Tokyo bombing incident Nth time

"Looks like you've also gone out for a stroll. Do you have a better understanding of the current situation?" The train spirit's voice echoed in the empty area.

“Yes, I judge that the humans in this region are in crisis.” Yuri stopped. “We need help; we can’t wait for the mastermind to advance its plans further.”

Yuri spent two minutes briefly summarizing his conclusions.

"...Why did you think of this direction? To me, there seem to be many signs that the trend of the disaster has been brought under control—the rats have been attacking several points for a long time without success, and the rat catchers are fighting them to a standstill—the rats can't break in, and those guys can't break out, and not all the rat catchers are here. I think the others are on their way back, right? Shouldn't everything be resolved once all the rat catchers arrive?"

Yuri couldn't fathom why it actually believed those words.

And this is new information, it seems the Spirit Hunters' confidence is real, at least while they are there, other leyline nodes will not have problems.

"Because the enemy has absolutely no reason not to do anything and just wait for this to happen. The level of intelligence shown by the mastermind behind this incident is not low, and only the dumbest or most desperate people would stay put and wait for the situation to turn against them."

"Hmm... I don't want to tell you right away whether your guess is right or wrong. Another question, why not go to the Spirit Hunters? After all, they seem to be trying to do something, while I haven't done anything, have I? Wouldn't it be easier to get help from them?"

“Because they’re not strong enough.” Yuri tried to understand the other person’s meaning, but unfortunately failed. In this situation, he chose to tell the truth: “If the Spirit Hunters were powerful enough, I would probably ask them for help, but they are not strong enough.”

"Am I strong enough?"

"Isn't that enough?"

"You really put me in a bind."

After those words, the atmosphere seemed to change, and Yuri became wary.

"What are you willing to pay for this? Why should I change my plans and enter the fray directly instead of waiting for the outcome of other battles?" The train spirit's voice boomed, its previous leisurely demeanor almost completely gone.

"I don't have much to offer, but I think this might not be the best outcome for you if human society suffers a devastating blow. If the plague spreads and disrupts transportation, or if massive casualties cause panic and reduce the number of people willing to travel, is that really the best outcome for you?"

Unfortunately, all Yuri has to offer right now is his mouth.

“What you say is true, but if I lead the attack, I will inevitably suffer losses. If we wait a few days, we may suffer some losses, but the cost of direct conflict will be borne by others. And we happen to know a group of people who will choose to attack no matter what. Why don’t I just pass the responsibility on to them?”

This refers, of course, to the Soul Hunters.

"What if they don't take the initiative? What if the spirit hunters also hesitate due to insufficient strength, leading to extremely bad results?"

Like that story, "Three monks had no water to drink"?

"Will they?" the train spirit asked calmly.

...It seems like I really can't.

"No, I believe they will definitely launch an attack at the last minute—but what if the enemy inflicts a devastating blow before they can launch their attack?"

For example, releasing 100 million rats to gnaw Tokyo into a dead city.

“If they’re not afraid, then naturally I’m not afraid either.” The train spirit’s voice remained completely calm. “Don’t you have any more meaningful suggestions? I’m starting to get bored.”

It seems we've reached a dead end. Is it because of the way we're speaking? The train spirit hasn't started kicking out passengers yet, but if it does, it will be too late.

Yuri paused briefly to think.

What to say?

One idea: "I don't think it's necessary for you to launch this attack alone. You can leave a lot of things to the Spirit Hunters. And since only you can provide crucial help in this matter, they probably won't have much to say. I've already confirmed that they're afraid of this incident, but they have a very important excuse: they're afraid of failure. Your help should be able to dispel that excuse."

That makes sense, and Yuri intuitively feels he can succeed—he can succeed here. They might indeed accept the Spirit Hunters' offer, but that seems like helping the Train Spirits trap the werewolves, which would have significant negative consequences.

That leaves only one other option, and that's the only other option Yuri can think of.

"I admit that I am not very intelligent and I can't think of any suitable conditions that would allow me to ask for your help. Could you please suggest some?"

Line 2 met with Yuri multiple times; surely it wasn't out of boredom?

"Hahahahahahaha—" Yuri heard a short, booming sound, which was automatically transcribed into the language of spirits in his mind.

"You admit you're incompetent?" The Train Spirit repeated Yuri's words, and without waiting for Yuri's reply, continued, "It seems you're indeed not one of those old friends, and even if you were, you're not anymore."

