Shinjuku, Central Building, office of the Special Intelligence Investigation Department.
Jack habitually slacked off, sitting in his chair, admiring the view outside the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a square whiskey glass, mimicking a scene from a movie. He gently swirled the glass, the ice cubes colliding and clinking crisply against each other.
The deep brown whiskey emitted a seductive luster.
This was the lifestyle of a successful person.
Jack looked down on the beautiful scenery outside the floor-to-ceiling window and took a sip of his drink.
A knock came from the door. Jack swiftly put away his glass and called out, "Come in."
The door opened, and an agent stepped in, saying, "Minister Jack, we just discovered someone inputting Emily's name online."
Jack's brow furrowed slightly, realizing the seriousness of the matter. "Who is looking up her information?" he asked.
"According to our surveillance, Noda Dentistry seems to be involved with our people," the agent replied.
The agent handed over a report and said truthfully, "It seems to be a case handled by another department."
Jack was startled. He reached for the report, his face turning grim.
Although they were the CIA's branch in Japan, all standards were set according to headquarters.
Management Division, Operations Division, Science and Technology Division, Intelligence Division.
Jack was unclear about the exact number of staff, but he knew that the CIA's influence permeated every aspect of Japan.
From every phone call made by the Prime Minister to chats among ordinary citizens, everything was within their grasp.
The Special Intelligence Investigation Department he was in charge of was just one of the CIA's departments in Japan. It couldn't represent the CIA in Japan itself.
Of course, because of Dio, his authority as the minister of this department was significant. It was nearly equal to that of the branch director, John.
But he was not Director John, and there was some intelligence that the higher-ups wouldn't let him know.
Jack pondered for a moment and waved his hand. "You may go."
"Yes, sir."
The agent withdrew.
Jack dialed Director John's number. He had to find out what Noda Dentistry was up to.
His performance depended on Emily.
BEEP. The call connected swiftly.
"Is something big happening?" John asked, his voice very grave.
Jack scratched the stubble on his chin and asked, "Director, why are we covering for Noda Dentistry?"
"It's related to Biological Research Lab 47's Z Drug. Recently, experimental materials have been scarce. Consequently, the higher-ups decided to administer some of the longer-acting drugs to ordinary people and monitor their reactions. Noda Dentistry is the cover organization chosen by Biological Research Lab 47," John replied nonchalantly.
Jack's heart lurched. "Director, is there an antidote for the Z Drug?" he inquired.
John answered truthfully, "The Z Drug is an evolutionary agent specially developed by Biological Research Lab 47 to stimulate human potential. No antidote has been created. According to the researchers' thinking, one either evolves into a Superpower User or dies. The process should take between two to three years. Wait, you haven't been to Noda Dentistry for a tooth extraction, have you?"
"Director John, I haven't had a tooth extraction, but Emily from the special case team did."
"Then she has definitely been injected with a small amount of Z Drug. You don't need to worry; two or three years is a long time."
"Hmm." Jack nodded. "Then I'll hang up now."
"Keep an eye on that matter. Report immediately if there are any developments."
"Rest assured."
Jack ended the call, his face revealing a hint of struggle.
His sense of morality and his career prospects sat on a scale, tipping back and forth.
The drug would take a long time to manifest. Not telling Emily wouldn't pose a problem. In two or three years, by that time, Emily wouldn't even know how she died.
Who could link it back to a tooth extracted years prior?
It was even less likely to be associated with Biological Research Lab 47 or the CIA.
Is this okay?
Jack's sense of morality felt as if it were being carved away bit by bit.
He had long known that related experiments had been conducted in secret.
This wasn't a recent development. It began after World War II when the United States inherited a vast array of German and Japanese biological research materials and personnel.
Since then, biological experiments in the United States have never ceased.
Lately, the focus has just shifted from various drugs and biochemical weapons to stimulating superhuman abilities in humans.
He hadn't stopped it before, and there was no need to stop it now.
Though Jack thought this, he still emailed the special case team.
"Damn, I really am too spineless." Jack, his face filled with dejection, downed the whiskey in his glass. He had reached a high position yet still harbored some of the naive ideals of a commoner.
「...」
DING-DONG. An email interrupted Emily's busy work. She quickly opened her computer, clicked on her inbox, and translated the email's content using the CIA's software.
