Not a detective

Page 88

Chizuko nodded, quickly picked up the stopper again and put it back in place. She then took a wooden box from her backpack, put it inside, and carefully put it away.

"Trying to commit suicide? That's too easy for you, isn't it?"

Asakawa Riku turned around and slowly increased the pressure on his hands.

In an instant, the terrifying sound of bones breaking rang out, accompanied by screams, as Fujishima Misuzu's wrist was crushed bit by bit.

Her muscles and skin were kneaded together, leaving only a bloody mess, eliminating any possibility of her taking her own life.

"I...! I didn't do anything wrong! Wasn't Yukie being bullied...! What's wrong with giving her power? What's wrong with such a powerful superpower!"

Fujishima Misuzu screamed and struggled, "She was the one who attacked me, not me! I only gave her this power, why don't you blame her?!"

"No, you're lying."

Chizuko coldly replied, "You only felt jealousy and anger when you saw your ex-husband and his new family. So you used Yuki as your tool for revenge. On the way back to Tokyo, you deliberately made her use the air conditioning to trigger the Yuki-onna's power. This was all a plan you orchestrated. You are the real mastermind and the complete culprit behind the scenes!"

Asakawa Riku threw the disheveled Fujishima Misuzu on the ground, ignoring her wails and screams.

He said, "I won't kill you... As for your final fate, let Yuki decide for herself."

Looking at Yuki behind him:

"Is this okay?"

"Ah."

Yukie lifted her tear-streaked face and nodded.

Although there was still vulnerability and heartbreaking sadness in her eyes, the girl at this moment seemed to have overcome something.

"Thank you, brother... sister, and that detective. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have the courage to stand here."

Her hair was gradually stained white. At this moment, Yuki-e, the "Snow Woman," was no longer an illness, but something she could control.

She approached the woman on the ground who dared not look her in the eye—her mother.

"I still have so much to say to you..."

Please listen carefully.

...

"Yuki probably won't kill her, right?"

Finally, to give them space to "reunite and catch up," the remaining three people went outside.

There's no need to worry about Yukie being in danger, even though the "Yuki-onna's" abilities are mostly limited to snowfall and cannot be fully utilized indoors.

But for ordinary people, it's more than enough.

“Hmm.” Asakawa Riku nodded. His thoughts were the same as Chizuko’s; it shouldn’t come to that. “However, being able to vent some emotions is a good option.”

As for Fujishima Misuzu's crimes, even if she doesn't die now, it's enough to keep her in prison for the rest of her life.

Asakawa Riku also said:

"The others in the research institute are the same; they are all accomplices and direct participants in human experimentation. Once the truth is found, we'll call the police and give them a verdict."

He felt a pang of regret. Had he just indulged in the fantasy of being a "private law enforcer" again?

Since this world has an official agency dedicated to dealing with crimes committed by people with supernatural abilities, let's leave it to the professionals to handle.

"that……"

Just as Chizuko was about to say something, she was interrupted by Shinonome Suetsuki behind her.

The detective pointed ahead and suddenly said, "There's someone up ahead. Do you still want to talk?"

……Um?

Asakawa Riku and Chizuko turned around in surprise almost simultaneously, and sure enough, they saw a figure right in front of them, amidst the densely packed workstations and research equipment.

The man, dressed in a white coat, sat there with an air of nonchalance, his presence almost blending into the building, making him almost imperceptible.

Even Asakawa Riku's senses missed it for a moment... as if that guy was born for this place.

“Ibuki Ren…”

His pupils locked onto the other person.

Although the eventual reunion was anticipated, a sense of tension still inexplicably permeated the air at this moment.

Ren Ibuki was probably the person who came closest to "killing" Riku Asakawa in his entire life.

That cup of poisoned wine plunged him into a coma, leaving him completely vulnerable and at the mercy of others. The danger emanating from him had reached an unprecedented peak.

"Asakawa Riku..."

The other party responded by addressing him by name.

He slowly turned the swivel chair around and saw long, flowing hair, a slightly effeminate face, and piercing, hawk-like eyes. His age was surprisingly similar to these people.

