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 name. 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 time to travel all the way to Lungmen just to set up a medical 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 momentarily speechless. Even if Ch'en didn't know about other medical firms, shouldn't she at least have a general grasp of the companies researching Oripathy? As for Jeanne, being a member of an Infected organization, she didn't know any Oripathy-related companies because her own methods 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 department head of a Columbian pharmaceutical company! There might be a connection there."
While the two women were pondering the pharmaceutical angle, Tom blurted out a past assignment. He didn't want to speak, but in his current state, it wasn't just his mouth betraying him—even his memories were being forcibly recalled and recounted in detail against his will.
You can't do this to me! 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 time.
"A Columbian department head? That makes things a lot easier to trace. There aren't many Columbian pharmaceutical companies in Lungmen to begin with, let alone one that lost a department 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 Lungmen, secrets weren't airtight walls. With some 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 come 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 department 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 mentioned earlier were fine—they weren't top-secret. Even the location of his superior and the medical company weren't exactly secrets in their circles.
But this was different. He was terrified that those who knew of his leak would come 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 memory of their twisted acts and the screams of the informant made him feel as if he were being watched by something 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 Lungmen. He had only been the driver because they happened to lack an honest one at the time.
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 something!"
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 someone like Hoshiguma, who usually kept her emotions hidden, couldn't mask her change in expression.
Tom sat there, watching the two women as their auras became increasingly suffocating. He felt as if a muscular phantom was about to manifest behind them and pummel 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 pastime?"
Jeanne, seeing the two of them looking like they were standing with "Stands" behind them, tried her best to mediate. 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 meteor hammer in her hand was practically twitching; she wanted to give one of the gang members responsible for their endless overtime a proper "LGD welcome." 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 Lungmen 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 crime 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 crimes. 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 moment, Jeanne recalled the Columbian pharmaceutical company he mentioned. Her intuition told her that this wasn't just an ordinary firm researching medicine. 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.