Her face, which had been filled with anticipation, quickly darkened as she saw the message.
"Did Dio do something again?" Morimoto Chiyoda asked. She was sitting beside Emily and glanced at the email, which, as it turned out, had nothing to do with Dio.
"Noda Dentistry is the experimentation center of Biological Research Lab 47, administering the Z Drug to every customer who walks through their doors. Within two or three years, if you don't become a Superpower User, you will die.
If possible, please keep this a secret and don't expose me; just quietly seek treatment on your own."
Morimoto Chiyoda's smile froze, a flash of anger in her eyes.
In that moment, she deeply realized how insane the United States was.
If it hadn't been for Jack informing them, even the special case team members would have been kept in the dark.
She also couldn't imagine that a seemingly ordinary dental clinic was actually a U.S. Army biological research lab, where they injected people with drugs they had developed.
And it was the slow-acting kind that took two to three years to take effect.
"Ito, you need to give Emily a full-body checkup right away!" she exclaimed.
"Routine checkups like this are unlikely to be effective." Ito Otome shook her head from the side. She had been involved in some drug-related experiments before and was well aware of the kind of drug that could have a profound impact on the human body.
Often, it was difficult to notice anything unusual in a short period of time.
"We need to go to Tokyo University's medical research lab to conduct more detailed and comprehensive tests."
「...」
The special case team swiftly split up and took action.
Morimoto Chiyoda picked up the file Emily had been working on. She had not had the chance to look at it closely when the phone on the desk lit up brightly.
She unlocked it to see a message, a private message within the group sent by Ito Otome.
"If you want to crack the Z Drug, you must obtain the relevant documents. Ask Iwaki to hack into the database of Biological Research Lab 47 and copy all detailed information related to the Z Drug.
Without that, it will be difficult for me to figure it out."
Looking at the stream of messages from Ito Otome, Morimoto Chiyoda did not hesitate for a moment and shouted, "Iwaki, can you find the location of Biological Research Lab 47 through Noda Dentistry? Ito wants you to hack in there to retrieve data on the Z Drug to help her decode it."
Iwaki Kususuke replied, "No problem. I've locked onto Noda Dentistry. Their security is strong, and it will take quite some time to break through."
"Be careful not to get discovered," Morimoto Chiyoda cautioned.
Kitanotake, standing nearby, said with a face full of anger, "Those bastards actually do such things!"
Okayama Buji recalled his conversation with Takeda that day and said with a bitter smile, "That's imperialism. As long as there's profit, they're willing to do anything. They don't even care about the citizens of the Empire, let alone those in the colonies. The glory of the Empire has never belonged to the people."
Morimoto Chiyoda's fingers brushed the grip of the gun at her waist. She wasn't one to take risks, but Emily's situation, it could be said, was indirectly her fault. "If Iwaki can solve it by hacking into the database, that would be best. If not, our only option is to break into Biological Research Lab 47 and seize the data from there," she declared, her voice firm.
Emily hadn't wanted to see the dentist; it was she who had insisted on dragging her there.
She had to make amends for her own mistakes.
Even though Emily hadn't complained at all, this made Morimoto Chiyoda feel even guiltier.
"I'm coming too," Okayama Buji stated. He didn't want Biological Research Lab 47 to continue its recklessness.
Kitanotake nodded.
Miyaji Yosuke was lost in thought. He had a wife and daughter to consider.
In the room, Iwaki Kususuke was engrossed in breaking through Noda Dentistry's firewall.
「...」
「In the afternoon.」
Aozawa bid farewell to the members of the Kendo club. As usual, on his way home, he chatted with Phoenix Academy Maggie, Ayatsuki Ayaka, and the others.
When he reached his front door, Aozawa ended all the chats.
He opened the door to find the lights on inside. Steaming hot food was ready on the table, but Morimoto Chiyoda was nowhere to be seen in the kitchen—only a note was left.
"I have something to do today and might come back late. You eat first."
The note had a bright red lipstick mark on it.
Aozawa picked up the note and sniffed it; the lingering scent indicated it hadn't been long. What could possibly be so important that Morimoto Chiyoda couldn't even stay to see him?
He hadn't caused any major disturbances today.
Aozawa touched the lipstick mark. Using his Catalyst sensing ability, he detected that she was about eight hundred meters away.
He decided to follow and see what Chitose was up to.