Infinite: Progressing from Arasaka

As his adjutant, Mado Akira quickly came forward to greet him.

"Sir, how are you feeling? The backlash from 'New Proto'..."

"At least for me, it's something I can handle normally."

Vera gently rubbed her temples as she nodded to the three senior investigators who had arrived. Another officer was injured and was being carried back for emergency treatment.

Compared to Ghoul, the human body is indeed much weaker, a typical case of high offense and low defense.

"Huh? There are two more Ghoul."

Vera naturally noticed the Ghoul mother and daughter, one big and one small, who were surrounded by seven or eight investigators and two of them were explaining something. Behind them, as she approached, they embraced each other, trembling and almost crying.

"... Is she still alive...?" she murmured.

Mado Akira asked, "Sir, what should we do?"

She told Vera about how Fueguchi Ryoko saved the investigator.

"Special Class Investigator Russell... this is my prey. I'm sorry to have let them live until this point; it was my dereliction of duty. I will take care of them now..."

Looking in the direction of the sound, Vera glanced at the white-haired old man with uneven eyes.

He staggered Quinque, making a move as if to execute the Ghoul mother and daughter.

"Fukiko, Fukiko... who is Fueguchi Asaki to you?"

Like grasping at a straw, at least Vera didn't seem to have as much malice towards them as that strange old man. Fueguchi Ryoko said loudly, "Fueguchi Asaki is my husband. He used to... work for the investigators."

"Is that so?"

Vera stepped forward. "Have you ever killed anyone?"

The answer was "No!"

Fueguchi Ryoko shook her head repeatedly.

"My husband, Hinami, and I have never hurt anyone. We have never killed anyone. We just want to live a peaceful life. If picking up corpses or the limbs of suicide victims counts as murder... I, I... Hinami had no intention of doing this. I am willing to take responsibility for her."

Tears streaming down her face, she looked into Vera's eyes with hopeful eyes, meeting her gaze without flinching.

"I see."

After seemingly pondering for a moment, Vera waved her hand and said, "Take her into custody for now."

"Wait... Special Class Investigator Russell... This is Ghoul. They're all liars. Ghoul is Ghoul, it eats people, it threatens humanity, it causes Ghoul!"

Kureo Mado immediately became anxious.

"I'll define who the predator is. I have eyes; I don't need you to tell me."

Vera slowly walked to Kureo Mado's side.

"I know better than you how to kill a guilty Ghoul. I understand your past, Mado- san."

"But what the higher-ups want is to maximize the use of Ghoul's characteristics to help humanity achieve evolution. Indiscriminately killing and wiping them out is a waste. Just like Quinque technology. Containment and control are the optimal solutions for sustainable development. That's all I have to say. Execute the orders."

The comments section should be back up and running.

Chapter 83 Vera: Madam, go and kill the One-Eyed Owl.

Faced with orders from his superiors, and as Associate Special Class Investigator under the USA in North America, Kureo Mado yielded.

He was persuaded by Vera.

Physically.

Vera paused for a moment, noticing the pain and struggle on Kureo Mado's face as he couldn't torture or kill the Ghoul in front of him.

Okay, I'll help you get through this pain quickly.

Knock him unconscious? That wouldn't be appropriate; she was afraid she might use too much force and cripple the old man from the junior adjutant's family.

Dizziness...

Overcome with compassion, Vera immediately took some medical anesthetic from the CCG paramedics who arrived at the scene, partially soaked a sterile bandage, and covered the old man's mouth and nose, whose lips seemed to be trembling.

Bang. Easily paralyzed.

The old man was already severely overworked, injured, and exhausted. In addition, he had just experienced a sudden surge of joy and sorrow. He hadn't even lay down yet, and was only kept going by his belief in killing Ghoul.

Holding the old man by the collar of his coat, Vera glanced at the stunned and bewildered Mado Akira and tossed him aside, saying, "Your old man, you can take care of him yourself."

Mado Akira quickly caught her father, who had fainted, and checked his breathing. Thankfully, he was just asleep.

