Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 245, Section 243: The Intent of Cooperation

Three patients, bursting with courage, rushed to the ground.

The chaotic scene before them made them instinctively pause for a moment, but they quickly ignored the slight fear that had just arisen.

In front of them was the main building of the hospital, with a large section in the middle cut out like a cake, leaving a shockingly huge gap and rubble everywhere, the edges charred black.

The ground was a crater, with black spots radiating outwards and billowing white smoke.

At the center is a cluster of mosaic lines lying flat on the ground, seemingly alive and constantly writhing, forming a barely circular, dizzying sphere.

Centered on it, countless fine black threads extend out, drilling into the gaps and windows of the hospital building and penetrating deep underground.

Throughout the hospital, intermittent, chilling screams could be heard.

This sight is enough to make any normal person's legs go weak and run away.

But in the eyes of the three patients at this moment, this thing was nothing more than a spiky ball, at best a large sea urchin.

"Kill!"

One man shouted a charge and charged forward, brandishing a steel pipe and haphazardly smashing it at the sphere of lines.

The other two followed closely behind, showing no fear whatsoever.

The line monster seemed focused on hunting underground and in buildings, showing no reaction to the approaching group.

It wasn't until the steel pipe slammed into its seemingly soft yet incredibly tough surface with a dull thud that it realized someone was not only not running away, but daring to attack.

Even though this attack didn't even activate the shield, it was still enraged by the harassment.

The mosaic sphere suddenly shrank.
Stab it--!
Countless sharp lines burst open like a hedgehog's quills, making it truly resemble a sea urchin.

Puff puff.

A series of piercing sounds rang out.

The three men who approached and attacked were instantly riddled with holes, their bodies covered in tiny puncture wounds, and countless drops of blood seeped out like sweat. They died without a doubt.

Sixth-floor ward.

Yui sat quietly on the bed, her face as pale as paper, her forehead covered in fine beads of cold sweat.

She let out a long sigh, her chest rising and falling slightly. Clearly, contaminating the minds of three adults at once was a considerable burden for her.

Even if all three of them had some mental health issues.

She picked up the water bottle from the bedside, took a sip, and realized there were only a few drops left. She gently shook the water bottle, then casually tossed it aside.

The ground shook violently outside, and screams echoed downstairs, but she seemed detached from it all, even ignoring the black threads that were spreading upwards along the building's structure, relentlessly searching for any living creature.

"Holy Maiden, divine punishment has descended upon the world. What should we do to atone for our sins?"

At the entrance to the ward, five mental patients, dressed in hospital gowns and with strangely devout expressions, knelt respectfully.

They were Yui's secret subordinates, whom she had subtly transformed through mental pollution during this period, and their level of mental illness was only one level lower than Yui's.

This kind of pollution cannot be controlled; rather, it requires the continuous implantation of related concepts into their minds so that they gradually come to believe it wholeheartedly.

However, this method is much less effective for normal people. Normal people have the ability to heal themselves mentally, and they might encounter some happy events, such as a raise or falling in love, which can easily clear away the pollution in a short period of time.

However, if used on people who are already on the verge of a mental breakdown, the effect can be surprisingly good.

A smile appeared on Yui's pale face: "Go downstairs, away from those black threads."

"Yes!"

Without any hesitation, the five people got up and disappeared into the depths of the corridor.

Yui continued to sit on the bed, hugging her knees with both hands, and gently hummed a nursery rhyme.

The singing drifted through the empty hospital room, while screams grew louder and louder downstairs.

That thing is getting close.

Chi Chi
A faint rustling sound arose. Countless fine black threads silently slipped into the ward through the cracks in the door and windows.

They snaked and stretched out, driven by pure hunger, silently enveloping Yui on the bed.

The silk thread was less than half a meter from Yui's bare ankles.

at this time.

Yui gently lifted her head, which had been hanging down.

Her eyes, which had at some point turned out to be completely black, without a trace of white showing, were now a pure, captivating black.

The smile on his face was eerily hollow; a slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth as he clearly uttered a few words:

"Human flesh is highly poisonous."

Om-!
An invisible spiritual fluctuation suddenly spread out from Yui as the center.

The approaching black threads suddenly froze in place.

Immediately following, like a chain reaction, the mosaic-patterned sphere that was enjoying its hunt downstairs outside the ward also suddenly jolted.

Its constantly writhing lines instantly knotted, and the stable structure that made up the sphere began to fluctuate violently and become disordered.

A strong sense of pain and confusion emanated clearly from it.

Tear!

Many black cocoons, suspended in mid-air by black silk, emitted tearing sounds from within.

