Chapter 39: Chapter 39

After Lee Na-eun and the other prosecutors stormed into the building, they continued their assault with relentless force. Though their opponents tried to resist, the lack of implants that could cancel or detect optical camouflage and sound masking was their biggest drawback.@@novelbin@@

It made sense, of course. Optical camouflage and sound masking are technologies used on aircraft and warships worth billions. The idea that some businessman could acquire something to counter them was simply outlandish.

“What should we do with those who surrender?”

“Execute them without exception.”

“…Even if they surrender?”

“Yes. That way, no one would dare to defy us or toy with the investigation.”

“…Understood.”

Under Lee Na-eun’s command, the massacre—under the guise of "execution"—began. The building echoed with the sounds of Terminators firing, and with each shot, piercing screams spread like a haunted melody.

“S-Surrender…!! I’m surrendering! I surrender!!!!!”

Prosecutor Lee Na-eun stepped out into the hallway and saw a man, groveling in tears and mucus, begging like a fly caught in a web. Although his pathetic appearance might have provoked some discomfort, the desperation in his cries was enough to sap anyone’s will to resist.

But,

BANG!

Without a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

“AAAGGHHHH!!!!”

The man’s flesh and screams echoed down the hall like a twisted chorus.

“AAAARGH!!! AAAAAHHH!!!”

The hallway walls shattered as bullets sprayed everywhere.

“!”

A sharp sound rang out.

“September 17, 2076, 9:11:28 AM. Incheon Advanced Isolation City, District 1, Dream Road 7. Blink activated. Incheon Central Prosecutor’s Office, Special Prosecutor Lee Na-eun.”

Whoosh.

Her already swift speed accelerated, and in an instant, she reached the end of the hallway. A fraction of a second later, a rain of bullets trailed behind her.

Thud.

She kicked off the opposite wall and twisted her body around. Aiming.

Beyond a mostly collapsed wall, she spotted a man holding a massive machine gun, shooting wildly with a terrified expression. He almost had her in his sights, but unfortunately, he couldn’t see where she was.

‘If you can’t see, you die.’

BANG!

A solid line of bullets tore through the air.

“AAAGHHH!!!”

The man’s scream ripped through the silence as he was shredded apart.

"First floor right side, clear."

"Left side, clear."

"Execution complete on the second floor."

"There’s still a target in the third-floor hallway."

"First and second-floor units, support on the third floor."

"Roger."

"Roger."

Screech!

Yoon Hayeong, a journalist, arrived at the scene slightly late after slamming the brakes and causing an accident on the way.

“Please don’t let me be too late~~~!”

She got out of the car while calling Prosecutor Lee Na-eun.

“Hup…?!”

Suddenly, she clamped her hand over her mouth as nausea hit her. The sickening smell of blood pierced her nostrils, making her stomach churn.

“Wh-what…?”

Step, step, step, step!

“Load them up quickly!”

“We need to collect DNA samples before the bodies decompose!”

“Forensics team!! Over here!”

“There’s another one over there!!”

The company Dream First had achieved some success and built a ten-story office building. But now, that sleek structure was half-collapsed, riddled with holes, and the grounds were littered with blood and body parts. White-coated and masked people, along with stretcher-bearers, scurried around while four medical AVs hovered above.

“…”

She glanced at one of the stretchers as it passed by, carrying something unrecognizable—a mass of flesh-like texture.

“…”

Her brain registered it.

That was once… a person.

“Ugh!!”

Realizing what she had seen, she stumbled away and heaved behind a wall.

“Uuugh! Huarrrgghh!!”

She vomited up everything she had eaten, even from the day before.

“…Journalist Yoon Hayeong?”

Someone approached her as she was retching.

“Oh dear, are you alright?”

They gently patted her back in sympathy.

“Ugh, ugh…”

After expelling everything, Yoon Hayeong finally looked up and accepted a tissue offered by the woman.

“Thank you…. What on earth… happened…?”

“Oh… that? It was ‘execution.’ By the prosecutors.”

“Execution…?”

She understood what that meant. When the prosecutors brought the Terminators, ‘execution’ typically referred to the Terminator mode that shredded targets into pieces, not the arrest mode (sedation).

The overwhelming flesh strewn everywhere was the result of that.

“Pretty intense, right? The smell of blood.”

“How many… died?”

“Oh… we’re still figuring that out…. Haha….”

“…”

Not even knowing the number of dead?

“Did Prosecutor Lee Na-eun give the order?”

