The story we started

[Although many years have passed, she is still the same as when they first met, still the arrogant child who likes to make trouble.]

[Perhaps she is even more angry because Zaimokuza might have forgotten the agreement between them? ]

[That’s why Tsurumi Rumi behaves so awkwardly, but it also makes her look real and cute. ]

[“I’m sorry, Rumi-chan, but I haven’t forgotten the agreement between us.”]

[“I’m just—Ugh!”]

[Plop——]

[Just as Zaimokuza was mumbling to himself, a clear heartbeat exploded in his ears, and then his brain went blank in an instant.]

[The voice beside his ear quickly faded away at this moment, and even the two people who had made the agreement in front of him were rapidly distorted in his eyes.]

【“What, what’s going on…”】

[An unprecedented feeling of weakness suddenly surged from the deepest part of the body, then flowed to every part of the body, depriving Zaimokuza of all his strength in an instant.]

[“Woo!”]

[His tall body suddenly shook, and he staggered forward a few steps, then he covered his chest with his hands in pain.]

[His legs could no longer support him, and Zaimokuza knelt forward helplessly.]

【boom--】

[He knelt on his knees on the brown floor, and the crisp sound echoed throughout the silent corridor.]

[“Where am I…?”]

【Zaimokuza forcibly resisted the curse that seemed to surge from his bones, and raised his head with sweat all over his forehead, but the scene that appeared in front of him made him stunned again.】

[I don't know when it started, but the dark and silent forest has turned back into the corridor at the beginning. ]

[The empty classroom belonging to the Service Club was right in front of him, and the sliding door was closed again, as if it had never been opened.]

[——What’s going on? Am I back? Or was everything just now just an illusion? ]

[Looking at the sliding door that appeared before his eyes, Zaimokuza had no idea what was going on, and his brain was in a mess. ]

[“Right! Eight——”]

[Zaimokuza was startled when he came to his senses, and immediately looked around, trying to find the familiar figure.]

[But at this moment, the voice coming from the classroom in front of him made his expression stiffen. He slowly turned his head back, staring intently as if he wanted to see through the sliding door to see the scene inside.]

[“…This is the ‘masterpiece’ you spent the entire night coming up with?”]

[A voice full of twisted emotions came from the classroom. Hearing this voice, Zaimokuza's eyes widened again.]

[This voice, there is no mistake——]

[“That’s right! This is the revised draft of the 24th edition of this general’s novel. Isn’t it amazing? Isn’t it the best? Isn’t it genius!?”]

[His own voice followed closely from inside the door. Zaimokuza stared at the sliding door in a daze, and subconsciously wanted to reach out and grab the door handle to open it.]

[“Hachiman…”]

[A wisp of white clothing passed by his eyes, and Zaimokuza subconsciously followed the clothing and turned his eyes. A figure with flowing black hair appeared in his eyes. ]

[“…Hiratsuka-sensei?”]

……

【not long ago. 】

[Tokyo, Metropolitan Police Department, Unidentified Lifeform Investigation Headquarters.]

【10:25p.m】

[The projector hummed, and the images were played on the projection screen in the dim room. In the darkness, pairs of reflective eyes glowed like lit phosphorescent flames, creating an inexplicably creepy atmosphere.]

[But what occupied this room more was undoubtedly the overwhelming solemnity. The air was so heavy that it almost became solid, and it was so oppressive that people could not breathe.]

[On the screen, a pitch-black giant plant waved countless tentacles, and the phosphorus powder it scattered turned into alien shapes, rushing towards the camera. Different weapons extended from various parts of its body, and were pulled out by them along with blood——]

[As time passed, the scene on the screen changed dramatically. The raging fire enveloped the nightmare-like alien plant. The red warrior leaped into the sky and kicked the scarred monster with a blazing kick, but the purple light from the eyes of No. 25, who raised his head, pierced his neck.]

[Finally, the red warrior fell to the ground like a meteor, and then the screen turned black with a click.]

[“…The above are the abilities possessed by the unconfirmed life form No. 25 that appeared this time.”]

【Click.】

[The white interior lights came on, and the conference room suddenly went from dark to day.]

[But this still couldn't dispel the depressing atmosphere. Everyone who watched the video had a livid look on their faces, as if they were hungover.]

[Some people still looked dazed. It was obvious that the contents of the video had given them a huge mental shock, like a dreamer still immersed in a nightmare.]

[Perhaps they would rather be wandering in a nightmare without waking up. For them, the worst nightmare is at most family separation or job loss, and there will be no such monster that is completely out of touch with reality, because they simply do not have such imagination.]

