novelraw Page 397
Page 397
The boy's voice on the other end of the phone was, as always, full of admiration:
"Sister, what can I do for you?"
Mingming licked her lips, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"We...it seems like we're about to strike it rich."
Chapter 356 A Plan to Turn the Tide
Inside the Wanxiang Inspection Room, it was still that boundless expanse of pure white and flowing golden code.
Compared to the secret chamber of the Department of Spellcasting, which was filled with intrigue and decay, this place was more like the central processing unit of a civilization—calm, efficient, and omniscient.
Kasumigaoka Utaha stood beside the control panel, her well-tailored black business suit perfectly highlighting her intellectual and capable demeanor. Her slender fingers lightly tapped the virtual keyboard, and a vast and complex intelligence network diagram instantly appeared on the huge main screen in front of everyone.
“Reporting to the Chairman.” Her voice was clearly transmitted to everyone present through the internal communication system, “Based on intelligence obtained from the Directorate General, the Cursed Master Group, and Miss Mingming, the Human Project is now completely clear.”
On the screen, a 3D model of Tokyo's Shibuya district is magnified. Countless red data streams converge from all directions, weaving together into a massive, malevolent web.
"Target: Captain Gojo Satoru. Time: Evening of October 31st. Location: Shibuya. Key method: Using the top-grade cursed artifact [Prison Gate], seal Gojo Satoru under specific conditions."
Shi Yu spoke slowly, but every word was undeniably precise.
"The executors: a top-tier cursed spirit group led by Lou Hu, Hua Yu, and Zhen Ren, along with an unknown sorcerer hiding behind the scenes, suspected of controlling Xia You 693 Jie's body. We've tentatively designated them as Ao P. [The rest of the text appears to be a fragmented and nonsensical collection of characters and symbols, possibly machine-generated or corrupted. A direct translation isn't meaningful without further context.]"
“There are two ultimate goals.” She switched the screen, one displaying a 3D structural diagram of Tengen, the other a heat map of the densely packed crowds in the Shibuya area. “First, remove the five major obstacles, namely, the Five Wings. Second, eliminate the obstacles in the Shibuya area, including the crowds of people in the surrounding area.”
After the intelligence report was completed, the room fell silent.
Night Moth Masamichi crossed his arms, his brow furrowed, his expression utterly serious. He had dedicated his entire life to training sorcerers capable of protecting humanity, and he couldn't fathom how the higher-ups in the Directorate General could make such a depraved decision.
Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki also looked quite grim. Having experienced the tragedy at the juvenile detention center, they knew all too well what a hellish scene it would be if these special-grade cursed spirits were allowed to run rampant in a densely populated area like Shibuya.
Only Gojo Satoru, after hearing this seemingly desperate plan, showed no sign of seriousness; instead, he burst into cheerful laughter.
"Wow, this is a huge welcome party for me, and I'm the star of the show." He stretched and loosened his limbs, his six azure eyes sparkling with excitement. "Louhu, Huayu, Zhenren, and my best friend... quite a lineup. I'd better prepare a nice return gift, or it would be too impolite."
"Satoru!"
Masamichi Yagami couldn't help but shout, "This is no time for jokes! There are hundreds of thousands of ordinary people in Shibuya. Once the Tengen Assimilation is activated, the consequences will be unimaginable! We must stop this before they make a move!"
"Do not."
A calm voice interrupted Moth's words.
Zhou Ye remained silent throughout, watching the screen as if he were appreciating a play with a pre-written script. He slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.
"Why stop them?" He waved his hand, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather. "Let them do it. Not only let them do it, but let them do it on a bigger scale. Bring everyone who wants to perform, everyone who wants to watch, and everyone who wants to cause trouble to this stage in Shibuya."
Everyone was stunned.
Zhou Ye walked to the main control panel, stretched out his finger, and lightly drew a few circles on the real-time model of Shibuya. Those circles precisely framed several key areas with high pedestrian traffic and transportation hubs, such as Shibuya Station, Dogenzaka, and the 109 Building.
"With Kokichi."
The mechanical ball, which was waiting on the communicator, immediately responded: "Yes, Chairman."
“In these areas, we will secretly deploy phase space anchors. At a critical moment, I want to be able to dimensionally sever the entire Shibuya area from the primary material world, forming an independent mirror space.” Zhou Ye’s voice was completely calm. “We will ensure that the energy fluctuations and causal effects within will not leak out to the outside world in the slightest.”
"Understood! Mission accomplished!" Yukichi's voice was filled with excitement. This technology, which only existed in science fiction, was now going to be realized by him personally.
Zhou Ye's gaze then turned to Kasumigaoka Utaha.
"Shiyu, prepare the highest level of access to global information channels. I want to broadcast the drama live to the world at its climax. The theme will be—'The Funeral of the Old Era and the Birth of the New Order'."
He paused, a meaningful smile curving his lips.
"I want the whole world to see with their own eyes how the guardians they revere and who have been passed down for thousands of years, in order to maintain their corrupt power, do not hesitate to kidnap civilians and try to destroy the world. At the same time, I also want them to see what the true new era will look like."
These words sent chills down the spines of everyone present.
This is no longer about exorcising a curse; it's about judging an era.
Finally, Zhou Ye's gaze fell on Gojo Satoru.
“Five points,” he said calmly. “Your task is simple, but also the most crucial.”
Gojo Satoru dropped his nonchalant expression; he knew the real show was about to begin.
"Walk into the trap they have carefully laid for you, and be sealed away by the [Prison Gate] according to their script."
"Put on a good show, a show so realistic it'll fool everyone. Use your failure as a signal to lure out all the rats, hyenas, and snakes lurking in the shadows, waiting to devour your corpse. I'll clean up all the trash in one go."
The entire plan was clear, bold, and even audacious.
