Chapter 220: Reappearing in the Light of Day
Morobuchi Kagemitsu ended the call with satisfaction.
Although Shuichi Akai did not directly agree to the proposal to cooperate in "causing trouble," the situation there would lead the FBI to make the choice that best served their interests.
As for his differing opinions from those of the higher-ups... it doesn't matter. It's just a matter of timing. Once the negotiations break down, the higher-ups will naturally be unwilling to cooperate with the organization. Even if the US side has close ties with the higher-ups, at most they will only receive some personal opinions and that backup counterattack plan. As long as it matches what he said, that's fine.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #19: Let me check how the police are preparing their meeting materials... Hmm? Why is there only one "New Folder"?! Seriously, the meeting is in two days, and they haven't even started making the PPT!]
[Anti-fraud expert #205: ...Why don't you check your history again?]
[Anti-fraud expert #11: Wow! These three intrusion codes look so familiar! Aren't these the organization's lines of communication?!]
[Anti-fraud expert #214: Wait, this is ridiculous! They actually avoided leaks this way...]
Well, you'll get used to it.
This meeting isn't being hosted by Miyamoto and his cronies who are just after money. Forget about PowerPoint; if we just put a Word document on it, nobody would care. Maybe some leaders from relevant departments will even praise the high level of modernization of our police system.
It's laughable, but a procrastinator easily defeats an elite team that prioritizes efficiency. This can be considered a highlight in the life of an inferior person.
Morofushi Kagemitsu laughed and shared the joke with Zero, who was writing a report.
His good mood was extended by this blunder, but it didn't last long, only until Vermouth hung up on him once and left him waiting again the second time.
Unfortunately, he could only do the other work first.
As soon as he turned on his computer, he saw the weapons support he had discussed with Mr. Jinquan. Perfect timing! Just in case, he decided to write a report on his conversation with Akai Shuichi that day and upload it, essentially to reconcile his statements with Mr. Jinquan.
Writing the report didn't require any technical skill, and he didn't hand it over to the anti-fraud team. He wrote it himself and then sent it to Mr. Jin Quan despite the network suddenly going down for some reason.
...Wait, something's not right!
With the anti-fraud team around, how could my own internet be so bad?!
After being repeatedly ambushed by unexpected time travel, Morofushi Kagemitsu immediately realized something was wrong. He canceled the "transferring" report, silently calling out to the Anti-Fraud Lord in his mind while observing his surroundings to try to find something illogical.
Anti-fraud expert...?
He called out softly again.
[~#@；\&**^…》]
Ah, so it has already reached the "garbled text" stage.
However, I didn't feel any dizziness or other physical discomfort. Could this opportunity be special?
[&（*#：%*！]
[@、/$｛^-%]
He slowly stood up and moved slowly around the study, stopping as he passed the small fish tank:
All six guppies in the fish tank died.
This all happened in a very short time; the small fish's carcass hadn't even surfaced yet.
This is bad.
[—%｀&#！ ]
The static kept ringing in my head, but the anti-fraud system didn't load itself out as quickly as usual. Was it encountering some technical obstacle?
[...]
Before he could even turn on his phone screen to check the anti-fraud app, the blurry, chaotic static in his mind abruptly stopped.
His body and mind were completely silent, just like when he first came to the space between time and space.
But is he really in a time warp right now?
Wouldn't that mean I'd run into Number 66?
To be honest, he hadn't experienced such peace for a long time since these little devils had awakened their consciousness. Every day was a whirlwind of activity, with guns blazing and bullets flying everywhere.
So, is this yet another instance of being weakened by fate?
Morifushi Kagemitsu subconsciously looked at the clock in his room, and when he looked up, he found that the clock hanging on the wall was not acting strangely, it did not even stop, and it was still ticking at its normal pace.
The second hand jumps three increments at a time, and after completing one full rotation, the minute hand jumps three more increments, and then it's the hour hand's turn...
He carefully checked the clock's operation, and after confirming there were no problems, he turned on his phone and compared the time with the clock's. Only then did he feel slightly relieved.
It's almost midnight.
23:54……23:57……
00:00!
It's already the second day.
He calmly watched as the year jumped forward four years, the month jumped forward three months, and the date jumped forward two days.
No problem...
When he said this, it didn't sound like he was confirming something; it sounded more like he was comforting himself.
There's no problem, because it will be 00:01 in one minute. The minute hand moves one square in a circle, which makes perfect sense.
...No, that's not right, what happened just now...
