Chapter 187
The Shaolin Monk’s Secret Technique was truly amazing.
Suspiciously, all the closed-circuit cameras in the passages he passed through were filled with static and failed to capture his image, and even the patrol robots that came running to stop the intruder would unnaturally malfunction and move away after meeting the Derelict Monk’s bright, vermilion pearl-like gaze.
…A hypnosis app?
Did Techno Buddhism develop some kind of religious brainwashing beam that only works on other machines?
It was the same for humans made of flesh and blood, who were immune to brainwashing.
The apartment guards who showed up belatedly seemed to have some tact; they looked back and forth between the gruesome scene on the upper floor and the Shaolin Monk, quickly grasped the situation, and stepped aside.
They quickly let a rich person pass if fighting that person was a lost cause!
You needed at least that much tact to make a living doing escort duty in the harsh Dusk City.
After safely escaping the apartment with the Shaolin Monk’s help, we carefully loaded Angela into the parked T-Type mech pickup truck borrowed from Paulo and set off.
Somehow, it felt like we were the heinous group of criminals kidnapping a beautiful woman, which left a really bitter taste in my mouth… There wouldn’t be any witnesses, Beggar
The moment my mind wandered a bit, a fierce scolding flew in from the passenger seat.
“Mister! Get a grip! Why are you so bad at driving?”
When I missed the deceleration indicator light and rattled right past it, the navigating system mechanically recited a fine notice.
[Notice from the DCPD and Mech Corp. You have driven at a speed of 44 miles per hour, exceeding the designated speed limit of 15 miles per hour in the vehicle’s prescribed Deceleration Zone, and will therefore be fined. The payment methods are as follows:]
Hina beside me and the car navigation in front of me were teaming up to nag and torment me.
I couldn’t help it.
I got my license in 21st century Korea, not 22nd century Dusk City!
I wasn’t used to the road traffic here, and I wasn’t used to this car. It had been a long time since I last drove, too!
This was why I usually hitched a ride in Sey’s car or used public transportation like the monorail.
“…Paulo is the one paying this fine, not I, Beggar”
At my cautious question, Hina gave me a pathetic look as if asking if that was what mattered right now, then nodded.
“Probably. So please, drive properly! Paulo Oppa is going to freak out when he sees the fine notice!”
I’m sorry, Paulo!
Still, it was better for me to drive than an underage high school girl or a derelict monk who came down from a monastery. As long as I didn’t cause an accident, it was fine!
After that, there were several more incidents - like narrowly avoiding a near-accident, getting caught speeding one more time, Angela waking up tied in the backseat and throwing a fit before being subdued, and my heart pounding when a DCPD patrol car stuck unusually close because I thought we were caught - but we eventually made it back safely to Chainsaw Man’s Stealth.
It looked like Paulo’s car had a new scratch that wasn’t there before, but it was probably just my imagination.
I drove pretty well for all that, didn’t I?
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call me the best driver!
* * *
“It wasn’t me.”
Those were the words Angela spat out as soon as we sat her down in a chair.
I was dumbfounded, having been running all sorts of simulations in my head while recalling criminal interrogation scenes from movies and games I’d seen.
“…I haven’t even said anything yet?”
“It’s obvious without even looking. You suspect me as the person who killed Miguel, don’t you, honey?”
As expected of an industry person, she immediately understood the situation without a single explanation.
Then again, since I was moving with Hina, it was something she could easily deduce.
“Shut up! How dare you with that filthy mouth - “
Due to her actions - like kidnapping and threatening someone in her home, and showing off high-firepower dangerous weapons and lethal martial arts - Hina was already convinced that Angela was the culprit and was itching for revenge.
I grabbed and stopped her as she tried to smack the back of Angela’s head with a frying pan she got from who knows where.
Seriously, are all high school girls naturally this strong? It felt like I was forcibly holding back a bull.
“Hey, hey. Calm down.”
“Would you be calm if you were me, Mister?! That fucking bitch - .”
Goodness, what a foul mouth. Amidst the barrage of profanities and shouting, Angela calmly continued speaking.
“I’ll say it again, it wasn’t me, Hina. I’m wondering why you even suspected me in the first place? You must have had some conviction to just barge into my home like that.”
