Chapter 87
Ministry of Justice Main Building.
In this vast and luxurious building, thick, dark-colored plush carpets cover the corridors and rooms, and beautiful and exquisite embossed patterns are carved on every door, every window, and even the high dome—in every observable detail, the building uses extremely elaborate European-style court decorations to highlight its solemn and dignified style.
Just like the expensive handmade suits worn by politicians, they need to use an outrageously obvious external difference from ordinary people to completely highlight their superior social status.
Not to mention ordinary people, even ordinary government staff are prohibited from entering here.
Only high-ranking officials at the ministerial level or above, who have significant influence in the central government, are allowed to enter this heavily guarded conference room.
"Everyone."
In the silent, fully occupied conference room, no one spoke. Then one person stood up.
"Although the person in charge has not yet arrived, he has entrusted me to convey to you the important matters to be discussed at this meeting—in other words, matters concerning your lives and safety."
A hushed whisper suddenly broke out around the large round conference table.
"He went to all this trouble to gather us all together, yet he himself is absent?"
One of the men spoke up, dissatisfied, "Lieutenant Dou Nan, we hope you can give us the explanation we want to hear."
"I'm just temporarily delayed by some business," the middle-aged man, referred to as Dou Nan's adjutant, slightly pushed up his glasses. "He should be here soon."
"Before that, let's talk about an issue that everyone has been particularly concerned about lately."
Dou Nan, the adjutant, gestured to the others at the round table to look through the stack of documents in front of them.
“This contains three reports,” he said.
"First, the current state of underground organizations in Yokohama. Three of the four major organizations from the past—the Port Mafia, the Holy Staff, and the Takase-kai—can be considered completely wiped out."
"The last remaining [Strain] is just a shallow overseas organization. It is said that its employment and dangerous goods delivery business has shrunk to less than 30% of its previous size due to the destruction of the three large organizations."
"Are the rest of the organizations just a bunch of insignificant monkeys?" someone asked.
Having been in politics for many years, they were already used to seeing these underground forces fighting each other for huge profits, and the leading organizations often couldn't hold their positions for more than a few years before being replaced.
But this time, those capable small organizations didn't take advantage of the downfall of those forces to expand their territory and plunder resources.
Even the mafia has fallen.
"I've also heard that the three organizations were wiped out by the Special Abilities Division in conjunction with the military and police."
Another person spoke up, glancing at a dignified man with graying temples not far from him, "This is your subordinate's department, huh, you've made a big profit."
"He got the food, but he's not being fair to others." Another person spoke up indifferently, "Several of my party's members have died, and many more have been arrested. We still have to find a way to restore our reputation."
"I also have many vacancies on my side."
"Political donations are the real problem."
"That's true, and we haven't seen any new organization taking over. It's not ethical to only care about one's own reputation; are they just kicking away the ladder after crossing the river?"
"If you are not satisfied, you can also arrest those illegal organizations yourselves and win votes in the next election."
"Who knows if you're just putting on a show?"
The first report alone was enough to keep these officials whispering and discussing for a long time, and there was even a hint of confrontation between them.
This is inevitable. Don't be fooled by their seemingly peaceful sitting here; in reality, they can be divided into several camps based on party affiliation, and within each camp, there are several smaller groups, each in a competitive relationship with the others, making peaceful coexistence unlikely.
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Adjutant Dou Nan tapped the table lightly with his knuckles to bring everyone's attention back.
"We didn't gather here to compete for superiority," Dou Nan's adjutant said calmly. "As for the culprits who wiped out the three large organizations, they were not actually us, but a group called 'The House of the Dead,' an illegal organization of supernatural abilities listed as 'high-risk' by various European countries."
"【The House of the Dead】?" one of them said. "It doesn't sound like a very impressive name; it sounds more like a group of rats living in the sewers."
"This is the second report I'll be showing you," said Adjutant Dou Nan. "This is detailed information that I painstakingly obtained from an intelligence provider."
"Aside from the 'House of the Dead' having caused several major disturbances in Europe, after a few years of silence, they have set their sights on the Yokohama concession again—and even managed to get the Special Abilities Division to reach some kind of agreement through sweet talk, so that they could collude together."
"Its leader was Fyodor D., who could also be called Dostoevsky."
During this quiet time, the only sound was the rustling of papers turning.
"Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Ivan Goncharov, Gogol... Are these the only four members of the 'Rats in the House of the Dead' listed in this report? Is it really complete?"
