Chapter 17: Talent Recruitment Begins
Translator: ShutDoor
According to the part-timer who had forced me to buy Shelter Builder, it would be more fun if I built while accounting for every kind of apocalypse.
I took that to mean I would pay dearly if I did not.
I had no way of knowing exactly what form the apocalypse would take, but Ann and I had run simulations on the subject whenever we had time.
You could say we had considered the most realistic apocalypse scenarios, the ones most likely to occur.
—Unless the situation in Northeast Asia deteriorates drastically, it will most likely be an infectious disease.
We believed the first disaster was most likely to be an infectious disease.
Hadn’t 60 percent of South Korea’s entire population contracted COVID-19? If a virus with even greater transmissibility and a higher fatality rate emerged, there would be no way to cope.
There was no guarantee that something which had happened once would not happen again. World wars had broken out twice, after all.
A global epidemic would inevitably paralyze worldwide trade networks, and countries like South Korea that relied on imports for much of their food and energy would inevitably collapse.
Countries with vast territories, such as the United States, Russia, and China, could endure to some extent on domestic production alone, but not a single country on Earth could perfectly maintain its current modern standard of living without imports.
The United States, with the greatest self-sufficiency in the world, would hold out for an incredibly long time. But even there, losing access to certain rare minerals or manufactured goods would bring advanced industries to a halt, and soaring prices and declining economic efficiency would be unavoidable.
Once nations began competing for survival, conflict would be inevitable. Just think of the farce over masks and vaccines during COVID-19.
Add even one natural disaster such as an ice age, and wars waged in the name of national survival would erupt in no time.
In short, the outbreak of an infectious disease would spread into a global disaster, ultimately triggering the worst possible chain reaction: wars over resources, followed by nuclear winter.
Of course, some people would still find a way to survive. Tens of thousands had kept going through gathering and hunting alone in the distant past, when glaciers covered the continents.
But what about scientists?
People with great stamina, such as athletes and firefighters, or skills directly tied to survival, such as doctors, farmers, and mechanical engineers, would receive a certain level of respect. But once civilization had been reset, highly trained personnel such as particle physicists and AI researchers would be no use whatsoever.
Besides, highly educated people were a headache from a leader’s perspective. Intellectuals with minds of their own were unlikely to obey blindly.
According to statistics from an international academic journal, people in computer engineering, my own field, and the pure sciences had the lowest levels of physical activity across all occupations.
In other words, they had neither stamina nor strength. Naturally, their ability to survive a disaster would be woefully inadequate compared to other groups.
Unless, like me, they had built up some hard-earned stamina by squeezing in construction gigs whenever they could.
“Therefore, most researchers in the pure sciences are highly likely to die far from home in the early days of the apocalypse.”
“Probably.”
The very best geniuses whom the government would take care of were exceptions, of course, but the middling researchers beneath them would be abandoned without a second thought.
As it happened, South Korea produced 18,000 PhDs every year, 70 percent of them in science and engineering. We practically churned out tens of thousands of PhDs just by breathing.
It was the result of the sad reality that getting hired by a major corporation was tough with only a master’s degree, forcing many of them to continue on to a doctorate…
In any case, it made PhD-level researchers that much easier for me to obtain, which was truly fortunate.
My point was that a plan to rescue scientists ‘after’ the world ended had far too little chance of success.
I did not believe in zombies, but let’s be extraordinarily generous and say a nightmarish zombie outbreak occurred. How was I supposed to bring a bunch of sheltered academics through that chaos in one piece?
Wouldn’t it be far more realistic to offer them annual salaries of several hundred million won right now, recruit them by any means possible, and lock them in the shelter ahead of time? No. I meant keep them as honored guests.
“You do not have the money to cover such labor costs in the first place.”
“The world is ending in nineteen days anyway. I just won’t pay them.”
“…That is rather…”
Ann swallowed the rest of her words, but it was easy enough to infer that her silence contained the accusation, ‘You are despicable.’
But what else was I supposed to do? The world was about to end.
Besides, once those sheltered academics saw this overwhelmingly vast shelter for themselves, they would end up cheering. All the more so if I saved not only their lives but their families’ lives as well.