"Thanks..."

She said to Vera.

As the daughter of Kureo Mado, Akari was well aware of her father's hostility towards Ghoul. With that attitude of wanting to exterminate them, if her father continued to stand up for himself and make trouble, it would only make everyone lose face.

That wouldn't be good for her, her father, or Officer Russell; let him rest for now.

"Running away may be shameful, but it's useful. Xiao, you're on vacation. Spend three days with your father."

Vera didn't mean anything by it; it was just a tactic: stalling.

She had no interest in reasoning with Kureo Mado or trying to persuade Ghoul or humans to reconcile.

As long as Kureo Mado doesn't bother her or interfere with her research with Dr. Hishikori Kouichi, she can work on future projects such as the "Hybrid Quinque Technology," "Quinx Surgery," and "Foods with High Rc cells and High Nutritional Value That May Improve Human Physical Fitness," as well as the "Legal Ghoul" that might be used for recruitment.

What the Ghoul haters, led by Kureo Mado, do is their business.

Vera is very clear about her position and her needs.

She is not a vengeful person with deep-seated hatred, nor a bloodthirsty maniac, nor an extreme anti- Ghoul. If they are all wiped out, where will she find the raw materials for her Quinque?

She was just an ordinary law enforcement officer within the system who wanted a promotion and a raise.

In her eyes, there are only two Ghouls: mobile Quinque living materials that need to be eliminated and destroyed, and special rare life Ghoul that need to be contained and controlled.

The Fueguchi family clearly belonged to the latter category.

"Special Class Investigator Russell. The file information of Fueguchi Asaki (Hinami's father) has been retrieved from the database."

Vera stored "Black Abyss III" in the Quinque case, took the industrial-grade PDA handed to her by the investigator's assistant, swiped the touchscreen, and scanned the data on it as she walked toward the Fueguchi Mother and Daughter with special Quinque handcuffs by the investigator.

At this moment, Fueguchi Ryoko had already released the super-sized moth-winged Koukaku, and several CCG medical personnel were injecting Rc cells inhibitors into her body under the watchful eyes of the investigators.

This is a necessary step in detaining Ghoul.

As Vera, still dressed in the "New Proto" black armor, approached, several investigators stood at attention and saluted. Fueguchi Ryoko subconsciously tightened her grip on Hinami's hand.

"According to the records, Fueguchi Asaki was indeed a collaborator in the CCG's logistics supply system... He even mastered certain techniques for making Quinque through self-study, despite not having formal training. This led to his subsequent tragedy, when he was approached by Yamori 'Jason'... and ultimately attacked and killed by him as a traitor among Ghoul."

The database contains images of the Quinque pliers that Kureo Mado found during his investigation of the 'Ghoul' incident. They're the same pliers Jason used. Because of the unique nature of Ghoul' bodies, ordinary pliers aren't enough for satisfying torture, so they switched to Quinque pliers for easier handling.

"If you're to be considered... you could be considered the orphans of martyrs from the CCG's logistics support front."

Vera's cool, indifferent voice and the things she was telling made Fueguchi Ryoko tremble. She raised her red eyes and asked hoarsely, "What will you do with us?"

"That depends on which type you want to be: a test subject, a typical Legal Ghoul, or a CCG temporary worker..."

"Legitimate..."

Fueguchi Ryoko chose what she considered the best. This word is Ghoul yearn for but cannot attain in order to live a stable life.

"Then be prepared to draw a line between yourself and everything from the past, and even be denounced as a traitor."

Vera clapped her hands and pointed at the sickly old man that Mado Akira had put into the ambulance. "Do you know why Mado wanted to exterminate you Ghoul?"

Fueguchi Ryoko looked bewildered.

"He was originally a very righteous, kind, family-oriented, and even somewhat henpecked investigator, or so I heard. He had a loving wife and a happy family, but... the One-Eyed Owl, that SSS-class Ghoul, killed Mado Micro Associate Special Class Investigator, who was also his wife, leaving only a mutilated and unrecognizable corpse. Then, Mado went insane."

