Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 194, Section 192: Final Report

Night fell over the Kinki Plain.

Kyoto is unusually noisy tonight.

Armored bulldozers have cleared all vehicles from Kyoto's two main thoroughfares, creating a clear area.

Even if the driver were still alive, it wouldn't stop the brutal behavior of this steel behemoth.

The skeleton that Takatsuki Tetsuo transformed into did not turn into blood and disappear like his flesh and blood, but instead became a veritable mountain of skeletons.

Official staff bustled around it like ants foraging for food.

Large areas of the houses were dark and gloomy, but the roads and the areas surrounding the skeletal remains were brightly lit, as if it were daytime.

Several helicopters circled overhead, using searchlights to provide visibility for those below.

A large number of rescue teams are still carrying out intensive rescue work in the ruins.

"There is a life signal here!"

"The imaging shows that the structure is very unstable. We need to clean the surface first, and then apply protection."

"Uh, I guess we don't need to."

"Ok?"

While they were discussing how to rescue the survivor buried under the concrete ruins, Muramasa Taki appeared lightly with a pickaxe. After estimating the location, she started digging immediately. She was very fast and did not disrupt the balance of the building. She successfully connected a passage.

Not long after, Taki, looking rather disheveled, came out carrying a little girl whose face was streaked with tears and who was sobbing uncontrollably.

"There are two more bodies inside. Thank you for your help."

"You're too kind, Miss Muramasa! We will make sure everything is arranged properly!" The rescuer saluted somewhat flusteredly, while the other bowed nervously.

Taki dusted the girl off her head, handed her over to the two men, and then quickly headed to the next ruin where a survivor had been identified.

The contact's voice on the other end of the earpiece was a little hoarse: "We've found a trail that looks like the Knight. He's back to join the rescue effort. Ms. Muramasa, would you like me to send you his location?"

“Okay.” Taki did not refuse.

Although the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department did not test her bottom line, it did conduct numerous small and indirect tests.

Right now, they're testing her knowledge of the knight's whereabouts and trying to figure out if she has any secret ways of communicating with him that they don't know about.

[Correct: They've spotted you.]

[Zhi: You just realized? I've been back for three hours. It's okay, I have a way to get away.]

[Correct: You don't have to come back. Without official location assistance, it's difficult to determine the survivors' location.]

[Zhi: Sen has been assisting me; he's quite sensitive to signs of life.]

Is it Sen?

Although no one has gone into detail about their abilities, she can guess that abilities are closely related to personality, preferences, and experiences.

The abilities that Mori has demonstrated seem to be related to blood.

Of course, this is just a guess when dealing with the Heart of Pain together, and she cannot be completely sure yet.

But if Mori's abilities are truly related to blood, it's hard to believe he's a sunny, cheerful young man who idolizes knights.

Boom!
In another area, a dilapidated building that was already on the verge of collapse collapsed.

Nobi emerged from the darkness, darted forward, grabbed a rescuer who was too close, and rushed out of the affected area.

"Hehe, thank you, thank you."

That person was extremely fortunate.

Nobi is dressed casually right now, and his cards are mostly on cooldown, so he can't wear armor.

Without saying another word, he continued walking and disappeared around the corner.

"We've already rescued everyone we could in this area. There are too many police officers ahead, and there are also villagers there. Let's not get involved, shall we?" Renault said casually as he landed in front of Nobita.

During the day, after absorbing some of the essence and blood of the Heart of Patience, he felt his blood boiling.

There's a feeling that I'm about to lose control of myself on a physical level.

So, without caring about what good things might happen next, he quickly left the scene, found a secluded place, and tried his best to suppress the restlessness.

It took more than half an hour to finally emerge from that strange state, after which I felt refreshed and my blood energy limit was increased.

This improvement will require a period of time to be digested and fully absorbed.

He had a feeling that if he absorbed just one more, he could unlock the first growth ability, "Corpse Bomb".

Unfortunately, his current identity is not suitable for doing anything too cruel or greedy; otherwise, the essence he absorbed today would have been enough to unlock his first ability.

Doing things secretly isn't impossible, but it carries unnecessary risks. Only by staying hidden in the player mutual aid association can you catch big fish.

