Chapter 44: Being a Guest

Toying with a matchbox against Kudo Shinichi's struggling, Gin pondered his next itinerary.

The traces of supernatural entities had been deduced.

Several murder cases with unusual methods had recently occurred in Chiba Prefecture; during this sensitive period, any anomaly could potentially be the presence of the extraordinary.

Moreover, he was a high-ranking member of the Organization in Japan and could mobilize massive resources. To investigate the extraordinary, the Organization had allocated substantial resources, making it effortless to pinpoint the problematic areas in Chiba Prefecture.

However, it was uncertain whether this was that same Tengu from before.

The brow beneath his fedora furrowed slightly, and his eyelids lifted slightly to look at Kudo Shinichi, who was still suffering.

According to this fellow's account, the Tengu's sorcery could block pistol bullets, and back then, the Metropolitan Police Department had used a Barrett rifle to break through the Tengu's defense and snap both of its arms.

"Heavy firepower is required." Coincidentally, this was his area of expertise.

Perhaps some monsters could withstand modern firepower, but based on the level described by Kudo Shinichi, he could handle it by himself.

Next, all he needed to do was locate the monster haunting Chiba.

While constructing his subsequent plan, Gin suddenly caught a fishy scent, much like the smell of raw fish.

His heightened vigilance made him quickly snap out of his thoughts. He stood up, slipped the matchbox into his pocket, and grabbed the Beretta that permanently resided there.

"What's wrong, Boss?"

"Did you guys smell anything fishy?"

"Fishy? No. We didn't even have fish for lunch."

A bunch of idiots.

How could the Organization ever grow strong in the hands of these guys?

Looking around, there was nothing else except a bat hanging from the eaves outside.

Gin maintained his vigilance. Just at that moment—

"Ha!"

An abrupt laugh rang out, echoing through the entire factory building.

Gin saw that bat suddenly fly in through the upper window, rushing toward another Organization member inside the factory at a speed completely uncharacteristic of a bat, pressing tightly against his face.

The painful whimpers and bodily struggles proved that this bat was definitely abnormal.

"Bang!"

Without hesitation, Gin pulled out his Beretta and fired a shot.

But the next second—

"Clang!"

A child suddenly leaped up and appeared in his field of view, blocking the bullet's trajectory right in its path. Gin's pupils constricted sharply.

That bullet had been deflected!

The creature before him was a bizarre species resembling a three- or four-year-old child, its entire body covered in scales, with iron armor plating its back. Its lower limbs possessed gleaming, sharp claws that slowly extended—resembling a Kappa. But even for Gin, it was impossible to mistake such a vividly distinct Japanese monster.

A monster!

In just that fleeting instant, that Organization member had already collapsed limply to the ground, utterly devoid of breath.

"A Suiko? A Nozuchi?" Hattori Heji, who had been cramming knowledge about monsters lately, wore a hesitant look as he tried to guess the species of the two monsters before him.

"Boss!" Vodka snapped back to reality and shouted.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

By the time you react, the former Prime Minister's grave grass would already be three meters tall!

The continuous gunfire brought Vodka back to his senses, and he pulled out his weapon and started firing.

As the Organization's ace, Gin's marksmanship could be called top-tier, and his bullets accurately struck the Suiko standing just over ten meters away.

Clang, clang, clang.

The Suiko—with a face that looked like a child's yet was chillingly eerie—let out an even more hair-raising laugh.

Seeing the bullets blocked by the Suiko's scales, Gin's expression shifted slightly.

This thing required a machine gun!

"Boom!"

The moment the thought arose, a loud crash came from the roof, followed by the appearance of a massive hole. An unidentified object directly smashed through and landed on the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

Gin forced his eyes open. Amidst the settling dust, a monster with an even more distinct appearance stood in the center.

A Tengu!

Noticing the Tengu's intact arms, thoughts flashed through Gin's mind.

Wasn't this the one that had fled to Chiba Prefecture?

"It's you?!"

As he thought this, the Tengu in front of him suddenly spoke, and its target was... Kudo Shinichi?

Crouching in the back and trying to keep quiet in hopes of making people forget his existence, Kudo Shinichi heard that familiar voice and instantly felt his life was hopeless.

Well, what do you know—Chiba Prefecture is so big, yet he actually ran into it.

Fortunately, this time the Tengu wasn't looking for him.

Watching Gin, who was still trying to find an opportunity, the Tengu stepped closer, sniffed, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Not bad, this darkness is quite impressive. Kid, Lord Tsuchigumo wants to see you."

"!!" Hattori Heji's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the Tengu.

"Also..." The Tengu exerted a slight force with its right foot and threw a punch.

"Boom!"

The explosive roar of the fist colliding with the air made Gin's pupils contract as he looked at the fist paused right in front of him.

He couldn't dodge it, and furthermore... he couldn't block it!

"Follow, or I'll kill you. Bring those two brats in the corner along too."

Hearing the Tengu's words, Gin clenched his fists.

"Boss, what should we do now?" Vodka carefully sidled up to him.

What should they do?

"Follow."

Gin didn't want to deal with this utterly stupid fellow right now.

Given that so much time had passed and there was still no movement outside, it was obvious that the outer perimeter Organization members had been wiped out.

Unless he could complete the steps of pulling out a Barrett, loading, aiming, and firing within one second under the watchful eyes of three monsters, he would be torn to shreds by the furious monsters in the very next second.

Just the Tengu's casual display of power had made him feel utterly powerless, let alone the two other monsters standing beside it.

Was he supposed to count on Vodka?

"Go bring them along." That was the task Vodka should be doing.

---

Chiba Prefecture was dominated by plains and hilly regions, while Chiba City was mainly characterized by the Boso Hills. These hills presented rolling, undulating mountains that formed the primary component of Chiba Prefecture's greenery.

It was also very suitable for certain things to conceal themselves within.

Deep within the lush forest, a ten-meter-high cave hid away.

The massive figure that had been immersed there for some time slowly rose. Just the momentum generated by standing up showcased the terrifying nature of this behemoth.

Tsuchigumo.

A terrifying monster that had slaughtered more than half the population of Shimoe Village after breaking its seal in Nara Prefecture.

Facing a monster of this caliber, even Gin found it difficult to maintain his composure.

Beneath his composed expression, his heart hammered wildly beneath his trench coat.

Deep breath, deep breath...

Barely managing to stay calm, Gin lifted his head to look at that ferocious demon mask.

"Why did you bring us here?"

"I brought you? You are the ones searching for us."

Tsuchigumo chuckled lightly, his voice echoing through the cave used for 'recuperating and gathering strength.'

Inwardly, Gin cursed those intelligence-gathering idiots for leading the enemy right to them without even realizing it!

Before Gin could speak again, a gust of wind howled past, and Tsuchigumo's ferocious demon mask pressed close to Gin, causing him to instinctively hold his breath.

"The darkness on you is very dense. Come and serve me."

Before Gin could fully process the meaning of those words, his expression changed drastically the next second. He dropped to his knees, panting heavily while clutching his chest tightly.

The pain! It felt as though every single cell in his body was being reassembled!

"Boss!" Seeing Gin in this state, Vodka cried out in panic.

"You come too."

"Ah!!"