Butcher Demon Chapter 49: Elite Theory

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VOL. 1 Beauty and the Beast Prison Break   

Chapter 49: Elite Theory

 

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"The recon will be here as soon as the communication is lost. We don't have much time, so come."

　Abigail beckons me over.

　I stand next to her, and she begins to operate a centrifuge-like device.

"First, you have to set this magic stone here."

　I put the magic stone I had removed from the control unit into the device. When it was done, she hurriedly went to another place. so I tag along.

"Let's do the X-rays. Stand there."

　I did as I was told and stood.

　After a while, "That's enough" I stood behind Abigail, and she groaned as she looked at the monitor.

"I'd like to get a CT scan of your head, but I can't do that here. I'll take mine, can you press this button when I give you a signal?"

　I did as I was told and pressed the button on her signal.

　Abigail came back and groaned again.

　I look at that same monitor, but to me, it looks identical ？？？？

　There was a beeping sound.

　Abigail took the magic stone out of the device, put it back in the control terminal, sat down in the chair again, and started hmming at the monitor.

　As I watched her from behind like an uncanny figure, she let out a small "oh" and brought out a mysterious gun-shaped device from the back of the room.

　She pokes it at the control terminal. poke it on the side of my head. Then to her choker. Got it. She put the mysterious device on the table, crossed her arms, and took a deep breath.

　.....Aren't you too good at this?

　This is the first time I am not confused since I stepped into this facility. I gulped and swallowed my saliva.

"I kind of figured it out."

　Jeez.......

　Abigail spun her chair around to face me, crossed her legs, and began to talk.

"First of all, this device is a crystallization of the <Telepath>. Telepath is the same kind of telekinesis magic. They also use it to communicate with human prisoners. I know what it's like because I've been instructed by one myself.  It allows them to communicate with each other across language barriers. For humans, it's enviable magic. It seems like they're using it to transmit commands to you.

　Abigail continued to poke at the control terminal on the desk with her finger.

"I mean, the device is not that important, it's the telepath. That's why I can give you commands without this device, and aliens who can use telepathic powers don't even need the device."

　ho-ho.

『So the reason we're still hearing voices telling us to come home is because aliens are sending telepaths from the city?』

　Abigail nodded.

"Probably so. And there is a telepathic magic stone in your control terminal and in my choker. In order to telepathically talk to someone remotely, you have to match them with someone you want to talk to beforehand. In short, it's like a radio right there."

　She pointed to a nearby radio station.

"It's a receive-only device that plays back messages on a pre-matched channel."

　Well, that's easy to understand.

"And I think the bomb orders are being sent telepathically as well. I don't think anyone can give the detonation command. But thinking about it that way, there's not much point in taking the device or going around looking for the telepathic transmitter and destroying it. As long as the information on the pair of magic stones is still there, the transmitter side can be rebuilt at any time later, and aliens who can use telepathic magic can directly issue the detonation command if they want to. There is no way for you to be free except to remove the device."

　I knew it.

　My throat rumbled involuntarily.

"Gevaudan. Yesterday you said that since the command wasn't working on you, the device must actually be broken and not self-destructing right?"

　If the command to the Butcher has a compulsion force and it's not working on me, then the temporal control terminal itself might be broken.

　In other words, the fact that I'm afraid of a Brain Burn is just a precaution, and that my self-destruct mechanism may not be activated in the first place. I've been wondering that for a long time, and I asked Abigail about it yesterday.

"I'm glad you're so careful, The device itself is not broken. The self-destruct mechanism is ready to be activated."

　That was a close one. Safe.

"In the first place, the control terminal's ability to control the Butcher is questionable. It's simply a mechanism that sends messages directly to your brain. In a sense, it's only natural that you're able to act freely against its commands."

"The other Butcher--"

"The other Butcher is just doing as he's told because he's not capable of thinking for himself. I'm sure. You, on the other hand, were able to act freely because you had your consciousness intact. Simple as that."

　Abigail shrugs her shoulders.

"It makes sense that the Butcher has a tendency to run amok. It's just that there was never any compulsion to do so in the first place. If the Butcher misunderstands a command, or if he's in an uncontrollable mood, he'll do something differently, as a matter of course."

　Really? ......I thought for sure that the Butcher was incapable of disobeying these commands, but it was as simple as that, the other Butchers were too stupid and just followed what they were told.

　I unconsciously raised my head up. that's "What a mess" pose.

　Abigail grasps my finger and continues.

