This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 363

Was it because something completely unexpected had popped up?

The moment the secret of the new technology, long hidden by the Association’s headquarters, was revealed, the once bustling presentation hall fell silent as if a mouse had died.

We, too, watching the scene through the TV, felt the same way.

I had anticipated that something unusual would come out when the headquarters, which usually cared a lot about public sentiment and image, attempted a large-scale media play like this, but I never imagined it would be a device capable of creating a Rift with human hands.

So, is that why?

Everyone had a serious expression.

Among them, Yoonseo’s face looked the most serious.

I didn’t know why she was wearing such an expression, but that was how it was.

In contrast to the grim expressions of the industry workers, Bora, who once could have been considered somehow involved but had now escaped to solidify her position as a cartoonist, was simply busy expressing pure concern.

“I really don’t know about that, but is it really okay?”

Bora’s worried question was first responded to by none other than Chae-rim.

She seemed lost in thought earlier, but perhaps the incessant vibrating of her mobile phone since the announcement broke her out of her reverie.

Opening her eyes, Chae-rim fixed her gaze on Bora and spoke.

“What do you mean by that?”

“No, I mean, even if that’s true… with the Rift left open…”

“Another ones might come through?”

“…Yes.”

Upon listening, it was indeed a valid concern.

It was quite reasonable to worry since the Rift had always been the domain of the Another Ones.

In contrast, we humans were only just taking our first steps, so the possibility of them exploiting the Rift we opened shouldn’t be dismissed.

‘Moreover…’

She, the supposed technology director or whatever, didn’t say a word about it as if thinking it was unnecessary to reveal weaknesses. But there were also issues with technological reliability.

To be blunt, how could anyone trust that technology?

Wasn’t that enough?

Although it shouldn’t ever happen, if that technology were leaked and ended up in the hands of those called villains—

“Oh man…”

Humanity might face a Rift Terror for the first time in history.

So even if it was really going to be implemented, I thought that first various verification procedures should be followed… Did similar opinions arise in the middle of the presentation as well?

—“I understand your concerns. New technologies usually appear risky and unstable compared to existing technologies. Especially when they can change the very paradigm we’ve maintained until now… It goes without saying.”

The technology director, with a surprisingly relaxed face, spoke while gazing at the bustling venue.

—“In that sense, we’ve prepared something.”

Then she pulled out a small remote from the pocket of her suit and pressed it against the wall behind her.

And in line with her action, what appeared on the wall was—

—“According to an Eastern proverb, seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times, right? So let’s check it out firsthand.”

It was a camera feed showing a scene.

—“For reference, the video we’re showing you is live, just like the broadcast currently ongoing.”

A live broadcast within a live broadcast? Is this what a framed composition looks like?

—“To be honest, we wouldn’t mind doing the verification here… but there may be those who feel uneasy about that fact.”

While the woman spoke, preparations were steadily advancing in the background of the screen behind her.

And when the preparations reached their climax, the person who appeared on the screen was—

“That person is…!”

A celebrity known to anyone in this industry.

How could one not recognize the face of someone at the top of the hero industry?

“Certainly… it seems the headquarters isn’t called headquarters for nothing.”

“Still, isn’t it a bit excessive? To call Miss Mighty just to verify a new technology…”

If Chae-rim is the strongest in Korea?

The woman who just appeared on the screen was the strongest in the world.

Well, I’ve heard that she’s also half-retired like Chae-rim, but still.

The reason why she is called the strongest in the world is simple.

The performances she showed while active were overwhelming.

“I’ve heard she’s supposed to be half retired…”

To even summon someone like her.

It must have been a time for marveling at the headquarters’ power.

“Well… if I’m right, it probably wasn’t the headquarters that invited her.”

While looking at Miss Mighty on the screen with a thoughtful expression, Chae-rim cautiously raised a counterargument.

“Really? It wasn’t the headquarters?”

If it wasn’t the headquarters, then who could possibly have summoned such a giant for just verifying a new technology?

“…Maybe she volunteered herself.”

When Chae-rim, out of all people, said that, it couldn’t just be brushed off.

When I asked why she thought so, Chae-rim, with a bittersweet expression, mumbled something about it being personal and a bit hard to talk about.

If she were to be honest?

Even Chae-rim’s attitude alone gave a kind of answer.

But she need not bring it up aloud.

As Chae-rim hesitated with her response, the preparations at the venue were wrapping up… and a countdown had begun.

When the number, which was steadily decreasing at the bottom of the screen, finally hits 0, we would be able to witness that device in action.

In that moment, I felt my heart swell with a mix of anticipation and unease, and just as the number that had stayed at 1 reached 0.

Putting everything aside, the gigantic Machine Device, which looked like an elevator, began to fill with an intensely bright blue light.

And the moment the light faded…

What appeared to everyone’s eyes was something that, since the invasion of the Another Ones had begun, had become a symbol of terror and despair for humanity—their possession.

A dark purple hole, ominously undulating as if someone had whimsically ripped apart the air.

As the technology director had confidently stated, a Rift that looked unmistakably like one had opened.

However, if she intended to show only that and conclude the verification, she wouldn’t have summoned someone as noteworthy as Miss Mighty.

As expected, time for verification extended as they proceeded to throw unknown objects into the Rift under the pretext of confirming the Rift’s stability and the situation beyond it…

And just as that verification was nearing completion, the strongest hero in the world, who had been eagerly waiting for her turn, stood before the still ominous purple Rift.

Considering the nature of the situation, she had probably done a few rehearsals before entering the main broadcast, but wasn’t she afraid of the possibility of becoming a lost child on the other side if something went wrong?

Before stepping into the Rift, she glanced at the camera capturing her and then threw herself into the Rift.

In that way, one person disappeared into the Rift.

And how long had it been after that?

While everyone held their breath and watched, it felt like an eternity as the five minutes passed, and finally something emerged from the Rift.

Something with a black carapace, akin to that of an insect.

Even though it was obviously a creature recognized as an Another, the atmosphere at the venue was closer to relief than shock.

That was because… someone was gripping the Another’s neck.

Moreover, the limbs of the revealed Another were all shattered.

What more is there to say?

Having explored the world beyond the Rift for five minutes, Miss Mighty didn’t stop at mere exploration; she had captured an Another on sight and returned, thus proving to humanity that they had finally been given a means to counterattack after enduring all the previous beatings.