Chapter 15: The Chainsaw Killer

“Reports are coming in from all over. Dispatch suitable personnel to search for supernatural traces nationwide, investigate the Earth Spider and the Umbrella Man, and most importantly... prepare for the people from the United States.”

A series of troubles piled up on the desk, and even Director Shirouma couldn’t help but sigh. Currently, the Metropolitan Police Department had mobilized most of its forces; members were visiting or en route to any place where supernatural phenomena might appear.

But those were all false rumors spread online by attention-seekers, wasting a great deal of police resources and ultimately yielding nothing. Yet they couldn’t ignore them; no matter how slim the hope, they had to verify.

Among the key figures, a few considered inviting Master Chiriku to assist with research afterward, but that remained private. After that day’s meeting, Chiriku declined everyone’s invitations. With a single step, he vanished instantly, and the police surveillance had to slow down tenfold just to catch a glimpse of him.

His leisurely stride looked like a simple walk, yet it was terrifying beyond measure.

If the subsequent supernatural beings were all this frightening...

“That’s unlikely. Master Chiriku’s powers were inspired by the Holy Guanyin; others of the same rank probably wouldn’t be this strong,” Director Shirouma murmured.

Alas, the corpse of the Three-Tailed Bone Cat had already been consecrated by Master Chiriku; otherwise, the police could have pursued that lead.

He sighed and casually picked up a file.

It was a ‘reproach’ from the Osaka Police Headquarters. Naturally, since they openly refused to acknowledge the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, they were emboldened to press their advantage when justified.

The incident occurred in Nara Prefecture, yet they hadn’t notified Osaka Police Headquarters, which was indeed a fault.

Ishikawa Koshichi and his team, being eyewitnesses, had been invited to Osaka Police Headquarters as ‘guests.’

However, it was merely for intelligence gathering. After all, they were from the same family; they wouldn’t resort to criminal interrogation methods. Those guys were probably drunk in some bar somewhere.

Just then, the head of the investigation unit knocked and entered with a sullen face. Seeing his ashen complexion, Director Shirouma’s heart sank.

———

“The Self-Defense Forces stationed in Yamabe District... all of them...”

Director Shirouma’s face twitched, stunned.

The screen switched scenes: amidst chaos, members of the Self-Defense Forces and police lay on the ground, mutilated beyond recognition. Some bodies were fused together in gore; the image was beyond saving, even with pixelation.

“We found this based on surveillance footage left at the scene.”

The screen changed to footage just before the Self-Defense Forces’ demise. Countless wailing spirits howled and charged toward the camp. Behind them stood a pale young man whose eyes brimmed with hatred—he appeared to be a high school student.

Under his control, the spirits feasted on flesh, while the weapons wielded by the Self-Defense Forces were powerless against them. The situation was utterly one-sided.

“This is Ryo Shimoda, a resident of Yamazoe Village, a high school student living with his mother. During the Earth Spider incident, his mother tragically perished.”

———

With Ryo Shimoda’s unreserved assistance, a detailed dossier was laid out.

Director Shirouma frowned deeply, staring at the screen filled with spirits that blotted out the sky. Hesitantly, he said,

“These are from Yamazoe Village...”

“After comparison, they are all residents who died during the Earth Spider upheaval.”

The mask of pain settled on his face. Although it challenged his worldview, already shattered once, he did not mind facing it again.

“Send this information to all senior officials. Let them mobilize their resources and warn them not to be targeted.”

He briefly considered whether to keep it under wraps but ultimately concluded that such significant casualties among the Self-Defense Forces and police could not be concealed for long—if at all.

Worse still, thinking of the worst-case scenario, Director Shirouma took a deep breath.

Previously, thanks to the Earth Spider’s seal being located in the rural Yamabe District, most American soldiers frequented Shinjuku for entertainment, rarely venturing into the countryside. That was how they managed to keep it under wraps—though for how long was uncertain.

But now, with supernatural issues erupting again, that already short window would likely shrink further.

The only good news was that, though Ryo Shimoda had somehow obtained supernatural powers, he was essentially still a high school student. His counter-surveillance skills would inevitably be amateurish, and the Metropolitan Police could track him down.

“We’re racing against time.”

———

Meanwhile, a high school student capable of real-time location monitoring wore a strange expression.

“Is the target set for Tokyo?”

To clarify, this was not his guidance. After dispatching the Self-Defense Forces, grabbing something at home, Ryo Shimoda headed straight for Tokyo. To train his powers and avoid detection en route, he chose a straight path, brazenly charging forward except where he had to dodge people.

“A truly heinous villain.”

Recalling the conditions he had set, he seemed to understand.

Where would the most wicked souls gather? Tokyo, the heart of the nation, a city teeming with influential figures, naturally took the crown.

Simple influential figures wouldn’t suffice, but add yakuza, the hunting dogs kept by these powerful men, and piece by piece—it was complete.

“What a talent. I’m almost looking forward to seeing what you’ll do,” Mizunazuki Shiro chuckled lightly.

He had originally planned for Ryo Shimoda to circle the outskirts of Tokyo, stirring chaos around the neon lights, but it seemed he had underestimated the courage that such power granted a high schooler.

Where was this place?

———

The neon-lit city!

The two-dimensional world, hidden like drifting sand; adolescent delusions perfectly suited to a high schooler’s age.

Thinking about what was to come, his steps grew lighter. Along the way, he even leisurely glanced twice at classmates feeding cats.

From his perspective, the seeds he had sown were already taking root, soon to bloom into flowers.

……

Adachi Ward.

“Hello, everyone! It’s your ‘Peach-chan’! After a day apart, we’re finally back together.”

In front of a shadowed 1980s apartment building, a group of young men and women chatted happily to their phones.

“Today, ‘Peach-chan’ will take you to experience this very building behind us—an abandoned apartment rumored to have housed a Chainsaw Killer engulfed in flames.”

Thanks to the rapid advancement of internet technology, more and more young people had joined the live streaming industry, including many students who produced videos and hosted live broadcasts.

As competition intensified, newcomers had to innovate their content.

Spirit-hunting streamers were a product of this trend, though seasoned veterans had long ventured into this field. This group’s only difference was their high school status.

Everyone knew that youthful innocence was a nostalgia every adult cherished, and riding on the peak physical condition of high school students, coupled with multiple dangerous live performances, this small team had gained a certain reputation.

“Ahem, although this apartment has a terrifying legend, so much time has passed that no one should still be inside. But let’s look forward to the adventure this building might bring.”

With affectionate respect for their viewers, the four stepped into the apartment, still marked by the scars of fire.

Immediately upon entering, a pungent stench assaulted their senses.

“Ugh, what’s that smell?”

“Smells like gasoline?”

They were puzzled. Before coming, they had investigated; the apartment had been abandoned since the fire. Where could gasoline have come from?

Suddenly, the piercing roar of a chainsaw rang out.

———