The only player in the world of Bleach

Chojiro suddenly turned around and led the two quickly through the corridor until they entered the conference room.

Besides the two individuals, there are now several other figures present.

These people had already started talking the moment their eyes met.

Hirako Shinji stepped forward and asked without hesitation.

What's the situation now?

The one who answered him was Aikawa Rao, a guy with an afro and sunglasses. Although you couldn't see his expression, you could still vaguely make out his 'serious' profile.

"It started with Gu Nanbai."

Jiunabai...

Hirako Shinji quickly realized what was happening.

"Is she Kensei's vice-captain? What happened to her?"

"We lost contact in Rukongai while on a mission."

Kisuke Urahara sensed the subtlety in those words—disappearance and loss of contact are not the same thing.

According to the consensus among the Gotei 13, disappearance is the most serious situation, since it essentially means that the other party is 'dead' in terms of judgment.

Considering the special circumstances in Rukongai, it's understandable that some accidents occasionally happen.

But correspondingly.

For the Gotei 13, the phrase "lost contact" actually represents a rather delicate and special situation.

This indicates that the other party may be in a situation where they are 'seriously injured and unable to recover, or the situation is urgent and requires careful consideration'...

The other party may still be waiting for rescue from here.

Just considering this aspect, Hirako Shinji's expression became much more serious.

Each member on an outing is equipped with a dedicated means of communication, which is intended to ensure the completion of the mission and to confirm each other's status.

however……

Is it really possible to inflict such severe injuries on Kensei Muguruma that he is unable to contact anyone in such a short time?

"You've heard of the West 13th District of Rukongai, right?"

"I don't really remember."

A very frank statement.

But that makes sense... After all, once they become team leaders, they generally don't go on missions very often.

Especially the areas outside of Seireitei.

If it weren't for work, most captains would only have a superficial understanding of Rukongai.

Therefore, Hirako Shinji's judgment at this moment is not surprising...

Also.

"It's just the vice-captain who's missing, it shouldn't be that serious... wait a minute."

Halfway through his sentence, Hirako Shinji roughly realized what was going on.

What did Chojiro Sasakibe say before?

The one who's missing is Kensei Mukkale!!!

"Four hours after Kunan lost contact, Kensei Muguruma left the squad's base. After about an hour of activity outside, he completely lost all contact."

Fengqiao Lou Shilang gently stroked the long hair that fell down his temples as he spoke softly.

"After the vice-captain, we lost contact with captains within just one hour... This whole thing seems very strange, doesn't it?"

indeed so.

Captain-level members are among the most elite combatants in Soul Society. Even if they went missing, before that... didn't they have any chance to fight back?!

The Seireitei is not very large, so once a captain-level spiritual pressure emerges, everyone can quickly notice the change.

however.

The area of ​​Rukongai is several times larger than that of Seireitei.

Don't let subtle differences in the way you address it cause any unnecessary misunderstandings about this thing.

Rukongai is an important part of Soul Society, and its area is vast and expansive. In addition to living areas, each district also contains mountains, rivers, and various desert-like natural environments.

Going missing over there... is not exactly a 'glorious' thing.

Hirako silently patted his forehead, pondered for a moment, and then said softly.

When was the last time Kensei contacted you?

"Twenty minutes ago."

The incident was brief.

However, when you connect the precedent of Jiu Nanbai with this moment, the whole incident is shrouded in a hazy, ambiguous atmosphere.

It was as if something unseen was slowly coalescing and taking shape...

Having figured out the whole story, the two, who were now 'late' to the party, more or less understood the seriousness of their current situation.

Where was the last known location of contact?

"It's documented... and it's in this area."

"So what are your plans now?"

"Continue to send people over... Of course, the number of people needs to be re-planned."

It was Kisuke Urahara who spoke, his gaze lowered, revealing a thoughtful expression.

"It would be better if at least two... no, three captains went together."

The reason is also very simple.

"Given Captain Kensei's skill level, he could render him helpless without making a sound... I think it would be much safer for the three captains to act together."

Kyoraku Shunsui, who stood to the side with his arms crossed and a thoughtful expression, murmured in agreement.

"Relying on 'human wave tactics'? I never thought we'd have that idea... It's really rare."

of course.

With a sense of reflection, Kyoraku Shunsui also made a statement.

"If you're going out... count me in?"

"No, Chunshui, it's better if you stay here and wait."

