I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 382 & 383: Corpse Bone Vein Artificial Weapons

Africa, a continent of aridity, wildness, and mystery.

The arrival of the extraordinary era seems to have little significance for the more than fifty countries on this continent.

Major, powerful, and wealthy countries have established their own departments for the search and countermeasures against the supernatural. Some African countries that followed suit simply found an office, hung up a sign, and haphazardly stuffed a few people inside, calling it their department.

After all, in Africa, where tribal conflicts and wars are constant, many military governments and makeshift organizations have difficulty even performing normal government functions, so how could they possibly have the financial and human resources to invest in this bottomless pit?

In a desert-edge hillside cave in a landlocked African country, a tribal armed force of the non-governmental army is stationed.

This tribal armed force is dualistic, capable of switching between freedom fighters and terrorists at will, depending on the needs of the United States.

Unfortunately, they are playing the role of terrorists today.

"Da da da!"

"Bang!"

Intense gunfire and blinding flashes of light echoed through the dark cave, the air thick with the pungent smell of gunpowder and the acrid stench of blood.

"Holy crap, is this Superman?!"

A black militiaman with a full beard, clutching an AK-47, huddled in a corner alley, his face filled with terror, unable to believe what he had just witnessed.

A short man wearing a tactical helmet and combat uniform suddenly rushed into the cave carrying a heavy machine gun. The machine gun bullets rained down like a storm, turning several of his comrades into mangled pieces wherever they went.

How is that possible?!

This is a heavy machine gun! To carry a heavy machine gun and fire it with bare hands, the recoil alone could knock a person unconscious.

That short guy, who looked to be no more than 1.5 meters tall, could actually carry a heavy machine gun with ease, even more so than when he was shooting an assault rifle.

Half a minute later, the gunfire gradually stopped, and footsteps could be heard moving in other directions.

The Black militiamen trembled, holding their breath, waiting for death to leave, but when they caught sight of the crimson blood slowly flowing to their feet, their eyes turned red.

"Aaaaaah, die!!!"

The Black militiamen, their eyes bloodshot and howling, suddenly charged out and began firing wildly at the small man's silhouette.

"Bang bang bang!!"

Caught off guard, the short man dropped the heavy machine gun from his hand and fell to the ground.

It was mixed in with several corpses on the ground that looked like they had been shredded in a meat grinder.

"child?!"

The Black militiamen, panting heavily, cautiously approached, ready to fire a few more shots.

However, the small man's tactical helmet had fallen off, revealing the face of a young Asian girl.

She's about the same age as my daughter...

The Black militiaman's finger stiffened on the trigger, and he hesitated.

Just then, the girl opened her eyes without warning, her gaze empty and devoid of any emotion.

The Black militiaman's heart leaped into his throat, and he instinctively reached for the trigger.

Suddenly, several sharp white bones shot out from the girl's waist and abdomen, piercing the black man directly into the air.

"...What is this...Could it be...a superhuman...?"

The dying Black man's cloudy eyes darted around like a chameleon's.

A bone bullet flew by, ripped open the black man's skull, and red and white splattered onto the ceiling, ending his thoughts.

The girl, her expression frozen, pulled her protruding ribs back into her body, picked up the heavy machine gun from the ground, and walked toward the forked path of the cave.

Immediately, gunfire erupted, like cannon fire and thunder.

A dozen minutes later, the girl, covered in blood and looking like a demon, walked out of the cave alone.

They were immediately picked up by a military vehicle, while another armed squad entered the cave, planted explosives, and prepared for the demolition operation.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

With several deafening explosions, all the evil was buried in the ruins and rubble.

"Well done, Angelica! Truly our masterpiece!"

Meanwhile, at a U.S. military base dozens of miles away, a group of soldiers and white coats were celebrating in front of the command center's screen.

Angelica's actions after entering the cave were transmitted to the base in real time via the camera equipment on her body.

This was a massacre, a one-sided, overwhelming massacre!

"Gentlemen, according to the intelligence we have gathered, there are more than one hundred fully armed 'terrorists' entrenched in the cave. Even for a platoon of Navy SEALs, eliminating so many rats in a cave that is easy to defend and difficult to attack would not be an easy task."

