Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 299 The Solution - There is No Superfluous Intelligence in the World

Chapter 301 The Solution - There is No Superfluous Information in the World

Officer Jenny's expertise in mythological research and linguistics is equivalent to that of someone who is knowledgeable in all fields of knowledge, so it's impossible for her to experience the self-doubt and shame that Orchid.

She simply looked at the elderly scholar before her, who exuded a decadent yet fanatical aura, and silently thought with mixed feelings that, in order to prove the ideals she had firmly believed in for many years, and at the same time to get rid of the nightmarish self-doubt that had haunted her for so long—this biologist who developed bionic humans had probably already achieved his goal.

Ten years ago, Hayden used the android project to extricate Medan from the theological debate. This eight-year episode was both a blessing and a curse for him.

Not everything can be solved simply by packing it up and handing it over to your future self.

Even if one manages to circumvent certain mental curses temporarily, they will still strike the wounds of the past many years later, like a speeding "bone boomerang."

Professor Medan, now old and frail, and having lived a secluded life due to years of closed-door research, is no longer able to shoulder the burden he once carried—that profound and weighty theological question about the nature of the world.

According to Officer Jenny's personal understanding, at this point, in order to forcibly resolve her old nightmares, Medan had already fallen into a self-constructed "atheistic" religion.

They even attempted to refute the unknown with the unknown, and to deduce nothingness with nothingness.

Think back to those math proofs you did at the police academy. A conclusion without supporting evidence is worthless. If you overlook the conditions, no matter how hard you calculate, you'll only get stuck in a cycle of self-proof and loops.

Therefore, this study, which appears to be an experiment, is at best nothing more than a psychological comforting formality.

How could you possibly uncover the existence of a deity using just a batch of computer mainframes and a monitor?

It's estimated that once Mei Dan finishes his computer experiment, whatever conclusions he draws, after rounding up or down, he can forcefully justify it and consider it a victory for his atheistic theory.

Whether or not true gods exist, such experiments are absolutely meaningless.

The professor's actions have long since run counter to the rational spirit advocated by scientific research institutes, and are no different from the fanatical superstitious people he previously satirized.

Is this a curse that the gods cast upon those who are disrespectful?

No, that can't be—if this were truly a curse, God would be far too petty.

Ultimately, in the eyes of this Officer Jenny, whether or not such a thing as "god" actually exists is completely irrelevant.

Since there are already multiple legendary Pokémon in this world capable of tearing space with their claws and distorting time with their roars, then whether the superior being who supposedly created them truly has a form, possesses complete divinity, or is omniscient and omnipotent as logically deduced—like the half of Dugtrio hidden underground—is simply not worth exploring or researching.

If a being were to descend to earth like a true god, using its boundless divine power and wisdom to enlighten all living beings, then even if it were not a god, people would respect it as they would a god, and worship it as they would a god:

Conversely, if that being, for some reason, ravages the earth as violently as a natural disaster, then even if it is truly the creator god who once created the entire universe, people will have no choice but to deal with it in the same way they deal with natural disasters.

Whether someone is a god or not depends not on their divinity, but on their actions.

Just as whether a person can be judged as a criminal has never depended on the nature of that person's humanity, but only on what he did.

But now, neither of those two scenarios has occurred; the legend has faded into obscurity, and the starry sky remains silent. Therefore, at this moment, the question of whether that deity actually exists is naturally irrelevant.

Humans do not need this kind of research.

The experiments conducted in this forest-themed mansion were akin to the police forcibly searching for criminals on the streets when the community was perfectly peaceful.

Professor Mei Dan has probably been doing too much academic research, and his thinking has gradually become detached from the real world, causing him to become trapped in the labyrinth of abstract theories. Like a tadpole born in a well, he can only look at the round sky day after day, believing it to be the most important part of the entire universe. Thinking of this, Officer Jenny suddenly became alert. Firstly, Professor Mei Dan is detached from society and has a limited perspective, but the other guy, that successful and thriving entrepreneur, has been making a killing on the grand stage of society. How could someone like that possibly be foolish enough to follow Mei Dan's lead?