The silk threads kept retracting, as if they were trying to avoid what was inside the cocoon and were terrified of it.

The people inside were thrown to the ground, their bodies covered in a sticky black substance.

Most of the people were already slippery corpses, but some were still alive, vomiting black water and gastric juices violently, and crawling frantically outwards on their hands and feet out of instinct.

They didn't know what was happening; they were just instinctively struggling to take this opportunity to escape.

Yui's smile grew brighter, her breathing weakened, and two streams of bloody tears slowly flowed from her dark eyes, down her pale, sharp chin, and dripped onto her hospital gown, spreading red spots like plum petals.

call!
Outside the ward, a cold, black mist suddenly rose up.

Black mist descended from the sky, instantly engulfing the entire mosaic sphere on the ground that was writhing in agony.

"Guga!"

This time, it was the line monster's turn to let out a miserable howl.

The black mist surged violently, as if a fierce battle was taking place inside.

In just over ten seconds, the black mist dissipated, and the mosaic had turned into a pile of rotten flesh, gradually dissolving and transforming into red matter, which was about to head towards Mount Fuji in the blink of an eye.

instant!
The red mist, which had never been stopped before, was now being tightly entangled by the black mist.

It can be clearly seen that the red substance is struggling and trying to escape in the black mist, but it is repeatedly entangled and dragged back by the black mist, and then swallowed up little by little.

After a brief stalemate, the red substance gradually weakened, lost its momentum, and was assimilated little by little.

Ultimately, the black mist seemed to deepen in color, faintly revealing a hint of dark red.

The black mist, having completed its engulfment, did not linger but dissipated in its original location.

However, the black mist silently arrived on the sixth floor, slipped in through the window cracks, and gathered in Yui's hospital room in the shape of a Ringwraith, which was none other than Kosuke Iwasaki.

In the hospital room, Yui remained in the same posture, hugging her knees and looking up.

His smile was stiff, his body motionless and rigid, even the rise and fall of his breath had disappeared, like a delicate doll whose soul had been ripped out. Iwasaki glanced at the security camera in the corner, which had long since stopped working due to the power outage.

"I was a little delayed, I'm late." His voice was calm, and there was little apology in it.

Yui didn't respond, and the air froze for more than ten seconds.

Finally, her pure black eyes slowly returned to normal. She stiffly turned her head and focused her gaze on Iwasaki.

Her breathing returned to her chest, and a faint trace of color returned to her face, but she was still as pale as a geisha with thick white powder on her face.

She looked at Iwasaki, a slow smile returning to her face, showing no sign of anger, as if she hadn't just been on the verge of life and death.
"Now, am I qualified to join the team?"

Iwasaki wasn't late, he did it on purpose.

He needed to know Yui's strength and abilities, and that was a perfect opportunity. Now that he'd been exposed, he wasn't embarrassed.

Yui had told him in a private message a few days ago that she was thinking about forming a team. Not the kind of specific team that exists in games like "Yomi's Promise," but the kind of team that involves cooperation even in real life.

He hadn't agreed until today, when the incident at Mount Fuji happened. Only then did he come to the address Yui had given him and tell her to wait there.

As for Yui's performance just now, at least in his mind, it was passable.

Clearly, her ability is a means of influencing the minds of people and even monsters, somewhat similar to his soul manipulation, but without the ability to micromanage. However, it seems to have the potential to have a wide-ranging impact.

This would be a good help, he nodded as he met Yui's gaze.

Yui's smile deepened, without the slightest excitement, only the calm of having achieved her goal.

What do you hope to gain from this cooperation?

He would naturally be open to cooperation if there were shared interests, just like with Mori (Reno). But Iwasaki needs to clearly define the boundaries between them and doesn't want to become too deeply involved.

Especially when dealing with someone like Yui, who is difficult to evaluate.

That's interesting. I never thought that Kosuke Iwasaki would ever think that others were weirdos.

After all, he himself is known among players as an eccentric and unconventional person.

“There might be more games where you can team up freely in the future.” Yui’s voice was soft, and it was clear that she hadn’t fully recovered. “You’re very good at games, and I want to play with you.”

She paused, then added, "I'm also planning to join the official team so I can provide you with inside information later."

At this point, her gaze locked directly into Iwasaki's eyes: "But in reality, if someone else is targeting me, you need to help me unconditionally."

If his initial admiration for Yui's composure and competence was purely based on his respect for her, then hearing these words truly moved him.

Having a teammate like Muramasa Taki would certainly make things much easier.

