Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 162 Intelligence Collection
A huge crowd had gathered on the road leading from Black Crow Town to the town hall.

The red sky made the road surface look like a river of blood, and the residents were all talking about it.

"What's going on with this weather?"

"I remember it being very similar to what it was more than 30 years ago..."

"Won't something like that happen again?"

Yuko followed closely behind her mother. Because of the cold weather, her hands unconsciously went into her coat pockets, and her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the resident ticket.

"Hurry up," Yukiko urged without turning her head, her pace much faster than usual.

At this moment, she noticed that the town government staff were posting notices on the surrounding walls. She went over to take a look and saw that they were the 10 guidelines that had been announced earlier.

Turning the corner of the shopping street, the town government office building suddenly appears before your eyes.

In front of this supposedly simple gray building stood seventy or eighty fully armed personnel dressed in Self-Defense Force uniforms!

Yuko's eyes widened in surprise.

Self-Defense Forces? How could the Self-Defense Forces possibly come to such a remote and impoverished place?
Although the Self-Defense Forces are not technically considered a military force under Japan's pacifist constitution, and are theoretically similar to China's People's Armed Police Force, many people believe that the Self-Defense Forces are essentially military personnel.

“That’s… an M16?” Yuko noticed the rifles they were carrying as she approached them.

She saw a model of this American-made rifle during a school trip to a military museum last year. Although Yuko is a girl, she is very interested in military matters, so it left a particularly deep impression on her.

Yukiko pinched her daughter's wrist sharply as a warning and whispered, "Don't look around or talk nonsense. Follow me and keep quiet."

As she approached, Yuko noticed the details of the Self-Defense Force soldiers' equipment—tactical vests, night vision goggles, and even fragmentation grenades that were clearly US military standard, all of which were completely different from those worn by Japanese police.

The long lines of residents all had to go through the questioning and registration process of these Self-Defense Force members.

By this time, the procession had stretched as far as the eye could see, and even if only one person from each family came out, the procession still numbered over two thousand.

"Name, address".

Because they came out early, it was soon the turn of the Oda family mother and daughter.

The Self-Defense Force personnel at the front asked mechanically; his Japanese was clearly not from the Tohoku region, but rather from the Kanto region.

Yukiko calmly handed over the resident's certificate: "Oda Yukiko, 2-15, West 3rd Ward. This is my daughter, Oda Yuko."

The soldier took the paper with his tactical gloved hand, and the scanner's red light lingered on the document for three seconds.

“Collection point in Zone B.” He handed back the resident certificate and gave me two stickers with barcodes, “to stick on the inside of your left wrist.”

Yuko noticed that her mother's fingers trembled almost imperceptibly when she took the sticker.

As she passed through the security gate, a high-frequency sound wave caused her eardrums to sting instantly.

Upon entering the disaster prevention and control office building, one finds it temporarily transformed into a maze-like passageway, with signs directing people to different areas.

The electronic screen on the wall scrolled through the notices, which were the same rules that were broadcast on the radio.

"This way." Yukiko led Yuko toward the right-hand passage sign.

There were already more than 20 people in line at the collection point in Zone B, most of them middle-aged and elderly.

Yuko noticed two particularly striking figures in the group—a tall man wearing an inappropriate black trench coat, and a woman beside him wearing a bell tied with a red string.

They were not holding resident certificates, but Chinese passports.

"Chinese?" Yuko was a little surprised. There shouldn't be any foreign tourists in this small place.

Just then, the man in the trench coat suddenly turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the crowd like a hawk's.

Yuko subconsciously looked down, but caught a glimpse of a metallic sheen flashing inside his trench coat.

The collection process was exceptionally efficient. After the staff scanned the barcode, Ji Zi received two sealed aluminum boxes and two neatly folded silver blankets.

“There are instructions for taking the medication in the box,” the staff member said in a very mechanical voice. “The blanket must be carried with you at all times and used to cover your chest when sleeping. No questions are allowed regarding the guidelines, and the government will not be responsible for answering them.”

