CHAPTER 489: CHAPTER 487: BLOOD SPLATTERS FIVE STEPS_1.

Kumazo Yasuda’s heart plummeted. He knew all too well that due to the experiment’s rejection reaction, the clone wouldn’t live for long. An expiring clone had suddenly taken him hostage. It didn’t take a genius for Kumazo Yasuda to realize this wasn’t a ploy for money or anything similar.

"What do you want to do?"

His tone betrayed a hint of fear, and he quickly added, "I understand that the experiment on you poses significant risks. But if we spend time and effort, we can still resolve the rejection reaction satisfactorily. And keep you alive!"

Kumazo Yasuda tried to evoke the will to live in his captor, in a bid to secure his own chance at survival. He did not wish to perish alongside this clone. Unlike the common folk, Kumazo Yasuda was born into a renowned family, destined from the start to stand above all others—his life was more precious than anyone else’s. Not even the lives of tens of thousands could equal the value of one of his fingers.

Number Nine’s brows furrowed slightly as he spoke in an offhand manner, "Mr. Yasuda, I believe what you should be considering now is coming inside with me. As long as you clear things up in front of the cameras, there won’t be any problems."

"I..."

Kumazo Yasuda still wanted to resist, but Number Nine lost patience with him, retracting his right hand to its original form. Even without morphing into that menacing shape, he could still drag Kumazo Yasuda inside.

The media company chosen by Number Nine used to be a subsidiary of Takizawa Group. After the Takizawa family perished in an accident, with no relatives to claim their assets, their businesses were swiftly divided among the five major consortia and Phoenix Academy. This media company was devoured by the Yasuda Family and renamed Sky Bird Media. The manager, however, hadn’t been replaced yet.

Seizing the opportunity, Number Nine arranged for a live broadcast, ostensibly for the Prime Minister. He then claimed that, for confidentiality reasons, the TV station should promote the live stream using the concept of a mystery guest.

Now, as he dragged Kumazo Yasuda to the entrance of Sky Bird Media, Number Nine raised his hand, pulled the trigger, and shattered the glass door of the office. Shards of broken glass cascaded to the ground like an avalanche.

"Ah!"

The receptionist at the front desk shrieked.

Number Nine raised his gun and said softly, "Could you please keep it down a little?"

"Ah!"

The screaming did not stop, so Number Nine pulled the trigger again. In that instant, the world went silent.

Number Nine continued walking forward with Kumazo Yasuda, smiling at the gathering crowd. "Good afternoon. I am the mystery guest for today’s live broadcast. I’ve already sent a message contacting you, saying the reservation time has changed. It’s a bit rushed, but I hope you can demonstrate your professional skills."

The staff of Sky Bird Media, including the manager, stood there stunned. Learning that Kumazo Yasuda would be doing a show, the manager naturally came out to direct the set himself, hoping to secure his job at Sky Bird Media through this crisis. His son had just gotten married and bought a house, with a thirty-year mortgage to pay off. The manager absolutely could not afford to lose his job at this time.

"We can’t do that for a criminal."

"If you don’t, I’ll kill him."

"No choice then. Everything is for the Prime Minister!"

Full of righteous indignation, the manager ordered, "What are you all waiting for? Hurry up and prepare for the live broadcast!"

This was explosive news! If they could break it, viewership and traffic would soar. As for the consequences, the manager wondered, could it be worse than losing his managerial position? At his age, if he were fired, it would be nearly impossible to find a similar job. Rather than working at a convenience store, he’d bite the bullet and blow this scandal wide open, hoping to gain favor with the Yasuda Family. Perhaps, in light of his dedication, they would let him continue as the company’s manager.

Number Nine smiled. "Spoken like a true manager. Such professionalism."

「Tokyo, Ikebukuro.」

Inside a Maid Cafe, Aozawa sat near a sunlit window. He had ordered a cup of coffee, and the table was also laden with desserts such as mousse cake, doughnuts, and egg tarts. As lunchtime approached, Aozawa wasn’t in the mood to wander around. He chose desserts over a meal.

He had wanted to invite Ayaka out, but unfortunately, she was busy today and couldn’t join him. Aozawa guessed that she was probably preparing for her outfit videos—Ayatsuki Ayaka’s regular fashion features. He had seen them all. They had clearly improved since her school days, and her follower count was rapidly increasing. During her livestreams, people also sent gifts. It was apparent that Ayatsuki Ayaka’s wish to become a million-follower blogger was not just idle talk—she was truly determined to make it happen.

Aozawa swiped through TikTok. Upon seeing a grim and frightening scene, he swiftly scrolled past. For such short videos, he typically watched just a few seconds to decide if they contained anything he was curious about. If not, he would simply move on. When a dancing blogger appeared in the video, Aozawa’s about-to-swipe finger drew back; he didn’t mind wasting a few minutes.

"Mr. Aozawa."

