Chapter 94
Episode 94 - Evolution, Not Corruption (2)
'Where is the Continental Assembly?'
Kang Do-Yeon, who had been extremely tense, was now casually looking around and walking through the streets of the downtown area.
Contrary to her blatant prejudice against this primitive Otherworld, the people were rational and polite even by Earth's standards, and the luminous stone-illuminated advanced street was both quaint and beautiful, even when compared to Earth's streets.
She absentmindedly tapped the neatly paved brick floor with her foot.
Come to think of it, being among so many humans like this was her first time since joining the Legion.
However, one thing bothered her.
"Exotic and beautiful lady. Are you perhaps lost?"
"...Pardon?"
"Your beautiful red eyes are just like the perfect mana stone, the Flame Ruby... Gah!"
The young man, who reeked of alcohol and had suddenly struck up a conversation with her, was struck on the head by someone who seemed to be his companion and collapsed on the spot.
"I apologize. That fool has a young child at home, but whenever he drinks, he can't help but fawn over pretty women."
The companion, who was supporting the staggering man, apologized while scanning her up and down. Flustered, she simply nodded.
"By the way... Do you actually need any help?"
"May I ask you something?"
Calming herself, Kang Do-Yeon decided to take this opportunity to confirm a few things.
"Do you know anything about the events happening in the southwest right now?"
He, dressed in plain attire, was the epitome of an ordinary citizen. If he knew, it meant others probably knew as well.
Erasing her expression and putting on a fake smile, Kang Do-Yeon directly asked him about the Legion.
"I've heard about it."
He nodded readily in affirmation.
"Something came out of that old pit, right? I heard several people died in the Frontier because of it. So they sent the military?"
"...Is that all? Have you heard that the military was defeated?"
"The military lost..? I didn't know that. Well, the high-ranking individuals will take care of it."
Kang Do-Yeon, her expression stiffening slightly, spoke in a somewhat cold voice, but he, oblivious, muttered nonchalantly while scratching his head.
'Idiots.'
In her mind, she could hear Eve mocking this entire spectacle they were sharing.
Kang Do-Yeon felt a sense of denial. It was as if her lingering hope or expectations for humanity had been betrayed. She hadn't expected it to be this bad. At the very least, she thought they would be aware.
"Anyway, miss. You seem to be from outside, but you shouldn't wander around here alone at this hour."
"...Because of drunkards?"
"No? The world has changed a lot lately, and for us ordinary folks, if a man so much as lays a finger on a woman, his hand could get cut off."
He chuckled, looking at the companion he was supporting.
"But there's Heaven Beyond Heaven. The investigators who reign above the law. Be careful. If you get targeted by an investigator, even if you're innocent, you'll end up guilty by some miracle—or should I say magic. There are many investigators who take liberties with women, trusting in that. Especially someone young and beautiful like you."
As he walked away, he left her with a heartfelt warning. She stared blankly at his retreating figure.
It wasn't that she took his warning to heart. Rather, she immediately concluded that it would be better to use it.
"If they're in such a high position, they must know more. Like what decisions the Continental Assembly has made."
After glancing around for a moment, she wandered deeper into the streets. Of course, she had heard a scary warning, but it wasn't as bad as to make her stop.
At least in this bustling area, there weren't any lunatics who would suddenly pick a fight just because she was wandering around.
But it's easy to create a justification.
She spotted a man who seemed to have had a drink, staggering along with his companions. The uniform he wore and the authority that made people avoid him.
He was the investigator she was looking for.
'Are you really going to do it?'
"There's no reason to delay."
With a sudden burst of momentum that even surprised Eve, Kang Do-Yeon suddenly began running with all her might.
Directly toward them.
"What the... Gah!"
Hearing the sudden sound of rapid footsteps from behind, the man, his face flushed with drunkenness, turned his head slightly, only to be knocked to the ground by a sudden impact.
"Chief Investigator!"
"Chief Investigator! Are you alright?"
The investigators beside him panicked and rushed to his aid.
Of course, as someone who had trained his mana, he was unharmed.
The drunkenness dulled any pain, and he stood up with a bewildered expression.
"W-What's going on?"
"This woman dared to slander the Chief Investigator!"
A junior investigator twisted her arm behind her back and restrained her, presenting her before him.
