I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

beep--

In the thick darkness, a short, sharp metallic grinding sound mixed with a grinding noise could be heard.

Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow before realizing the phone ringtone was off.

Although Nanjo Ai has been answering the phone instantly lately.

But he still remembered that the other party's ringtone was an old anime song, something like "Beautiful Cruel World"?

Click.

The hoarse metallic bell suddenly stopped for half a beat, and then turned into a series of intermittent, mournful sobs.

"What are you doing?"

Uesugi Tetsu put down his phone, looked at the number [444-4444], and had a thoughtful expression on his face.

Nanjo Ai-mi seems to have mentioned this number to him before.

Is this a sign of the impending arrival of illegal phone booths?

He only came back briefly and made one phone call.

Moreover, the illegal phone booths that used to exist in Arakawa Ward have already been completely eliminated by Nanjo-nee, haven't they?

How could I possibly run into this?

Uesugi Tetsu immediately hung up the phone and turned off his cell phone, not wanting to cause trouble at such a critical moment.

This strange tale should be left to the other agents in the Special Operations Department to handle...

Woo-woo-woo-!

However, Uesugi Tetsu didn't expect that after he turned off his phone, the ringing of the black phone booth not only didn't stop, but intensified, making the sobbing even louder.

It grew louder and louder, echoing in his ears and throughout the entire mountain forest.

Let's destroy the phone first...

Uesugi Tetsuya remained silent, about to crush the phone that had been with him for so long, when the whimpering sound coming from the phone suddenly disappeared.

The phone is back to normal.

Instead, not far away, there was a retro-style telephone booth covered in black iron sheets and covered with dark red rust spots, which, according to common sense, should never appear in the mountains and forests.

Sizzle, sizzle.

The hoarse crackling of electricity brushed against his ear like the spitting tongue of a venomous snake.

At that moment, Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly laughed.

"I don't want to cause trouble... but it just keeps going on and on, doesn't it?"

"It really proves the saying that kind people are often bullied."

pat.

A lifelike, pale mask landed in his hand.

Uesugi Tetsuya buttoned it up expressionlessly.

Then, he revealed a bloodthirsty and ferocious smile towards the black telephone booth not far away.

The constant hissing of electricity and the mournful wailing suddenly stopped.

Stopped abruptly.

They seemed to be frightened.

However, despite his repeated concessions, Uesugi Tetsuya did not receive the respect he deserved.

Now, how could he let this nonsensical black phone booth, which wasted his precious time, escape?

"Hello……"

Bai Banruo, who had stirred up a surge of spiritual energy throughout the entire mountain forest, lifted her leg and took a step forward, a gentle smile spreading across her face as she softly spoke.

"I need to answer the phone."

Chapter 196 A Crucial Choice: The Path to Qi Sea, Shizuoka Prefecture's Call for Help, and Minamoto Shizumi's Apology (8k

The dark, deep forest suddenly fell silent.

It seemed as if those eerie sounds were just hallucinations.

The spiritual energy flowed quietly, forming a funnel-shaped vortex, and flowed directly into Prajna's body along with the Spirit Control Technique, which also operated instinctively.

Spiritual energy can also be considered a type of energy.

Uesugi Tetsu looked up, a deep smile on his face, at the terrifying and unpredictable tales that had caused the deaths of countless ordinary people during this period.

After all, in most cases, making phone calls is something people do every day.

Before he could even take two steps, Uesugi Tetsu realized that the distance between him and the black telephone booth covered in rusty iron sheets had not decreased.

I will definitely move forward.

So, it was the black phone booth that moved backward?

Prajna's hearty laughter sounded exceptionally clear in the mountains and forests.

Now you want to run away?

"Isn't it a little too late?"

The hideous mask of the white-faced woman, along with the voice, arrived in front of the retro telephone booth in an instant.

Uesugi Tetsu extended his bluish-black five claws and firmly gripped the loose, rusty handle.

crunch...

With a sickening clanging of the hinges, Bai Banruo, a burly woman whose mere movement could burst the narrow telephone booth, stepped inside.

boom!

He slammed the semi-transparent glass door shut.

Uesugi Tetsu turned around again and looked at the bright red, exquisitely designed rotary telephone.

The rotary dial telephone's meticulously polished finish reflects light, revealing an expensive enamel texture, while the surrounding dial keys are crafted from matte brass and engraved with elegant artistic lettering.

The overall feel of the rotary telephone is completely out of place with the old-fashioned telephone booth.

"The physical appearance is quite good."

Uesugi Tetsu exclaimed in admiration, even wanting to move the phone to his front door. Not for any other reason than that it was pleasing to the eye to look at every day.