[Kousaka Kyosuke, with a blood-oozing bandage wrapped around his forehead, saw the reactions of everyone below, but he still silently signaled Gokuri Ruri with his eyes to put away the curtain, and the pale-faced policewoman nodded in response.]

[“We are now starting to summarize the intelligence. If you have any questions, please do so as soon as possible. We don’t have much time to discuss.”]

[“…Number Four, how’s it going?”]

[Amid the sound of the curtain rolling up, Officer Sugita, who was sitting at the front of the conference table, asked, with an indelible look of horror on his face.]

[“His injuries should be serious, right? Is he still… alive?”]

[“He was not dead, but was seriously injured. He escaped while I was fighting with No. 25.”]

[Kousaka Kyousuke lied without changing his expression.]

[“I think he should still be alive, but judging by the severity of his injuries, he probably won’t be able to participate in the next crusade against No. 25, so we should rule out the possibility of him providing support.”]

[Implication: He definitely can't come. Don't ask me why. I don't know anything. Asking is just inference and guesswork.]

[No one in this conference room is a fool. At worst, they have been in the workplace for many years and immediately understood Kousaka Kyousuke's subtext.]

[But they all kept silent tacitly. No one asked why the video was interrupted when No. 4 was seriously injured, and no one asked why he was so sure that No. 4 could not participate in the next crusade. No one asked why he ran to the hospital wearing a GO armor before, and was photographed by reporters and various photos were circulated on the Internet. ]

[The current severe situation requires them to work together and not allow any voices that may lead to disunity to appear. No matter how many objections there are, they must all be kept in their stomachs and not ask questions that should not be asked.]

[“Excuse me, Officer Kosaka…”]

[Officer Sakurai raised his hand, his face no longer as cold and stern as before, and he spoke palely.]

[“The unconfirmed life form that appeared this time is completely beyond our capabilities, right? With the firepower we have now, unless we deploy tanks and armed helicopters in the city, it is impossible to drive away No. 25!”]

[“The ability displayed by No. 25 far exceeds that of its predecessors! Even Officer Kosaka, who is wearing the most advanced GO armor, and No. 4 cannot kill No. 25 together. So, no matter how many people there are, it will be useless!?”]

[“Not to mention that No. 4 is already… In this situation, other than reporting to the superiors and requesting heavy firepower to cover the strike, what other methods are there to deal with No. 25?”]

[“You are right. According to the current situation, the best way to deal with No. 25 is to use large-scale weapons to cover the firepower.”]

【Kousaka Kyosuke nodded, agreeing with him. Officer Sakurai suddenly became more energetic and spoke.】

[“Then there is no time to lose! We will immediately apply to our superiors——]

【“——But, this method no longer works.”】

[Kousaka Kyousuke used only a short and calm sentence to make the atmosphere in the meeting room, which had been somewhat relaxed, freeze again. Someone couldn't help but ask directly.]

[“Why? Please explain the reason!”]

【“…Five.”】

【"yes!"】

[Kousaka Kyosuke remained silent for a while in response to the question, then turned around and gave instructions to Gokuri Ruri. The policewoman immediately picked up a large stack of documents on the table on the other side and distributed them to the people participating in the meeting one by one.]

【Everyone couldn't wait to open the information after receiving it and read it carefully.】

[But the more they watched, the darker their faces became. By the end, many people's faces were as dark as ink.]

[“Just as you can see, this is why we cannot launch a fire attack on the 25th, at least... not in Tokyo.”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke reached out and knocked on the table in front of him, drawing everyone's attention and speaking calmly.]

[“The giant plant transformed by No. 25 stores a huge amount of poisonous gas in its body. Once it dies or the plant body disintegrates under the bombardment of firepower, the poisonous gas stored inside will be released all at once, and the range is estimated to be…”]

[He fell silent at this point, and someone under the conference table stretched out his hand timidly and asked in a trembling voice.]

[“…What will happen? What is the range?”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke silently stared at the person who asked the question. His expressionless face and deep eyes like a mask made his scalp tingle.]

[And the next second, what Kousaka Kyosuke said made everyone's scalp explode. ]

[“According to the computer calculations of the research institute, the coverage area of ​​the poison gas... is at least half of Tokyo, and at most it may spread to the entire Tokyo.”]

[After these words were spoken, there was dead silence, and no one could speak anymore.]

【“All of Tokyo…”】

[As Officer Sugita muttered these words, he felt a piercing chill creeping up his spine, his entire body as if it were immersed in ice water.]

[He only briefly imagined the scene, but the incomparable horror and shock made him completely unable to continue thinking about it... and it was because he could not imagine that kind of hellish scene at all.]

