I was the fourth disaster in Yokohama and was loved by everyone.

Chapter 96 Direct Capture!

"How pathetic, Chuuya."

The boy, Dazai, made a light, mocking remark.

He was also forced by Verlaine to experience the feeling of opening a "door," and at this moment even a simple action like raising his hand became slow and difficult.

He staggered and half-knelt on the ground, the light and shadow in front of him stretched into blurry patches of color, but he still managed to discern who it was from those infuriating words.

"Bastard..." His lips moved only slightly, uttering broken syllables.

Her eyelashes trembled, but she couldn't open her heavy eyelids.

In his last moments of consciousness, he felt someone catch his falling body and gently wrap their arms around his waist.

—Then, consciousness sank into boundless darkness.

*

Zhu Yu put her arm around Zhong Ye's waist, letting him rest his head on her shoulder.

Looking up, she saw Dazai Osamu, who had "descended from the sky," and greeted him happily: "Dazai, hello, you've come!"

The Grand Tutor kept his head down and did not look into Zhu Yu's eyes.

He feared that once he met those eyes, all his suppressed emotions would surge out uncontrollably—worry, lingering fear, and an even deeper fear that he himself dared not admit.

My heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and a dull ache spread from my chest to my fingertips.

Yet his expression remained calm. When his oversized coat was blown by the wind, it couldn't hide the truth of his thin frame, so fragile that it could be torn to shreds at any moment.

"...Dazai?" Zhu Yu called out again in confusion.

“...He’s clearly an idiot.” He finally spoke, his voice soft, even carrying a hint of feigned indifference, but the last syllable tightened slightly, “yet he always wants to be a hero.”

Zhu Yu was stunned, seemingly not expecting him to say that.

Wait, players aren't stupid!

"Not stupid." She immediately defended herself, blinking her eyes, then remembered that her phone had run out of battery and the call had been interrupted, and looked away guiltily.

"I'm sorry, Dazai, my phone was out of battery at the time. Please don't worry."

The little dark cloud overhead is about to drown your head!

Zhu Yu was terrified.

Dazai Osamu's lips curved into a perfectly timed smile, a smile that was also a hint of self-deprecation. His gaze fell on Zhu Yu's face, but quickly shifted away, as if looking at her any longer would reveal too many secrets.

The wind lifted his wide sleeves, obscuring his slightly trembling fingertips.

A tsunami raged in my heart, yet I refused to let anyone see even a single wave.

"Okay, I understand. Go back now." He glanced at Chuuya, whom she was supporting, and turned away, leaving behind the words, "Verlaine will come again. Chief Mori has other plans for you."

Verlaine left after opening the "door" to Chuuya Nakahara, and his whereabouts are unknown. But they all understood that Verlaine would not leave Yokohama until he achieved his goal.

Dazai Osamu turned around quickly, but Zhu Yu moved even faster.

She swiftly grabbed his sleeve, forcing him to stop—

"Are you worried?"

Her dark pupils flickered with tiny lights, like candle flames swaying in the night.

"Are you worried about me?" Zhu Yu tilted her head, then suddenly smiled. "Thank you, Dazai. I'm very happy."

Rake in players who care about them, good riddance!

The intense gaze seemed to pierce through all his defenses, looking straight into the emotions he was desperately trying to hide.

Her hand naturally took his, the warm touch almost making him tremble—

Your fingers are shaking, are they too cold?

A pebble, suddenly thrown into Dazai's feigned calm, stirred up ripples that could not be concealed.

Dazai froze.

All pretense and all aloofness crumbled under her gleaming gaze.

Dazai gets angry and tries to run away.

The player successfully grabbed him.

"Where are you going? Aren't you coming with me?" Zhu Yu cast a reproachful glance at him.

Point and point.jpg

Question: What should I do if my cat keeps trying to run away?

Answer: Capture it directly!

Zhu Yu agreed wholeheartedly and immediately put it into action with exceptional efficiency.

She gripped Dazai's wrist as if she had successfully pinched the scruff of a cat's neck, and no matter how much the cat meowed, it couldn't escape her clutches.

"Alright, let's go together."

"..." Dazai turned his face away without a word, and only after being pulled along for a while did he manage to utter a soft, strained sentence, "I suppose it'll be reluctant..."

As for Chuuya...

The player used the "Carry" option.

Thus, the bizarre scene unfolded where she had Chuuya on her left and Dazai on her right.

The Flag Society and Port Mafia members who came to support Dazai: ...

They watched them leave in silence, falling into an eerie stillness.

After his initial shock, Ah-Dai-Niao whispered to the PR officer next to him, "...So the three of them are really close?"

The PR officer mused, "After all, they're partners. But Chuuya'll probably be angry when he wakes up."

I was forced to walk the whole way in front of so many people...

The members of the flag association exchanged glances and burst out laughing in unison.

*

After returning to the Port Mafia, Zhu Yu first put Chuuya in the medical room, and then was summoned to the boss's office.

Mori Ougai sat in the shadows, slowly turning the teacup in his hand.

He stared at her without speaking, his gaze lingering on her face, as cold as a viper's hiss.

