Episode 7: Monster Hail / Chapter 110: Pre-emptive Strike (1)
TL: emptycube / ED: Hungry_Panda900
Zero asked,
"Should we kill him?"
Richard replied,
"Since he"s someone who frequents the red-light district… Handle it as though he got in a fight and died. As quickly as possible."
"As quickly as possible", this meant to handle it within 3 days.
"Understood."
Zero answered immediately and wrote, "Died in a fight, 2 Days," on the headshot on top of the table. Then he put the picture away in his pocket.
When his hand came out from his pocket, it was holding another headshot.
Richard momentarily became lost in thought as he looked at the new headshot on the table. The report he received from Zero beforehand crossed his mind.
Hans. He was a good man.
He was someone on the side of justice who couldn"t overlook injustice. There were many cases where the personalities of colonizers, who were experienced in fights, would severely crumble, but he wasn"t one of them. He organized a neighborhood-watch-like organization that surveilled and restrained colonizers who habitually a.s.saulted and killed others.
Hans. He had a famous catchphrase in his territory.
"Screw off, b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!"
When he shouted wholeheartedly and chased the colonizers causing a fuss by kicking them in the b.u.t.t, the inexperienced or non-combat-oriented colonizers would friendlily express their thanks with a "Boss Hans! Thanks for today as well!" after receiving his help. Richard looked favorably upon his actions and had met him in person a few times and helped him out.
He was a "person to keep alive" then.
"But, it"s changed…"
Richard"s hand hurriedly tapped the table.
"Should we kill him?"
Zero asked once again when he saw Richard taking a while to think about it. It might look like he was urging Richard, but this sort of urging was also one of Zero"s duties.
"There may be times when my heart grows soft and I might not be able to kill those who I need to, so urge me with the suggestion of killing them if you can."
This was the order Richard gave him the first day he was appointed.
As he was someone who had resolved himself to this degree, he would reply soon once asked like this. Unaffected by emotion, he would coldly tell him to kill.
However, Richard"s thoughts this time dragged on.
"Take out all of today"s subjects."
"Understood."
Zero took headshots out from his pocket and spread them out. While examining each picture closely, Richard remained deep in thought.
"No matter how much I look at it, it"s a ridiculous list."
Shaking his head, Richard ordered Zero once again,
"Take out all the remaining ones."
"I"ll spread them here."
Zero took out a bundle of pictures and spread them out on the table to the left of Richard. Looking at them, Richard pondered once again.
"This one is someone I need to keep alive, huh."
Richard picked up a photo.
His name was Joseph.
He was currently walking around in the streets at night.
With a blank expression, as if he was someone with nowhere to go.
Then his gaze suddenly fixed on someone.
"Let"s have a drink!"
"I"m not in the mood."
"Don"t be like that, let"s have one drink!"
As if he had just come back from a s.p.a.ce mission, the youth, his entire body stained with blood and dust, pestered his colleague, who had the same appearance as him. Even though everyone else had faces of exhaustion and futility, the youth was especially bright. His smiling face gave off a friendly impression.
"You came back from that h.e.l.l, but you don"t want to drink? Hey, hey, let"s have a drink. I"m telling you, even if it feels like h.e.l.l right now, you"ll feel great if you sleep after having a drink."
"You crazy… Why drink when you can"t get drunk due to karma? Unless you"re going to do drugs."
"Ehh, you don"t drink to get drunk. You drink to act drunk."
The other exhausted warriors simply grinned as they saw him smiling friendlily while he made misleading statements.
"Let"s go, let"s go, yeah? We have to live so well that those guys come back from the dead due to envy!"
Although his extreme yet hopelessly optimistic character could make one feel uncomfortable, perhaps it was either because he had been like this for a while or because they knew his sincerity, but his colleagues, who had initially declined, gave in and followed him in the end. They all left with their arms around each other"s shoulders.
Looking at them, Joseph revealed a strange smile. His face distorted, becoming impossible to distinguish whether he was angry or happy. He slowly followed after the youth and his colleagues.
Richard held his forehead.
"Just what is about to happen for things to be like this?"
