A dim sun rises over Daimon Island, a hopeless glow. Today is the final chance to stop Nishima.
In the basement of Shunji’s house, Yuto lies motionless on a table, his vigilante suit removed. Slowly, he begins to regain consciousness. A familiar voice calls his name.
“Yuto. Yuto, wake up.”
Groaning softly, Yuto’s eyes open. Standing over him is Shunji, who has been tending to him through the night.
“Shunji?” Yuto mutters, his senses sluggish as they begin to return. “What time is it?”
“It’s twelve p.m.,” Shunji answers. “We’ve got twelve hours left to rescue Riku and stop Nishima.”
“What… happened to me?”
“Nishima drugged you,” Shunji explains as he hands Yuto a cup of water. “Here, this has a hydration tablet and electrolyte powder. It’ll help wake you up.”
Yuto takes the cup and chugs it without hesitation. The effects are immediate, his body snaps back into focus. His senses sharpen, his mind clears, and his strength begins to return. He climbs off the table, standing a little unsteadily but determined.
“I gave you a highly concentrated dose of Narcan,” Shunji continues, watching Yuto carefully. “It’ll stop the worst of the withdrawal symptoms, but it’s only temporary. You can thank the CIA for that.”
“Don’t you think they’ll get suspicious with all this equipment we’re using?”
“Probably, but I was one of their most valued agents. They’ll turn a blind eye as long as I’m overseeing it. But listen, right now, walking is the most you’ll be able to handle. You don’t have much strength yet.”
“That’s good enough, I have to get back out there and find Riku.”
“You’re still too weak. The dose slowed the symptoms for now, but you need more time to recover. You’ll be strong enough by tonight.”
“I can move, that’s good enough for me. Hand me one of the burner phones you stashed.”
“What are you planning?”
“I can’t beat Nishima on my own, I’ll need backup.”
***
In the medical sector, the chaos is still present, though not as loud as the day before. The screams and honking horns have softened, and while the crowd of citizens remains, it’s noticeably smaller. Police officers continue guiding the overflow into different sectors.
At the police border surrounding the area, Yamato, Kiara, and Kenta finally emerge from the crowd, exhausted but relieved.
“FINALLY,” Kiara exclaims, letting out a deep sigh of relief.
“Only took half the damn day,” Kenta mutters sarcastically. “And all because—”
“Shut the hell up, Kenta,” Yamato snaps, cutting him off. “I’ve heard that same joke for the past couple of hours.”
“Alright, alright.”
“So… what’s our next move, Yamato?” Kiara asks, clearly eager to get back into action.
Yamato hesitates. “Honestly? I have no idea.”
“You’re joking.”
“Kinda,” Yamato admits with a shrug. “I want to go after Ryota Shima, but I’ll need the right bait to lure him out.”
“RYOTA?!” Kiara shouts, her frustration bubbling over. “YAMATO, WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR WHATEVER PERSONAL VENDETTA THIS IS!”
“This isn’t a personal vendetta, Ryota’s been working with Nishima. If anyone knows where Nishima is, it’s him.”
“And just how do you know that?” Kenta asks, genuinely curious.
“All of Ryota’s recent targets have been the children of scientists linked to those radiation labs. The same ones tied to the victims.”
“Wait, really? How did we miss that?” Kenta asks, surprised.
“Because we’ve been drowning in other problems,” Kiara says, raising an eyebrow at Yamato. “So how did you have time to figure it out?”
Before Yamato can answer, a beeping sound comes from his belt. The noise draws the attention of both Kiara and Kenta. Yamato pulls a small black device off his belt and looks at the screen. On it, a marked location begins blinking.
“What’s that?” Kiara asks, suspicion creeping into her voice.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Yamato sighs, realizing he has no choice but to explain. “Guess there’s no hiding it now. Follow me.”
He approaches one of the officers guarding the border and flashes his badge. “Detective Yamato Fujimura. I need access to one of these cars.”
The officer hesitates only briefly before nodding and handing him a set of keys. Yamato gestures for Kiara and Kenta to follow as they climb into the car and speed off into the twisting streets of Daimon Island.
***
In a wide, dark alleyway, Yuto leans against his sleek black and gray motorcycle. Clad once again in his vigilante suit, he waits silently, his presence blending into the shadows. Despite his weakened body, his alert stance remains unwavering.
Before long, headlights pierce the darkness as a police car pulls into the alleyway. It comes to a stop, and the doors swing open. Out step Yamato, Kiara, and Kenta.
“You brought company,” Yuto says sharply, his tone guarded as he observes the trio.
Without warning, Kenta summons a blade of water, brandishing it with a determined stance. Kiara follows suit, unholstering her gun and aiming it squarely at Yuto. Beads of sweat form on their foreheads as their hands tighten on their weapons.
“Hands up!” Kiara commands, her voice firm. “You’re under arrest!”
