The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Clearly, Shiratori's rank wasn't high enough for him to directly meet with figures at the level of political bigwigs. Isayama simply led him to one of the department's outposts, where he had a two-hour discussion with a group of SoundOnly strangers in a secure environment. In fact, most of those two hours were spent reshaping the values ​​of Muggles like Officer Shiratori, with the remaining time used to issue orders.

In the end, after his worldview was completely shaken, Shiratori signed a confidentiality agreement in a daze. He was then kicked out and sat in the lounge, lost in thought. He had a thousand thoughts in his mind and so much to say, but in the end, all of this was condensed into a simple and concise sentence: Goodbye, my peaceful life of the past 28 years.

In any case, things can never go back to the way they were before.

If possible, Shiratori would rather quit his job immediately, go offline, return to reality, dismantle his personal terminal, go outdoors, and sing the praises of a happy life filled with sunshine, beaches, luxury cars, fine wine, and nausea, just like a spoiled brat should.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world, and no medicine for regret.

The confidentiality agreement clearly states that Mr. Shiratori Renjuro, who becomes an insider, will unconditionally and wholeheartedly dedicate his life to the great cause of fighting for world peace, and must not cowardly run away halfway, otherwise everything his family owns in reality will be reduced to ashes in front of the giant named Guo Jia with a single finger.

In the face of the global economy, the Land of the Rising Sun is nothing but a fart, and in the face of the Land of the Rising Sun, the Shiratori family's small business is also nothing but a fart.

"Think positively. At worst, you can at least die like a sensible person." The high school girl brought Shiratori a steaming cup of coffee and a sugar cube.

"Ms. Isayama, I've realized that my first impression of you might have been somewhat misguided. Also, you really don't know how to comfort people." Shiratori picked up his coffee, took a sip of the bitter liquid—he was a sugar-free person.

"Playing the role of a high-and-mighty flower in a prestigious academy like that must be incredibly tiring." Isayama Yomi smiled as she found a seat to the side, her posture relaxed yet unrefined, a chocolate Pocky stick dangling from her mouth. "So, what do you think?"

"After millions of years of evolution, humans emerged from the bloodthirsty beasts, learned to use fire to illuminate the darkness, drive away wild animals, cook food, and use tools. With the birth of writing and language, the earliest civilization took shape. After that, through a long period of change, we have gone from slavery to the capitalist society we have today," Shiratori murmured absentmindedly.

"Well, continue."

"After five successful industrial revolutions, I have always believed that my race has completely emerged from the shadow of ignorance and from the dark ages depicted in those mythical epics."

"However?"

"But who could have imagined, who could have believed, that the greatest achievement of the Fifth Industrial Revolution, the most successful, groundbreaking, and innovative revolution in human history, would be the key to restarting the Dark Ages?"

What an irony.

Thinking of the electronic world, which is now inextricably linked to the entire human civilization, Shiratori Renjuro lowered his head in frustration.

"Fortunately, it is still people like you who are defending the glory of humanity all over the world." This was perhaps the last bit of solace in Shiratori's heart at this moment.

“Such high praise is truly undeserved, Mr. Shiratori.” Yomi Isayama shook her head. “However, to correct one point, it is not ‘you,’ but ‘we.’”

"Oh, right, I forgot. After signing that agreement, I was already one of you." Shiratori scratched his head and said self-deprecatingly.

"I'm really sorry there won't be a special welcome party," Isayama said jokingly. "However, if we can return safely this time, everyone in the countermeasures office should hold a traditional izakaya welcome party for Mr. Shiratori."

""

"Don't back down, righteous officer."

I got tricked by a high school girl.

Shiratori was filled with mixed emotions. He forced himself to clear his mind and adjust his state of mind, quickly raising some of his questions, "Regarding the Three Laws of the Sea of ​​Electrons..."

"Firstly, everything that exists in the electronic sea must also exist in reality."

"Secondly, everything that can be done in the electronic sea must be something that can be done in reality."

"Thirdly, any responsibility undertaken in the electronic world must be a responsibility undertaken in reality."

Fourthly

“Wait a minute,” Shiratori interrupted Isayama’s explanation, “I understand the first three, these are things that are publicly announced in reality, but why are there four of the three laws?”

"Mr. Shiratori probably doesn't play games much," Isayama said with a disdainful look. "Even a child knows that it's only natural for the Four Heavenly Kings to have five."

