Chapter 411: Social Tidying Up (3)
Chapter 411: Social Tidying Up (3)
So, what should we do until the Defense Force arrives and the Extermination Operation begins?
I excluded Baek Si-hyun, who seemed to have no thoughts at all, and the two from the Assassination Unit.
After also excluding Han A-bin—who clearly knew something but was reluctant to share details—I put my head together with Ultimate to talk.
"What are you planning to do?"
Perhaps because the situation was growing increasingly dire, Ultimate stayed out of his "hot-blooded mode" and spoke with a serious expression.
"What else is there besides information gathering?"
I, too, spoke with sincerity.
"That is not a bad method, but didn't you summon them for a different reason?"
Ultimate said this while glancing back at the Assassination Team.
At the end of his gaze were Svetlana, who was letting out a yawn, and Montague, who was throwing jabs into thin air.
Yes, as Ultimate said, I had summoned them for a different reason.
While information gathering was part of it, my original intention was to use them to cut off The Mad Doctor's limbs.
The problem was that, looking at the current situation, more than half of Detroit's citizens had effectively become those "limbs." I wondered what use there was in the Assassination Team cutting them down now.
Of course, the team members were specialists in killing, but most were suited for small-scale skirmishes rather than wide-area annihilation.
If they really set their minds to a killing spree, they could cut down a significant number, but I couldn't say it would be efficient.
Besides, the Assassination Team members needed to save their strength for the final battle.
"The scale has grown too large to use them lightly."
I summed up all those thoughts into one vague sentence.
I figured Ultimate would understand, so I just tossed it out there.
"I have informed the Management Bureau to dispatch Heroes accustomed to these situations, but I do not know how many will answer the call."
It would probably be difficult.
A Public Enemy Designation hadn't been issued yet, so this operation couldn't be publicized.
Even if the entire city was a slum, it was still a major metropolis. The Management Bureau had too many things to obsess over—like their reputation and public image—to openly announce a massive operation that would effectively wipe such a place off the map.
"Phew... It's been a long time since the title of 'Hero' felt so much like a shackle."
I said this as I bit down on a metal rod.
Ultimate let out a hearty laugh and slapped my back in response.
"Should one who carries the title of Hero on their back heave such sighs? A Hero is one who grows stronger through what they protect. Crimson★Hammer, are you not also strong because of the things you carry?"
Don't suddenly go into hot-blooded mode, you suffocating muscle-brain.
Well... he wasn't wrong.
Sigh. If we could all increase our power collectively like the Magic Kingdom, would we be able to prevent disasters like this?
Watching this situation unfold, the things I needed to do as the Black Marauder began to crawl back into my mind.
The world was changing, bit by bit.
The magic of mages and the martial arts of warriors were entering the process of being opened to the public.
I wasn't particularly interested, so I didn't know the specifics, but I often heard rumors that the factions within the Management Bureau’s high command were being shuffled around.
Little by little, society was changing because of my actions.
But the fear that all of it might go to waste in a single moment like this began to consume me.
A dark question rose within me: shouldn't I move toward even more powerful means?
‘Choice.’
The future shown to me by Yellow King held me back.
The Black Marauder, merged with the darkness, draped in the night sky.
If that was the end of my choice...
Then I had to walk the middle path.
It was a difficult task.
Back when I was just breaking kids' limbs with a Pry Bar, I thought I could handle anything as long as I put my mind to it.
The world is just too complicated.
"Wipe that look off your face!"
Whether I was agonizing over such things with a metal rod in my mouth or not, Ultimate was pounding on my back in his suddenly activated hot-blooded mode.
Sigh. Fine.
It's not like I haven't faced the end of the world once or twice.
There's plenty of time for agonizing later. For now, I have to deal with the incident right in front of me.
"My face always looks like this, so mind your own business. More importantly, Ultimate, I'm leaving my disciples to you. I'll go gather information with my old subordinates."
"Hmm? If that is the case, wouldn't it be fine to take your disciples with you?"
Ultimate gave me a suspicious look, but the answer to that question was already decided.
"Ah, well, you see. My educational philosophy involves showing them the dark side of society, but showing them something this pitch-black is a bit much."
At those words, Ultimate's face hardened again, turning cold.
He seemed to understand that "information gathering" was just a nice way of saying I'd be doing some darker work.
