บท 52: Hope
After being astonished by Captain America's reality-defying feats during the first battle, the experts quickly zeroed in on another crucial element during their intense discussions.
It was his shield.
Professor Miyazaki was the first to articulate his thoughts. He pointed out that while the physical prowess displayed by the shield-wielding hero was undeniably impressive—almost to the point of being unbelievable—his most astonishing feats, such as surviving a direct hit from a bazooka and leaping from the sixth floor without a scratch, couldn't be attributed solely to raw physical strength.
Especially the elegant, almost effortless free fall.
Professor Miyazaki paused the video at the precise moment Felix was standing by the window, overlooking the ground from his first-person perspective. The screen showed the impact crater left by the smiling man upon landing, with cracks spiderwebbing across the concrete. In stark contrast, when Captain America landed, there wasn't so much as a dent in the ground beneath him.
This seemingly impossible outcome—one that defied all conventional physics—couldn't be explained by strength alone. There had to be something more at play, and Professor Miyazaki suspected it lay in the shield itself.
"Perhaps the shield has a mechanism that absorbs or cancels out the force of impacts," Professor Miyazaki speculated, his tone thoughtful. "Whether it's deflecting a shell or cushioning a high-altitude fall, the shield is clearly a key component. When he landed, he used the shield as a buffer, and the impact was neutralized by some special property of the shield, which is why there was no damage to the ground. This could also explain why he seems completely unaffected by the kinetic energy from the bazooka when he uses the shield to block it."
The room fell into a contemplative silence as everyone digested this new theory.
Soon, all eyes turned to Dr. Richard, the head of the Equipment Department, who had been trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible until this point.
"Dr. Richard…"
"Look, we don't have anything like this, I don't know how it works, and I've never even heard of anything remotely similar," Dr. Richard quickly denied any involvement or knowledge before the questions could even be fully formed.
He was visibly frustrated, thinking to himself that he was responsible for the Equipment Department, not for solving impossible riddles. Why did these people insist on throwing such baffling questions his way, as if he were some sort of wizard capable of pulling technological miracles out of thin air?
Why not just consult the magic conch while they were at it?
[TL Note - Spongebob reference]
Continuing to debate the properties of the shield wouldn't yield any productive results unless they could actually get their hands on it for study. The various units within Dr. Richard's department were already working around the clock, attempting to reverse-engineer the feasibility of Batman's gadgets from modern scientific perspectives. It felt like trying to solve the final problem in a complex math equation after already being handed the answer—an answer that might not even make sense.
The difficulty hadn't decreased much, and they were still being pressured by superiors, as if they were in an open-book exam that they should easily ace.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Richard had allowed himself a moment of relief, thinking that since this time it was a warrior and not a magician, the responsibility for any biological enhancements would fall on Professor Miyazaki. Surely, this one would be out of his hands.
But as it turned out, even though the hero seemed to be a straightforward warrior, the real mystery lay in the shield strapped to his back. And once again, the burden of explaining the unexplainable fell on Dr. Richard.
Moreover, Batman's technologies, at least, had some discernible basis in propulsion, mobility, and other performance effects, which provided an entry point for research. But this shield? It looked like an ordinary, albeit exceptionally sturdy, piece of equipment with no clear starting point for investigation.
Dr. Richard could feel his frustration mounting, verging on despair.
Fortunately, the discussion didn't linger on the shield issue for too long. The meeting quickly moved on to the next pressing topic: the source of the infection.
The primary source of infection in this incident was undoubtedly Ethan Ward. The young man, driven to madness by the infection, had taken on the persona of his deceased girlfriend, attacking Dr. Li at the Central Hospital along with several other victims. Notably, these victims all shared a similar physical build to Emma Heart, suggesting a disturbing pattern in the choice of targets.
However, this time, the infection didn't appear to have spread significantly. At most, residents in the same building as Ethan reported feeling an eerie, unsettling presence, which had caused some mild psychological effects—nothing severe enough to warrant alarm.
The discussion then shifted to the enigmatic smiling man who had suddenly appeared.
Based on the video footage and Felix's detailed account, the smiling man seemed to have some connection to the previous incident involving Greg Hunter. In other words, it was likely that the same individual was orchestrating these events from the shadows.
The identity of the smiling man was soon uncovered.
His real name was Nagao Katsumi. Once a well-respected man, he was framed and unjustly imprisoned. Upon his release, he found his life in ruins—his family torn apart, his career in shambles, and his prospects for the future bleak. Nagao spiraled into a deep depression, unable to find work or meaning in his life, leading to one final result; suicide.
