I'm really not the number one slacker in Soul Society.

Please, please don't let it be the one I'm thinking of...

Chapter 41: Cooperation?

"You probably already know that many residents of Rukongai have recently disappeared without a trace."

Kensei sighed and said, "This matter has gotten a bit out of hand. The squad members we sent out to investigate earlier didn't come up with any results, so the higher-ups simply ordered the entire Ninth Division to be mobilized—that's how it is."

It's over!

Before he could even process what he was thinking, a pop-up window appeared in the corner of his field of vision.

[Main Quest: The Masked Army's Defection Chapter has been released]

[Description: Aizen Sousuke's Hollowfication experiment is nearing its end. Please investigate the truth and choose to assist or stop it.]

[Assistance Reward: "Multi-faceted Thinking" Talent]

[Blocking Reward: 3-piece Hollowfication Trial Card]

Now it's completely confirmed...

Damn it, how did things get to this point so quickly...?

"Anything gained?"

Mizhen concealed her other emotions and earnestly played the role of a fifth seat: "Didn't that incident happen a while ago? My captain granted me a leave of absence—I lived this kind of wild life for a while, which made me feel a bit unfamiliar with the affairs of the court."

"We just set off recently," Quanxi shrugged. "We haven't found anything yet, but we received some false eyewitness reports along the way, and we're planning to go and deal with them."

"I see."

"So, Watanabe, fifth seat, are you interested in joining?"

"Thank you for your kindness."

Mima shook his head. "But I'm just a clerical worker and haven't worked with the Ninth Division much. If I were to participate in your group operations, I'd probably just be a hindrance."

"That's the truth..."

Kensei didn't think much of it. After hearing Mima's refusal, he scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and said, "It was my oversight!"

"..."

If it weren't for the fact that doing so would be a bit impolite, Mima really wanted to reach out and pick her ear.

This guy is great in every way, except his voice is too loud... it gives me a headache.

"Since Watanabe, the fifth seat holder, isn't interested, we'll be leaving now." Kensei called out to his teammates behind him, and a loud chorus of responses immediately followed.

"Take care, everyone."

After watching the group of burly men leave in a flurry, Mi Zhen's gaze darkened.

The break is finally over...

Now that Aizen's plan has begun, all we need to do is secretly follow the Ninth Division and find him through Tosen.

The problem is... what do we do after we find it?

Just like last time, this mission also gave him two options: assist or stop.

Clearly, he needs the "multiple perspectives" he gained by assisting Aizen right now, which is like a pillow delivered just when he's sleepy, very thoughtful.

From a faction perspective, he also tends to help Aizen.

Although Aizen conducts human experiments, manipulates his subordinates, and promotes a wolf-like culture within the company (referring to Las Noches), making him a true villain, he shares a significant similarity with Yama.

That is, they are very unhappy with the current state of Soul Society.

From a modern perspective, Yama was inherently incompatible with the corrupt system of Soul Society. If it weren't for the fact that there was nowhere better to go in this era, he would never have come to Seireitei.

In addition, considering the huge time and energy required to cause trouble, after weighing the options, Mima chose to lie low... Well, the salary the Seireitei paid him was just too high.

Aizen's mentality is similar to "Why should I, who am so powerful, have to indulge those bastards? Since the environment is not good, I might as well be the boss." It is a kind of lonely restlessness of a master. Therefore, he cannot tolerate the old things like the 46 Chambers and the four noble families. Moreover, his strength supports him to choose to overturn the table, which is why he made high-quality Shinigami statements such as "I will stand in the sky".

So, in terms of purpose, there was no conflict between the two. Mi Zhen was even happy to secretly give him a push when he was working on the 46th Chamber.

Should we choose to assist...?

"It's troublesome..."

Mima rubbed her temples hard. "I really don't want to do that kind of thing..."

The reason he was conflicted was simple.

If you want to take action against the 46 Chambers and the nobles, you have to get past the 13th Gotei 13 first.

But all of Mima's relatives and friends are members of the Gotei 13.

This makes things a bit complicated.

The solution to the conflict is very clear: he only needs to continue to use his clones to mediate between Aizen and the Gotei 13, and, while ensuring the situation remains under control, confront those in power.

After the table was completely overturned, no matter how unhappy Old Man Shan and the others were, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.

In this way, Aizen can achieve his goal, he can continue to slack off, and the Gotei 13 can continue to protect Seireitei, and everyone can have a bright future.

This operation is not even difficult.

After all, not all noble families are enemies. For example, the Kuchiki, Kyoraku, and Ise families are not as vile as the Tsuna-Yashiro family. In fact, most of the old noble families have already transformed themselves. Only the old geezers of the Forty-Six Chambers are still tirelessly maintaining the persona of feudal remnants.

—But they don't have actual military power. Given the opportunity, killing those old men and women is no more difficult than killing chickens.

But that would be a long process, and if he were to get involved, he would inevitably have to fight with his friends.

As for confronting the Gotei 13...

Impossible. Old Man Shan is incredibly stubborn about this, and hitting someone with a cane really hurts. Mi Zhen really can't think of any way to persuade him except to act first and ask for permission later.

