Chapter 121
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: April Vengeance (10)
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The FBI agent was intimidating the person on the other end of the radio. The communication linked from the destroyer Higgins to the aircraft carrier. The survivors rescued from the smokestack had been taken there.
They had already confirmed footage of the luxury liner's ugly past. What the female investigator was trying to extract from the survivors was more specific testimony, along with information on the other survivors.
Even just learning the composition and tendencies of the survivor group would be a huge help. Not every clash with armed groups had to end in combat.
"Okay, chef. Now tell me about the ingredients you were handling."
Joanna Gibson's emotionless voice. But her expression overflowed with feeling.
[...Really... you're really not going to hold me responsible?]
The man who identified himself as a prep cook from April Pacific's Grand Galley said he originally handled meat there.
'In other words, he was a human butcher...'
Starting from the grand theater, Winter had quickly skimmed through the liner's past few months alongside the investigator.
Among them were records of slaughter disguised as cooking. As a prep cook preparing base ingredients, that meant turning people into meat.
"Well, it depends on you. If you keep dragging things out with useless talk like now... who knows when I might change my mind."
You couldn't give criminals any leeway in negotiations. The bait was a plea deal.
[Ah, understood. I'll tell you.]
The chef began his statement. April Pacific had departed from the Australian mainland last summer.
[The original food supplies ran out in two months. But everyone feared turning back. They couldn't trust the Australian government. The Governor said staying at sea was the safest.]
Food shortage. He seemed eager to start with the justification for butchering humans. But something in his testimony caught more attention than the shortage. The agent pointed it out.
"Governor? You mean the Governor-General of Australia was on this ship?"
Winter, listening in, also tilted his head. It was true that Commonwealth nations had the Queen's representative, but what reason would someone as high-ranking as Australia's Governor-General have to come here, abandoning the government? Even if it was a ceremonial position without real power...
[No, not that. That person... no, he's the Governor of the Pacific Republic.]
"Speak so I can understand. Unless you want life without parole."
[Ah, sorry. Sorry.]
The chef's ensuing ramble. Subjects and objects often omitted, with the chef frequently correcting himself in rambling mutters. Gibson frowned and summarized.
"So, the Pacific Republic's territory is April Pacific, and this 'Governor' claims to be the head of state?"
[It's not a claim. The Governor was unanimously elected by public vote... no, elected.]
Isolated people go mad. The luxury cruise had been sealed long enough for collective insanity to ripen. Long enough for a cannibal agitator to gain support over food shortages.
[Harvests happened about once a week.]
Harvest? The investigator muttered a curse at the chef's word choice. Fuck. She released the transmit button in time, so the subject didn't hear. But prolonged silence would make him anxious. Cutting off the emerging story was bad. Time needed saving. The investigator asked.
"Was harvesting necessary that often?"
[Long pork doesn't stay fresh longer than that.]
Long pork. Long pig. The term originated from calling humans "long pigs." Even Europe had eras rationalizing cannibalism.
Tragedy starts when people stop seeing people as people. People must never become commodities.
......Keep going.
The investigator muttered "disgusting" once more. Having demanded immunity, the chef recognized his own guilt. But no remorse came through in his statement. He was numb.
'Of course. Without self-justification, no one could endure that.'
The boy pondered human frailty. Self-justification was a self-protective mechanism. An effort to shield oneself from guilt. Having seen parents rationalize selling their children, Winter understood easily. Strong guilt bred strong rationalization.
Those unable to do so were probably already dead. A world where conscience killed. Good people died first. In life, and now. The worldview built from dredging up the past was like this, so this must be humanity's limit. Winter mulled over the limit.
The statement continued.
[Even so, we never ate white people. Too horrific. Mostly fished from Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines. Every broadcast brought a few big and small boats.]
"Broadcasts... You promised food in exchange, right?"
The investigator nailed the truth. The chef quickly replied.
[Yes. Tough job, so the Governor stepped up personally. As head of state, taking responsibility.]
"Wait. Wouldn't that attract pirates?"
[Ah, we had an escort destroyer at first. From some country originally, but the Governor's son was captain. Sank in a fight with pirates recently.]
Escort destroyer and public vote. And dictator. It added up. Power grows from the barrel of a gun.
So what did the escort crew think, following their captain? Indulging in pleasures from the liner? Or just gone mad in a world racing toward doom?
'Well, Seventh California had headaches managing troops at first too...'
Sergeant Elliot had said. Many soldiers lost family. Mental states too unstable for operations. That's how they started receiving refugee support troops from contaminated zones.
The investigator continued the interrogation for a while longer. Finally, the last question.
"One more thing. Answer honestly. Did you know what happened in the theater?"
The colosseum of humans and plague. The chef said no. The investigator seemed ready to press, but frowned and shut her mouth. Instead, she called for someone else. There'd be personnel monitoring survivors from the carrier.
[Switched.]
