Chapter 46 – Responsibility
Nick's mind nearly stopped.
Horua would get killed?!
What?!
"Tell me you're joking," Nick said evenly.
"I'm not joking," Wyntor said.
"Are you insane?!" Nick shouted.
In the distance, Horua heard Nick and became anxious again.
"No, I'm not insane," Wyntor said calmly but forcefully. "I am doing the best thing for the company."
"It is my job to make this company flourish and profitable."
"In fact, dealing with these things isn't even directly my job."
"It's yours."
"The fact that I am willing to send Pator to deal with the issue is a favor to you."
"It's me being lenient because you don't know how Zephyx Manufacturers and the world of business work."
Nick gritted his teeth. "You're willing to just fucking kill a kid?!"
"Now, he's a kid?" Wyntor asked with annoyance. "Earlier, you hired him like he was a proper adult."
"You treated him like an adult. So, he has to take responsibility for his actions like an adult."
"He fulfills his contract or bears the consequences," Wyntor said.
"He's fucking eleven, Wyntor!" Nick almost shouted. "You are willing to kill an eleven-year-old kid for your business?!"
"Our business, Nick," Wyntor said. "Also, you are not much better. You were willing to make a kid work with a Specter, the natural enemy of humanity and the most dangerous existence in the world."
"I warned you!" Wyntor shouted slightly. "I told you that this is your responsibility! But as soon as anything goes wrong, you don't have the maturity to deal with it!"
"I'm the one that has to deal with this issue now!"
"Because you were unable to do your job properly, I now have to give the order to kill a kid!"
"Do you think this is easy for me?!"
"Do you think I'm some kind of cold machine that can't feel anything?!"
"I don't want to fucking kill the kid as well, but I fucking have to!"
"If I don't, everything I have sacrificed for this business will be for nothing!"
"Even more, how do you think Pator will feel?!"
"Pator has been trained to deal with these things, but he has never killed a mere kid before!"
"This will also mess him up for a long time!"
"Because you can't deal with your own mistakes, two other people have to suffer!"
"Your stupidity, indecisiveness, and mental weakness are why Pator and I have to go through shit now!"
"Even more, if you had simply decided against hiring him after I warned you, he also wouldn't need to die!" Wyntor shouted.
"Then why didn't you stop me?!" Nick shouted back.
"Because it's your responsibility!" Wyntor said with an aggressive tone.
"You are my Chief Zephyx Extractor! You are a leader! You are a manager!"
"This is the difference between a Zephyx Extractor and a Chief Zephyx Extractor!"
"Responsibility!"
"If an Extractor dies, it's your fault!"
"Your processes were not good enough, or you chose the wrong person, or you have forced someone to work at the wrong time!"
"If something happens to an Extractor or a Specter, you are always, at least, partially responsible!"
"You make the decisions!"
"You have all the freedom!"
"But if something goes wrong, it's on you!"
Nick gritted his teeth.
He acknowledged that what Wyntor said made sense and that he was right…
But Horua was just a child!
No matter how responsible Nick felt, it simply felt wrong to kill a child!
Nick clenched his fists with all of his power, the pain making it a bit easier to think.
"Deal with the issue," Wyntor commanded as he sat down again.
"If you need Pator to take action, tell me."
"I gave you this position because I felt like I could trust you and because I felt like you have the talent and mentality for it."
"Don't betray my trust in you," Wyntor said.
Nick didn't answer and just gnashed his teeth as he gazed fixedly at the desk.
At this moment, Nick was overwhelmed by a tsunami of rage, frustration, guilt, fear, uncertainty, and helplessness.
'I was the one that hired him,' Nick thought with pain.
'I was the one that made the decision.'
'However…' Nick thought as he looked at Wyntor again.
"Wyntor," Nick slowly said.
Wyntor didn't answer.
"Yes, it is my responsibility," Nick said. "However, why didn't you tell me what would happen if Horua decided to resign?"
"I know you didn't need to, but I feel like this could have been avoided if you had just told me."
Wyntor didn't answer for several seconds.
"I needed you to learn," Wyntor said.
"I had to show you what kind of power you have, and I needed to show you what would happen if you used it irresponsibly."
"Right now, the company is still new, and our survival is not yet intrinsically connected to the success."
"If anything goes wrong now, I can still rectify it."
After that, Wyntor turned silent.
Nick took a deep breath.
'In the end, it's my fault,' Nick thought.
'I should have known that Horua wasn't able to make such a big choice.'
'I should have never told him that he would become a Zephyx Extractor.'
Nick took another deep breath as he turned to look at the distant Horua.
The next moment, Nick gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.
'And it is my responsibility to deal with the issue.'
'I'm so sorry, Horua!'
Nick walked over to Horua.
When Horua saw Nick's expression, he became terrified and froze.
Nick grabbed Horua's arm and pulled him towards the Containment Unit.
Horua's face immediately turned white, and his body began to shake.
"No!"
"No, Nick!"
"What are you doing!"
Nick gritted his teeth more.
"I'm sorry, Horua, but you have to work with the Dreamer!" Nick said with a dark tone.
"No! No! Nick, I don't want to! Please!" Horua screamed as he tried his best to free himself from Nick's grip.
"I'm sorry," Nick repeated. "I also don't want to do this."
"But I'm only doing this for your own good!"
"You can hate me if you want, but right now, I need you to work with the Dreamer!"
"No! Please! No!" Horua shouted as he started to bite Nick's hand.
Nick began to bleed, but he just kept pulling Horua.
Nick opened the door to the Dreamer.
And when it opened fully, Nick pushed Horua in before walking in himself.
The next second, the door closed behind him.