Chapter 384: At the Technology Research Institute (3)
Chapter 384: At the Technology Research Institute (3)
“…After I lost my father at a young age, my mother took on all sorts of menial labor to provide for me. To repay her, I got into a prestigious university and even completed my graduate studies, but what was the point? On the very day I received my doctorate, my mother collapsed on the cold floor….”
Was the PTSD caused by The Hammer truly more severe than I had imagined?
The former villain researcher had completely lost his mind and was rambling about his family history without me even asking.
“Dr. Ludwig. Let’s head back to the lab.”
The sight must have been pitiful enough that even the AO Institute Director, who had made such a dramatic entrance earlier, was now trying to soothe the confessing villain with a troubled expression.
“Ah, research. What is the point of it all? It cannot bring back the dead, and society remains miserable. No one looks out for the weak, so power is needed. Greater power….”
Why is this guy suddenly acting like a villain entering a final boss phase?
I didn’t want to hear a flashback from a villain who isn't even the main antagonist of the story.
Actually, even if he were the main antagonist, I wouldn't want to hear a sudden sob story.
“Can I knock him out?”
“Please do.”
As soon as I received the AO Director's permission, I immediately struck the back of Ludwig’s neck.
“…Mother.”
And so, the former villain, who had been putting on a solo show until the very end, fell unconscious from my blow.
Thanks to that, the surrounding atmosphere froze over completely.
What was I even supposed to say in a situation like this?
In an atmosphere that felt like the final boss had just been defeated and everything was over, anyone who could strike up a conversation would have to be either incredibly dense or incredibly shameless.
“Let’s move for now.”
Fortunately, the AO Director seemed to be merely eccentric rather than shameless. She placed a hand on the unconscious Dr. Ludwig, sent him off somewhere, and then quickly walked away, disappearing into the building.
However, there was one thing that bothered me during that process.
She definitely took something out, didn't she?
It happened in a flash, but my senses clearly caught the AO Director’s suspicious movement.
A tiny object attached to the back of Ludwig’s neck.
It had been hidden by Ludwig’s shadow, and the AO Director had blocked my line of sight with her body when she retrieved it, so I couldn't see what it looked like, but she definitely palmed something small.
It was undeniably suspicious.
Come to think of it, this entire situation was shrouded in mystery.
Why did Ludwig follow me outside the research building? Weren't the researchers instructed to evacuate inside the building to prevent any potential collateral damage?
As my thoughts branched out, the way Dr. Ludwig had been running his mouth also felt incredibly fishy.
No matter how bad a relapse of PTSD might be, does a person really blurt out every single thought without any filter like that?
Of course, I might just be overreacting.
However, it was clear that the AO Director was involved in this incident.
I had to get an answer about what was going on.
With that resolve, I opened the door the AO Director had entered and followed her.
The place I entered was the Director’s office.
…What is this?
I immediately turned around in confusion, but the view of the building's exterior I had just walked through was gone. In its place was an ordinary hallway.
She was capable of such precise manipulation?
If this was possible, then what was with all that circling around corners when she first brought us here?
Was it just spite? Or were there certain conditions?
“Don’t just stand there; have a seat.”
…I don’t know.
At the very least, she didn't seem hostile, so I figured things would work out somehow.
And so, for the second time in a week, I sat on the same sofa.
Feeling the stiff texture of the faux leather—a sensation far from comfortable—I immediately spoke up.
“Was this your goal from the start?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
She maintained a blank expression, acting as if she knew nothing.
“Don’t play dumb. When you came out earlier, you mentioned a two-day discrepancy. That means you already knew I would experience something like this.”
Realizing the current situation of the AO Director and the 2nd Research Institute.
In the future the AO Director had seen, this was likely supposed to happen five days later.
Due to the discrepancy, it had been delayed by two days, making it a full week, but regardless, that future had become reality.
“I was referring to the terrorist attack. Hearing stories about myself from Hero Ludwig must have been a mere coincidence.”
The AO Director replied to my question with a shameless face.
Hero, huh?
