Who left their last words here?

Chapter 25 Crow, can I trust you?

"...I had worked so hard to raise it for so long, I was almost developing an attachment to it."

Han, the adjutant, suddenly seemed to sigh, and narrowed her charming, peach-blossom-like eyes.

"But there's nothing we can do about it."

"If someone has to go up, someone else has to go down."

"I'm really looking forward to seeing how the newcomers perform..."

Suddenly remembering something, Lieutenant Han instructed the bald man again:
"You should come over after midnight the day after tomorrow. There should be some fresh produce here then."

"Understood," the bald man replied solemnly.

Lieutenant Han nodded in satisfaction, then took out a black notebook from his pocket.

The notebook's leather cover is somewhat worn, clearly indicating that it has been used for a long time, but it has been carefully preserved and shows no signs of wear.

He flipped to the far back of the notebook and began to write something down, continuing from where he left off.

The bald man took two steps back, keeping his eyes straight ahead, not daring to look any further.

"Very good, then the deal is successfully completed."

Putting away his notebook, Lieutenant Han gestured for his subordinates to pick up several large suitcases, then turned and said something.
"Let's hurry up, or the patrol will come soon."

"What if someone finds out..."

A slight smile played on his lips as he said:

"I'll skin you alive!"

The tone was ambiguous, but the content was extremely dangerous.

Especially when paired with the Black Cat Sheriff plush toy sitting on the ground with its belly exposed...

This sent chills down the spines of the bald men.

With a soft chuckle from Lieutenant Han, both sides departed.

The bald man and his honest underlings left first, and then Deputy Commander Han looked around before turning and leaving with his subordinates.

The tombs have returned to a deathly silence.

however……

None of them noticed.

It's not far from here.

Beneath the silent, towering tombstone.

A pair of eyes, peering through the gaps in the darkness, watched their departing figures—

My eyes are bloodshot!

……

The truth behind the missing body seems to have been revealed.

That's... Section Chief Liu?

Suspected.

The cold and cruel scenes constantly stimulated Bai Zhou's nerves.

What are they doing, and what are they trading?
What exactly is this so-called "talent"?
Anger, doubt, and horror alternately stimulated Bai Zhou's nerves.

Everything that Bai Zhou had never imagined suddenly unfolded before him.

He really wanted to follow them and find out what was going on.

But just a few glances at Han, the adjutant's presence sent a chill down Bai Zhou's spine.

This person is very dangerous!
It would be foolish to take any action without knowing anything about the situation.

Unprovoked courage is not true courage;
A blind person walking quickly will surely fall into a deep pit!

The remaining rationality barely kept Bai Zhou from remaining dormant in the deep pit.

However, this matter will not end here.

Staring intently at the departing figures of Deputy Commander Han and the others, Bai Zhou's face was ashen in the darkness, and he gripped the urn with even greater force.

Before tonight, Bai Zhou could actually accept the death of Section Chief Liu.

From the very first day they joined the organization, it was Section Chief Liu who kept emphasizing the high casualty rate of the Special Administration Bureau to the new recruits.

His teacher, his colleague, his boss...

And now, it's his turn.

This place has always been filled with danger and opportunity, but there are also many idealistic and passionate people who are always ready to sacrifice for the Federation and its citizens.

Since that's the case, dying on the path of pursuing ideals will make one an immortal hero...

While it is certainly painful for the living, there is no need to feel sorry for them.

Because that's called dying a worthy death.

——That’s how it should be.

But now, a hero, a familiar and dear predecessor,

It seems they've been turned into that horrifying state.

His daughter is still lying in the hospital.

This is neither normal nor correct.

Someone has to pay the price for this.

the day after tomorrow……

Bai Zhou frowned.

The day after tomorrow is the day the Blood Worship Cult will invade.

It seems that Lieutenant Han plans to do something that day.

perhaps……

He can also prepare to do something on that day.

But before that, there is one thing that Bai Zhou needs to figure out.

Was it Deputy Commander Han who became the mole, colluding with outsiders to betray his colleagues for personal gain?

Or is there someone else behind Deputy Han, representing the entire organization, or perhaps the will of the organization's top leadership?

Even... the entire mysterious world of Blue Star is like this, a world where cannibalism is commonplace?
This is a very important issue.

If this is just an isolated case involving Deputy Commander Han, then this matter is easy to handle.

Bai Zhou is not an outsider; he is an organization specialist and a newly promoted P3, so he can easily utilize the organization's internal resources.

If the higher-ups find out the truth, Han's fate is self-evident.

—But if the entire Special Administration is like this, Shirabuki will have to reconsider his own situation.

If the entire mysterious world of Earth were like this...

He'd rather go back to Night City, back to the Reflection Ruins, and dance with that fat white guy; that would be more reassuring.

Fortunately, it now seems that the former is more likely.

After all, Lieutenant Han was still avoiding the patrol team and acting furtively.

Actually, there's a logic that just doesn't make sense no matter how you look at it—

As an extraordinary individual, Section Chief Liu is undoubtedly a mid-to-high-level member of the organization, and he is also a P4 personally promoted by the Major. He can be described as worshipping the Major, who is at the highest level of the base.

Given his loyalty to the organization and the major, and his position as the head of the Inspection Section of the Maintenance Department, it's unreasonable for Section Chief Liu to be completely unaware of any problems within the entire upper echelons of the organization.