He swallowed dryly for a moment. The small, pale face beneath the rare, jet-black hair and the red eyes captivated his attention.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't see where I was going and ended up offending the noble Chief Investigator..."
Trembling and on the verge of tears, she repeatedly bowed her head while being held. Finally understanding the situation, he smirked.
"I'll do whatever it takes to apologize..."
"Oh, is that so? You'll do whatever it takes to apologize."
In the end, he took the bait without a moment's hesitation. Stroking her trembling cheek, he grinned as he took her from the junior investigator.
"Ahem. You all can leave now and don't be late for work tomorrow."
He sent his subordinates away.
Then, without any hesitation, he grabbed her arm and led her to a nearby inn.
"Gah! Aaaah!"
Of course, the moment they entered the soundproofed room of the high-end inn, his hand was severed, and before he could even scream, his neck was gripped by the blackened hand of a monster.
"Thanks to you, my hatred for humans has grown even stronger, you trash. What kind of man does this to a girl young enough to be his daughter?"
Throwing him down and strangling him, Kang Do-Yeon sneered bitterly. She had prepared a backup plan in case this didn't work, but the middle-aged investigator, overwhelmed by lust, fell into the trap instantly.
"You..."
"Spit out everything you know."
Kang Do-Yeon's red eyes glowed. The omnipotent cell within her transformed into an infection fungus and burrowed into his neck through her hand.
As the black veins gradually spread, he experienced excruciating pain that was on a completely different level from waterboarding, beating, or branding with hot irons, causing him to convulse and soil himself.
Of course, the infection fungus, which had taken control of his body, even prevented him from screaming, forcing him to endure all the pain in silence.
'Hmm, Rozes? Austin? Reina?'
During this process, Kang Do-Yeon and Eve learned the entire story. Of course, they didn't know that Rozes was a player or about the existence of another unit, but it was enough to grasp the overall situation.
'Disappointing.'
Naturally, Eve was enraged.
The fact that humans seemed to be self-destructing due to internal strife meant there was nothing more to gain from them.
"So, what now? Should we return?"
Kang Do-Yeon rose from the corpse of the dead investigator. Eve had already decided on the course of action, so there was no reason to stay here any longer.
'...That woman, she's going to be executed.'
"That woman named Reina? How unfortunate."
Kang Do-Yeon muttered blankly, kicking the corpse of the dead investigator.
She didn't feel particularly moved. After all, Eve planned to kill all humans anyway, so whether Reina died now or later at the hands of the Legion, it made no difference.
'The image I hoped for in humanity is precisely that. Unyielding will, struggle, spirit.'
"It's ironic that the target is of the same race. Honestly, that woman is remarkable. Waterboarding? Being hung upside down and beaten? If it were the old me, I could never endure that. And she's only 19, having just come of age."
'Will that woman resent her own kind?'
"...Isn't it obvious?"
The investigator had confessed everything, including how he tortured Reina, how much she endured, and how he laughed while recounting it to his colleagues.
The horror of it was enough to make even Kang Do-Yeon's face harden.
'Legion Commander, what is our strength?'
At that moment, Eve suddenly asked an unexpected question.
Kang Do-Yeon flinched as she gazed out the window at the dawning sky, having lost track of time while torturing and extracting information.
"Absorbing and evolving."
'That's right. We can take others' strengths and make them our own. The strengths of humanity, their will, and mental flexibility. Although these aren't physical attributes, we might be able to utilize them as well.'
Watching the investigator dissolve into a puddle under the infection fungus, leaving only traces behind, Kang Do-Yeon shuddered at Eve's words.
'Hatred. One of the strongest emotions. What would happen if human will, driven by hatred, manifested against humanity itself? It's something I've been envisioning for a while, and now a suitable experiment subject has appeared. Go to the execution grounds immediately. Let's see her. I'll judge for myself after seeing those eyes. This is a kind of experiment.'
Eve issued the next command. So, Kang Do-Yeon headed straight to the execution corner of the city where the vicious criminals were executed.
There, she met Reina. On the guillotine, her deep and hollow eyes staring at the crowd.
'She seems... valuable. Certainly incomparable to other human bastards.'
And Eve, after seeing those eyes, concluded that there was potential.
Since the Hive Mind's command had been issued, there was no reason to hesitate. The moment the guillotine blade fell, Kang Do-Yeon ceased her camouflage and drew upon her strength.