Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

It was a stone statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, about four or five meters tall, made of rough and ancient material. A warm and tranquil milky white light was emanating from within, softly spreading out.

Even from dozens of meters away, Uesugi could feel the warmth of the light, and her anxiety melted away like ice and snow, bringing her a rare moment of peace.

"What's going on?" she asked herself softly, feeling incredulous.

But could it be Ksitigarbha?

This stone burial site emerging from the ground is not an isolated case.

In Fujiyoshida City and Gotemba City, which were almost deserted due to evacuation or fire, in the city center, at almost the same time, stone statues of Jizo emerged from the ground and stood silently.

Even amidst the rubble of the ruins of Mount Fuji, not far from Nobita and his companions, accompanied by an even greater tremor, a larger Jizo statue, over ten meters tall, emerged from the ground, its stone surface also shimmering with a serene glow.

"The radiation... has decreased?"

Nobi was squatting beside the unconscious Hayato when a strange feeling of lightness suddenly flowed through his body, as if it had relieved him of some invisible stinging sensation that had been present since he arrived here.

Iwasaki didn't speak. The black mist suddenly exploded, turning into a thick, massive, ground-hugging dark cloud that instantly covered an area with a radius of nearly a hundred meters.

A few seconds later, the black mist contracted rapidly, condensing back into a physical Ringwraith form.

“It didn’t disappear.” Iwasaki pointed his sword at the center of the remains in the area of ​​Mount Fuji’s main body. “It was forcibly gathered by some force and drawn to that place, the location where Mount Fuji used to be.”

"Is this a good thing?"

Nobi wasn't sure, and tried to wake Hayato again, but there was still no response.

Iwasaki nodded slightly: "For the vast majority of ordinary people, it is indeed a good thing."

"This is a formation, isn't it? The Nine Formations of Ksitigarbha?" Nobita looked up at the stone statue. "Could it be left by the White-Clothed Mask? He has both the Crimson Demon Slayer and the Nine Formations of Ksitigarbha on his hands. Who exactly is he to Doman Akatsuki?"

“Perhaps.” Iwasaki casually changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Hirosue Eri, who was standing blankly on the muddy ground not far away. “The island is still nearby. I need to take him back to Tokyo as soon as possible. You can handle things here.”

His words were not a question, but an announcement.

Nobita remained silent.

He himself was already at his limit, Hirosue Eri was in a weak state, but Reno was awake and was swaying and struggling to move towards them.

Iwasaki ignored Renault who was approaching, and after speaking, he flew into the air and disappeared into the volcanic ash.

Nobi bent down to continue checking Hayato's condition, and without looking up, asked, "Mori, do you still have any holy spring water on you?"

Renault stopped and, without hesitation, reached into his pocket and pulled out the only two small crystal bottles he had, handing them over with a swift and decisive motion.

Nobita took the bottle, his movements pausing subconsciously, a hint of surprise flashing through his mind.

To be honest, he already knew that Renault's closeness and adoration for him were probably fake, and that he had ulterior motives.

The identification method is very simple, because you can't get any cards from him at all!

Even Uesugi, whom he had never met in real life, was able to provide him with a card. Given Reno's friendly demeanor, even if it was delayed, a bond should have been formed by now.

But no, so he realized that Renault was most likely faking it.

Therefore, Nobita never relaxed his vigilance against Renault, remaining outwardly calm but secretly on guard.

But now he's so readily handing over two bottles of holy spring water that could save lives?

It's simple, because he's already made a profit.

Surely you don't think he deliberately got injured while underground just to avoid fighting.

His true purpose was to take care of the injured and unconscious Hayato, using the guise of care to actually act as a vampire.

It was because Renault drained his life essence that Hayato is now unconscious and looks like he's dead.

He is the root cause of Hayato's current state of severe injury and near death.

Nobita pried open Hayato's mouth and fed him the first bottle of holy spring water.

The liquid slid down his throat, but Hayato's eyelids remained unmoved, and his vital signs remained weak. Nobi gritted his teeth and downed the second bottle, but the situation remained unchanged, showing no improvement.

This is a huge problem. None of the players have any healing abilities to save their lives. Nobita felt helpless.

Could I redeem it with points? But the points haven't been settled yet, and only the Life-Sustaining Pill and Body-Strengthening Pill are cheap in the game store; all other pills are ridiculously expensive.

