Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

Kanzaki briefly shared the names of the three contained creatures.

He then told Kurokawa more information.

"The first one, file number F-54, code name [Fleshman]. It appears as an amorphous mass of fleshy chunks and has the ability to regenerate rapidly and multiply by consuming organic matter."

"It shows temporary fear and retreat towards high-temperature flames, but conventional physical attacks are extremely ineffective. We encountered and became trapped because of this monster. In addition, we also noticed that the monster is very sensitive to the smell of blood."

His gaze flickered toward the tightly closed security door, a lingering fear still visible in his eyes.

[Meatball]?

Kurokawa quickly recalled his memories from his past life.

There is no further information about this vengeful spirit.

After all, at this point in his previous life, he was still working tirelessly in the factory, perfecting the technology for the first-generation combat suit.

As for this magical vengeful spirit...

It sounds like something out of a legend.

A vengeful spirit born from the influence of magical energy in yokai legends...

In ancient legends, there was a fleshy monster with no eyes or nose, and it was said that eating it would grant one the power of immortality.

As Kurokawa reminisced, Kanzaki continued speaking.

"The second one, file number F-59, codename [Maiko Doll]. Classified as 'Physical Spirit Type'. Its true form is suspected to be a classical mascot doll, its characteristics are unknown, and its threat level is assessed as 'Low'. We only know that it is in the containment area on level B2, and we have not encountered it yet..."

Kurokawa nodded slightly in agreement.

[Maiko Doll] Needless to say, this is his goal for this trip.

He was very clear about the other party's characteristics.

He is confident that he can safely contain any such encounter.

The only troublesome thing is that "High-Speed ​​Granny"....

Kanzaki continued, "The third one is the 'High-Speed ​​Granny.' Classified as 'Legendary.' It appears as an elderly woman, and its movement speed is... extremely fast! Its threat level is 'Extremely Dangerous'! It's contained in the high-risk isolation zone on level B3. We know absolutely nothing else about it..."

After the report was completed, a brief silence fell over the safe house once again.

The situation was far more complicated than Kurokawa had anticipated.

Especially that [High-Speed ​​Granny]... E-class, speed-specialized type, threat level [extremely dangerous].

This immediately reminded him of the magical girl [Tensen].

If we say that the threat level of an F-class vengeful spirit is equivalent to a motorcycle gang fully armored, requiring a regular SWAT team to deal with it...

The threat level of that Class E vengeful spirit is equivalent to a fully bulletproof small car that can recklessly rampage through the enemy's territory...

Of course, the description of the level of threat is very vague.

How dangerous it is depends on whether you can find the opponent's weakness and the level of threat posed by the vengeful spirit.

At least, the "flesh man" outside the safe house seemed more dangerous to him than the "maiko doll" underground.

It is also several times more dangerous than the patrolling vengeful spirits he had previously captured.

If we use the four minor realms of cultivation in Xianxia novels—early stage, middle stage, late stage, and perfect stage—as an analogy...

Magical vengeful spirits of the same level can be roughly divided into four levels of threat: [Low Risk], [Medium Risk], [High Risk], and [Extreme Risk].

Kurokawa quickly sorted things out in his mind, and a preliminary outline of the operation began to take shape.

He looked at Kanzaki and asked the last question:

"What were your original mission objectives? Besides evacuation, what other tasks needed to be completed?"

Kanzaki was silent for two seconds.

This is a secret mission for the team and cannot be told to others casually.

Kanzaki shook his head, indicating that he couldn't say.

But Kurokawa had a rough idea.

"You're here to retrieve the 'black box' from the research base, right?"

Kanzaki neither denied nor nodded.

He simply revealed some information that did not violate confidentiality rules.

"I can only tell you that one of our tasks is to try to confirm the containment status of E-33. This task has a lower priority..."

really.

Kurokawa understood.

The regular troops' deep penetration into this area was not merely for "situational reconnaissance."

"Understood."

Kurokawa didn't press further; his gaze swept over Kanzaki and his teammates.

"The cooperation is established. I'll deal with that 'flesh man' outside first. As for whether you choose to evacuate directly through the passage I opened, or send some people to try and continue your mission downwards..."

