Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Chapter 71

Jowe’s grandfather’s face turned red. For a moment, he looked as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard, but the disbelief on his face quickly gave way to anger. It was funny how quickly this man changed expressions.

He had probably spent his entire life surrounded by people who scrambled to obey him, and now a wounded girl who had come from some insignificant village was insulting him to his face. His hands tightened at his sides before he abruptly turned toward the guards standing near the door.

"Hold her down!" he barked. "I don’t care whether she agrees or not. We’re conducting the memory search today, and anyone who tries to stop us will answer to me!"

Ingrid’s expression changed immediately, she stumbled backwards as fast as she could, backing up, and then, she turned toward Hunter G before the guards could approach her.

"You made a deal with me, remember?" She screamed, her eyes wide with fear, "I promised to tell you what I knew about those other zombies, and I also agreed to hand over the Star Glow Herbs in exchange for medical treatment. If your people lay a hand on me, I’ll take back everything I promised to tell you, and our deal will be over. Don’t expect me to cooperate with you after this!"

Hunter G remained silent, his expression not even changing or showing that he heard me. He had been standing there, as still as a statue and it made it clear that he wasn’t willing to help me at all.

Jowe’s grandfather let out a mocking laugh. He seemed amused by Ingrid’s attempt to bargain with them, as if her words were nothing more than an entertaining joke. "Do you honestly believe we need you to open your mouth?" he asked, stepping closer to the bed.

"Once the memory search begins, we’ll find out everything we want to know directly from your memories. You can keep your precious information to yourself if you wish, but it won’t make the slightest difference."

Ingrid stared at him in disbelief, wondering whether the man had completely lost his mind. Before she could come up with another response, Nurse Mara walked towards where she was, her face cold and slightly pale, making the scar on her face more visible.

"What exactly are you people thinking?" Mara demanded, going to stand in front of Ingrid. "She’s still weak, and her wound has only just been treated, it was even slightly infected due to how long you let it stay uncovered. A memory search will put additional strain on her body and especially on her mind, so how can you possibly think this is an appropriate time to conduct one? Even if she wasn’t healed, with the amount of adrenaline her body had produced within the last few days, it’ll take a toll on her. You can’t do this."

One of the older men gave her an impatient look, clearly displeased that she had interrupted them. "If she has enough strength to argue with us and insult the people in charge of this branch, then she’s perfectly capable of undergoing a memory search," he replied dismissively. "Besides, she will be staying at the Hunter’s Guild for a while, so we can arrange for her to receive proper care afterward. You don’t need to concern yourself with matters that are beyond your responsibility."

Mara’s eyes widened, and she took another step forward, refusing to back down. "You can’t simply decide to keep her here and subject her to a procedure like this! You know exactly what a memory search can do to someone, especially when their body is already weak. If something goes wrong, the damage can be permanent, and she might never recover both physically and especially mentally! Have you forgotten what that memory search you’re always so proud of did to the people you used it on?! Do you remember how mentally ill they became? They couldn’t think for themselves, they became fools! Are you willing to take responsibility for that?"

’Fools? They became fools?!’

"Enough of your nonsense," the old man snapped. "We know the risks, and we also know why this needs to be done. The information she possesses could be important to the survival of countless people, so we cannot afford to waste time worrying about every possible complication."

Ingrid’s mouth fell open as she listened to their conversation. These people weren’t merely ignoring the risks; they were discussing her possible permanent mental damage as if it were an insignificant inconvenience. She looked from one old man to another, searching their faces for even the slightest hint that someone was joking, but all she saw was impatience and cold indifference. Were they seriously willing to destroy her mind just to satisfy their curiosity?

"You people are crazy!" Ingrid exclaimed, unable to contain herself any longer. "You know how dangerous this procedure is, yet you’re still willing to force me into it without my consent? What the hell is wrong with all of you?"

One of the white-haired men regarded her with an expression of complete indifference. "Sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good," he said, as though he were explaining something obvious to a child.

"Even if the procedure leaves you mentally impaired, at least your sacrifice will help save many lives. Besides, you don’t appear to have a well-formed Beast Core, which suggests that you are probably a half-breed. People like you should be willing to contribute more to the fight against the zombies. If a few lesser half-breeds have to make sacrifices so the rest of the world has a better chance of surviving, then so be it."

For a moment, Ingrid couldn’t even find the words to respond. She had heard plenty of unreasonable things since arriving in this world, but the cruelty of the man’s argument left her speechless.

He was talking about ruining someone’s life as though people with weaker Beast Cores were disposable objects, and he didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with it. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Freya’s expression change, the woman’s eyes flashing dangerously as her hands clenched into fists, but Ingrid had no time to wonder what was going through her mind.

"That’s complete bullshit!" Ingrid shouted, glaring at the men. "You’re all batshit crazy! Who gave you the right to decide that my life is worth less than yours? I don’t care how important you think you are, and I don’t care how many people obey you. I’m a person, not some disposable object you can destroy whenever it suits you!"