"I see. I am sorry for making you shoulder such a heavy burden."
Ultimate said this and gave me a deep bow.
Tsk. This is why I can't hate this guy even if I don't like him.
Type S like him are usually pure-hearted justice fanatics who tend to despise people from the dark side like us.
But even though he belongs under the bright light, he understands that dark shadows roam behind it, and he doesn't despise that fact.
Though, given his personality, it seemed he found it difficult to do such things with his own hands.
"Everyone does what they can, so don't worry about it. Anyway, we'll handle this side, so you, Muscle-brain, go around and sort out the civilians who are still sane. No matter how close this place is to being designated a Contaminated Zone, we have to save the ones we can."
"What are the criteria for judgment?"
Criteria, huh?
According to the Management Bureau’s Biohazard Operation Manual, it would be right to exclude anyone who isn't a pure human.
"Do you think there are any, since this isn't an official operation? Just do whatever your heart tells you. You're not my subordinate anyway; it's not like you'd follow a guideline if I gave you one."
If I put it that way, Ultimate would try his best to save as many people as possible.
Looking at this phenomenon, even a slight contamination seemed to have the potential to cause a catastrophe, but it was nonsense to kill civilians who could be saved just because of such a slim possibility.
The Management Bureau asserted that it was irreversible.
But that might just be because The Enemy bosses, the two Mad Doctors, hadn't been defeated yet.
Even if it truly was impossible to reverse, if a civilian wasn't going to cause large-scale contamination, even a slight mutation should be viewed as human and respected.
Well. I did lament that the name of a Hero was a heavy burden.
But as a Hero, they were the ones we were supposed to protect.
"For a world-ending crisis, this is a very haphazard plan."
Hahaha.
Ultimate laughed, perhaps feeling a bit hollow at this point.
"It was always like this in the old days. If you get the chance, try applying for an O-Rank Sealing Record access permit. You'll feel hollow when you see the operation details. You'll think, 'They really caught it with a plan like this?'"
Not that there's any guarantee he'd get the permit, though.
"Right. I shall do so if I return alive."
"Everyone who says that ends up dead. But I don't think you'll die."
With those final words, we shared a laugh.
Ultimate patted my back, and I delivered a low kick to his thigh before returning to my original spot.
"Ah. Is your conversation finished?"
Before I knew it, our group had grown by one.
An Old Man wearing a black coat, with a white shirt visible beneath the collar.
He was standing tall, apart from the others, holding something up to the sunlight with his white-gloved hands.
"Gah."
The moment I saw that face, I recoiled in horror.
No, seriously, he was actually alive? That old geezer.
I thought he would've died of old age by now, or been hauled off after becoming a villain, or been tucked away in a nursing home with dementia, but he looked much more energetic than I expected.
Ha... fine. Even a crazy Old Man is a useful asset in a situation like this, so it can't be helped.
"Brantley. It's been a while."
I spoke to the man, who was much older than me, without a shred of respect.
"It has been a long time, Captain Lee Ha-ram."
He replied in polite speech, completely unbothered.
An Old Man who always looked kind and carried a peaceful atmosphere, matching his appearance.
Of course, like everyone in the Assassination Team, that was only on the surface.
His mind was dyed as pitch-black as his clothes; he was a total psychopath.
Soldiers who didn't know better would happily receive treatment from him, but those in the Awakened Circle would run away waving their hands in refusal.
Even now, Svetlana and Montague had long since made themselves scarce, and my two disciples were just staring this way, wondering who he was.
...Should I introduce this man?
I mean, normally, he's the most sane-looking person in the Assassination Team.
A handsome Old Man with a gentlemanly aura and face, like someone out of a movie.
If you talk to him, he's always respectful and naturally considerate of others.
His skills as a medic are also perfect. He's not superhuman like Oxymoron, but as long as someone is still breathing, he's the kind of talent who can keep them alive even if they're on the verge of death, at least long enough for transport.
How many members of the Assassination Team had their lives saved by that Old Man's skills?
Even though I failed to control my expression the moment I saw his face, I am grateful for that much.
Anyway, thanks to that appearance and ability, anyone meeting him normally and talking to him would feel a sense of goodwill.
But the moment you touch his sore spot or express an intention to die, that atmosphere changes instantly.
He's a mad doctor who will grind up even a person who could be saved, all while "respecting" their will to die.
