Isn't it very scientific to use the Death Note to kill people?

"It is not just the force that makes objects fall; it is the bond that holds the universe together and the acceleration toward 'truth'."

"Just as water always flows from high to low, and just as planets move along fixed orbits... human will and actions are also governed by an invisible 'gravity'! Those who yearn for immortality will inevitably be attracted by the mysteries of life; those who pursue power will ultimately be drawn by greater forces..."

His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to possess some kind of magic, piercing through the night wind and clearly reaching James's ears.

"And tonight, here, all the causes have been sown, all the paths have been drawn!"

“A huge ‘mass’—like our meeting, or the bloody drama at the foot of the mountain—will inevitably generate a corresponding ‘gravity’, attracting…the inevitable ‘result’.”

James was enraged by his inexplicable words and was about to pull the trigger—

Whoosh—!

A deep, oppressive, yet destructive roar descended from the night sky above them without warning! The sound approached with incredible speed, instantly filling the entire world, making their eardrums ache and their hearts feel as if they were about to stop beating!

James looked up in horror—

A massive black silhouette of a passenger plane, like a ghostly bird bursting out of hell, was visible. One of its wings was broken off for some unknown reason and was burning with charred smoke. It flew past them at an extremely dangerous and low altitude with a piercing metallic screech as it scraped against the air, almost touching the top of the hill they were on.

The sheer size of the aircraft nearly flipped James over. He could even see the bloodstains splattered on the portholes, but he forgot to think and could only stare in disbelief as the plane crashed headlong into the abandoned chemical plant area, which was still flickering with fire, several kilometers away!

boom--------!!!!

A massive, dazzling orange-red fireball, larger and brighter than any previous explosion, shot into the sky, instantly turning half the sky into daylight!

Then came the belated, deafening explosion that seemed to shake the very earth! The shockwave didn't reach the hill for several seconds, making James' clothes flutter wildly, and causing the wine bottles and surveillance equipment on the table to roll to the ground.

"First shot." Lin Jiashu's calm voice rang out amidst the roaring aftershocks, like the whisper of a demon.

James was still reeling from the shock and disbelief of the scene before him, which resembled a disaster movie, and his mind went blank.

However, before he could process this devastating scene—

A second, equally terrifying, even more imposing roar of engines came from overhead once more!

James, as if frozen in place, stiffly and slowly raised his head again.

The second plane!

At the same low altitude and out of control, the nose of the plane, billowing black smoke, roared desperately, like a spear of death hurled by an invisible hand, following the trajectory of the former, and once again... barely skimmed over the mountain peak, and crashed headlong into the factory ruins that had just experienced a catastrophe!

Rumble rumble rumble ——————!!

A second, more violent and intense explosion occurred!

The flames completely engulfed the entire factory area, as if a small nuclear bomb had been detonated there. The intense light blinded James instantly, and the huge sound wave temporarily deafened him. He could only feel the violent tremors from the ground beneath his feet and the scorching heat wave that rushed towards him, mixed with the smell of burning.

James Black stood frozen in place, his mouth agape but unable to utter a sound, the gun in his hand hanging limply at his sides.

The color drained from his face, leaving only extreme terror and bewilderment.

what is this?

The powerful impact left his mind blank, and he almost lost all ability to think. He could only stiffly raise his head and look at the man beside him who still had his arms outstretched, as if admiring the magnificent scenery.

Lin Jiashu slowly lowered his arm, turned his head, and met James's completely frozen gaze. A smile of utter satisfaction, yet icy coldness, appeared on his face.

“Look, Mr. James.”

He spoke softly, his voice still clearly audible in the aftershocks of the explosion, “This is what I mean by gravity.”

"..."

The lips moved.

James found himself unable to make any sound.

The man opposite, bathed in the moonlight, possessed a clean and pure figure—his face revealed a chilling smile.

