Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 191 - 182 The Real Human Bureau

Chapter 191: 182 The Real Human Bureau

The young girl, Lu Chan, was openly sowing discord. The youth researcher immediately displayed a guarded and tense demeanor.

At the same time, his efforts to break free from the Instant Hypnosis Skill quickly weakened. Lu Chan’s words seemed to possess a magical power, rapidly dissolving his desperately held defenses.

I felt as if I was on the verge of grasping the truth behind this change.

"Individuals like you, there must be quite a few, if not a dozen more, within this stronghold, right? Originally, I couldn’t possibly hypnotize you with such a low-level spiritual magic, but now, I can do it effortlessly. Do you understand why?" Lu Chan spoke with the tone of an educator, "A steadfast spirit only shines when following the path one truly believes in. Yet your once watertight mind is now full of vulnerabilities, easily breached by me. This is because your hearts are filled with contradictions."

"...You’re right."

Under the influence of the spiritual magic, the young researcher spilled his true feelings as if spilling beans.

"When I decided to join the Human Bureau, I thought I was going to contribute to the state. Even if it meant working for an ’Evil Organization’ that couldn’t be publicly acknowledged. After all, under Luo Mountain’s watchful eye, the state could not openly establish a department to figure out how to counter demon hunters. We had to support from the shadows, quietly supporting while publicly distancing ourselves. Those of us inside were also not allowed to probe into our own organization’s backers.

"And I believed that all my efforts would eventually benefit society. It didn’t matter if the public didn’t recognize us, as long as we could prevent the future where Luo Mountain’s Transcendents ruled the mundane world, I was willing to sacrifice myself... but what was the result?

"We’re supposed to save ordinary society under our banner; however, from the top brass to the backers, no one truly cares about the life and death of the common folk. They even use living people... humans as experimental subjects, thinking only of how to become the next Luo Mountain. How can I believe that a bright society lies in the future the Human Bureau paves?

"I even began to doubt if we were deceived, our backers aren’t really the state, but simply a bunch of ambitious individuals at a high level but skulking in the shadows, armed only with massive funds and connections..."

"So you’re slacking off here?" I asked curiously, "Are there many like you in the Human Bureau?"

He seemed reluctant to answer, but Lu Chan repeated my question verbatim, luring out his response: "...At least not a few. Some people are coerced by the higher-ups holding decisive evidence against them, forcing them to devote all their energy to projects, but they cannot produce good results with such a passive spirit."

"With such overt disobedience, Ying... Silver Mask is unlikely to overlook it," Lu Chan seemed to probe intentionally.

"Hmph... Since Silver Mask can solve any problem, it’s easiest to just throw all the problems his way," the young researcher said disdainfully: "Transformation Skill, seed of the heart, Twelve Gods Plan, altering reality... Whenever the Human Bureau urgently needs something, he always manages to produce it just right, like Doraemon.

"The Human Bureau, from its top leadership to its backers, has become too dependent on him, and this is probably to his liking. That’s why the doctor urges us to focus on our research, but then again, the doctor is ultimately one of Silver Mask’s ’possibility avatars’. There must be Silver Mask’s schemes in this as well.

"That guy is definitely a Devil; he has no vision for the future of the Human Bureau. No doubt accepting his gifts is like using poison to quench thirst. The upper echelons and backers may all be jubilant, but all I see is an enormous disillusionment. Especially that seed of the heart... what on earth is that thing?

"The Human Bureau’s current main research is mostly based on the seed of the heart for Transformation Skill technology, but I just feel like we are making wedding dresses for him and some kind of presence behind him."

Towards the end, his sincere words seemed no longer due to Lu Chan’s Instant Hypnosis Skill but were merely expressions of his long-suppressed emotions.

And his words also answered a question in my mind.

Since the Human Bureau was established as an underground organization to resist Luo Mountain’s destined rule, it would not have been founded earlier than "Fan Tian Incident" three years ago. But in just such a short span of three years, would that really be enough time for the Human Bureau to develop the supernatural technology they possess today?

Whether it’s the technology to transmogrify into monsters or the means to alter reality, none of these were researched by the Human Bureau itself. The former is a creation born from the "future technology from an unknown channel" combined with "seed of the heart from an unknown channel" provided by Ying Lingyun, while the latter is purely the power of Divine Seal Fragments. Excluding these "external forces," it could be said that the Human Bureau has accomplished nothing on its own and shouldn’t have reached its current state.