So there was a world where that man awakened.
Well, I didn't care about other worlds; what mattered was something else.
“Stop lying. Anyone could see that man was in an obviously abnormal state. No matter how broken someone's mind is, they don't end up like that unless they're pumped full of truth serum laced with Otherworldly Technology.”
You intended this, didn't you?
That was the hidden meaning behind my question.
At that, the AO Director gave a small, bitter smile tinged with sadness before she spoke.
“People in special circumstances, whose leashes are held by the Management Bureau, actually undergo certain special treatments.”
She blurted out an entirely unrelated, random answer.
It felt like the conversation had skipped several steps again, but I remained silent and listened to her.
“Location logging, conversation recording, slight suppression of defiance, correction of thought patterns, broad Confidentiality Protects, Memory Erasure… there are so many I can’t name them all.”
…What?
Wait, that was news to me.
I could understand not trusting those who were once part of the side of evil, but isn't that a bit much?
What on earth is the Management Bureau doing…?
“It’s all a lie. Your face has gone quite pale.”
“Hey.”
Why, you little…!
Of all the things to joke about.
Just as I was about to curse and stand up from my seat—
“However, the plan to do so does exist. The devices prepared to carry it out also exist in reality. Though they have never been used, officially or unofficially.”
As she said that, she snapped her fingers in the air.
Perhaps to make it less noticeable, it was painted flesh-colored. A machine smaller than a fingernail flew through the air.
After floating for a moment, it vanished into thin air without any precursor.
The AO Director had likely sent it somewhere using space manipulation.
Anyway, I got the gist of the story.
“You used that on that researcher. Is that what you’re saying?”
The moment I spoke those words, ruminating on AO’s misdeed—
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? I simply called Crimson★Hammer to the Director’s office to provide a mission briefing.”
The AO Director looked back at me with a look of utter confusion.
“There was a machine just now.”
“I don’t know what machine you are referring to.”
She didn't even bat an eye as she played dumb.
“The device for controlling humans who are expected to be uncooperative.”
“The Management Bureau has not created such an unethical machine.”
Look at this? Right, this was one of those things.
Like the Assassination Team at my former job, it was something belonging to the darkness of the Management Bureau.
A darkness that would never be recorded anywhere.
The AO Director was likely telling me that indirectly.
Fine, I’ll let that slide for now.
“So, why are you telling me this?”
“The terrorist group that attacked the Research Institute is located in a valley 30 kilometers southwest of here.”
Excuse me?
How many steps did you just skip in this conversation?
“What the hell are you talking abou—”
“The total number of personnel in the terrorist group occupying said valley has not been determined, but since most are non-combatants, they are expected to pose no threat to the occupation of the facility. However, the terrorists' base is equipped with numerous sentry guns, unmanned missile turrets, and plasma generators, making it a situation that the institute's resident security forces cannot suppress.”
“Hello? Anyone home?”
Look, I don't give a damn about the terrorists.
I honestly have zero interest in sentry guns or missile turrets.
“The fact that a typical terrorist group possesses such excessive defensive facilities is certainly suspicious. Therefore, I would like the Hero participating in the operation to secure data regarding the terrorists' source of funding.”
“Can you not hear me? Hello?”
As she continued to ignore me, I waved my hand in front of the AO Director’s face, but she showed no reaction, as if I didn't even exist in this space. Instead of the reaction she should have had, she just kept saying what she had to say.
“Additionally, I will provide further information you should be aware of before entry. The Management Bureau recently spotted several Villains in this vicinity. Although those individuals soon shook off the Bureau’s surveillance and fled, an investigation into their escape route suggests a very high probability that they have joined the terrorist group in question.”
“I said I don't care about Villains or whatever.”
They're all one-shot kills anyway.
It was interesting that the Villains had teamed up with the Regressionists, but how was I supposed to know what goes on in the minds of criminals?
“Accordingly, during the operation to suppress the terrorist group, if any Villains are discovered… Confidentiality….”
I was half-listening to the Director's words, assuming she wouldn't listen to anything I said anyway, when her voice suddenly cut off unnaturally.