"Uh, cough cough—"

As if sensing that Officer Jenny's gaze had fallen upon him, Director Hayden coughed lightly.

"Miss Officer Jenny, you seem to want to ask me why I sponsored Medan's research, right?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking." Officer Jenny nodded and asked directly, "Mr. Hayden, you don't seem like the type to care about theological issues, so why are you getting involved in Medan's outrageous two-year plan?"

"Oh? Can't I simply sponsor Meidan's research with money because of our friendship as old classmates?" Hayden shrugged.

Officer Jenny, avoiding the confrontation between Orchid and Medham, as well as Neil and the others watching the commotion, said in a low, sharp voice, "Your motives are definitely not simple. If you were just a friend, you should have advised the professor to abandon this empty plan of wasting his time before this self-deceiving farce even began. If you really want him to let go of the knots from his debate back then, it would be more reliable to have him counseled by a psychologist. Fueling the flames like this might just drive him to a mental hospital."

"Wasting time, making empty plans?"

The businessman, whose temples were graying, looked up at the blackened wooden ceiling above the Mori Mansion and sighed.

"In the pursuit of meaningless things, Mei Dan and I are actually on the same path. When I last chased after emptiness, I also developed the increasingly mediocre Hayden Pharmaceuticals into what it is today, making a fortune—even completely achieving the ultimate goal that I never dared to dream of before."

Hayden shook his hand, extending two fingers instead of one. "If there's one, there's bound to be two. Now that we have this success story, who knows what the investments over the next two years will bring me? Besides, this round of investment isn't expensive at all; in fact, it's quite cheap."

Is it cheap?

By the way, I think I heard Manager Aying say something similar before, that giving a friend a villa was just something casual. But I always felt that this explanation was a bit too deliberate, like some kind of marketing rhetoric. Is that really the case?

Looking at Hayden's feigned nonchalance, Officer Jenny gave...

She certainly hadn't forgotten the most crucial mystery at hand: the inexplicably decapitated android head. What had happened to that unfortunate Rotom that caused its android body to be separated from its head?

Officer Jenny has a general idea of ​​what's going on—but some evidence is still needed.

Meanwhile, Hayden, oblivious to the fact that he was just shrugging his shoulders, continued to answer the previous question: "Don't be fooled by Medan's previous demeanor. That guy is a master in his field, and he puts in an extremely passionate and enthusiastic effort into projects that interest him. This is something that ordinary employees who only know how to clock in and out can never achieve."

"I originally thought the android project would take at least twenty years to see results, but I didn't expect that Medan would only take eight years to present that green-haired guy to me. For such a meritorious collaborator, isn't it perfectly reasonable to give him a villa and grant him a two-year sabbatical?"

"That's true—or rather, not doing it would seem harsh." Officer Jenny nodded in agreement.

"But using linguistics to calculate the gods is one thing, but why is Medan so enthusiastic about the experiments with androids?"

In fact, the answer to this question could be found with just a little thought, but Officer Jenny still pretended not to know and asked the question. After all, the previous exchanges had already proven that Director Hayden and Professor Medan were not the same. To get him to say those most important information, it would take some classic intelligence tactics.

"That's a rather unprofessional question, Miss Officer Jenny. Are you feeling sleepy because it's getting late?"

The entrepreneur was sharp-tongued, but subtle facial and body language revealed a significant relaxation. Indeed, once humans discover they have an intellectual advantage, they can't help but become complacent. Intelligence, like liquid, always flows silently from high to low.

Hayden shook his head, recalling the past. "What could possibly pique the interest of that guy Medan?" he seemed to think that as long as humanity continued to explore those forbidden zones that originally belonged only to the gods, people's reverence for myths and legends would gradually be eroded. When we decode genes, create species, fly, and roam the stars, faith and religion will lose all their place. So at that time...

I merely tried to persuade Mei Dan, who was still teaching at the university, and he enthusiastically joined the project.

"Didn't you have any other options at the time? Although Mei Dan is exceptionally capable, there are always limitations to conducting research alone, right?"

"Officer Jenny asked, blinking her eyes.

— Yet another foolish topic. With androids already successfully developed, these questions are no longer worth discussing.

"No, my old classmate is indispensable."