A call rang out. Aozawa casually swiped away the dancing blogger on his screen, landing on a video of a blogger explaining international events. He picked up his coffee, took a sip, and asked, "Class rep, what’s up?"

Arakawa Reina hurried over, her chest practically bouncing with her quick steps, her face alight with excitement. "Quick, look at the livestream on Sky Bird Media!"

Before she finished speaking, she turned her phone screen towards Aozawa, and a familiar face appeared. Blond hair, handsome features—Aozawa vaguely remembered having seen this face before. In his memory, the person with this face should be... Aozawa thought for a moment, feeling he was about to remember the name, but it seemed blurred, as if covered by a mosaic.

He gave up thinking about who this person might be and started searching for the Sky Bird Media livestream. The online viewership had already surpassed 300,000 and was still increasing, with netizens from both home and abroad. The comment section was blowing up.

"No way! Is that really Kumazo Yasuda?"

"It must be AI."

"Impossible, this is a livestream!"

"Haha, that guy deserves this!"

"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!"

Seeing the frenzied netizens, Aozawa grew curious as he watched the man in the video.

「Meanwhile, on the live broadcast...」

"COUGH. COUGH."

Number Nine coughed violently, covering his mouth with a handkerchief. When he moved it away, he showed the blood-stained handkerchief to the camera and said slowly, "As you can see, this is blood. I don’t have long to live. Before I die, I want to expose some of the things the Yasuda Cabinet has done. Within the plan called Takamagahara, there’s an experiment involving clone humans. I am clone human Number Nine. My original body belonged to the forensic scientist Mayers, who died due to a failed superpower awakening."

As he spoke, he tossed aside the handkerchief and took out a bottle of painkillers, laughing. "I’ve been relying on painkillers these past few days to bear the pain from the rejection reaction. Mr. Yasuda, it’s your turn to speak."

Kumazo Yasuda sat there, his face a complex mix of hesitation and indecision. He knew that once he spoke out, his political career would be over. He wasn’t ready to lose his power yet.

Number Nine decisively grabbed a gun and pulled the trigger.

BANG! The sound of the unsilenced gun was deafening. Before the sound fully registered, blood blossomed from Kumazo Yasuda’s shoulder. "Ah!"

The intense pain caused him to scream, nearly making him roll on the ground. Number Nine grasped his shoulder and forcefully pressed him against the desk. The flowing blood was so vivid on camera. The comment section erupted in chaos once more.

Number Nine, unbothered by this, laughed. "This sort of thing seems a bit against the rules, but no worries. If anyone dares to shut it down, I’ll kill this man. Mr. Yasuda, are you ready to talk now?"

"Yes, we had such a plan! But I had no choice! It was all to address the threat from the Different World—a necessary measure!" Kumazo Yasuda admitted to signing off on the plan and tried to justify his actions.

"Actually, I don’t want to criticize what you’ve done." Number Nine smiled. "In fact, if not for this project, I wouldn’t have been born. From that perspective, I should thank you. However, clones also deserve their freedom. Keeping me locked up in a lab all the time was utterly boring."

The gentler his voice, the paler Kumazo Yasuda’s expression became as blood kept flowing from his wound. "I already said you should stick to the agreement and let me go!"

"Don’t rush. The outside must already be surrounded by the Metropolitan Police Department. I wonder when they’ll start trying to persuade me."

"The person inside, listen! We have you surrounded! Release the hostage immediately! Drop your weapons and surrender!"

The shouted words, amplified by a loudhailer, penetrated the room. Number Nine’s face beamed. "Please don’t laugh at them. They know nothing. I don’t have many days left. What good would putting down my weapons do?"

As he said this, Number Nine clenched his right hand. Flesh surged instantly, veins and sinews exposed to the camera, his right arm swelling as thick as an elephant’s leg. His fingers became like claws.

"WHAT?!"

The on-site film crew stared in shock.

Number Nine smiled. "Look, everyone. This is the result of the modification experiments they conducted on clones, causing strong rejection reactions in my body. I don’t have long to live. Let me show you the power of this hand."

A chill shot down Kumazo Yasuda’s spine. He yelled, "Don’t do it!"

As his words fell, his vision was engulfed by a blazing white flash of lightning. Number Nine’s right claw sliced from top to bottom, cleaving Kumazo Yasuda’s head open. Blood, brain matter, and white bones were all displayed before the camera.

At that moment, the filming crew stood frozen on the scene.

Simultaneously, the SAT received news of Kumazo Yasuda’s death. They immediately abandoned any attempts at gentle persuasion and broke in. Gun barrels quickly aimed at Number Nine behind the office desk.

Number Nine smiled, spread his arms wide, and embraced death.

RATATAT! Amid the downpour of bullets, the office desk, Number Nine’s body—everything was as fragile as paper.

"End the livestream!"

With a shout, the livestream went dark.

Aozawa stared at the blackened phone screen and murmured, "Everyone’s really heated up."