Several people raised the same question.
“At least that’s all the intelligence provider wrote,” Adjutant Dou Nan replied. “But its danger is undeniable. The fact that the Special Abilities Division actually reached an agreement with it and even arranged for military and police to cooperate is something we can hardly tolerate.”
“The military and police are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice,” someone said. “How could they accept an assignment from the Special Abilities Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs?”
"The Special Abilities Division is, after all, a non-public organization within the government, and its personnel structure consists almost entirely of intelligence agents and special forces [Dark Vault] dedicated to suppressing people with superpowers. It lacks openly armed personnel for foreign negotiations and maintaining order,"
Before Adjutant Dou Nan could speak, a voice explained on his behalf, "Therefore, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior reached an agreement to transfer some military police and investigators to assist the Special Abilities Division, temporarily forming a special security force for the public, under the latter's jurisdiction."
After all, those underground organizations can't all be people with superpowers, but they also can't be completely devoid of them.
To ensure the smooth conduct of law enforcement and the search, both sides went through comprehensive consideration and multiple rounds of negotiations before finally reaching this agreement.
"Instead of getting hung up on the Superpowered Special Agents Division and the military and police, let's discuss the fact that the Superpowered Special Agents Division is colluding with the [House of the Dead Rats]."
"I told you long ago that these superhumans are a ticking time bomb."
"Cooperating with an extremely dangerous overseas illegal organization?"
"It certainly has more than four members, and its ambitions are also deeply hidden."
"Could it be that we're being infiltrated as well? Who among us is an informant for the 'Rats in the House of the Dead'?"
The discussion this time was much louder than before. These high-ranking officials usually only know about conclusive matters and rarely have the patience to delve into certain details.
If it weren't for the recent turmoil among the members of parliament, which might affect the seat allocation next year, they wouldn't have cared, much less bother.
At this moment, when someone brought them together and laid out the details to them in front of them, these high-ranking officials began to feel a sense of crisis.
In particular, the third report that the adjutant, Dou Nan, gestured for them to look at carefully.
"The officials affected so far and their fates range from the lowest to the middle ranks," Adjutant Dou Nan began. "You all probably think that with the Seventh Agency handling the aftermath, you can rest easy... But you can take a closer look; some of these officials did not die from murder, nor have any criminal scandals been disclosed."
"They simply lost power due to [internal strife]."
Everyone fell silent.
It took even longer than reading the second report before someone slowly began to speak.
"Are you saying that the 'Rats in the House of the Dead' will use tricks to drag us into internal strife, until it becomes a fight to the death?"
“The more likely outcome is that no one wins.” Adjutant Dou Nan placed his hands on the table. “You are all no newcomers, and you should be fully aware of how serious the struggle between parties is.”
"That's exactly what they're looking for, which is why they can still deal with you all even when they can't gather any evidence—and they're not even worried about you teaming up."
"Even if it hasn't affected you yet, one day your corpses will be buried in the ground, rotting and infested with maggots, becoming beings even lower than the lowest of creatures."
His words caused everyone to frown, clearly finding the outcome difficult to accept.
"Therefore, we need to prepare in advance... Ah, you've finally arrived."
Hearing the slight rotation of the bearing, countless eyes converged on the opened door.
Adjutant Dou Nan immediately stood up to greet him, "Deputy Director Sakashita!"
"Lieutenant Dou Nan." The man addressed as Deputy Director Sakashita nodded slightly to him before slowly scanning the government officials from various departments with his gaze.
"It seems the meeting went very smoothly, which is gratifying. Additionally, I would like to remind everyone that,"
At this point, Deputy Director Sakashita's face revealed a mixture of disgust and lingering fear.
“Supernatural criminals are almost all cold-blooded killers; there’s no reasoning with them.”
"In other words, even if we cannot find evidence of your crimes, it will be difficult to use public opinion and the law to try you; it will also be impossible to provoke disputes among you, so that the tactic of killing each other will fail."
"They also have one last trick up their sleeve: to kill you all without any reasoning."
The room erupted in uproar.
"How could they possibly have a way to get through such tight security..."
"Believe me, the methods of superhumans can never be measured by ordinary weapons," Deputy Director Sakashita said coldly. "The destruction of the Port Mafia is the best example. A deadly virus that precisely infects everyone, without any preventative measures."
