Chapter 23 Listen to the Wind 23

The giant dragon's huge body blocked out the sky and the sun.

"This is... a special feature?!" Sakaguchi Ango widened his eyes in shock.

After the conflicting superpowers collide, one side usually wins, but some of them will form "special points" and cause huge disasters.

Shibuzawa Ryuhiko's supernatural power should have been in conflict with Dazai Osamu, but Dazai Osamu's supernatural power has not been taken away at this moment.

Could it be that this is also because of the existence of "that thing"... Damn, what exactly is that...

This question was suppressed in Sakaguchi Ango's heart. He tried to remind Wendy, but as soon as he said it, he realized that Wendy couldn't hear him.

Immediately, the flowing wind gathered around them and enveloped them.

Sakaguchi Ango heard the boy's mellow voice, so gentle and soft as music.

The next moment, the wind blew them high into the sky.

"Wendy!" Ango Sakaguchi couldn't help but blurt out.

Even though I knew Wendy couldn't hear me.

Compared to the anxious Sakaguchi Ango, Dazai Osamu was much calmer, or more stable.

Under Fyodor's misleading, Shibuzawa Tatsuhiko developed murderous intentions towards them, which was exactly what Dazai Osamu wanted.

It would be great if we could get rid of Shibuzawa Ryuhiko with the help of Wendy.

Shibuzawa Ryuhiko did not take his and Sakaguchi Ango's fighting power seriously, and there were only a few scattered supernatural life forms around, so it was relatively easy for him to deal with them.

Thick fog blocked their vision. Dazai glanced in Wendy's direction and could only see the moving figures of the supernatural life forms and hear the sound of the wind roaring like a beast.

Everything seems to be fine.

Until Shibuzawa Ryuhiko's ability formed a peculiarity, and he heard Wendy's clear voice saying - Fly like a bird, fly high into the sky for me.

Wendy tried hard to steady his tone, but the trembling and breathy sound at the end of his voice still revealed his injuries.

He was injured.

Suddenly, Wendy's curved lips flashed before his eyes, as well as the words "All I can do is make sure Dazai can survive the evil dragon's fire, and then let you pursue your own future."

Dazai Osamu instantly realized what Wendy was going to do.

Someone once said something similar to him, and the death of a man named Oda Sakunosuke eventually became the trigger for him to leave the Port Mafia and come to the Armed Detective Agency.

The air around him changed, and Dazai stretched his hand into the air and touched the wind, but Wendy was not a person with special abilities, and his ability to neutralize her could not remove her power.

So it was all in vain, he still couldn't change anything.

There was no time for them to say anything or react. Strong winds gathered around them, enveloping them in an instant and throwing them high into the sky.

The thick fog was like a heavy curtain. He was like an audience member who was still not satisfied after the show ended, sitting in the seats and looking at the stage, but he could never see the actors.

After leaving the mist, he heard the loud roar of the helicopter's propellers turning, and the wind gradually slowed down, placing them steadily inside the open door of the helicopter.

When Dazai Osamu raised his head, he saw Nakahara Chuuya with a look on his face saying “What’s wrong with you two?”

"You are...wrong, where is Wendy?"

Nakahara Chuuya frowned and asked. As soon as he said that, he seemed to realize something. He held the cold door frame of the helicopter with one hand and asked in a deep voice: "Answer me, where is Wendy?"

Silence replaced the answer.

In fact, there was no need to reply. As a veteran Mafia member, Nakahara Chuuya naturally knew what their appearance meant. He just... still had a glimmer of hope in his heart.

Nakahara Chuuya clicked his tongue, his voice a bit gnashing his teeth: "This guy..."

"Dazai." He took off his gloves quickly and decisively.

Dazai Osamu knew what he meant.

This is a signal that Chuuya Nakahara is going all out. When his ability [Stained Sorrow] is fully activated, he will also turn into gravity. This state is something that even Chuuya Nakahara himself cannot control, and only Dazai Osamu's ability can remove it.

A hazy red light enveloped the figure of Nakahara Chuuya. He stepped on the edge with one foot and grabbed Dazai Osamu's collar with one hand. Just as he was about to pull the guy down, Ango Sakaguchi suddenly said, "The mist below--"

Nakahara Chuuya looked down.

It was like a myth coming true.

Humans always put their endless imagination into stories, creating one magnificent mythological epic after another, and with the development of technology, they present the imagined pictures on the screen.

But none of these were as breathtaking as the sight before my eyes.

The fog that was originally spreading outwards rapidly was abruptly stopped. The invisible wind moved in the same direction with the town as the center, firmly locking the thick fog inside.

