Infinite Chimera Creation

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Cruelty

"More powerful weapons...?"

With his head down, Rentaro couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. Although he was well aware of his identity as a "mechanical warrior"—that he was indeed a weapon to the higher-ups—it still made him somewhat sad to be pointed out so directly to his face.

Fortunately, Rentaro has gotten used to the idea that "mechanized soldiers are equivalent to weapons" in recent years, and he no longer becomes as dejected as he was when he first heard it, not leaving his room for a week.

He clenched his fist tightly, telling himself, "I don't care what others think. As long as I can use this power to protect the people I want to protect, it doesn't matter if I'm used as a weapon." Then, Rentaro put on his signature smile again and perked up to listen to what Yuan Yuan had to say next.

Hongye, who was also considered a weapon, remained completely unwavering thanks to Yuan Yuan's intentional or unintentional guidance over the years. Her expression neither turned cold nor showed any sadness; she appeared utterly resolute.

Yuan Yuan reached for the teacup, intending to take a sip, but then noticed two sizable chips in it, and the tea had all spilled out. He then realized that he had broken the teacup himself.

Seeing Yuan Yuan frowning while holding the broken teacup, Rentaro and Koyo tensed up, fearing he might unjustly take his anger out on them. However, they were reassured that Yuan Yuan didn't seem to care about such a trivial matter. He took a new teacup from the tea set, poured himself some tea, took a sip, and continued talking. This time, however, Yuan Yuan's topic seemed completely unrelated to what he had just discussed.

"Rentaro Satomi, do you know how the cursed child came to be?"

After asking this question with a seemingly profound meaning, Yuan Yuan stopped talking and quietly drank his tea, clearly waiting for Rentaro's answer.

Rentaro certainly knew how the Cursed Child came to be, after all, in just half a month, he would be going to collect the Cursed Child partner that the professor had prepared for him, who would be the police officer's "Initiator". In order to get along well with his future partner, Rentaro had put in a lot of effort to learn about the Cursed Child. He could recite the most basic knowledge about how the Cursed Child came to be without even having to recall it.

However, considering that the person asking him was a world-class researcher, Rentaro mentally reviewed his answer first, making sure there were no problems, before carefully giving his reply.

"If a pregnant human woman is harmed by Gastrea and infected with Gastrea virus, and the infection rate is less than 50%, the baby in the mother's womb will inherit the Gastrea virus from the mother. These babies are what people call the 'cursed children'."

Finally, Rentaro couldn't help but add a piece of knowledge that wasn't directly related to the appearance of the cursed child, but which he found very fascinating.

"And regardless of their original sex, all babies will be forcibly transformed into females the moment they acquire Enterovirus."

Although Rentaro mentioned a little-known fact that could spark the imaginations of someone with a particular interest, Yuan Yuan showed no reaction. Instead, he calmly looked at Rentaro's face and said indifferently,

"Now you know how the higher-ups manufacture more powerful weapons."

Rentaro, feeling somewhat embarrassed about what he had just said, changed his slightly awkward expression to confusion upon hearing Yuan Yuan's words. This quickly transformed into intense disbelief and extreme anger, and his voice unconsciously rose.

"No, they couldn't possibly do that, this is just too cruel!"

At first, Hongye didn't understand what Yuan Yuan meant. After hearing Rentaro's words, she realized what he meant and her face turned pale instantly. Her body, which had been standing straight, began to sway. Fortunately, she managed to grab the chair Yuan Yuan was sitting on in time so that she wouldn't fall.

"Why not? That's exactly what they did."

Without a change in expression, Yuan Yuan calmly uttered words that were excessively cruel to both of them present.

"The argument that ordinary Gastrea should be dealt with by ordinary Cursed Children, while monster-level Gastrea should be dealt with by monster-infected Cursed Children, has received the approval of almost everyone in the higher-ups."

"But, but times have changed. The monolith has been erected, and Gastrea will no longer invade settlements in large numbers. Pregnant women should have no chance to come into contact with Gastrea!"

Waving his hands, Rentaro's face turned bright red with anger, and even his eyes turned a chilling blood color.

"Your anger means you've already guessed the answer, right? Yes, under normal circumstances, pregnant women can't be infected by Gastrea, but... can't we just infect them artificially? Although we can't defeat the monsters, we can obtain their blood by paying some price. Only with this blood can humans create cursed children of monster level, can't we?"

As he finished speaking, Yuan Yuan's eyes narrowed into narrow slits, obscuring the light within.

"This era is the worst era, the craziest era. Madmen, trash, idiots, all sorts of clowns have jumped onto the stage and are performing all sorts of disgusting dramas."

Hongye could no longer hear what Yuan Yuan said after that. After hearing that her terrible suspicion had been confirmed, her mind went completely blank.

Hongye originally believed that her group of cursed children, who appeared during the Gastrea tide, would be the last batch of cursed children. After they died, no new cursed children would appear, and no child would repeat their tragic experience.

