Versatile Mage

“Chief, even if you decide to do this, you need to have everyone’s consent first. All of us work for the Twin Guardian Towers, and we are also willing to risk our lives and honor to defend the Towers. How could you imprison us over fabricated charges? It only shows that you don’t trust any of us!” said the head of the Guard Regiment.

“The Twin Guardian Towers has always been well-organized. There’s no such thing as the Evil Gang. What did they do? Are they truly threatening us? Chief, we’re disappointed with your hasty decision.”

What was the Evil Gang? Thus far, they did not find any evidence about the Evil Gang’s operation. Moreover, the East Guardian Towers maintained foolproof security. Aside from Ki Kurokawa, whom the Chief of the Towers had brought out of the prison, none of the prisoners had ever escaped from it.

If that were the case, why did they have to seal off the Twin Guardian Towers due to some strange theories, and why did they imprison everyone inside the towers because of this made-up Evil Gang?

People from various departments raised objections. Perhaps they did not even care about the existence of the Evil Gang.

“Chief, since you mentioned the existence of such a terrifying organization, kindly reveal it to us so that we can see that the organization is real. Before your subordinate committed hara-kiri, he was already mentally unstable. It was only natural for him to say strange things. As for the young woman, she was the one who arrived at the crime scene first, hence she believed everything she saw and heard,” refuted the head of the Guard Regiment.

“Everyone, keep quiet.” When Katana Mochizuki saw them quarreling, he finally stepped in.

Katana Mochizuki was still an influential man. The crowd respected the elders of the Twin Guardian Towers.

“I can understand that all of you are in a bad mood because of the recent, strange deaths of the people you know or are familiar with. However, based on the facts laid before us, we don’t have to be divided into two groups and suspect each other. We must unite and make up for the past mistakes by investigating the departments that may have been infiltrated. On top of that, we have to figure out what the organization is trying to do and who the leader is. Everyone, it’s not that I suspect you, but I believe some of the evil ideology has demonic properties and can affect our minds subconsciously. Don’t feel burdened if you have come into contact with them. As long as you’re willing to help us, we won’t pursue the matter. After all, it’s not your fault,” Katana Mochizuki said to the crowd in the emergency meeting.

“Mr. Katana, are you saying that you agree to the suggestion?” asked the head of the Guard Regiment.

“Yes.” Katana Mochizuki nodded.

“Tegami Fujikata, how about you?”

Tegami Fujikata also nodded. “We should work hand-in-hand to get through this together.”

“But what is the challenge for us? It seems to me that this atmosphere is all made up. Didn’t most of the bizarre deaths end up having a logical explanation?”

“The truth is, we also have no idea what the challenge is that we’re facing. This is what worries and disturbs us the most. We haven’t figured out what the organization is really up to.” Katana Mochizuki let out a long sigh.

This sort of emotion was horrible. It appeared as though they were aware that disaster was coming but were unable to spot any indications of it. It was as if lightning had just struck in the afternoon, and, immediately after, a downpour occured. They were powerless to stop it!

Katana Mochizuki knew the enemy was on the way. It was approaching them. However, he did not know who the enemy was, or what action to take. He did not know a thing about his enemy!

…

The Chief of the Towers made up his mind. He insisted on sealing off the Twin Guardian Towers and would issue a notice to the public that a prisoner had escaped, thus no one was allowed to go in or out of the towers.

After they left the meeting, Officer Ozawa looked wistful. He turned to Lingling. “I didn’t expect it to turn out this way.”

“But you’re the one who insisted on giving an explanation about the bizarre phenomenon,” said Lingling casually.

“I didn’t expect the issue to be more serious than I anticipated. If I knew the truth, I would have rather remained in a state of panic as before. At the very least, we can comfort ourselves by assuming that everything that happened was purely coincidental.” Officer Ozawa looked disheartened.

No one should blame him for being discouraged. After all, he hired the hunter to keep the Twin Guardian Towers in order and to solve the bizarre issues. Who would have thought the hunter was so smart to the point of researching the background of the Twin Guardian Towers?

The Twin Guardian Towers was covered in years of filth. There was a lot of stuff hidden behind the public eye in the world. This happened not only to the Twin Guardian Towers, but also to the Japanese regime. As long as the man in power turned a blind eye to the issues, who would find out about the internal rots? Most people were only concerned with the chaotic phenomena that happened on the surface and quarreled over personal interests.

Officer Ozawa, have you ever considered the idea that the Evil Gang had long since occupied the Twin Guardian Towers and had altered their appearance and way of life with the aid of the Towers?” Lingling asked.

He was so shocked that he almost stumbled. ‘That was a very bold speculation!’

“Ms. Lingling, your thoughts are indeed quite different from us. Ahem, if the Evil Gang truly occupied the towers, wouldn’t I have become one of them, too?” Officer Ozawa answered wryly.

“That’s why no one should be trusted except Mo Fan and I,” said Lingling.

“If that’s the case, it is equally possible that Mo Fan and you could be the main culprits of the Evil Gang too. You stir up panic in the Twin Guardian Towers, then you control the Chief, Katano Mochizuki, and Tegami Fujikata. You make us harm one another and cause us to be trapped inside the towers,” said Officer Ozawa in jest.

“You finally get it!” Lingling’s face turned solemn.

When Officer Ozawa noticed Lingling’s change of expression, he was so shocked that he almost missed a step again. ‘Could this be the truth?’

By the time Officer Ozawa regained his balance, a chill went down his spine. A silvery laughter rose. Lingling laughed so hard that she held her stomach and sat on the bench by the stone steps. Her body trembled with laughter.

Officer Ozawa stood by the side and scratched his head. ‘Ms. Lingling is teasing me.’

“Ms. Lingling, you seem like you still had a lot to say during the emergency meeting. Although I might not look trustworthy right now, I hope you can tell me more about the issue. I dislike the feeling of being kept in the dark. Even if the truth is worse than what I anticipated, I want to be informed,” Officer Ozawa said solemnly.

“There is a demon here. It enjoys role-playing. We’ve known about it for a while, and we’ve been tracking it since. In the past, we believed it prowled the world’s prisons, feeding on human resentment and other negative emotions. However, we’ve neglected the fact that this is its birthplace, and where the most infamous prison in the world is located. If I were the Red Demon Kazuaki, I’d also build my foundation here,” said Lingling.