Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 122: Chapter 121: There’s Only One Truth

In the following days, Fang Zheng was very busy. After all, the fact that he’d been attacked in Hinamizawa was not a minor issue, and more importantly, his attackers weren’t locals but outsiders, which further complicated the situation.

If Hinamizawa locals had attacked Fang Zheng, then people would wait and see if there was some kind of misunderstanding or conflict. But the attackers were foreigners, and based on the current intelligence, it seemed like they planned to kidnap Fang Zheng. This immediately created a leaning stance among the residents of Hinamizawa. Although Fang Zheng had been in Hinamizawa for less than a month, he had brushed past all the reputations, big and small. At school, Fang Zheng was very popular among the children, and during the Cotton Flow Festival, he didn’t skimp on effort, thereby winning over the adults’ reputation as well. This resulted in many people coming to visit after hearing about the incident.

This also allowed Fang Zheng to personally experience Hinamizawa’s “united effort,” and to tell the truth, such unity was very touching if you were on the friendly side. But it would be terrifying as an enemy. Previously, Fang Zheng hadn’t had a personal sense of the plight of Satoshi Hojo and Satoko Hojo, but now, after making a comparison, he spent a few seconds silently mourning for them… Being on the wrong side was indeed fatal.

The first to come was naturally Chie Rumiko. No matter what, she was considered Fang Zheng’s “senior,” and she was very worried about what had happened to him. She didn’t leave until she confirmed that Fang Zheng wasn’t injured.

Next came Sonozaki Mion and Maehara Keiichi. Mion’s visit was to convey to Fang Zheng how seriously the Sonozaki Family took this attack. The head of the Sonozaki Family, Ghost Granny, seemed quite concerned about it and had already sent people to investigate. As for Maehara Keiichi, he was more interested in how Fang Zheng managed to single-handedly take on six and beat them to a pulp, persistently pestering him about whether this was the legendary kung fu or ninjitsu…

After that came Rena and Satoko, who, like everyone else, were relieved to hear that Fang Zheng wasn’t injured. What puzzled Fang Zheng, though, was that Rena appeared particularly concerned about the incident and even volunteered to prepare lunch for him… While it was a bit odd, Fang Zheng of course wouldn’t refuse Rena’s kindness.

After all, eating food prepared by a girl beats making instant noodles for oneself.

If the appearance of his students was rather normal, then the arrival of Sonozaki Shion surprised Fang Zheng. Shion didn’t come just to visit; on the contrary, she informed him of something that was expected yet unexpected—that the thugs who attacked Fang Zheng were involved in a major case and had been taken away by agents from the Metropolitan Police Department. Although Officer Oishi desperately wanted to stop them, as a police officer, of course, he couldn’t go against the orders of his superiors.

As for where those “thugs” were taken, nobody knew.

Not only that, but Sonozaki Shion also spoke to Fang Zheng about Satoshi Hojo. Initially, Sonozaki Shion only suspected that her own family had killed Satoshi, but after seeing those people yesterday, she suddenly had a strong intuition; she kept feeling that there was some connection between those who attacked Fang Zheng and Satoshi’s disappearance. Their subsequent “removal” made Shion even more convinced that there was something fishy going on.

So, Sonozaki Shion came to Fang Zheng, hoping to join forces with him to investigate. Of course, Fang Zheng wouldn’t refuse. He knew that even if he did refuse, given Shion’s feelings for Satoshi, she wouldn’t let go of this clue. But the opponents were all murderers who didn’t blink an eye; rather than letting Shion foolishly rush in to meet her death, it would be safer with him by her side.

And Fang Zheng, at sunset, finally met the person he had been waiting for.

“Mipah… Sensei, do you have time now?”

“Of course.”

Looking at the long, black-haired loli peeking out from the door, curiously staring at him, Fang Zheng nodded. In reality, ever since he found out that Furutega Rika hadn’t come to visit him with Satoko Hojo, he knew that this girl, who had repeated the world nearly a hundred times, had clearly made up her mind to tell him something.

But… you really should change this habit of charming your way through, huh?

Looking at Furutega Rika in front of him, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but think of a certain bespectacled Shinigami Elementary Student who, despite having a mature spirit, had to act like a cute child… In a way, it’s truly a struggle for you.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“It’s like this…”

Facing Fang Zheng’s question, Rika gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Actually… I’m drawing a manga, but I’m not sure how to go about the plot, so I wanted to discuss it with you, Sensei…”

So it was, her actions finally touched by what he had done?

Watching the girl in front of him, Fang Zheng smiled slightly. As long as he could convince Furutega Rika, then this instance was already half stable for him. With that thought, Fang Zheng looked at Rika and nodded.

“Of course, there’s no problem.”

Sure enough, Rika hinted subtly at the Hinamizawa Syndrome, which was very similar to the plot in the anime. However, unlike the anime, Rika was trying to deduce the process and motive knowing that the culprit was Miyo Takano, while this time, Rika still did not know who the culprit was and hoped to use Fang Zheng’s help to find the murderer.