They used a clever trick to lure the prey into a trap, then closed the door and beat them.
Gojo Satoru was silent for a few seconds, then his signature confident, almost arrogant smile returned to his face. He stretched and let out a comfortable groan, as if he had just warmed up.
"Pretending to be sealed? I'm good at that." He cracked his knuckles, making a series of crisp sounds, and his azure eyes shone with an unprecedented light.
"However, I must make this clear in advance."
He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his smile radiant, but what he said sent a chill down the spines of Fushiguro Megumi and Kugizaki standing beside him.
"When you release me from that little black box, I might not be very gentle with my actions."
Chapter 357 The Beginning of the Shibuya Incident
October 31st, night.
Shibuya, Tokyo.
The heart of the city is currently engulfed in a Halloween frenzy. Crowds at the intersection flow like a vibrant, multicolored river, surging and converging with each green light. Young people in outlandish costumes laugh and joke, the air thick with the sweet scent of cheap candy, the pungent aroma of alcohol, and the restless energy of youthful hormones. Giant screens on skyscrapers display dazzling commercials, illuminating the night sky as if it were daytime.
No one knew that beneath this facade of noise and peace, a storm powerful enough to upend the entirety of Japan, and even the world, was about to erupt here.
At eight o'clock in the evening.
When the traffic light at Shibuya Crossing turned green again, and the bustling crowd was about to surge forward once more, something unexpected happened.
hum-
A low, inaudible hum, yet perceptible to the soul, enveloped the entire area.
The sky seemed to be suddenly covered by a huge black cloth. A hemispherical "tent" exuding an ominous aura descended from the sky at an astonishing speed, completely isolating the entire Shibuya core area within a radius of four hundred meters from the outside world.
The music on the street stopped abruptly, the clamor of the crowd turned into deathly silence, and everyone looked up in astonishment at the "sky curtain" that was even deeper than the night.
Immediately afterwards, a line of huge, clear white characters appeared on the dark curtain, each character carrying a chilling malice:
[Bring in the five insights]
After a brief period of deathly silence came a panic as devastating as a landslide or tsunami.
"what is that?!"
"Was it a terrorist attack?"
"Run! Get out of here!"
Like a hornet's nest that had been stirred up, the crowd began to flee frantically in all directions, only to find in despair that no matter how fast they ran, they could not penetrate the thin, seemingly invisible black barrier. The edge of the tent became the boundary between life and death.
8:05 p.m.
Several figures arrived at the perimeter of the tent at an extremely fast speed.
Leading the group was Nanami Kento, who had changed out of his suit and into a sorcerer's battle suit. Behind him followed Ino Takuma, and the Zenin team who had come from Kyoto to provide support—Zenin Maki, Inuhamaki Toshi, and Panda.
"Such a high-strength tent, completely impossible to destroy from the outside." Nanami Kento pushed up his goggles and analyzed calmly, "Moreover, it only restricts the entry and exit of sorcerers, and ordinary people cannot leave. This is a typical trap."
“Salmon.” Dog-Turtle nodded in agreement.
"Damn it! They actually used so many ordinary people as hostages!" Maki spat and gripped the long-handled spell tool in her hand tightly.
Without much communication, the experienced sorcerers made their judgment immediately.
"Split up!" Nanami Kento ordered. "Evacuate civilians and protect them as the top priority! Try to control the situation before Mr. Gojo arrives!"
Before the words were even finished, the group plunged headlong into the bottomless darkness from different directions without hesitation.
Inside the tent, the world had transformed into something entirely different.
The festive lights still twinkled, illuminating faces contorted with fear. Trapped within, ordinary people stumbled about like headless flies, their cries and screams echoing through the air. And amidst this chaos, a deeper malice began to surface.
The manhole cover was pushed open, and viscous cursed energy surged out like black mud, condensing into bizarre, low-level cursed spirits. From the shadows of the building, the twisted humanoid slowly rose, emitting a grotesque cacophony.
Eight fifteen p.m.
Shibuya, Dogenzaka.
A ball of molten lava fell from the sky and slammed into a car. Instantly, the steel melted, and a violent explosion unleashed a wave of fire that engulfed dozens of fleeing civilians nearby.
The one-eyed cursed spirit of the volcano, Louhu, hovered in mid-air, looking down at the devastation with undisguised pleasure on its face.
"What a beautiful sight! The cries of humanity are the most beautiful music in the world!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Cultural Village, countless plants sprouted wildly from the concrete, their massive roots entangled and strangled the crowds. Hua Yu stood silently on the treetop, fulfilling its mission of "purifying" the earth.
Deeper still, Tuogen and the True Man were already in place, like hungry wolves released into a sheepfold, beginning their unbridled slaughter and efficiently creating immense panic and negative emotions.
Everything was hidden atop a high-rise building, concealed by a hidden mechanism. The entire structure was concealed within, its contents hidden beneath a mysterious, opaque wall.
8:20 p.m.
Right in the very center of this hell on earth, at the entrance to Shibuya Station.
A figure walked in leisurely, going against the flow of people fleeing in panic.
White hair, black eye mask, tall figure.
Gojo Satoru.
He ignored the explosions and screams around him, as if he were just going to an ordinary date. He knew that all the traps, all the "surprises" prepared for him, were waiting for him in the deepest part of the station.
He descended the steps and entered the deserted underground station. The walls along the way were covered with marks left by the distorted and solidified remains of the modified humans. The concentration of cursed energy in the air was so high that it would suffocate ordinary people.
He made his way to the fifth basement level, the platform of the New Suburban Line.
On the platform tracks stood three figures he knew all too well.
The magma-spitting Louhu, the silent Hana-yu, and... the real person surrounded by countless cyborgs of various shapes and sizes, with an innocent yet cruel smile on his face.