Chapter 11

The atmosphere in one of the main meeting rooms of the headquarters was tense, with division leaders sitting in a circle around a long table. A projector in the center of the table showed a brutal recording of Shokujin, who had previously gone crazy at the base campus.

Matthew Pedro, one of the Deputy Expedition Division Team Leaders, started the discussion by making a bold decision after watching the recording.

"Shokujin's moving with abnormal speed and strength! This isn't just any threat!"

He paused for a moment, looking at the serious faces around him.

"We have to get to its source, right now! I believe the smartest move is to put together a specialized investigation unit. It'd be way more effective if we got a few expedition division teams involved too, so we can fan out and get this done quickly!"

"Hirgghh…!"

A harsh snort came from someone in front of him, Enji Kumashiro, one of the captains of the expedition division's Assault Team.

The man with a terrifying face looked bored, leaning back in his chair arrogantly. His cold eyes stared at Pedro as if he were a loser.

"What a waste of damn time!"

"...One anomaly and you're already panicking? ... Listen, kid, small problems like that don't need a combined team. And I refuse to order my troops to do something so foolish. My team's priority is to defeat the Kentai-Outriders faction. That's the clear objective—not hunting anomalies!"

"One anomaly, and you're already pissing your pants? Listen, boy. Trivial issues like this don't warrant a combined force. I refuse to deploy my troops on such idiocy. My team's priority is crushing the Kentai-Outriders faction. That's the objective—not hunting anomalies!"

Pedro, hearing this, tried to convince Captain Enji. He leaned forward, his hands clenched on the table.

"Captain Enji… That Shokujin wiped out the Tetsu team—inside our nest! What if that's just the beginning? We can't afford to ignore this, sir! This will become a massive issue if we wait, I guarantee it!"

The scary man immediately stood up and leaned forward, his eyes narrowing cruelly, exuding an aura of menace.

"If you're so convinced, then handle it yourself. I'm not sacrificing my troops for your hunches!"

"...Have you already forgotten your captain, boy?! His foolish ambition that ignited that dark event? And where is that coward now, huh? Hiding away, too damn pathetic to show his face. Is that it?! That is the legacy you serve."

Hearing that, Pedro's jaw hardened. He's struggling to control his anger.

"Please... don't bring him into this, Captain Enji. This time, trust me, it's not a trivial matter. After seeing the body... It's beyond clear that Shokujin was an experimental project. We can't afford to just dismiss it!"

Click...!

The sound of a cigarette lighter broke the silence. All eyes turned to Asami, the captain of the expedition support division, who calmly lit a cigarette. She exhaled slowly before speaking.

"That's quite enough, gentlemen. You're just adding noise to an already messy situation." Asami interjected, her voice calm but containing undeniable sharpness.

She took another drag on her cigarette and looked at the screen, which was currently displaying the corpse of a shokujin.

"Captain Enji, you've got a point about your team's top priority. Sticking to the main objective will definitely streamline our efforts…However, Pedro also makes a valid point. These 'Shokujin' could very well be a critical clue—perhaps a new weapon created from the Corporation, another faction, or even the Tyranny itself."

"...There's no harm in investigating these 'Shokujin'. I am willing to send available personnel to assist in the investigation of this anomaly."

"There's no harm in looking into these anomalies...I'm willing to deploy troops to assist in this investigation."

Asami's argument silenced the room for a moment. The new perspective changed everything.

"Hirghh... you still don't get it, dammit... Instead of sending your people to chase anomalies, Asami, your troops would be far more useful reinforcing our siege!"

Regi, who seemed the most relaxed among them, just sighed deeply as he watched this endless conflict.

"Thank you, Asami-san. That will make it easier for some troops to move to several areas. I'll make sure we capture the source of this chaos," said Pedro.

"...And also, I ask you once again, Captain Enji, to inform us if your team encounters that anomaly during your journey."

"Nonsense!... I will not approve a single soldier to join a useless mission just to satisfy your curiosity, you bastard!"

"Enough…!"

The calm voice came from the end of the table. An Elder, the highest leader, cut through all the noise like a sharp sword.

