Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

Indeed, at that time, some workers responsible for patrolling would sometimes disappear without explanation.

At that time, the occult was flourishing, and this news quickly attracted the attention of the newly established Public Security Section 11, which sent people to investigate. Although they found nothing, they followed the clues and found that a small team had also disappeared in the underground passage during the war.

After numerous fruitless investigations of the passage, and as the craze for the occult subsided, they decided to close the passage again to avoid causing public panic.

But in 2019, the newly appointed section chief decided on a whim to reopen the investigation, and under the pretext of testing, he hired a small team of workers to investigate.

An unexpected event occurred: the entire squad vanished without a trace.

In an attempt to shirk responsibility, the section chief shifted the blame to his subordinates, which triggered a strong backlash, causing chaos throughout the department and infuriating the Prime Minister to the point of drastically cutting funding.

Only a basic rescue operation was conducted afterward; no one was found, and the passage appeared normal—it was a dead end. No one dared to investigate further, fearing another accident might occur.

"So, where is that passage?"

McCullough asked the most crucial question.

Kawamura glanced at the Minister of Defense, and only after seeing him nod did he project the information to the last page.

That's a map of the Hibiya Line, with enlarged views and clear markings around Hibiya Station.

“We sent people to investigate immediately, but the entrance has already disappeared.”

"Disappeared? Does it mean exactly what it says?"

"Yes, we can no longer find that entrance, including that closed gate, based on the route."

McCullough did not believe Kawamura's explanation; he preferred to believe his own subordinates.

So he waved his hand, obtained the map data, and then instructed his deputy to organize several assault teams to find the passage.

In any case, the appearance of that monster must be inextricably linked to this passage.

Having found the answer he sought, and with the black mist's duration nearly exhausted, Iwasaki temporarily departed, intending to investigate during the latter half of the night.

Chapter 119: Escaping the Cave

An explosion echoed through the subway tunnel.

Amidst the smoke and dust, three fully armed squads turned on their powerful spotlights and used analytical instruments to carefully examine the collapsed rubble.

"No results found at the third detonation point; proceed with the fourth detonation point."

The squad quickly moved to a new location, and soon after, another explosion rang out.

Iwasaki, shrouded in black mist, hid in a dark corner, silently observing their investigation.

However, right in the center of the orbit, a bright white spatial rift, so obvious it seemed as if it was afraid someone wouldn't notice it, was completely ignored by them, as if they couldn't see it at all.

After those people had gone far away, he materialized, took off his gloves, and could clearly feel a faint tingling sensation from the player data in his palm, as if guiding him to reach out and touch that gap.

"Is it only visible to players?"

After thinking for a moment, he sent Nobita a private message.

A reply came shortly afterward; the other party had given up on exploring the Hibiya passage with him, even though he had already told him that he had found the entrance.

"[Intelligence] should be quite eager to improve its strength. Since it is willing to take risks to save people, there is no reason why it would not be willing to take risks to improve its strength."

"Giving up this opportunity can only be explained by the fact that he didn't have a suitable way to get here, or that he lived far away or was easily exposed."

Iwasaki's image of Nobita is slowly taking shape.

She is young, lacks social experience, has a naive personality, and likely lives outside the central urban area.

The person who fits this description is probably a student.

It could be anyone from high school to university.

Having figured this out, Iwasaki lowered Nobita's priority for cooperation, but increased the level of basic trust.

He stepped out from the corner; he had used a rock to slightly obscure the view of the nearby surveillance cameras when those people were blowing up the explosives.

Even though there's no one to share the risk now, with the guidance from the player information on his palm, he feels the danger shouldn't be too great.

Moreover, given his strength, even if he went into the game's space, only Zhu Hai could pose a threat to him, let alone since it was already gone.

He decisively placed his hand on it, and a vast expanse of white light unfolded, quickly filling his entire field of vision.

Iwasaki simply vanished into the spatial rift.

The white light didn't last long. Soon, he felt a chill and dampness, and his vision slowly returned.

What comes into view is a slightly dim environment. In front of you is a cave entrance, and next to it stands a stone tablet inscribed with "Escape Cave".