Vera spoke lightly, but Fueguchi Ryoko remained even more silent.

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

She is a typical Yamato Nadeshiko-like married woman.

Vera shook her head slightly and said, "Your apology is meaningless."

"Instead of telling me about my plans for you, I need you to execute the One-Eyed Owl in front of the global media on a certain day in the future. Isn't it known as the One-Eyed King, the King of Ghoul? You will kill it with your own hands."

This was not information that needed to be hidden; Vera said it directly in front of many of her CCG colleagues.

"Me?" Fueguchi Ryoko's eyes widened.

Send her to kill the One-Eyed Owl?!

"After that, I will push for the proposal regarding the Legal Ghoul to be put in the Chiyoda Building (where the Japanese Diet is located)."

The true intentions are revealed when the map is unrolled.

This is another of Vera's goals for taking up her post at the Tokyo CCG: to gain recognition.

To be honest, her experience in killing Ghoul in the field wasn't enough to satisfy her appetite.

It's not like playing a game where you fight a boss to gain experience; for Vera, killing someone directly or indirectly makes no difference.

We're looking for big news.

As an elite agent dispatched to Japan by the North American CCG, he not only saved Tokyo from collapse by resolving the rampant Ghoul threat, but also demonstrated considerable humanitarianism by identifying a few innocent individuals within the Ghoul community and granting them 'legal' status...

Are these enough to grab the attention of North American voters?

Vera's achievements in Tokyo proved her competence, giving her an impressive resume and a good reputation among voters. Therefore, when Vera concludes her term at the Tokyo CCG and returns to the USA, she will be on the radar of higher-ups, becoming highly sought after by various campaign teams. Only then will she truly have a bright future.

After all, she's not 'Homelander', nor 'Superman'; perhaps she's a more powerful 'Captain America' type.

The rules that should be followed must still be followed.

2014 was a year in which various bizarre political groups and civil rights organizations gradually emerged.

Vera had no doubt that in a few years, North America would see marches and protests like "Ghoul's lives matter too."

I desire Ghoul and Quinque- related technologies; I also desire promotions and raises.

"Be prepared. As the first case, your actions will directly determine whether my perception of Ghoul is that they are redeemable or beyond redemption."

Vera did not answer directly how she would have Fueguchi Ryoko kill the One-Eyed Owl.

After saying this, she snapped her fingers, signaling the waiting investigators to take the Fueguchi Mother and Daughter into custody.

After thinking for a moment, she looked at the burly young man, Kōtarō Amon, who was being woken up from a stretcher by medical staff not far away. He had no obvious external injuries and was 191cm tall.

And the two investigators surrounding him, one a bespectacled guy named Kusaba, and the other a decadent middle-aged man named Nakajima Yasutomo.

"First Class, Yamen".

"Arrive!"

Hearing someone call out, Kōtarō Amon, who was exchanging information with his companions, stood up abruptly. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw Vera in black armor and asked uncertainly, "Special Class Investigator Russell?"

Without saying much, Vera stretched out her hand and pointed to the backs of the Fueguchi Mother and Daughter.

"As investigators who were spared injury due to the Ghoul's benevolent protection, perhaps it's fate that you three are here to assist in guarding the Fueguchi Mother and Daughter."

"Ah?"

Kōtarō Amon was taken aback. Before he could sort out his thoughts, Vera's new instructions came slowly. "Observe Fueguchi Ryoko's daily behavior, conduct a complete assessment of her personality, and then report to me. If there is any abnormal behavior, you may kill her if necessary."

"Yes!"

Nakajima Yasutomo and Kusaba accepted the order, grabbed Kōtarō Amon, and chased after the Fueguchi Mother and Daughter being escorted.

Arrangements made in accordance with the prevailing trend.

Bringing her wandering thoughts back to reality, Vera looked away. Just as she calmed herself down to carefully count her spoils, tap, tap, tap...

The sound of hurried footsteps approached; it was Mado Akira.

"What is it?"