Zhu Yu stared blankly: ...Why aren't you saying anything?

"[Socks] San, Verlaine is your brother?"

Mori Ougai finally spoke.

"Actually, I don't know either. He said that himself." Zhu Yu looked back innocently.

If Verlaine hadn't bankrupted her, she would have happily announced to the world that she had such a handsome NPC brother, but now...

Well, let him be Schrödinger for now.

Mori Ougai chuckled softly, his eyes, hidden in the shadows, as dark and unfathomable as a deep pool, scrutinizing her every subtle movement.

"Perhaps." He didn't comment on it, but looked at Alice who suddenly appeared and pounced on Zhu Yu. "But... I hope the plan won't go wrong."

An unexpected variable... Is this really how it is?

We can't let Verlaine take his two beloved subordinates away...

"I'll have to trouble you with [Socks]-san tomorrow."

Mori Ougai rested his chin on his hand and gave the instructions for tomorrow.

Alice hugged Zhu Yu's waist and said sweetly, "You can't abandon Alice just because some brother suddenly appeared!"

Zhu Yu patted Alice's head quietly to comfort her.

*

Like an unfolding star map, each chess piece moves along a predetermined trajectory, yet subtly deviates within an invisible gravitational field.

Everything is proceeding according to plan.

When Chuuya Nakahara learns that the members of the Flag Society were almost killed by Verlaine, he realizes that he cannot passively wait for Verlaine to kill his friends.

Having barely reached an agreement with Adam, they understood that Verlaine would remove the "reasons" preventing Chuuya Nakahara from leaving the Port Mafia.

Originally, Zhu Yu was one of them, but now she also faces the risk of being forcibly taken away.

Based on the information provided by Adam, the next target becomes very clear—

Chapter 97 Past Memories

Shirase, a former companion of the "King of Sheep".

Chuuya and Adam went to find Shirase.

*

The cold white light shone silently overhead, while this secret military experimental base was in complete chaos.

An uninvited guest has quietly arrived.

Inside the enormous cylindrical tube, the experimental subject was curled up like an infant, floating in a liquid that maintained his vital signs. His tender face looked innocent and peaceful, just like every child smiling and being led by their parents on the streets of Yokohama.

However, the shackles on the experimental subject's feet immediately distinguished him from ordinary children.

The ochre-colored hair drifted in the liquid, like some languid creature breathing freely.

He watched all this, his fingertips touching the cold glass, his breath slightly catching in his throat—this was the "humanoid weapon" Arabatu that the French authorities were willing to do anything to bring back.

But just as he was about to forcefully break open the tube, his partner Paul Verlaine suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Wait.” Paul’s voice was low, but his gaze shifted to a smaller container next to the round tube—

There lay another experimental subject with an unfamiliar face.

It was a girl who looked even younger, with her eyes tightly closed, her black hair flowing like seaweed, almost blending into the dark nutrient solution.

His skin was unnaturally pale, and his chest remained still, like a carefully preserved specimen.

The experimental subject's number—"Jia 201"—was affixed to the lower right corner of the round tube.

Paul's pupils contracted slightly: "..."

He knew what Paul was thinking. If it weren't for the fact that "A201" had died a week before their mission, the French authorities would have required her to be brought back along with the "Wild Batu" test subject.

After obtaining research data on the French singularity—specifically, that of Paul Verlaine—the Japanese military conducted experiments.

Based on this data, they conducted two different experiments—one being the "Wild Beast Project," a plan to contain the non-human monster "Wild Beast" within a human body;

The other group is even bolder, breaking the limits of human tolerance for superpowers and realizing the coexistence of multiple superpowers in the "God-Making Plan," which is to create an omnipotent "artificial god" by comparing human bodies to gods.

The success of the "Wild Batu Project" gave the Japanese military unprecedented confidence, leading them to enthusiastically invest in the "God-Making Project".

It can be said that the "God Creation Project" was built on the foundation of the "Araba Toki Project" and the "[Paul Verlaine] Artificial Superhuman Data", and was a presumptuous attempt by mankind.

Countless failures finally calmed the Japanese military down a bit, until—the appearance of the only experimental subject that seemed to be successful, "Type 201".

The test subject perfectly accommodated the various superpowers infused into her, unlike other test subjects who, once two different superpowers were injected, experienced superpower disorder within their bodies, ultimately leading to their bodies exploding and death.

Perhaps, fate is truly preventing humanity from challenging the authority of the gods. This experimental subject, which shocked the Japanese military and even other countries, suddenly died a week ago for unknown reasons.

Unable to find the cause, and unwilling to give up on this very special experimental subject, the Japanese military finally gave up after extensive research, completely sealing up the "God-Making Project" and destroying the relevant data.

The whereabouts of the "A201" test subject are unknown.

Therefore, it seems the Japanese military sealed the experimental subject in the "Arahabaki Project" laboratory, hoping this failed experiment would be helpful for further research...

He looked away and urged Paul, "We need to hurry, or we'll be in trouble if the guards outside realize what's happening."

Paul did not answer, turning his gaze away from "Category 20, Number One," a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.