Seeking maximum benefit is his instinct.

At least now Nobita has lowered his guard a lot and contacted him for help even without wearing armor.

If we can maintain the trust of Nobita's faction, we'll have more opportunities when new members join in the future.

"Yes, indeed." Nobita nodded. "You really helped a lot today, thank you."

"No need to thank me, I just learned from you, Chairman." Renault shrugged, looking very relaxed.

Nobi noticed his shrug just now, his gaze fleeting: "You should be in the Edo period by now with 'The Heart of Shinobi', right?"

"Pretty much. Compared to 'Demon Blade,' the difficulty of the journey feels a bit too easy. It's probably more about the choices you make and the boss battles," Renault said casually.

After exchanging a few casual words about the game, the two said their goodbyes and left.

[Island: President, I'm sorry I couldn't be of help today.]

Nobi, who was about to find a place to cool off, saw the message from Oshima.

To be honest, Oshima has a very low profile in the players' association. He doesn't talk much, and he only speaks when someone asks him a question.

Timid, cautious, and confused.

Just like him in the past—no, it might be even more serious.

[Satoshi: Someone needs to be in charge in Tokyo, and there's no need to feel guilty. Everyone has their own strengths, and we won't force members to participate in the operation.]

[Zhi: In short, prioritize yourself, understand?]

[Island: Understood, thank you, Chairman.]

Nobita felt like he had started an adventure association, not only having to handle affairs but also taking time to care for the members' feelings.

However, it's not bad.

At least those titles of "chairman" sounded light and airy to him.

Fortunately, not everyone called him that. The two female players called him by his nickname or Knight, which allowed him to stand on the ground again.

After waiting for a while, the cards refreshed, but unfortunately there was no save point. He could only find a few gangsters who were "temporarily closed" to beat up before drawing cards again.

They must feel completely innocent, since they hadn't really taken advantage of the situation today. After resetting the save point, he returned to Nara, wondering whether he should head back to Tokyo.

Based on the events of this game, Japan was generally safe before the conclusion of "Shinobi Heart".

The Demon Mist has become more secretive in its actions lately, and even with the "Guidance" card, accurate answers have been repeatedly unavailable.

"I remember Yue saying that there have been several very serious cases in Osaka."

Since we're already here, let's just take care of it while we're at it.

As for Tokyo, Mori said he'd be going back tomorrow, Muramasa Taki might be a couple of days later, and Shima and Tsuki are keeping an eye on things, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

He stayed in the Kansai region to spread the word and let people know that the knight's sword was already hanging over their heads.

After making the decision, he headed towards Osaka.

A special hospital in Osaka.

Outside the operating room, Leon sat on a waiting chair, dealing with what he was doing, his gaze occasionally drifting to the operating light.

Miley has been inside for over six hours.

Ever since he was dug out of the vines, he has been in a coma, and his vital signs have been declining at a steady but gradual pace.

After learning that the light dust scattered by the giant hand in Kyoto had restored the health of some elderly people, they placed Milai in Kyoto for monitoring for a period of time.

But even after the light dust completely dissipated, Mila's condition did not improve at all, so she had to be transferred to a more specialized hospital.

Tuk Tuk.

The sound of leather shoes approaching drew near. Leon put down his computer, straightened his collar, and stood up to salute Lieutenant General McCullough, who was walking towards him.

"The situation hasn't improved?"

"Yes, the doctors attempted to establish extracorporeal circulation an hour ago, but it is still unknown whether it was successful."

Dr. Millai was a scientist they had painstakingly found who had a strong interest in and understanding of the mysterious, and who also had extensive knowledge in physics, biology, and chemistry, with a focus on bioengineering.

One more thing to add is that they are not held back by moral constraints and are willing to join their research.

Therefore, America can be said to have given him a great deal of autonomy.

Just a day ago, Dr. Miley was doing very well, not only leading several projects but also personally connecting with the Divine Flower.

And now, it seems he's about to be buried.

Indeed, in the world of the occult, every step can be deadly.

"What about the Divine Flower?" McCullough was more concerned about the Divine Flower. After seeing its performance today, he considered it far more important than Muramasa Taki.

“Some are not in good condition.” Leon carefully chose his words.

