

A necessary evil.

After connecting all the pieces, Ophelia tightly furrowed her brows and bit her lower lip.

She looked like someone undergoing an intense internal struggle.

Ethan simply stood before her in silence.

Waiting.

Leah, meanwhile, was completely dumbfounded.

What?

Who am I?

Where am I?

We’ve been fighting each other to the death all this time…

And now you’re telling me we’re actually on the same side?!

This entire war was part of some enormous Foundation strategy?!

Then another thought struck her.

Oh no.

I’m just an adjutant, and I’ve heard way too much.

Remembering how organizations like theirs normally dealt with people who learned things they weren’t supposed to know, Leah’s face turned pale with fear.

She looked as though she might start crying at any moment.

Ophelia, meanwhile, remained caught in conflict.

This world’s Chaos Insurgency wasn’t the true Chaos Insurgency.

It was more like a successor organization that had inherited the name.

Worse still, their version of the Chaos Insurgency had genuinely fought the Foundation.

After everything that had happened…

Would the Foundation really accept them?

Did Ethan intend to absorb the Chaos Insurgency?

Or…

When that other possibility entered her mind, Ophelia’s thoughts became even more chaotic.

Her emerald-green eyes locked firmly onto Ethan.

“Then…” “Commander Ethan.” “Are you saying you want the Chaos Insurgency to return to the Foundation?” Ethan smiled.

To Ophelia, that smile looked almost demonic.

“Not exactly.” “What I want is for the Chaos Insurgency to reestablish contact with the Foundation.” “You will continue leading it.” “And you will carry out missions on behalf of the Foundation.” “The Foundation has no need to formally reintegrate the Chaos Insurgency into its organizational structure.” He looked directly at her.

“Because…” “You are the necessary evil.” Ophelia gave a pale, bitter smile.

“Heh…” “A necessary evil…” But I want the light too.

I want to walk beneath the sun.

Now that Ethan had given her a definite answer, Ophelia pressed her lips tightly together.

Her pale hands clenched into fists.

Another fierce internal conflict began.

If the Chaos Insurgency reestablished contact with the Foundation…

Would that mean they would forever remain hidden in darkness?

Never permitted to step into the light?

That wasn’t what Ophelia had always wanted.

Her dream was to build a world in which the Chaos Insurgency established a new order.

She had never wanted to remain an eternal watchman hidden in the shadows.

But then there was the other side.

The Foundation possessed absolutely overwhelming power.

And beyond that— There was the temptation of advancing into a far broader world.

If she accepted the Foundation’s offer, perhaps every problem that had tormented her for decades could be solved.

Perhaps…

She herself could finally undergo a true transformation.

Perhaps she could become a genuine long-lived existence— Or even something approaching immortality.

For a long time, Ophelia remained silent.

Then she finally made her decision.

She looked at the man before her with a deeply resentful expression.

She had once been called Madame Hydra.

She was the Grand Duchess of Hydra.

People throughout the world feared her as though she were a devil.

Yet in Ophelia’s eyes…

The man sitting before her was the truly terrifying demon.

She released a long, helpless sigh.

Then spoke with unmistakable bitterness.

“The Chaos Insurgency…” “Will once again submit to the Foundation’s leadership.” Her emerald eyes met Ethan’s.

“Supreme Commander.”