Afterword

Shinjuku Ward, Sky Ginza.

Chen Zi'ang stepped into the mall, his gaze hidden behind sunglasses, scanning the passersby. Through the lip-reading device fixed to the inside of his mouth, he silently reported to the command center:

"I have arrived at the north entrance of Sky Ginza."

"Received," came the stern voice of the section chief through his earpiece. "Other agents are on their way. Chen Zi'ang, this is an emergency mission."

"Fifteen minutes ago, a janitor responsible for the third floor, north zone, named Tsugio Kawai (47), was observed undergoing an aberration: canine teeth protruding, skin wrinkling, irises bloodshot, and he was seen staring at passersby while grinding his teeth and growling, displaying strong hostility and aggression."

"The threatened civilians have reported the incident, and after screening, the case was transferred to Countermeasure Division 6. Preliminary assessment confirms it as a [Ghoulification] mutation. A capture order has been issued."

As the section chief spoke, a corresponding image flashed onto Chen Zi'ang’s sunglasses: a 3D structural map of the Sky Ginza north zone, along with the physical appearance and biometric data of the target, Tsugio Kawai.

"Be advised," the voice in the earpiece continued, "upon realizing that the authorities had been alerted, the target did not attack; instead, he chose to hide and vanished. You must first confirm his location."

"Received," Chen Zi'ang confirmed, asking, "Has the CCTV system been accessed?"

"It has," said the section chief. "According to the surveillance footage, the target has not left the Sky Ginza premises. However, because he has worked inside Ginza for a long time, he is very familiar with the distribution of the surveillance cameras. We have not captured any sign of him for ten minutes."

"Should we consider evacuating the shoppers?" Chen Zi'ang asked, frowning as he reached the service stairwell.

Based on current intelligence, the target was not only familiar with the environment but also possessed strong counter-surveillance awareness. If he were allowed to escape from Sky Ginza, the severity of the situation would escalate significantly. It would be better to evacuate the interior under the guise of a "fire incident" while arranging for agents to monitor the exits. If the target tried to blend into the crowd, he would inevitably be exposed, allowing for a swift takedown. If he didn't come out, he would be a trapped rat once the crowd had cleared, posing no further threat.

"Negative," the section chief quickly denied. "Sky Ginza is one of the most prosperous commercial districts in all of Shinjuku; the foot traffic is far too heavy. The public opinion backlash from a forced evacuation is incalculable. Higher-ups will not agree."

"Understood." Chen Zi'ang reached the third floor via the stairs and pushed the door open.

The third floor of Sky Ginza’s north zone was filled with clothing, antique, and luxury boutiques, with a dense, constant stream of pedestrians. Chen Zi'ang quickly blended into the crowd, pressing his finger against the edge of his glasses to pull up the structural map of the third floor again.

The target was last sighted near the ecological observation deck on the north side. Combining this with the distribution of the surrounding surveillance cameras, he narrowed the target’s hiding spot down to one of six nearby shops. Although he had rushed here without bringing an Ectoplasmic Pressure Meter, he was certain he could find the target by searching them one by one... Hmm?

A sudden, secret shiver crawled up Chen Zi'ang’s spine from the depths of his consciousness.

*No, could it be...*

"A summoning ritual!" Chen Zi'ang lowered his voice and reported rapidly, "My intuition detects an anomaly. I suspect a summoning ritual is in progress!"

There was a moment of absolute silence in the earpiece before the tense voice of Section Chief Kensuke Takahashi broke through:

"Are you certain?"

"I am certain!" Chen Zi'ang replied without hesitation.

"Good," Section Chief Takahashi ordered those around him, "Evacuate the civilians inside Ginza immediately! I will take responsibility for this!"

Barely five seconds later, a broadcast alarm sounded: "Due to a sudden fire, please proceed to the nearest emergency exit and evacuate in an orderly fashion. Thank you. Due to a sudden fire..."

As the alarm blared, Chen Zi'ang fixed his gaze on the entrances of the six shops, his mind tightening. A so-called summoning ritual was a specialized rite intended to communicate with abyssal deities. Considering that most of these deities harbored intense malice toward sentient races, such communication, if successful, would almost certainly bring forth grave danger and catastrophe.

However, there were still many customers on the third floor. If he were to directly disrupt the ritual site, it might drive the target to act desperately, causing unnecessary casualties. Fortunately, the passersby, upon hearing the broadcast, were momentarily stunned before beginning to evacuate toward the nearest exits in an orderly manner—this was not necessarily due to the high standards of the islanders, but because earthquakes and volcanic eruptions were so frequent in the Northern Capital that everyone was accustomed to following official disaster-prevention instructions.

"Chen Zi'ang," the voice returned to his earpiece, "Tsukimiya is on her way to support you. Provide cover."

"Isn't Tsukimiya a recruit who joined just yesterday?" Chen Zi'ang asked, frowning.

"We are short-handed," the section chief replied concisely. "She happens to be in the vicinity."

In a temporary emergency, when there are not enough official agents on-site, one must naturally use the closest reserve. That is the meaning of "expediency in times of crisis."

Not long after, someone came running from a distance. Suzuna Tsukimiya, a new recruit who had only joined the Public Security Bureau's Countermeasure Division 6 yesterday, was a girl whose beauty was so stunning that it was impossible to forget once seen.

Her eyes were large and bright with long lashes; her nose was petite and refined; her lips were delicate yet not thin; and her skin was as fair and smooth as jade. Her features were perfectly balanced in size and proportion—no wonder the colleagues who had returned from the interviews yesterday were debating whether "that pretty face was natural or surgical." Her hair was dyed a stylish light brown, cascading down from either side of her lovely cheeks, tied simply with a white hydrangea hair ribbon and resting over her full chest.

However, Chen Zi'ang felt little regarding her beauty. Such a beautiful girl, whether appearing on television programs, magazine covers, or the massive advertising screens at the street corner, was not surprising. But her presence at a scene of mutation was hard to accept. After all, attractiveness could not be converted into work experience, and monsters would not show mercy just because she was pretty.

"Tsukimiya?" Chen Zi'ang gestured slightly, signaling her to hurry over.

Seeming to hear his voice, Tsukimiya, who was still scanning the crowd, looked over quickly. The moment their eyes met, she stared blankly at Chen Zi'ang’s face, her beautiful large eyes revealing a long-lost, longing, and happy emotion.

*...Long time no see, Senior.*

"Tsukimiya!" Seeing this rookie actually spacing out, Chen Zi'ang growled again in the communication channel.

"Senior." Finally snapping out of it, Tsukimiya ran over to his side in small steps, her eyes sparkling. "What should I do?"

"Accelerate the evacuation of the nearby customers," Chen Zi'ang said sternly.

"Please move a little faster, everyone!" Tsukimiya immediately pulled her Public Security agent ID from her coat, showing it to those around her and shouting, "There is a flammable gas leak nearby! A fire could break out at any moment; please leave this floor as quickly as possible!"

The customers, who had been skeptical because they heard the alarm but saw no fire, grew nervous upon seeing a public security agent urging them on and began to quicken their pace to evacuate the scene.

Chen Zi'ang was just beginning to breathe a sigh of relief when his intuition suddenly screamed a frantic warning. Almost simultaneously, the glass display window of a shop in front of them shattered instantly, and a monster on all fours leaped out, fixing its fierce, predatory gaze upon the two of them.