The reason why Joseph caught the attention of Richard"s intelligence organization, "Shadow (der Schatten)", was because he was a serial killer who had murdered hundreds of people. He was a lunatic who didn"t care whether his victim was a beginner, moderately experienced, male, female, as he would s.e.xually a.s.sault and torture them before killing them in a cruel manner. A criminal psychologist read emotions of "malice", "rage", and "superiority" from the corpses of his victims.
His intelligence organization, "Shadow (der Schatten)", chased the clues and figured out he was the culprit behind the murders faster than anyone else. Then, like always, they would ask Richard for his verdict. The investigative agency had yet to identify the serial killer. "Shadow (der Schatten)" wasn"t an official organization that maintained public order but Richard"s secret organization. The fate of the real criminal no one knew entirely depended on Richard"s words.
Richard had seen him with his own eyes and had notified Zero. An additional investigation was conducted and it was now time to make a decision.
Richard tightly closed his eyes before saying,
"… Keep him alive."
"Understood."
Zero"s hand paused momentarily before replying calmly and drawing a blue circle around Joseph"s head as if nothing happened.
Richard quickly added,
"Take protective measures."
"Understood. Subject number 11. Protective measures."
As soon as Zero spoke into a tiny intercom installed on his clothes, he received a reply.
"Copy."
From that moment, "Shadow (der Schatten)" would follow Joseph and guard him at all times. Just in case he, who killed people habitually, might suffer a counterattack and run into danger.
Keeping his eyes closed, Richard gestured to the faces on top of the table to his left and said,
"Keep all of them over there alive."
"Understood."
Zero put the photos spread out on the table into his pocket once again. They had one similarity. They were all as wicked as Joseph and were similarly adept at fighting.
Richard opened his eyes and looked at the photos on the table in front of him. They were people he needed to kill.
There were a few he had his eye on already among them. They were those who stabbed people"s backs using the "order" Richard set up as their shield. They hid among those who stood for justice, hiding their weaknesses while posing as the victim as they profited. They were a shameless bunch who didn"t follow the rules as they showed no mercy to their victims while they hoped to be protected themselves, insisting on rules and mercy when questioned.
He had pushed killing them back, waiting for the right opportunity and method.
However, they weren"t everyone. Many photos of those whom he had secretly protected and looked favorably upon were in the lineup along with them. They were truly righteous, good people.
They were all people who were cla.s.sified as "people to keep alive". However, they were now "people to kill".
"Why?"
Richard racked his brains.
The "Eyes of the Judge" Richard possessed clearly distinguished between those who he should kill and those who he should keep alive to achieve the goal he set, "the survival and prosperity of humanity". Although it was restrictive, it was an amazing ability linked to foreseeing the future.
Yet, there was a limit to this ability. The Eyes of the Judge did not see one"s past contributions or sins. It also didn"t show one"s merits and flaws. It simply determined whether someone was currently beneficial or not to "the survival and prosperity of humanity" in a clear-cut manner. That was why Richard was always in thought. With the "present" as its reference point, the Eyes of the Judge would always judge the "entire future", therefore, saving someone might be a loss when thinking 50 years into the future, but they could be beneficial for the next 10 years. This was why Richard didn"t only rely on his "Eyes of the Judge" to determine whether someone should die or be kept alive. He would collect intelligence and make his own decision. There were even cases where he left those cla.s.sified as "someone to kill" alive. At what time and with what method would killing them be the most beneficial? He would also carefully consider whether this would result in a political liability for him.
Currently, those who had been considered "people to keep alive" just a while ago were now "people to kill". The meaning behind this was clear. While keeping them alive had been beneficial to humanity until now, from this moment on, there would be a bigger loss than benefit by keeping them alive.
"Just why?"
Why did it determine that these righteous, good people weren"t helpful for humanity? Why was there such a sudden change? Why did it have to be them of all people when there were many righteous and good people besides them?
Deep in thought, Richard soon found a common trait among these people.
"… They are interested in the survival of beginner colonizers…"
They were heroes who wanted to protect the weak. They were existences who would protect the lives of the weak even if they themselves were to take a loss.
