I! Cleaner!
Chapter 479 - 415: Good People and Bad People

Chapter 479: Chapter 415: Good People and Bad People

"Alright."

After hearing the Aquarius Director’s instructions, the female journalist nodded and took the glass lantern from his hand. However, she didn’t set out for the Dream Realm immediately. Instead, she bit her lip, hesitated, and said:

"Director, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can."

Upon hearing the female journalist’s words, the Aquarius Director, who seemed very young in appearance yet with eyes burdened by the marks of time, turned back, smiled gently, and said kindly:

"Nicole, ask whatever you want to ask. I will tell you anything I can... Also, don’t be so restrained in front of me. You are one of the few people I can trust, and I hope you can trust me a bit more too."

"Alright..."

The female journalist’s demeanor relaxed slightly after hearing the Aquarius Director’s words, and she quietly asked:

"Director, the people from the Virgo branch have repeatedly sabotaged your plans, even causing damage to your soul so you had to curry favor with the King of Nightmares... Don’t you harbor any resentment?"

"What you’re really trying to ask might not be whether I have resentment, but why I didn’t seize the opportunity to deal with the Scarlet Hair Lady or Leon, correct?"

"Hmm..."

After exposing what the female journalist truly wanted to ask, the Aquarius Director did not directly answer her question but instead smiled and asked in return:

"Nicole, can you tell me, how do you perceive me?"

Upon hearing the Aquarius Director’s words, the female journalist was stunned for a moment, then she lowered her head slightly and replied softly:

"You are my benefactor. If it weren’t for you, I would have died at the age of seven. You rescued me from the privateer ship of the Kingdom of Saio and gave me the ability and chance to seek revenge..."

"Nicole, you know that the question I asked wasn’t about the relationship between you and me, but rather about how you truly see me."

Interrupting the female journalist’s evasive answer, the Aquarius Director couldn’t help but chuckle and said:

"Alright... Although you chose to dodge the topic, you somewhat answered my question indirectly.

In your eyes, I should be someone obsessed with Abnormal Genesis Sorcery, willing to do anything without scruples to fulfill a long-held wish, sacrificing anything to achieve my goals, a villain deserving death, an evil lunatic... right?"

"No!"

The female journalist couldn’t help but exclaim:

"Director, you... although your methods are somewhat extreme, you’ve also done many kind deeds and saved many people. You actually..."

"I am indeed a bad person."

Defining himself, the Aquarius Director’s smile slightly faded, and he said calmly:

"To you, I am a benefactor, but to many others, I am indeed deserving of death."

"..."

"Although the number of people who died because of me is far less than those I have sheltered over the past hundred years, probably not even a fraction.

But in the process of researching Abnormal Genesis Sorcery, I have committed many evil deeds. To create abnormal items or acquire mystique materials, I have neglected people trapped in desperation, subtly pushed them further, even personally orchestrated tragedies that ruined their lives.

Even rescuing you from the privateer ship of the Kingdom of Saio when you were young wasn’t out of kindness but rather due to detecting your outstanding talent, thinking you could cultivate the top abnormal item.

Nicole, though you never want to admit it, I am indeed a bad person."

"..."

Watching the silent female journalist, the Aquarius Director smiled and said:

"Let me ask you, when the intelligence machinery of the Crolock Kingdom confined the royal family, sealed off the Gemini branch, and quietly controlled all Cleaners a few years ago, do you know why I only rescued you?"

The female journalist hesitated before replying:

"Because... I am a level one Cleaner? Also, the strongest in the bureau?"

"No."

The Aquarius Director shook his head and said:

"Because you are a good person."

"???

"Haha, you are different from others willing to follow me in the bureau. Although they adhere to my orders and can even stand by me, concealing my various infractions, they don’t truly acknowledge me.

Those people either are accustomed to obedience, or fear my power, or wish to obtain stronger abnormal items. Only you are different, your reason for following me is pure gratitude, gratitude that I saved your life, and gratitude that I gave you the ability to seek revenge."

"..."

"Once my affairs become public, those accustomed to obey me will still follow the Clean-up Bureau without hesitation; those who fear my power will naturally fear the formidable Clean-up Bureau even more, and those who seek benefits from me will be swayed by benefits I cannot provide.

Nicole, you alone, your reason for following me is simpler than anyone else, you merely want to repay a debt."

Watching the silent female journalist, the Aquarius Director smiled, then calculated on his fingers:

"Although you detest my actions, secretly sabotage my experiments frequently, destroyed many potential abnormal items, and even privately reported me to the bureau several times, hoping someone would stop me.

Including this time, when you stole the Scarlet Hair Lady’s wallet, you could have completely remained unseen but chose to appear, without altering your appearance, essentially reminding them to be cautious of me aside from the King of Nightmares, correct?"

"..."

At this point, the Aquarius Director paused slightly then smiled and continued:

"Yet, at such times, you trying to remind the Scarlet Hair Lady to be cautious of me is actually more reliable than those in the Gemini branch who never opposed me.

Whenever you recall that I saved your life, raised you, and helped you seek revenge in the past, and feel that you haven’t fully repaid me, you will never truly betray me."

"..."

"Hmm... People tend to ramble meaninglessly as they age, I seem to have gone off-topic."

Watching the female journalist unconsciously purse her lips, the Aquarius Director smiled and said:

"All in all, although I am a bad person, my actions are purposeful, not one who enjoys killing and destruction aimlessly, cooperating with the King of Nightmares is merely out of helplessness.

I hold no grudge against the Kingdom’s people, so there’s naturally no need to harm them, and if I truly allowed the King of Nightmares to invade reality, it would not benefit me but make me subject to its control, thus I certainly won’t aid it.

As for why I didn’t sneak attack the Scarlet Hair Lady and Leon when they were distracted to get rid of these two persistent troublers... hmm... There are many reasons, but the primary one is simply not being able to beat them."

"Ah?"

"Truly unable to beat them."

Pointing at the Nightmare River quickly retreating under the morning sun, the Aquarius Director said with a toothache:

"In just half a night, nearly a million nightmares were eliminated by the Scarlet Hair Lady, and that’s when she’s mainly preventing nightmares from entering reality, without proactively attacking.

The over one hundred million Slaughter Blood Hair in the Scarlet Hair Lady’s possession is the top physical damage type abnormal item in the Clean-up Bureau, and if used without regard for consumption, it could pierce the moon in just fifty hours.

Any entity that relies on flesh to exist is innately at a disadvantage against her, and one of the basic rules of reality happens to be needing to rely on flesh to persist, making her virtually invincible here."