The project manager, dressed in a white lab coat, spoke eloquently to several military officers.

"But our Angelica, all by herself, took less than twenty minutes to eliminate all the terrorists, and she was completely unharmed."

"Didn't Angelica get hit by assault rifle bullets during the live broadcast just now?" an officer asked.

"Don't worry, according to our tests in the lab, an old-fashioned AK47 simply cannot penetrate the periosteum made by Angelica." The scientist smirked, clearly very confident.

The other US officers exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat grave.

They had already read all the data about Angelica.

Besides possessing superhuman physical abilities, with all stats far exceeding those of Olympic champions, he also has the superpower to manipulate and weaponize his skeleton.

The immense military value of this superpower, which combines offense and defense, is obvious to anyone with discerning eyes.

No matter how powerful a soldier is, he is no match for Angelica.

In complex environments such as urban warfare or caves, the combat power of one person can even exceed that of a tactical company.

"Are you satisfied with this battle, which served as a 'prop test' before the official operation, Ms. Grace?" The project manager said with a beaming smile to a blonde, blue-eyed beauty.

Grace, formerly of the Fifth Police Section, remained silent with a cold expression and pursed lips.

Three years ago, during the eruption of Mount Fuji, the Ground Self-Defense Force's mobile unit failed to ambush Princess Kaguya. The Eighty Gods then struck her with a single palm strike, almost wiping out the entire force.

Grace, who was on the periphery, was fortunate enough to escape the impact, but she suffered a great deal of physical and mental trauma and took more than a year to recover after returning to her home country.

Having missed the early stages of the Paranormal Police Department, Grace returned to work and joined the United States' paranormal countermeasures department.

Because she was also a woman, Grace's job was to serve as an assistant to Angelica, a volunteer in the Corpse Vein human experimentation program.

"Angleica..."

A shadow crossed Grace's eyes as she murmured heavily.

It's incredibly ironic that the name means "angel."

Grace wasn't exactly a saint; if it were a matter of choosing the most heinous sinners as subjects for human experimentation, she wouldn't even blink.

However, she couldn't bear to use underage girls, even foreign ones.

However, the project manager of the superhero experiment project said that it may be because the type A ability is to manipulate bones, so the success rate of matching is highest in adolescents whose bones are still developing. Without exception, all adult volunteers die suddenly.

Although she accepted this explanation, what Grace truly thought remains unknown.

Although Grace didn't give him a friendly look, the project manager didn't dare to neglect him.

Grace's uncle, General William, has now gone even further, becoming the commander of Yokota Air Base in Japan.

"Ms. Grace..."

The project manager forced a smile, and just then, an assistant in a white coat hurried over and whispered something in his ear.

"Triella can't hold on anymore? Damn it!"

The project manager cursed and immediately ran outside.

Seeing this, Grace and the other officers followed.

In a medical room at the base, through a thick glass wall, the group could see a light brown-skinned girl lying on a restraint chair below, whose facial features suggested she had North African ancestry.

But strangely, beneath the brown-skinned girl's skin, her bones were jagged and constantly changing, like piano keys being played wildly.

"puff!"

One after another, pure white bone spurs emerged from all over the brown-skinned girl's body. The proliferating bones grew like tree branches, and right before everyone's eyes, they transformed into a tree of white bones!

It possesses an eerie and terrifying beauty.

"Triella... ugh..."

Grace witnessed this horrific scene and could not bear it any longer. She covered her mouth and moved aside, retching uncontrollably.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

The project manager, his eyes blazing with fury, slammed his fist heavily against the glass curtain wall.

"Triella wasn't in the worst condition among the volunteers, so how could she have broken down so quickly?"

"Calm down, what happened?"

A high-ranking official with a general's star on his shoulder walked over and asked.

"Angelica, Triella, and three others were all volunteers who successfully entered the third stage during the period when we were working with Dr. Satomi, with the help of his healing power."

The project manager reluctantly withdrew his gaze and said bitterly:

"After Dr. Satomi lost his healing powers, no matter how hard our laboratory tried, we were unable to replicate such a miracle."

