Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Efficient Resource Management - 2
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Diana Collinsford was a politician in the United States.
She had been elected to the House of Representatives several times, and considering her young age, she had built a remarkably solid base of support.
People often viewed politicians in a negative light. They saw them as corrupt elites who engaged in graft and lived luxuriously off taxpayers' money.
While it wasn't entirely baseless slander, that prejudice didn't fully capture the truth either.
Unlike the common perception, being a politician wasn't some blissful, comfortable ride.
Of course, there were those who fit the stereotype people imagined.
People addicted to the taste of politics and power, unable to envision life without it. Or those lacking special expertise or vast capital, forced to pour everything into politics just to make a living.
But even becoming a politician in the first place was no easy feat for such individuals. Launching a political career and seeing any fruits from it required enormous financial resources.
Most politicians were the type who had plenty of options in life even without diving into politics.
They typically came from sturdy family backgrounds or ran businesses with enough wealth to last a lifetime.
For such people, entering politics usually brought more losses than gains. Sure, winning election might grant the power and wealth others envied, but the accompanying restrictions were far heavier.
When a wealthy foundation owner or business tycoon got caught in a power abuse or corruption scandal, the media barely paid attention.
And if some outlet did take interest, it was just a stepping stone for threats like, "Keep us from following up with more coverage, and we'll run your ads."
Businesspeople didn't have to endure mass public backlash, nor did their issues explode into major crises.
The notion that politicians committed more crimes or corruption was an optical illusion. Ordinary people already evaded taxes, committed crimes, and acted unethically in their daily lives. Politicians just faced exposure in the media because of who they were.
Respected business leaders or experts who dipped a toe into politics suddenly underwent brutal scrutiny, and countless crumbled under it.
Politics, at its core, was about making enemies. Opposing party members, their supporters, and media outlets became your foes. Minor illegal acts you'd brushed off before turned into society-shattering atrocities the moment they caught those eyes.
For the individual, politics was a losing battle.
Those who plunged in anyway fell into one of two categories.
Either their ambition for power was so overwhelming they endured every constraint and anxiety for a real taste of it.
Or they were willing to bear those costs to change society.
Diana belonged to the latter.
She wanted to change America. That's why she entered politics.
"I've secured Nafre's permission."
"Really?"
Several people were gathered in the small room. But the influence they wielded was far from insignificant.
"Yes. We can launch the project right away. Everyone's prepared, right?"
"Of course!"
Diana had grown accustomed to forcing smiles.
Some of the people in this room were the very types she despised most—the reason she'd become a politician in the first place.
'If this works... things might improve, even if just a little.'
In her view, America had far too many heroes.
It made sense in a way. The country was vast, the population huge, and so were the criminals. Plenty of heroes were inevitable.
Plus, America's military was leagues ahead of other nations.
While it was standard and efficient for hunters to handle gate-spawned monsters, a superpower like the US could deploy expensive weapons or elite troops instead.
People who became hunters and joined guilds elsewhere lost jobs here. They turned hero or villain instead. Awakeners were a dime a dozen.
The "vigilante spirit" ingrained in American minds was perfect soil for heroes too. Unlike Korea, where certified hero associations worked with police to handle crime, US heroes operated without permits by default.
Powerful ones might coordinate with law enforcement to dismantle villain groups, but unregistered vigilantes handling crooks in their town or city wasn't illegal.
Finally, America was a villain breeder's paradise.
Deep-rooted inequality festered everywhere.
A child born to a whore lived a life brushing against crime forever.
They joined gangs from birth. In crime-ridden areas, police offered no protection, so gangs kept them alive. Gratitude pulled them back in to repay the favor.
If one awakened, they naturally became a villain. Destiny sealed from the cradle. Selling drugs like the friendly neighborhood big bro next door, managing hookers like the uncle across the way.
The state and society encouraged it.
Private prisons adapted too quickly to the awakener-shifted world.
They lobbied researchers and politicians. Researchers churned out skewed data claiming direct state control of villains would guzzle taxes. Politicians eagerly touted privatization as massive budget savings.
Private prisons could hire big-name heroes with fat checks; state ones lagged behind regulations and red tape.
Most US hunters ended up in private lockups. Prisons got huge tax dollars and subsidies for warehousing and controlling them.
Thus, jailing hunters became big business.
Private prisons partnered with pharma companies, funneling them cash indirectly.
Their pharma allies developed "drugs that erode awakener self-control."
Of course, they needed "prescriptions proving these narcotics were essential for mental issues," but the stuff sold like hotcakes through back channels.
Awakeners—not heroes or villains—lost control indulging in it. Suddenly, villains. Prisons hired heroes to capture them alive, locked them up, and cashed government checks for "safe containment."
Diana couldn't stomach it.
Everything was rotten.
She wanted to overhaul the system. But one congresswoman's power had limits. Beating capital? Impossible here, at least.
'If this works... I might change a little something.'
Through Lee Seong-ha, she could extend salvation to villain-born awakeners.
Filming lewd penalties would grant them powers rivaling top heroes. As his sex slaves, the constraint would prevent rogue actions. Better than no leash at all.
Ex-villain heroes roaming free, taking down other villains, might even win public favor.
People could understand they'd been trapped in crime-prone environments, building consensus for second chances even for villains.
This could change society itself.
At least, that's what she believed. Unrealistic? Sure. But since stepping into politics, Diana had never chased the realistic.
"Send someone suitable for this. And never forget—everything's classified."
"Would we dare?"
The people before her owned private prisons. The ones she loathed and hated most.
"The younger and prettier, the better. Virgins ideal. Needs voluntary consent and positive psych eval."
Villains faced far higher odds of life sentences or execution than civilians.
US judges cared deeply about public opinion.
With villains aplenty came rampant crime. Many had lost friends or family to it.
They relished death or life bids for villains. Judges had to deliver.
Century-plus sentences were common; executions too. Villains posed outsized threats, so few griped about the verdicts.
Actual executions were rare. They rotted in cells for decades while prisons billed the government for "management."
Quite profitable.
"Would we dare? We'll prepare the finest beauties."
"I'd appreciate that."
Politics was endless compromise. The pure politician scorning evil was fantasy.
Diana compromised with private prison owners.
Villains selected there become Seong-ha's slaves and heroes? The owners get to advertise their facilities in the process.
Might make controlling dangerous villains easier too. Wouldn't change their "risk management" subsidies, though.
Win-win. For villains and heroes alike.
"Ultimately, 'that man' has final pick, so don't get hopes up. I can sway Nafre, but him? Untouchable."
"Couldn't we... work something out?"
"Not something I can promise."
Her grand plan, all these hard-gathered people—their success hinged on one man's tastes. A bit ridiculous.
Still, Diana had no choice but to push forward.
She wanted to change the world.
Even if just a tiny bit.