""

"Fourth, those who die in the electronic world will inevitably die in reality."

Isayama's voice grew softer and softer, but to Shiratori, it sounded like a curse, as if it were a judgment on his future.

“This is unfair. The public has the right to know this. Many of them are still trying to obtain stimulation in the digital world that they can't get in reality,” Shiratori asserted. “I don't understand why.”

"Because most people don't know, and don't want to know, that at the end of the 21st century, when utopias are springing up, people are happy and think they have everything under control."

"Why keep it a secret? I don't understand. We're smart. If we stick together, pool our resources and manpower, we can handle any difficulty," Shiratori asked, puzzled.

“An individual, or rather an elite, is indeed very intelligent.” Isayama stared into Shiratori’s eyes, his voice gradually turning cold. “But a group—it is a stupid, panicked, easily provoked, ideologically divided, and extremely dangerous animal.”

“This is not a reason to deceive the public. We have a unified leader and a sound social structure,” Shiratori tried to argue.

“Mr. Shiratori.” Isayama’s voice had completely lost its warmth as she interrupted his argument, enunciating each word clearly. “Before entering [Hive], I shared the same mindset as you. Our exorcising family has waged war against dark creatures in the shadows of history for over a thousand years. Initially, we didn’t think that the demons and monsters in the electronic sea were any different from those who had been killed in the past, until our predecessors, twenty years ago, first attempted to storm the [Hive] closest to the political center of this country with the Self-Defense Forces—the [Ryugu] located below Tokyo Port.”

"What happened back then?" Shiratori asked instinctively.

“It was a complete and expected annihilation.” Ms. Isayama shrugged. “It was an inexplicable phenomenon, a sudden and unexpected infighting. The Ground Self-Defense Force, which was supposed to protect the exorcists in the Countermeasures Room, won a small-scale skirmish shortly after entering the [Ryugu]. Everyone’s spirits were lifted. Unknown enemies are the most terrifying, but if they can be killed, that fear will vanish. Our predecessors thought so too, until they were riddled with bullets by the Ground Self-Defense Force members who were protecting them as they continued their advance.”

"This is impossible! A loyal army wouldn't slaughter its own comrades without reason. What could be the reason?!"

"crazy."

"The only exorcist who escaped recounted everything that happened inside the Dragon Palace to the guards on the outside. Then, in front of everyone, his brain exploded into a bloody mess, and in reality, he died from an acute cerebral hemorrhage."

"This unscientific."

"After that, all large-scale explorations of the [Dragon Palace] were ordered to stop. It seems that the people above consulted with the United States across the ocean in the form of a national government and obtained first-hand information. The exorcists of that country... or whatever they are called, in short, professionals similar to us seem to have rich experience in dealing with [Hive]—actually, they are also quite cowardly. After several limited attempts and paying a huge price, their policy on dealing with [Hive] also changed to focus on supervision and timely cleanup of the infected part of the residents active above [Hive]. Everything was covered in the shadows. Soon, under the leadership of the United States, a white paper on the policy of dealing with [Hive] was published worldwide, of course, in secret."

What does "depth of depravity" mean?

"【Degeneration】is just our terminology—it's used to define the degree of distortion between a 【Hive】 and the primordial electronic sea that is directly projected into the real world. Other countries also call it 【Alienation】, 【Degeneration】, or 【Ascension】. In short, from the meaning of these words, you can probably understand the attitudes of superhumans from different countries and factions towards 【Hive】. We see it as a scourge of the mortal world, but cult organizations see it as a path to ascension."

"This is greed at work," Shiratori said coldly. "One of humanity's original sins."

"The white paper reveals the locations of all known Hives around the world and systematically assigns a depth of depravity to each Hive. Unfortunately, the one closest to our country's political center is Depth VI."

"Excuse me for interrupting, Ms. Isayama. Please forgive my lack of knowledge. Without any frame of reference, I cannot have an intuitive understanding of this classification."

"Deep I: Even ordinary people who accidentally enter have a chance to leave unscathed; it's a wondrous experience on par with urban legends or mountain tales."

"That's a very thoughtful description." Shiratori shrugged, gesturing for the other party to continue.

"Deep II: If an ordinary person accidentally enters, they will basically die instantly. There is a small chance of survival, but they will become an idiot due to mental pollution.

