The Little Prince in the Ossuary-Chapter 122 : April Vengeance (11)

April Vengeance (11)

The caller on the internal line was, as expected, the so-called governor of the Pacific Republic. Gyeo-ul had anticipated as much. In a closed society, contact with the outside is a dangerous possibility. It must be controlled.

When the governor heard Gyeo-ul's identity and objective, he unexpectedly burst into laughter.

[Oh, my. This is truly amazing! Hahaha! Who would have thought a rescue team would come!]

Then he ridiculed the person in charge.

[I don't know at what level this decision was made, but it couldn't be more foolish. Even at this very moment, there must be hundreds, thousands of ships sending distress signals... No matter if it's the United States, do they really have this much wasteful resources?]

Judging from the context, it seemed the governor himself had sent the rescue signal. Gyeo-ul asked,

"So, you're the one who sent the signal, but you're saying you never actually wanted a rescue?"

[Isn't that obvious, first Lieutenant? I gave up the illusion that the world is a kind place long ago. A fixed course toward San Francisco. A runaway luxury liner. If I'd been in charge, I would have ordered it sunk. But seeing that you're here, the US military still hasn't faced reality. Tsk tsk. You won't last much longer.]

Ah, the future of humanity is bleak! The man mumbled nonsense and chuckled darkly. The FBI detective, who had been eavesdropping on a secondary receiver, frowned. Gyeo-ul read two emotions from her. One was contempt; the other was a sense of guilt. The latter seemed aimed at herself.

Both the carrier strike group commander and the FBI detective had initially been on the side of sinking the passenger ship. In that sense, they were no different from this deranged murderer. That was apparently how she felt.

This was no time for comfort. Gyeo-ul pressed on with another question.

"I don't understand. Then why did you send the signal?"

Even if the chances were low, it would have been better to attempt self-rescue.

[Oh, of course, it was to die like a human being.]

"Like a human being?"

[Yes. If there was no hope for rescue, the beloved citizens would have gone berserk. The Republic's order would have collapsed, and I wouldn't have fared much better. I cannot permit the outrage of citizens slaughtering their governor. If we all die together, that's another matter. So I was hoping for a torpedo or a missile, but...]

His words came pouring out at lightning speed. The governor seemed to enjoy the conversation. It was as if he was desperate to unload prepared excuses on someone.

So, did he send the rescue signal for a group suicide? Just so he could prolong his own life a little more...?

Was this truly sincere, or just an attempt to probe? The feeling leaned toward the former, but I couldn't be sure. For now, Gyeo-ul decided to continue the interaction.

"Is that really a 'human' death?"

[Absolutely. Clinging for even just one second longer, struggling until the end... how human is that? It's a noble way to die.]

"Yet, for someone who wanted to live so badly, you certainly had no qualms about devouring others."

The logically deranged man burst into laughter once again.

[Are you here to sneer at those who had to survive, no matter what? How noble of you. But First Lieutenant, the citizens of the Republic were just ordinary people. They weren't born cannibals or murderers. Anyone could become like us—if you get hungry enough to want to eat another human.]

Gyeo-ul immediately denied it.

"No. You were worse than that. You put disease and humans on the same stage and enjoyed it. You cheered at their fights and deaths. Do you realize? The last monster tied to a leash is still there. It'll survive for a long time, since it ate a lot."

There was a circle drawn on the floor of the stage. The radius of the circle was the length of the leash binding the mutant.

Once you entered the circle, you couldn't leave until you completed the task. Ten somersaults. Ten push-ups. Ten jumping jacks. Ten hula-hoop turns. Ten jumps with a skipping rope. And so on—ridiculous consecutive challenges that had to be completed while running from the mutant. They weren't predetermined, either. The hosts and the audience demanded them on the spot. The very gestures made it easy to read the madness.

It was against the rules to kill the mutant. Anyone who broke that rule was shot by armed personnel. Even though Gyeo-ul hadn't studied the silent film-like surveillance footage for long, he'd already seen several people killed for breaking the rules.

The tasks became increasingly bizarre.

The worst one was corpse violation. They had to sexually assault a living corpse, a mutant. Killing was still off-limits, so most challengers died. Mutants were incredibly strong. In front of a ravenous rape victim, the unavoidable assailant was helpless prey. The line between victim and perpetrator was blurred.

The moment the victim was bitten, the assailant was executed.

'It was like watching a mantis mate...'

Who'd have thought you could see a female chewing up a male—among humans.

There were even successful cases. How that was possible was a mystery. As proof of success, the host would remove the condom that had been put on ahead of time. What mattered was its contents. When white fluid dripped out, the audience responded with thunderous enthusiasm.

The rules grew ever more complex. At first, there was just the one circle, but later there were as many as five. The opponent to fight was another human. In the tight space where five circles overlapped, the event only ended when the last survivor was standing—a brutal spectacle.

"Are you going to claim you had no choice but to do such things to survive?"

To Gyeo-ul's words, the governor replied lightly.

[Of course.]

"..."

[Are you just pretending to be naive, or are you actually that naive...? You're still young, so maybe it's the latter. In that case, let me teach you, first Lieutenant. Enjoyment is an essential part of life. Humans can't live without pleasure. Why does a prisoner long for the outside world? Hmm? When they are neither starving nor naked nor exposed to wind and rain? Try answering.]

What comes to mind are people so desperate for enjoyment they shout for sex. Audiences from other, unhappier worlds envy even the slight afterlife of a trivial boy. Humans cannot live without pleasure.

"You're right. But even so, you can't squeeze your pleasure from someone else's heart. Don't ask for my agreement while denying the most basic common sense. It's disgusting."

