WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 141: Trial (6)

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「Our first story. One week ago, an anonymous source leaked internal Department of Homeland Security documents, and their unrestricted spread online has caused a major uproar. The document, now known as the Apocalypse Papers, was originally titled 『Investigation into the Outbreak and Initial Spread of the Great Plague』. Its introductory memorandum states that it was created at the direction of current Homeland Security Secretary Pelletier as a joint study by multiple related agencies, including the Biological Weapons Defense Strategy Headquarters, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency. A top-secret document spanning 4,700 pages. What exactly is so controversial about it?」

The hosts were a male and female anchor pair. After the female anchor began in a calm voice, her male partner delivered more information in a clear East Coast accent.

「The most shocking part, of course, is the information about where the Great Plague originated. Until now, the dominant hypothesis was that Morgellons began in a densely populated area on China's eastern coast. But it turns out the point of origin was actually an inland region with a sparse population: a Chinese military ballistic missile base in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Evidence has also been found that the Chinese government systematically covered this up. As a result, the first outbreak date for Morgellons has been moved forward by about one week.」

The female anchor's turn came again.

「Because of this, the Morgellons biological weapon hypothesis is gaining ground. Republican Party Senator Barbara Boozman commented that China's military ambitions destroyed the world, while also criticizing the current administration's Asia policy as partly responsible. Democratic Senator John Burr, on the other hand, urged people not to damage national stability with rash statements, saying China may still be a victim as well.」

After listening up to that point, Gyeoul sighed. Joanna looked like she'd bitten into something rotten. Fuck. The short, clipped curse was her unfiltered true feeling. This was the investigator who had not shown displeasure even at blatant discrimination.

Gyeoul asked, "Why wasn't there any press control?"

Considering the operation tracking Changcheng 9, this news should have been blocked. At the very least, it should not have reached San Francisco. That was why it came as a surprise.

The Chinese would take this news as slander against them. In their current situation, they had no choice but to react defensively. They were already highly nationalistic, too. They were a group that believed Morgellons was an American conspiracy to bring down China.

"Since it was distributed online, they likely judged that designating it as a prior censorship matter would serve no purpose. There must also have been scoundrels hoping to use it for political attacks. I find the circumstances behind the document leak suspicious."

She tapped the table with an unhappy look.

"And this operation is top secret as well. The departments in charge are different. I doubt interdepartmental cooperation worked properly."

Interdepartmental cooperation. It was possible that the Department of Homeland Security, the higher department, did not know about this CIA operation, or that the sheer size of the organization had become an obstacle to efficient communication.

Even if the former made no sense, the latter was very likely. The Department of Homeland Security had been hastily cobbled together after 9/11 by throwing dozens of existing organizations together without much of a plan.

'Thanks to that, it was hopelessly incompetent for a while.'

There were also three agencies involved in press control that came to mind right away: the Department of Defense public affairs office, the White House staff, and the Department of Homeland Security. Faced with an unprecedented disaster, it was hard for every part of the administration to act rationally.

The dining hall had gone quiet. Everyone had set down their utensils.

"Idiots. Who's going to take responsibility if nukes fall on the mainland?"

Someone's disappointed mutter spoke for the common feeling.

But this was only the beginning. The anchor pair traded lines as if they were having a conversation.

「Meanwhile, the document assesses that Chinese fishing boats played a decisive role in the initial spread of infection. In Japan's case especially, the dominant hypothesis had been that the infection spread around Narita International Airport. But it has now been confirmed that the Japanese government did not fail to contain Narita. What it failed to protect was the long coastline.」

「Yes. In fact, this claim had been raised before, but it was always treated as a secondary cause. The established theory was that the collapse began at Narita, reached the greater Tokyo metropolitan area, and only then did the coast fall. But if you look at the satellite photographs included in the document, there were signs of infection spreading in other regions before the Narita containment began. Without exception, they were coastal areas. In other words, the order was reversed.」

「There are also claims that fishing boats landing in many places at once transported refugees on a massive scale.」

「That's right. Large vessels are easy to control. But if countless small fishing boats rush in from many places at the same time, what country could have stopped them? Even the United States could not.」

The man's words were tinged with prejudice. His co-host pointed it out.

「Are you saying the infection explosion in western North America was caused by Chinese fishing boats?」

「The document only raises that as a possibility. But Chinese fishing boats have been a problem for a long time. Didn't they travel in swarms and devastate fishing grounds all over the world? I believe China's arrogant attitude, its disregard for other countries, combined with the Great Plague and produced this disaster.」

Gyeoul shook his head. Radio might be relatively freer than broadcast television, but the duty of a journalist was the same. Even in the outside world, they tended to maintain neutrality, at least as a formality.

