"Dead? How did he die—"
"Sudden death."
??
Ikari Fumihiko was momentarily at a loss for words. He asked, a bit pained, "Now that he's dead, what about the project?"
"For now, you'll take the lead."
Sigh—
So it really is like that! This is such a hassle; it would've been better to have transmigrated into an ordinary person. This is what they call 'not matching the position,' right? Maybe 'not qualified' is more accurate? If he had real talent and became the project leader, he would definitely be happy because it would bring more power, perhaps even leverage to influence future events and take control of his fate. But the problem is, he's just a fraud, barely getting by with the residual memories in his mind.
"Alright."
He had no choice but to accept. What else could he say besides agreeing...
"Now that things are clear, you can leave, right?"
Ikari Gendo was taken aback. "Aren't you going to see Professor Ishida's body?"
Middle of the night to see a body? Are you worried I won't have enough material for nightmares?
He thought about it but couldn't say that out loud, especially not to the major antagonist of the later plot.
"A corpse of an ordinary old man? There's nothing special to research."
"True."
Gendo accepted this explanation. "Next time, if something like this happens, just notify me after I've woken up."
He was already stressed out during the day, trying not to get exposed; if he couldn't get a good night's sleep either, he'd either drop dead or go insane over time.
Such a cold personality... just like the rumors.
"Okay."
Gendo silently noted this in his mind, then turned and left. Fumihiko glanced at the digital clock on the wall.
1 AM. Great, I can still sleep for seven or eight hours.
He tossed and turned in bed for a while before finally drifting off.
The next day, he was still half-asleep when his personal assistant, Akagi Eiri, rang the doorbell. If not for her, he would've been late on his first day as the project leader.
While eating the breakfast Akagi had brought, he asked, "Did the request for the gaming console get approved?"
"It's still under review."
"Such slow efficiency?"
Akagi wanted to say that it wasn't about the review being slow; it was the HR department worried that gaming might distract him from research, so they held up the application. But she couldn't say that due to her position. "It could be that gaming consoles are a special type of material. The resource department probably doesn't have any in stock, so they need to source them externally. With the ongoing conflict outside, it makes it even harder."
"Alright then."
"Is there anything else, Dr. Fumihiko?"
"No, that's all."
"Then I'll leave you to enjoy your meal."
"Hmm."
Akagi left the dormitory with the laundry. Fumihiko finished breakfast and headed to Lab 1. Even though it was half an hour before work started, the team members, except for the deceased Ishida Ryu, were already hard at work.
You guys are too diligent... Whatever, I'm the leader; no matter how hard you work, it doesn't affect me.
"Everyone, stop what you're doing and come to the office. I have an announcement."
The team gathered in the office upon hearing the announcement.
"Professor Ishida died of sudden death at around 1 AM last night. I will now take over as the project lead."
The group only briefly stirred before falling silent again.
No way? Is his popularity really that bad? Not a single person is upset? Oh, right... This team was cobbled together temporarily, and no one had much of a relationship with Ishida. Besides, these people are survivors of the Second Impact, a catastrophe that wiped out half the world's population. They're already numb inside. Not to mention a minor issue like the death of a nominal leader—even the end of the world wouldn't faze them.
"If there are no questions, you can all go back to work."
After the team left, Fumihiko sighed in frustration. Right now, the project is in the preparation phase; as long as he can read the blueprints, he can muddle through. But once the equipment is assembled and experiments officially begin, that's when real skills will be tested.
It feels like the chance to play games is slipping further and further away—
Sigh!
He was born to work hard. Complaining won't solve anything. The only thing he can do now is to try to awaken more of the original owner's knowledge stored in his brain. He started reading various technical documents from the database on his computer. As he flipped through them, he gradually noticed a problem: while the original owner was well-suited for this project, many knowledge points exceeded his knowledge base.
At least there's some good news after all these days...
Slack off? No way... If I don't work harder now, I'll continue living in fear in the future.
Fortunately, the original owner's brain was very capable. Even if he encountered unfamiliar concepts, he could easily grasp them. If it were like his previous life, where he struggled with even basic algebra, he would definitely give up. He'd rather be tormented by life than by studying. Studying is one of those things; no matter how hard you try, if you can't learn it, you can't learn it.
Unknowingly, it was already 10 PM. He looked at the office workers still grinding away without any sign of leaving and felt a surge of superiority.
This is what class superiority feels like... Not bad.
"Alright, that's it for the day."
He stood up, left the office, and walked out of the lab. Only then did the others stop working and head back to the dormitory.
Akagi Eiri, who was waiting at the dormitory entrance, walked up as soon as she saw Fumihiko.
"Dr. Fumihiko, hard day at work?"
"What's up?"
"Your request for the gaming console has been approved. It was sent out this afternoon. Do you have any specific requirements for the console and games?"
"Isn't there a war going on outside?"
Akagi wouldn't outright say that this was because of his elevated status. "I'm not sure. Should I ask the relevant department?"
He only asked because of their conversation in the morning, so he didn't care about the answer. "No need; since it's approved, just have them gather a few types of consoles for me. Hmm... As for the games, just try to collect the most popular ones. I don't have specific preferences."
"Understood."
After noting down his requests, Akagi said, "The cafeteria has prepared a late-night snack for you."
"No need, I'm a bit tired."
"Alright, then I won't disturb your rest."
Fumihiko nodded to Akagi, acknowledging her, then opened the door and walked into the dormitory. This personal assistant really doesn't get it. Didn't she hear the boss say he was tired? She doesn't even know to help him relax a bit.
Adult movie plots are really just lies! Personal assistants aren't that capable.