Inside the CCG headquarters command room, the air was so heavy it felt like water could be wrung from it.
The newly appointed Director, Washuu Tsuneyoshi, stared fixedly at the surveillance screen. The image showed the arrogant declaration Amano Hiro had left in front of the ruins.
When the words "Washuu, are you ready to die" echoed through the silent room, the veins at his temple throbbed violently and his entire face twisted with rage.
"Arrogant!"
Washuu slammed a fist onto the console, making the displays shudder.
He turned toward Marude Itsuki behind him and practically roared the order:
"Notify all Special-Class Investigators. Convene an emergency meeting immediately. Prepare a subjugation operation against 'Carnage'."
Marude Itsuki stood motionless, his face unreadable, and replied calmly:
"Impossible."
Washuu pushed up his glasses, their lenses flashing coldly. "You intend to disobey?"
"The only Special-Class Investigator currently available is Kiyoko Aura," Marude said evenly. "Yukinori Shinohara, Iwao Kuroiwa, Koori Ui... the others are all hospitalized."
He paused, then added, "Even Kishou Arima is not at headquarters right now."
Washuu's expression froze. His mouth opened, yet no words came out.
Only the hum of equipment remained in the command room, along with the looping playback of that fatal provocation on the screen.
The vast CCG headquarters, at this moment, could not even assemble a complete Special-Class team.
...
While the new CCG Director simmered in impotent fury, Amano Hiro and Rize stood atop a high-rise in the 20th Ward.
Night wind howled past their clothes. Below lay the glittering city lights, yet both their gazes were somewhat vacant.
That home in the 20th Ward had been where Amano Hiro lived ever since he came to this world.
After so long, it had long since become filled with attachment. Later Rize moved in as well.
It gradually became their shared, warm little nest, carrying countless everyday memories.
And yet tonight, that memory-filled nest had been blown to pieces.
The sudden upheaval left Amano Hiro momentarily at a loss, not even knowing where to go.
Rize stepped closer, gently wrapping his arm and resting her head on his shoulder.
Amano Hiro gazed into the distance and sighed softly. "Sigh. Now we've really become homeless drifters."
Rize suddenly lifted her head and put on a pitiful expression. She even squeezed out two nonexistent tears at the corners of her eyes. "Waa. My long-term meal ticket is gone just like that? Looks like I'll have to find a new wealthy patron."
She patted Amano Hiro's chest with feigned affection. "Don't worry. I'll always remember how good you were to me."
Amano Hiro's mouth twitched. The faint melancholy he had felt was instantly blown away by her antics.
He pinched her cheek viciously. "You think you can run after sticking with me? Tonight I'll take you to experience a luxury single room under a bridge."
Rize immediately put on a delicate, frightened look and shrank into his arms. "Waa. I'm so scared."
Just then his phone chimed. Amano Hiro pulled it out. A message from Eto:
"What a splendid fireworks show, Hiro. You really made quite a scene."
Amano Hiro raised a brow and replied, "Your intel network is impressive. Where all have you planted eyes?"
Eto quickly sent a snickering emoji. "Ara. You still don't know? Check the live news yourself."
Amano Hiro blinked and casually opened a news push notification. On the screen was aerial footage of the CCG branch ruins. The anchor was excitedly reporting the "shocking attack."
He clicked his tongue. "Good grief. These reporters swarm faster than locusts. It's been minutes and it's already everywhere?"
Another message from Eto popped up. "Want to come see our latest research results?"
Amano Hiro tapped a single concise reply: "OK."
He shook his phone toward Rize and raised a brow. "Looks like tonight's 'underpass living experience plan' is canceled."
Rize gave a theatrical sigh of regret, though mischief gleamed in her eyes. "Such a pity. My 'new patron search plan' is ruined too."
Amano Hiro laughed and pinched her cheek again, then wrapped an arm around her waist.
Dark-red wings unfurled in the night. The two sped toward the 13th Ward.
Before long, that familiar abandoned factory came into view.
Just after landing, an Aogiri Tree member who had been waiting stepped forward quickly.
"Lord Carnage, Lady Eto is already waiting. Please follow me." The subordinate bowed respectfully and led the way.
It was the same old industrial elevator and the same vast underground plaza hidden below.
Only this time there was no grand welcoming formation. Only Eto stood alone at the center.
The corner of her mouth beneath the bandages seemed to curl. Her voice carried its usual lightness:
"Oh my. Welcome, welcome. I watched tonight's fireworks show without blinking."
Amano Hiro rolled his eyes irritably.
Eto led the two deeper into the base, curiosity in her tone. "Why did you suddenly hit a CCG branch so hard?"
Amano Hiro spread his hands helplessly. "Don't even start. We had just gotten home and the place was blown sky-high. Then a swarm of flies buzzed around us. I had to find somewhere to vent." He briefly recounted the night's events.
After listening, Eto's expression beneath the bandages turned unusually serious. "Looks like the Washuu Clan has already marked you as a major threat that must be eliminated."
She could not help thinking: only someone with Amano Hiro's strength could retreat intact from a V Organization encirclement and retaliation like tonight's.
If it had been anyone else, facing such a lineup, they would likely have left no corpse behind.
And judging by his current state, he had not only repelled the ambush with ease but also wiped out an entire CCG ward branch, yet there was not even the slightest wound on him. This strength was even more unfathomable than what he had shown in their last clash.
But... all the better. The stronger he was, the higher the chances of success for their plan.
Unknowingly, the three arrived before a heavy alloy security door.
Eto quickly entered commands on the keypad. With a pneumatic hiss, the door slid open.
The sight beyond was startling. An extremely spacious underground laboratory spread before them.
Under a high vaulted ceiling, dozens of cylindrical transparent culture tanks lined both walls in neat rows, like futuristic hibernation pods, faint blue light glowing within.
Several researchers in white coats worked at the central console, fully focused on monitoring data streams across the screens.
At the very center of the lab stood a massive cylindrical main apparatus, its surface covered in a maze of pipes and conduits.
Midway up the device was a conspicuous ring-shaped opening, and Washuu Yoshitoki was restrained within it.
His body was pierced by several slender transparent tubes. Dark-red fluid flowed through them. His eyes were closed.
His face was pale as paper, like a living specimen carefully mounted inside an experimental apparatus.