Greg Hunter, Ethan Ward, and now Nagao Katsumi all shared one grim commonality: they should have been dead.
"I proposed this theory before, and this incident seems to confirm it," Professor Miyazaki began, his tone grave. "The mastermind behind these events appears to possess a unique ability—one that allows him to infect those who are on the brink of death or who have already died.
Infected individuals resurrected from the dead seem to possess significantly enhanced powers. Moreover, the people they infect have a higher likelihood of leaving behind a spiritual residue after they're eliminated. These residual spirits can gather and potentially form an unknown entity, much like what we encountered during the previous incident."
Commander Ross, who had been silently absorbing the information, finally spoke up after a moment of contemplation. "So what you're saying is that we're dealing with an infected individual with enhanced capabilities. He can infect the dead and turn them into even more dangerous sources of infection."
The weight of this realization settled heavily over the room, causing a tense silence as everyone grappled with the implications.
If there was anything more terrifying than a madman, it was a madman with a plan and the power to execute it. Even worse was the idea that this madman had resources and the ability to wield them with precision and intent.
Much like Batman…
But if there was anything more terrifying than a lunatic with money, power, and a dark agenda, it was that he could spread his madness like a disease.
The atmosphere in the conference room grew even more somber, with each member lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Felix broke the silence.
"I think…"
His voice immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room.
"The mastermind behind all of this… He's a deeply twisted individual. He claims to be the embodiment of the 'nothingness' that people fear and believes that everyone harbors the same darkness he does. He's obsessed with proving that this darkness exists in everyone."
Professor Miyazaki nodded in agreement. "People with strong negative emotions—anger, resentment, fear—are more susceptible to infection. This is a fundamental principle in infection cases.
Even among the dead, only those who died harboring strong negative emotions—resentment, anger, fear—are likely candidates for his manipulation."
"Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to say," Felix continued, his voice gaining strength. "I heard him say that in this incident, he had hoped to infect the girl who died… but he found he couldn't.
Because she died without any resentment, without anger, and without fear."
Felix took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before speaking again, his voice firm.
"What I'm trying to say is… the mastermind behind all of this was wrong. He wanted to prove that everyone was as dark as he is, but this incident proves the opposite.
I believe that's what Batman and the group behind him are also trying to show us. The darkness within us is the breeding ground for infection, especially in these troubled times. Demons, to some extent, are born from our own inner fears and failures.
But if we can inspire people to embrace the good within them, to confront their fears and overcome the darkness, we can cut the infection off at its source."
After a brief pause, Felix added with conviction, "I think that's what they're doing, what they're trying to communicate to us… like the signal that appeared that night."
His words resonated deeply, leaving the room in a contemplative silence. Even Charlie, who had unwittingly become the sole representative of the so-called "Batman Behind the Scenes Organization," was momentarily stunned by Felix's interpretation.
Is that really what they think?
But it actually makes a lot of sense…
…
The Grove Group Building.
Felix's maid, a statuesque woman with a composed demeanor, entered the opulent office with a handheld computer in hand. Galadin Grove, Felix's uncle and the formidable head of the family, sat behind a massive mahogany desk, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. He accepted the device from her with a slight nod, his expression unreadable.
As he unlocked the screen, the footage Felix had captured during the recent battle played across the display. The image showed the tall hero, clad in a tight uniform, holding a shield with effortless grace. The hero easily overpowered the laughing infected, driving him from the sixth floor and then leaping down to finish the job with lethal precision.
"A new mysterious character? How intriguing," Galadin mused, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"I didn't expect it would be so advantageous for the young master to join the organization," the maid remarked with a respectful bow. "These are top-secret images from the Ninth Division; without him, we wouldn't have had access to such sensitive information."
Galadin glanced up at her, his smile widening slightly, though his eyes remained sharp and calculating.
"It wasn't just luck."
The maid tilted her head, a hint of curiosity in her otherwise composed demeanor.
"Felix believes he earned his way into the Ninth Division through his own merits. But the truth is, this path was set by the family long before he even knew it existed."
[TL Note - I'm like confused; I thought the family had never heard of the Division and were reluctant to let Felix enter. I hope this is not a contradiction but simply the author's way of saying the above statement was merely Felix's conjecture, but contrary to Felix's beliefs, the family was already aware]
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