[Hah. Guess my common sense is different from yours.]

"Why is that? Since you keep talking about age, let me say this: humans are social animals. That's something even middle schoolers learn. It means that in life, humans need other humans. It's also the fundamental reason why people shouldn't eat people."

In the same vein, altruism (利他) is ultimately no different from egoism (利己). The two aren't separate. That used to be the boy's dream in his life. Now, after death, it no longer matters.

'I'd rather everyone loved me, instead of just loving myself...'

It was an immature, childish wish. People said you should give first if you want to receive, but when you really gave, nothing came back. Only takers everywhere. That's why the world belonged to those who loved only themselves.

Perhaps people cherished what little they had all the more because they had so little. It was fear of giving what scarce things they had when there was no guarantee of return—a human frailty and limitation. The boy, too, had nothing to give except his own body and heart. He was too small to hate the world itself.

The deranged, intoxicated lunatic interrupted his thoughts.

[Well, you certainly have the right to speak that way. If everything I've seen on TV is true, that is. Honestly, I was impressed. You acted like a person who could kill his own conscience if you had to. That reckless sprint on Santa Maria, risking the lives of your entire squad for one pregnant woman. But you know.]

He continued with a voice tinged with laughter.

[If you live like that, what will be left for you? In the end, there'll be nothing, right? If you give away even your heart for others, can such a life be happy? How happy have you been so far?]

"..."

[Admit it. Conscientious people get applause because that benefits everyone else. A fool who gives everything away—how beautiful is that?]

"Enough."

No need to listen further. He hadn't intended to have this conversation from the beginning. While the murderer had unwittingly poked at Gyeo-ul's wound, in the end these were just self-justifying words.

"You bark too long for something less than a dog."

Even a dog can be cute. This was a deliberately provocative monologue—delivered in a manner quite unlike their previous conversations, full of dramatic stress, creating tension with its awkwardness.

"Saying the world works this way, and saying it should work this way, are very different things, you bastard. Who are you trying to con?"

[Are the deaths of those who would have died anyway really that important?]

On this sea, who would believe a radio program promising to share food unconditionally? Only the truly hopeless would be lured there. As a result, the survival of this ship seemed more important right now, didn't it? The barking nonsense continued, so Gyeo-ul once again cut him off.

"You talk too much. Shut up, and from now on, every unsolicited word you say will cost one of your bones."

The governor sighed with laughter, as if to say, how could someone who talks of humanity say such a thing?

[Hahahaha! That's so humane of you.]

That was one. Gyeo-ul calmly counted the cold numbers.

"If you think about the people who deliberately got infected just to get revenge on you, you should consider yourself lucky I'm not threatening to kill you right now. Until I get there, think carefully about which bone you can do without."

The knife handle was on his side. Even though they only had two people, the threat wasn't empty—because they had a helicopter. There was a lot you could do with a single helicopter.

'If you look at how they lost the bridge and retreated, their remaining firepower must be negligible.'

The third-deck grand galley was where all the ship's food was gathered. It was in the middle of the hull, with limited entrances. A place suited to being a final bastion.

And that was exactly what was bothering him. In case there was still living food left.

'There aren't enough surveillance cameras in the kitchen.'

It was hard to believe the governor had gone so long without being hungry.

"First Lieutenant. I'll take it from here."

Blocking the outgoing call for a moment, Gyeo-ul tilted his head in confusion.

"Is there a reason to do that?"

"From what I've heard, this governor isn't intimidated by you. He's either properly mad, or gave up long ago. In either case, your reputation alone won't have much effect. In that case, it's better that I handle him. When it comes to negotiating with criminals and extracting information, there are few better than the detective bureau."

The fact that she didn't say 'none' made him smile.

"Are you planning to try persuasion?"

"Probing and stimulating the opponent's desires is a basic negotiation technique. Considering the chef we rescued was thrown overboard, there's no way this guy or his accomplices are being treated any better. He surely knows his situation—so he'll be looking to just mess with us. He's got nothing to lose."

Despite all this, the detective still revealed her intent to outwit him in turn.

[Hello-? First Lieutenant Han Gyeo-ul? Is there no one there?]

A giggle came through the speaker.

Gyeo-ul handed her the receiver. The boy was good at reading people, but actually using that ability was another matter entirely.

---------------------------= Author's Postscript ---------------------------=

#Q&A

Q. rumen: @Was the film Gyeo-ul saw "Law Abiding Citizen"? The one starring Gerard Butler?

A. Yes, that's right. The ending is disturbing, which makes it all the better for pondering limits. Hehe.

Q. 淸流蓮: @Also, author-nim, in my dream a shadow appeared and said if I gave up my soul, the author would update more. That wasn't you, right?

A. Ah, that was a fake—actually, a Pericana Chicken impersonating me. If it pops up again, start gnawing on its legs.

Q. lifesaver: @It seems there were more cannibalistic cultures in history than I thought—China, Europe, South America, etc.

A. I think they existed wherever there were humans.

Q. RGZ95: @As expected, it's something that can't be left out in a world like this @[email protected]

A. There was a cannibalism episode in "The Walking Dead (game)" season 1, too. It was really fun—but I'm hesitant to replay it on Steam. I'm curious about season 2 as well...

Q. Pirque: @Thank you. The charm of your writing lies in setting, narrative, and logic. It clearly exceeds the average of recent novels in quality. Please keep writing, and thank you for publishing such a work.

A. Thank you for sticking with such a slow, niche series.

Q. Na-Ru: @Hmm, was the movie Gyeo-ul watched "Law Abiding Citizen"? By the way, I think something was skipped in the middle.

A. If you were missing detailed information about the Colosseum, I believe this chapter covered that.