WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ The Little Prince in the Ossuary

Chapter 123

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April Vengeance (11)

The Governor refused to reveal his name to the very end.

[My name? Haha, no. I cannot tell you that. I am the Governor. That is all. Even if human history somehow continues, my name will not remain in it.]

It was an unsettlingly strange obsession. Calling someone by name was a tool for empathetic dialogue. Since building common ground is a basic condition for successful negotiation, they had hit a wall from the start.

Still, Joanna Gibson was an experienced negotiator. She carefully relayed her 「Insight」 to Gyeoul. The psychology of a criminal obsessed with hiding his identity was, in the end, deception used to cover guilt.

"You need to know this, Lieutenant. You will be facing him alone. I doubt conversation will even be possible, but we should prepare for that chance. We know nothing about your side of the situation."

At that moment, Gyeoul was passing deck 7 and pushing through deck 6. The FBI agent remained on the bridge. Negotiations were over, but she still had work to do there.

"If we assume success, surprise is always effective. A man with strong intellectual vanity gets absorbed in his own words. He starts admiring his own eloquence. You could call it a form of narcissism. So I will keep him talking. While he does that, it will be hard for him to think about anything else."

The more his role-play based self-justification was encouraged, the hotter it would run. During that window, Gyeoul had to force his way down to deck 4. It was a tactic to reduce the enemy's room to react to the absolute limit.

Walking down a quiet corridor, Gyeoul replayed the negotiation in his head.

[No, no. A hero is on this ship right now, so I cannot leave alive. Even if I got out, all that would wait for me is a death sentence in some noble courtroom.]

The Governor had not believed they would spare him.

[You do not understand, Joanna Gibson? Lieutenant Han Gyeoul is there. If he were not, maybe I could hope. But the moment that lieutenant boarded this ship, I became the villain in a hero story. The public will go wild for a clash between good and evil. That clash naturally ends with the villain's downfall.]

He was referring to the propaganda broadcasts that had already gone out worldwide. His twisted logic predicted that the April Pacific tragedy would be added to them.

[So your promise is meaningless. Someone far above you will want a burnt offering. Oh, citizens of America. Behold this villain burning brightly! And remind yourselves that you are different from him! ...Aha, yes. Order is built on somebody's corpse. Just as I built order on this ship. The worst order is better than the best chaos.]

A boy hero slays cannibal monsters on a lonely sea and restores justice. Was this not the Odyssey of the 21st century? That was how the killer raved. The original tale he referenced was Odysseus meeting a one-eyed monster. Similar enough, maybe. The one-eyed giants on Sicily raised sheep and lived by eating humans.

Once the killer became drunk on himself, arguing back was pointless.

So the investigator guided the negotiation into a contest of pride.

"I think there is another reason behind his fatalism. I do not know what it is yet... but we can use it."

Those were Joanna Gibson's words.

Gyeoul reached his midpoint stop. The maintenance office on deck 6. The door marked Authorized Personnel Only stood open. Inside was a maintenance vertical shaft. It was not on the guide map, but they had confirmed it through CCTV. He should be able to go down to deck 5. The FBI investigator's voice came through the speakers.

-Enter. There is nothing behind the door.

While dealing with the madman, she was also tracking Gyeoul's movements.

-5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Bulkhead closure complete. You no longer need to worry about your rear. I do not see any special mutants capable of breaking a bulkhead. Multiple mutant groups confirmed inside the maintenance office. At the fork ahead, six standard mutants are five meters to the left. Farther in, out of sight, more than twenty additional mutants are confirmed. After first contact, you are expected to encounter the follow-up group within 20 seconds at most. Prepare for continuous combat.

A system built for ship announcements had now become a command channel. The remotely controlled bulkheads from the bridge helped too. Each time her restrained voice rang out, shrill mutant cries followed. Heads twisting, claws rattling.

Two-way communication was impossible. She and Gyeoul were too far apart. The radio was dead. If he absolutely had to send something, he would have to find one of the wired intercoms in each section, or stand in front of a camera and combine written notes with gestures.

He had not needed that yet. The investigator was even serving as a Noise Maker. Impressive.

-There is one juvenile specimen mixed in. Use caution in engagement.

That meant he needed to adjust his height when shooting for vital points. A warning for flat-plane engagement.

Gyeoul looked at the ceiling. Above the fluorescent lights, unknown pipes crossed in a messy web. Could those hold his weight?

He could test it. Kicking off both walls in turn, he climbed three meters up. He minimized impact as he grabbed and hung. No sound up to that point. Fine metal dust dropped from the mounts. Even on a luxury cruise, places no one stepped into and no one looked at were always neglected. Even so, it was sturdy.

'Unexpected. My load is over 0.1 ton right now.'

Body armor, ballistic plates, assorted backup weapons and explosives, ammo bag. Add extra gear and the weight turned murderous. It felt heavy even for Gyeoul, who had already gone beyond normal human limits.

Still hanging, he shifted his feet. The mount gave a low metallic ring. It seemed workable. Gyeoul loosened his grip. Tchak. A landing so soft it was nearly silent.