However, what Yuan Yuan said made Hongye understand that even if all Gastrea disappeared, as long as the greed and evil thoughts of the human elite did not stop, the convenient weapon of the Cursed Child would not disappear, and the curse placed on the Cursed Child would never disappear.

Hongye didn't understand. She really didn't understand. Everyone knew how pathetic the children of the curse were—rejected by humans, regarded as monsters, ignored and unloved by anyone, destined to become mindless monsters. So why would anyone create children of the curse?

Momiji fell silent, but Rentaro couldn't. Anger made his body, which wouldn't falter even in the toughest battles, tremble violently. His arms braced against the table in front of him, Rentaro pressed his face tightly against the communicator, as if that would allow him to see Sumire Muroto on the other end. He growled, his face contorted.

"Doctor, tell me this isn't true! Tell me this isn't true!!"

P.S., thank you to 【雨天】【源苍淵】【∑(?Д?)y】 for the monthly tickets.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Falsehood

"I'm sorry... Rentaro."

After a long pause, Sumire Muroto's dry and weak voice finally came through the communicator. The moment he heard that voice, Rentaro's eyes became completely vacant, and he slumped heavily back into his chair as if all his strength had been drained.

In the great catastrophe nine years ago, Rentaro lost everything he had—his parents, his family, and even a part of his own body. He was completely desperate at that time, but it was Sumire Muroto, who performed the modification surgery on him, and Kisara Tendo, who gave him a reason to live, who pulled him out of despair.

To put it bluntly, Rentaro's world is surprisingly small, only big enough to accommodate Sumire Muroto and Kisara Tendo, and perhaps his yet-to-be-met cursed child partner will be added in the future.

But now, a part of Rentaro's world has collapsed.

Rentaro always believed that Dr. Sumire Muroto was kind. Even after agreeing to the modification and having his body modified, he regretted turning him into a mechanized warrior who had to participate in brutal battles.

But now, the kind woman who was part of Rentaro's world has become the complete opposite in his eyes. She actually, with her own hands, created those tragic children!

Why! Why would that doctor who always looked at me with regret and pity do such a thing?!

Rentaro covered his face with both hands, trying not to let his tears and inner roars spill out.

But Yuan Yuan seemed to have seen through his doubts...and his last glimmer of hope. A sharp smile curved his lips, and he spoke slowly in a soft yet icy voice,

"Regret does not equate to repentance."

A single, unadorned sentence easily shattered Rentaro's last glimmer of hope for Sumire Muroto. His hands, which had been covering his face, fell limply to his sides, tears streaming down his face. Rentaro couldn't utter a single word, only letting out meaningless sobs.

Rentaro wasn't unaware of the world's darkness; on the contrary, as a mechanized soldier and once the sharpest blade in the hands of the higher-ups, he had witnessed the darkness of humanity more than once. He had done his fair share of purging traitors, and the messages they revealed in their dying moments always refreshed his understanding of the darkness of human nature. But he always firmly believed that the Doctor was good.

No matter how dark or corrupt the world is, as long as the people I want to protect are kind, I have the courage to live with my head held high in this corrupt world. Rentaro had always firmly believed this, but reality disappointed him once again, and drove him to despair once more. If it weren't for the figure of Kisara Tendo supporting him in his heart, Rentaro would probably have completely collapsed by now.

With narrowed eyes and a wicked smile playing on his lips, Yuan Yuan stared maliciously at the weeping Rentaro, as if admiring some beautiful sight.

Suddenly, a trembling little hand grabbed Yuan Yuan's sleeve from behind and tugged at it gently. Disturbed, Yuan Yuan showed no anger. He put away the uncomfortable smile on his lips and slowly turned around.

Let me see if your magnanimity can meet my expectations of you.

Looking at Hongye behind him, who could barely stand by supporting herself on the back of the chair, Yuan Yuan remained silent, waiting for her to speak first.

Without keeping Yuan Yuan waiting long, Hongye took two quick, deep breaths, and with a slightly choked voice, spoke rapidly.

"Mr. Yuan Yuan, why didn't you tell me this news before?"

After asking the question that had been on her mind with all her might, Hongye stared at Yuan Yuan with fear in her eyes, afraid of hearing an answer that would leave her in despair.

Rentaro's world is small, but Momiji's world is even smaller. In Rentaro's world, there are two people: Sumire Muroto and Kisara Tendo. But in Momiji's world, there is only Engen.

For Hongye, who had no relatives since childhood and whose only companions were those who harbored ill will towards her or treated her as a weapon, Yuan Yuan, the first person who treated her like a human being, who would hold her when she was unconscious, and who would pat her head when she behaved well, was her whole world. Therefore, even those other cursed children like Hongye were not as important to her as Yuan Yuan.

Please, I'll give you any reason, even if you say, "I just found out today," I'll believe you. As long as you're willing to explain, I'll believe you. As long as it's not "I was also involved in this plan," no, as long as it's not "I proposed this plan," I will continue to believe in you and follow you.

Staring intently at Yuan Yuan, Hongye prayed anxiously, and the short time she had to wait for his reply now felt incredibly long.

Under Hongye's gaze, Yuan Yuan slowly spoke, the words uttered as cold and steady as ever.

