Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World as a Skeleton

Chapter 288: The Federation

The Federal Central Assembly Building.

Subterranean Level 3. The Top-Secret Briefing Chamber.

The room possessed zero windows; its four walls were composed of specialized

alloy two meters thick. Thirteen individuals sat around a rectangular mahogany

table. They were the High Council—the supreme decision-making tier, representing

the final power core of human civilization.

Before each sat an archaic reel-to-reel recorder, the tape rotating slowly with

a rhythmic, low-frequency hiss.

The expressions of the thirteen varied. Some wore brows knit in tension; others

were masks of cold stone; others radiated a fatigue that could no longer be

concealed.

The woman at the head of the table looked up. Her designation was Lin Shuang,

the Federal Chief and the most experienced Night Watchman on the planet. Though

barely thirty-two, her hair was entirely ashen-white—not from chronological

aging, but from the tax on her life-force required to survive each successive

Instance. Her face was a map of fine wrinkles, her sockets sunken, her frame as

skeletal as an undead's.

"You have all parsed the data," she stated.

"The intelligence provided by Master Vahn is verified. He was once my

instructor; his caution is a known constant. He would not have transmitted this

audio-log unless the data was absolute."

She paused, her fingers tapping a clinical beat on the table.

"Therefore, we must finalize our stance." "How shall the Federation respond to

the entity designated as Bochi?"

Hardly had she finished when the man in the third seat on the left lunged to his

feet. He was Zhao Tiejun, fifty-six, Chairman of the Federal Military Committee.

A jagged scar ran from his forehead to his jaw—a souvenir from a Tier-5 Anomaly

breach a decade ago.

"My assessment is definitive: Containment."

"Regardless of this slime's output level, it is currently within our coordinate.

It must adhere to our protocols. According to the log, Bochi is psychologically

immature—a juvenile unit. Children are the easiest variables to manipulate."

"Provide it with high-tier glucose. Provide it with toys. Establish a

'Friendship' resonance. And then... weaponize it."

"Liquidating Anomalies, protecting human assets—that shall be its directive."

He paused, his gaze performing a predatory sweep of his colleagues.

"Time is a resource we no longer possess. Last cycle, global population dropped

by thirty million. Thirty million! In the first eight months of this cycle, we

have already lost twenty million. At this rate of attrition, the human species

will reach total liquidation within two decades."

"An entity that can dismantle Anomalies with zero effort has manifested. We must

seize the variable. Even with a high-risk factor, we must gamble! We have no

other extraction route!"

Zhao Tiejun sat back down with a heavy thud.

Silence reclaimed the room. After several seconds, the woman in the second seat

on the right spoke. Su Wan, Director of the Federal Academy of Sciences,

forty-three, peering through thick, alchemical spectacles.

"I object."

"Chairman Zhao's logic is a death-protocol. We have zero intel on Bochi. What is

its origin coordinate? What is its maximum power threshold? Does a supporting

entity truly exist behind it?"

"These are data-voids."

"Initiating contact with the intent to control could trigger an unquantifiable

retaliation." She adjusted her glasses. "Furthermore, the log mentions a

'Master.' A Sovereign of Evernight. A God. A Dominator. Each of those titles

broadcasts extreme danger."

"If we agitate Bochi and draw the attention of its Master, we won't be

discussing population decline; we will be discussing a planetary wipe. The

Scourge we face is already redlining our defense capacity. We cannot afford to

create a more powerful enemy."

A few murmurs of agreement rippled through the hall.

Then, a young man in the fifth seat on the left stood. Li Yang, thirty-one,

Minister of Intelligence. The youngest member of the Council.

"Director Su is correct: containment is a high-risk error. But Chairman Zhao is

also correct: we are dying. Therefore, I propose Option Two: Neutrality."

"A policy of non-interference. Follow the momentum."

"The log indicates Bochi manifested for exploration and sustenance. It has

displayed zero active malice and no ideological agenda. It is a curious child

witnessing a new world. We should allow it that witness."

"No active contact. No overt control. Zero hostility. Let it explore the sectors

at its own discretion. If it liquidates Anomalies along its route, we record it

as a statistical blessing. If it remains passive, we do not issue a mandate.

This minimizes the risk of provocation while maintaining the possibility of an

opportunistic alliance."

Li Yang resumed his seat. The atmosphere grew even more leaden. Three paths.

Three conflicting logics.

"I have a third option," an old man in the fourth seat on the right said, rising

slowly.

Chen Guodong, seventy-two. The oldest decision-maker and the only unit present

who had experienced the peace-era before the Game commenced.

"Submission."

The word was a grenade. The room erupted into a riot of shouting.

"Chen! What logic is that?!" "Submit? To a slime?!" "If they aren't of our

species, their intent is naturally hostile!"

Chen Guodong ignored the outburst, standing as steady as an ancient oak until

the noise died down. Lin Shuang raised a hand for silence, and the Council

members reluctantly closed their mouths.

"Continue, Elder Chen," she prompted.

Chen nodded. "I am aware the term is abrasive. But consider the tactical

reality."

"Human civilization is standing on the event horizon of the Void. Every second,

more of us are harvested. Every day, more sectors collapse. Our current effort

is merely a delay of the inevitable."

"And now, an opportunity has manifested. A powerhouse from an alien world. It

has no malice; it only wishes to observe."

"Why do we not initiate a friendship-protocol? Why not inform it that our

species is in a state of emergency? Why not petition it for a 'Grand Miracle'?"

Chen's voice trembled with a sudden, sharp fervor.

"Dignity? Can you eat dignity? Does dignity resurrect the dead? Can it stop the

Summons? No! It is a useless parameter!"

"Our sole objective is survival. Any cost is acceptable to ensure the species

persists. If it requires kneeling to a slime—if it requires discarding our

pride—so be it! As long as the heart of humanity continues to beat, the

sacrifice is logically sound!"

Chen finished, collapsing into a fit of jagged coughing before he managed to

sit.

The discussion resumed, but the tone had shifted. Everyone knew Chen was stating

an ugly truth. Humanity was out of options.

But was the power behind the slime truly better than the Scourge? No one had the

data to answer.

☆☆☆

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