Hirako Shinji pondered for a moment before speaking.

"The enemy hasn't shown themselves yet, and we don't know their intentions... Although this might sound a bit demoralizing, the current situation is that we are in the open, while they are in the dark."

The conditions are unequal and the information is unclear.

Then we can only try our best to 'play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses' and use our own advantages to try to fill the gap in this area.

"Old Man Yama and some others still need to stay in Seireitei, after all, this is the most important area... We can't guarantee that the other side might be using a 'trick' to lure us away from our base, can we?"

Since we are making a plan, we must consider a variety of situations in order to achieve the goal of 'being comprehensive'.

"Let me make this clear first, I'm definitely going... Is there anyone else who wants to join?"

Aikawa Raibu and Hōhashi Rōjūrō responded in unison.

Hirako Shinji quickly counted the manpower and concluded that there were no major problems.

"Hold on……"

Kyoraku Shunsui pondered for a moment before speaking.

"In that case, Lisa-chan, I'll go with you. Although our combat strength might not be the best, having more people in an emergency will ensure that information is transmitted safely."

This consideration is reasonable and well-founded, and there is no room for rebuttal.

Hirako Shinji nodded.

The rest of the group echoed the sentiment.

“Hyori should come with us too; she’s always been very concerned about these things.”

“The Great Ghost Taoist happens to be nearby… I’ll go and ask for his specific opinion.”

136: Has this guy always been this arrogant?

Many hands make light work; this saying applies even to captains.

Given the current special circumstances, taking the hypothetical enemy as an example and making various arrangements... this is indeed the most conservative and cautious countermeasure.

"Then I'll go outside and inform the vice-captains."

Fengqiao Loujuro left without hesitation, while Hirako Shinji stood still and exchanged final opinions with his colleagues, making sure to fill in any gaps in their work.

Soon, the plan was becoming 'complete'.

But before taking action, Kisuke Urahara couldn't help but ask a question.

"Why does it seem like quite a few people are missing this time?"

Aikawa Rao responded, rubbing his chin as he pondered.

“It’s understandable that the Captain-Commander doesn’t usually show his face… It seems that the head of the Shihōin clan is also handling other matters? Captain Unohana Retsu is said to be on his way… The old man of the Sixth Division hasn’t been in good health lately, and as for Captain Ukitake’s situation… you should be able to understand that as well.”

It seems everyone has their own reasons for not attending meetings.

This made Hirako Shinji's head spin...

"So who's still missing?"

The group looked at each other, then spoke in unison.

"The Eleventh Division Captain, Matsushita Yusuke?"

bump!!!

As the sound of the door being kicked open rang out, Matsushita Yusuke, dressed in his captain's haori, made his 'shining entrance'.

"Sorry, I had to take care of some things! It took a while... I'm not late, am I?"

Although it may seem like a coincidence, this situation actually happens quite often—after all, each squad's garrison area is different, and the efficiency from receiving information to taking action naturally varies.

Moreover, everyone showed a relieved expression when they saw Retsu Unohana following closely behind.

There doesn't seem to be any problem with the two of them traveling together.

Hirako Shinji smiled and stepped forward, patting him on the shoulder, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"How could that be? You... you've arrived just in time!"

As it turns out, conscription is the best solution when manpower is lacking.

"Should I go too?"

"It's precisely because it's you that you're the most qualified to go!"

The Eleventh Division is the strongest fighter, so they should participate more in this situation.

Shinji Hirako arbitrarily decided on Yusuke Matsushita's destination, which was tantamount to directly signing him up for the 'field team' of this operation.

"We're short-handed right now, how could we let you slack off? Come on over here!"

We're conscripting men, aren't we? We're desperate for manpower...

As for the fierce flower of Mao.

The person in question did not seem to have any intention of participating, so in the end they chose to stay inside Seireitei.

Yusuke Matsushita was somewhat 'keen' in noticing these subtle shifts in intention.

—Small teams also exist within the Gotei 13.

For example, the group of elderly people, led by Yamamoto, also included two students, Kyoraku and Ukitake.

Secondly, there are the aristocratic factions... The Kuchiki family and the Shihōin family are natural allies, so there's no need to elaborate. At the same time, individuals like Kisuke Urahara, who are 'sponsored', will naturally be drawn into this faction.

Then there's the core faction led by Shinji Hirako and others.