Well, he's not even a doctor anymore since his license was revoked ages ago.
He's the kind of human who proves that nothing is as cruel as a villain who believes himself to be good.
...It'll be fine, somehow.
It's not like a catastrophe will happen just because I introduced him once.
However, there was something I wanted to ask first.
"What are you looking at?"
Brantley had been observing a glass vial against the sunlight for a while now.
"Ah. It is a piece of flesh I obtained from a specimen on my way here. It has many interesting points."
A "specimen," he says.
Looks like he dissected another one.
Given his nature, he wouldn't have attacked first, so he probably dissected it after being attacked or realizing it wasn't human through his abilities...
...Wait, flesh?
"Give me that."
I wanted to snatch it away immediately, but since the Old Man was much taller than me and it wouldn't look good for me to overpower an elder, I simply made the request.
"Here it is."
He obediently handed me the glass vial, and I held the black-stoppered container up to the sunlight.
Inside the vial was a piece of flesh-colored meat, struggling desperately to escape.
Looking at it, it would change into a star-candy shape and thrust spikes against the glass walls; it almost looked like some kind of decorative toy, but its reality was something terrifying that could turn the world upside down.
"Brantley?"
"Yes."
"How did you get this?"
I thought these things died and turned into liquid once they reached this state?
"Ah. You are referring to the peculiar phenomenon where the flesh melts when separated from the specimen or when the specimen dies. I was surprised at first as well, but after checking a few more specimens, I found that the flesh remains if you put them into a state of brain death. It seems it melts if the Main Body dies or if the Main Body deems the separated flesh unnecessary."
...A few more specimens?
Did this Old Man carve up several more kids he saw on his way here?
No, that's not what's important.
What's important is...
"Ultimate! Send this to the Management Bureau!"
I shouted as I tossed the glass vial to Ultimate.
"What is this all of a sudden!"
Ultimate replied with a look of confusion, but he still caught the vial flying through the air.
"A living specimen!"
"Understood!"
Ultimate still looked puzzled, but he seemed to grasp the situation at my words and immediately prepared for telepathy.
The Management Bureau wouldn't miss out on data like that, so they'd use a teleporter or a small-scale spatial transfer or whatever to take it.
"That was my specimen."
Meanwhile, the Old Man beside me showed a negative emotion for the first time.
"Shut it. We're in a situation where the world might end; do you think I care about that?"
"Ah. Then it cannot be helped."
With that one sentence from me, he let go of all negative emotions and returned to a neutral state.
Now that the conversation was over, just as I was about to introduce Brantley to my disciples and Ultimate...
"Ah. Come to think of it, I forgot to mention this for a moment."
Brantley suddenly spoke up.
I looked at him, wondering what it was.
"Harvey said he would join us later and went off to act independently, and Edward said he would join once his rampage subsides. My estimate is that he will arrive in about an hour."
How do you know things that even Svetlana doesn't?
"Brantley, how on earth do you know that?"
"Since the three of us are currently a team, it is only natural that I know."
...Huh?
Something strange just came out of his mouth.
"A team?"
"Yes. We have been doing various things in South America as freelancers under the Management Bureau’s request."
South America. Various things.
These guys are definitely going around killing people. Well, I guess it's a bit better since it's a Bureau request...
But there was one more thing in his words that bothered me.
"Three? Not four?"
Where did Henrietta go?
Edward and Henrietta are a set; shouldn't they naturally be traveling together?
When I asked that obvious question...
"Hmm? Were you unaware?"
Brantley asked back, as if wondering why I was even asking.
"Unaware of what?"
"Henrietta has long since departed this world. By Edward's hand, no less."
...What?
"Wait, then who's stopping Edward's rampage?"
"Well. I believe it would be best to ask Edward that yourself. It is a personal matter, so it is not a story I should speak of based on my own judgment."
Though many questions remained, Brantley fell silent after those words.
As if he truly had nothing more to say.
...I'm getting a bad feeling about this.
Svetlana, who finds everything a chore.
Montague, who might lose his mind at any moment.
Brantley, The Mad Doctor with a pitch-black mind and record.
Edward, who no longer has anyone to suppress his rampage.
And Harvey, the sexual deviant who is still living life however he pleases and has gone off on his own in this situation.
...Is the world going to end like this?