At the secret experimental base in Yokosuka Port, the artificial superhero project has achieved an unprecedented breakthrough, cultivating several volunteers who have entered the third stage, just one step away from entering the fourth stage where they can engage in actual combat.

However, with Dr. Satomi's healing technique being withdrawn by Taizan Fukun, the experimental project almost failed.

After the advent of the extraordinary era, the United States, relying on its world-leading technological strength and the rare and precious materials mined from secret realms by Japan, was finally able to put its volunteers into the actual combat phase.

Perhaps because human experimentation crossed taboo territory, the cells of volunteers like Angelica deteriorated faster than imagined. Although they possessed considerable fighting power, their lives were numbered.

"One of them broke down before the official operation even began..."

The general, the highest-ranking officer in charge of the military base, had a grim expression and said:

"Since their time is running out, they must be deployed as combat power as soon as possible before they self-destruct."

Although the superhero human experimentation program repeatedly failed, Angelica and other mass-produced defective products proved that the initial approach was correct.

If there were healing-related supernatural abilities to support it, mass production of superhumans would be a natural outcome.

The emergence of superhumans represents a new era of arms race. While mass-produced superhumans may not be as powerful or possess unlimited potential as true superhumans, their contribution to national strength is immediate and significant.

If a legion of superhumans of regimental size could be established, even a group of Kage-level powerhouses could be overwhelmed.

To create a new strategic deterrent against other major powers on Earth and maintain the United States' hegemonic position.

The Americans naturally set their sights on Jeanne d'Arc, who was gaining fame in the new era.

If coercion, bribery, and attempts to win over or buy them off fail, then the only option left is to resort to force.

In fact, at least half of the kidnapping attacks against Jeanne last year were planned by U.S. government agencies.

There have even been instances where FBI and CIA agents, disguised as troops, launched simultaneous attacks without prior communication, resulting in farcical dogfights.

But all attempts failed.

Jeanne is, after all, a superhuman. If it were a small armed team, she could easily beat the kidnappers to a pulp by herself.

Jeanne is a world-renowned international saint with countless fans. Considering domestic and international public opinion, it is unrealistic to send the army to arrest her.

Moreover, Jeanne herself is elusive and slippery, making it not so easy to set up an ambush.

With the end of the three-year Jedi-Sky Alliance period, the U.S. government, sensing an impending storm, was even more determined to send Jeanne to the United States for "protection".

This time, not only did the FBI, CIA, and US troops stationed in Africa work together, but even man-made weapons like Angelica were transferred from their home countries to Africa.

"Angelica's combat strength, according to the Japanese Supernatural Police Department's classification of superhumans, is close to Grade A, and is no weaker than the Twelve Divine Generals."

The project manager was very confident in his masterpiece.

"If the dosage of the other three is increased and the consequences are disregarded, and they are used as disposable items, their combat power is not much inferior to Angelica's."

Angelica and the others didn't have much time left anyway. Even Angelica, who was in the best condition, could only last until next month at most. So why not take a gamble and use them as scouts to bring Jeanne to justice?

This can be considered as making the best use of resources.

Although Jeanne's healing abilities are miraculous, her current combat prowess is not outstanding among superhumans.

With a calculated strategy and the opponent caught off guard, the chances of capturing her alive are extremely high.

Where is Jeanne now?

"She's in Libya, no, now she's in Denar, Egypt."

An intelligence officer immediately reported back:

"Three days ago, a Mediterranean hurricane penetrated deep into the Sahara Desert and made landfall in Egypt, triggering torrential rains. Two dams around Denard collapsed, flooding the city and causing more than 5000 deaths."

One of the great achievements of Our Lady of Jeanne last year was erasing the border between Libya and Egypt from the map.

The unified Egypt suffered a once-in-a-century flood, and it was neither morally nor logically possible for Jeanne, the Great Virgin Mary, to stand idly by.

"There's no time to lose, we must move out tomorrow! This top-secret operation can only succeed; failure is not an option!"

A fierce glint flashed in the general's eyes, and he swung his arm down heavily:

"Operation codename: 'Orleans Girl'!"

(End of this chapter)