A dazzling white light flashed in the center, and together with the mist that was swept forward, it created a magnificent picture that looked like a galaxy. Then, a huge energy wave spread out in all directions like a rapid turbulence. Nakahara Chuuya used gravity to stabilize the helicopter body, so that it was not blown away by the huge wind and waves.

The mist dissipated along with the wind amid the piercing roar of the helicopter.

Only ruins were left on the ground, showing the intensity of the incident.

The crisis seemed to be resolved, but Nakahara Chuuya did not breathe a sigh of relief. His pupils shrank and he grabbed Dazai Osamu's collar and jumped down.

Gravity ensures that he will not get hurt even if he falls from a high altitude. Nakahara Chuuya stands firmly on the ground, looking around quickly.

Broken walls, bricks and tiles, and residents who reappeared as the white fog disappeared.

He didn't see the fresh, bright green.

My heart seemed to stop beating for a moment.

Even if he's dead, you still have to see his body...

As Nakahara Chuuya was thinking this, Dazai seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "It's no use."

"What?"

"It seems Wendy didn't tell you that he is not human."

"…What do you mean?"

Dazai Osamu replied: "On the way here, I happened to see the prototype of Wendy. He is not a human being at all, but a spirit born from the wind."

Dazai Osamu stopped talking here, because he knew that Nakahara Chuuya must have understood what he meant.

Born from the wind, annihilated by the wind, and finally returned to the wind.

So, the absence of Wendy here means that the elves have really disappeared.

Nakahara Chuuya couldn't help but clench his fist.

And he had clearly promised Wendy that if anything unexpected happened, she would come to rescue him.

——Even if this agreement was just something Wendy said casually because she didn't want him to enter the white mist.

The evidence is that when Wendy was in danger, the boy did not ask him for help, but chose to face it alone.

Before Chuuya Nakahara set out, Chief Mori said to him: "Wendy is determined to stop you from entering the White Mist. Maybe he is really worried about you, or maybe he doesn't want you to be exposed to too many secrets, or maybe both."

"But no matter what, Chuuya-kun," Mori Ogai, who was behind the long table, looked at him with a meaningful look, "Wendy does have extra treatment for you."

"He probably really thinks of you as a friend."

Nakahara Chuuya took a deep breath and said, "What about Shibuzawa Ryuhiko?"

If Wendy disappeared in the wind, then it is impossible for Shibuzawa Ryuhiko, as a human being, to disappear without a trace.

Dazai Osamu: "Indeed, if it was a human, it would be impossible to leave no trace at all, unless..."

He paused, then continued, "Shibuzawa Ryuhiko has already died."

"Dead?"

"Although it sounds incredible, perhaps it is the truth. What we saw was just the life form of Shibuzawa Ryuhiko's superpowers. You should know that after some superpowers die, their superpowers will be retained in another form."

For example, after the death of a psychic, his psychic powers turned into special steel, which was forged into a holy sword by later generations and used to fight against the "Undead Count" Plum.

It's not impossible that Shibuzawa Ryuhiko has special abilities.

They both witnessed what happened just now, and naturally understood that it was impossible for a human to escape from the terrifying gale alone. Even if another superpower broke in, they would be destroyed by the extreme wind speed.

Nakahara Chuuya listened quietly and said, "So, Wendy has indeed disappeared."

Dazai Osamu did not answer, but his attitude said it all.

"Damn it!" Nakahara Chuuya stomped on a brick and crushed it.

He once failed to protect the lives of his subordinates from Shibuzawa Ryuhiko. Now, several years have passed, he is stronger and more mature than before, but he still failed to protect his friend's life.

The sun was as dark as blood, and the sound of the helicopter propeller became clearer and clearer, and finally stopped somewhere on the relatively intact ground. Sakaguchi Ango walked down from it: "The head of the Special Powers Division has already known what happened here, and someone will arrive soon to seal off the scene."

Nakahara Chuuya did not respond. He said nothing and had no interest in how the government would deal with the aftermath. Sakaguchi Ango knew that he had always been dissatisfied with the government for letting Shibuzawa Ryuhiko escape, and it was even more impossible for him to talk to him in a friendly manner now.

"Ango needs to take care of something, right?" Dazai Osamu said.

Sakaguchi Ango nodded. After reporting the situation to Chief Taneda, as the only government official on the scene, he needed to hand over to the government official in charge of managing the town and quickly stabilize the situation.

The people were still restless about this, and there was no time for him to think about anything more. Sakaguchi Ango looked deeply at Nakahara Chuuya.

When passing by a familiar place, Ango Sakaguchi paused.

Miraculously, the fountain survived, but the water was stained by dust and no longer as clear as it once was.

Sakaguchi Ango stretched out his hand, and the water touched his fingers, which was especially cool in the summer.

He closed his eyes, withdrew his hand, and continued walking towards his destination.