“Oh, by the way, let me introduce myself… My codename is ‘Coindus,’ the one who killed Shuichi Akai.” He lowered his eyelids with amusement, his voice suddenly becoming very soft, a whisper carried on the cold evening breeze. “So, guess what? Is there a third one?”

Chapter 117: Deception

Cointreau!

The murderer who killed Shuichi Akai?!

These two pieces of information struck James Black like thunderbolts, exploding in his already chaotic mind.

He felt all the warmth drain from his body at that moment, his limbs were ice-cold, and even his breathing stopped.

"It's you!?"

He finally managed to squeeze out those two words through gritted teeth.

The voice was so high-pitched it was distorted, filled with unbelievable horror.

Looking at the man in front of him who exuded a sinister aura without restraint, he was finally able to separate his image from the "famous detective" from the other man's eerie smile and connect him with "Kundo," the member of the organization who orchestrated Shuichi Akai's accidental death!

The other party concealed their true intentions more deeply and thoroughly than I had.

After killing Akai by accident, he even dared to deceive Jodie and gain the trust of the entire FBI! What's even more chilling for James is that the other party seems to know about his cooperation with Rum, and may even know their entire plan... He's revealing his identity here now, so he must have some other tricks up his sleeve!

The mantis stalking the cicada fears most the oriole behind it.

Panic and fear overwhelmed James as the plan fell into serious disarray. His face was contorted by the immense emotional shock, and his rationality snapped.

"Go to hell!!"

He let out a hysterical roar, channeling all his fear and anger into his finger as he pulled the trigger.

boom!

Gunshots rang out abruptly on the hill, breaking the brief silence.

The bullet merely grazed Lin Jiashu's cheek, ruffling a few strands of hair, without even leaving a ripple on his calm smile.

(Did you miss because you were too nervous?)

(Whatever! Next shot! The next shot will definitely hit him in the head!)

The brief sense of relief that came from having the gun in his hand and successfully firing it was like James grasping at a straw.

He refused to think about the other party's nonsense about gravity and accidents. Despite the precedent of Shuichi Akai's accidental death, he stubbornly insisted that the two planes must have been hijacked and controlled by the other party and then deliberately crashed into each other!

If we kill him here, everything will be back on track.

He aimed at Lin Jiashu's forehead again, and with all his might, pulled the trigger hard.

however,

Click—

A soft yet incredibly clear sound rang out as the firing pin struck empty air.

The bullet jammed.

"H-How could this be—?"

James's expression became incredibly confused.

Because he's maintained this gun very well! How could he possibly...?

He pulled the trigger again and again in vain, only to hear that despairing "click" sound.

Lin Jiashu's smile deepened as she watched his futile efforts.

"It's no use, Mr. James."

He said softly, as if stating a predetermined natural law, "Your script has reached its last page. Mine... has only just turned to its climax."

There's no need to even glance at your watch.

"Time is up."

At his soft whisper, James Black, who was about to change magazines or throw his gun at the enemy, froze abruptly. His expression hardened, his pupils dilated, and he clutched his chest, where an indescribable, tearing pain shot through him.

"Uh... gulp..."

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out.

Finally, he made an incomprehensible gurgling sound in his throat, his body swayed, and he fell straight backward with a "thud" onto the cold ground, raising a little dust.

Those once ambitious eyes now stared blankly at the starry night sky, devoid of any luster.

The mountain breeze still blows.

The fire at the chemical plant in the distance was still burning, with occasional faint crackling sounds.

Lin Jiashu stood there, quietly looking at James's corpse. The wicked and pleased smile on his face slowly faded, eventually turning into a bottomless calm.

He bent down and picked up the bottle of whiskey, which was still more than half full.

The clear liquor reflected the distant raging fire in the glass bottle. He turned the bottle upside down, letting the expensive liquor spill over the grass. Then he calmly walked down the hillside, his white shirt gradually blurring in the night, like a ghost that had never appeared.