Cold, curt first words. The investigator spoke.
"This is FBI Field Supervisor Joanna Gibson. State your name and rank."
[...Master-at-Arms Tori Mattson.]
Master-at-arms handled naval crime enforcement and guarded facilities and ships. Different branch, but overlapped somewhat with FBI agents.
"Good, Master Sergeant Mattson. You've heard the conversation, so you know the situation."
[What do you want?]
"Thinking of requesting witness protection from the Navy."
[Witness protection? For this scum? Ha, no room for human trash on this ship.]
"Is that so? Then what do you plan to do?"
[Beat him to near death, then toss him overboard.]
"Wow."
Mouth-only surprise, no expression change, then the investigator said,
"You're arbitrarily refusing a legitimate FBI request, Master Sergeant. You know the inter-agency cooperation protocols in contaminated zones for the quarantine war, right? This could bring you trouble. Still refusing?"
[Nice threat. So what?]
"Report up the chain, file a formal complaint with the Navy. I've got unresolved duties, so it'll be months from now... Hm, gotta remember not to forget. Memory's slipping after thirty."
[Hah.]
The master's incredulous laugh. Mixed with someone's wail. The story's different, they said. Comms cut briefly. The investigator waited for reconnection with prim demeanor unfit for her age. When it resumed, the noisy background sounds were gone.
[Amusing bullshit. No other requests? Transfer to CIC?]
"No. Fine. I'll call if I need help."
[Got it. Signing off. Mattson out.]
After comms ended, Winter looked at her. She volunteered an excuse without asking.
"Field investigations need flexibility. If they refuse, no choice. No need to escalate over this."
"I understand. Makes sense. He just followed orders... but the crime's too heavy."
Throughout his testimony, the chef claimed innocence. But how many had he slaughtered? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? Gibson sighed.
"Even soldiers who value obedience have a duty to refuse immoral orders. I'm not in a spotless position either."
Winter understood her. As she said, investigations required flexibility. Rules weren't always followed. Immoral acts happened.
'Plea deals aren't righteous to begin with.'
A necessary evil to avoid the worst.
Winter recalled a movie he watched with his sister as a child. A man whose wife and daughter were murdered. Two killers, but plea deal punishes only one. Enraged, the man seeks revenge on the criminals and everyone involved in the deal.
Old classic, no holograms, so free. But free didn't mean boring. The young boy pondered his own hatred deeply after.
Just how far should he hate?
Truthfully, Winter didn't think the chef should die. Was there a way to resist? Life without parole. Yeah, exactly that.
But he didn't object because he knew this was reality's limit. The world doesn't run ideally.
'No, it can't.'
Winter cut his lingering thoughts. Then pointed with a finger.
"Shall we take that call now?"
One line had been blinking repeatedly. Flicker, flicker. A call request from the third-floor management office. And on the same floor was the Grand Galley. Where the human slaughter happened.
When the ship changed course, everyone would know someone was on the bridge. Maybe the one signaling was the Pacific Republic's Governor.
The investigator reached out reluctantly. Winter stopped her.
"I'll handle it. You've had enough stress."
"Sorry, but Lieutenant, your negotiation skills... No, never mind."
Winter smiled, and Gibson finished her muttered words.
"Don't mind. If the other side's insane, logic won't work. Might be better if you handle it, Lieutenant. World-famous and all. A ship like this could've picked up satellite broadcasts. Whoever it is will tense up."
"World-famous? Satellite broadcasts?"
"Yes. Propaganda broadcasts go worldwide via satellite. You have a big share."
"Why do that... No, I get it."
The female investigator nodded easily.
"As you guessed, announcing America's successfully overcoming the disaster. Leverage in negotiations with other nations."
Civilian psychological warfare, ultimately. After weighing the impact, Winter picked up the receiver.
============================ Author's Note ============================
#Five Months, Five Volumes
It's been five months since I started serializing. Approaching 800k characters now.
That's about five volumes.
One volume per month, but on Noblesse, that's snail pace...
Writers pumping out 2-3 volumes monthly are truly admirable.
Noblesse is brutal.
#Q&A
Q. optatum @You already use subtitles in the main story, but could you classify by subtitle order? Titles are all the same, so it's hard to revisit scenes... Subtitles would stand out more and be convenient.
A. Actually, since this novel uses subtitles with locations, and intermissions or chats pop in, I avoided it to prevent messiness... But with repeated requests, I'll tweak bit by bit.
Q. Pirque: @Binge read complete, great read. Paid with 3 days in mind, finished in 24 hours. Still full of innocence, author. Beautiful sharing it. Plagiarism's serious. Hurts income, but mainly kills motivation. Cheers for more ahead.
A. Thanks for the support. But finishing in one day... impressive...
Q. 인류의멸망: In Korea, less smell maybe??
A. So they say. Apocrine glands causing body odor develop black > white > yellow order, and half of Koreans lack them. Genetic.