He tried to revisit the timeline he had established yesterday, but found it riddled with contradictions.
He initially thought that there was nothing wrong with the logic of one day per hour, but he felt that this idea was constantly impacting an invisible barrier deep within his heart. A dizzying feeling emerged from his mind like sound waves spreading, and he heard the familiar electric sound again.
[#…！-@*\；]
[Repairing %+&=... in progress...]
Repair, what...?
Many images flashed before his eyes so quickly that he didn't have time to confirm their contents. In the end, all that remained was a patch of colorful black after the images had flashed by.
He closed his eyes wearily and sat back down in his chair. His mind was a jumble of thoughts, and he needed a quiet environment to sort them out.
[Anti-Fraud Guru No. 66: ...Jing? Jing Guang?]
He pressed his hands to his temples, feeling as if his heartbeat was about to burst his brain.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: Morofushi Kagemitsu!]
I don't know him.
He reflexively denied his real name.
Why is this name still being mentioned?
It should be in a forgotten corner...
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: Hiro!]
This nickname, which had been called countless times, seemed to have touched a nerve. He felt a throbbing in his forehead, but instead of responding, he suddenly opened his eyes.
The familiar room layout, the comfortable bed, the tidy bedside table, and the spider plant by the window that he had carefully tended but whose fate was now uncertain.
This place is filled with traces of his past life.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: Hiro, how are you doing?]
...Let's not use that name anymore, Zero, no, Zero won't be happy.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: You are Hiro, why is he unhappy?]
No, I am not him, I am just a small fragment of his consciousness.
I am number 234, and my current name is Midorikawa Osamu.
[Anti-fraud King #66: ...No, you are Morofushi Kagemitsu! #234...It may never have existed.]
Am I... Morofushi Kagemitsu?
He walked to the wardrobe as if he knew the way well, opened the door, and looked in that familiar direction.
There stood a well-worn violin case, but it didn't contain pure music; it also contained a deadly weapon that could take a life in an instant.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: Look, Shuichi Akai also has this piano case; it's a matching set with yours. He's still using it. You can go check it out if you don't believe me. Inside is the sniper rifle you smuggled from the organization's armory—it's the latest model. Even that future, possibly existing... Number 234, wouldn't have these things.]
...
He took out his violin case and unzipped it.
Actually, he didn't really agree with the "couple's set" concept. When he bought the bag, he only noticed that the discount was quite attractive if he bought two together, so he bought it without hesitation. He didn't think much about it!
And this sniper rifle is a four-year-old model, but he's gotten used to it, so...
……etc.
Why am I so familiar with Morifushi Kagemitsu's thoughts at that time?
[Anti-fraud expert #66: Because you are him.]
No, Morofushi Kagemitsu should already be dead. Only if he dies will Number 234 appear.
But... he remembered that he had spoken with Morofushi Kagemitsu... So, was he still number 234?
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: ...When did this happen? Do you remember what you were saying?]
He closed the cabinet door and then noticed a calendar hanging on the wardrobe. December 7th was highlighted with two different colors of marker.
"Clang."
He braced his arms against the cabinet door, staring blankly at the date.
station……
I'm at the train station...
[Anti-fraud expert #66: The train station? In Tottori? No, it should be in Nagano, only at that time...]
Yes, Nagano.
It was just the two of us. I told him the secret of the Great Cycle, and also about the remaining humanity of Number 205...
Unfortunately, my existence violated too many rules, and I'm about to be erased...
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: !!!]
At this moment, strange fluctuations in the air spread out like ripples on a lake.
Seeing Morofushi Kagemitsu's pained expression and his own distorted data body, Number 66 quickly took out spacetime energy and used the bizarre spacetime environment to barely move time to the next day.
A new set of time logic was established, and everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
Morofushi Kagemitsu had recovered and sat back on the bed, wearily pressing his temples.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: Hiro? Are you alright?]
...When you suddenly called me by that name, I thought it was because Number 234 couldn't hide it from Zero.
However, number 234 is already...
[Anti-Fraud Guru No. 66: It was eliminated by the rules, right?]
Yes, I can finally say that he exists.
In a sense, I should thank those recent bouts of cognitive confusion.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: Judging from your tone, have you figured out what just happened?]
More or less.
After confirming that he was a corpse, Morofushi Kagemitsu determined that he was now in the future.
Only in the future will there be such a perception of time, and only in the corpses of the future can one resonate with the remaining fragments of consciousness of No. 234.
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