Hayden lifted his clean-shaven chin; rebuttals always make one proud.

"Not everyone is qualified to represent atheism and question God. The reason Mei Dan stood on the debate stage was precisely because of his past achievements and qualifications in the field of biology. Moreover, in that conservative era, outstanding scholars like Mei Dan who dared to act were extremely rare. Even if they did, they would mostly only appear in the research labs of evil organizations. As for personal limitations, with my influence in the medical field, I naturally have other ways to solve them."

It seemed they were discussing some sensitive information, and the businessman became evasive. Officer Jenny, while secretly making a note, quickly changed the subject, "Speaking of which, why did it have to be the Forest Mansion?"

Officer Jenny looked around at the walls inlaid with strange metallic patterns.

"The research on the bionic humanoid was completed long ago, and there's no longer a need for new Rotoms to participate in the experiments. Why did you go to such lengths to rebuild a villa in the Hundred Generations Forest as Professor Medan's vacation spot?"

"Because it was Medan's own request," Mr. Hayden said.

"If a god really does appear at the end of the word arrangement, my old classmate hopes that he can face the other's anger or praise alone at that time. Of course, he believes in his heart that a god does not exist, so when we visited the Mori Mansion, he did not turn us away because of his research."

"In addition, just as you need to eliminate unexpected variables before conducting an experiment, living in a secluded place also helps to avoid interference from the external environment. Setting up the computer room in the basement of a closed villa can prevent Mei Dan from being startled by external noises while the computer is running and mistaken for a god descending."

"Even living deep underground in the Forest Mansion, there's still the possibility of interference from the outside world, right?"

Officer Jenny scratched her head, puzzled.

"In fact, didn't we just experience a similar accident not long ago?"

"You mean those Rotoms who coexist with the mansion? Don't worry, ever since Aying and the others repaired the electrical cables connecting to the Forest Mansion..."

The habitat of those plasma sprites has changed; now they mainly congregate in the power substation some distance from the Forest Mansion, and further afield near the high-voltage cables—

Hayden then asserted, "So, there are hardly any Rotoms in the mansion these days. What happened at noon was just an accident, probably related to the sudden appearance of the androids."

"You were also surprised by the appearance of this bionic head, was it because it had been stored somewhere at Hayden Pharmaceuticals before?"

Officer Jenny sincerely and kindly questioned Hayden, inviting him to give a clear "yes" or "no" answer on questions that were favorable to him. This allowed her to seize the initiative in the conversation without arousing the suspicion of the person being interrogated.

"Of course, the location is the coastal mansion where Meidan used to live."

"Seaside City and Eternal Forest span the entire Sinnoh region, separated by the vast Coronet Mountains. I doubt it could have flown here in Mr. Hayden's Coronet sedan, could it?"

Hayden, who was already in the zone, nodded hurriedly. "Of course, besides, Ah Ying and I didn't originally come from the coastal city in the east. We just recently negotiated with the pharmaceutical representatives of Galar in the nearby Watervein City."

As expected, Officer Jenny lowered her eyes, concealing the glint of shrewdness in them.

When people try to prove their innocence, they often like to flaunt their honesty.

Judging from Hayden's Icewalker and Shiny Corviknight, this pharmaceutical giant, who has just stepped down from the front lines, has a very close relationship with the Galar region.

What kind of business could possibly require the original company founder to step down from his previous position so that he could finally take charge of it personally?

What kind of job requires Hayden to use the reconstruction of the Forest Mansion as a cover, and to travel thousands of miles to the other side of the Sinnoh region to negotiate with people in person?

Officer Jenny pursed her lips slightly and licked her dry lips with the tip of her tongue—this next piece of intelligence might just be the biggest gain of this trip.

Compared to this news, the talk of androids and whether something has a god or not is as insignificant as a pop-up ad that only distracts you from seeing the webpage.

So she spoke calmly, her tone casual, as if she were just making a perfunctory remark and didn't care at all about the answer, asking, "Professor Meidan is also very grateful to those people, isn't she?"

"This is from..."

Before the word "however" could be uttered, Hayden, the director who founded a giant pharmaceutical company, froze.