“Only a few hours ago, did you not say you would let them experience the apocalypse to some extent before rescuing them?”
That was before I knew I would sink nearly 200 trillion won into this underground research complex alone.
The total cost of constructing the International Space Station, the most expensive structure in human history, was approximately 200 trillion won.
In other words, I had poured as much capital into a single ‘research complex’ as had gone into the massive space project jointly undertaken by the world’s great powers, including the United States, Russia, Europe, and Japan, with their national fortunes at stake.
No matter what happened, I absolutely had to bring the researchers here. I needed to get my money’s worth.
Even without any explanation from me, anyone confronted with laboratories on this overwhelming scale would have no doubt that a government agency or global organization was backing them.
If subculture enthusiasts could be lured in with something like an anime cosplay convention, couldn’t researchers be lured in with things like a ‘cryogenic and high-magnetic-field laboratory’ or an ‘ultrafast laser facility’?
“It is not implausible.”
And that was not all. The shelter was fully equipped with top-of-the-line facilities that even South Korea’s finest universities, such as Seoul National University and KAIST, did not possess.
There was literally no equipment it lacked, so to people obsessed with research, this place would be heaven on earth. No, paradise underground.
It would be troublesome if they contacted the outside, but I could simply confiscate their means of communication in the name of confidentiality.
Even workplaces belonging to major corporations like Sambyeol Electronics made visitors cover their cameras with stickers and restricted communications. Security controls of that degree would probably make the operation seem more credible.
Then how would I make up for the lack of top researchers within the shelter? Simple. I would install high-performance androids like Ann as the heads of each research division.
They had the drawback of being unable to lead creative research themselves, but their specialized knowledge drawn from vast databases and their ability to hold constructive discussions would rival those of any researcher.
In other words, they were perfect for management.
“In that case, you will need to assign at least thirty additional androids to the research divisions alone.”
“There are only twenty-three research buildings.”
“In addition to the twenty-three chief administrators who will oversee the individual research buildings, we must account for supervisors to oversee the shared-equipment areas and other auxiliary experimental facilities.”
An android with the same specifications as Ann cost 1.8 trillion won, so that instantly added another 54 trillion won in expenses. Together with the facilities, that came to 250 trillion won. A quarter of the shelter’s entire budget would vanish into the research complex alone.
But it was an essential expense for the shelter’s security. How else could I keep the scientists under my control?
*****
—So you’re saying that people with particular specialties are required to carry out this ‘Research’?
A cold, businesslike voice came through the speaker. Kim Hyeon-uk, the self-reporting user, was beginning to grow thoroughly sick of that overbearing voice after more than ten days.
Until a few days ago, Kim Hyeon-uk had at least been able to speak with the researchers face-to-face. At some point, however, the researchers had begun issuing instructions solely through the speaker from behind a transparent, soundproof glass wall that did not even let Kim see outside.
The only people who occasionally came into the room were facility staff in full protective suits, going about their duties mechanically.
They claimed it was some kind of safety measure to protect the researchers, but no matter how much Kim thought about it, it made no sense.
‘It’s not like I’m some potential criminal…’
If not for the jaw-dropping sum deposited into Kim’s bank account, Kim would have reported them to the Human Rights Commission or the police long ago.
—Answer the question.
Fucking assholes. Kim Hyeon-uk scowled, then answered with unmistakable surliness.
“Yes. It says personnel are important, but the facilities are essential too.”
—What sort of facilities?
“W-Well, according to the explanation on the game screen… a high-performance computing cluster, an ultra-high-tensile crushing chamber, and cleanroom facilities are essential for producing proper research results. At least two more specialists need to be assigned as well. But when will I be allowed to go home? It has been over a week since I was even allowed to call my family…”
—Kim Hyeon-uk.
The voice through the speaker instantly turned icy. Its tone was thick with irritation and overwhelming authority, making Kim Hyeon-uk’s shoulders jerk involuntarily.
—Kim Hyeon-uk, you are currently contributing to national security. I understand that life in quarantine is frustrating, but we ask for your full cooperation until the end.
Kim Hyeon-uk knew better than anyone what had happened to those who had refused to cooperate to the end or had other ideas.
