Chapter 598

At the end of August, the lingering warmth of late summer was washed away by a sudden autumn rain, leaving nothing behind. The night was deep and dense, countless raindrops like icy needles striking the rain-lashed, remote seaside warehouse district in Minato Ward, Tokyo. Far from the bustling city, rusted steel frames stood silent in the rain, like the bones of a beast, only occasionally torn by the rotating beam of a distant pier lighthouse, casting fleeting, ghastly illumination.

Public Security Officer Kinoshita Tōya parked his unremarkable black sedan a few blocks away, trudged through mud and standing water, and arrived at the agreed-upon side door of Warehouse No. 3. He wore a dark gray waterproof trench coat with the collar turned up, rainwater constantly dripping from the brim of his hat. He chose this spot because the view was relatively open, the derelict warehouse's complex structure offered multiple observation points and escape routes, and the wind and rain perfectly masked conversation and footsteps. Like a stone statue, he hid in the deep shadow cast by the warehouse, only his sharp eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, alert to any abnormality.

Time passed second by second, the rain showed no sign of weakening.

The appointed time arrived.

Finally, a familiar figure emerged from the rain curtain, similarly dressed in dark outerwear, holding a black umbrella, hurrying forward—it was the important informant posing as an investigative journalist, Nakamura Kenichi.

Seeing Kinoshita in the shadow, he visibly relaxed, quickened his pace, and approached.

Public Security had been operating in the shadows since obtaining Miyawaki Sakura's documents; Japan's Public Security finally had a lead, began investigating the forces behind YKC48, and mobilized other informant resources.

Nakamura Kenichi was one of those Public Security informants; he was an investigative journalist for Bungei Shunjū, the parent company of Weekly Bunshun—a so-called double agent.

That was because Akimoto Daijin had greeted the police organization, provoking the entire organization's anger, and on top of that, due to the minister's son being bombed and the two sides breaking apart, Akimoto Daijin had already lost influence with Yamada Prime Minister; after Nankōtarō Committee Chairman backed Onoda and Shinchō, they finally resolved to thoroughly investigate the N Network matter, deploying this valuable mole.

For this reason, Kinoshita Tōya personally mobilized.

As a Public Security elite, after carefully confirming no tails were present around him, Kinoshita of the Security Planning Division, Security Bureau, National Police Agency, stepped half a pace from the shadow, raised his hand, and prepared to greet Nakamura with a simple gesture.

Nakamura also saw his gesture, the tension in his facial muscles eased, and even revealed a relieved expression of "Finally here."

As he was about to step over a puddle on the ground, an anomaly suddenly erupted!

"Bang!"

A dull thud, like a sandbag filled with wet sand being struck, was not loud amid the wind and rain but unusually clear.

Nakamura let out a "Ugh-ah!" cry of pain, his body staggered, the umbrella in his hand flew off and tumbled in the wind and rain.

He instinctively clutched his side, his face first showing confusion.

It felt like he had hit something?

Due to the rain, visibility was poor, and Kinoshita initially thought he had simply walked carelessly into something or slipped; although his facial muscles were well-controlled, he still felt a surge of contempt.

A half-baked swordsman is still a half-baked swordsman; after all, an investigative journalist is just an investigative journalist.

After all, if he truly had skill, who would come do this?

An investigative journalist is merely a slightly stronger existence than a paparazzi, relying on scoops about politics, business, and entertainment to make a living—today he might sell a explosive photo for millions of yen, tomorrow he gets nothing and can only drink northwest wind.

Nakamura Kenichi also became a Public Security informant because, during a covert investigation, he damaged Public Security's affairs and was thus blackmailed into cooperation.

In the rain, Nakamura rubbed his side, looked around in confusion, saw no one, and continued toward Kinoshita, but as he drew closer in the rain, his steps grew heavy, his body began to twist and he could no longer stand straight, appearing to perform a strange dance in the rain, even reaching out toward Kinoshita.

"What's wrong?" Kinoshita asked in a low voice, his heart tightening.

Nakamura did not answer, he bent over, and a "gek-gek" strange sound came from his throat.

Kinoshita sensed something wrong, immediately stepped forward to support him: "Nakamura!!"

At the moment Kinoshita touched his body, Nakamura violently lifted his head, his face, illuminated occasionally by the lighthouse beam, turned a horrifying bluish-purple.

He opened his mouth wide, as if trying to speak, but what surged out was not words, but a large gush of white foam streaked with blood, flowing down his chin and dripping onto the soaked ground.

"Ugh————uh————" Nakamura's eyeballs bulged in terror, filled with incomprehensible pain and fear.

He grabbed Kinoshita's arm, his nails nearly embedding into the trench coat, his body convulsing violently.

"Nakamura!! Hold on!!" Kinoshita's mind rang with alarm bells; he instantly realized this was no accident!