The three words emitted a faint glow, and upon closer inspection, it could be seen that they were exactly the shape of the "space rift" he had seen outside.

Only now, with these characters inscribed on the stone tablet, can we recognize their calligraphic style.

Iwasaki quickly entered the black mist state and cautiously crawled into the cave entrance.

The inside was pitch black, with only one exit in front emitting a white light.

Emerging from the exit, the surroundings suddenly became familiar. This was Kisaragi Station, but it appeared exceptionally dilapidated, as if it had been swept by a tornado, with even the railway tracks being lifted and the lights flickering.

Large swathes of scattered rubble covered the surrounding area. After carefully observing the remaining outlines, he confirmed that these rubble were the large cylindrical area that had vanished from Hibiya Station, which had been directly sucked into space.

On the dilapidated platform, a few ghost soldiers can still be seen wandering aimlessly.

"What pure evil."

Looking at the eerie black aura above the demon's head, Iwasaki revealed a triumphant smile amidst the black mist.

A few hours later.

Iwasaki swept through the area, collecting all the remaining demon soldiers and cultists he encountered along the way and bringing them to Hibiya Station in the game. He then drew a pattern for a sacrificial ritual, offering these creatures as sacrifices in exchange for knowledge.

As he watched, streaks of blood flowed into Iwasaki's body like streams of light, and the obscure knowledge gradually became clear.

[Overdraft: Consumes lifespan, temporarily boosts strength]

He acquired a power that seemed to come at a high cost.

However, as a player, he can exchange for the Lesser Longevity Pill, which can convert lifespan into temporary power. For him, this means having an extra means of bursting out and saving his life.

To put it bluntly, each of these small longevity pills could be used as a superpower.

"It seems that even after the game ends, there are still corresponding benefits to be found in reality."

"The only problem is that the benefits may not apply to all players, and you need to get ahead of other players."

Iwasaki overturned his conclusion that "once the game has a perfect ending, there's no need to continue paying attention to the plot," and now the rewards were enough for him to be willing to take the risk.

As the knowledge was imparted, the once desolate space suddenly began to shake violently as if an earthquake had struck. The lights flickered, and the walls and pillars cracked and collapsed in various places, quickly forming a continuous mass.

Seeing this, Iwasaki dared not linger any longer. He quickly transformed into black mist and headed back the way he had come, with a clear purpose.

The subway scenes behind them, now devoid of resentment, seemed to be swallowed by a black hole, collapsing in large sections and disappearing into darkness, leaving no trace of their existence.

He moved forward at the fastest speed he could manage, and could already faintly see the white light at the stone tablet at the cave entrance. As he got closer, he suddenly stretched out his hand and lunged forward in human form.

In reality, Iwasaki jumped out of the gap in the white light, looking somewhat disheveled. Before he even landed, he transformed back into a cloud of black mist and disappeared into the darkness.

Looking back, the gap in the white light had vanished without a trace.

The rapid drive had left him somewhat exhausted, so after calming down a bit, he quickly left the scene to find a safe place to rest and prepare for his return to the sanatorium.

"How cautious."

Dongshan Shen, who was in the cave early in the morning, observed everything that was happening.

He came here today only to officially activate this space, to see what new features it has, and what methods he can use to attract players and make them understand that if they can defeat the monsters, they can gain something in the real world.

However, before he could even begin guiding the players, he learned in the player lobby that Iwasaki was planning to come over, so he watched from the sidelines as Iwasaki sacrificed those sinful souls to maximize his gains.

It's true that Shinichi Higashiyama could directly absorb these sinful souls with the Soul-Gathering Umbrella, but through Iwasaki's extra sacrifice, not only does he not have to lift a finger, but Iwasaki can also gain new knowledge, which Shinichi Higashiyama can also get for free.

This means that the middleman not only doesn't make a profit, but actually loses money, making it a truly conscientious game.

Standing in front of the stone tablet, Dongshan Shen spread out his hands, on which floated the tattered and incomplete spirit of a little boy.

"Your soul is riddled with holes. I can only send you back to reality, so you can take one last look at the human world."

