Chapter 1045

General Zakari Uuran stood beside the armored vehicle, looking down at Vikram inside the cabin.

The Ganges Superman's body was still alive, still able to breathe weakly!

But he was already dead!!

Because his eyes had lost focus, pupils dilated, his gaze empty as it pierced the roof, pierced the clouds, pierced everything only the living could see.

The lotus seal on his chest still emitted a faint dark gold glow, like a piece of charcoal just extinguished, residual warmth not yet spent.

Dead?

What kind of joke is this?!

We US personnel used every means, even agreed to delay six months and increase tariffs by 15% in negotiations, just to get a corpse?! And according to prior inspection, this corpse was merely somewhat stronger than a normal person.

General Zakari's first reaction was fury.

He turned around, nearly shouting at his aide beside him: "It's the Japanese playing tricks! They tampered with him before the handover! Bring that Japanese liaison officer to me!"

"Make that Japanese liaison officer come over and kneel under the Stars and Stripes! Three times, three times!"

"I'll sue the UN! I'll sue the Japanese ambassador! I'll sue the Pentagon! I'll sue the White House!!" "Yes sir!" The aide immediately ran out, but after just two steps, General Zakari gestured for him to return. General Zakari realized a problem.

The handover procedures for the Ganges Superman were complete; the US military had confirmed it for an hour, and it was he who signed.

Of course, the US could play dirty, could be unreasonable, could force an explanation—historically they've done similar things, though not as shameless as the other side during the Cold War, but in incidents as vile as the Pig Incident, it's clear the US military has never been saints. Still, the US doesn't like doing this, because the US isn't about vague politics, won't reach the final step with no leadership daring to act like on August 9th regarding Yeltsin—General Zakari Uuran himself personally signed and confirmed.

He would have to take the blame, and once the Japanese side produced all the documents, the embarrassment would fall on the US side.

General Zakari bent down, leaned close to the cabin, and touched the lotus seal with his fingertip.

His fingertip felt the dark gold pattern—rough, warm, carrying a quality not belonging to any human technology.

He slowly straightened up, pulled an encrypted phone from his pocket, took several high-definition photos of the seal, then sent them to i. "Identify this symbol. Give me results within three minutes."

i's reply arrived after two and a half minutes.

General Zakari stood beside the armored vehicle, staring at the analysis report on his phone screen, his face shifting from rage to ashen, then from ashen to sudden enlightenment—sogaga!

Found it dead nailed!!!

i's report first line read: This pattern highly matches the "Sun Wheel Lotus" symbol in Indian Esoteric Buddhist tradition, with petal layers and sun wheel arrangement corresponding to common temple stone carvings in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, South India.

i's report second line read: Given the deceased is of Indian descent and the symbol carries strong religious ritual characteristics, preliminary judgment suggests the perpetrator or instigator originates from Indian native religious groups. i's report third line read: Considering prior Indian statements, it can reasonably be judged that this is likely some supernatural force within India unwilling to let us research and analyze it, hence done.

Makes sense!

General Zakari gripped his phone in his hand, knuckles whitening. He stood at the edge of the runway for about ten seconds, wind blowing from the west, messing up his gray-white short hair, but he didn't bother. He turned toward the command vehicle, opened the door, and told the communications officer: "Get me Washington. Vice President's Office. Encrypted line."

Five minutes later, Washington was pulled from lunch break by the phone ringing. US Vice President Zhamuq He··Eka Chi listened to the briefing in the situation room beside the Oval Office.

General Zakari's briefing was short: The Japanese side completed handover on time and according to procedure, all documents complete, Vikram was in good condition at handover. But during escort, they encountered extreme weather, the convoy briefly stopped in rain and fog, then resumed and arrived at base to find Vikram already unconscious.

Initial inspection showed normal bodily functions but complete loss of consciousness.

Chest bore the Indian Esoteric Buddhist "Sun Wheel Lotus" seal. The US judged the perpetrator or instigator to be Indian personnel or linked to Indian religious groups.

Vice President Vance's first action after hearing the briefing was slamming his steel pen onto the desk.

He stood up, paced twice in the situation room, then stopped, cursing in pure iron-rust lingo from a worker's family: "We just took over this prisoner from a damn Japanese guy. Our people followed the whole time, the Japanese didn't even touch him. Then he died on our vehicle, our runway, our base gate, killed by some unknown Indian religious symbol popping out of nowhere? Indians, they did this right under our noses?"

"Is it because we pissed off Indians one day, their assassins show up at our White House doorstep the next?"

He turned to look at the Indian Affairs Advisor standing in the corner of the situation room: "Call New Delhi. I want an explanation from their embassy. I want their ambassador personally, now, to call me!"

"Yes sir!" One hour later, New Delhi.

At this moment, the Magic Flute Old Immortal was in a situation even more embarrassing than Vice President Eka Chi.

The day before, he had just hinted at a press conference that India indeed had people like the "Ganges Superman" with special constitutions, though he didn't directly admit it, but that line—"We are an ancient people, some things not all nations can understand"—had already been interpreted by global media as tacit approval. And now, Vikram, that "Ganges Superman," died during the Japan-to-US handover, chest still bearing an Indian Esoteric Buddhist Sun Wheel Lotus seal.

