Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

(That makes sense.)

Tomie felt relieved.

Although they do whatever they want everywhere, Tomie and her ilk are still too narrow-minded and haven't encountered many other anomalies.

After listening to Gong Lin's meticulous analysis, they realized that in this bizarre world, seemingly absurd things are often the embodiment of the most fundamental logic.

However, Tomie, who was obsessed with muscle building, wasn't particularly excited about it.

She didn't really care whether powerful abilities could be acquired quickly.

What she cares about is the process of fitness, the feeling of muscles gradually becoming stronger, and the process of her body lines becoming more powerful and beautiful day by day.

Even if she had a cheat code, she would still exercise every day.

No, the so-called "cheat code" is just that she has a few decades of extra time out of nowhere. She still does her own fitness routine, and in her eyes, it's no different from any other day.

Not only Tomie with meat, but all other Tomie characters are treated with indifference.

For Amamiya Rin, the Sandman's curse was a radical change, a cheat code for survival.

However, for them, who are almost immortal, the presence or absence of this curse makes little difference.

In the afternoon, Amamiya Rin received a text message from Mamiya Yuka.

[Amamiya-kun, there's news about the site you were looking for. It's called "Agami Mask Tomb," located near xx town in Aomori Prefecture, a rather remote area. However, the remains of the unusual child mentioned in the excavation report are said to have gone missing many years ago. The school that originally kept the remains reported it to the police, but after a long search, they couldn't find its whereabouts. Sorry I couldn't help more.]

Amamiya Rin quickly finished reading and typed a reply on the screen.

No, this is very helpful. The exact location of the ruins is a key clue. Thank you for your hard work, Mamiya.

Good news, but bad news.

The remains in the comic also mysteriously disappeared, which makes sense.

The information that Yuka Mamiya found did not bring any surprises, but it did not disappoint him either.

At least, we now have the exact location of the ruins.

Amamiya Rin refused to believe that the ancient ruins known as "A-Shin Mask Tomb," after countless years, would only contain the remains of a child.

Once you find the place, you'll always discover something else.

(Does anyone have time to go for me?)

Yu Gonglin sent a distress signal on [Fujiang Network].

He also had to visit Murata Tomokichi to learn about supernatural hypnosis, and did not have the energy to go to the ruins in person.

(I'll go.)

A slightly lazy thought quickly followed, belonging to Tomie, who was feeling bored lately.

She was looking for something new to do to pass the time, so she decided to take a trip to the remote Aomori Prefecture as a short getaway, which sounded pretty good.

(However, you'll need to reimburse your travel expenses.)

Amamiya Rin naturally agreed.

However, while giving a straightforward answer, a very real question arose in Amamiya Rin's mind.

He realized that he might not have enough money again.

The funds that the vampire Tomie had "raised" from the brewery were not much for him to begin with. After all, there were too many Tomies in Tokyo. If each of them took tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, there wouldn't be much left for him.

Consulting services from someone of Murata Tomokichi's caliber wouldn't be cheap. If he doesn't have any income, he'll be broke again soon.

"Yes, Fujino Terumi can reimburse her travel expenses..."

Yu Gonglin muttered to himself, then thought of something else.

"...I forgot to ask Inspector Inudo when those bonuses will arrive."

He provided so much intelligence and took so many risks; according to the contract, he should have received a substantial bonus.

Unless, of course, the information provided before signing the contract doesn't come with a bonus!

Is it really that bad?

Thinking of this, Amamiya Rin simply sent a text message to Inudou Ranko.

Shortly after sending the message, I received a reply from Ranko Inudo.

[Regarding the Dissolution Incident, the Vampire Incident, and the Slit-Mouthed Woman Incident, based on the information and assistance you provided, the reward is estimated to be around 100 million. Come and collect it tomorrow morning.]

Upon seeing the contents of the text message, Amamiya Rin finally revealed a satisfied smile.

In this era, 100 million is equivalent to several months' salary for an average person.

There's one more thing I think I should mention to you: the organization has decided to release Yuuma Azawa.

However, the second text message that immediately caught his eye instantly froze the smile on his lips.

"What does this mean?"

Amamiya Rin's brows furrowed, forming a deep "川" shape, and his voice was filled with disbelief and astonishment.

The evidence against Yuuma Azawa is irrefutable, so why are they saying they want to release him? Have they lost their minds?

That guy has killed at least a thousand people. Even in Japan, where the death penalty is very difficult to obtain, such horrific crimes could get him executed dozens of times over.

Even if the crimes cannot be made public, talking about paranormal events can easily cause panic and indirectly lead to the formation of more ghost stories. He doesn't believe that the Japanese police are really so law-abiding and insist on procedural justice.

