Deep Sea Fish Hunting Specialty Broadcast

Chapter 52: A Great Means of Conversation (2)

Deep Sea Fish Hunting Specialty Broadcast – 52

EP.52 A Great Means of Conversation (2)

“So, let me ask again. Do you have anything to say to me?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Once the brainwashing was lifted, the government wench—no, there was no need to call her that anymore—Hwang Dahye regained her ability to think normally. It was clear she had been solely under Zhao’s influence.

Even though the brainwashing was undone, Parang worried whether someone from the government side would easily switch to Silo.

“That… bastard!!!”

As soon as she confirmed that the government had tampered with her memories of her fiancé, she immediately expressed hatred towards the government. This was good news for Parang.

“Alright, then. Let’s talk again. First, why did you try to torture me?”

“It was, of course, an order from above. They said a B-rank Hunter would come your way, and I was to torture you to make you defect to the World Government side. If that didn’t work, I was to kill you.”

Next to them, Silo’s special lie detector was running. Ding, truth.

Parang asked the question she was most curious about.

“Why torture, specifically? There are countless ways to make someone defect. Zhao Yang himself could have intervened, right?”

“They said Hunter Yu Parang would never cooperate with general persuasion. They said your resolve to prevent diving was firm. And Zhao avoids stepping in if there’s even a single risk. He extremely dislikes having anyone around who isn’t on his side.”

So far, the truth. The explanation about Zhao matched the description Parang knew from the original work.

Wait, so they didn’t even try persuasion and concluded, ‘It won’t work, so let’s torture her’?

Are they insane?

Torturing someone to break their spirit and make them defect might have a higher success rate than general persuasion… but that’s a plan you execute after trying general persuasion first.

“Didn’t you say there was an order to execute me after the torture?”

“Specifically, it was to execute you if you still didn’t cooperate after the torture.”

This was the most absurd part.

“Why did they assign you to that task? Even going so far as to brainwash you.”

“I don’t know for sure, but I can speculate. They probably thought my abilities were a good match against Hunter Yu Parang.”

“Do you remember anything from when you were brainwashed?”

“Yes. Vividly. When Zhao first told me to torture a B-rank Hunter, I refused the order. I asked since when our Special Operations Division became a department for torture. I was prepared to face disciplinary action.”

“Wasn’t it that kind of division?”

“Of course not. Our main job is combat. Against Silo or the Association.”

Well, that does fit the name Special Operations Division better.

“Then why didn’t they assign the task to a department that specializes in torture or interrogation? Why give it to the Special Operations Division?”

“As far as I know, the World Government doesn’t have such a department.”

“They don’t??”

“No. Given that the task was assigned to us, it’s almost certain.”

This was truly unexpected. The lie detector still indicated she was telling the truth.

“Why?”

“It was a policy set by the second president, Cloverfield. No torture.”

Such a policy existed.

This level of detail wasn’t even mentioned in the original work.

If such a policy existed, it made sense that there wouldn’t be a torture department.

A former president from the Slayers set a ‘no torture’ policy, so what justification could there be to say, ‘We’re going to start torturing again’?

“So, what happened after you refused?”

“When I refused, Zhao showed me a video. It was a video of Hunter Yu Parang killing my fiancé. As soon as I saw it, I began to hate you with no doubt in my mind. To the point where I really wanted to torture and kill you.”

It seemed the brainwashing occurred at that point. The so-called video was likely a fabricated memory.

In summary, the true story behind the World Government’s attempt to torture Yu Parang is as follows.

The World Government failed to kill Yu Parang. Feeling the need to do something about her, they decided to either make her defect or kill her.

However, they thought general persuasion wouldn’t work, so they switched to torture.

This time, having no one to torture her, they brainwashed a high-ranking strong individual to do the job. That’s the story.

‘Are they idiots?’

Do these bastards not understand the concept of testing the waters?

If some middling crime organization or mafia had come up with such a plan, it would have made sense.

One could even praise them for their cleverness.

But the government?

For a government that rules the world, this plan was too reckless, radical, and extreme.

When the Slayers members held the highest decision-making power in the original work, it was an extremely competent organization.

The superhuman administrative and political power the World Government displayed back then was truly impressive.

A new organization emerged with the goal of uniting and ruling the world, and there were even factions that supported them, saying, “As long as life is good, who cares?”

Parang herself felt her life improve significantly as soon as the first World Government president, Kang Yuri, took office.

But the current situation seemed like something out of a trance.

Parang asked Hwang Dahye about this part.

“So, what was Zhao’s behavior like when he brainwashed you? Did he seem irrational or show any unusual behavior?”

“Ah, yes. He wasn’t like that before, but a few days ago, he started showing suspiciously emotional and hot-tempered behavior. He used to be very cold and meticulous.”