He violently laid Nakamura flat, while attempting first aid, he swiftly drew his sidearm, the muzzle vigilantly pointing toward the surrounding dark rain curtain.

No one.

Aside from the endless rain and wind, the visible area was empty of anyone.

That earlier impact felt like it came from a ghost; the "thing" that struck Nakamura seemed to merge with the rain and darkness, vanishing without a trace.

"Damn it!!" Kinoshita growled low, feeling a chill surge from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head.

He was an elite of the Security Bureau, had handled countless dangerous situations, but this bizarre, inexplicable attack method made him feel a long-lost fear born of the unknown.

Right before his eyes!! Right before his eyes!! Nakamura had been done in!!

He had seen no one!! Nor noticed anything suspicious!!

Nakamura's convulsions gradually weakened, his pupils began to scatter; he summoned his last strength, death-gripping Kinoshita's sleeve, lips moving, emitting a few indistinct syllables:

」ア——リス——（a——ri——su——）」

The sound was so faint it was nearly drowned by the rain.

Kinoshita immediately leaned in, bringing his ear close: "What? What did you say? Arisu? Is it a person? Who is Arisu?!!"

But Nakamura had no strength left to answer.

He gripped Kinoshita's hand, then suddenly went limp, falling limp to the ground, splattering a few drops of murky water. Those eyes once full of vigilance now fixed in extreme terror and unsolved mystery, staring hollowly into the endless rain night.

Kinoshita Tōya maintained his gun-ready stance, half-kneeling in the icy rainwater, watching the corpse before him rapidly lose warmth, his heart clenched as if by an icy hand. Wind and rain continued, the lighthouse beam swept over again, casting on his face an unprecedented gravity and a hint of dread he could not conceal.

"Arisu——————" he whispered repeatedly, the dying words feeling like a curse, heavy upon his heart.

Icy rainwater trickled down Kinoshita Tōya's neck into his collar, but he felt no cold; a deeper, unknown-origin fear seized his heart, making his blood nearly congeal.

He half-knelt in the mud, his fingers still resting on Nakamura Kenichi's now-still neck—there was no pulse, only the cold touch of death.

"Hell————what the hell is going on?!!"

His mind went blank for an instant—the most direct reaction of humans facing an incomprehensible, unstoppable attack. A trained informant, right before his eyes, in what seemed an absolutely safe environment, had his life instantly taken by an invisible "ghost" in such a bizarre manner.

Such means surpassed all his past investigative experience, bringing a near-surreal shudder.

But he was Kinoshita Tōya, elite of the Security Bureau!

We are, the roots that support the great tree!!

Panic surged like a tide, but receded even faster, replaced by professional instinct and survival drive etched into his marrow. He sprang to his feet, gun hand still steady, eyes like a hawk's, rapidly sweeping again over the warehouse shadows, stacked containers, and depths of the rain curtain.

"We can't stay here!"

A clear, cold voice exploded in his mind. The target was Nakamura, but who could guarantee the assassin had no second target? Who could guarantee he himself wasn't locked in some sniper scope's crosshairs? This area's "safety" had been thoroughly proven a joke.

He hesitated not, rummaging on Nakamura's body, stuffing his wallet, lighter, cigarettes,

lottery slips and keys haphazardly into an evidence bag, then into the innermost secure pocket of his trench coat.

What to do?

He glanced at the corpse on the ground.

Taking it with him during withdrawal would be foolish and dangerous, only making him a living target, and destroying the scene could erase the

tiny clues pointing to the assassin.

"Must withdraw immediately, report immediately, seal off the scene!" His action plan became clear in an instant.

After a final vigilant glance around, Wooden Below Detective turned without hesitation, using a low posture and various cover, moving quickly and silently along a different, more complex route than the one he came by; as he moved, he pulled out his encrypted communicator and pressed the emergency communication button.

"This is Bourbon" Emergency! Woodpecker" ambushed at the side door of Warehouse Area 3, confirmed dead!

Attacker's identity and means unknown, extremely dangerous! I have completed intelligence retrieval and am withdrawing according to B Plan! Requesting immediate, highest priority support! Repeat, highest priority! Seal off the entire area and conduct a carpet search!

The operation may have been exposed, activating emergency communication protocol!"

He reported rapidly but clearly, even without waiting for confirmation, he shut down the communicator's location function and sprinted full speed toward the predetermined safe withdrawal point. Rain blurred his vision, but his thoughts were clearer and colder than ever before.

That they could so precisely eliminate Nakamura means their intelligence network may be deeper and more terrifying than imagined.

Nakamura was investigating the black evil force network "N Network" behind the idol's parent company, and he merely made a preliminary investigation when he encountered such misfortune —

At the outset of the Eclipse Moon Plan, they lost a crucial informant!

Informant?

A thought struck him like lightning, making him almost stumble as he got into the vehicle.

Damn it!

Miyawaki Sakura!