Aurora Over a Dead World

Chapter 27: A Truth Came from Personal Experience

After a long conversation, Theo gave us what we wanted. In the end, that was the only reason we came, so as soon as he told me what I needed to know, I left. Of course, to be fair, I still threw some money at him. It’s up to him to decide whether to keep the money or let his pride win out, though I think he’ll keep it. Rats don’t throw money away, even if they’re proud.

"Professor Zenith, did you really have to do that?" Eirwen speaks to me in a critical tone.

"To what are you referring? I did many things. Speaking in abstractions won’t let me know what your question is actually about," I say, rolling my eyes at her.

"Everything!! Throwing money at him instead of handing it to him like he was too filthy for you to touch, talking about his friends’ deaths like it was something good, and your whole rude, disgusting way of treating another person!"

"...You wouldn’t understand since you didn’t grow up on the streets, but that’s how this kind of thing is done around here. And giving him money was a kindness — I didn’t have to give him anything."

"It doesn’t matter." She grabs my hand, making me look at her as she opens her eyes wide.

"You mocked dead people. Do you think that’s cool? How can you be so filthy?"

"Hahaha, so this bothers you that much? Looks like moralism melted all your neurons... Fine, I’ll explain it clearly so that a paste-brained idiot like you can understand."

"Rats who made it to adulthood are talented. If you’re still alive on the streets up to now, it’s because you’re either strong, smart, or good at deceiving others."

"Any one of those skills lets you change your life, understand? Someone strong or smart can choose to join the military, like me and Nadir. Someone with a silver tongue who knows how to fool others can rise in a field like business, for example. It’s hard, but not impossible."

"But if such people can change their lives and don’t even try, then they’re scum. Theo is a strong and smart man. Even if he never tried to acquire a vector brain chip or a vector core, he could still reach a decent rank in the military, even if it was as an assistant."

"Do you understand? Those three friends of his died because they’re idiots just like Theo and didn’t want to change their lives. They’re trash!! Me and Nadir are different — we chose something better for our lives."

"Do you think we’d want to live stealing or something similar? Don’t try to talk about moralism when this disgusting filth didn’t even try to change their lives. And don’t bother saying I don’t know, because I do."

"They had plenty of chances to leave this filthy hole. I know that sometimes change is hard, but if they were too much of cowards to take a single step toward changing, then they’re scum and the world doesn’t need them."

"Did you know Theo currently destroys shops, beats up honest people, and charges ’fees’ not to do it? It’s pure extortion. Do you think the world would care if he died tomorrow?" I pull my hand free, making her let go.

"..."

"I know how to respect dead people, and I respect the dead — but only the dead who fight for what I believe is right. If a person who kills for pleasure dies, I wouldn’t care. If a psychopathic murderer dies, I wouldn’t care. If an innocent Kaira dies on a mission, then yes, I would respect her for doing what she had to do."

"..."

"Now you’re quiet, huh? You don’t know anything, so don’t try to give your opinion before asking."

"If Theo is so bad, why is he still free?" Eirwen asks, biting her lips.

"Because he’s a Rat. Why would anyone waste time locking up Rats in this chaotic, insane world where monsters exist? Prisons only exist for those who are truly a risk or for Kairas who are a problem — and in most cases, those people are executed by the government."

"So a prison is more like a temporary restraint for overly troublesome people, and Theo doesn’t even come close to needing to be imprisoned. But of course, ordinary people don’t know that minor crimes don’t land you in prison. If they did, they’d commit crimes."

"But—"

"No ’buts,’ Eirwen. Do you think we have the resources to keep people imprisoned? An imprisoned person consumes food, energy, water, takes up space, and creates logistical costs without producing anything useful. All of that is something the government doesn’t want to spend on criminals."

"Now, can we move on already? I’m sick of your moralistic rambling. We have some criminals to kill."

"K-Kill? You want to kill people?"

"..." I look up at the sky without much patience.

"Think about it like this, Eirwen. There’s a division between those I kill and those I let live. Theo is the kind of criminal I let live. He’s not harmless, but Theo is someone I know doesn’t kill people. He’s largely just surviving, and if he kills someone, it’s because it reached a necessary extreme."