In the suddenly somber atmosphere, Deputy Director Sakashita scanned his colleagues, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Do you want to experience what it's like to have your life in someone else's hands?" he asked. "I've experienced it once, and I will never experience it a second time."
"…………"
No one objected.
When Deputy Director Sakashita spoke again, he wore a friendly smile.
"It seems we will have a pleasant working relationship."
—As the meeting ended, Deputy Director Sakashita, who was in charge, came out first, and his secretary, with a neatly combed haircut and wearing a black suit, was already waiting at the door.
His thick glasses covered half of his face and eyes, and coupled with his timid and cautious posture, it was almost impossible for anyone to spare a second glance to recognize him.
“Mr. Sakashita,” he followed immediately, “the information you requested is ready.”
I will make a decision as soon as possible.
As he walked, Deputy Director Sakashita picked up the folder and quickly flipped through it, while giving instructions as he went.
"Has the plan already begun?"
"Yes."
The secretary bowed and scraped, appearing very respectful. "All the letters have been sent out, and I heard that those who are eager have already taken action."
"very good,"
Deputy Director Sakashita spoke in a cold tone, his words laced with contemptuous mockery.
"These superhumans who break the rules and act recklessly dare to be above the government's laws. They should have been rounded up and eliminated long ago."
"It has to be as swift and precise as a skilled surgeon removing a tumor."
…………
When Ye Yihe left Ayatsuji Yukito's office and returned to the small building, the journey was relatively peaceful.
Except for a sentence that Oda Sakunosuke whispered in his ear.
“Many people are following us.”
After a moment of silence, Ye Yihe spoke, "...I felt it too."
Regardless of Fyodor, he had practiced martial arts since childhood and was quite sensitive to hostile gazes.
"Are you sure these aren't people I've met before?" Ye Yihe asked. "Are they all unfamiliar faces?"
To be honest, he initially thought it was Oda Sakunosuke's enemy... after all, Oda Sakunosuke would only aim at the target and fire in most assassination missions, rather than going on a rampage.
“Yes,” Odasaku nodded.
As a top assassin, these crude tracking tricks were as ridiculous to him as a toddler trying to beat up an adult.
“At least ten, taking turns keeping watch,” Oda Sakunosuke said in a low voice, “but their movements are quite obvious. This is a bit strange.”
"Should we take action to intimidate them?" he asked Ye Yihe.
Usually, you can scare away all of these small fry by injuring just two of them.
"I'd rather not, I have a feeling something's off."
After all, Ayatsuji Yukito had just reminded them.
Ye Yihe thought for a moment and asked Oda Sakunosuke, "Do you have a way to shake them off?"
This task was no challenge for Oda Sakunosuke, a top assassin. He quickly and easily shook off all the surveillance agents with Ye Yihe and returned to the small building via another route.
Ye Yihe thought that only he and Oda Sakunosuke were being followed, but when he returned and asked, he found out that Pushkin was also being followed.
"Did you kill them?" he asked Pushkin.
“No,” Pushkin recalled, “it was Ivan who sculpted the doll to handle it, and told me to come back first… Was the boss worried about the risks of taking action?”
Given his boss's impressive track record in Yokohama, having two more or fewer people wouldn't make much difference... even though he wasn't the one actually carrying out the attack.
"It's just a bad feeling," Ye Yihe shook his head.
Was it because Ayatsuji Yukito had given him some instructions before they parted...? Not entirely. He felt a tightness in his heart, as if something bad was about to happen.
There is a strong sense of crisis.
"Perhaps they've been targeted by the remaining illegal organizations."
Dazai, who was leaning on the back of the sofa and looking over, spoke, his voice muffled, "What a pity, it would have been great if Oda Sakunosuke had brought back a prisoner... Heh heh, there's no information I can't get out of him by torture."
When he said the last sentence, he squinted his eyes, appearing very confident.
For missions, it was always a matter of either bypassing them or charging in; Oda Sakunosuke, who had no habit of specifically binding prisoners, suddenly realized, "Ah, sorry. I'll go now."
He was about to go out again when he happened to run into Ivan coming in.
He was carrying an unconscious prisoner, whose hands and feet were bound by stones.
Dazai Osamu's eyes lit up immediately.
Finally, I have a good teammate who knows to capture the enemy alive.
“I’ve already asked,” Ivan said. “He doesn’t know anything beyond asking them to track down members of the House of the Dead.”
"Then find out his supplier and continue interrogating him." Dazai skillfully directed, "First lock him in an empty room, and I'll find out what their purpose really is."
