Chapter 310
NO.0145: Anger and Interrogation
Things unfolded exactly as Booker had initially predicted—he could control the entire radio station all by himself.
Booker encountered virtually no resistance whatsoever. The only thing to be careful about was to use restraint when striking, so as not to cause any injuries.
In fact, he did achieve that.
When Jiang Zhou and the illustrator entered the radio station, he had already taken control of everyone there in the basement.
"It was a close call! Thank goodness you guys helped block the internet."
Seeing the two members of the professional team approaching, Booker said with lingering fear.
"They actually set up a hidden route to hijack the simulation experience center, and they almost released that simulation movie to the public."
If it were broadcast, it would conservatively be estimated that at least a thousand people would be infected with the Rainbow Bridge parasite.
To this, the illustrator simply waved his hand dismissively and said:
"It's nothing. Sealing off civilian facilities like yours isn't difficult. I only used about 30% of my strength... But who was that guy who kept trying to break through the blockade with the icebreaker?"
Before Booker could introduce him, Uejin Goro, who was tied up in the center, spoke up after he finished speaking.
"You were the one who just blocked the domain, weren't you? You're so arrogant, but the blocking methods you used are clearly dark web malware... Booker, when did you start associating with scum like this?"
As he spoke, he spat viciously on the ground.
Whether inspired by him or not, many people around him started spitting along with him. The sound of "he-tui" was deafening. If any Freeman (note*) were present, they would surely think they were receiving the highest level of courtesy.
Booker shook his head apologetically, while Jiang Zhou stepped forward and asked directly:
"Are you the 'director' mentioned in the Thracian club's files?"
"I'm your stepfather! You company dog!"
The other party retorted rudely, making Jiang Zhou momentarily think he was browsing an e-sports forum.
But Jiang Zhou wasn't annoyed. He calmly continued to ask:
"To be honest, I don't really care what your political stance is. But are you personally aware of everything that happened at Thrace Club?"
His tone was very gentle, but beneath that gentleness lay a brutal intent to drag the other person's substitute program to the "Slaughter Art Museum" in the City of Sages and lock it up for a few days.
He had endured for a very long time what had happened at the Thracian club—no matter what the other party's stance was, even if they had the noblest intentions, such a tragedy should not have been allowed to happen.
Goro's answer to this was...
"Heh, trying to get information out of me, huh? Let me tell you, no matter what methods you use..."
"Snap—"
Without warning, Jiang Zhou drew his dagger and precisely pierced the back of the other person's hand, which was tied to the armrest of the seat.
"Now, look me in the eyes and answer this question, tough guy—"
He spoke slowly and deliberately, looking at the other person's brow furrowed in intense pain, and then twisted the dagger again.
Neither the draftsman nor Booker expected that the mortician, who had always been so amiable, would suddenly resort to torture to extract a confession. They were both stunned for a moment.
There was neither cooperation nor obstruction.
I never expected the mortician to be such a sentimental person...
This was the illustrator's first thought.
He had also seen the information Booker sent them about the sordid things that happened at the Thrace club. But he didn't take the matter to heart—such things, while not exactly the norm in society, were certainly not surprising.
At least for someone like me who hasn't experienced it firsthand, this kind of thing doesn't stir up much indignation or anger. At most, after reading the report, I'd express some polite sympathy for the girls who were victimized and the people who were scammed.
Moreover, interrogating the leader of the Icarus Liberation Front in front of him... it's not that it's impossible, but it seems a bit too disrespectful to a Depth 4 Coordinator.
The illustrator thought to himself, while nervously watching Booker beside him.
Jiang Zhou's sudden attack, however, presented a completely different picture in Booker's eyes. Information about the Thracian Club occupied a large portion of the materials Jim Ritter had previously sent. When Booker saw how many atrocities those people had committed in the name of the Icarus Liberation Front, he was utterly stunned.
From Icarus's perspective, his first reaction was that this matter should be handled internally—the perpetrators should certainly be punished, including by execution, and the victims and their families should receive due compensation, but the whole matter itself must be completely severed from the organization.
Otherwise, the public image of the Icarus Liberation Front will be in serious trouble.
This is also why he previously stated that he wanted to handle it alone.
He certainly sympathized with the victims, but having not personally witnessed those tragedies and thus unable to fully empathize, he was probably more concerned about the impact this incident would have on the organization than with anger at the deaths of strangers.
Perhaps because he has been in the position of leader for too long, his thinking has become more rational, or rather, cold-blooded in calculating gains and losses.
But the committee investigator, codenamed "The Mortician," reacted, his anger, his revenge... as if he were a witness to the events, having seen the victims' eyes and heard their anger firsthand.
In a daze, Booker seemed to see the shadow of his old friend in him.
If it were him, even a stranger as a victim would probably feel the same anger...
This thought made him feel ashamed of his previous reaction.
"Very well, you still don't want to say, huh..."
The mortician pulled the dagger from the man's hand, which was now covered in so much unblemished skin, and his expression grew increasingly grim with extreme anger.
He turned his head and looked at the two people behind him who hadn't made any move.
"Could you two please step outside for a moment? I have some special methods to get him to talk, but it might make things look rather unsightly here..."
Upon seeing this, the draftsman quickly stepped forward, grabbed the other person's shoulder, and said:
"Hey, Encoffiner, forget it, it's not worth it..."
He also sent a message saying:
[Let me search through the data in his brain-computer interface that wasn't encrypted by the mandala; I might find something, but I won't end up covered in blood. Besides, I should be mindful of my public image in front of Icarus.]
Booker walked forward without saying a word, and then...
"Snapped--"
That was a resounding slap accelerated by the arm's power system.
Broken teeth and saliva flew everywhere.
"mud……"
Goro's chin was crooked, drool was dripping from his mouth, and he looked at Booker with a puzzled expression.
"Look at the mess you've made at Thrace Club! Is this your so-called means of resistance?! Is the suffering of these innocent people one of the prices we should have to pay?!"
As Booker spoke, a miniature projector extended from his shoulder, projecting all the obscene materials onto the faces of the captured personnel.
"Tell me, if Liao Qi saw what you've done, what would his reaction be?!"
Goro's eye sockets were somewhat deformed from the slap he received earlier, and his eyeballs struggled to move within them as he scanned the documents with difficulty.
“I have…”
Because of his dislocated jaw, his speech was slurred.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Zhou glanced at the draftsman, who immediately understood his meaning and then released some of the information suppression regarding Wulang's presence in the room.
Goro's voice began playing from the basement speakers.
"I wasn't involved in any of this. I just handed over the encrypted Dionysus virus to 'The Painter' to decipher. I had no idea that's how he deciphered it!"
His voice was also full of indignation. (End of Chapter)