"The people we’re looking for, on the other hand, have already caused more than 37 deaths. That might seem like a small number, but on this island with limited space and only a few million people, 37 deaths means 37 fewer innocents who could leave heirs for humanity to continue, while these criminals have undoubtedly killed even more people in the future."

"37 people who died for nothing, besides other major crimes. Don’t ask what this kind of person does to women and children."

"They’re the scum of the scum, and normally this kind of scum is already hunted and killed by the same specially trained civilians who hunt weak monsters."

"They were going to die anyway, even if neither of us did anything. But isn’t it better for us, who are strong, to kill them? That way we keep trained civilians from having to take unnecessary risks."

"...Is there really no other way? They’re still civilians who could have a second chance..." Eirwen murmurs much more weakly now, unable to maintain that earlier tone of voice.

"...Nexus gave me a list of his cataloged crimes. Since everything runs on AI these days, these stupid criminals always end up being discovered by some robot that recorded them. Here, take this." I hand her a paper list with 50 of the 64 lines filled.

Each line is a crime. Eirwen starts reading until she reaches the end, and her face turns disgusted.

"...This... is revolting."

"I imagine it is. If you want to be merciful, that mercy shouldn’t be given by leaving them alive. It should be given by killing them as quickly as possible so they don’t suffer. Honestly, killing is part of the job, but making people suffer is a choice. And I have serious questions about what goes on in the head of someone who tortures for pleasure, even if the targets are criminals."

"Now, are you going to kill them? Or are you going to chicken out and lose your nerve? I know you love protecting civilians and I respect that, but these people aren’t mere civilians. They’re criminals who think they can do whatever they want and no one will care."

"Why do they do this? I don’t understand... we already have monsters as problems, and so many fight against monsters to protect everyone. Why commit these atrocities?" Eirwen is beginning to see a side of the world that no one talks about and that never appears on any television.

"Of course it’s because the world ’ended.’ The government has too many problems to worry about small things. Criminals think they’ll go unpunished most of the time."

"Besides, not knowing when you’re going to die gives many people the urge to fulfill their desires without caring if it hurts others. It’s all a matter of the worst of humanity."

"A stable society still had this kind of person. The difference is that our unstable, small society has made these people more obvious. They didn’t appear out of nowhere — they’ve always existed."

"Specifically, these ’small groups’ are affiliated with larger groups. These wretches we’re going after now are remnants of the [Cobra]. The Cobra was a very dangerous criminal group."

"But these idiots crossed the line. It’s true that the government won’t waste time on this kind of person — but only until they try what they shouldn’t."

"The [Cobra] tried to steal vector weapons and a vector brain chip to use, and the moment they touched government property, people like Astrid started hunting them one by one, decimating them until only a few branches remained with no power or knowledge of what happened."

"Of course, the small groups never stopped doing what they always did in service of their superiors, probably trying to rebuild the [Cobra], though at this point it’s impossible."

"...Professor, you seem to know criminals well... don’t you feel remorse when you kill people?"

"...In the past, yes. But I started thinking about it from another angle. It gets easier if you think about the collective."

"The collective?"

"Instead of thinking about what you took, the life you destroyed, the dead person’s family, that person’s dreams — you can think about what humanity gained from that death."

"The collective always outweighs the individual, unfortunately. So instead of thinking about the criminal’s family, think about all the families who won’t suffer because that person died."

"Think about the greater safety of everyone who lived near that person, at risk every day. The bigger the criminal, the more they stain our society. So think not about the life taken, but about the lives saved."

"After a while, you realize that it might not be the right thing, but it’s the best thing for everyone."

"After all, remorse is corrosive, and if you cling to remorse, you’ll slowly sink until you die one day." This is something important for Eirwen to learn. I bet she carries a lot of remorse over the 10,000 civilians she accidentally killed.

But she should think not just about that, but about how many lives she can save. Someone with her power can save more than thousands of lives.

"...I’ll think about it..."

"Do that, but think carefully. I’m not telling you to ignore those you’ve killed, just to think about it differently. Because dead people don’t come back, so you have to focus on the living." I start walking again while she follows me in silence.

’I already figured as much. Bringing Eirwen to kill heinous criminals was the best thing for her... not because she needs to learn to kill, but so she can learn that death is something she’ll have to deal...’ I don’t feel great about having to make a young woman stain her hands with blood, but it’s necessary, so I press on.