Kurokawa returned the choice to the other party.

"You can decide for yourselves. But I suggest prioritizing the safety of the wounded."

Kanzaki's eyes flickered rapidly.

He glanced at the pale-faced, seriously injured soldier, then at the undiminished fighting spirit in the eyes of the other team members and their silent trust in him.

"Give us two minutes." Kanzaki gritted his teeth and made the decision. "I need to reassess the team's condition and assign tasks."

"Alright." Kurokawa nodded, then turned to Chinatsu, "Hatchling, check your equipment and prepare for action."

"Yes, President!" Chinatsu immediately straightened her back.

Inside the safe house, the atmosphere subtly shifted from a desperate stalemate to...

Outside, the unsettling wriggling sound seemed to have gotten a little closer.

Kanzaki's special operations team quickly completed emergency preparations.

Amidst suppressed breathing, the team members quickly inventoried the remaining equipment.

Kurokawa's gaze swept over the remaining supplies they had spread out on the ground.

Rifle magazines were running low, pistol ammunition was scarce, and only two fragmentation grenades remained...

But what's noteworthy is that they also have four incendiary bombs, which are the only weapons in their equipment capable of effectively killing vengeful spirits.

Just as Kurokawa was assessing the enemy's remaining firepower, he keenly caught Kanzaki and the vice-captain whispering to each other.

The sound was deliberately kept very low, but some debris still drifted over into the silent safe house.

"...Confirmation signal...Immediately...Request..."

"...Support has been prioritized to the highest level...Inform us of the situation...It's beyond our processing capacity..."

"...A specialized counter-team is needed... Repeat, a specialized counter-team is needed..."

Kurokawa's eyes narrowed slightly.

【support】.

[Specialized response team].

Kanzaki is definitely not stupid.

Having personally experienced the difficulty of dealing with the [vengeful spirit], he immediately judged that the situation here was far beyond what their lightly equipped conventional special operations team could handle independently.

And who else could the so-called "professional response team" refer to at this point in time, in this country?

Yaqi Heavy Industries.

Their fighters are probably already on their way, or... already somewhere on this mountain.

time.

It was equally urgent for Kurokawa.

He must contain the [Trillion Maiko] before the combatants from Yagi Heavy Industries, or even the magical girls, arrive on the battlefield, and then withdraw silently.

"President," Kanzaki interrupted Kurokawa's thoughts, having finished his instructions, "we're ready. We can begin anytime."

Kurokawa nodded without saying anything more.

He turned to face the heavy metal security door.

"Back up, find cover." He ordered Kanzaki's squad in a deep voice, while turning to Chinatsu and saying, "Hatchling, get behind me and stay alert."

"Okay." Chika immediately did as instructed.

Kurokawa pressed the conspicuous red "Emergency Manual Activation" button next to the safe house door.

Beep beep beep—!

A piercing and urgent alarm suddenly sounded.

The red warning lights spun and flashed wildly above the inner door, casting an inconsistent light and shadow on everyone's face.

With a deep hum from the hydraulic system, the heavy inner door began to slowly slide open to one side.

A gust of hot air, mixed with the smell of burnt meat, suddenly rushed in through the widening crack in the door!

Outside the door, the relatively clean short passageway they had used to escape was no longer there.

The once smooth metal walls and ceiling are now covered with a nauseating dark red membrane.

rustling...

The chilling wriggling sound became incredibly clear as the door opened.

The members of Kanzaki's squad suddenly became heavy-hearted. Having just experienced a brush with death, they had an instinctive fear of that sound.

But they forcibly suppressed the urge to retreat, quickly spread out in tactical formation, propped up their guns against the door frame and fixed objects inside the house, their fingers steadily on the triggers, the muzzles locked firmly against the creeping darkness outside the door.

Their professional competence is beyond question.

Chika's throat was also a little dry.

This wasn't the first time she'd encountered a vengeful spirit, but the sight before her still sent chills down her spine.

She subconsciously took a small step back, trying to create distance and leave Kurokawa with the space to face the enemy head-on.

however--

"Young bird. You go, take down the 'Flesh Man'."

Chika was stunned, her eyes widening as if she had misheard.

"Huh? Me, me?"