The Genius System

Kaela bit into her toast with feigned caution, as if expecting something to explode. Lassen, on the other hand, sipped his tea with Olympian calm, his eyes fixed on the lines of text slowly scrolling across a holographic screen hovering above the table.

A comfortable silence had settled in, barely disturbed by the faint clinking of dishes. But as often happened in Monsieur X's villa, tranquility was just a prelude.

The door to the villa suddenly burst open. Alex strode in, dressed as always in a perfectly tailored ensemble, tablet in hand.

"Lassen, we need to talk. The decoy project is ready to launch. I've confirmed the channels, the relays, and …"

He stopped short upon seeing Kaela seated at the table.

He eyed her briefly, cautious, then turned toward Lassen.

"Am I interrupting one of your summoning rituals?"

Lassen merely raised his tea with a casual flourish, while Kaela, surprised by the remark, turned toward him.

"Wait… let me guess…" she said, nodding toward Alex "Your sarcastic butler?"

"I prefer 'highly competent assistant,' but I'll allow it" Alex shot back, already projecting his data into the air.

But Kaela suddenly frowned and turned to Lassen.

"So your name's Lassen?"

Lassen barely shrugged

"Technically, it's Mister X, but by all means, feel free to betray all my little secrets."

She stared at him, her gaze sharpening halfway between curiosity and mockery

"And what's this 'summoning' thing he mentioned?" she said, pointing at Alex.

"Oh that?" Lassen replied, an innocent smile on his lips "Just an inside joke between colleagues. Very private. You wouldn't get it."

"Try me."

[Try me… She's moving fast for a first breakfast]

Lassen took one last sip of tea, then stood calmly, picking up a stack of documents held together with a metal clip, placed on the buffet behind him. He flipped through them for a moment, his fingers tracing the outlines of carefully printed diagrams. On the cover, a simple title in black letters "Project Eclipse."

Kaela watched in silence, her brows slightly furrowed.

Alex stepped forward, glancing at Kaela while placing a thick file on the dark wooden table.

"That's what I came to talk to you about. The plan is ready. The engineers have completed the modeling. We have the permits."

"Tell me it's not another thing that can wipe out a city," Kaela muttered.

Lassen chuckled softly, placing his file next to Alex's.

"Quite the opposite. It's something that will awe the entire world. A city. Not a weapon."

Kaela blinked, surprised

"A… city?"

Alex answered for him, in a professional tone

"An ultra-modern metropolis, neutral, peaceful, with scientific, commercial, and cultural facilities. A masterpiece of architecture."

"And what's the catch?" Kaela asked, still wary.

Lassen shrugged.

"No catch. Just a little operation of massive distraction. While the whole world stares at our 'urban miracle,' they'll look away from everything else."

He slowly walked around the table, resting a light hand on the wood, as if to emphasize the weight of what was being said.

"You see, Kaela, it's an old strategy. When you don't want someone to see what your left hand is doing… wave your right one very hard."

"An entire city just to draw attention away?" she whispered, incredulous.

"An entire city, yes. And believe me, it'll be the spectacle of the century."

She remained silent for a moment, digesting the scale of the plan. Then she pointed to one of the blueprints laid open.

"And this… is supposed to rise from the ground in how long?"

"Eight months for the first visible foundations. Three years before the world starts talking about a 'macroeconomic miracle.'"

[And twenty seconds before a journalist screams geopolitical manipulation]

Lassen smiled without replying

Kaela sighed and leaned back into her chair, looking both exasperated and intrigued.

She stared at him for a long time, arms crossed, a half-smile tugging at her lips.

"You know, you're terrifying when you talk about geopolitics like you're playing poker in your living room."

Lassen stepped closer, placing a hand gently on the back of her chair before leaning in slightly, his gaze calm but laced with irony.

"And yet… I almost always win."

Kaela raised an eyebrow.

"You just said 'almost.'"

He straightened up, a sly smile on his lips.

"I like keeping people guessing. Makes things more fun."

Alex, packing the blueprints into a case, sighed.

"At this pace, we'll be launching this project while prepping the next one…"

"Perfect. Saves us from having to sleep," Lassen replied.

"And what's this project even about?" Alex asked, already dreading the answer.

"No idea" Lassen replied with a shrug, completely unfazed "But it'll come to me. Don't worry, I've got a backlog of webnovels to catch up on. Inspiration is just a plot twist away."

Kaela blinked, stunned

"Wait, wait! Webnovels? You mean… everything you've done? All your plans, Nova 1, the base, the reactor, the city… that all came from webnovels?"

Lassen gave her a look usually reserved for people who'd never seen the sun.

"Obviously. Where else would I get my ideas? Scientific journals?"

He took a sip of tea with exaggerated calm.

"You think governments create the future? Please. They recycle the past. I just read what hasn't happened yet."

Kaela groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So… you're basing international geopolitics on internet fiction?"

"No, no" Lassen replied with a grin "I'm using fiction to outmaneuver reality. Big difference."

He snapped his fingers as if struck by sudden brilliance.

"Right

Set up a press conference. Announce the project, say it's a vision of the future world, yada yada, do your usual speech thing. And say investors of all nationalities are welcome. Sell them the dream. Make it sound like a utopia."

"And invite global investors?"

"Of course. Tell them it's open to everyone. Americans, Chinese, Martians, I don't care. The more the merrier."

Kaela leaned back in her chair, still in disbelief.

"You're going to let them fund their own distraction?"

Lassen turned, already walking away, his voice echoing behind him.

"We're not just letting them. We're selling them front-row seats."

Alex stared after him, then looked at Kaela.

"…This man is either a lunatic or a prophet."

Kaela smirked

"Why not both?"

She lingered for a few seconds, eyes still fixed on the plans.

A city. A distraction. A global-scale illusion.

She shook her head, a faint smile on her lips.

"And I thought hacking a satellite was ambitious…"

Then, without another word, she stood up, grabbed one last piece of toast… and followed the master of chaos.