Just as she had said, Jeanne's knowledge of all the pharmaceutical companies on the Terra continent was effectively zero.
Wait, that wasn't entirely true. She did know about one organization that was a pharmaceutical company in na. However, that organization shouldn't even be established yet; she estimated they hadn't even finished excavating their landship. Besides, they were currently a political force in a certain country and didn't have the spare ti to travel all the way to Lungn just to set up a dical firm.
"Yeah, I don't know much either. I'll just have to go out and ask that 'char siu' cat later. Her family has dealings with those kinds of enterprises."
Ch'en's answer left Jeanne montarily speechless. Even if Ch'en didn't know about other dical firms, shouldn't she at least have a general grasp of the companies researching Oripathy? As for Jeanne, being a mber of an Infected organization, she didn't know any Oripathy-related companies because her own thods were more effective than any doctor's.
"Other news... A few years ago, I received a task from him. It was to find a way to kill a departnt head of a Columbian pharmaceutical company! There might be a connection there."
While the two won were pondering the pharmaceutical angle, Tom blurted out a past assignnt. He didn't want to speak, but in his current state, it wasn't just his mouth betraying him—even his mories were being forcibly recalled and recounted in detail against his will.
You can't do this to ! Even Vouivres have dragon rights! Aren't I supposed to have the right to remain silent? Why can't even the most basic rights of a criminal be protected?!
His mind was utterly collapsing. He felt his human rights were being trampled. In this interrogation room, he had been deprived of even the basic freedom of speech for most of the ti.
"A Columbian departnt head? That makes things a lot easier to trace. There aren't many Columbian pharmaceutical companies in Lungn to begin with, let alone one that lost a departnt head..."
Hearing this, Ch'en finally felt they had a solid lead. The case could finally be investigated properly. Although the LGD hadn't received a formal report of such an assassination in recent years, and she hadn't heard of any high-level executives being murdered in downtown Lungn, secrets weren't airtight walls. With so effort, they were bound to find a few suspect companies.
"What else? Since you're from Ursus, you must have been among those bastards who raided the LGD the other day, right? Where did those Ursus weapons co from, and where did you move them?"
Even now, Ch'en's teeth itched with rage whenever she thought of the thugs who broke into the LGD while their defenses were low. If she found out who was involved, she would personally use them to practice her Chi Xiao swordsmanship once they were caught, teaching them the price of underestimating the LGD. Everyone in the departnt was currently harboring a fire in their hearts, vowing to make those responsible pay.
Confronted with Ch'en's questioning, the Vouivre brute fell silent. He didn't dare speak of these matters; his fear of those people outweighed everything. The things he had ntioned earlier were fine—they weren't top-secret. Even the location of his superior and the dical company weren't exactly secrets in their circles.
But this was different. He was terrified that those who knew of his leak would co to torture him. He had once been forced to witness a ritual where they tortured a leaker, an event that had cost him many nights of sleep. Since then, he knew one thing for certain: the private soldiers sent by the nobles were monsters devoid of humanity who took pleasure in the agony of others. Even now, the mory of their twisted acts and the screams of the informant made him feel as if he were being watched by sothing predatory.
"Whatever she asks, tell her everything you know!"
Once again, those golden pupils locked onto him. Once again, that cold voice echoed in his ears. Despite his body and soul being paralyzed with terror, he was forced to speak.
"I'm not entirely sure. You can see I'm just a brute; those kinds of jobs are handled by people with real skills. I was only responsible for driving them there..."
The brute knew his limitations. An infiltration and assassination mission clearly wasn't a job for a "tank" like him. Furthermore, he wasn't even qualified to be involved in the core planning. Such tasks were for the high-level special agents hidden in Lungn. He had only been the driver because they happened to lack an honest one at the ti.
However, as he spoke, Jeanne and Ch'en could clearly see that his eyes looked soul-less—so grey and vacant they almost thought he had died.
"You do know sothing!"
Ch'en's gaze grew increasingly fierce. Beside her, Hoshiguma remained silent, but her stare was even more terrifying than before. It was clear the raid had affected them deeply. Even soone like Hoshiguma, who usually kept her emotions hidden, couldn't mask her change in expression.
Tom sat there, watching the two won as their auras beca increasingly suffocating. He felt as if a muscular phantom was about to manifest behind them and puml him into the ground. Although they hadn't said anything yet, the terrifying pressure made him realize things were going south. In this situation, running away would usually be a good strategy. But because of the woman's power, he couldn't move an inch. He sat there like a fool, unrestrained, watching the two of them look like they were about to tear him apart.
"Alright, alright. Interrogation first. If there's any venting to be done, wouldn't it be better to save it for later as a pasti?"
Jeanne, seeing the two of them looking like they were standing with "Stands" behind them, tried her best to diate. She just wanted to make sure they didn't kill the man during the interrogation.
In fact, it wasn't just those two. Swire, watching from outside, was already looking for her chance for revenge. She was prepared to write a self-criticism report afterward just for the chance to show him what she was made of. The teor hamr in her hand was practically twitching; she wanted to give one of the gang mbers responsible for their endless overti a proper "LGD welco." She would prove once and for all she was no "mascot"!
Under Jeanne's command—and perhaps hoping that by cooperating now, the beating later would be gentler—the interrogation proceeded smoothly. Ch'en and Hoshiguma questioned him on his gang's criminal activities and the illegal acts he'd committed in Lungn over the years. Tom confessed everything, even revealing where the evidence was hidden.
Jeanne stood to the side, thinking of what else to ask, watching the interrogation. It looked like a scene from a cri movie, but with a level of professional intensity no movie could match. However, she noticed they were recording everything—even his instances of drunk driving.
What are they planning? she wondered. This Ursus spy has already committed capital cris. Why keep recording every little infraction? Even speeding? Is it because a death sentence is too cheap for him, and they're building a separate legal code just to use him as a target for LGD recruits?
At that mont, Jeanne recalled the Columbian pharmaceutical company he ntioned. Her intuition told her that this wasn't just an ordinary firm researching dicine. She didn't believe a sleeper agent would risk exposure just to kill a superior for a promotion. To her, there was only one possibility: the nobles were collaborating with that company. And a law-abiding company wouldn't dream of working with such greedy, power-hungry individuals.
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