Great, we're doomed now!

【…】

Personally speaking, even knowing the truth, I find it hard to say that I don't feel any pity.

But what the senior said was completely wrong!

If human experimentation can be glorified using the guise of "the interests of all humanity" and "medical progress," then war can be portrayed as a driver of technological advancement, and massacres can be seen as a shortcut to increasing per capita resources.

【But--】

[no the same!

Voluntary sacrifice and being murdered... these are different, senior.

Sawai looked at Karasuma Sōren with a sorrowful expression, her feelings a complex mix of emotions.

Humans always find excuses to escape the judgment of reality, but no matter how they try to justify it, there is an indistinguishable dividing line between good and evil.

Senior, you've been given a second life and fulfilled your long-held wish; I'm truly happy for you—but I must also bring this absurdity to a complete end.

"...Can't you really give me a chance to atone for my sins?"

I'm sorry, but... I don't have the right to forgive you on behalf of the victims.

—The video pauses.

Ye Shou rubbed his eyes, stopped staring at the video, and turned to look at Liu Li: "What was my father's reaction?"

"The master seemed very disappointed after learning the truth."

The maid thought for a moment and then said, "But when Karasuma Sōren was dying, he said, 'The life I spent with you, senpai, is my unforgettable youth'... It seems that he has let go of his resentment."

"That's good."

Ye Shou nodded, feeling relieved.

As long as Junpei doesn't turn evil, it'll be fine. Otherwise, it wouldn't be very convenient for him to unleash his "friendship punch" on his own father.

"How well does the new armor perform?"

“Excellent. You’ll understand once you see the battle logs below.”

Liuli clicked play, and the video resumed. The three characters didn't waste any words; after realizing that none of them could back down, a fierce battle quickly broke out.

The Karasuma clan's defenses were clearly no match for the TPC's elite forces and were quickly swept away. A submarine hidden there also exploded under the laser fire of the Hien-go, leaving Karasuma Sōren with no way out.

However, he did not surrender. Instead, after realizing that he could not escape, he took out the remaining Qijiela essence and injected it into his body in one go.

He probably did this for no particular reason; it was just out of sheer resentment. After all, he had waited so many years to obtain the elixir that would grant him immortality, only to be brutally killed by a power from a higher level before he could even enjoy a few days of carefree life!

The thought of spending the rest of his life in prison made him prefer to commit suicide in this way!

...However, what was unexpected was that, instead of being poisoned to death by injecting so much essence at once, he successfully absorbed the medicine and gained stronger vitality.

After that, Karasuma Sōren transformed into a terrifying monster three meters tall, with plant-like growths on its body and tentacles extending from its back!

Small laser weapons are useless against it, and physical bullets are also difficult to inflict effective damage. Even if a penetrating wound is inflicted, the opponent will recover quickly, making it practically immortal.

However, Karasuma Sōren did not manage to escape, because when the soldiers retreated, Kūze Junpei, wearing power armor, blocked the gap and forcibly held them back, and a struggle ensued.

Junpei himself is not a warrior, but this armor has perfect offensive and defensive stats. Because it uses technology from the One-Punch Man world, its performance can be upgraded to the level of a Demon-level monster. With its powerful stats, it forcefully pinned Karasuma Souren to the ground!

No matter how Junpei attacked, the monster's body grew larger and larger, seemingly growing faster the more severe the injury.

At the critical moment, Sawai also temporarily changed into a power suit, leaped from behind, and used the Ripple Hand Chop to cut off the tentacles on the monster's body!

The two juniors worked together to lure the irrational Karasuma Sōren away from the battlefield, keeping the fallen soldiers away from danger... The wings of the Flying Swallow lit up, and a streak of light flashed from both sides, converging at the forefront and compressing into a single, dazzling point—

hum!

The high-energy rays struck the monster, destroying it at the cellular level; its tough outer layer and powerful tentacles were carbonized and then pulverized by the intense heat...

Surprisingly, Karasuma Sōren still had half of his body remaining in the ashes, which held on until Sawai and Junpei arrived. He said something in the end, and then his body disintegrated like foam.

At the end of the scene, the two find a bottle of wild vodka—the water of life—at their seaside home. They go to the place where Karasuma Sōren died, clink glasses, and say nothing, simply watching the tide wash away the last traces of the man.

The Karasuma family's bloodline was thus severed.

As the sun rises, the water reflects a shimmering, cold white light, making the entire sea appear as if it were covered in ice and snow... a vast expanse of pure white, so clean.

-

"Renowned entrepreneur Karasuma...natural gas explosion?"

Shinichi Kudo looked at the report on the tablet and felt a sense of absurdity, wondering how many people could be fooled by such an outrageous explanation.

Unfortunately, he had a premonition that there was a shocking conspiracy involved, but the government preferred to force an explanation rather than reveal the truth, proving that the matter was deeply complex and that no one could investigate before all relevant clues and evidence had already been cleared away.

Don't be fooled by the police's slow efficiency when it comes to serious matters; when it comes to how to destroy crime scenes and evidence, they suddenly become experts!

"Needless to say, the security camera must be broken." Shinichi muttered to himself, letting out a slight sigh.

After finishing breakfast, he went out of his house and noticed a very impressive luxury car parked in front of the doctor's house next door. He couldn't help but feel curious—it's probably a common trait among detectives that they subconsciously try to find out the details of everything.