“Yeah! I had conviction! And just as expected, in your house, you were doing that fucking - .”
“Hey, hey, hey, you just stay still. I’ll do the talking, I will.”
If I left her alone like this, let alone an interrogation, we’d just be listening to abusive language all day.
I forcibly clamped my hand over Hina’s mouth, and while she was making muffled noises, I attempted to converse with Angela.
“There was a reason we suspected you, of course. And we witnessed a scene fitting of that suspicion at your house, Ms. Angela. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
“Well. Is there even a need to explain myself?”
At Angela’s incredibly shameless response, Hina’s thrashing grew even fiercer.
Faced with her ferocious momentum, as if she might bite off the hand covering her mouth, I let out a deep sigh.
“Is there a need to further provoke this bloodthirsty high school girl like that? It’s extremely difficult to hold her back right now, you know? Please speak a bit more seriously.”
At my words, Angela smiled brightly despite her messy appearance and said…
“Sorry, honey. But it’s exactly as I said. There’s nothing to really explain; the scene you saw has no connection to the incident where Miguel died. For instance… just because someone died far away Outside the City in the Outside, doesn’t mean it’s connected to a murder case that happened in East Monica. It’s like that.”
“I think this case is different. If the culprit of one incident is a prime suspect with ties to the victim of another incident, shouldn’t that be considered connected?”
At my logical rebuttal, Angela shrugged as if she had nothing to say.
“Then I have nothing to say. What can you do? It is a profession prone to suspicion. Honey, you had some idea, didn’t you, about what kind of work I do.”
That was true.
I got a strong feeling when I saw the lethal weapons pouring out at the bar during the personal belongings inspection.
A bloodlust worse than most Ronin, or should I say, that distinct vibe of a human who made killing people their profession.
“In my defense, I only kill those bastards who deserve to die. Naturally, I don’t even accept contracts involving people I’m close to in the first place. Do you take me for some kind of psychopath, honey? I’m a very sensitive woman.”
It wasn’t completely unconvincing.
But there were still many suspicious aspects remaining…
[There is no one in the World who deserves to die, Patron.]
Just as I was about to open my mouth, the Derelict Monk, who had been quietly watching from behind, spoke calmly.
Angela snorted as if she were dumbfounded.
“Yes~ I’m sure you think so, Monk…Honey, come to think of it, I’m curious, how on earth did you bring a Shaolin Monk here? I never dreamed a hunk of metal monster like that would show up just to catch a delicate woman like me. The levels don’t match, the levels.”
Delicate woman my ass, the Silver Hook Arm that slammed down as if to tear my arm apart was still vivid in my mind.
She was probably still looking eagerly for a chance to escape. She just couldn’t put it into action because of the deterrent known as the Shaolin Monk.
“I brought him in case you tried to run away. I have quite a few connections, you see. Right, let’s ask about that. I can let it slide that you attacked us. We were the ones who made an unauthorized entry, after all.”
But after recognizing Hina and me, and grasping the situation to some extent, why did you run away? If you aren’t the culprit, you have nothing to feel guilty about, so you could have just explained yourself.”
“Well… it’s not like I have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about?”
What was she talking about now? Didn’t she just say she wasn’t the culprit?
“I wasn’t the one who killed Miguel, so of course I have a clear conscience regarding that. But my job is an assassin/hitman, and I was caught red-handed kidnapping a target and tying up loose ends… honey, think about it.”
In that situation, would my first thought be, 'Ah, but I’m not the culprit, so if I calmly explain, they’ll listen'? Or would I think, 'I’m busted! Let’s run for it first!'?”
“…It would be the latter.”
“Right. The fact that I tried to run away first, rather than trying to kill you to silence you somehow, is practically proof that I’m not the culprit. Don’t you think?”
It was strangely persuasive. While I was pondering, Hina, unable to hold back any longer, bit down hard on my fingers and shouted.
“Bullshit! It’s no use trying to weasel your way out of it! We have proof, you know?”
“Proof?”
Angela narrowed her brow.
“Proof? There’s no way something like that exists.”
“Yeah! You must have hidden it very thoroughly, so it makes sense you’d think that. But we found it!”