Superpowers are the source of all evil.
The detective agency's staff apartment is located in the city center, and the building doesn't have good soundproofing. People usually wake up to the noise of other residents in the neighborhood, which is a natural alarm clock for Dazai.
But... no, something's not right today. Call it intuition or just a feeling, Dazai has a very strong sense that something is definitely not right. So, Dazai got up early and went out today, which is unusual for him. He didn't stay in bed. The surrounding environment didn't seem to have changed, but he had already figured out the reason.
The reason Dazai suddenly woke up this morning and felt something was wrong was because he overheard ordinary people discussing superpowered individuals, even though they shouldn't know about them.
Isn't that weird? Although people with superpowers are officially recognized by the authorities, and only a minority of people possess superpowers, in order to protect the general public, everyone is aware that they should refrain from using their superpowers in front of ordinary people. In addition, some official superpowered individuals will clean up the mess.
So the discussion he overheard this morning was no less than seeing a ghost in broad daylight for Dazai. Of course, it's possible that they just happened to see it and that the discussion was sparked by chance, but Dazai clearly didn't believe it was a coincidence. He went out and searched for crowded places to squeeze in, successfully finding out the information he wanted to know.
Dazai arrived at the Armed Detective Agency with a beaming smile, but his smile vanished the moment the door closed. The rest of the detectives gathered together with serious expressions, a rare large reunion.
"It seems everyone has noticed."
"Dazai-san!"
"Lord Ranpo already knows! He's waiting for Dazai!"
Ranpo looked at Dazai with a slightly displeased expression, and Dazai made a gesture of surrender.
"Alright, Mr. Ranpo, please go ahead."
Ranpo.
The president looked at Ranpo, who sighed and became serious.
"It's the effect of the 'book.' This is a hunt targeting people with superpowers, which has changed the perceptions of all ordinary people. The idea that killing all people with superpowers will grant them a peaceful home, and that killing them will allow them to transcend social classes, is ingrained in their minds and they think about it all the time."
Naomi: "Just like Ranpo-sama said, but I'll protect you, brother. Naomi will stay with you forever!"
Tanizaki: "Uh... okay Naomi, let me go first, let's hear what everyone has to say."
Having already gathered intelligence beforehand, Dazai, upon hearing Ranpo's accurate information, understood what had happened.
"That's really troublesome. We also need to be careful not to hurt ordinary people while searching for the rat behind it all. From now on, the detective agency will be in a very passive position, becoming a target of everyone's ire overnight."
Dazai sighed, slumped in his chair, and analyzed the current situation in a languid tone.
"Damn it! Who's behind this?" Kunikida Doppo slammed his fist on the table, clearly furious.
"But if he could get his hands on the 'book' and write such accurate information, wouldn't that person also be a superhuman? I don't understand why he would do this."
Atsushi Nakajima's tone was filled with confusion, and his emotions were equally agitated, while Kyoka calmly pulled his arm from the side.
"Ah, Atsushi-kun asked about that? I already said it's a mouse~"
Dazai barely mustered his energy and gave Nakajima Atsushi a hint. The others also looked at Dazai, but Dazai clearly had no intention of giving them an answer. Ranpo, who had already seen through it all, opened his snacks and started eating.
"A rat, a rat in a dead house! So it's Dostoevsky! Why?"
After a moment of solitary contemplation, Atsushi Nakajima finally remembered the crucial information. He clenched his fist and slammed it into his palm, revealing a wise look in his eyes. Dazai chuckled softly.
"You got it right. I knew a little bit about it because of an accident. That terrorist's ideal was to create a world without superpowered people. He believed that all superpowered people were evil beings and the source of all evil."
After Dazai finished speaking, the entire detective agency fell silent again, the atmosphere heavy.
[To accomplish great things without saying a word, wouldn't it be more fitting for someone like Dostoevsky to remain silent when necessary?]
[Dazai's unexpected understanding of Dostoevsky—is this the resonance between intelligent people?]
[Upon seeing this sentence, Dazai vomited up his meal from the day before yesterday that very night.]
[It must have been during the last Dragon Head War when I was colleagues with Dostoevsky. By simply combining that with Dazai's thoughts, it was easy to figure out what the other party was thinking.]
As expected, Dazai lacked motivation.
After all, in this operation targeting all superhumans, the Detective Agency and the Mafia will likely have to work together to deal with Dostoevsky.
[I voted because I know Dostoevsky's thoughts too well and they disgust me, hence my listless appearance.]
The two are not contradictory; in fact, they may both have a degree of compatibility.
I also saw these comments during the meeting, and I also sorted out the information I saw from the famous detective in the comments and told the leader with a reasonable explanation.
Chuuya lowered his head and secretly watched the comments on the screen, his expression unchanged. These guys' summary was surprisingly accurate. This was exactly the kind of thing that Dazai would do, because there was a precedent for it, and he had personally confirmed it.
"Soon we won't be safe here anymore. He'll probably release our information, and we'll really be living like rats in the street. Just because he's a rat that can't be seen in the light, does he want everyone else to become rats too? What a twisted sense of humor!"
Dazai, with his soul-searching voice, presented a reality that no one wanted to accept, and the same words came from Mori Ougai's mouth.
"In short, this is the predicament we are about to face. In order to avoid being caught in a trap, you should split up and hide to look for clues. I will also inform the other ability users in the organization to protect themselves."
Mori Ougai made the final decision, while Chuuya held a different opinion.
"Leader, what about your safety? The organization can't be without a leader for long."
"Chūya-kun, I am still capable of protecting myself, and I will not leave here. Just like you said, an organization cannot be without a leader, and this matter should be over soon. After all, I have great faith in you."
"I will stay, Chief."
Mori Ougai gave Momiji a helpless smile, but refused Chuuya's request to stay as well.
All organizations are working closely together to devise countermeasures against this crisis. Meanwhile, on a high-rise building far from Yokohama, a white figure is editing something on a mobile phone. Then, everyone holding a mobile phone can see an official pop-up window that suddenly appears, densely labeled with photos and abilities of all the superpowered individuals.
Doss put down his phone, his deep black eyes looking down at Yokohama, his arms outstretched as he felt the gentle breeze.
"This filthy and sinful old world will disappear, and a new life will come. Enjoy this final chaos!"
Your sinful blood will be the final nourishment, allowing the pure, immaculate flowers to bloom on the land of the new world, thus cleansing your souls, already entangled in sin!
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