Given that Ayatsuji Yukito was also helping to inquire, Ye Yihe decided to keep everyone indoors for the next few days until they had a preliminary assessment.
Even if you want to retaliate against the enemy, you must first carefully find out who the enemy is and their general plan.
He had originally intended to tell Gogol about this and remind him to be careful.
But lately, I haven't seen him during the day, and he hasn't come back at night either. It's like I have absolutely no idea where he is or how to contact him.
Although Ye Yihe had a vague sense of unease, he wasn't particularly nervous overall.
After all, judging by their combat strength, it's hard to say that anyone could specifically target and strike everyone at once, especially when they're all together.
—That was originally what Ye Yihe thought.
Until the moment before Ayatsuji Yukito called.
"I'll make a long story short,"
It was late at night. After Ye Yihe answered the phone, Ayatsuji Yukito spoke very quickly, giving him almost no chance to interrupt. "The worst has happened. Those high-ranking officials in the government are actually willing to cooperate and have decided to target everyone in the 'House of the Dead'. Note that I said everyone."
What are they planning to do?
Ye Yihe turned on the speakerphone so everyone could hear, his expression serious.
Dazai wasn't in the room at the moment. He had just had Ivan capture a small organization leader alive in the next room during the day, and he was still interrogating him.
“Let me start with my side,” Ayatsuji Yukito said in a low voice, “have a lot of people been following you lately, and using crude methods? Don’t kill them. They’re just bait to force you to take action and then hand over these murders to me… You know what will happen next.”
[Another] superpower activated, the murderer will 100% die in an accident.
Since neither Dazai nor Chuuya, who followed Dazai, personally killed anyone during the destruction of the Holy Staff and the Takase Society, and the supernatural virus that Pushkin planted in the Port Mafia only existed in the host's body for a maximum of two days, it is long gone now.
This means that almost all deaths and injuries among personnel come from infighting within the organization.
Kyogoku Natsuhiko died from Ayatsuji Yukito's supernatural ability, while Asukai was only injured.
After going through the whole process, the government couldn't find any evidence that they could have used Ayatsuji Yukito to kill them—but, it didn't matter.
“In a sense, my ability is passive,” Ayatsuji Yukito frowned. “They will definitely try to force you to take action, such as spreading terror among the remaining organizations to make them actively hunt down the [Rats in the House of the Dead], forcing you to fight back…”
“You guessed correctly,” Ivan said.
He placed several dolls outside as guards, and at this moment he could see members of different organizations gathered together—but they seemed to be fighting amongst themselves and did not come to the small building immediately.
"This kind of scheme is simply beyond their comprehension; someone must be behind it."
Ayatsuji Yukito said calmly, "I refused their offer of a commission, and I'll probably be subjected to coercive measures soon. Be careful; they'll definitely have more to come..."
Cluck cluck.
The other end of the call went silent for a moment, followed by the sound of something falling to the ground.
"—There will be a follow-up plan."
Dazai stepped in from outside after receiving those words. His shirt cuffs were still stained with dust and blood, but he didn't care about that now.
"What's your backup plan?" Ye Yihe asked immediately.
"Listen to the confession that person gave," Dazai said, his dark eyes unwavering and his face expressionless.
“A contact gave him the address of the small building and promised that if he could kill all the ‘Rats in the House of the Dead,’ the entire night in Yokohama would be open to them.”
"Of course, the contact also assured them that a powerful superhuman would be there to support their fight—a [Special Danger Superhuman] who had killed over a hundred superhumans and was imprisoned by the government but had never been executed..."
"Tatsuhiko Shibusawa".
Dazai read the name aloud.
Ye Yihe was stunned for a moment—then, in everyone's sight, the body belonging to Fyodor suddenly fell backward and fell into a coma.
The slowly rotating double helix staircase, and the floating palace inside the tower.
Fyodor sat on a high chair, holding a Bible in his hands, his expression calm and serene.
The next moment, those slightly purplish-red eyes slowly rose and met another pair of wine-red eyes—at this moment, they leaned more towards a cold, angry dark red.
"……cough."
Fyodor tilted his chin slightly, letting his neck be tightened by five fingers, cutting off his oxygen supply, and even his speech became intermittent.
"Finally... you've noticed?"
"...It's you."
Ye Yihe spoke in a low voice.
He ignored the chilling wind that swept through his heart, which was like a torrential downpour.
"You're the one who really wants to kill them."
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