"That's quite a leap."

"Deep III, a forbidden zone for humans. Normal people who step inside will go crazy upon first meeting, they have no experience."

"That's such a huge leap!!!"

"Deep IV"

"Wait, wait, Ms. Isayama, if I remember correctly, we're about to go to that Depth III, the heavily monitored Hive in Depth VI that you call the 'Dragon Palace,' to try our luck at retrieving the remains of that runaway young lady. Although I, being as righteous as I am, really want to run away right now, if Depth III is already a forbidden zone for ordinary people, what right do we have to wander around in a Depth VI Hive?"

"Because corresponding to the depth of [Hive], exorcists like us, as well as our counterparts from other countries, are also systematically classified in the white paper. Each level of superhuman can only venture into [Hive] at a depth that exceeds their own level II, and can ensure that they do not fall into madness due to mental pollution."

"Then, may I ask, Ms. Isayama?" Shiratori realized something and tentatively began to speak.

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Yomi Isayama, working at the [Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Electronic Ocean Research Promotion Bureau, Anomaly Overwriting Countermeasures Office], Level 4 Exorcist, currently in active duty." The black-clad high school girl casually pointed to herself.

"Understood, one last question." Shiratori nodded vigorously.

"what?"

"What level is the highest-level superhuman being in all of humanity right now?"

“Lv.5, National Treasure level”.

""

"In short, this is roughly the information you need to know."

Mr. Hearn parked the adorable little scooter in an alley near the harbor. After walking out of the alley, he turned back, pointed at the scooter, and instructed, "Stay here obediently. I refuse to believe that I can't ride you back safely this time."

Yukino Yukinoshita stood silently by his side, observing his neurotic behavior, her brain working efficiently to process the series of shocking pieces of knowledge she had just acquired.

“I understand, Mr. Hearn. It’s hard to believe, but if it weren’t for that, the monster I encountered in the alley earlier would be inexplicable.” Yukinoshita nodded to the person in front of her who had bestowed upon her a series of insane knowledge.

“You can also think of it as an over-trained muscle giant, like this,” Nobunaga turned around and casually posted a beautiful beach photo of Mr. Makishima Urie. The photo showed a muscular man who looked like a marble statue from the Renaissance, whose ferocity surpassed even that of the alien creature Yukinoshita encountered. “What you see beyond the muscles is actually just an illusion caused by your panic in the dim light—thinking about it this way might be much more positive for your future happiness.”

“I seek the truth, Mr. Hearn,” Yukinoshita replied calmly.

"Hmph, then I can only congratulate you; you've chosen a difficult path." Hearn snorted coldly and turned to walk towards the harbor.

"If I may be so bold, I greatly admire Mr. Hearn's lifestyle. In fact, in my eyes, you are a very dazzling figure."

"Come on, little girl, you don't know how my professors and classmates evaluate me."

"Appreciate further details."

"A hero turned scumbag."

"?"

"In my freshman year at ETH Zurich, to say goodbye to my dull first eighteen years of youth, I spent half a year dating hundreds of girls in my department. Of course, it only went as far as online dating. Thanks to the convenience of the electronic world, I asked all the girls who had feelings for me out at Christmas that year. I sincerely expressed my hope to shorten the distance between us in real life to a negative number. I sent all the girls an ambiguous email with the same time and place, and then stood them all up. However, they still loved me afterwards."

""

P.S. 1: It's a new month! I'm asking for monthly votes, recommendations, favorites, and promotions! Please give me your full support!

Ps2: Yesterday, a friend said that one chapter wasn't enough, so I went out for a drink today.

Chapter 23 Constantine

"Before anything else begins, we need to finalize one last thing."

In Tokyo Port, within the district, the two moved among the container ships, following the coordinates provided by the snow.

Although it was already past midnight, there was no need to worry that the smuggling gang that Ms. Yukinoshita had previously broken off deals with would all go offline to sleep. After all, most of these kinds of deals were negotiated in the middle of the night, and Christmas Eve was no exception.

"Reward," Yukino Yukinoshita replied calmly after regaining her composure.

"Yes, although we agreed to talk on the way, in order to ensure that we both reach our destination safely without a car accident," Xin Nu gave her a knowing look.