“…Please act to maintain Confidentiality. If you succeed in neutralizing a Villain, please contact us, and a dedicated task force will move in to take the Villain into custody.”
I already knew those procedures.
The existence of Villains had to be kept secret as much as possible, and that was why there was a separate task force for handling them.
But why did her voice cut off there?
“Furthermore, regarding the neutralization of Villains… as much as possible, their Atonement. Yes, Atonement is correct. We recommend non-lethal methods for their Atonement, but if that is deemed impossible, I am informing you in advance that lethal force is authorized at the discretion of those on the scene.”
Confidentiality. Atonement.
Two words that were strangely emphasized just now.
In the first place, if she knew about me, there was no need to drone on with such a flimsy mission briefing.
To be blunt, no matter how great the defensive facilities were, there was no chance they were something I couldn't just steamroll.
They weren't some high-level Mutant Society; they were likely just a ragtag bunch.
Therefore, this meaningless and tedious conversation could be seen as a performance staged solely to deliver those two words to me.
“The execution time of the operation will be left to the judgment of the personnel deployed on the scene, not the command center. This concludes the basic briefing. Do you have any questions?”
As she finished speaking, the AO Director’s eyes finally met mine.
Her eyes, which had been wandering aimlessly as if I didn't even exist, stared straight at me.
I threw a question at her.
“How much of this is covered by the Confidentiality agreement?”
“The current situation of the Research Institute, the identity of the terrorists, and the entirety of the operation.”
The latter two weren't important.
What mattered was the first one: the current situation of the Research Institute.
I had learned this method of information delivery back when I was doing spy work.
Then, the next question to ask was—
“If the capture of the Villains is successful, can I ask about their treatment?”
I already knew very well how they were handled.
What was important here wasn't the treatment of the Villains, but the AO Director’s answer.
Hoping to gain crucial information, I listened closely to her voice.
“We will ensure that all Heroes make their Atonement.”
She mentioned Atonement once again.
This was a whole sentence of pure information.
Confidentiality, Atonement.
Confidentiality regarding the Research Institute. And Atonement.
…Something did come to mind.
But was this really right?
This was likely the final piece of the puzzle.
“Does the AO Director’s personal safety fall under the current situation of the Research Institute?”
“Of course. A researcher is also a member of the institute.”
She replied to my question with a expressionless face.
With this, all the information was gathered.
Having obtained all the answers, I stood up from the sofa and asked her one last question as I walked out of the room.
“The Director must be having a hard time with the Confidentiality requirements too.”
“Don’t mention it.”
With those final words, I closed the door to the Director’s office.
Because I understood everything she wanted to say to me.
She was bound by quite powerful Confidentiality protocols.
Earlier, she had said the Management Bureau places various restrictions on people in special circumstances.
That statement itself was surely a lie.
However, what if it wasn't an ordinary person, but the AO Director?
Even though she had refused the work in the underground according to her conscience, she was once a member of that underground. Would the Management Bureau have truly let her go free?
There were likely many constraints placed upon her. In the past, and now.
Whether that was something she wanted herself or something the Management Bureau forced upon her, I couldn't know.
However, the fact that so many constraints existed was certain, so she had gone through a complex process to let me know the situation she was in.
Even if I become like this, it doesn't matter because I have work to do.
Words she couldn't utter to anyone because of the Confidentiality protocols.
Then, what was the reason she let me know about her situation?
Was it a plea to save her from this pain, an accusation that she was being treated inhumanely?
None of the above.
She called it Atonement.
Atonement for all Heroes.
To deliver that message, she had made me stay at the Research Institute.
“…Tsk.”
An indescribable emotion began to consume me.
It’s been a while since I’ve craved a cigarette.
It would be nice to exhale such heavy emotions along with the smoke.
But since I couldn't put a White Rod in my mouth now, I quietly bit down on a metal rod and walked down the hallway.
Recalling the pain of the past that had tormented everyone who participated in the war—not just the Awakened, but the non-Awakened as well.