[“And the poisonous gas of No. 25 is extremely strong. Since its collapse, the number of victims affected by the poisonous gas has reached... 13,456 people.”]

[“Among them, 482 people died, and 3,243 people were in a coma and were being treated in hospitals.”]

[“This data comes from the intelligence department’s statistics from five hours ago. The number of people is still increasing. The surrounding hospitals are already completely full. Some hospitals have even used the beds in their warehouses for emergency use, but overall the supply still exceeds the demand.”]

[“In terms of the number of victims alone, the damage caused by Case 25 has completely surpassed the total of all previous unconfirmed life events, both in terms of the economy and the safety of citizens’ lives.”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke's voice remained calm, but everyone below had already turned pale. Some were so shocked by the staggering number of victims that the information fell from their hands to the floor.]

[Kousaka Kyosuke did not exaggerate the severity of the situation. In fact, he had already downplayed it.]

【Because now, if you turn on the TV, no matter which TV station is broadcasting the battle that took place in Shinjuku District, Tokyo today, whether it is the first disastrous defeat of GO, which was highly expected by the police and citizens, or the citizens who were hospitalized due to the poison gas, all of them are on the front page of all TV stations and online news. 】

[As for how serious the incident was? The evidence is that even the Tokyo TV, which has always done its own thing, broke the news and reported the incident in full. You know, the other party is known for being tough and unconventional. ]

[However, even a TV station that broadcast how to make miso Abe soup on the day of its own prime minister's funeral got involved. This also reflects from the side how serious the impact of this incident is, which has reached a level that is enough to cause panic among the whole nation. ]

[The Metropolitan Police Department is now surrounded by reporters, and the police station is blocked by vehicles. A group of bigwigs are holding a press conference downstairs, struggling to deal with all kinds of tricky questions. All the spare police forces are deployed to prevent these reporters from rushing into the upper floors.]

[The reason they did this was to buy time for Kousaka Kyosuke and others upstairs to hold a combat meeting, in order to come up with a feasible combat plan as soon as possible.]

[“There is no doubt that even without considering the combat power, the ability possessed by No. 25 has made it the greatest crisis since the establishment of the Unconfirmed Lifeform Countermeasures Headquarters!”]

【boom!!!】

[Kousaka Kyosuke slapped the conference table with his palm, and the loud noise made everyone tremble.]

[“Even though we must expel them, we must not do so in Tokyo. Otherwise, if a poison gas leak occurs, no one will be able to bear the consequences.”]

[“If something like that really happens, depending on the severity of the situation…everyone present, including me, may have to go to a military court.”]

[“Then… what should we do? If we can’t launch the operation in Tokyo, then we can only do it outside the city? But is there any way we can lure No. 25 out of the city?”]

[Officer Sugita frowned and asked tentatively, looking at Kousaka Kyousuke with hope.]

[He hoped that this man who had been leading everyone in the Countermeasures Headquarters could come up with a workable plan, just like he had led them through difficulties every time in the past.]

[Not only him, but everyone present was like this, looking at Kousaka Kyosuke with hope in their eyes. No one wanted No. 25 to release that terrible poison in Tokyo.]

[It’s not that they are afraid of death, but their relatives and friends who are more important than their own lives also live in this city, so no one can bear the worst outcome.]

【And Kousaka Kyosuke did not disappoint them. 】

[Patter. 】

[He placed a white box on the table. Kousaka Kyosuke opened the box, revealing a row of sharp purple bullets inside.]

[“Neurotherm bomb type 2.”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke spoke in a calm tone, and the force in his voice infected everyone present, calming their fluctuating hearts a little.]

[“This is a new version of the nerve-breaking bullet developed by Miss Ebina. These bullets not only have stronger penetration and blasting capabilities than the first version of the bullets, but also focus on strengthening its destructive power against the enhanced nerves of unconfirmed life forms.”]

[“Although it has not been tested in actual combat, according to the computer’s calculations, if all of them hit, even if they cannot be expelled, they should be able to destroy a large number of the enhanced nerves in the body, thereby causing No. 25 to fall into a state similar to paralysis, thereby repairing the damaged enhanced nerves in the body.”]

[“We can use this time to transport it outside Tokyo and drive it out of the wild and sparsely populated areas, and try to minimize the scope of damage caused by the spread of the poison gas.”]

[“This… is an untested weapon. Can it guarantee that it can paralyze No. 25?”]

[Another police officer raised his hand hesitantly and asked, obviously having some doubts about this.]

【"cannot."】

【Kousaka Kyosuke simply killed the discussion with one sentence. He raised his head and looked around at everyone in the conference room with deep eyes.】