On the other hand, people who deserve death like Joseph were cla.s.sified as "those to keep alive". Their common trait was that, even if their personalities had broken down, their combat abilities shined.
In the end, Richard could only come to one conclusion.
"War."
Muttering this, Richard suddenly raised his head.
"Zero. A war will break out soon. It might be a war involving not just us but humanity as a whole. It might have a similar impact as the advancement evaluation. Operate "Shadow (der Schatten)" at its maximum capacity. Try to make an excuse for the 7 overseers, 9 great sovereigns, and the 4 remaining sovereigns, as well as their key aides, to gather right now. It doesn"t matter if I have to make a state visit or not. Just set up a meeting somehow."
"Understood!"
Zero, who had always acted in a calm manner, replied in a nervous voice.
The meaning behind setting up a meeting was that Richard had to "personally see" them. He was talking about the most influential leaders in the world as well as their aides. Who were "people to kill" and "people to keep alive" among them, and what information had changed in this time? This order showed Richard"s will in wanting to be actively involved after judging that this information was the foundation of the fate humanity would face in the future.
There was no way he wouldn"t be nervous.
Richard, who had at some point stood up, glanced down at the photos of "those to kill" on the table in front of him and said,
"There is no other choice. Since there"s no way we can tell how much time we have and what it will be… Deal with them all. Within a week."
Then, without looking, he split the photos into two sections. One side was a group Richard had planned on killing beforehand, while the other was a group comprised of people Richard valued.
"Organize a clash between the two forces."
"Understood."
Zero replied and began to move quickly.
Richard added,
"However, don"t let the ones on this side die… If my prediction is right, then there"s no need to kill them. Only, make them unable to take part in politics for around a month. Whether you wound them, make them busy by dealing a blow to their organization, or kidnap them."
"… Understood."
The group Richard said not to kill was the one that worried about the weak.
Done with his work, Richard planned on leaving the office and calling for Leah. However, an unfamiliar voice cut in.
"Amazing."
Clang!
Zero unsheathed his sword. A man, whose presence was unknown until he spoke, stood against the wall.
Recognizing the man, Richard restrained Zero, who was prepared to attack.
"… Choi Hyuk?"
"Sorry I came by so suddenly. I came quietly to ask for advice, but I ended up becoming an eavesdropper."
Richard shook his head at Choi Hyuk"s apology.
Richard had no way of knowing what methods Choi Hyuk used to infiltrate his office without a sound. However, he coolly accepted that he possessed the ability to do just that.
Above all, Richard wasn"t wary of Choi Hyuk. Instead, he believed that Choi Hyuk was the only sovereign he could show his true self to.
As they currently didn"t have time to waste, Richard cut to the chase and asked,
"Why are you here?"
Choi Hyuk simply replied,
"You"re right, there will be a war."
Richard"s face stiffened.
Choi Hyuk requested Naro to display a holographic map of Dragonic. The hologram showed the area where all colonized lands earthlings inhabited were located and the Kahur Kabkuns on the other side.
"We discovered 10 Kahur Kabkuns. The monsters will enact a large-scale attack. As an incredible number of monsters will pour in simultaneously… The Berserkers won"t be able to cover for everyone no matter how hard they fight. Everyone will need to work together so I came to ask what we should do."
Choi Hyuk explained calmly.
Richard"s mind raced.
The people to kill and the people to keep alive determined by his "Eyes of the Judge", which was connected to the future, the prediction of the political landscape based on the intelligence "Shadow (der Schatten)" collected, as well as the news about the 10 Kahur Kabkuns. Once he put all this information together, he deduced the best strategy they should take currently.
Richard went straight to the point as he told him the strategy he had come up with.
"Pre-emptive attack. Rather than defending a strongpoint, we should first gather our elites and attack the Kahur Kabkuns."
An offensive strategy that disregarded losses. Choi Hyuk"s lips curled slightly upwards.
"… You thought the same thing as me. But do you think it"s possible? The Berserkers aside, I don"t know if the other sovereigns and the smaller clans will accept it."
Richard gave a short reply to Choi Hyuk"s question.
"Don"t worry. I"ll make it happen."
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