Chapter 29: Please Stand in Place and Await Execution

High-frequency noise filled her eardrums, and Jiang Jian Yue’s body swiftly turned transparent, vanishing before the man’s eyes.

Heh, bet you’ve never seen this invisibility move before.

She hadn’t expected the man to pull a device from his pocket that resembled Kuninori Tsuruoka’s energy detection phone and tap something on it.

“Authority Lockdown.”

This line appeared on his wristwatch, and Jiang Jian Yue’s body was instantly forced out of its invisible state.

A possibility flashed through Jiang Jian Yue’s mind.

She dodged the man’s dagger, flipping over to the other side of the train track.

“Are you GPRI?”

The only reply to her question was the cold glint of a reversed dagger lunging at her—the blade tearing through the air with murderous sharpness.

Damn justice organizations—these insects!

Blood boiled with fury.

Jiang Jian Yue’s eyes hardened.

She faced the deadly strike head-on, refusing to dodge or retreat.

In the blink of an eye, she thrust her arm forward, wrapping it tightly around his wrist as he gripped the dagger.

With a twist, she spun her body, channeling the force through her motion.

Bang—

A dull thud echoed as Jiang Jian Yue’s elbow crashed solidly into the man’s chest.

Man!

Under the forceful impact, the man staggered back with a muffled grunt, his sunglasses flying from his face.

His weakened fingers could no longer hold the dagger.

Clang—

The weapon struck the train track, sending up a spark of friction.

Do you know why so few people wear gloves when committing murder?

Because the grip slips easily.

“Truly unprofessional.”

Before her words had even finished, Jiang Jian Yue’s body had already surged forward, her right leg whipping toward the man’s lower body to topple his unsteady stance.

But in that moment of imbalance, the man displayed astonishing agility.

Instead of falling, he used the momentum to leap upward.

A hard boot swung down from above, stomping fiercely onto Jiang Jian Yue’s sweeping ankle.

“Ugh!”

Agony shot up her right leg.

Had her attack just been effortlessly countered?

The onslaught continued.

As soon as the man landed, he spun sharply, raising his left leg high.

The tip of his shoe sliced the air—a powerful high kick aimed straight at Jiang Jian Yue’s temple.

No way to dodge!

Bang—

Jiang Jian Yue crossed her arms to shield herself.

The bones snapped under the tremendous force at the moment of contact.

Her feet gouged deep marks into the ground as gravel scattered in every direction.

She was pushed back several steps before she could barely stop herself.

So painful…

Jiang Jian Yue fought back tears as her arms crackled with the sound of rapid healing.

The numbing sensation she usually enjoyed offered no comfort against the pain.

“Hmph!”

Perhaps embarrassed by how the fight had played out, the man sneered coldly.

“I really don’t know why your name is on the list.”

He stepped forward, his hand clamping onto Jiang Jian Yue’s shoulder like an iron claw, lifting her up.

His fist clenched, brimming with heavy force, and rose high.

Squelch—

The Insect Blade pierced through the man’s abdomen, emerging from his back in a spray of blood.

“Because of this?”

Jiang Jian Yue’s expression remained indifferent, as if she’d never experienced battle at all.

Her blood-red eyes were as cold and emotionless as the moon, staring at the wide-eyed man.

“Ugh…”

She pulled out the Insect Blade and stepped back.

His hand, once gripping her shoulder, slid weakly away.

His mouth, hidden behind a white mask, twisted open as blood seeped from the corners.

“Wh…what kind of joke…the intel…was wrong…”

His throat gurgled, blood quickly dripping down his chin, staining the mask.

“I didn’t want to use it in the first place.”

She raised her still-aching hand and wiped the blood from the Insect Blade, sighing helplessly.

Now all she could do was pray this scene wouldn’t be recorded in Animation.

From the outside, her Insect Blade looked way too “evil” and bizarre.

“Impossible! Who…what are you!”

Whether it was a final burst of strength, the man suddenly seemed revitalized.

Clutching his abdomen, he staggered toward the girl, trying to seize her.

The last light of sunset faded.

In the blue hour’s dimness, the cold hues of her face and her indifferent eyes showed no trace of mercy.

A mischievous urge surged within her.

Jiang Jian Yue’s lips parted slightly, and she silently mouthed a few random syllables.

The meaningless answer made the man collapse to his knees on the gravel, his wide eyes losing their light.

Even in death, his mind kept turning over what Jiang Jian Yue had said.

Jiang Jian Yue crouched down and pulled several items from his pocket—a “phone” that had just disabled her invisibility, a necklace, a double-scythe Badge, and a stack of folded papers.

When she pressed the side key of the “phone,” the screen flashed, then went dark, perhaps triggered by a fingerprint sensor.

A line of red text appeared:

Recognition error. Reporting information to the Clean-up Squad.

Please remain in place and await Death Sentence.

Another line popped up below:

Not connected to the GPRI Server. Repeating request.

Wow, GPRI sure knows how to throw its weight around.

She pressed the “phone”’s side key against the man’s finger, but it was useless—still a black screen with red text.

Your GPRI’s fingerprint sensitivity must be pretty confident! You’re not even worried about false positives?

She couldn’t help imagining someone pressing the button with greasy fingers after eating fried chicken, getting a recognition error, and then being “erased” by their own side.

Ridiculous.

She could only set the “phone” aside for now.

She unfolded the stack of papers.

Many names were listed, with those before Jiang Jian Yue’s all smeared with blood.

So many people had died.

Jiang Jian Yue couldn’t quite figure out what the GPRI remnants’ true goal was.

But their strength wasn’t as formidable as she’d imagined.

At least this guy was pitifully weak.

She tapped the man’s Corpse with her finger.

A surge of tingling energy spread through her body, easing the pain in her arms.

A crack opened in her palm, revealing a blood-red eyeball that matched the color of her irises.

Why were all her abilities so bizarre?

She was still a kid on the outside—she wanted something as cool as Hattori’s abilities, too!

Damn it!

Stuffing everything into her pocket, a bulging Stomach Sac formed at her abdomen.

She walked forward along the train track.

Mejiro wasn’t far—she could just walk back.

With so few people around, the train tracks were among the safer places—as long as you avoided trains.

But as long as you were sane, who would run down the middle of the tracks?

***

Jiang Jian Yue placed the Omamori, its bloodstains long dried, on her computer desk.

Her gaze swept over the screen.

She reached behind the monitor, fingers brushing over the surface, and took down a button-like object.

Bringing it to her eyes, it looked like a Listening Device.

How rude—to install something like this in a beautiful girl’s room.

What if 0721 got recorded?

GPRI remnants?

No, from their earlier behavior and motives, there was no reason for them to plant a Listening Device.

Then it had to be the work of The Light Extinguishers.

As for Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu…Jiang Jian Yue hadn’t even considered it.

She was just about to call Morita to have them come up and check the room when a phone call came in.

It was Yuki Asahi.