Holy Spring Water is the most effective health potion they can currently obtain.

If none of these work, are we supposed to expect medical intervention?

Renault stood to the side, his eyes thoughtful.

It seems the aftereffects of having one's life essence drained are quite severe; even the holy spring water can't replenish it.

Left with no other option, Nobi had to urgently seek help from players via private messages to Uesugi and Taki.

[Zheng: You're saying Hirosue Eri was also there?]

[Zhi: Yes, she's in very poor condition, but she should be conscious. What's wrong?]

[Zheng: I suspect that Hayabusa might not want to live a nomadic life with you. He may have family, and he doesn't have the ability to conceal his identity. Now that his appearance has been exposed to the countermeasures department, they've probably already discovered his identity. Joining the government might be the best solution to save his life right now. The government has the ability to transfer him to a safe environment for treatment.]

[Satoshi: I'm worried about Hayabusa's own wishes.]

[The reality is staring you in the face: Tokyo's medical system is paralyzed. You're injured too, and in your condition, you're simply incapable of finding him a safe area and effective treatment. Should you let him die, or accept official protection and care? Since Hayabusa can't answer that now, the choice is yours, but the answer is obvious.]

[Zheng: Don't worry too much, I've got the countermeasures department covered. I'll try to look after Hayabusa. Besides, after this battle, the fact that we players have a way to communicate directly is no secret to the countermeasures department. They might only be one step away from confirming the existence of the game.]

[Zhi: Understood, thank you for your help]

[Zheng: I'm not bothering you, you're bothering Hirosue Eri. You need her help now.]

Nobita put away his communicator and silently took a breath of the dusty air.

"Sen, keep an eye on him."

Nobi whispered something to Reno, gesturing for him to look after Hayato. Reno nodded and silently sat down next to Hayato.

Nobi struggled to his feet, stepping on the gravel, and walked step by step toward Hirosue Eri, who was still sitting in a duck-like position.

As he got closer, he seemed to see a few wet drops fall from Eri's downcast cheeks, soaking the mud and stones beneath her.

Sensing someone approaching, Eri immediately turned her head slightly, quickly wiped her eyes with her hand, and asked in a calm voice, "What do you want?"

Nobita pretended not to have seen what had just happened and made a request.

Hopefully, she can bring Hayato along when the official team arrives so he can receive medical treatment.

"The support team should arrive soon. You can go now. I will truthfully inform the authorities that there are extraordinary beings here who need rescue." Yingli, still with her head tilted to the side, calmly agreed without refusing.

Nobita hesitated for a moment, but still sincerely said, "Thank you."

Then he turned and, together with Renault, staggered away from the edge of the battlefield that buried Mount Fuji and a millennium plan.

Only after the two figures had completely disappeared did Hirosue Eri slowly raise her head, and the tears she had been suppressing finally slid down her cheeks silently.

She hastily wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, gently clutched her heart, slowly stood up, walked to a spot not far from Hayato, and silently sat down.

Looking at the enormous Ksitigarbha statue in the distance, still radiating a soft glow, her mood seemed to calm down slightly.

She glanced at Hayato, who was unconscious beside her, then gently hugged her knees and curled up.

The sorrow of the forest continuously seeped into her heart.

It seems that the more she is assimilated by the power of the divine flower, the stronger her empathy for the forest becomes.

Looking at the arm, the seed roots on the wrist have already spread to the shoulder.

I don't know how much longer she can hold on.

Tuk-tuk-tuk.

A sound came from the sky, and a helicopter hovering at low altitude spotted Yingli on the ground. It hovered over a relatively flat patch of scorched earth nearby, then slowly descended, raising a cloud of dust.

They landed smoothly, and a group of bulky figures in airtight protective suits emerged.

Leading the group was Leon, whose signature confident stride was recognizable even through the thick mask.

He approached Eri and pointed to Hayato on the ground.

“He needs the best treatment,” Eri said.

Leon nodded, waved his hand, and had someone bring out a stretcher to take Hayato onto the helicopter.

Others, wearing the same protective suits but with different badges, surrounded the faintly glowing statue of Jizo.

Some people took out impressive-looking instruments and quickly scanned and recorded readings of the stone statue; others carefully touched the stone surface with small tools; still others were clearly interested in the deeper areas—the area that was once part of Mount Fuji itself—and took steps to venture further in.