Yuko opened the aluminum box, inside which were two neatly arranged medicine bottles. Upon opening them, she saw a pile of blue pills inside.

She leaned closer and smelled a sweet, fishy odor.

The silver blanket doesn't feel like any known material; it's neither metal nor fabric, and it makes a faint static crackling sound when it touches the skin.

“Mom, you must know something, right?” Yuko refused to believe that her mother knew nothing.

"We'll talk about it when we get back." Yukiko quickly stuffed the supplies into the handbag she had brought, her movements very practiced.

A slight commotion arose at the front of the line, seemingly a strong expression of dissatisfaction among residents who were unhappy with the government's refusal to answer their questions.

At this point, members of the Self-Defense Forces, fully armed with American weapons, stationed nearby will step forward.

"Let's go." Yukiko took her daughter's wrist.

As Yuko passed by the foreign couple, she accidentally made eye contact with the woman wearing a bell.

The man in the trench coat turned to the side and began speaking Chinese with his female companion.

Although Yuko loved Chinese culture, she couldn't understand much Chinese. However, she noticed something flashing under the man's trench coat—a string of ancient bronze coins strung together with a red cord.

As I walked out of the office building, armed personnel were changing shifts.

Yuko saw a large truck unloading a large amount of supplies.

After the boxes were opened, all the soldiers began to change into their uniforms.

First, their goggles were replaced with completely opaque black lenses, as if they were protecting themselves from something they couldn't look directly at.

Then, they began to wear a metal neck brace that completely covered their necks.

Next, they were given extremely sharp knives, which she remembered seeing in a military museum—K-Bar 1250 knives used by the U.S. Marine Corps. These knives are made of 1095 high-carbon steel and have excellent strength and toughness.

Production of this type of knife should have ceased in 1997. Did the US military stationed in Japan provide the remaining stock to the Self-Defense Forces?

"Don't look at them." Yukiko pulled her daughter away quickly, "Let's go straight home."

Meanwhile, inside the office building.

"I just want to ask, will this situation be the same as back then! These rules weren't issued back then!" one of the elderly Japanese men shouted. "You've taken taxpayers' money, and you think you can just say we can't ask questions?"

"This is the town government's decision. If you have any objections, you can file a complaint. Now that you have received your supplies, please leave."

The people behind him shouted, "Grandpa, don't cause trouble for others, we still need to collect our supplies!"

"That's right! Don't disrupt the order!"

The high degree of obedience and order in Japanese society is a unique aspect of the country's character. The idea of ​​"not causing trouble for others" is ingrained in everyone's bones; individuals would never dare to contradict the group. In the end, the old man could only leave dejectedly.

When it was Yu Tianlun and Xu Yinqiu's turn, they took out all four of their passports and successfully obtained their items.

The office worker, fluent in English, asked one more question: "If you're here for tourism, I suggest you leave Black Crow Town today. If you stay any longer, you might not be able to leave."

"We can't leave?" Yu Tianlun asked. "Why?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Alright, let's go."

Clearly, they didn't intend to say anything more.

Yu Tianlun and Xu Yinqiu could tell that the people here were very tight-lipped and definitely not the type to gossip.

Along the way, I heard people mention many times that the Red Night phenomenon had occurred back then. And it seemed that some unusual events had happened at that time as well.

“Balloons have appeared before…” Yu Tianlun also noticed the Japanese Self-Defense Forces after their uniform change. “I’m afraid the US military is also involved. Judging from what they’ve said, their military might seal off this place.”

"Does the US also have troops stationed in Aomori Prefecture, Japan?" Xu Yinqiu wasn't very familiar with this. "Yes," Yu Tianlun replied, "The US has a military base in Misawa City, Aomori Prefecture, with US military airfields and fighter jets there. I suspect there are also US troops stationed around the outskirts of Black Crow Town. Judging from the rules, they are fully aware of the balloons. So what I find most difficult to understand is why they didn't evacuate the civilians in time, or arrange for them to enter underground air-raid shelters?"

