Infiltrating the Superhuman Training Girls’ School of the Republic of China!

Rebecca left and the military police officers returned. I heard a sound like Zhou Lizhi arriving on the other side of the prison wall, but neither she nor Katerfeld came inside, as if they were discussing something.

It had already been about 3 hours since I was imprisoned. If they were trying to communicate with Nanjing, it wouldn’t be strange if an answer had already come by now.

Ten minutes later, Zhou Lizhi opened the iron door and approached the bars. Like Rebecca, Zhou dismissed the military police guarding the prison and began a one-on-one meeting with me.

“Shin Eun-young. Your words were correct. Briar Churchill testified. She said that you met Chen Yayuan during a garden walk, talked with her, and felt her proposal was interesting, so you decided to go along with it for now. I’m disappointed that you didn’t consult me, but well, it’s not necessarily an obligation.”

“Didn’t I tell you that?”

“According to Rebecca Katerfeld, there’s no lie in your testimony that you didn’t kill Chen Yayuan. At least, she says it’s not proven to be a lie by her ability. Although that’s not decisive evidence since you, the subject of inquiry, are also a powerful superhuman, it’s undoubtedly true that she’s superior to any lie detector that exists in the world.”

“What about other suspects?”

“Hoang Thi Linh’s testimony was also proven not to be a lie. Rebecca Katerfeld is also a suspect, but it’s politically awkward to nitpick her without evidence, so we decided not to suspect her. Anyone could be the culprit in this case anyway. Does it matter?”

It’s surprising how they’re handling a murder case like this. Is this how criminal investigations are conducted in a great nation?

“Anyway, isn’t it certain that the suspicion towards me has become equal to that of Hoang Thi Linh?”

“Do you want Hoang Thi Linh to be locked up here, or do you want to be released?”

“I should be released. Isn’t that obvious? What’s Nanjing’s decision? Do they insist on catching the culprit who killed Chen Yayuan?”

“Well, a reply did come from Nanjing, but…”

As expected, it seems Zhou Lizhi not only questioned Churchill but also received an answer from the Generalissimo’s office. I asked her while chewing on a chocolate bar provided as rations:

“Do they… say a culprit is needed?”

“They say they’ll leave it to my discretion.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Chen Yayuan was a promising talent that China was keeping an eye on, but she has no relatives in China, so even if we gloss over the murder case, there are no bereaved family members to file a complaint. It seems she didn’t have any particular friends either, so rather than creating a useless scapegoat, burying it as an unsolved case wouldn’t put the government in a difficult position.”

“So they decide whether to investigate or not based on such things.”

“You are all essentially diplomatic envoys who came to China with letters of recommendation from the heads of your respective governments. Although diplomatic immunity doesn’t legally apply, you essentially each have one. If you were American, we wouldn’t have been able to even detain you briefly like this.”

It was a slightly amusing statement considering my deep connection with America.

“So am I being released?”

“Actually, handling it as an unsolved case sounds simple, but it’s not. That also has political risks. If a murder case occurs and is treated as an unsolved case, an atmosphere of anxiety spreads instantly. There’s a murderer in the school. Since there’s no possibility they escaped, they must be in here, but no one is being punished. It wouldn’t be strange if a riot broke out.”

“What’s Nanjing’s guideline on that problem?”

“Nanjing doesn’t seem to be in a situation to give guidelines, but…”

“Why?”

“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, the important thing is that I have the decision-making power.”

“Why isn’t Nanjing in a situation to make a decision? Is something happening?”

“I told you not to worry about it. Why are you showing interest in Nanjing’s problems? What does a Korean have to do with Chinese politics?”

“So it’s a political situation. Not riots or armed demonstrations, right?”

Zhou smiled with an expression that said I hit the mark. She cleared her throat for a moment and nodded.

“Twelve members of the Central Executive Committee were dismissed today by order of the Generalissimo. It seems something is happening, but I don’t know what. What would a low-ranking officer need to know about what the party’s committee members do?”

“Twelve out of about 30 members of the party’s Central Executive Committee were dismissed? Isn’t this unprecedented in Chinese history?”

“That’s why the Generalissimo’s office seems busy. They told me to handle the Chen Yayuan issue on my own. They said it doesn’t matter who we say killed her, just wrap it up somehow. But they said not to point the arrow at Barbara Tikhonov. They seem reluctant to eliminate Tikhonov now, which makes me wonder if she might be the real culprit.”

“Chen Yayuan’s death might be related to the Kuomintang’s great purge.”

“Don’t you know that saying such things puts you in danger?”

Zhou shrugged as if dumbfounded.