"You keep mentioning old friends, who exactly are they—"

Yuri's question was interrupted.

"Oh, it's all in the past, it's all in the past—good."

The train spirit's vision swept over Yuri, and Yuri suppressed the urge to run away.

"You can't offer any compensation, so I don't plan to put in much effort either. Choose one of the two options." The train spirit's voice returned to calm.

"I'd like to hear more details." What else could Yuri say? "I'm not listening?"

"Firstly, I can send you or both of you to the other side, and then I'll leave. How you deal with them is your business." The train spirit paused. "Secondly, if you or both of you get very close to the other side on your own, I can give them a hard hit. If it lands, it should send them back to the Shadow Realm; if it doesn't land, it should still be a serious injury. In this option, I won't even aim; I'll simply launch an attack, nothing more."

I'm afraid that if there's nothing else in exchange, that's all the other party will do.

However, given the current situation, this is already good enough. Yuri felt that any more reason to ask for more would be to be kicked out immediately, or to become as flat as paper and covered in tire tracks.

"I tend to favor the second one, but I'm afraid some details are still needed."

Yuri quickly decided that unless the second option had absolutely no chance of being realized, then this would be the decision.

Because simply "coming to the mastermind" would probably be of no use to Yuri and his group. They'd just get beaten to death after arriving at the mastermind's place. Negotiations might be useful, but unfortunately, the mastermind doesn't seem to want any negotiations at all.

"What kind of details?"

"For example, how close should we get, and how should we aim?"

Yuri spent ten minutes confirming with Line 2 what he wanted to do in this option.

In summary, it can be divided into the following steps.

First, he needs to get to the mastermind behind it all.

Then, he had to wave a token given to him by Line Two, inject a bit of spiritual essence to activate it, and at the same time make sure that the token was in close contact with the mastermind behind the scenes.

Next, Line 2 will launch an attack on the location of the token. This attack will not target a single point, but rather an entire line—but unfortunately, it cannot be guaranteed where it will start or end—it will definitely pass through the location of the token.

Therefore, Yuri had to deliver the token to a location extremely close to the recipient.

It's highly unlikely that Yuri could hide the token, and it's improbable that the mastermind wouldn't sense the mark. The token isn't particularly conspicuous, but trying to hide it openly would be audacious.

Yuri can choose who can activate the relic, but he only has two options. First, someone present when the relic was created—they can inject a small amount of energy, and only that same amount can activate it—in this case, Yuri himself. Second, anyone.

“I’m starting to think about choosing the first option, Mr. Train—I have this feeling that the other side might fall for the trap, but I’m definitely going to die.” This was Yuri’s reaction after summarizing the situation.

Yuri may not be able to attach the strike beacon to the opponent, but he will definitely be holding it himself when it is activated.

If this plan is destined to end with Yuri's sudden death, he really needs to consider how to persuade Minmei to give up treatment.

“Of course I will also give you a second token. This token is meant to protect the perpetrator from this attack. Killing you or anyone else trying to resolve this matter is not part of the plan.” The train spirit rumbled rhythmically. “However, I think even without it, you could find those rat catchers to do it. They always pride themselves on their vitality, and if they die… they'll most likely consider it an honorable sacrifice. —How about we use this method? I won't give you a second token; you go find the rat catchers and have them sacrifice themselves?”

It took Yuri three seconds to realize it was a joke.

After confirming some other minor details, Yuri took his leave before the train spirit's patience completely ran out.

The spirit of the train made no attempt to stop it.

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.

"I have one last question before I leave."

"Speak," the train spirit said, clearly annoyed, and succinctly.

"Why are they called Soul Hunters, the ones who catch mice? Is it because the mastermind behind this is a rat?"

"—Of course not? I thought humans could understand this kind of humor. Isn't this one of your human proverbs?"

What human proverb says it's about catching mice... Ah.

In Mingmei's words... it's like a cat catching a mouse in the neighbor's house, meddling in other people's business.

Chapter Ninety-One: The Rat Army

Yuri quickly left the platform where the train spirit was located.

He had already asked everything he needed to know, or everything the train spirit was willing to tell him.

Of course, he doesn't have the token that the Train Spirit offered him on him right now, but the Train Spirit also said that the token can be made at any time without any waiting time—so it's best to come and get it at the last minute before everything starts.

Although the Train Spirit didn't explicitly say it, it didn't particularly hide it either: the Train Spirit considered Yuri a usable target, and that was the case from the beginning.