After pulling up the taskbar and glancing at it, Mi Zhen first sighed, then took a deep breath, and a self-deprecating, cheerful smile appeared on her lips.

That's life. Since you can't fight against it, you can only enjoy it!

"Sorry, friends." A glint flashed in his eyes as he grinned. "It'll only hurt for a moment, then it'll feel great!"

Thus, Watanabe Yama began to rush into the Seireitei, while Ryugetsu secretly followed the Ninth Division.

The action begins!

................................................

In the present world, Anise is hiding in an abandoned village.

Mizhen pushed open the wooden door and went down the steps.

Compared to a few months ago, this place has changed completely.

The exterior structure is still an adobe house, but that's just a disguise, like an iceberg on the surface of the water. Underground, hundreds or thousands of cubic meters of soil have been excavated, and stone and steel plates have been used to build an architectural structure that is too futuristic for the 20th century. Countless mechanical parts are neatly stacked on shelves for people to take, giving it the feel of a car factory warehouse.

All of these were created by Aniseuk.

Chapter 42: Two Working People

After settling in, she used Cero to create an underground cavity. Then, together with Mima, they visited some building material factories in the real world and built this spacious basement in just a few days. Her efficiency in plastering left Mima speechless, and she was even more amazed after seeing what she did next.

Simply put, Anishite Bionis is also a scientist.

But unlike the "biological and spiritual power application technology" major that is more popular on the set of Grim Reaper, she is a mechanical engineer.

It must be said that Szayelaporro, who appointed her as the head of a laboratory, really lacked foresight.

Based on Mizhen's observations over the past few months, Anise is truly remarkable in the research and assembly of machinery. She can even do something absurd like hammering out a spirit-powered mechanical bird from scrap metal, which has really broadened Mizhen's horizons.

The "autonomous doll" she's been developing is actually an "intelligent robot" (spirit-driven) with combat power comparable to a Hollow. Although Adjuchas-level combat power is basically useless in high-level battles, it's at least more powerful than herself...

After becoming a Hollow, this person spent her life in hiding. Later, when she went to Szayelaporro's side, she was only responsible for being studied, and obviously had no opportunity to learn. Therefore, this knowledge could only have been acquired during her lifetime. It is unknown where in the mortal world such a powerful figure could be cultivated...

But the world of Bleach is full of strange and mixed elements. Don't you see that there's a transforming robot in the Sternritter? And it's not unacceptable that there's a mechanical research expert in Hueco Mundo.

Anyway, this guy is my subordinate now...

"Oh, you're pretty busy, aren't you?"

As they approached the assembly table, Mima patted Anise on the shoulder familiarly, startling her.

“Oh, it’s the boss…” Anise instinctively shrank back, then breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Mima’s face clearly: “Is there something you need?”

For the past few months, Mima's "messenger clone" has remained in the mortal world to study the divine sword and the Kido. During this time, her only communication partner is this incredibly cowardly Hollow. The two are currently getting along quite well, and she has even dared to look him directly in the eye when she speaks.

It's obvious that this guy's cowardice stems from the psychological trauma caused by being in a vulnerable position for a long time in life-or-death crises. He's the kind of person whose goodwill is easy to win over. Mima only treated him like a normal boss and employee for a few months, and he could clearly feel a sense of... dependence.

Well, this could probably be considered a form of psychological manipulation (PUA)...

"It's time to get to work."

While loosening his joints, Mima said, "Is Gundam 1 ready? You can leave it to me."

"Oh, okay...ok."

Anise nodded hurriedly, picked up a small silver ball from the corner of the assembly table, and handed it to Mima with both hands: "Test...testing, I'll leave it to you, boss."

Mizhen took the sphere, poured a trace of spiritual pressure into it, and then threw the sphere into the open ground. He saw the thing deform and expand in mid-air, eventually turning into an Android robot that was about two meters tall.

This thing has sturdy hands and feet, a cylindrical body, and a spherical head. It holds a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, and looks rather endearing. But according to Anise, this "autonomous doll" possesses strength comparable to that of Biachukas.

When Anise was taken away from Hueco Mundo by Mima, she was researching this thing.

Under Szayelaporro, her main duties were to be researched and supervise the research institute, leaving her with almost no free time. The research progress was sadly slow, taking decades to assemble only half of the machine. However, Mima guaranteed her free time and the supply of raw materials, which naturally boosted her efficiency.

Now that the initial research and development of the product has been completed, it is time to collect data for testing. However, Anise is too afraid to do it herself. Just then, Mima needs more things that can show the difference between the clone and the original, so she takes on the responsibility.

The self-disciplined doll trotted over and stood in front of Mi Zhen in a guard position, its movements fluid and swift without the slightest hesitation.

It seems there's no problem...

Mima nodded and channeled a specific frequency of spiritual pressure into the autonomous doll. The doll immediately jumped backward, transformed in mid-air with a series of cracking movements, and returned to its small and light silver sphere.

...As for questions like where the excess mass went, Mima herself was also very curious to know.

Then he took out a rhombus-shaped, transparent stone that Anise called the "Black Cavity Crystal".

With a casual swipe in mid-air, a dark cavity opened, and he stepped inside.

................................................