52
Chapter 52
"Now, then. I'll ask you one more time. Don't you have anything to say to me?"
"...I'm sorry."
With the Brainwashing broken, that Government bitch—no, there was no need to call her that anymore. Hwang Dahye could think perfectly normally again. It meant she had only been bewitched by Zhao.
Even if the Brainwashing was gone, I had worried whether someone who stood with the Government would switch sides to Cylo so easily-
"Those... sons of bitches!!!"
As soon as I confirmed that the Government had messed with her memories of her fiancé, she immediately revealed her hatred toward them. It worked out well for Parang.
"Right, then. Let's talk again. First, what was the reason you took me and tried to torture me?"
"It was orders from my superiors, of course. They told me a B-Rank Hunter was heading this way, so I was to torture you into turning to the World Government's side, and to kill you if it didn't work."
Next to us, Cylo's custom Lie Detector was running. Ding, truth.
Parang asked the question she was most curious about first.
"Why did it have to be torture? There must be countless ways to turn someone. Your superior, Zhao Yang, could have stepped up to do it himself, couldn't he?"
"They said Hunter Yoo Parang wouldn't cooperate through normal persuasion. They claimed your will to stay hidden was firm. Also, Zhao refuses to step out if there's even a single risk present. He strongly despises having anyone around who isn't on his side."
Truth, for now. The explanation about Zhao also matched the description in the Original Work that Parang knew.
Wait, does that mean they didn't even try to persuade me and just concluded, 'Persuasion won't work, so let's torture her.'?
Are they crazy?
Destroying someone's mind with torture to turn them—well, the success rate might be higher than normal persuasion... but wouldn't that be a plan you execute after attempting normal persuasion first?
"Didn't you say back then that you had orders to execute me after the torture?"
"To be exact, it was an execution if you still refused to cooperate after the torture."
How absurd.
"Why did they leave that job to you? Even going so far as Brainwashing you."
"There's no way for me to know that, but I can make a guess. They probably thought my ability had a good matchup against Hunter Yoo Parang."
"Do you remember anything from when you were under Brainwashing?"
"Yes. Clearly. At first, when I heard that Human, Zhao, tell me to torture a B-Rank Hunter, I disobeyed the order. I asked since when the Special Ops Dept was a department that did torturing. I was even prepared to face disciplinary action."
"It wasn't that kind of department?"
"Of course not. Our main job is combat. Against Cylo, or the Association."
True, that does fit the name Special Operations Department better.
"Then couldn't they have left it to a department dedicated to torture or interrogation? Why make the Special Ops Dept do that?"
"As far as I know, the World Government doesn't have a department in charge of such things."
"They don't??"
"Yes. Seeing as that kind of task came down to us, it's pretty much certain."
This was truly unexpected. The Lie Detector was still saying it was the truth.
"Wait, why?"
"It's the policy of Cloverfield, the 2nd President. A ban on torture."
I didn't know they set up a policy like that.
Because the Original Work didn't go into such meticulous detail.
If such a policy existed, it made sense there was no torture department.
When the former President from the Slayers decreed 'no torture,' what justification could they possibly use to say, "We'll start torturing again."?
"Then, what happened after you disobeyed?"
"When I disobeyed, Zhao showed me a Video. It was a Video recording of Hunter Yoo Parang killing my fiancé. As soon as I saw it, I began to hate you madly without a single ounce of doubt. To the point where I really wanted to kill you after torturing you."
It seemed the Brainwashing took place at this point. That Video was most likely a memory that didn't even exist.
Putting it all together, the truth behind the World Government's attempt to torture Yoo Parang went like this.
The World Government failed to kill Yoo Parang. Feeling the need to do something about her, they decided to either turn her or kill her.
However, turning her through normal persuasion seemed impossible, so they changed their route to torture.
Since they didn't have anyone to do the torturing this time, they used Brainwashing on a powerful high-ranking official and gave them the job. That was the story.
'Are they idiots?'
Did these bastards have no concept of testing the waters?
Of course, if a half-baked criminal syndicate or the mafia came up with this plan, I would have understood.
I could even praise them for successfully using their Head.
But, the Government?
For a Government that ruled the World, it was too reckless, extreme, and radical of a plan.
In the Original Work, when the Slayers' personnel took over as the top decision-makers, they were a very competent organization.
The Superhuman administrative and political power the World Government showed back then was truly a sight to behold.
An organization emerged to unite and rule the World, and people supported them, saying, "As long as life is good, it doesn't matter."
Even Parang felt that life instantly became more comfortable as soon as the 1st World Government President, Kang Yuri, took office.
Yet this current mess was truly a sight that could only be explained as being possessed by something.
Parang asked Hwang Dahye about this part.
"Then how did Zhao act at the time of your Brainwashing? Did he show any irrational or unusual behavior?"
"Ah, yes. The man, who wasn't like that before, had often shown suspiciously emotional and hot-tempered traits for a few days prior. Originally, he was a very cool-headed and thorough person."