For Fang Zheng, the most important thing currently was to give Rika a hint and tell her the identity of the true culprit. But this was not an easy task, because as far as Rika was concerned, Miyo Takano and the “Mountain Dog” unit were definitely there to protect her. In fact, after so many cycles of repetition, Rika might feel that even if everyone else around her would kill her, Takano would not lay a hand on her.

That is why Rika never considered that possibility before.

And in the original story, if it weren’t for Haneiru, who was almost one with her, revealing that the true culprit was Miyo Takano, Rika would never have believed it.

“Hmm… A village that perishes once the Queen Infector dies…”

“Yes.”

Rika nodded and then looked at Fang Zheng with focused attention.

“I can’t wrap my head around how to set the real murderer and why they would do such a thing…”

“Following general reasoning, if this were a murder, there would certainly be someone who benefits from it.”

Fang Zheng took a sip of coffee, smiling as he looked at Furutega Rika.

“So if I had to say, the culprit should come from among those in the know… Especially according to your setup, in almost every cycle of the world, the Queen Infector is killed, even more so.”

“But, but… There are people protecting the Queen Infector.”

“However, looking at the facts, they have failed to fulfill their duty every single time, haven’t they? There are two possibilities here. One is that the opponent is stronger than them, and the other is… that they have turned traitor.”

“Huh?”

Upon hearing this, Rika suddenly froze, shivering. She looked at Fang Zheng once again.

“But, but… Why would they do that?”

“Hmm…”

Facing Rika’s question, Fang Zheng pondered for a moment before turning his gaze to the girl in front of him.

“So, Rika. According to your ‘setup,’ this disease shows no particular signs during the incubation period. Only during the outbreak does it produce hallucinations and paranoia, followed by increased aggression. Yet a regular autopsy fails to detect the presence of the parasite, right?”

“Yes…”

At these words, Rika nodded blankly, not understanding what Fang Zheng meant.

“Do you know what this means to investors?”

“Investors? Are you talking about that organization called ‘Tokyo’?”

“That’s right.”

At this point, Fang Zheng gave Rika a meaningful glance.

“It doesn’t exist.”

“…Huh?”

“This disease, it’s entirely based on the word of the researchers from start to finish. This is the least favorite scenario for investors. Those case studies are not very convincing either. Psychology has long told us that under the same stress, people respond differently based on their personalities and experiences. In the face of the same situation, some become stronger, but others collapse completely. It’s quite common.”

“But, but… There were indeed cases in the study where soldiers who left the village went berserk and committed murder due to an outbreak, right?”

“War syndrome is a fairly common reaction on the battlefield.”

Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.

“For instance, if we were talking about the real world, there would be plenty of similar cases. But could I attribute one of the villagers to some rare disease just because they came from that village? If other people are from big cities like Tokyo or Osaka, does that mean they suffer from such syndromes too? This is the weakest part of your current ‘setup,’ and it’s exactly what scientific research shuns: any evidence is selective, favorable to your hypothesis is raised, unfavorable is disregarded. Of course, it’s understandable to make minor changes when facing investors, but they aren’t fools; nobody’s money falls from the sky. According to what you said, they even funded a research facility in that village, which is no small amount of money. For an organization, with investment comes the expectation of results.”

“But, but, Teacher, you still haven’t said what this has to do with the protagonist being killed.”

Hearing this, Rika’s anxiety grew, and even her little face turned pale. She wasn’t an average child. Having cycled through so many times, Rika’s mind had matured. She quickly found the answer to Fang Zheng’s words, which made her even more frightened and uneasy.

Observing her expression, Fang Zheng shook his head inwardly. Truthfully, if Rika were fifteen or sixteen years old, she would’ve been able to escape this cycle after several dozen recurrences. But Rika was just a child; she couldn’t leave the village. More importantly, she couldn’t obtain enough information through other channels. Even after so many recurrences, the information she had was still sourced from Miyo Takano and Dr. Irie. This single channel of information prevented Rika from discerning the truth through sufficient evidence.

Now, though, Fang Zheng was here to fill in the gaps for her.

“It matters a great deal.”

Gazing at Rika, Fang Zheng pointed with his finger.

“First, according to your setup, this disease has almost no observable specific characteristics from discovery to cure. Second, the most distinct feature of the disease is after the Queen Infector’s death, the whole village will consequently perish.”

Saying this, Fang Zheng smiled faintly, looking at Rika whose face grew even paler.

“Do you understand now, Rika? Trying to prove to others that this disease exists, through a cure, is time-consuming and laborious, and it’s easily questioned. Truthfully, if I were in that situation, I’d suspect it was cured through psychiatric drugs or therapy rather than some parasite. Therefore, by killing the Queen Infector and then eradicating the entire village, it becomes easier to convince others of the existence of the disease. After all, the total annihilation of an entire village isn’t something ordinary reasons can explain. However, if it’s according to your setup, then it makes perfect sense.”

“Clang!”

At these words, the cup in Rika’s hand fell to the ground with a crash.