All this over one stupid post on an online community…
If they had known this would happen, they would have stayed home on Christmas Eve and played games.
“…Understood. I’m sorry.”
—For now, we will attempt to secure the specialists you requested within twenty-four hours. As for the specialized equipment and facilities you mentioned, they are not available domestically, so considering overseas transportation and security-clearance procedures, you should allow at least three days…
*****
I had spent nearly fifteen hours today on nothing but constructing research laboratories. All I had done was eat, shit, and game, so perhaps I could finally call myself a proper guy in his twenties.
Joking aside, even after investing so much time, I still had not finished building all the research facilities.
This was the largest section I had built so far, which made completing it in a single day too much to handle even with Ann’s help.
You could say the problem was that no matter how quickly Ann produced the blueprints, I was the only one who could operate the game.
“Phew.”
I had thought my head would split open from trying to make related research buildings work together without letting them encroach too much on one another’s space, all while accounting for security concerns.
In the meantime, I had also considered ways to bring in the researchers.
Luring them here under the guise of a seminar or academic conference, buying an entire front building and quietly spiriting them away from inside, or simply poaching them with the extraordinary employment terms I had originally considered, among other options.
Several inhumane(?) ideas had emerged, but something else had to come first.
I had to decide ‘who’ to bring.
After the apocalypse broke out, I would have to search desperately for anyone who was a researcher. Right now, however, I could pick and choose only the talent that suited my tastes.
And in my opinion, the most valuable people in a post-apocalyptic shelter were not elderly professors with the finest minds in their fields but retirement looming just ahead.
I thought young assistant or associate professors in their thirties or forties, or promising graduate students, would be better.
I considered age another resource in the apocalypse. We would be living in the shelter for several decades at the very least, so I judged that younger people were preferable even if they were somewhat less capable.
Besides, the government was likely monitoring the movements of researchers of that caliber closely. Messing with such people could attract unwanted attention.
Another reason elderly professors were respected was their experience and intellect, and I judged that androids like Ann could adequately replace them in that regard.
Therefore, I…
“I have narrowed down the list based on papers, conference presentations, patents, research achievements, and similar criteria, Administrator.”
…decided to swipe the graduate students who had committed some terrible sin at university and been dragged off to graduate school.
Of course, I was not planning to drag them here indiscriminately just because I had compiled a list. Setting the signing bonus aside, who would happily agree to join an unknown research institute that approached them out of the blue?
Therefore, I decided to borrow the exact methods used by intelligence agencies such as the CIA to recruit people.
Ann explained the method in detail.
“First, I should tell you that it is nearly impossible to spirit researchers away in modern South Korea while completely evading the government’s administrative and surveillance networks.”
In other words, bringing them here without a trace would be utterly impossible under normal circumstances.
“However, it is entirely possible if the time frame is limited to nineteen days.”
Exactly. The fact that the apocalypse would arrive in nineteen days was the key to this plan.
I did not know what kind of apocalypse was coming, but even something on the scale of COVID-19 would leave the government without enough administrative capacity to turn its attention to me.
And naturally, the apocalypse would be incomparably more powerful than a mere pandemic.
“First, we cannot rule out the possibility that the government is also conscripting relevant researchers for 「Research」, just as you are. Therefore, as a risk-management measure, I excluded the top- and second-tier researchers most likely to be conscripted.”
Was that to minimize the chance of being detected by their surveillance network?
“Yes. After that, we will approach one or two people at a time from different universities and laboratories across the country. On the surface, it will look as though people from unrelated laboratories are being hired or changing jobs in the usual way, each at a different company.”
“…Can that actually work?”
“As I said, it is possible if limited to nineteen days.”
I asked on the off chance.
“…Can you hack government websites too?”
Ann gave a small nod.
“For a few minutes, yes.”
“…Hmm.”
I decided to leave talent recruitment entirely to Ann.
In other words, it was time to purchase more androids.
*****
Author’s Note
Below is the total cost so far. For readability, I have omitted the ten-thousand-won figures.
Total: 269.547 trillion won + 54 trillion won (planned)
Including the planned expenses, about one-third has been spent.
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