"I've done a lot of research. Who exactly are you? How could you survive the effects of the [Divine Poison] and even be alive and kicking now? It really gave me a fright."

"You weren't on the guest list this time. You were a pawn that suddenly barged in and disrupted my destiny. It's a pity you tricked me so well, otherwise my plan would have succeeded."

Ibuki Ren raised an eyebrow:

"Now that you're back in front of me, it seems this all needs to come to an end, right?"

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Hard-Worker

"Divine poison..."

Chizuko took the reagent out of her backpack again.

Under the light, it appeared as a crystal-clear purple liquid, which was somewhat viscous when gently shaken, which was quite strange.

Who would have thought that adding it to wine could turn it into a deadly poison that could kill instantly?

"Legend has it that Minamoto no Yorimitsu, in order to slay demons, led the Four Heavenly Kings to a blood-soaked feast. In the Dragon Palace, he filled the palace with poisoned wine and offered it to the demons. Shuten-dōji and his men drank the poisoned wine and soon fell into a deep sleep. Shuten-dōji, disguised as a handsome young man, revealed his demonic form. Seeing that the time was right, the samurai changed into their armor, killed the sleeping demons, and bound Shuten-dōji to his bed. Taking advantage of his moment of inattention, they swiftly beheaded the demon king... That is probably the origin of his name."

Chizuko spoke calmly, holding the test tube steadily in her palm:

"Mount Ooe, the Sake Heaven Pavilion, the Dragon Palace Palace, a deadly poison that can kill even ghosts—it truly lives up to the name of this place."

"Oh, you got it? It seems Ms. Fujishima failed... What an incompetent person, she really shouldn't have been given such an important position."

Ibuki Ren wasn't surprised; she simply gave a cold laugh.

"You don't think it's anything special, do you? It's just a failed product I made by accident. It's at most a bonus and has no value."

"As expected, you're that 'Professor,' aren't you?" Asakawa Riku's deep voice said, "I should have guessed."

In other words, the "professor" who appeared in the research institute in the story told by Yuki should be Ibuki Ren herself.

He is the person in charge of this underground facility... a genius boy on whom the Dongyun family places high hopes.

In Yukie's words, she mentioned that "the professor is very young." But if you think about it carefully, it doesn't seem right. After all, Yukie was only seven or eight years old at the time, and even now she would only be fourteen. If she says "young," then she is probably not just young, but even about the same age. This guy is a "monster."

Ren Ibuki is the absolute core of this [superpower research], and he controls everything.

But now he's giving an irrelevant answer:

"It's snowing outside... My soldiers have all been wiped out, and reinforcements can't come. It seems I've been checkmated. You guys are really something, psychics, onmyoji, all sorts of weirdos. As expected, those who control power are the real strong ones. I shouldn't have let that girl go in the first place; maybe I could have trained her into an excellent subordinate."

"You bastard!!" Chizuko roared in fury.

She clenched her fist, feeling like she wanted to go over and hit the other person herself.

“Onmyoji.” Ibuki Ren’s eyes swept over her: “But unfortunately, yokai are not objects to be ‘studied,’ and they are not my kind of people.”

"So you've turned your attention to [superpowered individuals]?"

Shinonome Suetsuki stood to the side, unusually serious.

“To be precise, it’s turned to you.” Ibuki Ren smiled. His gaze towards Sueki lacked the admiration a man might have for a woman; instead, it was more like a scholar dissecting his research subject. “My lady, why did you have to bring in a divine intervention and disrupt my plans? I was just one step away from success, and all I needed was you.”

Mo Yue ignored his nonsense and simply sneered:

"Then you can only blame yourself for not knowing how to play bass."

"What exactly are you trying to achieve!" Asakawa Riku stepped forward, closing in on him. "Is it to turn people into superpowered beings? You've already succeeded, haven't you!"

"You don't understand anything at all."

Ibuki Ren's face turned cold: "Let me tell you my research findings. All these years of research have only told us one thing: humans cannot become superpowered. Humans are humans, and superpowered individuals are superpowered individuals. They are two different species. Some people are born with natural talents, while others remain ordinary people their entire lives. This is predetermined in their genes, bloodlines, bone marrow, and brains. At most, I can only activate the superpowers that others are destined to have in advance. Other than that, I can do nothing. That is the truth!"