This time, there was little need for deduction, because soon an elegant lady stepped out of the car, and the doctor hurriedly went out to greet her. The ambiguous atmosphere between the two during their conversation was something even a straight man could tell was off.

"The Doctor is also... That's really strange."

Shinichi quickly hid, staring wide-eyed at the unbelievable scene, a promotional smile playing on his lips. He had already figured out how to tease the Doctor about this next time they met.

Of course, it wouldn't be right to go up and bother them now; that would be incredibly tactless.

"I thought the Doctor was completely out of touch with this kind of thing... Well, he doesn't seem like a bad person, so I shouldn't worry about him."

Professor Agasa is like family to Shinichi. Because his parents are a bit unreliable, he actually relies on the professor. If he encounters any trouble, his first thought is not to find his parents, but to discuss it with the professor.

If the Doctor finds his soulmate, Shinichi will be genuinely happy for him.

She seems to be a rich woman, which makes it even better!

"Shinichi?"

"Oh no!"

Shinichi didn't want to disturb the two of them, but Professor Agasa seemed to have some kind of radar, and subconsciously turned his head and saw the male high school student hiding in the corner.

"Perfect timing, let me introduce you to this... well, an old friend of mine."

"Just call me Fusa."

"Hello, Ms. Fusae. My name is Shinichi Kudo, and I am the professor's neighbor."

Shinichi, who is usually carefree, was very serious at this moment and bowed to Fusae in a very formal manner.

—This guy is actually a sucker for good looks and older men.

Even though Fusae is old enough to be his grandmother, Shinichi still subconsciously restrains himself in front of elegant and dignified ladies.

"I've heard the professor mention you. Even though you're still a high school student, you're already a very famous detective. That's amazing!"

"Oh, you flatter me~" Shinichi scratched his head, seemingly modest but actually proud.

"If there's nothing else, I won't bother you any longer..."

"We were just about to go out."

Fusae didn't mind the third wheel at all, or perhaps she felt that having another person would make the atmosphere more harmonious, so she happily said:

"I heard there's a very famous 'cat shrine' nearby. I haven't been there yet since I got back. Do you want to come with me?"

"Cat Shrine?"

Shinichi blinked, then suddenly realized: "You mean 'Nishikida Shrine'?"

……

Inside TPC, Tango and Dr. Nezu were introducing the interior to a group of newcomers. Among them, a young female scholar with short flaxen hair and distinctly mixed-race features stood out from the group of middle-aged and elderly people with gray hair and thick glasses.

"Are they the scientists who were rescued from the Karasuma Incident? They look like they've suffered a lot."

Yeah, nothing's more tiring than being forced to do research you don't like... Hmm? That girl is so young, a biology PhD at that age... and she even has a degree in chemistry.

Upstairs, Horii looked at the documents and exclaimed in surprise, "She's the one who developed the 'rejuvenation drug'?!"

"Is there something wrong?" Ye Shou glanced casually downstairs, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"It's already very impressive to get a doctorate at this age, let alone research results like this that can change the world..."

“APTX4869 has serious side effects, even death. It must be mixed with an essence extracted from monster materials to eliminate the side effects and achieve true rejuvenation.”

While observing the somewhat uneasy and bewildered girl, Ye Shou introduced her to Horii with great familiarity.

"Moreover, she was not the founder of this project. It is said that her parents started the research first, but then an accident happened... She took over her parents' laboratory after she grew up."

"I see."

Horii suddenly realized: "That explains it, but what about her and the Karasuma family?"

“The Karasuma family initially targeted her parents, but she always believed that she was fulfilling her parents’ last wishes…and she also has an older sister.”

"Both sisters were being monitored and used as hostages?" Horii shook his head. "How despicable! These guys have no respect for science!"

"Shiho Miyano... her older sister Akemi Miyano has been temporarily assigned to the public relations department of the Kuze Group as a section chief."

Ye Shou paused, as if talking to himself: "Wouldn't this count as using hostages to blackmail me?"

"How can they be the same!"

Horii immediately straightened his face and seriously refuted Ye Shou's statement: "Don't underestimate yourself, Captain. You must not compare yourself to criminals. They are not the same thing at all."

"Oh?"

"After all, Captain, you gave so much! What other hostage gets such good treatment?"

"..."

"To be honest, if it weren't for my feelings for TPC, I would also like to find a job within the group... well, never mind."

Horii coughed twice and immediately changed the subject: "Regarding APTX4869, should we continue to research this drug?"

I looked at the data, and although it's still quite unstable, it has already shown extremely powerful effects. Once the side effects are resolved, it could greatly increase human lifespan—a truly revolutionary achievement.

“Indeed.” Ye Shou nodded. Although he had obtained Genus’s biotechnology in One-Punch Man, which included the ability to reverse aging, neither that nor the shrinking drug could be released for the time being.

Moreover, shrinking drugs have their own unique characteristics; their function is to cause "all cells outside the nerve tissue to degenerate to the level of childhood."

The key lies in the nervous system!

This lack of impact means that intelligence and memory will not be lost, but it also means that it is not true immortality. When the nervous system reaches its limit, the footsteps of death will still be heard. It's just that this process will last for two or three hundred years. This is more appropriate than direct immortality, and the impact on human society is controllable.