But no matter how well the phone booth and the phone in front of you behave now, it can't change the fact that it once wanted to kill you.

Uesugi Tetsu reached out and gently grasped the phone's handle.

"The number... I think it's seven fours."

Bai Banruo, who was still absorbing the spiritual energy of the entire mountain forest, murmured to himself. He pressed the "4" key seven times in a row, and only picked up the phone and put it to his ear after confirming that the call was connected.

Beep, beep.

In just two seconds, the call was connected to an unknown entity on the other end.

There were no sobs, no sinister laughs, and no chilling death predictions from intelligence reports.

An eerie silence spread through the phone booth.

It's practically the same as dialing the wrong number and both sides waiting for the other to speak.

Uesugi Tetsu immediately and subtly activated his spirit control technique, following the "qi" of the black phone booth to trace the clues to the location on the other end of the phone.

After a few seconds, once the "qi" had found its direction and started opening the box, Uesugi Tetsuya said gently,

"Hello."

No one answered.

A few scattered hissing sounds lingered in the cramped phone booth.

As the unpacking process progressed smoothly, Uesugi Tetsu's tone softened: "You were the one who called me first, aren't you going to say a few more words now?"

There was complete silence on the other end of the phone, perhaps someone was thinking about how to answer, or perhaps they simply didn't intend to answer at all.

But it doesn't matter.

Because Uesugi Tetsu had no intention of engaging in idle chatter with the ghost stories that had killed so many people; he was just saying things to buy time.

This is so that when the "qi" arrives, the other party's coordinates can be displayed.

Soon, soon.

A chilling smile appeared on Bai Banruo's lips.

When the time comes, after watching, it will just come straight to your doorstep and that's it!

Just as Uesugi Tetsu was thinking this, a sharp screech suddenly came from the other end of the phone, filled with both resentment and terror, making his head ache.

In the final moments, a cold, mechanical voice came through the phone.

"I will find you...I will kill you!!!"

Bang bang bang!

The next instant, along with the bright red telephone in Uesugi Tetsu's hand, the entire black telephone booth exploded as if it had been cut apart and abandoned.

Then everything disappeared completely.

All that remained was Uesugi Tetsuya, covered in ash from the explosion.

[You killed the Black Telephone Booth Clone (Two-Star), gaining 171 Soul Ashes!]

Uesugi Tetsu looked at the kill notification in front of him and curled his lip unhappily: "I was discovered halfway through... It seems that my training in spirit control is still not up to par."

It's worth mentioning that this black phone booth is quite intelligent; it was able to discern from these subtle clues that I was doing something to harm it.

A strange phenomenon that is rapidly growing, possesses considerable intelligence, has an unknown location, and is capable of seeking advantage and avoiding harm...

The harm is indeed considerable.

Uesugi Tetsuya decided in his heart, "If the Special Affairs Department's agents fail to do it, then I will eliminate it next time we meet."

—When he made further progress in his mastery of the Spirit Control Technique: Qi.

After the black phone booth disappeared, everything around returned to the normal nighttime forest appearance.

Although the dark clouds still obscured the moonlight, making this place a forbidden zone for ordinary people who had no fire or light, in Uesugi Tetsu's view, everything was no different from daytime.

He took out his phone again and dialed Nanjo Aimi's number.

This time, there were no surprises.

Before Uesugi Tetsuya could even start listening to the intro of the song, his phone displayed a "connected" message.

"Why are you calling me at this hour? I'm very busy here."

Nanjo Ai's capable and powerful voice came through.

It was obvious that she was on a field mission.

After a rustling sound of fabric rubbing together, Nanjo Manami continued,

"Didn't the Astronomical Bureau issue a warning? Don't go out during this period, and try to make as few phone calls as possible, so you don't run into illegal phone booths..."

Uesugi Tetsu: "As for the black phone booth, I just encountered it."

—In front of the abandoned building used for fishing by the Special Affairs Department, Nanjo Manami peeked out from the still-sturdy van, revealing her tight, long legs wrapped in specially made black stockings.

Glancing at the phone strapped to her chest, Nanjo Manami clicked her tongue in exasperation.

This kid doesn't have any special physical constitution, so how come he always runs into these kinds of troubles?

She glanced at the super-abandoned building, which had been doubly reinforced by the Special Affairs Department and herself after the first wave, and had been transformed into a den of iniquity. She felt her phone vibrate slightly.

Uesugi Tetsu's voice came from within: "However, I have temporarily repelled it."

"That's okay."

Nanjo Aimi stood still, took out a cigarette from her pocket, bit it, and then lit it with a lighter.

After the car came to a stop, the woman in charge of driving floated behind her, skillfully took the black coat off her owner's shoulder, and put it on her own head.