Zhao Yang appeared as an intelligent character in the Original Work as well. Because he cleverly used Brainwashing on people and exquisitely utilized them to continuously evade the pursuit net of Han Siwoo's party.
For someone like him to show emotional and hot-tempered traits. It was a very unnatural phenomenon.
"Were there any other suspicious points? Things like doing things he usually didn't do."
"Ah, he suddenly developed an attachment to 'the sea and water.' He brought a Fishbowl into the office, which he normally wouldn't even look at, and later on, every time I went in, there would be more paintings related to the sea or water. Add his emotional behavior to that, and he truly seemed like a crazy person. Like suddenly trying to build an Aquarium inside the government building, or shouting while throwing water in the Hallway."
"!!!"
Exclamation mark!
A high-ranking executive of the World Government who has a suspiciously strong attachment to the sea.
"Since when did that start?"
"About... a week ago."
Parang asked the Cylo personnel who had been listening to the conversation from outside.
"Is there anyone in the World Government capable of Brainwashing Zhao?"
"No. Not as far as we know."
Then it's certain. Zhao Yang was either bewitched by something in the sea, or influenced by someone else who was bewitched by that something.
Seeing as he maintained his rationality while becoming emotional and showing an attachment to the sea, the latter is highly likely.
If Yoo Sungjun, the current President of the World Government, were in his right mind, this kind of mess wouldn't have happened. It's certain that he's either the initial cause or at least a victim.
It means the entire Head of the World Government is completely out of their mind.
Then Hwang Dahye and Zhao Yang can be seen as figures roughly equal to the severed end of a cut-off Tail.
Meaning, Parang had just confirmed that the World Government was bewitched by something.
Then all their irrational moves up to this point made sense.
"...Understood. That's all I have to say."
"Uhm, Hunter Yoo Parang. I'm truly sorry."
Yeah, well. She was bewitched herself, and she even disobeyed at first.
There didn't seem to be any need to be angrier at Hwang Dahye here.
"...It's fine."
"...I enjoy watching your broadcasts. I really mean it."
"Ah, thank you."
As Parang opened the door and left the room, another person from Cylo took her place. He seemed to be asking about things like the World Government's organizational structure, its members, and their abilities.
Well, that was something Cylo could sort out on their own and send to Parang later.
When Parang stepped out of the room, she saw a familiar face.
"We meet again."
"Ah, hello."
It was the man she had met in Hong Kong. The claim that he was a high-ranking individual didn't seem to be a lie, as the people around him bowed whenever they made eye contact.
"Seeing your expression, it seems you're satisfied with the information you obtained."
"Yes. I was quite satisfied."
A brief conversation went back and forth.
"...Yoo Sungjun, huh. It's been far too long since I've seen him."
"Do you know each other personally?"
"Not exactly, but we had quite a few opportunities to meet in official settings."
A figure from Cylo who frequently met the President of the World Government in an official capacity.
He was a much higher-ranking person than Parang had thought.
"Do you know anything about him?"
"I know plenty. However, even I don't have the kind of information that Hunter Yoo Parang would be interested in. Things like his Personal Skill, a list of Skills he possesses, or his whereabouts after the Slayers' Ascension."
"Hmm..."
"What is certain is that if he were in his right mind, there is no way he would commit such a nonsensical act. Because the position of President of the World Government isn't something that can be snatched away by force. It's not that I haven't imagined he might be bewitched by something... but now that such conclusive Evidence has come out, I feel a bit strange too."
"I see."
That makes sense. It was natural to assume that someone on the level of the World Government's President would be much more skilled in strategy than Parang.
There was no way he would have executed such an idiotic plan while in his right mind.
"Yoo Sungjun went off the grid the day after the Slayers' Ascension. The fact that the World is still somehow running is probably due to the time it takes for the Madness at the top to trickle down to the bottom."
It seemed she had gotten all the information she could at this point.
The highest echelons of the World Government were bewitched by something. Though she didn't know exactly what it was.
And those who were bewitched became emotional, radical, and obsessed with the sea.
This alone was excellent information. Parang headed back to her home for now.
It was 11 PM by the time she arrived home.
It was the end of a very eventful August 4th.
Rolling around between organizations that held the World in the palm of their hands was agonizing.
Still, she had overcome a major hurdle.
Tomorrow, she would turn on the apology broadcast and then have an interview with a Reporter, right?
Parang lay down in the Water Tank and was just about to fall asleep...
Thud.
Something fell at Parang's feet.
'Ah, this.'
It was the USB Seo Sunwoo had handed her during their last meeting.
[Persuading Natsuko is impossible, Hunter Yoo Parang. On top of that, the moment she finds out what is currently in the sea, the situation will start to spiral into the worst-case scenario.]
He had handed her this USB as Evidence of that.
Parang, who was about to get a good night's sleep, sat up and took a seat in front of her computer.
Figuring she should at least check this before sleeping.
And a moment later.
Looking at the countless documents that popped up on her computer Screen, Parang muttered to herself without realizing it.
"...Crazy bitch..."