Zhao Yang was depicted as an intelligent character in the original work. He skillfully brainwashed people and used them cleverly to continuously evade Han Siwoo’s group’s pursuit.

For someone like him to show emotional and hot-tempered behavior was very unnatural.

“Were there any other suspicious behaviors? Things he didn’t usually do?”

“Ah, he suddenly developed an attachment to ‘the sea and water.’ He never paid attention to aquariums before, but then one appeared in his office, and later, I noticed more and more sea or water-related paintings whenever I entered. Coupled with his emotional behavior, he really seemed like a madman. He even tried to build an aquarium in the building out of nowhere or splashed water in the hallway while shouting.”

“!!!”

Exclamation mark!

A high-ranking official in the World Government with a suspicious attachment to the sea.

“When did that start?”

“About… a week ago.”

Parang asked the Silo personnel who had been listening to the conversation from outside.

“Is there anyone in the World Government capable of brainwashing Zhao?”

“No. From what we’ve gathered, there isn’t.”

Then it’s certain. Zhao Yang was either charmed by something in the sea or influenced by someone else who was charmed by that something.

Given that he remained rational but became emotional and attached to the sea, the latter seemed highly likely.

If the current World Government president, Yoo Sungjun, were fine, such a situation wouldn’t have occurred. So, it’s certain that he is either the initial cause or at least a victim.

This means the top echelon of the World Government isn’t normal.

Hwang Dahye and Zhao Yang could be seen as the severed ends of the tail.

In other words, Parang just confirmed that the World Government was charmed by something.

This explains their irrational behavior so far.

“…Alright. That’s all I have to say.”

“Hunter Yu Parang, I’m truly sorry.”

Well, she was charmed too, and she initially resisted the orders.

There was no need to be angrier at Hwang Dahye here.

“…It’s fine.”

“…I watch your broadcasts. That’s genuine.”

“Ah, thank you.”

As Parang opened the door and left the room, another person from Silo took her place. He seemed to be asking about the World Government’s organizational structure, members, and their abilities.

Well, that was something Silo could sort out and send to Parang later.

As Parang left the room, she saw a familiar face.

“We meet again.”

“Oh, hello.”

It was the man Parang had met in Hong Kong. The fact that he was a high-ranking person didn’t seem to be a lie, as people around him bowed whenever they made eye contact with him.

“Judging by your expression, you seem satisfied with the information you obtained.”

“Yes. I’m quite satisfied.”

A brief conversation ensued.

“…Yoo Sungjun, huh. It’s been too long since I last saw that friend.”

“Do you know him personally?”

“Not personally, but we’ve had many opportunities to meet in official capacities.”

A Silo figure who frequently met with the president of the World Government in official settings.

He was a much higher-ranking person than Parang had initially thought.

“Do you know anything about him?”

“I know a lot. But I don’t have the kind of information that would interest Hunter Yu Parang. For instance, his personal skills, the list of skills he possesses, or his activities after the Slayers’ ascension.”

“Hmm…”

“What’s certain is that if he were in his right mind, he wouldn’t be doing such nonsensical things. The position of the World Government president isn’t something you can seize by force. I’ve considered the possibility that he might have been charmed by something, but with such decisive evidence, it feels a bit surreal even to me.”

“I see.”

Of course. Someone like the president of the World Government would naturally be more strategic than Parang.

There was no way he would have executed such a foolish plan while sober.

“Yoo Sungjun’s whereabouts have been unknown since the day after the Slayers’ ascension. The world is probably still functioning because it takes time for the madness from the top to trickle down.”

It seemed Parang had gathered all the information she could.

The top echelon of the World Government had been charmed by something. The exact nature of that something was still unknown.

And those charmed individuals were emotional, radical, and obsessed with the sea.

This was valuable information. Parang decided to return home for now.

When Parang arrived home, it was 11 PM.

It was the end of a tumultuous August 4th.

Being tossed around among organizations that control the world was exhausting.

But at least she had overcome a major hurdle.

Tomorrow, she would start with an apology broadcast and then have an interview with a reporter.

As Parang lay in the water tank, ready to drift off to sleep…

Thud.

Something fell at Parang’s feet.

‘Ah, this.’

It was the USB that Seo Sunwoo had handed over during their last meeting.

<It is impossible to persuade Natsuko, Hunter Yu Parang. Moreover, the moment she finds out what’s in the sea, the situation will start to spiral into the worst possible scenario.>

He had given her this USB as evidence.

Parang got up from her attempt to sleep and sat in front of the computer.

She decided to check it out before going to bed.

And a moment later.

As she looked at the countless files displayed on the computer screen, Parang couldn’t help but mutter to herself.

“…Crazy woman…”