The female host pointed out her partner's inappropriate comment.

「William. What you just said was highly inappropriate.」

「Mm, now that I hear it, you're right. I'm sorry. I apologize to our listeners.」

「For accurate reporting, we should inform you that the White House's official position is that the Apocalypse Papers are only one reference document. The signs of infection confirmed along the Japanese coastline may have been no more than mass unrest caused by crowds. Wouldn't you agree?」

「Yes. Some experts do not trust the Apocalypse Papers. Their view is that Japan's initial response was simply that terrible. Did you know that when the first infected person was discovered at Narita International Airport, the police and Self-Defense Forces fought over command authority? They say traffic police blocked the Self-Defense Forces during their emergency deployment.」

「That's shocking. Where did this information come from?」

「That police officer is in a western refugee camp right now. The conflict between Japan's military and police, which began in the imperial era, is infamous. The rigidity of Japanese bureaucracy is even more famous. There's even a saying that the only thing in Japan's disaster response system that works properly is the earthquake evacuation manual.」

Even the words he threw out to patch things up were provocative. It seemed the male anchor had hostility, or perhaps a sense of superiority, toward refugees beneath the surface.

This must be the baseline mentality of some Americans. Accepting that, Gyeoul picked up the utensils he had left alone.

Across from him, Joanna ate like someone with no appetite. She handled her fork more sharply than the fork itself was sharp. But she, too, was someone for whom eating was a duty. She also needed to recover from the physical exertion of the morning. She chewed steadily, as if eating and not eating at the same time, then emptied her plate around the same time as Gyeoul.

Gyeoul asked, "What do you think, Anne?"

"What do you mean?"

"The theory that Chinese fishing boats were a major infection route. Does it make sense to you?"

It was his first time hearing a story like this. Even to Gyeoul, who had built up experience through repeated ends of the world, this new apocalypse was a series of unfamiliar threats and unknown turns. This twenty-seventh apocalypse, which might become the last, felt especially that way.

Even as he asked, he wondered whether an answer would come back.

Unexpectedly, Joanna gave a careful nod.

"I question whether I can be objective myself... but yes. I think it's entirely possible."

"Really?"

"About six years ago, the number of officially registered Chinese fishing boats was a little over 5,000. But at the same time, the number of fishing boats believed to have received operating permits along the Chinese coast was estimated at one million. There were 30 million fishermen alone. If they filled their holds with refugees, population movement on the order of hundreds of millions would become possible. Even if the contents of the document are true, I doubt the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force or the Japan Coast Guard were incompetent."

"The Japan Coast Guard is Japan's maritime police, right?"

"Yes."

The numbers the investigator mentioned hardly felt real. It was the scale of a continental power.

"But Anne, how did you come to know things like this?"

"We spoke briefly on Corona Triumph. I told you I once carried out drug enforcement against Xihai Gang members in Los Angeles. Fishing boats were a major transport method too."

"Ah."

"That was also a joint operation with the CIA. FBI jurisdiction is limited to U.S. territory, territorial waters, and airspace, after all. We needed to identify the organizational network on the Chinese mainland. So I think we worked together for about two years. As a result, I learned this and that. Mostly, my role was listening to people make inconvenient requests. You know this too, Gyeoul. In negotiations, there are many times when you have to pretend you have nothing."

"When you said you questioned whether you were objective, was that because of your bad feelings toward the gangs?"

"I'm human too. Filter what I say accordingly. It's outdated information at best."

Then she sighed. She seemed to sink into weary old memories.

In the brief silence, the female anchor's voice stood out.

「Yesterday, the second weekend after the document leak, large-scale protests and violent incidents took place across the country. Looting attempts against Chinatowns occurred with particular frequency, and at Millennium Park in Chicago, one civilian was shot and killed. The victim was Mr. Daniel Kwan, a second-generation Chinese immigrant. His acquaintances could not hide their grief, saying he was a diligent and exemplary American. The perpetrator, Royce Melvin, was immediately subdued at the scene by protesters. Police are investigating the motive for the crime and whether there were any accomplices. May Mr. Kwan rest in peace.」

Behind the soft, emotionless voice, the radio briefly captured the sound of an angry crowd. Voices shouted over one another in confusion, converging into one single meaning: rage. Inside this dining hall, too, there were a few who sympathized with that rage. Fucking Chinese bastards can all drop dead. It was not said openly, barely loud enough for Gyeoul to hear, but the fact that there was more than one of them was clearly a problem. It made him worry about the operation he would have to carry out with these people.