More accurately, it seemed to be on the verge of death; the petals were wilted and drooping. The team in charge was so frightened that they quickly arranged for someone to obtain bone powder made from giant bones, hoping to use a material that was also extraordinary to revive the divine flower. Unfortunately, it had no effect.

In reality, this "Yang Heian Flower" was just overexerting itself. Its current state was deliberately arranged by Dongshan Shen, who didn't want the authorities to think that the divine flower hadn't paid any price and that its power came easily.

Judging from the results, it was very successful. The people in the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department were in a panic, suspecting that the Divine Flower would wither as a result.

They even complained that Milei had used up the divine flower too much.

McCullough fell silent, and the atmosphere in the corridor grew heavy.

Hey.

The operating room lights were turned off.

The doctor came out anxiously and stood before Leon: "This situation has completely transcended the realm of medicine. His body is collapsing, a physical collapse, and there is absolutely no medical means to resolve it—"

“Doctor,” Leon interrupted him, putting his hand on his shoulder, “isn’t there even a single good news?”

The doctor sighed and looked at him seriously: "The patient shows signs of waking up. If all goes well, he might be able to leave a few words, but I'm not sure. Who are you planning to bring in? Someone who can get here immediately!"

Leon turned to look at McCullough: "It's just the two of us. Please ask all non-essential personnel to leave the lab. Thank you."

The doctor nodded, quickly helped them put on surgical gowns, and after disinfection, hurriedly entered the operating room.

The room was originally used for expert consultations, but now only two indispensable doctors remain.

Leon and McCullough stood to one side of the operating table, examining Miley, whose body was slightly green and whose eyelids were trembling.

At this point, his lower body had disappeared, and his skin was changing to resemble tree bark before gradually drying out and turning into powder.

Is this the price of using that kind of power?
Not only did the divine flower wither, but even the user could not escape death.

Leon was quite emotional. They hadn't spent much time together, so talking about friendship was pure nonsense, but he did like Miley's research style—it was straightforward and efficient.

McCullough stared intently at his eyelids, which seemed ready to open at any moment; the recording device was already prepared.

Mi Lai is just an ordinary person. The fact that he has managed to control the Yang Spider Lily as an ordinary person and survived until now is actually quite remarkable. He has an innate affinity with plants and life.

His current state is due to the fact that he has used too much of the divine flower's power. Even though the divine flower did not intentionally assimilate him, he has still been tainted by that power.

This kind of immersion is actually a good thing for some people, who may gain some related abilities as a result, but Dr. Millais clearly couldn't withstand it.

The doctor, with a serious expression, instructed that the last dose of medicine be injected.

"Ho-"

The effect was immediate; almost the next second, Mi Lai suddenly opened her eyes.

"Milai? Milai! Wake up! You don't have much time left. Is there something you want to tell us?" Leon took off his oxygen mask and almost pressed it against him, shouting loudly.

Miley's unfocused pupils struggled to focus, and she blinked before she could recall what had happened before and her current predicament.

No, even if it means death, I will complete the experiment!
"In the third protective experiment, the vine's power has significantly increased. In critical moments, the divine flower can overdraw its power to lend to the communicator." His voice was halting and barely audible.

Everyone shut their mouths and slowed their breathing, afraid of disturbing his whisper.

"After use, the communicator will find it unbearable, and the divine flower will close."

"Until the next suitable communicator is found."

"Faith and kindness are favored by nature."

At this point, Mila suddenly widened her eyes, her remaining half of her body sprang up, and a withered bark hand gripped Leon's hand tightly, staring straight at him.

"Seven days. Only seven days! Remember that! Otherwise, the divine flower will go out of control."

"That concludes the experiment. Presenter: Miley."

Leaving behind these last words, the bark that had spread up to her neck quickly invaded her head, swallowing up the last trace of human life in Milai in the blink of an eye.

Then, the bark rotted and turned into ash, leaving only embers in Leon's hands.

Leon held that pose for several seconds before raising his head and looking at McCullough.

The latter simply nodded to him, gestured towards the outside, and then turned and left.

Leon glanced at the other two people present: "I suppose you two doctors wouldn't mind switching to a higher-paying job?"

The two exchanged a glance, having no other choice.

(End of this chapter)