Instantly, the argument stopped. Captain Enji, who was still standing, slowly sat back down in his chair under the Elder's sharp gaze. Several people lowered their gaze. A heavy silence now filled the room, feeling much more oppressive than their earlier shouts.

"Kumashiro Enji," he said first.

"It is indeed true that expanding our territory remains your utmost priority. However, that hardly grants us the luxury of ignoring other emerging threats. To do so would be nothing short of foolish."

He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in.

"...You, Pedro, are arguing about capturing the shokujin, yet I haven't even agreed to approve the mission… Before I decide to allocate a mission to search for the Shokujin, I need... the truth. Or at least, the closest piece of truth we have right now."

However, there were no core members of the Tetsu team present except for the cadets. Regi, who witnessed the incident, took the initiative to become the representative to recount the events experienced by the Tetsu team.

Regi shared a few points before finally asking Kenjiro to elaborate further.

"Tell them, Kenjiro..."

"With all due respect, Elder. initial report from Tetsu's team, conveyed to me prior, stated they found the Shokujin in a pretty bad state within the industrial sector during their sweep."

"he claimed to be a survivor who had been attacked and escaped from a mad experiment. Tetsu, out of pity, tried to help him and gave him a temporary sedative. However, for reasons still unknown, the Shokujin violently convulsed, screamed in agony, and then fully transformed into the brutal beast that attacked the team. Tetsu had no choice but to incapacitate it and bring it back here."

Kenjiro paused, then delivered the most important part.

"And also... the preliminary autopsy report from Nagi-san shows that Shokujin's body is full of high-level experimental modifications. The control circuits implanted in its brain are not technology we are familiar with. This is the result of crazy experiments. Nagi-san suspects that this is not the work of ordinary people. They are too skilled to make modifications like that."

The elder closed his eyes for a moment, processing the information.

"So there is another party trying to create a new apocalypse."

He opened his eyes.

"You're right, Elder... It could be that."

"Yes, Elder. That's highly probable."

That explanation made the Elder rethink the decision he was about to make. And as he straightened his body, his black robe fluttered lightly.

"... All right, I've made my decision... I want the internal defense divisions to work harder to monitor every area near the headquarters." His gaze swept across the division heads.

"And I also approve of carrying out this investigation mission."

"... But elder, my team is already stretched thin preparing for the enemy's headquarters assault. We're even short on personnel for the siege as it is. It would be far more logical for Asami's team to reinforce us rather than wasting resources chasing after some fleeting anomaly!"

Regi immediately tried to calm the tense atmosphere.

"Alright… Let my team handle it. I'll assist the mission to move out immediately. And Asami, it would be better if your personnel help with the siege. That's our top priority."

"Whoa, you're really stepping up, hotshot! Our logistics are already a mess, and your team's numbers are... well, they're slim. You sure you want to go in like that?" said Ayane.

"...We'll be fine, Ayane. My team understands the risks. We always do…!"

...

I walked carrying the device assigned to me by Rin to the expedition division headquarters building across the main field. As I walked across the courtyard, I saw several people limping, their faces bruised and their bodies bandaged.

One of them seemed to be carrying his colleague.

"See? I told you not to go challenging the seniors. She's just on a whole other level, you moron!"

"What exactly happened to them?"

I continued walking down the corridor until I arrived at a large hall that looked like a training room. In the middle of the hall stood a sturdy, worn-out boxing ring. It was there that I saw her.

"Yumiki…"

She was fighting with her bare hands against three members of the force at once. Her movements were extraordinary. They were like a dance, and each counterattack was carried out with deadly efficiency. She didn't waste a single movement. In an instant, her three opponents were lying on the canvas, moaning in pain.

"Gah! That was absolutely... terrifyingly efficient… She just tore through them!"

Yumiki stood in the middle of the ring, her breathing barely audible. She was a perfect fighting machine.

Remembering my task, I walked towards the ring.

"Ey, Yumiki. This is for your team. Rin thought you should see it first. Might be important."

"Hufft... just put it there, I'll check it later," she interrupted with a cold expression.

Her annoying attitude ignited the emotions inside me.

"Hey, listen here! Rin told me to check it first. I can't wait around all day until you're done, you jerk!"