So... Yukie's superpowers weren't created through modification, just like that spider woman's.

Is it a talent that is "innate"?

"so what?"

"How about it? Hahahaha..."

Ibuki Ren threw her head back and laughed loudly, then coughed violently, as if she were about to vomit up her insides: "This is my mission, this is what I'm meant to do! God gave me such a brilliant mind so that I could change this unequal world! All people are born equal, and everyone has the right to superpowers! Isn't that great!"

"This is not a reason for you to sacrifice others at will."

Asakawa Riku stood still, his expression unwavering, calmly confronting the man.

"If you had just stayed put and continued with your research, I probably wouldn't have bothered you, and I might even have supported your ideas. Unfortunately, you did something unforgivable. Although those participants were volunteers at first, you didn't say there would be any danger to their lives, did you? That was murder... And what you did to Yuki, I will not forgive you either."

His obsession with sin kept his mind clear at this moment.

Ibuki Ren clearly scoffed at this, and he mocked:

"What's the standard by which you make your judgment? The law? Can the law supersede genius? If so, many great discoveries would never have appeared in this lifetime. Are you going to arrest me, my partner in justice? Without a genius like me, humanity's research into superpowers might regress by decades... no, I guarantee it will be permanently stagnant!"

"Are these your last words?"

Asakawa Riku's voice had become so hoarse at some point.

Perhaps it was the other party's attitude toward "human experimentation" that reminded him of a sordid period in history.

It was also some researchers, some people who don't deserve to be called doctors, who did things that are abhorrent and hateful.

"You deserve to die..."

At this moment, Ibuki Ren's figure had already overlapped with it.

Asakawa Riku became extremely angry, and at the same time, his blood turned extremely cold. He abandoned all restraints and had already imposed the most cruel punishment on his opponent.

"I've also thought about that question: why do the protagonists in novels all have all sorts of superpowers? They can fly and dive into the earth, they're omnipotent, they can fire energy blasts at will, they can use magic or cultivate immortality, which I envy... But the effort I've put into achieving this is through constant struggle. The power I have today is not something I took from others, nor was it achieved by sacrificing anyone, it's not a superpower, nor was it a system or a gift from daily check-ins! Every bit of it is the result of my all-out effort and personal training!"

Ibuki Ren laughed, watching Asakawa Riku run towards him, and let out a satisfied, wild laugh:

"Striving? ...Coincidentally, I'm a hard worker too!"

He picked up a briefcase at his feet: "Asakawa Riku! Let me show you the results of my hard work, hahaha, we're kindred spirits!"

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Thirty-Eight - Divine Poison

The lid of the suitcase opened automatically in an instant and popped open.

A large syringe, wrapped in soft padding, came into view. Ibuki Ren picked it up and, without hesitation, injected it into her arm.

He didn't disinfect or look for blood vessels; instead, he pierced the white coat and went straight in.

"That's... the potion of the Divine Poison!" Chizuko instantly recognized the purple liquid in the syringe: "Don't let him commit suicide!"

She commanded the shikigami, but Asakawa Riku's speed far exceeded that of many others!

He moved forward at breakneck speed, and then, raising his hand, he aimed precisely while running and snapped his fingers.

boom!

Like a bullet fired from a fingertip, it produced a tremendous sonic boom.

Asakawa Riku didn't flick any pebbles or hidden weapons; he simply flicked "air." This technique wasn't very lethal, but it was enough to pierce glass.

A normal person cannot bounce air, but he did it.

With a snap, the syringe he was aiming at broke open, scattering the liquid inside and preventing Ibuki Ren from successfully injecting it.

However, Ibuki Ren's face did not show any panic; instead, she smiled.

"Suicide? No, no, no... You have a huge misunderstanding about me. I would never do such a thing."

An unbelievable phenomenon occurred before everyone's eyes.

The broken syringe, which should have allowed the liquid to fall, instead hung suspended in the air, forming a splashing shape like viscous slime.