Why shouldn't he be recruited into our ranks?
There's no reason why he shouldn't be a beneficiary of this "cannibalistic" system, but rather a victim at the very bottom of society.

Even with Deputy Commander Han... Section Chief Liu clearly trusted him, otherwise he wouldn't have told Bai Zhou that he had "backing".

Since he is willing to trust this "backer," he must have a reason to do so.

Even if it was Deputy Commander Han himself, he shouldn't have ignored the other special administration commissioners and extraordinary individuals and killed one of his capable subordinates.

Why target only one's own people and weaken one's own power?
Moreover, it involves risking exposure to painstakingly kill a dangerous extraordinary individual capable of resistance who always carries a mechanical briefcase with him.
This doesn't make sense. Within the Special Administration Bureau, there are many people with lower status, weaker power, and easier targets than Section Chief Liu.

Bai Zhou couldn't understand.

Moreover, according to Section Chief Liu's words, it would be unlikely that he could get a promotion without the help of a "backer".

So, on the one hand, Deputy Commander Han helped Bai Zhou get a promotion because of Section Chief Liu's influence, and on the other hand, he treated Section Chief Liu this way.

He even took the initiative to find Bai Zhou and encourage him to work harder and advance to the Extraordinary rank as soon as possible.

Is this person schizophrenic?

...Perhaps, the existence of Deputy Commander Han should be separated from the "organization".

Perhaps the reason is simpler than Bai Zhou thought.

Perhaps Section Chief Liu simply stumbled upon some secret of Deputy Commander Han, and had no choice but to be silenced?

However, there are far too many possibilities like this.

They all transformed into a thick fog that enveloped the white boat.

"Click-"

The cement slab in front of the tombstone was lifted.

A hand stretched out.

White Boat climbed out of the grave and stood in the quiet resting place.

His figure was somewhat hunched.

But he eventually took firm steps.

Standing still and daydreaming is useless.

Even the thickest fog can be seen once you get close.

Even the most turbulent river can be known to its depth once you wade in.

Bai Zhou has decided to take action.

He knew he had to prepare for the worst and from now on be extremely vigilant about everything around him.

—Two days.

There are only two days left until the arrival of the Blood Worship Cult.

Bai Zhou knew that if he were to take any action, the best opportunity would be on that day.

Before that, he had to figure out the truth hidden behind Lieutenant Han.

"Try it."

he said to himself.

This unsettling sense of crisis made him inexplicably nostalgic for Wancheng.

Everyone told him how dangerous and absurd Night City was.

but……

As they were about to leave the tomb, Bai Zhou turned around.

He looked around at the rows of tombstones.

The blinding light from the overhead LED strips poured down again, cascading onto Section Chief Liu's "grave."

Bai Zhou's eyes revealed a hint of mockery and doubt.

Is this place, Blue Star, Special Administration... really that much better?
—It's hard to say.

But now Bai Zhou can only pray that the Special Administration and Deputy Han are two different things.

It's easy to become irreconcilably opposed to someone.

To be an enemy of an entire official organization

Very handsome.

But they died very quickly!

This pressure came on like a tidal wave, suffocating everyone.

"Even so, should we still investigate thoroughly?"

Bai Zhou walked on the deserted road, asking himself softly.

What if they find out something really serious?

But the answer came to me before I even had to think about it.

—Isn't that obvious?

Although everything is currently shrouded in mystery, Bai Zhou has many questions that need to be answered.
But he only knew one thing clearly—

Someone is going to die.

At the very least, Lieutenant Han must die!
Or perhaps, there are many more people who deserve to die.

He will figure this out no matter what.

Then, the damned person—

Kill them all!
……

"Come back so late?"

In the dormitory, Ya lay reclining on a suspended ribbon, reading a book.

Hearing Bai Zhou open the door and come in, she didn't even look up, and casually asked a question.

But no response.

"what?"

With a hint of doubt, Ya looked up and saw Bai Zhou's silent expression.

This was the first time she had seen Bai Zhou so downcast, and...

Those eyes looked utterly unfamiliar.

Even when he looked at her, he no longer seemed as affectionate as before.

He seemed wary of everything and distrusted everything around him.

Just like when we first left the city at night.

...Slowly closing the book and putting it away, Ya's expression turned serious as he walked slowly beside Bai Zhou.

The familiar aroma of coffee wafted towards Bai Zhou's nose, mingled with a mysterious, subtle fragrance of oranges.

"What happened?"

The crow approached and whispered...
"Can you tell me about it?"

"..."

Bai Zhou pursed his lips, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

There is one thing he cannot do on his own.

But crows can do it very easily.

"crow."

Finally, he carefully examined the crow for a long time and said:
"Can I trust you?"

　I'm a bit overwhelmed. I was just on the smart recommendation feed this afternoon when Shen He suddenly appeared three times in a row inexplicably in the previous chapter...

　　When I first started writing the book, it was also censored. People who didn't know better would have thought I was writing something else entirely.

　　Since starting the book, I've had all sorts of bad luck, it's almost like I'm possessed by Touma, and I don't even have Touma's luck with women.

　　But I quickly adjusted my mindset, because I knew everyone was waiting for updates, so I had to hurry up and write.

　　This chapter is 3k words long and is the first update. More will follow later.

　　Everything's going wrong; I hope to see a rainbow after the rain. (Sigh)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)