If that's the case, without evidence to prove that Hirano Yuji cannibalized and murdered people, how did he confess to his crimes and go to jail? Wasn't it through illegal means like the Great Memory Restoration Technique?

A surge of frustration welled up in his chest. His finger hovered over the dial button, almost ready to call and confront Inudou Ranko about what had happened.

Just then, a third text message popped up at the perfect moment.

Don't ask me what happened; politicians always make foolish decisions and never give a real reason.

As if he could see his actions and thoughts from afar, Inudou Ranko's text message extinguished his impulse.

Yu Gonglin stared at the words on the screen for a long time, then his shoulders relaxed slightly, and the sudden anger turned into a kind of absurd relief.

"That's really... well-reasoned and convincing, truly impressive."

Upon further reflection on Inudou Ranko's message, Amamiya Rin realized that, given the historically abstract nature of Japanese politics, it seemed that making any decision that crossed the line was not something to be surprised about.

Especially those in the upper echelons of the political arena now, I reckon they're all old fogies whose brains have long since gone mad.

"As expected, hiding ourselves and not cooperating deeply with the government was the right thing to do; the Japanese government can only cause trouble."

Amamiya Rin had a premonition.

He'll have to fight the Japanese government sooner or later, not for anything else, but just for those gas bacteria that caused the apocalypse.

Who knows how many hidden dangers the Japanese high command has created? Amamiya Rin strongly suspects that not only the gas bacteria in "Fish," but also the zombie apocalypse in "Call Me Hero," are related to the Japanese high command.

"However... now that Azawa Yuuma has been released, we must acquire the technology for sound wave cancellation as soon as possible."

Amamiya Rin muttered to himself as he picked up his phone again.

Instead of calling Inudou Ranko, he called Kazemi Junya and asked about the noise research institute that he had mentioned to Kazemi Junya before.

Speaking of which, Murata Tomokichi's hypnosis also uses sound. If we could obtain the technology from that research institute and create the corresponding device to work with it, we might be able to use large-scale illusions.

"You mean that research institute? I've investigated it."

The poster displayed a detailed address, located in a certain ward of Tokyo, which is not particularly remote.

Although the police did not delve deeper into this route because of Azawa Yuuma's arrest, the location of the research institute has been discovered.

(Who should go?)

After hanging up the phone, Yu Gonglin posted another task on [Fujiang Network].

As I said before, he doesn't have the extra time and energy for the moment, so he can only rely on Tomie and the others.

However, this time there was no straightforward response.

(You really know how to order people around.)

(Do you consider us your subordinates?)

(I've noticed you're becoming increasingly dismissive of us.)

……

First, she ran errands, then she took it for granted to assign tasks. Amamiya Rin's attitude aroused the dissatisfaction of Tomie and her friends, who complained about it in the [Tomie Network].

Arrogant, haughty, and self-centered, Tomie's nature has never changed. Even if it's Amamiya Rin, if her attitude is not proper, she will still provoke their sensitive hearts.

(…I'm sorry, I thought we didn't need to be so distant anymore.)

Amamiya Rin lowered her eyes, muttering to herself, her emotions becoming increasingly subdued.

There was no excuse, no further explanation, and no outward display of emotion.

A simple, unassuming sentence shut down [Fujiang Network].

(.......)

In [Fujiang Network], those complaining thoughts suddenly quieted down for a moment.

(……whispering sound.)

Then, the first voice that rang out sounded somewhat impatient, but it wasn't as sharp anymore.

(Don't try that on me, pretense won't work.)

That's what they said, but their dissatisfaction with Amamiya Rin had clearly eased somewhat.

(Exactly, a bad attitude is a bad attitude, and apologies won't help!)

(However... seeing how sincerely you admitted your mistake...)

(You're always getting into trouble, and in the end, I have to clean up after you.)

(Oh well, I'll just treat this as a way to kill time; nothing interesting has happened lately anyway.)

(However, don't think playing the victim will actually work! Now that you've resolved Changmeng's death threat, you don't need to be so anxious anymore. Spend your time shopping with me.)

(Stop meddling in other people's business! Spend more time with me.)

(You always say you consider me close, but your heart is with other people, isn't it?)

……

Suddenly, [Fujiang Network] became active again.

The thoughts began to chatter again, the complaints were still there, but the anger inside had disappeared, and there was a subtle change in their expression.

(Well, lifespan could be extended from a few months to several decades, and maybe even immortality. If there's no rush, there would be more free time.)

Amamiya Rin's lips curled up very slightly, but it was only fleeting, and her relaxed words revealed a sense of ease and relaxation.