She turned back, her expression still cold, and now with added irritation.

"Then leave it to Kenjiro, moron! Don't waste my time!"

"Ugh, you really are..." I muttered softly, clenching my fists.

My emotions flared up, and I immediately approached her with a crazy idea that had just popped into my head.

"Alright, psycho… I see you don't have anyone else to duel with in the ring. How 'bout you go a round with me?

Yumiki completely ignored me, busy rewrapping her arm and turning her face away from me. But suddenly, she stopped moving when I issued a crazy challenge accompanied by a bet.

"I'll make a bet with you. Here's the deal… If I can land one hit on you in less than five minutes, you have to check this thing immediately and give me a report ASAP."

I paused for a moment, letting my words hang in the air, before saying something to provoke her.

"Oh, and one more thing, just for kicks. If I win, you gotta call me Eisen-senpai in front of everyone. Got it?"

Instantly, the people around the ring who had been whispering fell silent. They stared at me with disbelief, as if I had just said the dumbest thing in the world. Some even held back laughter.

"Whoa, hold up, man! Did he seriously just say that?!" said one of the audience members, his laughter exploding.

Yumiki, who heard that, slowly stopped what she was doing. Her sharp eyes turned toward me, weighing the challenge I had just thrown out, seeing the disbelieving reactions of the audience.

"hufffft...You're so naive, bastard, get the hell out now!" Her voice was full of warning.

"Nah, I'm serious... you psychotic. I've been itching to test you. Let's see what that 'perfect fighting machine' can actually do…!"

Yumiki smiled slightly—a smile that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"You've got nerve, fine, I'll give you that... So, what's the stake if you can't even touch me for five minutes?"

"...If I lose for the next thirty days, you own me. Seriously. Anything you want, I'm your puppet. What do you say, psycho princess?"

I knew this was crazy, but my ego had already taken over. Yumiki, on the other hand, seemed to be thinking hard. Her eyes stared straight at me, as if stripping me of every intention.

"Fine. I'll give you five minutes. You get a free shot. After that? I'm wiping that smug look right off your face."

"Yeah. Guess we'll find out…" I replied, a confident smirk forming on my face.

…

I immediately climbed onto the ring, glaring sharply at Yumiki. Her gaze was so intense and fierce, but I had to stay focused. The fight began. I quickly ran toward her, trying to attack.

Duaghh…!

A quick straight punch. But she dodged it easily, her body shifting slightly to the side as if I were moving in slow motion.

"Tch…"

I tried again. All my punches. All of them hit nothing but empty air.

I looked at her movement data on my HUD, but it seemed like the analysis had failed. Every one of her movement patterns was unpredictable.

[TARGET: human PREDICTING MOVEMENT: EVASIVE WEAVE. PROBABILITY OF HIT: 8%]

I didn't give up. I charged forward, swinging a punch toward her face, an attack I had predicted he would dodge by ducking. And when she did, I changed the direction of my attack mid-motion, targeting the empty space where her head would be.

Smackkk…!

The tip of my knuckle barely grazed her cheek. She was startled, jumping back and keeping her distance. Her usually cold eyes widened in shock. For the first time, I saw a crack in her perfect composure.

A few people who witnessed the action could hardly believe it. They were truly amazed.

I smiled slightly, feeling so happy.

"How about it? Focus psycho. I'll land a serious punch right on—"

But before I could finish, the smile on my face vanished.

Yumiki's expression changed. Her surprise was replaced by something far more frightening: cold, focused anger.

"It's been four minutes..." she hissed.

Before my HUD had time to process, she was already moving. She darted towards me. Her movements were so fast, even though she didn't land a single blow on me. I had a hard time hitting her.

She dodged attack after attack, continuing to close in on me and avoiding every blow I threw.

Finally, I tried to focus more on landing my final punch.

Duaghh...!

But unfortunately, the punch still didn't hit her cheek.

"Tch...!"

Now she was behind me.

"Now time for me to play...Brace yourself…!"

She quickly rushed towards me, punches coming from all directions—elbows to the ribs, low kicks to the knees, palm strikes to pressure points. Damn, I was having a hard time blocking all of her attacks.