The fact that Uesugi's team ranked first in this game is very likely due to Muramasa Takii's efforts, and her source of information is most likely the events that occurred before Mount Fuji. With her official supernatural status, she can know a lot of information.

“Okay.” Iwasaki replied almost without hesitation. The risks and benefits were clear, and so far the advantages outweighed the disadvantages; this collaboration was worthwhile.

As for helping her when she's being targeted by others, based on his previous interactions, he guessed that she wasn't the type to cause trouble, although it was true that the other party seemed to have some mental issues.

Yui seemed quite satisfied with the outcome: "If we breach the contract, we'll have to give our hearts to the other party."

Iwasaki was puzzled by her penalty for breaking the contract, but after spending time with her, he began to get used to her erratic thinking and did not refuse her.

"can."

Having achieved his purpose for coming here, Iwasaki didn't linger and left the hospital directly.

With a slight thought, it locked onto its next target: a giant ape monster rampaging through the nearby streets.

The ape was over three or four meters tall, its muscular arms easily overturning cars, and its thick claws left deep dents in concrete walls with each swing.

However, if someone pays close attention, they will find that this monster does not seem to be aiming to harm people; it simply creates destruction at will.

The black mist materialized and landed firmly on the giant ape's head.

Swish!
Several points of silver light shone from the shadows on his face; they were the flying needles he had commissioned Muramasa Taki to make.

The silver needles whistled as they pierced the giant ape's vulnerable spots, such as its eyelids, behind its ears, and its neck joints.

The giant ape seemed to sense the strangeness above its head, and its ferocity flared as it let out a roar.

It violently shook its head, its thick arms instinctively slapping upwards. But when it comes to cheating, Iwasaki's physical immunity cheat is obviously bigger than its shield cheat.

Even if it makes me dizzy from taking so many pictures, Iwasaki won't even blink.

Ding!Ding!
The flying needles struck the shield, but were deflected and bent, failing to achieve their intended purpose.

"Its strength is sufficient, but its instantaneous explosive power is insufficient."

Iwasaki made a rough assessment of the shield's defensive strength.

Without the power of life-saving magic, his Mage Hand's strength is indeed not considered immense, even though it is not purely physical strength.

With a slight thought, all the silver needles, except for the one aimed at the eyelid, were retracted back into itself after being deflected.

He left only one strand, poured all his power into it, and unleashed it in an instant.

The needle tip emitted a high-frequency buzzing sound, and the air was violently compressed, producing visible ripples.

Despite the monkey's resistance, its soul had already been manipulated by Iwasaki beforehand. He was only deliberately making it appear to be in a defiant posture to prevent others from knowing that he had the ability to manipulate souls.

Controlling monsters is much more difficult than controlling humans. He constantly feels a force pulling him back, but with his current strength, he can still suppress a single monster.

However, this also indicates that these monsters possess souls. But these souls felt like they had owners, quite different from human souls.

"go."

The giant ape monster used its eyeballs to block the flying needles. The red shield flashed, and the needles pierced through without any obstruction, deeply embedding themselves in the giant ape's eye sockets.

"Roar!"

The giant ape let out a scream, and in its intense pain, it broke free from Iwasaki's control.

But its brains had been churned up by its own thoughts, and after struggling for a few moments, its massive body crashed to the ground.

Red substance began to seep out from the melting giant ape corpse and quickly condensed.

Iwasaki, of course, wouldn't let this ball of soul energy go. The black mist spread out silently, using the same trick to envelop, surround, and devour the red substance that was struggling to return to Mount Fuji.

The power of these monsters clashes somewhat with his own source, but if handled with care, they can serve as a valuable backup energy source.

Perfect timing. He had promised Muramasa Takii that he would stand on the same side as them, and eliminating more monsters would be part of fulfilling his promise.

The black mist swirled up the red light that had been somewhat assimilated, rising into the air and hovering there.

Nuclear sirens continued to blare over the city, and the monsters roamed as if they were in their own backyard. The authorities seemed to have tacitly accepted their existence, and did not allocate any significant forces to eradicate them.

Iwasaki knew perfectly well that the nuclear bomb would not fall on Tokyo; its true target could only be Mount Fuji, the source of all this disaster.

The only impact that could reach this area was the radioactive dust that followed the impact or volcanic ash.

Iwasaki found another monster as his target and quickly darted away.

[Official: Nuclear strike on Mount Fuji in five minutes.]

Muramasa Takii sent a message.

Iwasaki was once again preoccupied with using soul manipulation to defeat a monster, which delayed him from seeing the message until now.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his mind, and as he looked towards Mount Fuji, a deep fear arose in his heart.

(End of this chapter)