After the US air raids on Japan, a considerable number of air-raid shelters remained in Aomori Prefecture. Although most of them have limited functionality, some should still be usable in emergencies.

The "human head balloon" in the original comic is a meme phenomenon so terrifying it inspires despair.

However, if the entire nation mobilizes to rescue its citizens, it is still possible to save the lives of most of its citizens in the short term. But judging from the original manga's plot, Japan's rescue efforts were shockingly inefficient; citizens were left to die in their homes, and not a single Self-Defense Force member was seen throughout the entire operation.

“However, the original plot can only be used as a reference, and the actual situation may be very different. For example, the original work does not mention anything about people not wearing armbands or amber liquid seeping from mirrors.” Yu Tianlun analyzed, “Moreover, the first few rules also have many contradictions with the original plot.”

"So……"

"Do you remember that news report from back then? A certain country's so-called benevolent army sent civilians contaminated with memes to the battlefield, which was condemned by the United Nations. The journalist couple who reported on this also passed away later."

"Yeah, remember."

"Human malice is more terrifying than memes. This kind of meme curse, which is relatively easy to contain, might... be exploited."

"Wait a minute..." Xu Yinqiu said worriedly, "Are we going to get into a fight with the Self-Defense Forces?"

"I hope...it won't happen."

Yu Tianlun believes that, judging from the current situation, their use of vague rules to conceal the truth about the balloons clearly shows they don't care about the lives of ordinary people. However, given the size of the Self-Defense Forces, it's impossible for them to suppress a riot involving an entire town. It's likely that the actual development will differ significantly from the original story.

Meanwhile, on Jiang Jin's, Liu Yan's, and Fu Jiang's side...

The three of them went into a ramen restaurant to have lunch first.

Restaurants are ideal places to gather intelligence.

"いらっしゃいませ(Welcome)!"

The ramen shop owner's welcoming voice trailed off the moment the three entered and saw Tomie.

The middle-aged man with an oily face stared wide-eyed, almost dropping the order board in his hand.

Seven or eight diners in the shop looked up at the same time, their chopsticks hanging in mid-air, some even forgetting to close their mouths.

Although Liu Yan was no less beautiful than Tomie, almost everyone ignored her when Tomie was around, a super succubus.

Tomie covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "Boss... are there any seats left?"

Her voice was as sweet as honey. The boss looked at her stunning face and almost forgot who he was. It took him a while to remember to invite the guests to sit down.

Jiang Jin and Liu Yan were not surprised at all. Yu Tianlun arranged for Fu Jiang to stay by their side because with her around, gathering intelligence would be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

"This way, please, gentlemen!" The owner vigorously wiped the seats, which weren't even dirty, with his apron. "Today's special is tonkotsu ramen..."

Jiang Jin and the two women sat in the most prominent spot in the shop. He noticed that most of the customers were men over forty, with only a boy in a middle school uniform sitting at the innermost table. This Black Crow Town had a remarkably high proportion of elderly people.

"Okay, I want tonkotsu ramen..." Tomie rested her chin on her hand, her long black hair slipping down her shoulder.

The boss's Adam's apple bobbed: "Okay, okay, is it the same for the other two?"

Jiang Jin nodded and said, "Yes, the same."

Tomie then asked, "By the way, does the boss know where we can buy local specialties? We're from Tokyo."

"Tokyo?" A middle-aged man in a suit suddenly interjected, "This young lady is from Tokyo? No wonder she looks so elegant."

He wore a badge of the town's association on his cuff, clearly indicating that he was a person of some standing in the area.

Tomie gently swirled her teacup and said, "Our companion just went to the town hall to pick up some blue pills and a blanket."

She deliberately feigned a confused expression: "Does this 'red night' phenomenon often occur here?"
The atmosphere inside the store suddenly changed.

Several older diners exchanged glances, and a bald old man, who looked to be in his seventies, suddenly put down his beer glass.

“Hmm… Miss, it happened once too, back in 1941.” The old man’s voice was hoarse. “I was working at a lumber mill back then.”

Tomie immediately turned to the old man and asked in her sweet voice, "Grandpa, did you experience the Red Night last time? Can you tell us what happened back then?"