“Yes. Quite remarkable, don’t you think? To give such a command.”

“…?”

Yoon Hayeong sensed something off. While the woman in front of her was generally friendly towards Lee Na-eun, her tone carried a slight trace of animosity.

“Apparently, she ordered execution without exceptions, regardless of surrender. Said it would prevent anyone from daring to resist in the future.”

“No exceptions?”

“Yes. So, there’s no one alive. Not a single person.”

“….”

“They might have been holding guns, but… there were at least a hundred and twenty people inside.”

Yoon Hayeong looked past the wall at the building, which seemed to have been abandoned for twenty years. It was utterly devastated, with blood and flesh streaked across its crumbling exterior. The windows were shattered, of course.

A chill ran down her spine.

No matter how righteous it seemed, could this truly be right? Killing people in a mass slaughter just because they were allegedly involved in bribery and refused to cooperate with the investigation?

If that’s what Prosecutor Lee Na-eun called justice, then what on earth did justice mean to her?

“Why are you here? It’s dangerous, and Prosecutor Lee Na-eun advised keeping outsiders away.”

“Oh! That’s….”

“Do you have business with me?”

Lee Na-eun appeared, displaying her call log.

“…Then I’ll be going.”

The woman who had been sympathetic suddenly brushed past Lee Na-eun with a curt nod. Though it might have been unsettling to see a former ally act with such disregard, Lee Na-eun was unfazed.

“What brings you here?”

“…Prosecutor.”

Yoon Hayeong hesitated as she faced Lee Na-eun. She was afraid to speak. Her worst suspicions… her fears might become reality.

Then, Lee Na-eun spoke first.

“You must have finally confirmed it. Rainbow Miracle.”

“!!”

“I had no choice. There was no evidence. You can’t judge based solely on circumstantial evidence.”

“You can’t… judge based on circumstantial evidence…?”

Yoon Hayeong glanced around. The demolished building, the dried blood, the pieces of flesh being carried away.

Her nose still stung from the smell of blood.

“…”

Aren’t they also circumstantial? They were suspected of bribery, and that’s why the prosecutors stormed in, but they resisted, so they were executed with Terminators.

How is this any different from passing judgment on circumstantial evidence?

If that’s the case, why not execute Rainbow Miracle instead…?

‘….’

She stopped her train of thought. It felt like her brain was being polluted.

Filth,

Seeped into her mind.

Yoon Hayeong bit her lip and looked down.

“I can’t accept this… Not this scene, not Rainbow Miracle….”

“…”

“And imagining executing Rainbow Miracle instead… I can’t believe I’d even think that.”

“You seem troubled.”

“If you can’t pass judgment on Rainbow Miracle with circumstantial evidence, then the existence of the Terminators is fundamentally flawed, don’t you think? Especially today.”

Lee Na-eun took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.

“Don’t you think the air is terrible here?”

“Pardon?”

“Let’s talk inside. This could take a while.”

“…”

“Wait at the camp. I’ll join you after a quick stop at the restroom.”

Watching Lee Na-eun with a complex expression, Yoon Hayeong turned hesitantly and headed to the camp.

The phone rang.

The caller was Prosecutor Lee Na-eun.

“What’s going on?”

“It seems Yoon Hayeong is reaching her limit.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Well, after she found out that Rainbow Miracle was cleared, she followed us all the way to the execution site. I think she lost it there. Hehe. Poor thing.”

“She found out that Rainbow Miracle was cleared?”

…?

Ah!

Right…!

Where was my head?

How did I overlook that?

‘The whole reason Yoon Hayeong latched onto this case was Rainbow Miracle, so of course she’d go ballistic once she found out they were exonerated….’

I hadn’t thought that far ahead when I leaked the list of those cleared.

It’s all because I’ve got too much going on. Trying to juggle all these things at once, I’m bound to slip up somewhere.

‘At least the slip happened somewhere that doesn’t matter much.’

“If this keeps up, your little toy might break. Or… maybe it’s ripening instead?”

“What’s her exact state?”

“Hard to say. She seems to be feeling doubtful… maybe about to go down a dark path… or maybe she’s going to harden even more….”

“What kind of report is that?”

“She seemed really conflicted. Like she could go in any direction.”

“Oh? And what would our special prosecutor like to do about it?”

“Do my wishes actually factor into this?”

“She’s your toy, not mine.”

“….”

“You’re my toy. So, tell me. What do you want to do with her?”

“Hmm~.”

She let out a soft moan, then,

“Defilement?”