All that remained on the mountaintop was a gradually cooling corpse, two still-functioning pieces of equipment, and a silent sea of ​​fire in the distance that had witnessed all destruction and rebirth.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After struggling to emerge from the cramped space, the dry, scorching air rushed into my lungs, carrying a complex and nauseating odor—not just gunpowder and burning plastic, but also molten metal, charred earth, and an indescribable, strange smell that seemed to ionize even the air itself.

Upon witnessing the scene before him, Gin's usually cold and expressionless face froze for a moment, and his dark green pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size, as if burned by the sight before him.

Vodka, who followed closely behind, practically stumbled out of the hole, his massive body tumbling out as he gasped for breath and raised his head—

"Big...Big brother...this...this is...?!"

Vodka's voice stopped abruptly. He opened his mouth wide, the blood and dust on his face unable to conceal the shock and horror that welled up inside him.

Next was Agave. He roughly pushed aside the weeds blocking his way and growled impatiently, "What the hell is going on? What's going on outside..." He didn't finish his sentence either. When he saw the scene in front of him, his fierce eyes widened like copper bells, and all his impatience and irritability were silenced at that moment.

Chianti helped the nearly unconscious Cohen, while Rena Mizunashi, dragging her injured leg, also struggled to crawl out.

The moment they looked up, everyone froze in place as if they had been frozen in place.

They were now on a slightly raised hillside, with only weeds under their feet. Directly in front of them, the area that should have been the huge, rusty but structurally intact abandoned chemical plant had been completely transformed.

Its center point has transformed into a huge and hideous scar, as if it had been smashed into the ground by a god with a giant hammer.

The towering chimneys, the massive reaction tanks, the sprawling factory buildings... everything has been distorted or disappeared.

As far as the eye could see, there was only a ruin still burning fiercely and billowing thick smoke.

Twisted metal skeletons, melted into bizarre shapes by high temperatures, resembled the remains of a giant beast, piercing the scorched earth in a crooked manner. Huge explosion craters appeared one after another, as uneven as the surface of the moon. In some of the craters, dark red, still-molten material could be seen slowly flowing deep inside.

Flames leaped and spread across different areas, turning the night sky an ominous dark red. Black ash drifted in the air, like a deathly snowfall.

This was not something that could be caused by the gunfights and ordinary explosions they had experienced before; it was the destructive power of an air raid!

"What on earth happened? Was it...was it a missile?"

"Not like..."

Tequila stared intently at that hellish scene, his rugged face twitching with muscles.

“If… what if we were still in that first section of the pipe…” Vodka’s voice was a little hoarse.

Gin didn't answer.

His gaze swept rapidly across the sea of ​​fire. He saw the abnormally molten metal, the traces of the blast shockwave radiating outwards and destroying everything, and more importantly—he saw in the distance, at the edge of the sea of ​​fire, a huge and twisted aluminum alloy wreckage that did not belong to the factory structure.

An airplane?

And it wasn't just one!

The large wing fragments belonging to civil airliners or large cargo planes were now scattered like toys on the scorched earth. One of them was even stuck diagonally in the ground more than 100 meters away, with some blurry airline markings still remaining on it.

Combined with the two earth-shaking tremors and extraordinary shocks felt underground before...

(Plane...crashed? Two planes? And they just happened to hit this spot?)

"Let's go! Get out of here right now."

Two civilian airliners have crashed here, and the consequences will cause huge turmoil not only locally, but also internationally!

Realizing that the area would likely be immediately surrounded by police, reporters, and politicians, Gin decisively gave the order.

The others also realized the urgency of the situation, but just as they decided to set off, a beam of light suddenly flashed in their direction from afar.

Then, very quickly, an inconspicuous van appeared as silently as a ghost and glided right in front of them.

The car door opened with a whoosh, and in the driver's seat was a man with no distinguishing features. He didn't say anything, but simply gestured for them to get in the car.

Without hesitation, Gin was the first to dive in.