But this doesn’t mean they’re incompetent. Using scientific technology to decipher supernatural artifacts isn’t a goal that can be achieved in a short period. The pressure from Luo Mountain forced them to abandon legitimate technological accumulation and take shortcuts.

This so-called "shortcut" is the heavy reliance on the unknown technology provided by Ying Lingyun... no, the key might not lie there. Taking extraordinary measures during extraordinary times is a reasonable decision; leveraging powerful external forces at their nascent and weakest stage isn’t an incomprehensible approach. As long as they get through this phase, whether discarding external forces to grow independently or assimilating those forces, it’s not necessarily hopeless.

So what is the root of the problem? Is it that the members of the Human Bureau, like this young researcher here, feel disillusioned because, while bearing the banner of ideals, they sacrifice living people, even ordinary individuals?

However, as the previous senior researcher said, the Human Bureau doesn’t have much time left. Even if the Human Bureau’s higher-ups and backers aren’t as selfish as the young researcher believes, they’re indeed not in a stage where they can afford to worry about ethical taboos. Facing Luo Mountain, a colossal entity, and still clinging to moral baggage is simply courting death.

What then is the right course of action for them?

Is this the "true Human Bureau" that girl Lu Chan wanted me to see?

I have never studied "organizational management," and perhaps those who have made contributions in this field would think these are just the perspectives of an outsider after hearing my thoughts. I don’t have much interest in the topic itself. In my opinion, the most important piece of information revealed by the young researcher is Ying Lingyun’s special status within the Human Bureau.

I had speculated from the beginning that he wasn’t wholeheartedly with the Human Bureau, but I didn’t expect his stance to be so transcendent within it.

"...Just kill me then." The young researcher closed his eyes, "I’ve also performed countless inhumane human experiments here using ordinary people as materials. Being killed by you victims dozens or hundreds of times wouldn’t be enough to compensate. Even though I would be rebooted and revived if I died, if you want to torture me, or to vent your anger on me, I have no objections."

How serene.

Girl Lu Chan sighed softly, then approached him, raised her right hand, and with her index and middle finger brought together, tapped his brow.

"Just go to sleep for now."

The young researcher was instantly put into a deep hypnosis, toppling to the ground unconscious.

Keeping this young researcher alive was risky; when he would awaken, he might report our whereabouts to his superiors—especially regarding girl Lu Chan’s escape. Perhaps it would be better to end his life here and now. Although his death would indeed attract the guards, if it came to playing hide-and-seek, I wasn’t without means.

However, since girl Lu Chan did not wish to kill indiscriminately, I decided to respect the will of a fellow traveler for the time being.

At that moment, as if woken by the sound of the young researcher hitting the ground, the "strange man" bound to the cross next to us came to.

He saw us as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Lu Chan? And..." He muttered the name while turning his gaze towards me, "Are you that kid?"

Why does everyone start by calling me a kid? I might start getting angry soon.

Though I am indeed a kid right now.

"Why are you guys here? This cell should only be accessible to those with corresponding permissions, and unlocking the Magic Seal Lock is nearly impossible..." The demon hunter seemed to be sorting out his confused thoughts, "And that researcher lying on the ground is... Could it be that you have found a way to escape this place?"

"We haven’t yet," girl Lu Chan said. "We are trying."

"Is it possible to free us too?" he asked eagerly, "If we release everyone... no, even if it’s just half of us, we can unite and surely escape this... place..."

Originally, I intended to tell him that normal escape from here was impossible, but before I could speak, he froze, his complexion changing dramatically, murmuring to himself, "Wait, what is this sense of déjà vu... Have I said something like this before?"

"You haven’t changed, have you? Last time, and the time before last when I secretly planned an escape with you all, you said the same thing to me," girl Lu Chan said.

"Last time... and the time before?" The demon hunter’s expression grew even more bewildered, "What are you talking about... No, I remember. Something similar, it seems I’ve experienced it..."

"—It’s about time you woke up," girl Lu Chan seemed to use that magical voice once again.

"..."

Hearing this, the demon hunter was silent for a long time, then showed a bitter yet resigned expression, saying in a tone of despair, "...I see, so I’m already dead... We’re all already dead."

While he spoke, his entire body bizarrely began to exude an aura of dying intent, as if he was about to pass away at any moment.