After Sakaguchi Ango left, Nakahara Chuuya suddenly spoke up: "Dazai, keep talking, what else do you know?"

"Tell me everything about Wendy and what happened."

The orange-red light fell on the brim of his hat, and the blue eyes were hidden in the shadows. Nakahara Chuuya found a place and listened to Dazai Osamu's narration, and finally he put things together.

"However," Dazai said, "so far, I haven't found out what Wendy is looking for."

Not only that, he was not sure whether Wendy had successfully recovered the thing from Shibuzawa Ryuhiko.

“Chuuya, what do you think? I’m sure Chief Mori is also interested in this.”

"Well, yes, Chief Mori has always wanted to know." Nakahara Chuuya said this, but he cares more about another thing now.

He looked at Dazai Osamu, who looked calm and even thought about what Wendy was hiding. He said, "You are really calm, man."

Calm down?

Dazai Osamu did not refute. He was indeed very calm. He remained calm for most of his life. Whether in the Port Mafia or the Detective Agency, he played the role of "strategist".

But this time, he really didn't expect it.

Protecting others and sacrificing yourself to protect others are two completely different things.

Wendy undoubtedly has the ability to escape.

His duty is just to recycle "that thing", not to protect them, to protect humanity. Even if he fails this time, he can wait for the next opportunity.

He and Wendy only met three times.

The first time was when an elf who was not very familiar with human society gave them a commission, the second time was when he went to tell Wendy the result of the commission, and the third time was today.

By this calculation, the time they spent together was pitifully short.

Ango Sakaguchi and Wendy communicated even less. Before this, they had only met once in the middle of the night, and that was not a pleasant experience.

The bond between him and them was as shallow as a mountain stream, and one could see the bottom at a glance. That was why Dazai Osamu did not expect that he would actually sacrifice himself.

Nakahara Chuuya was quickly called away by a phone call. I think the Port Mafia has already known the current situation, and the call was most likely from Mori Owai.

He whispered, "I'm leaving first," then turned and walked towards the helicopter. His black coat drew a repressive arc in the air. Nakahara Chuuya jumped over the bricks piled on the ground in a few steps and sat back in the helicopter.

Dazai Osamu leaned against the wall and watched the people from the Special Powers Division rushing over.

They were very quick and had handled countless similar cases. Some members were making up excuses and appeasing the crowd. Several people came to question him, but were all fooled away by Dazai Osamu in a few words.

Sakaguchi Ango handed over the responsibility to the person in charge of this town and quickly returned here.

When he walked over, Dazai Osamu was leaning against half of the wall, looking at the swaying shadows of trees not far away, wondering what he was thinking.

“These damaged buildings are not strong enough,” Ango Sakaguchi said. “There is a high probability that accidents will happen again.”

"Don't worry, Ango, it's safe here."

"Dazai, what are you going to do next?"

"You're asking even though you already know the answer," Dazai Osamu straightened up, "We both know what to do next."

Sakaguchi Ango needs to stay here to deal with the scene and give his superior a formal report, while Dazai Osamu has to continue tracking down the "demon" Fyodor who once provided information to Shibuzawa Ryuhiko and misled him with false information.

"I'll go back to the detective agency first." Dazai Osamu left the scene.

By the time he returned to the detective agency, it was already dark.

The detective agency has received several new commissions recently, all of which are trivial matters, such as helping residents find missing pets. They are not dangerous tasks, but they are indeed tedious, so some members are still staying in the detective agency at the moment.

The door lock clicked and Dazai Osamu pushed the door open and walked in.

"Welcome back, Mr. Dazai." Nakajima Atsushi was stunned for a moment, then greeted him with a smile, and then he noticed what was in Dazai Osamu's hand.

That's an apple.

The fruit is rosy in color and full of flesh. Baihu's highly sensitive sense of smell allows him to smell the sweet scent of the fruit from a few meters away.

But, Mr. Dazai doesn’t seem to like apples very much, right?

Apart from crab meat and food that could help him commit suicide, such as poisonous mushrooms, Mr. Dazai did not show any particular interest in other food.

"Dun."

A disapproving voice came from behind him, and Ranpo Edogawa, who was known as the "pillar of the detective agency" and the "only true detective," shook his head at him.

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Ranpo," Dazai smiled, "but Atsushi should have known this earlier."

"Okay." Edogawa Ranpo said no more and continued eating his snacks.

"Mr. Dazai," Nakajima Atsushi was puzzled, "Do you have anything to tell me?"

Dazai sat back in his chair and told what had happened.

Nakajima Atsushi couldn't help but widen his eyes. He held the handle of the cup tightly and said, "How could this happen..."

*

Port Mafia headquarters.

While walking in the corridor on his way to the leader's office, Nakahara Chuuya received a call.

"No... No, I'll get it."