All the world's reporters were waiting for his response.

If he admitted it was Indian in origin, it would equal admitting Indians acted under US military supervision, a direct challenge to US sovereignty, tantamount to declaring war!

If he denied it, it would equal publicly slapping his own face—just admitted supernatural powers, then turned around and couldn't even admit a symbol. The Magic Flute Old Immortal silenced in his official residence for nearly four hours.

Now a single nerve had become blocked at both ends!

No, I just wanted to scare those damn Americans, make them understand India is the world's future, Ganges-ification is the world's evolutionary direction! So-called existential armies making Americans hesitate don't mean I actually have these people!

Moreover, India has thousands of states and tribes—who knows if real Ganges Supermen even exist? The Magic Flute Old Immortal is already India's most centralized president, but he can only command those with sufficient understanding, and even that is only partial.

Then he chose an angle no one expected.

That evening, the Indian Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement claiming "Reports of Indian citizens dying during Japan-US joint detention are seriously concerning," and demanded "The US provide a complete, transparent investigation report."

The statement didn't directly address the "Sun Wheel Lotus" issue, but shortly after its release, in a brief interview, the Magic Flute Old Immortal added a sentence, his tone solemn and sharp: "We note that Vikram Fernandez died after US takeover. Before that, he was alive. After that, he was dead. We don't know what the US did inside the vehicle, nor whether that symbol was drawn by US personnel. We hope the US doesn't try to push blame onto India. India is a responsible nation. We won't carry out assassinations on foreign soil. But we also know some countries are very experienced in fabricating lies." "Haven't you seen the Pig Incident and the Venezuela Incident?"

"All blame on the US team!"

This sentence was like a match thrown into a gas room.

A few hours later, Vice President Eka Chi responded via spokesperson, wording nearly tearing diplomatic etiquette: "India's claim is absurd, a diversion, political consumption of an already unconscious corpse. That symbol is Hindu, the perpetrator is Indian or acting under Indian direction—this even symbol experts have confirmed. What India should now do is cooperate with the investigation, not throw mud at us."

The US President even tweeted: "Nobody……understands……India……more……than……me! Shameless, vulgar, eight gar ya ro!" India responded that night again, calling the US "attempting to cover up its supervisory negligence."

The diplomatic battle between the US and India intensified over the next two days.

From Washington to New Delhi, from UN headquarters to the Non-Aligned Movement diplomatic circle, everyone discussed this.

Does the Ganges Superman truly exist? Who is really the killer—US or India?

Huge masses of US media pointed fingers at India, Indian media at the US, both seeking evidence and narratives favorable to themselves.

And amid all this clamor, Japan was nearly forgotten—exactly what Uesugi Muneyuki wanted.

Though it involved some risk, it was still worth it.

On the afternoon of the second day when the US-India shouting match peaked, the Japanese National Police Agency held a formal press conference in Tokyo. The briefing hall was full of reporters, camera lenses aimed at the podium. Uesugi Muneyuki stood on the podium and simply stated the course of events.

"Regarding the Hirate Sarina case, as Special Investigation Advisor of the National Police Agency, I hereby report the full investigation results and case details to everyone." He began from the start: Hirate Sarina took hallucinogens before a concert, causing unstable consciousness, and left the venue alone. She encountered Vikram Fernandez and four other Indian dispatch workers at the edge of Nagoya Port Ward.

They had a verbal conflict, and under hallucinosis, Hirate Sarina used language containing racial discrimination and identity humiliation.

Vikram struck first, the other three followed.

During resistance, Hirate Sarina suffered sustained violence, ultimately strangled to death.

Afterward, the four people transported the corpse to the South District Waste Treatment Field and discarded it.

The identities of all four suspects have been confirmed; among them, the Cheetah Person Sanjeev Patel died during the arrest, while the other three are in custody. The case has been transferred to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office for further trial.

The news has begun spreading to the entire world at an extremely rapid pace.

The breaking news from all major media outlets occupied the headlines within just a few minutes.

The Japanese public feels incredulous about this.

No conspiracy? No dark forces? No blaming everything on the American group? No Toyota conspiracy, Nagoya conspiracy, Sugai Yuuka conspiracy, Metropolitan Police Department conspiracy, Yoshimoto conspiracy?

It was merely that Hirate took drugs, became dazed, and by chance encountered the Ganges Superman and other small groups, provoked them verbally, and then was arranged? Is this perhaps too simplistic? But Uesugi Muneyuki, after finishing his speech, gave a slight bow downward and then intended to turn and leave the podium.

However, at this very moment, a police officer came running from outside, rushed into the press conference scene, and appeared extremely anxious.

It is Nango Yui!

What's wrong again? Uesugi Muneyuki raised his head and noticed that Watanabe Eiji and Shinzou Kamiya both felt surprised.

Nango Yui leaned close to Watanabe Eiji and Shinzou Kamiya's ears and whispered a few sentences.

"What?!" Shinzou Kamiya's face turned deathly pale.

"Has Aika Shida of Akai Saka 46 also died?!?!?!"

￥??? ii"""

The atmosphere at the scene exploded instantly!

Another death?!