“Everyone knows that among the forces wishing for the weakening of the Kuomintang in the current situation, there’s not only the Soviet Union and Japan but also Korea. I heard this saying is circulating in Korea. ‘When China was weak, Korea was strong.'”

“These days, they say in Japan, ‘Remember 1905.’ Isn’t it not uncommon for such harsh words to circulate even between friendly allies?”

“I don’t know how you’re so well-informed about Japanese news, but I suppose a college student could be. That’s not what’s important. Of course, because of Chen Yayuan’s last words, it’s… possible to speculate that there might be a connection between Nanjing’s situation and Chen Yayuan’s death. But do you think such speculation helps your situation right now? The important thing is that because of the situation in Nanjing, the Generalissimo doesn’t have the leisure to give detailed instructions on how to handle this case, and because he can’t give detailed instructions, this Zhou Lizhi has all the power over every disposition.”

“That’s essentially an instruction for acquittal.”

“Hmm, do you think it works out that way?”

“No, you might be arbitrarily lying to me about an instruction for complete acquittal from Nanjing, Zhou Lizhi. In my view, the instruction that came down from Nanjing was probably to ‘release me.’ If Nanjing’s political issue is related to Chen Yayuan, Nanjing would have to choose between a strict investigation of the Chen Yayuan case or the acquittal of suspects. Either create a scapegoat or pretend it never happened. It doesn’t make sense to give a mere major the decision-making power on that issue.”

“Why are you making such arbitrary judgments?”

“Because, as you said, Zhou Lizhi. If you arbitrarily acquit me, there’s no way to suppress the fear of murder spreading among the students. But in a situation where Nanjing’s situation and Chen Yayuan’s death overlap, it’s not strange even if no culprit is caught. Because a rumor will spread that Chen Yayuan was Chiang Kai-shek’s political opponent related to the purged committee members who committed treason against the party, and was eliminated by Chiang Kai-shek’s hand. Then the murderer among people will be Chiang Kai-shek, and it’s not strange that such a culprit isn’t caught.”

“Watch your words, Platoon Leader. Your head might really roll if you’re not careful.”

“Has Chiang Kai-shek killed only one or two people? It’s not surprising, is it? Rather, the party would want me not to be punished. Isn’t it better for showcasing the Kuomintang’s dark power if no one is punished even though someone died, rather than creating an irrelevant scapegoat? Plus, you don’t have to cause diplomatic issues with Korea.”

“I never said Chen Yayuan was killed by the party. And the dismissed committee members aren’t dead either!”

“How many people’s whereabouts are unknown right now?”

“Three were imprisoned on corruption charges, and the remaining nine are still residing in their homes.”

“Why does the state know that? If it’s a simple dismissal, there’s no need to keep track of whether they’re at home or have fled abroad. A mere major like you.”

“Shin Eun-young.”

Zhou Lizhi’s voice suddenly dropped. I, who had been completely overwhelmed by Rebecca Katerfeld, was feeling somewhat excited and blurting out words I didn’t need to say once I felt certain I had gained the upper hand against her. But my eloquence was clearly working. Zhou bowed her head with a gloomy face, as if admitting defeat to me.

“Be deceived by me just once. It’s not a bad thing for you either, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ask me how I can let you go. Beg me how I can release you without any other evidence. This is a personal request. Just once, let me win over you. That won’t be a bad thing for you either.”

Hearing words that sounded like she was begging to be allowed to win, I felt a sense of pity as if looking at a child. I nodded with a smile on my face.

“How will you release me?”

“Once, just once is fine.”

Zhou Lizhi said.

“Lie beneath me. After that, it’s okay if you pounce on top of me, but let me climb on top of you once.”

“Is it a prerequisite that I have to allow you to climb on? Before that, is it already assumed that our bodies will overlap?”

“It wouldn’t be bad, would it? We could enjoy it lightly with each other.”

“In my eyes, Zhou Lizhi. Your attitude already seems sufficiently heavy.”

Is she asking to sleep together just once? No, that’s wrong. It’s a shameless and vulgar request to sleep with her multiple times, but to let her be the aggressor once.

But honestly, after laying all this groundwork, for the request to be just that. It was cute. I thought I wasn’t in my right mind either for finding this cute.

“But I’m curious. You were always the one on top, weren’t you? Using that Weapon Master ability to weaken the other person’s heart, then just smiling with a decent face to draw even innocent girls into your harem, that’s the kind of person you were, right?”

“Hmm.”

“For such a person to say they’ll let me be on top just once and then lie beneath me after that. Aren’t you scared, Zhou? If your pleasure is greater when I’m on top of you than when you’re on top of me, you might not be able to go back to how you were before.”

“It’s already over.”

Zhou whispered in a tiny voice like a dead mouse.

“When you tied both my hands, that kind of thing was already over, you fool.”