"Thank you, brother. But if I disappear from the human world, will I be reincarnated? I... I don't want to come back."

The boy asked timidly.

Higashiyama Shinichi didn't know if reincarnation existed in the human world, but he could respect the wishes of this little soul.

"Then get a good night's sleep here. Once you're asleep, you'll be free."

"thanks, thanks."

The boy's soul, which had been holding on, revealed a genuine smile, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Then, Higashiyama Shincho gently blew on this soul, and it instantly dispersed like grains of sand and dust.

Chapter 120: Escape from the Other Shore

After some time, Higashiyama Shin used the token to completely control the escape cave.

However, due to the passage of time and the destruction caused by Zhu Hai in his attempt to escape, this space is actually on the verge of collapse.

Fortunately, the token still provided him with one last option: to shrink the space and store it inside the token as a convenient storage space, which was not small, probably several tens of cubic meters.

Otherwise, this platinum reward would truly be undeserved.

With a wave of his hand, the stone tablet at the cave entrance flipped over with a click, revealing a Japanese-style five-character Chinese poem, the handwriting of which was barely legible.

Demons are numerous and cannot be eradicated; evil originates from the human heart. Decaying bones leave only life, causing only sorrow for future generations.

"It seems that the original cave master still cared about the common people, so was the word 'escape' in 'escape cave' more of a self-deprecating joke?"

There were no items left inside the cave that belonged to the original owner. The only thing that could be confirmed was the Crimson Demon-Slaying Sword, which Zhu Hai personally certified as the cave owner's item, guaranteeing with his life.

As for the Escape Cave Order, it's really impossible to confirm whether it actually existed before or was just something the game created out of thin air for the sake of rewards.

"There were no remains left in the space, so it couldn't have been eaten by the Zhu Hai. So in the end, this cave master must have come out of the mountain, but I don't know if it was voluntary or forced, or what the outcome was."

"But the name 'Escape Cave' is really awful."

So the words "Escape Cave" on the stone tablet transformed like earthworms, becoming the Ksitigarbha Palace.

I hope Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva doesn't mind.

He originally wanted to use the name Dongshan Prefecture, but considering that it might be used by players in the future, it was better not to have any connection with it.

After finishing their business, Shinichi Higashiyama, like Iwasaki, left the space and transformed into black mist.

Even if these people dig through the entire Hibiya Line now, they won't find any useful clues.

After all, the original space of resentment had collapsed, and the remaining space had been taken away by Shin Higashiyama.

It's destined to be a waste of manpower and resources.

It was almost morning when he got home. He was in such good physical condition that he could go without sleep for a few days without any problems, so he simply got up and started to greet the new day.

But to everyone's surprise, Dongshan Du rose to prominence even earlier than him.

"Brother, since a monster appeared yesterday, why isn't school still in session? For safety's sake, why don't we take a few days off?"

Higashiyama, his eyes still blurry from not having slept all night, nervously made a suggestion to Higashiyama Shin.

I'm fantasizing again.

This guy's delusional tendencies have taken hold; he must have spent the whole night imagining scenarios like encountering monsters on the subway, at school, and on his way home.

"Are you just going to run away like this? What about your 'vanilla sauce'? Are you leaving her alone at school to face the monsters?" Shin Higashiyama asked the three soul-searching questions.

Dongshan Du instantly perked up, his face hardening: "That's right! I can't escape alone—wait, brother! How do you know her nickname?" His resolute gaze turned panicked.

"Currently, there is no technology on the market to block the voice of the caller." Shin Higashiyama walked into the bathroom.

In layman's terms, it means you were talking too loudly on the phone.

However, part of Higashiyama's fantasy actually came true.

The part where classes are suspended.

Due to the sudden and unforeseen disaster, Komagome Academy will be closed for two days. All faculty and staff will undergo emergency safety training. Students are requested to study from home and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary.

Could it be that Dongshan has a unique superpower called school closure?

Hibiya Station is located in Chiyoda Ward, so if schools were to be closed, it should be those schools there. The fact that even Bunkyo Ward is being affected can only mean that the impact is so great that the authorities have to take it very seriously.