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

Chapter 123: Chapter 122: The Disadvantage of Being Uncultured

In Fang Zheng’s view, the entirety of “When the Cicadas Cry,” when assessed from a realistic standpoint, was entirely unscientific and far from magical.

The reason was simple: those researching the so-called Hinamizawa Syndrome, according to Fang Zheng, were mostly incompetent.

First came Hifumi Takano, who proposed the Hinamizawa Syndrome; he was merely a professor, and an ordinary one at that, with no notable reputation in the academic community, which is another reason why his theories were ridiculed by the experts. Though the story attributes this mockery to directives from an organization behind the experts, it boiled down to his lack of scholarly merit and absence of reputation. If you had Stephen Hawking saying something casually, who would dare to refute him so carelessly? Definitely not a chance.

Next was Miyo Takano, who did have a background in parasitology, but in Fang Zheng’s opinion, she had never led any noteworthy experimental group. In other words, Miyo Takano’s capabilities were just that of a small laboratory boss, and as for Dr. Irie, not to mention, his field was psychiatry, which wasn’t even related. Assessing patients’ psychological and mental state was indeed part of his job, but researching parasites and the brain… better go read more papers first.

Thus, the story of “When the Cicadas Cry” was essentially about a second-rate professor who deceived his own foster daughter based on his conjectures, who in turn tricked a team of equally incompetent individuals to deceive others. Throughout the process, there was no sight of scientific rigor or proof; all that was evident was a fervor akin to religious belief.

Only the villagers of Hinamizawa could have been deceived by such incompetence; in the academic sphere, a single question during a lecture would send you home to rethink your life. Even studying quantum physics never deceived people this much.

That was the downside of being uneducated.

Low academic standards and causing harm to others, such experts are the most revolting.

As Fang Zheng was internally criticizing Miyo Takano and her associates, at that moment, Furutega Rika was emerging from the Irie Clinic, her face pale, looking utterly drained. For she had just learned from Dr. Irie about a special contingency plan called “Document 34” in the whole scheme—this was to “disinfect” the entire village with toxic gas in the event of her accidental death as the Queen Infector, to prevent any issue from arising in Hinamizawa.

And in Fang Zheng’s eyes, this plan itself was a display of Miyo Takano’s lack of professionalism.

While isolation and “disinfection” do exist in special circumstances, they hadn’t been this unprofessional; in fact, even “disinfection” should only be sanctioned after a major catastrophic outbreak in Hinamizawa. This way, the higher-ups would reassess Miyo Takano’s research and might even fund her to continue her studies, which would have been the best outcome for her.

But what did Miyo Takano do?

She actually submitted a “disinfection contingency plan” to preempt, just in case?

What does this tell you? Either she herself was academically incompetent and lacking in intelligence, indicating that her degree was probably from some third-rate, unprofessional college of biology. Or Miyo Takano herself was unsure of her foster father’s theories, hence her resorting to such methods as a precaution.

Of course, this could also be interpreted as a hostile move by Miyo Takano’s superiors to sabotage her, but as the head of the experiment, Miyo Takano failed to notice the problems in “Document 34″… Her intelligence was probably just that.

Rika, of course, did not know Fang Zheng’s thoughts, but now, for the first time, she felt fear, especially after learning from Dr. Irie that the funding for the Hinamizawa Syndrome research would cease in three years, recalling Fang Zheng’s words, she felt increasingly uneasy.

“Could it be that Takano… killed me, and… killed everyone?”

The more Rika knew, the more her understanding seemed to shake; she once viewed Takano and Dr. Irie as the most reliable people, but now, she suddenly found that her pillars of support could potentially become her greatest enemies.

“Haneiru! Haneiru!”

“I’m here, Rika.”

Accompanying Rika’s call, a figure discreetly appeared beside her.

“What do you think? Do you really believe Takano is the culprit?”

“I don’t know, Rika…”

Upon hearing Rika’s question, Haneiru lowered her head.

“But…I remembered something… Do you remember? Every time we reincarnated before, the same thing happened after the Cotton Flow Festival: Tomitake would die, and Takano would disappear… But this year is different, Tomitake didn’t die, and Takano didn’t disappear; instead, the teacher was attacked…”

Saying this, Haneiru bit her lip, clenching her fists tightly.

“To be honest, we all know about the teacher being attacked. If the teacher hadn’t been so capable of defeating so many, what would have happened? Could we have received news the next day that the teacher was murdered and Takano had disappeared? And haven’t we always wondered why the ‘Mountain Dogs’ would attack the teacher? If Takano was behind it all…”

“You mean…”

At this, Rika also realized it.

“Takano… didn’t actually die before? But the police…”

“Didn’t the teacher also say it? It was just a charred body, impossible to determine if it was really him, and if they had done an examination, there were too many opportunities to tamper with it. As long as they have their people inside the police, wouldn’t it be easy to manipulate?”

“Takano…”

At this thought, Rika bit her lip tightly. If previously she had been half-doubtful, then now, Rika was quite sure that Miyo Takano was very likely the mastermind behind everything. But… even so, what could be done about it? Should she still consult the teacher?

Thinking of Fang Zheng, Rika frowned slightly, showing a troubled expression. Fang Zheng’s sharp judgment and vast knowledge had made Rika realize this never-before-seen figure in her previous reincarnations could very well be the key to breaking her endless cycle of rebirths. However, revealing everything to Fang Zheng was still a difficult decision for her. She could trust Keiichi, Rena, Mion, and Satoko unconditionally because of the friendship and trust built over nearly a hundred years of countless reincarnations with them.

But with Fang Zheng… For this presence who had appeared for the first time in her cycle of reincarnations, Rika didn’t know how to face him. Even though everything he had done had already changed many people’s futures, the crises of Rena, and even Shion had been resolved by him. Especially for Shion, although Rika didn’t know what Fang Zheng had said to her, she no longer treated the Sonozaki family as the murderers of Satoshi like before.

“Ah…”

After a long sigh, looking at the home just before her, a smile returned to Rika’s face. No matter what, she couldn’t show this troubled expression in front of her best friend, or else she would surely be worried.

“I’m back, Satoko~ Snap!”

“You’re back, Rika, dinner will be ready soon, okay?”

Upon hearing Rika’s voice, Satoko Hojo, standing in the kitchen, grinned at her and spoke. Hearing Satoko’s reply, Rika happily raised both hands,

“Wow, that’s great, Satoko’s dinner is the most delicious to me.”

“Oh ho ho ho, just watch, I will make the tastiest dinner!”

Watching Satoko’s back as she turned away, Rika sighed softly, then she clenched her fists.

This time, it must succeed!

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