[WARNING! MULTIPLE IMPACTS DETECTED! MOVEMENT PREDICTION FAILED!]

"Argh...!"

I was completely helpless against her fast attacks.

A single blow to my solar plexus made me gasp for air, causing me to stagger for a moment. Taking advantage of the opening, Yumiki jumped towards me. In an instant, her strong thighs were wrapped around me, locking my head in a deadly scissor hold.

"G-ghh… W-whoa, stop there! You're taking this a little too far!"

I couldn't breathe. My vision began to darken.

Just before I lost consciousness, I felt her grip tighten, then she twisted her entire body.

Crack...! Brakk...!

She slammed me hard onto the canvas. Darkness engulfed me completely. K.O.

"Whoa! Did you see that?! He's out cold!" shouted one of the people watching the match.

I came to a few moments later with my head throbbing. I was still lying on the ring. Yumiki stood over me, looking down at me with a cold stare.

"Don't you ever bother me again... And from now on? Congrats, you're my new punching bag. Now get lost!"

She immediately turned away, picked up the data pad I had left behind, and left, leaving me lying in the middle of the ring, battered and bruised.

...

I sat grimacing in the corner of the lab. Rin carefully applied a cold compress to my blue cheek. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she tried hard to hold back her laughter.

"Does it still hurt Eisen?" she asked softly

"Nah... She's a real psychopath. I thought my neck was going to break just now."

"... Haha, think twice before challenging Yumiki!" she said.

"Thank goodness you didn't end up in the hospital for a week." Taro approached with a glass of water for me.

Rin burst out laughing at that.

"Tch… how can she be so strong and fast?"

"Hmm…To be quite candid, I've always considered her combat skills to be on par with, if not superior to, the leading figures among our expedition teams…"

"...If they fought, I'm sure Yumiki's strength would be close to that of Captain Enji or Captain Regi."

"Captain Enji…? I've never seen that person here. So... how many terrifying people like Yumiki are there in this 'division' of the headquarters?"

"Hmm…I don't know, I can't name them all. This nest operates with a clear structure. Even in the expedition division, we have different sections led by many teams…"

"such as the 'Taka' team, the Eagles. They are our main assault force. They are always on the front lines. There are approximately four leaders in this section, including Captain Enji."

"Then there is the 'Hato' team, the Doves. The support team. Led by Captain Asami, although this section only has one main leader, there are many members in this team compared to the other teams."

"And finally, there is 'Karasu', the Crow. The intelligence and logistics team was led by Captain Regi and Tetsu. They are the eyes, ears, and brains of all expedition division operations."

I processed the information.

"Woah… that's so complicated... It's like a kingdom…" I muttered.

"...But Rin, you're always stuck in this lab, then suddenly you're off with the expedition team? What's your actual division?"

"Well… you see, the current situation is rather... unique. At this very moment, I happen to be the sole Ghost still actively operating in the field."

"Wow…Then where are the other Ghosts?"

"...We have cadets who aspire to be Ghosts, of course. But they lack the… finesse. It's a demanding craft. Tedious, even. It requires a patience most people simply don't possess. You understand that, don't you?"

I understand that must be really hard.

"And yet, when I watch you, there's a certain fluency. An instinct." she asked softly.

"...I could see it when you were fixing the console. I'm starting to believe that you used to be a Ghost...!"

"Yeah, I have a few memories of that, but I... I'm not sure yet." I replied honestly, staring at my own palms.

Her expression was now full of understanding and sympathy. Silence enveloped us for a moment.

"Interesting…!" Rin whispered, as if to herself.

She then stood up.

"Maybe… I can connect you with those lost memories." She nodded her head.

"Come…!"

I followed her out of the main lab, down a short corridor to a staircase below.

When we reached the steel door, she opened it, and behind it was an awesome place.

"This is my other workplace, Eisen…!"

The room was crammed with the equipment of a ghost. Dozens of thick cables hung from the ceiling like digital tree roots, connected to several specially modified server units. Three large monitors displayed rows of green code that moved like a waterfall, while in the corner of the room were several interface devices that looked more personal and outdated.

"I believe we might find precisely what you're looking for...!