「Concerning this situation, at 11 a.m. today, President MacMillan called for national unity and rational judgment in an address to the people. Let us listen.」

A moment later, a new voice appeared. It was the president's actual voice, which Gyeoul had once heard in a journal.

『My fellow citizens.』

After calling to the people, he remained silent for a long while, then said this.

『Four billion people have died.』

Joanna flinched and returned to the present. Gyeoul quietly listened.

『Humanity is disappearing. It is becoming a history without records. Before long, in the near future, America may become a lonely country. When that time comes, even if we wish to love, there will be no neighbors to love. Even if we wish to cherish, there will be no brothers and sisters to cherish. Even if we wish to protect, there will be no lives to protect. My fellow citizens, we are fighting extinction.』

『I know. We are not gods. We do not have the power to take responsibility for every tragedy in this world. Therefore, I will not lead America into a reckless adventure. Even if we are trapped by the harsh limits of reality and forced to wander at the crossroads between necessary evils, even if I am reduced to an apostate of conscience and a traitor to humanity, as President of the United States, I will protect the safety of the people before the justice of the nation. Because in a democracy, the people are the nation. You are America.』

『I will say it once more. You, the sovereign people, are America. If you wish to see the homeland that countless patriots protected with their deaths, look at yourselves! And so, my fellow citizens, I plead with you. America must not destroy America!』

『Remember the heroes fighting disease even at this moment. They do not care about your origin, your occupation, your gender, your age, your wealth, or your religion. They are giving their lives only to protect this country, this endangered homeland, and you, the people. We cannot make their noble devotion meaningless. Within the borders of the United States, we are one. We must become one.』

『Do you remember the death of Private Danny Chen? He was a young hero who wore a uniform and took up a weapon to protect America. But reality betrayed his ideals. For no reason other than that his parents were immigrants from China, he suffered continual abuse at the hands of his comrades. The suffering did not stop until the day that hero decided to take his own life. Who could call that righteous? Are you doing something righteous now?』

『On October 3, 2011, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, a nineteen-year-old hero took his own life. He is now buried in Valhalla, near New York. At the time, all of America wept. You wept. Where did those tears go?』

『Now it is time to shed tears once again. It is time to become one through tears. Let us not forget the death of Mr. Daniel Kwan, who was one American. We who grieve his death are America. Let us lean on one another with faith. Leave slander, attacks, and defamation as the work of politicians.』

『For our united homeland, I pray that the spirit of our forefathers remains within us. That our own limits widen day by day. That before the apocalypse approaching like inevitability, we can carve out a new destiny.』

『And at the very least, when God grants us the chance, may we be able to extend our hands to those in need. May we not become an America that spits on the wretched and beats them. May all who fight for our homeland come into the embrace of our homeland.』

『America, let us advance together. The United States and the friends of the United States will prevail. May God's blessing rest upon the future of humanity. Thank you.』

============================ Author’s Note ============================

#WinterSolstice

According to the setting, Gyeoul's birthday is coming up. It's the winter solstice. December 21. I hope the world ends that day.

#Q&A

Q. Kxino-nim: @Author-nim Author-nim. What do we have to do to make you release chapters back-to-back? Should we slap you with manuscript fee coupons?? Or lock you in a room??

A. I'm very curious about that myself. What should we do? I feel like it might be possible if the North Korean regime collapses...

Q. MasterKalsolum-nim: @BloodPressure I finally lowered it and ate meat for the first time in a while, and it went down so smoothly it felt like drinking. Meat really is love. Tunguska-nim, please eat lots of meat too.

A. Yes, it is. Meat is love. But it's expensive. Expensive...

Q. Daemokjang-nim: @That's a song by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The problematic mood of modern society implied by the lyrics matches the novel well. Were you trying to say that both the game world and the outside world cannot escape californication?

A. I believe text is a means of conveying meaning, and that meaning is completed within the reader. So what you felt, Daemokjang-nim, is what matters most.

Q. BlueCrystal-nim: @How about holding a vote on that Q&A ?? People will overwhelmingly ask you to make it long.

A. I don't think it's desirable to suppress the opinions of the few with the opinions of the many. Anyway, thank you for enjoying the author's nonsense. Haha.

Footnotes:

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