But the disease had already heard the metal and started nosing around. Their footsteps approached the corner. Dragging steps. Bare feet and shod feet were mixed together. Gyeoul prepared for close-range fire. Bayonet in one hand, pistol in the other.

Three, two, one. Crunch. He stabbed the first one that appeared. Deep under the jaw. Blood poured out. Five more behind it. They noticed Gyeoul and screamed. As they reached and surged forward, he timed the moment their balance tangled and kicked the dead one under their knees.

Crash.

'Maximum 20 seconds. 19, 18, 17...'

The investigator's estimate had been right. Gyeoul fired into the domino pile with his pistol. Tatatatang. Four rapid shots punched four holes through four crowns. 16, 15, 14.

Only the juvenile survived. As it struggled up, Gyeoul raised his bayonet and slashed straight across its two small eyes. Slash. Blood sprayed across the wall. 13, 12.

It still charged, so he baited it. He ran loudly on purpose. Thump thump thump. Blinded, the juvenile crashed and stumbled after him. 11, 10, 9. Bloody tears streamed from its face. Gyeoul opened the door he had passed earlier and leaped up onto the ceiling pipes like practice.

The juvenile passed underneath, believing Gyeoul had run ahead.

A few seconds later, two seconds faster than Agent Gibson predicted, a violent pack swept through the narrow passage. Chasing the juvenile's blood-red cry. A roaring rush. After they passed, Gyeoul dropped down and closed the door. Click. The lock turned. The ones that left would not be able to return.

-Well done. There are no threats left before the vertical shaft. Proceed.

The order played only in Gyeoul's section.

'I thought breaking them with a ship-wide broadcast might also work...'

"Breaking them" meant breaking the Governor's faction. Inside the grand galley, there was too little CCTV coverage, and even that had been badly destroyed. It made sense. On a ship where people split into factions and fought each other, the first step to avoid surveillance would be smashing cameras. Destruction was especially severe on decks 3, 4, and 5. More than half the area was blind.

Still, they could not have blocked broadcasts. Announcements from just outside the galley would carry inside easily.

The best tool for breaking authority was authority itself. That was Gyeoul's view. Once they learned U.S. forces had arrived, division among them would be unavoidable.

The investigator rejected the proposal. She was worried about hostages who might still exist. Kill everyone to erase witnesses. The signs and evidence were already overwhelming, and those people were clearly no longer sane.

She also doubted how the Governor would act once he lost control. Some might still follow him even then.

Her point was valid.

Kiiieek? Something small sprang out of a vent. A blurry shape. Gyeoul smashed it with his fist. Bam. The tiny thing spun through the air and slammed away. Broken teeth pattered down.

What dropped on the floor did not move. Judging by size, it was a fetal mutation. But it looked completely different from the black ones he had seen in Atascadero. Half its face had caved in from one punch. It seemed to have died instantly from brain trauma.

White smoke rose from the glove smeared with its body fluid. Frowning, Gyeoul stripped the glove off and threw it away. The synthetic leather bubbled and boiled, then sagged out of shape.

A boiling sound came even from the dead body. As he stepped back quickly, the skin split and yellow pustules swelled from the cracks. A few seconds later, pop, they burst. The contents splattered everywhere. The coated floor was fine. Metal clearly reacted. Smoke rose from a pipe on the wall.

An acid burst. What kind of mutation was this? Bang bang bang. Loud sounds rushed closer from inside the vent. Gyeoul stepped on a pipe, climbed up, and fired into the vent with his pistol. Tatatatang. Darkness flashed under muzzle fire. For an instant he saw many forms wriggling in a line.

'Do they only explode after death?'

No direct strikes. After a kill, increase distance whenever possible. He locked the information about the new mutant type into memory.

Crouched and waiting, Gyeoul listened again after a chain of dull pops. Sssk, skk. Creak, creak. From farther back came ragged cries. Even without seeing, he could picture mangled bodies dragging themselves forward.

He shined a light into the vent. Under harsh light, the old-man-like wrinkled face looked even more grotesque. It was crawling forward while melting in real time. Proof that even the same type was damaged by those acidic pustule bursts. Kiiiik. In the end, it could not make it all the way and spat out a death rattle. Another small monster began to swell. Gyeoul counted silently and moved away.

Pop. Three seconds from death to explosion. Same delay as a grenade fuse. Gyeoul checked one last time. He was measuring the splash radius of the fluid.

What if things like this made landfall? It seemed the Navy had another reason for its policy. He had suspected it before. Now it was close to certainty.

Why is everything this different? Gyeoul felt overwhelmed by a world setting that kept becoming unfamiliar. The stress he had kept pressed down surged up all at once.

This world setting was, for Gyeoul, effectively his last chance. He could probably restart, sure. But many viewers would leave, and repaying debt would become impossible. What remained then was delayed ruin.

By himself, Gyeoul had no wish to live. But when he honestly confessed that and said goodbye, the only rose that had ever bloomed in his life cried. If you disappear, I will wither too. It was selfish, she said, but for my sake too, stay in this world.

