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Polluter.

Or rather, the criminal known as the ‘Sea Janitor.’

This terrorist, formerly a marine biologist, engaged in actions like moving trash from the sea to the land, as his name suggests.

Of course, looking at it this way, one might think he’s just a regular environmental activist, right?

Originally, landfills are mostly on land, so moving trash from the sea to the land essentially means relocating it back to its proper place—doesn’t that mean just returning litter to where it belongs?

Even if he doesn’t actually transport it to a landfill, gathering the trash floating in the sea in one spot—wouldn’t that just categorize him as a somewhat extreme environmental activist?

That statement is partly true.

In the early days, ‘Polluter’ was indeed treated as a somewhat radical environmental activist.

The focus was placed on the enormous amount of marine debris he was relocating to land, and Polluter was seen as someone merely performing for public awareness.

In fact, the university he was affiliated with received substantial donations because of it—

If it had ended there, he would never have become infamous as the ‘Polluter.’

He would have simply been seen as a promising researcher who knew how to attract research funding through performances.

But alas, unfortunately, the true purpose of this ‘Polluter’ was not to raise awareness about environmental pollution through performances, nor to acquire excessive research funding for himself, nor even to impress the university for tenure.

It was the purification of the sea.

The reversal of pollution between land and sea.

The actions of the Polluter, which people considered as means to an end, revealed his true intentions.

And by the time people realized the true nature of the Polluter… it was far too late.

Countless lands had been contaminated by him.

A company secretly dumped chemical waste into rich soil in the country where it was based, and nuclear waste that had been dumped into the sea was evenly spread across small cities in that nation, leaving the entire city soaked in radiation.

Mountains of clothes were shifted and hit a village like a landslide, claiming hundreds of lives, while mutated worms from deep in the sea were transported to a busy trade port, sinking several ships and devouring dozens of people before they could be eradicated.

This horrifying chain of events that caused death and property damage could not be viewed as environmentalism.

Terror.

Pure terror itself.

People scrambled to apprehend this man, uniting nations to capture and imprison him, but… even a great wizard wouldn’t stand a chance against his overwhelming magical prowess, making it difficult to catch this terrorist, resulting in him gaining notoriety as ‘Polluter.’

If we were to list dangerous individuals, he would be at the very top—

A criminal whose appearance invariably leads to dozens getting injured or immense property damage.

And that criminal is currently in that hotel.

In a hotel in a Chinese city.

And….

[ People need good meals, good sleep, and good rest. And they need a sanctuary to enjoy all of that. ]

[ Ladies and gentlemen in the hotel. You are infringing upon my right to rest. No matter how much most religions emphasize hard work, encroaching upon necessary rest time truly amounts to a desecration of life itself, does it not? Denying rest forcibly given under the guise of ‘sleep’ is nothing short of violating a divine right. ]

…Now, he is speaking to the armed police.

After remotely smashing a scanner powered by magical energy, he drew a magic circle using only the magical energy vaporizing from that spot.

Magic.

Not the kind of magic treated as a branch of modern technology, but a skill reminiscent of the supernatural power once worshipped and revered in the past.

Even with the average wizard’s powers having risen, this is surely not something that can be mimicked by just any average ability.

“Polluter. You are surrounded. Release the hostages and come out.”

The armed police, though secretly awestruck by the Polluter’s skill displayed in that brief moment, shouted at the magical apparition of the Polluter with intimidation on the surface.

[ Surrounded? Hostages? ]

But naturally, such abstract authority had no impact on the Polluter whatsoever.

Phewww.

A deflated sound passed through the gas mask.

He must have just snorted, right?

The Polluter grinned, his rotten eyes swirling like a dead fish, and raised a finger.

Then, he flicked his finger toward the air—

Clang—!

At that moment, several of the artifacts brought by the armed police shattered.

Whewsh.

Interfering with artifacts inside the hotel from outside, no less!

With just a simple flick!

‘…This wasn’t in the intel?’

My spine chills.

Not just any artifact, but military and quasi-military artifacts….

Items designed to withstand external interference….

How can he interfere with such objects so easily?

To break the artifact with a mere flick of his wrist, what kind of skill is that?

It’s terrifying.

If that terrorist had chosen to, it wouldn’t have just ended up broken—it could have exploded or malfunctioned, and as the thought followed, the fear solidified into a chilling shiver down my spine.

This feeling creeping down my back.

It’s as if….

‘I feel like I’m facing a wild beast.’

A presence before me that is not human, but a monster, or perhaps a carnivorous creature.

It’s as if something that could bite my throat out could strike at any moment.

It’s clear that a force is exerting its influence inside there….

[ Ladies and gentlemen in the hotel. The people outside are calling you ‘hostages.’ It’s a totally unreasonable misunderstanding. It’s like… Yes. Just like the time in my master’s thesis, when I thought to myself, ‘This should be adequate,’ about what I wrote, I sense that there’s a truly absurd misunderstanding stacking up. ]

The magical energy from the shattered artifact starts to evaporate.

It shouldn’t be vaporizing like that.

Did he destroy the safety mechanisms?

The vaporized energy then fell under the Polluter’s control, beginning to amplify the existing visuals, and eventually transforming from a cramped screen that could barely showcase one person to a gigantic screen that engulfed the entire suite.

It was the moment when a standard TV screen transformed into a movie theater.

On that enlarged screen were people.

Some familiar faces, some unfamiliar.

And they are all lying on the bed with their eyes closed.

[ Ego, do you see? The comfortable state of these individuals. Their peaceful slumber, free from weary diligence and now indulging in blissful sleep? ]

The Polluter insisted that we should look at the expressions of those lying on the beds.

He repeatedly emphasized how peaceful they looked.

“This… this utter abomination…!”

The responsible individual eventually erupted with anger at the Polluter’s shameless demeanor.

“They’re all trapped underwater—! How can you say they look comfortable—!!!”

Right.

A person would obviously erupt in anger.

Those the Polluter referred to as ‘people peacefully sleeping’ were literally… all submerged in water.

An area that looked like a part of the sea has been cut out in a cube shape.

Despite having no walls or glass, the water maintains its cube form.

Even the fish swimming inside seem as though an invisible wall prevents them from leaving the cube.

And within that cube.

People are lying down.

At the very bottom of the cube.

In a space filled with water that likely has not a single breath of oxygen, they lie on the beds with peaceful expressions….

The only thing guaranteeing their lives is a single thin tube.

A slender tube that appears to have been inserted through their larynx, almost like an intubation.

“With their noses and mouths blocked, and a tube stuffed into their throats! And you say they’re not hostages—!”

[ Hostages? They are merely…. Yes. ]

The Polluter laughed at the official’s outcry.

[ They are individuals who will share their feelings after experiencing this scene together, once the ordeal is over. ]

Once it’s all over.

“What?”

It’s far too meaningful a statement to ignore.

Especially when considering the actions taken by the Polluter.

The Polluter brought his face closer to the screen while wearing a gas mask.

No, it would be correct to say that he brought the screen closer to himself.

Because that magical energy screen was under his control.

[ People of China. I heard an interesting rumor. ]

He spoke with eyes rotten like a dead fish.

[ Why do you dump modified prion proteins into the sea instead of incinerating them? ]

 

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