"I'm really glad......you kept yourself and were so cautious.......If you had acted so freely, I bet you would have been disposed of in a heartbeat. A butcher with ego is too dangerous.

『I hope Ferris is okay.』

　I had exchanged names with the fox girl, Ferris.

"As far as I can tell, Ferris is fine. If anything, she'll act to protect you. Other than that, the aliens don't seem to have sensed you, do they?"

　So Ferris is going to protect me? But if Abigail says so, then maybe so?

Abigail slowly sighed as I tilted my head and nodded.

"So, my choker is a simple one with a telepathic receiver and a few beads of magic stones that look like explosives, but yours looks a little more complicated."

　Mmm-hmm.

"First of all, there's a lot of explosives. I guess it's designed for the Butcher. And there's another kind of magic stone in the tip of the device, deep in your brain. I can't analyze the type of magic stone without removing it, but......Gevaudan, there was one thing that struck my mind after listening to you."

『What's in your mind?』

　She nodded at my lines and continued.

"You told me a story yesterday, didn't you? You told me that the Butcher wears a bag because its head pops off when it dies, but that's not the case. You said that the bag on the head is a high-performance helmet, right? I've heard that story from a human soldier too, about how the Butcher's head always pops off when its dies.

　Oh, shoot. That meatbag story is a joke from a human soldier. And it's a joke from Fox. I accidentally bought it up.

　I mean, aren't I talk a lot about myself while I'm talking to Abigail?

Abigail continued as my heart began to beat faster and faster.

"It's still just a theory, but the device on the side of your head is checking your heartbeat or brain waves. So when you die, it detects it and explodes. Even if you remove it by force, it will appear as if your heartbeat or brain waves have stopped and explode. And the sensor is the magic stone at the tip."

　That makes sense.

"I think it's a brain wave. A heartbeat is just a change in blood flow or blood pressure, and blood pressure changes are very unstable. It's not a good way to check the Butcher's survival during intense front-line combat. Also, the story that the Butcher rarely sleeps supports the possibility of brain waves. Sleeping weakens the brain waves, but if it doesn't sleep, they don't have to worry about that false trigger.

　While I was absorbed in Abigail's reasoning, she continued to speak enthusiastically.

"If this theory is correct, there should be no problem in removing the self-destruct mechanism if we can trick or destroy the sensor stone at the tip of it. But considering that destroying it might cause it to self-destruct as a safety measure, that's the last resort. We'd better figure out a way to trick the device."

　Tricking it....... How?

I rolled my head.

Abigail pushed the back of the chair and broke off. 

hmmm...

"And I think I got an idea how to do that, too."

　The Butcher turned his head and dropped his pen.

"The controller may be watching Gevaudan's brain waves, but it's not watching every little detail. That's too difficult. At best, It can only check that it can detect brain waves or not. That's what I'm seeing.

　Yeah, yeah.

"We don't know much about how telepaths work, but we're pretty sure they interfere with brain waves. So, we can have a telepathic alien send a telepath to the magic stone on the end of the device and pull it out. That should fool the device. I suggest that we talk to you so that we can simulate your brain waves while we're doing it, just in case.

　Have the telepathic alien remove the device from the side of my head.......

"......Gevaudan. Remember me. You heard the unidentified telekinesis when you beat up the dragon girl at the girl's school, right?"

　I nodded.

"Was there a Terminal nearby?"

　I shook my head.

"It was the brown-skinned girl who was startled, not Ferris, when you mentally annoyed and mauled that voice, right?"

　I nodded. Slightly surprised by Abigail's choice of words.

"She's the one with the telepath. The brown-skinned girl can not only talk to you, she can also hear you. An alien who can talk directly to you."

　I clapped my hands. Bravo.

　Abigail snorted with pride at the rare sight of the Butcher clapping.

"Thank you. I'm sure there are other telepaths out there, but she's the first candidate."

『How do I get her?』

　She shrugged her shoulders at my simple question.

"We'll figure that out. What I just said is just a theory. There's still time for me to get all the equipment I can use from here, and then I'll have to check out the rest at your base to be more certain. I'd like to do some more experiments."

『That's great. You're a great detective, you know that?』

　I praised her honestly.

　Abigail then rested her cheek and crossed her legs.  She smiled a little and gave me a sharp look.

"See? Did you find my story useful?"

...

"So, let's talk some more ♪ "

　--Yes ma'am.

　I had no choice but to nod my head.

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