Even though existence after death was not joyful, that was the one reason he had to gather starlight.

Roses had thorns. A life that clutched a rose and could not let go was bound to hurt. For Gyeoul, it was a life he did not want but had to extend. He believed he was already dead.

So in a way, Gyeoul's progress in this world was precarious. Even knowing this was his last chance, he did not avoid risk. Too often he wanted to drop everything. If that was how it was, he thought, at least protect your heart. Even if I lose everything, maybe the choices I make with my heart can still be mine.

It was a contradiction. But this was Gyeoul's best.

Beep, beep.

A nearby intercom rang in a thin tone. It was Supervisor Gibson. She had seen it too. The moment he answered, she asked if he was all right. Gyeoul calmed himself quickly. Getting used to acting helped, for better and worse. He said he was fine, then asked for this.

"Do not tell the Navy yet. I am worried they will order an immediate withdrawal. I would not do it anyway, even if they did."

[Will you really be all right?]

"If I stay careful, I will be fine."

[Something is bothering me.]

Then Gyeoul had to wait a little. On the open line, a heated voice poured out. The lunatic still had plenty to say. Agent Gibson sounded like she was humoring him just enough. Then she returned to the intercom line connected to Gyeoul.

[That idiot said something odd. He said there is a huge obstacle between us. He will not explain even when pressed, but from context, it sounded like a hint about a special mutant. He said something about a monument of sins committed so people could survive... It worries me. Part of his fatalism may come from this... I only hope it is at the level of what we have already seen.]

"I will keep that in mind. Anything else?"

[Hmm... Lieutenant.]

After hesitating, she spoke with difficulty.

[Will you withdraw, even now?]

"Why are you saying that? I think we have come too far to turn back."

[I will be honest. There do seem to be hostages, but I cannot be sure. For that uncertain possibility, someone like you risking your life... You may dislike this wording, but it is not cost-effective.]

"Cost-effective?"

[I was both a supervisor and a commander. Like it or not, I had to see people as resources. The duty to keep as many subordinates alive as possible also became the duty to abandon a few for the many. I have abandoned unrelated people for the sake of a small number of my own. There were many times I wanted to smash my head against a wall and die.]

A long silence followed. The next words came after a full minute.

[I know you believe a human life cannot be counted as a number, and cannot be weighed as heavier or lighter. I analyzed your file before this operation. But Lieutenant, the mission in San Francisco is clearly more important than rescue work here.]

Another silence.

[A nuclear strike could hit the mainland if this goes wrong. For the more important mission, maybe now is the time to fall back. If we lose you here, it will place a burden on the Navy that helped us, one that their conscience should not have to carry. I would have trouble enduring it myself, not as a supervisor, but as a person. The hopes of many people are tied to you, not just mine. So I am asking you. Please reconsider this once.]

"..."

Gyeoul tilted his head.

============================ Author's Afterword ============================

#Q&A

Q. Guaaaaak: @What happens if you eat infected flesh? Do you get infected too?

A. You do not get infected... hahaha. Do not ask any further.

Q. Xedrions: @Author-nim, what does your name mean?

A. It is the name of a river in Russia. It is believed a meteorite fell in its basin. You can look up the Tunguska explosion incident.

Q. Kaif: @Author-nim, what percent of your childlike innocence is being used right now

A. Hmm... maybe... 30 percent?

Q. PAM: @The apocalypse is a world where nothing is impossible, right. I get it, empathy aside. But if you post 2 installments a day, people will like you twice as much and you will receive twice as much love, so it is win-win. Why do you not do that?

A. I want to do that too... if I could, it would be good for the author as well. Compared to now, the income from view ratio would be almost four times higher... but it is too much for an incompetent author. The tears are flowing...

Q. AntiChrist: @Ah! So much childlike innocence!!!! I want to lick the author-nim's brain that comes up with this kind of innocence

A. My brain is detachable, so licking is technically possible, but it is mine. I will not give it to anyone.

Q. BlackRain66: @Since you mentioned dreams in the afterword, this came to mind. In an old dream, I think I passed by a messy room at home and saw volume 17 of The Little Prince in the Ossuary. Looking back now, was that a prophetic dream?! Does that mean Ossuary has more than 17 volumes?! I look forward to it.

A. 17 volumes... hmm... that seems impossible... or maybe not...

I always fail at predicting length, so it is really hard to give a definite answer. Haha.

Q. BlackRain66: [email protected] I was originally going to wait until around 20 chapters stacked up, but I started reading after 4, and the reason is T_T I also wanted to ask by message if you could post a notice if you serialize on another platform too, but for some reason everyone else can receive messages and only your account says withdrawn or nonexistent member. Did you hide your account with childlike innocence T_T (Going serious again, when I search authors, Tunguska appears, but if I type Tunguska in message compose it fails. For a second I slightly suspected that on Joara there were too many readers like me urging you to serialize on other platforms, so they blocked messages to protect you haha.) Please keep writing well!!

A. Would it not be difficult to post notices that directly mention other platforms...

I still get many messages from readers even now. Withdrawn member, that is strange.

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