Even if I told you, what could you change?

"me……"

Hongye fell silent, because she knew that she really couldn't change anything. The decisions of the human government's top leadership would not be altered because of a cursed child, even if this cursed child was somewhat special.

"When I first started teaching you, I always intentionally or unintentionally taught you some knowledge that leaders must master. If you learn and master them, then after you know the truth, at the very least you can become the leader of those children, lead them to rebel against humanity, and change this sad reality."

However, Yuan Yuan's words did not stop because of Hongye's silence; they continued.

"But you clearly sensed my intentions, yet you refused to learn that knowledge because you naively believed that as long as you endured, you could change people's attitudes, and that resistance would only lead to a more tragic end. So now, even if you know the truth, you can only watch and do nothing."

Finally, Hongye lost even the strength to hold onto the chair, and collapsed softly to the ground. Looking down at Hongye, Yuan Yuan's eyes were cold, yet seemed to hold a hint of expectation, though that expectation was so faint that one might doubt it was just an illusion.

The living room fell silent once again. Apart from Rentaro's occasional meaningless noises, no one spoke. Even Sumire Muroto on the other end of the communicator wisely kept quiet.

After an unknown amount of time, Rentaro stood up, bowed to Yuan Yuan with empty and emotionless eyes to say goodbye, and then turned and left this place that had brought him despair.

After Rentaro left, Shiki quietly entered the living room and took away Momiji, who had lost consciousness at some point.

After everyone else had left the living room, Yuan Yuan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them again. Looking at the silent communicator in front of him, he said coldly,

"Now, we can talk."

"I would be delighted."

The voice coming from the other side, that of Sumire Muroto, was not at all as dry as before; it was still languid and gentle, as if... nothing had happened.

P.S., thanks to [Blue Cat Turns the Book] for the monthly ticket, and thanks to [Qin En·i·Fantasy Land] for the donation.

Chapter Forty Unexpected

A smirk played on Yuan Yuan's lips, a mocking glint in his eyes. He showed no surprise whatsoever at the change in Muroto Sumire's tone.

"What? Not going to keep up the act anymore?"

"Hehe, Mr. Yuan is joking."

Sumire Muroto's lazy, low laughter came through the communicator. Hearing this laughter, Yuan Yuan could even imagine that seemingly gloomy woman leaning against the table, lazily stirring the exotic food in her beaker while talking to him.

“I have done my utmost in front of Yuan Jun. If Rentaro still believes in me, this performance is enough to bring him back to my side. If Rentaro no longer believes in me, nothing I do will make a difference. Besides…”

Muroto Sumire's laughter rang out again, causing Yuan Yuan to frown in displeasure.

"As one of the Four Sages, I naturally have no shortage of mechanized warriors under my command. Although Satomi-kun's talent is indeed very high, which of those who survived the modification surgery has poor talent?"

Most importantly, you're clearly settling old scores, so how can I possibly try to keep Rentaro here?

Stirring the Gastrea Eye Curry simmering in the beaker, Sumire Muroto looked at the communicator in front of her. Her voice remained languid, but a bitter smile appeared on her lips.

After discovering the surveillance device on Koyo, Yuan Yuan released an extremely valuable document, demanding that his collaborators thoroughly eliminate everyone involved. Because of the importance placed on that document by the higher-ups, everyone connected to the surveillance device incident disappeared, except for Muroto Sumire, one of the Four Sages, who was overlooked.

After learning of this, Yuan Yuan made no comment, seemingly unconcerned about Muroto Sumire escaping the net. However, through her years of interaction with Yuan Yuan, Muroto Sumire had come to understand that this perpetually cold-faced man was definitely not the magnanimous type; his indifference was simply because he chose not to pursue the matter at the moment.

Although Yuan Yuan hadn't mentioned it again for four years, Muroto Sumire dared not truly forget it and kept it in her heart. So when Yuan Yuan deliberately told Rentaro the truth in front of Momiji, Muroto Sumire realized that the score from back then had to be settled, and the price to pay was Satomi Rentaro.

While the loss of Rentaro Satomi is indeed regrettable, considering that we no longer need to worry about Yuan-kun suddenly plotting against us, and can cooperate with peace of mind, it's not entirely a loss.

With a silent thought, Muroto Sumire raised one of her bright red eyes and took a big bite.

"boring."

Displeased that Muroto Sumire's attitude wasn't as interesting as he'd expected, Yuan Yuan frowned and decisively changed the subject.

"Tell me, what exactly happened that made you four sages come to me for help, and specifically for the basic technology of [Development Catalysis]?"

Although Yuan Yuan's concept of "basic technology" differs from that of ordinary people, leading him to often regard technologies that ordinary researchers cannot develop over several generations as basic technologies, this "developmental catalysis" technology truly is a basic technology.

Even in some technologically underdeveloped settlements, there would definitely be technology related to developmental catalysis, let alone Tokyo, where one of the Four Sages, Sumire Muroto, is in charge.

"Well, we do have the technology for developmental catalysis, and more than one set, but we can't use them now."