Yuto doesn’t flinch. He stares at them with the same steady calm, unfazed by the rookies’ threats.
“Kiara. Kenta. Stand down,” Yamato says, attempting to defuse the tension. “Nobody’s getting arrested right now.”
“Ugh! What the hell, Yamato,” Kiara said, her tone a mix of frustration and disappointment. “I had my suspicions, but I can’t believe you two are actually working together.”
“We’re not partners,” Yuto interjected. “More like… mutual interests. I can help you.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll take my chances with you in cuffs,” Kenta shot back, his voice laced with sarcasm.
Yamato glanced at Yuto, noticing his sluggish movements and weak voice. “Are you okay? You don’t seem like yourself.”
Yuto hesitated for a moment before responding. “Last night, I confronted Nishima.”
The three rookies’ eyes lit up instantly.
“What happened?” Yamato asked, his curiosity piqued.
“He got away,” Yuto admitted, his voice firm but strained. “But not before drugging me.”
“I thought Nishima’s drugs killed the users,” Kiara said skeptically. “How are you alive right now?”
“Nishima made a second drug,” Yuto explained. “This one doesn’t kill. It’s a mix of highly addictive substances. It gets people so hooked that the withdrawal symptoms make them lose their minds. He’s been using it to create an army of people who are completely dependent on his drugs just to survive.”
“Damn… How evil can one guy get?” Yamato paused, watching Yuto closely. “So, are you good to go?”
“Not yet,” Yuto admitted. “I’ve managed to suppress the effects for now, but I won’t fully recover my strength until tonight.”
“Good,” Kiara cut in, stepping closer and pulling out a pair of handcuffs. “That means we can arrest you easily.”
She approached Yuto, but Yamato quickly stepped between them, blocking her path. “We need his help, Kiara,” he said, his tone calm but firm.
“NO!” Kiara’s refusal was instant and loud, her frustration boiling over. “I’m not working with a criminal!”
“This ‘criminal’ has already given you more useful information than you’ve been able to figure out in an entire day,” Yuto shot back, his voice firm despite his weakened state. “You’ll need my help if you want to stop Nishima.”
“He’s right, Kiara,” Kenta admitted reluctantly, sighing as reality sank in. “He already knows more than we do. Plus, he and Yamato are the only ones who’ve managed to track Nishima down so far. We need him.”
“You too, Kenta?” Kiara said, her voice laced with both disappointment and disbelief.
Yamato placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to reason with her. “Kiara, we have to. You know it’s the only way.”
Kiara stood frozen for a moment, taking a long, tense pause to think about what to do. Finally, she let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine, but just this once.”
Yamato turned back around to face Yuto. “So, what did you call us here for?”
“I want you to find and take down Ryota Shima,” Yuto explained. “He’s our only lead on Nishima’s plans and where he might be.”
“We had the same idea,” Yamato admitted. “But I’m still not sure what you meant when you said we’d need ‘bait.’”
“Ryota’s a troubled man,” Yuto said. “Most serial killers are. But even the darkest people usually have someone they care about, someone who brings a little bit of light into their lives. My guess is, Ryota has someone like that. I was hoping you’d have an idea of who it might be.”
The three rookies fell silent, each taking a moment to think.
“Rei Sawa,” Kenta said, breaking the quiet. “Ryota Shima’s girlfriend. Both his parents are dead, and from what we know, he doesn’t have any close family or friends. It has to be her.”
“And you want to drag her into this?” Kiara interrupted, her voice sharp.
“We don’t have a choice,” Kenta said plainly. “It’s our only shot. Either we do this… or we do nothing at all.”
Yuto reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a small burner phone. “Here,” he said, handing the phone to Yamato. “After you’ve dealt with Ryota and gotten Nishima’s location, call the number on this phone. It’s the only number saved on it. Give me the location, and we’ll take Nishima down together.”
Yamato nodded, slipping the phone into his pocket. “Alright. We’d better get moving.”
“Wait,” Kiara said abruptly, stepping toward Yuto. “Do you have a knife?” She extended her hand expectantly.
Yuto silently pulled a knife from his belt and handed it to her.
“Give me your hand,” she demanded, reaching toward him. “I’m not about to team up with you, but if I can get a blood sample from someone who was recently drugged, the medical sector might be able to find a cure. Assuming there’s anyone left to help, that is.”
Yuto hesitated for a moment but then extended his hand. Kiara gently held his wrist and made a small cut, careful not to go too deep.
She tore a strip of cloth from her clothing and dabbed it against the wound to soak up the blood.
Without another word, Yuto climbed on his motorcycle, revving the engine before speeding off into the city. The three rookies piled into Yamato’s car and headed off as well, the weight of their mission weighing heavily on each of them. They were determined, desperate to finally put an end to Nishima’s reign of terror.