This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 504

“Is it… right?”

At those words, everyone gathered turned their gaze entirely towards Team Leader Min.

Regardless, Team Leader Min narrowed her eyes sharply and was too busy examining the face of the person in front of her.

Since she wasn’t getting a response, perhaps out of frustration, a voice called out to her once more.

“Um… Team Leader Min?”

“Ah, just hold on a minute.”

“No, I’m just curious…”

“So I said to just hold on! I’m trying really hard here, you know?”

It seemed like it had been quite a long time ago, and perhaps because of that, the memories still lingering in her mind were rather unclear.

Reviving something that had naturally eroded over time wasn’t an easy task, and even though the person who spoke up was more senior than her, the response from Team Leader Min was unbelievably sharp.

Well, from her perspective, it was only natural to be on edge.

If they brushed past this and later found out it wasn’t the case, it would all fall squarely on her shoulders.

Perhaps this was why…

“Ah, damn… I think it might be right…”

Even as she mumbled that to herself, Team Leader Min hesitated to confirm her own opinion.

And while she was floundering in that murky situation, a timely reply from the Association came flying in.

I wondered why it took so long just to verify one person’s identity, only to find out that the face photo they sent had somehow deteriorated during the transmission.

So, the message began by mentioning that it took time to restore the photo’s quality and at the end, it stated that the person in the picture was such a vicious villain that both the Association’s headquarters and the Hero Associations of France and Guinea had put out a manhunt and bounty on her.

‘Wow…’

I had guessed there would be something since the photo had caused such a fuss and made her flail about like she was having a seizure.

But seriously, to be hunted not only by the Association’s headquarters but also by the Hero Associations of France and Guinea?

At that level, it means that, in essence, both France and Guinea see her as an irredeemable enemy that must not be left alive. What on earth did this woman do to evoke such a response from not just one, but two countries?

Perhaps because such cases were exceedingly rare, a sudden curiosity arose, but I decided not to get too absorbed in it.

The important thing was not that… but that the woman’s questionable identity had been confirmed as a villain.

Comparing the photo attached at the end of the message with the woman before us made it even clearer.

If that was the case, it meant there was no harm in digging for information from her until she was handed over to the Association.

Considering the time spent here, it was obvious she had seen and heard quite a bit during that time.

And the information she had directly experienced and learned would surely be of great help to a newly starting investigation team.

At the very least, it would significantly reduce the trial and error caused by the lack of information.

Thus, I shared the facts I had gathered with the other team leaders gathered there, and perhaps they were on the same wavelength as me.

The faces of the team leaders brightened up.

Even Team Leader Min, who had been wearing a face like a scanner, looked a bit more relaxed than before.

“Let’s see, that means we need to dig for information, right?”

“Is that possible?”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. Typically, it becomes an issue because of concerns about handling the aftermath, but in situations where there’s no need to worry about that, there’s a surefire way to make it work.”

A surefire method that’s guaranteed to succeed, huh?

What could that possibly be?

I was curious but did not ask. It wasn’t the right moment, given that Kim, the team leader, wore a rather… ominous look.

Looking solely at her expression, one might say she looked more like a villain than the woman tied up there.

“So just assign one person who can give her treatment, and she can rest comfortably. We’ll take care of everything else.”

“Um… I have to say this out of caution, but you do know, right? Even if we’re dealing with a villain, being too excessive is…”

It had to be avoided.

Not because of the other party’s human rights or anything like that.

In the past, there had been plenty of people who unnecessarily worried about the rights of criminals, but since the formation of the Association, that sentiment had long since faded.

Even so, I warned those gathered because… of the Hero Association of France.

Given our Association’s current not-so-great situation, if we were to hand this woman over, they would surely try to broker a deal regarding her. In that scenario, if her condition was too terrible to be a bargaining chip, seeing the faces of the people from the French Hero Association would honestly be uncomfortable.

Of course, we could always brush it off by saying she got hurt while resisting during the capture— but there’s a limit to what should be guarded in a transaction.

So even if we dug for information through interrogation, we had to exercise some restraint.

Or target spots that wouldn’t draw attention.

“Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Looking at Kim, the team leader’s expression… it seemed she was leaning towards the latter approach.

‘Well… we have to gather information anyway.’

Moreover… if I’m being honest, I didn’t think the French Hero Association would treat this woman any differently.

After all, they were all quite desperate for information about Heogye, and suddenly having someone who not only knew about it but had actually lived there for months drop into their laps was a huge stroke of luck for the French Hero Association. And if that person was a fugitive they had been hunting for a long time?

The moment the French Hero Association found that out, they’d likely do a somersault on the spot.

From their perspective, it would be as if they could strike gold without lifting a finger.

And because of that, they would probably delve even deeper into gathering information about Heogye. During that process, acts of violence would likely be commonplace.

If she were an ordinary person, that method would never work, but luckily, the subject of interrogation was a fugitive they had pursued for a long time.

Also, considering that they didn’t withdraw their own wanted status despite the Association’s headquarters issuing a warrant, this woman must have caused immense harm to France and its Hero Association, meaning they would feel less burden and likely turn this woman’s life into a living hell the moment she was handed over.

Thinking it would surely turn out that way made me feel a bit more at ease.

Yeah, if she’s going to have a tough time anyway, wouldn’t it be better for her to experience it bit by bit here rather than all at once?

This side has no reason to feel any remorse towards her like the French Hero Association, so if she just spills the information she knows out of her own volition, she could end up being treated rather well here.

Well, of course, that would depend on whether she cooperated or not.

‘Still…’

From what I could see, her wits were sharp as a tack, so once it became clear she had no way to escape, she would likely start cooperating on her own.

After all, unless she had a firm conviction she needed to adhere to, there was no reason for her to choose a thorny path.

And as soon as we succeeded in gathering the information she had about Heogye… then we would attempt it.

The deep exploration we had been hesitant to try until now due to a lack of information.