Eri was unaware that radiation was being concentrated at the original site of Mount Fuji, but she instinctively sensed that the area was very uncomfortable.

“Don’t let him go in,” she said, her voice slightly hoarse. “It’s dangerous inside.”

Leon immediately agreed and had someone stop him.

“Minister,” a researcher carefully removed his hood, “just like in Tokyo, the radiation has disappeared.”

Leon didn't seem surprised; he simply nodded slightly.

His gaze passed over the busy researchers, through the dust kicked up by the helicopter landing, and finally landed on the stone statue.

Its benevolent face stands silently on the edge of the blackened remains of Mount Fuji, emitting a faint light against an endless expanse of darkness painted with volcanic ash.

Is this your mercy?

Chapter 255: The End for All Parties

"Wow, we survived!"

Kurosaki murmured softly, his voice sounding somewhat muffled through his mask.

Wearing protective clothing, he had just emerged from an underground nuclear protection facility. Looking up, he saw the sky smeared with thick volcanic ash, a sight usually only seen in movies or games.

Like darkness, it was filled with oppression.

Even so, being able to return to the surface, instead of being crampedly hiding in an underground cement coffin, still brought him a slight sense of relief and a feeling of exhaustion from surviving a disaster.

Especially the stone Jizo statue that appeared out of nowhere in the distance, radiating a warm light, inexplicably brings a great sense of security.

This is Uenohara City, located east of Fujiyoshida City and west of Hachioji City.

Not long ago, it was constructed as a second line of defense to intercept a possible beast tide that might spread from Mount Fuji.

A large number of heavy weapons were urgently deployed here, troops assembled, and fortifications were constructed. However, the expected overwhelming horde of beasts did not appear; in the end, they only fought a few lava monsters that had fallen.

Besides him, there was a steady stream of Self-Defense Force personnel emerging from underground, fully equipped and lined up, along with numerous transport vehicles.

They have received new orders: to be responsible for maintaining stability in Tokyo.

In other words, they were informed in advance that Jizo statues had appeared in most parts of Tokyo, dispelling the radiation, and the authorities promised that they would not be assigned to work in the radiation zone, which quelled the near-outbreak of riots.

The Self-Defense Forces believe they have already done their job well by holding the line, and although the beast tide didn't come, they can't be blamed for that.

If they were allowed to enter the radiation zone again, they would immediately give up and act like idiots in front of the leaders.

Moreover, dying from resisting monsters and from radiation are two completely different concepts. The latter might be worse than death, and the authorities might even use it for experiments. They're not that stupid.

“Our vehicles are over there.” Ping Shenglong pointed to a small convoy of vehicles with different paint schemes on the other side; that belonged to the Extraordinary Measures Department.

In the sky, fine volcanic ash began to fall silently, like a gray snowfall. It landed on the car roof and on shoulders, adding a chill to the not-so-cold temperature.

chug.

A rhythmic roar of engines came from overhead. Kurosaki subconsciously looked up and saw a few flashing navigation lights flying towards Tokyo under the thick gray sky, their faint light seemingly about to be obscured by the haze.

"Don't we have a helicopter?" Kurosaki asked casually.

Ping Shenglong shook his head: "Volcanic ash is very harmful to flight equipment. There are no more than three helicopters in all of Japan that can fly under such conditions, and they need major repairs after each flight. It's not our turn."

Kurosaki didn't complain and followed Heimori Tatsumi into the countermeasures department's car.

"Don't take off your protective suits in the car, and pay attention to the fluctuations in the Geiger counter. Preliminary tests show that the Ishijizo can only protect against radiation within a certain range. There shouldn't be any Ishijizo along our way back to Tokyo," Taira no Ryu reminded us.

"Oh, it seems the real estate landscape has changed drastically." Kurosaki made a not-so-funny joke.

Boom boom.

Two road clearing vehicles, side by side, turned on their high beams and roared to life, setting off to clear the road and facilitate the passage of the convoy behind them.

Kurosaki looked at the layer of volcanic ash that had begun to spread on the ground, wondering if green grass would grow back here next year.

Many people know that volcanic ash is a type of fertilizer, but that varies depending on the location.

The ash from Mount Fuji is acidic volcanic ash. After it covers farmland, it needs to be left fallow for at least several years to neutralize its toxicity.

Moreover, the deeper it is buried, the longer it will take to recover.