"I understand." Yukinoshita replied, while mentally calculating the maximum amount of compensation she could currently pay. Although she had brought a lot of cash from home and hadn't spent much along the way, the road ahead was long, and the Eurozone had a higher exchange rate than Japan. She needed to prepare sufficient funds for her activities during the period after she left and before things settled down.

In fact, Yukinoshita was already starting to regret not bringing more.

"Whatever you're thinking, just forget about it. I probably won't ask you for such a vulgar thing," the believer said softly as she looked around.

"Don't you need money?" Yukinoshita asked curiously.

“Everyone needs money, but I have legitimate ways of earning money, so there’s no need for me to make money this way.” The believer shrugged. “What I’m after is something else, something about you.”

Although it's unclear why he used such a bizarre inverted sentence to make such a dangerous statement, it didn't stop Yukino from immediately taking a step back to distance herself from him.

The girl crossed her arms and stared warily at the frivolous man in front of her. Her gaze swept around and she realized that she was trapped in a steel jungle made of shipping containers. The narrow alleys between the containers were interconnected and confusing. Apart from the light drizzle, the entire dock was quiet.

""

""

After a brief standoff, Nobunaga Herné pulled a plain sheet of paper—transformed from data—from her pocket. The pale yellow paper looked familiar to Yukinoshita.

"While Ms. Yukinoshita is an attractive woman from an objective point of view, before that, what I want to pursue is rare knowledge."

“That is…” Yukino hesitated for a moment, then quickly retrieved a similar letter from her personal database.

"Do you remember Hive, which I just mentioned to you?"

"Of course I remember. You said that there is a closely monitored Deep VI [Hive] beneath Tokyo Port."

"Yes, the [Dragon Palace] is a permanent [Hive] that has been discovered and is under close surveillance. Until it is completely destroyed by the superhumans and its central hub is destroyed, it will continue to exist beneath Tokyo Port in the Sea of ​​Electronics. These [Hives] have one thing in common: they are dangerous enough that they cannot be easily entered, let alone explored. Even if it is known that there may be valuable [knowledge] inside, ordinary superhumans would find it difficult to organize a reliable team to enter and explore."

"Then what is this letter paper?"

"This is another type of randomly appearing [Hive], which usually has a time limit. Take this [Hive], which is abbreviated as [White House], for example. Its existence and spread are random. Usually, its entry key will be sent to a group of unlucky ordinary people in a reasonable way. However, in rare cases, a limited number of keys will be intercepted by experienced people who have obtained clues from other places and have come all the way here before it spreads."

"So this wasn't a joke after all." Yukino Yukinoshita seemed to wake from a dream. She stared at the letter in her hand, imagining that somewhere in this world there really was such a crazy man who had loved her for ten years without being able to have her. A chill ran down her spine.

"Mr. Hearn, tell me, what do you need me to do?"

"After things are settled at Tokyo Port, wherever you plan to go next, please be sure to accompany us to the [White Mansion] before you leave. If my reasoning is correct, there are some things in this limited-time [Hive] that I'm interested in." Nobunaga calmly stated her condition and waited for a response.

"Just to ask, how deep has the [White Mansion] fallen?"

"Depth II, however, any experienced veteran knows that the apparent depth of depravity defined by the highly random [Hive] is completely unreliable. There was a level 4 superhuman in the industry who went into the random [Hive] alone to seek opportunities, but in the end he learned nothing and instead got himself trapped inside."

“I understand. After dealing with the matters at the harbor, I will take some time to explore the White Mansion with you before I leave, as a way of repaying you for your help.” Realizing that the other party was not a robber who would steal her money or her virtue, but rather a scholar seeking new positions, Yukino Yukinoshita breathed a sigh of relief. She no longer stood far away with her arms crossed, but instead took a few steps forward to stand parallel to Nobunaga.

"So, deal?"

"make a deal."

"My personal suggestion is to dress up nicely on the day you arrive. Based on the information I've gathered, there's a high probability that you, as the 'beloved,' will be forced to wear a wedding dress."

"Shi" Xue Xia couldn't help but panic.

"Shhh."

The woman, Hearn, gently gestured for silence, and the snow beneath her, who had come to her senses, quickly returned to calm.

They had been walking through the container cluster for far too long, and the coordinates on the map were very accurate. While the two were talking in hushed tones about the price, they unknowingly approached the checkpoint in the smuggler's territory.