Yuri didn't have much bargaining power in this matter; the only threat he could make was "I'm not going to get involved anymore," but at the same time, he prematurely revealed that he would get involved no matter what.

The only bright spot was that, at least the negotiations went very quickly. Including the search, the discussions, and the cylinder replacement, it took less than an hour in total.

In less than an hour, Yuri found himself in the position of bearing the main risk in the incident.

The Train Spirit did want to resolve the matter, but he was much more patient than Yuri.

Whoever gets anxious first will lose out.

However, Yuri doesn't seem to have the right to demand that others risk their lives for what he cares about—even if the Train Spirit decides to completely abandon the project, what grounds does Yuri have to condemn it?

Life is full of disappointments, but always look forward.

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.

Yuri spent about five minutes mentally preparing himself before heading off to find the reporter.

Just by randomly grabbing one of the spirits and asking, we found out where the suspicious person was—she was on a bench in the (small) waiting room, tapping and banging on a square.

It seems that because she appeared to be able to subtly sense the presence of spirits, the spirits also paid her some attention. Otherwise, it would be unlikely that they could know the location of the first spirit they randomly pulled; after all, they aren't all camera spirits, are they?

It didn't take long for Yuri to find a reporter.

It appeared behind her, and bumped right into Hojo Reie, who suddenly turned around.

Is her enhanced perception related to this resonance?

"Things have made some progress, but it's not over yet." Since he had been entrusted with this task, Yuri felt it was best to tell the other party some progress to put their mind at ease.

"What kind of progress?" But such a vague description doesn't seem convincing.

As she closed the computer screen on her lap, Hojo Reie added, "If you absolutely can't say it, then don't. But if that's not the case, could you tell me the details?"

Human language is truly amazing—Yuri didn't even hear the "no" in "can or cannot".

"Well, I'll skip the details. In short, one group is investigating the location of the mastermind, while another group is seeking help from all sides. Both are making considerable progress, and although there's still some distance to go before success, that distance is visibly shrinking."

To go into more detail would require addressing aspects that Yuri cannot promise.

It's not that he thinks there's anything wrong with telling white lies, but this time it's not.

It's not good to give Hojo Reie the wrong information, as she is working hard on this matter.

“Well, I think you’re trying your best. So what information do you need from me this time?” Liehui sighed deeply.

Yuri felt looked down upon. "Couldn't it be another reason?"

“You usually contact me for information, but I’m the same way, so I won’t say anything,” the reporter adjusted the angle of her neck, but it was probably still not very comfortable. “Could you sit down? It’s tiring for me to look up at you.”

Yuri floated down on the bench.

Yuri thought to himself, "I must have used up a lot of my brainpower just now, scheming against the train spirit. I can't even tell if there's any resentment in that sentence."

"Well, the main reason I came to see you this time is to borrow your phone."

You need a cell phone or coins to call Mingmei.

Yuri forgot his coins—no, he didn't forget them at first, but he put all the coins on Akemi, who then took them somewhere else.

Now he has nothing in his hands.

While hesitating about whether to try to make the public phone "think" that he had inserted coins, Yuri remembered the reporter who should still be there.

Incidentally, although his conscience has been declining, he still felt a pang of guilt when he realized that he seemed to be taking advantage of reporters.

"Don't you have a phone? Or is your phone out of battery?" the reporter asked a perfectly normal question.

“…You see, I did this so that it would be easier to move around, so…” Yuri chose to use the explanation he had used many times before.

“The phone can’t change, right? I understand.” Lehwi handed her phone to Yuri. “You’re only allowed to make calls, not look at the screen. I have to keep looking at the screen.”

That makes sense. Yuri started dialing.

After the call connected, Lehwe moved slightly away from Yuri, indicating that he could make the call himself.

How thoughtful! If it were Yuri, he probably would have to wait for the person on the phone to glare at him before he would leave.

"Hojo... Ree? Is there some important information?"

"It was me. I borrowed her phone; it did contain important information. The adults at the station offered us a little help. How about you? How's your observation going?"

“Not so good, Yuri. I’ve completed my observations. We had a small misunderstanding, but I’ve resolved it now. Even so, or rather, even so, there are still significant problems standing in our way.”

"what is the problem?"

“An extremely large number of rats. I have a plan to rush in, but it’s unlikely to succeed, and it can only be used once, regardless of success or failure. If it fails, I’m probably doomed.”