She leaned forward slightly, revealing the faint outline of her collarbone, which brightened the old man's cloudy eyes.

Liu Yan truly admired Tomie; even an elderly woman like her couldn't resist her charm. She was genuinely afraid that if things continued like this, Jiang Jin wouldn't be able to withstand it either.

"That day was also in November..." the old man took a swig of beer, "when the Leonid meteor shower was at its peak. Suddenly the whole sky turned red in the middle of the night, just like now."

The boy in the school uniform suddenly interjected: "My grandma said that back then, many people in the town hanged themselves!"

"Kenta!" the boss shouted sternly, then glanced nervously at Tomie, seemingly afraid of frightening the beautiful woman. "Children talk nonsense..."

“It’s true,” the old man said. “I have a neighbor who is one of them. He told me… about things floating in the sky.”

Liu Yan and Jiang Jin exchanged a glance. This was precisely the crucial information they needed.

Tomie walked over and gently ran her finger along the back of the old man's hand, which was covered in age spots: "What's that in the sky?"

The old man shuddered, whether from the memory or from touching something, I don't know: "I heard that people saw a giant human face floating in the sky... like a demon woman in a ukiyo-e print, with a rope hanging from its neck, just like what the town government said in the rule announcement this time. The government said it was war damage caused by the US air raids back then... Bullshit! My neighbor was born after the war!"

An eerie silence fell over the store.

The town council executive irritably loosened his tie: "That's all in the past. The government has issued guidelines, hasn't it? Just follow the rules..."

At this moment, Liu Yan pretended to accidentally knock over the soy sauce bottle and then shouted, "Excuse me! Boss, do you have a dishcloth?"

Taking advantage of the chaos, Liu Yan whispered to Fu Jiang, "Find out the details."

“Grandpa…” Tomie gripped the old man’s arm tightly. “Could you tell me more about your neighbor’s situation? Besides him, has anyone else had a similar experience?”

Twenty minutes later, the three of them walked out of the ramen shop, each holding a crumpled piece of paper.

The address listed above contained the addresses of three places where suicides had occurred years ago.

Liu Yan's notebook was filled with crucial information:
The Red Night of 1941 lasted approximately 24 hours.
The bodies of the suicide victims all had ring-shaped bruises on their necks that were far more severe than those from ordinary hanging ropes.
The town government once dispatched a "special cleaning team" to handle the scene.

Most of the survivors later moved away from Black Crow Town.
Jiang Jin examined the note and asked, "Which one should we go to first?"

Liu Yan looked towards the western hillside: "The nearest one is 600 meters away, No. 4-20, West Second District, which originally belonged to the Sato family."

Tomie suddenly chuckled: "That old lecher just now, when I touched his hand, his heart was beating so fast it looked like he was about to die."

She toyed with the end of her hair: "Humans are so interesting. Even with one foot in the grave, they still have impure thoughts about young girls."

Jiang Jin frowned.

Tomie's abilities are certainly useful, but every time she uses them, it's like playing with fire. The men in the original story who were obsessed with her and ultimately dismembered her serve as the best warning.

Hopefully, that old man won't come looking for me with a knife.

"Don't be too conspicuous. I didn't bring you out to cause us trouble," Liu Yan said coldly, as several centipede-like Gu worms crawled out of her sleeve. "We haven't fully figured out the 'rules' of this instance yet, or what the specific differences are between it and the original comic."

The three walked west along the shopping street.

The town of Black Crow was eerily quiet under the red sky. Occasionally, residents would hurry by, clutching their silver thermal blankets.

As I passed an electronics store, the television in the window was playing the mayor's speech on a loop, with the picture constantly being disturbed by static.

"Please remain calm, residents. The Self-Defense Forces are here to maintain order in the town. Please follow the rules. The government is with you..."

Tomie suddenly pointed into the distance: "Look at that house."

On a hillside not far away, there stands a solitary old-fashioned Japanese-style house.

That's... the Sato family's place.

(End of this chapter)