Chapter 159: I, Satoru, the CPU
Kisuke followed Satoru as they left the Second Division barracks and arrived at the mountain prison behind.
He was quite familiar with this place.
The entrance to Maggot's Nest.
He had fought alongside Satoru here before.
Even though they were still some distance from the prison entrance, the security was already extremely tight.
Members of the Punishment Force, clad entirely in black, were hidden in various concealed positions.
If any unidentified individuals approached, they would be immediately driven away.
If the first warning proved ineffective, what followed would be unsuitable for children.
Of course, none of this applied to Satoru.
His current position was Third Seat of the Second Division, acting administrator of Maggot's Nest.
The entire security system of Maggot's Nest was under his command.
Several guards stationed visibly at the entrance knelt on one knee from afar upon seeing Satoru approach.
Initially, Satoru wasn't very accustomed to this form of salute.
If he had to choose, he'd prefer his subordinates to wear black suits and sunglasses, standing in two rows, bowing at a thirty-degree angle along the path to welcome him.
Hmm, preferably when he had just returned from battle, discovering that his good son Aizen had been forced to live in a doghouse and humiliated by villains, then pulling off such a grand entrance at the critical moment.
Just thinking about it brought him joy.
However, compared to the traditions of the Soul Society that had been passed down for who knows how many years, his personal opinion was utterly insignificant.
The Soul Society wasn't Goose City; he couldn't change things just because he said so.
While he was in power, he could ask these people to abandon certain formalities, but what if he left his position someday?
If these guards failed to adjust their mindset in time, they might offend the newly appointed superior due to improper etiquette.
His momentary psychological satisfaction would only cause trouble for others.
Kisuke had no idea what Satoru was thinking; he only felt immense pressure right now.
This guy brought him to Maggot's Nest—was he planning to lock him up for amusement?
Though it sounded absurd, when it came to Satoru, it wasn't entirely impossible...
"Mr. Satoru, why are we here?"
Kisuke couldn't help but ask.
Satoru replied, "Recently, the Gotei 13 has been suppressing rebels and investigating the Tsunayashiro Clan, capturing many prisoners."
"The more important ones have been subjected to intensified interrogations. Those who should be executed... ahem, beheaded are beheaded, and those who should be thrown into Muken are thrown into Muken."
"As for the less important ones, most have been sent to Maggot's Nest."
"Right now, Maggot's Nest is unprecedentedly crowded, practically overflowing."
"To quickly clear out some space, the monitoring team has been extremely busy lately."
As he spoke, he removed his Zanpakutō and handed it to the guards outside the prison.
One of the important rules of Maggot's Nest was that blades were not allowed.
Even Shinigami responsible for managing the place had to remove their swords before entering the prison interior.
Kisuke followed suit, removing his own blade while nodding thoughtfully.
Indeed, the most troublesome aspect of such large-scale rebellions was the aftermath.
But what did this have to do with him?
Suddenly, a rather unpleasant thought crossed his mind.
Sure enough, shortly after entering Maggot's Nest, Satoru pointed toward a group of prisoners wandering about.
"Kisuke, let me test your skills."
"Go deal with those guys. If you finish within 60 seconds, you get three stars; within 90 seconds, two stars."
"Execution if it exceeds 90 seconds."
"Execution?!"
Kisuke's eyes widened.
"1, 2..."
Seeing Satoru had already started counting, though Kisuke had ten thousand curses he wanted to shout, he quickly sprang into action.
With a flicker of movement, he appeared amidst this group of prisoners.
Seeing Kisuke suddenly materialize, the prisoners were momentarily stunned.
Then, they all revealed ferocious grins.
Another new prison guard, huh?
For prisoners, one of life's greatest joys was beating up these Shinigami.
A Shinigami without a Zanpakutō was like a tiger with its fangs pulled—completely harmless!
Several prisoners directly reached out with their large hands, grabbing toward Kisuke's head.
Facing the prisoners' coordinated attack, Kisuke took a deep breath.
Then, his figure began rapidly flickering.
With each Flash Step, he would appear behind a prisoner.
Then came precise strikes targeting weak points.
In less than 20 seconds, all the prisoners were foaming at the mouth and lying unconscious on the ground.
Watching Kisuke land steadily, Satoru patted his hands in satisfaction.
As expected of the original manager of the Maggot's Nest—though still somewhat young, his skills were already quite impressive.
"Excellent, splendid!"
"Kisuke, I've decided it's you. Starting today, you'll be in charge of the security inside the Maggot's Nest!"
Kisuke: "..."
Damn, just as I suspected.
He made a last-ditch effort: "Mr. Satoru, I have my own work too."
"Your job is just compiling attendance lists, right? Just promote a couple of assistants to handle that. There's never a shortage of people for paperwork like that."
Satoru waved his hand, crushing Kisuke's last shred of hope.
Seeing Kisuke looking as if he'd lost both parents, Satoru crossed his arms.
"Comrade Urahara, what's with that reaction? I'm giving you an opportunity here."
"The management of the Maggot's Nest has always been the responsibility of the Third Seat of the Second Division. By letting you familiarize yourself with this work early, I'm helping your future promotion to Third Seat!"
"Don't worry, I won't make you do it for long. Once the rebel suppression is mostly complete and we don't need to identify and interrogate these people anymore, you'll be free."
Kisuke silently looked up at the sky.
What sins had he committed in a past life to end up with such a superior?
After casually dumping his work on Kisuke, Satoru took a walk around the Maggot's Nest.
Just as he'd said earlier, compared to when he first took office, there were far more people in the Maggot's Nest now.
The prisoners gathered in small groups, causing considerable trouble for the Shinigami working here.
While he could suppress them, he couldn't stay here forever.
Now that he had Kisuke as an excellent laborer... ahem, excellent subordinate, this place could finally quiet down a bit.
As he walked, Satoru suddenly paused in surprise.
He was astonished to discover someone sitting in the corner of a cell.
He appeared to be in his thirties, with messy blue hair and a somewhat dirty face. His eyes were vacant, clearly lost in thought.
Seeing this person, Satoru grinned.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi!
Searching far and wide with no success, then finding him without any effort... To think this guy had fallen back into his hands!
He smirked and strode over.
Today, whether through CPU or CAD, he was determined to recruit this scientific genius!
Sitting on the ground, Mayuri was conceptualizing his new project when a pair of straw sandals appeared in his vision, stopping right in front of him.
He frowned slightly and looked up.
When he saw who it was, his eyes widened.
Just as Satoru was about to start his recruitment pitch, he saw excitement spark in Mayuri's eyes—
"Satoru! I want to serve you! Get me out of here!"
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