Shutou Town, a small city in Hokkaido, was unusually noisy today.
A patrol boat belonging to the Coast Guard sliced through the icy waves, its police lights flashing silently.
The atmosphere on the boat was heavy.
Several Coast Guard members in thick cold-weather uniforms gathered around the twisted, charred metal wreckage and debris hauled up from the sea near the rail.
“Headquarters, this is Patrol Boat Sea Hawk No.7.”
The captain spoke into the communicator, his voice solemn.
“At coordinates XXX, XXX, we discovered the remains of a ship explosion. Preliminary judgment suggests it was a small fishing vessel. There are some fragments of unburned waterproof tarpaulin and human tissue remnants at the scene, quantity unknown, identity unrecognisable.”
A command came from the other end of the communicator.
“Received, Sea Hawk No.7. Continue expanding the search area and collect all possible evidence.”
“Meteorological records show strong winds and waves in this area last night. Accidental causes can’t be ruled out, but remain alert for other factors.”
“Understood.”
The captain set down the communicator, his brows tightly knit.
He picked up a piece of metal fragment, its edge melted by high heat, faintly bearing a blurry mark that was not Japanese.
He handed it to a nearby Technical Officer.
“Analyze this mark. Also, have the Forensics Division confirm the DNA information of these human remains as soon as possible and see if they match the missing persons database.”
The Technical Officer took the fragment, studied it carefully, and his face changed slightly.
“Captain, this mark… it looks like a variant of Cyrillic letters. Also, look at this piece of tarpaulin.”
He pointed to another piece of dark fabric soaked by seawater.
“The weaving method and coating process aren’t common for fishing gear from our country or neighboring countries. It’s more like… military-grade waterproof material.”
The captain’s heart sank.
An accident? Smuggling in such harsh weather?
Or… was there a more complicated background?
***
At the same time.
Near the entrance of the G8 Building by Lake Toya.
The woman codenamed “Truffle”—the only female in the squad—was casually flipping through a tourist brochure by the door.
Her face was cold and stern, her expression unreadable as she silently scanned her surroundings and the flow of people entering and leaving.
Truffle wore a heavy cold-weather coat, but her posture was upright, without the slightest carelessness of an ordinary tourist.
A few steps behind her, “Sledgehammer” leaned against a thick pillar, his massive body like a silent boulder.
At his feet was a long object wrapped in dark waterproof cloth.
The rest of the team deliberately kept their distance.
“Is this really necessary? If it were GPRI, we would have been found out already.”
Sledgehammer pressed his sunglasses and muttered quietly.
“Mainly to guard against Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu.”
Truffle answered offhandedly.
Sledgehammer snorted, then shook his head, clearly holding this so-called “world’s first official superpower organization” in contempt.
Truffle’s fingers tapped lightly on the brochure, her crimson eyes beginning to emit a faint glow.
Suddenly, her movement paused almost imperceptibly.
She lifted her head, her sharp gaze landing on the giant floor-to-ceiling window on the museum’s second floor.
“Samusa.”
Through a miniature communicator, her voice was calm and unwavering.
“Third floor, two o’clock direction window.”
“There are two people. Energy readings… one of them is special, like a deep, bottomless cold pool.”
“They’re… watching us.”
Across the street, Samusa looked in that direction, but could only see the sky’s reflection and blurred figures in the glass.
“A new wild Parasite?”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
There was a barely perceptible gravity in Truffle’s tone.
“That ‘cold pool’ energy fluctuation is unusual, never seen it before. It feels… dangerous.”
“The other person isn’t weak either… it’s a Cicada Shell Host. Are we being targeted?”
She saw the two at the window freeze, and the red-eyed girl’s gaze seemed to pierce the glass and distance, locking onto her with precision.
Samusa’s eyes sharpened.
“We can’t wait until dark!”
“Sledgehammer, you watch those two. The rest, follow me to the island—Nakajima!”
“Is killing allowed?”
A cruel smile crept onto Sledgehammer’s face as he bent down to pick up the long object wrapped in waterproof cloth.
“Permitted.”
***
“They’re not tourists.”
Jiang Jian Yue’s voice was icy as she watched those people leave the building’s entrance one after another, heading toward the lakeside ferry.
The man behind her pressed the earpiece of his radio, then said,
“There’s a Russian left at the entrance in the blind spot downstairs.”
Yuki Asahi asked nervously,
“They’re not after us, are they?”
Jiang Jian Yue shook her head lightly.
Such a stupid question—she didn’t want to answer.
After some thought, Jiang Jian Yue dialed a rarely used number.
“Lake Toya… is there… a GPRI Base?”
On the other end, the tin wolf seemed to be slurping noodles, mouth smacking as he replied.
“There’s no GPRI Base in the strict sense, but…”
“Don’t play coy!”
“Oh, oh, there’s an Exile Site under GPRI jurisdiction, located on Nakajima in Lake Toya.”
“Exile Site?”
“Yeah, it’s where GPRI members who violated the rules are imprisoned, along with some superpower criminals. All dangerous individuals.”
GPRI has such severe punishments as imprisonment? Isn’t it always a Death Sentence?
Perhaps understanding Jiang Jian Yue’s misunderstanding of GPRI methods, the tin wolf quickly explained,
“We’re a very democratic organization. Since the Fourth Generation Committee took over, Death Sentences have rarely been approved.”
Have you also been corrupted by the white leftists?
“The Exile Site hasn’t self-destructed?”
“I’m not sure about the details.”
After hanging up, Jiang Jian Yue basically understood this group’s objective.
A prison break.
She turned to the man and asked,
“How should I address you?”
The man straightened up and saluted.
“Under the Dawn Resources Group, Ghost, Special Operations Command, Dark Crow Unit, codename Black Mamba. This mission in Japan is to ensure the Heiress of the Shadow Conglomerate’s safe journey!”
What an unlucky codename.
You’d better not ride helicopters in the future.
“Is it possible to evacuate… everyone nearby in time?”
Black Mamba quickly shook his head.
“Impossible. Even contacting the government would take several hours.”
“What’s wrong?”
Yuki Asahi asked anxiously.
Faced with Yuki Asahi’s question, Jiang Jian Yue opened the memo, tapped out a message, and showed the screen to Yuki Asahi.
Nakajima, GPRI prison, holding dangerous individuals.
They’re planning a prison break.
It could affect nearby residents and cause casualties.
Looking at the concise message on the screen, Yuki Asahi’s brows furrowed.
“This really is a headache…”
“What about contacting Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu?”
Jiang Jian Yue shook her head slightly.
“Not in time.”
Right now, Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu personnel should be stationed in Sapporo, and it would take several hours to get here by car.
And the Russians had already started heading to the island.
Besides, Jiang Jian Yue didn’t trust Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu’s combat power much.
“So we have to… take them out before they cause chaos?”
Yuki Asahi clenched his fist.
I didn’t say anything, Yuki Asahi—don’t blame Yueyue…
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She’s so sneaky bruh