I just want to die.
Nakamura Yoji had no idea how many times such negative thoughts had crossed his mind.
Ever since the accident at the construction site, he had become a bedridden invalid.
In the doctor's words, it was impossible for him to stand up again in his lifetime. He couldn't even take care of his most basic needs, living like a parasite off his family.
He knew he was a tremendous burden to his wife and daughter.
Yet, he couldn't control his volatile temper and sometimes even resented them for letting him live.
He shouldn't have been saved. It would've been better to die quickly and end his life.
Countless negative and dark thoughts flashed through his mind.
When Nakamura Yoji was alone, those dark thoughts churned in his head, making him contemplate ending his life numerous times.
But the basic instinct for survival that remained in his body stopped him from doing so. He started hoping for various accidents to happen each day.
He hoped to be choked by a sip of water, to have the ceiling collapse on him, or for a meteorite to suddenly fall from the sky, striking his home and swiftly ending his life.
Or even a cornered fugitive or a person with a mental disorder climbing the wall to end his life would do.
In that case, his death wouldn't affect his family much, and it wouldn't make them feel guilty.
Someone, anyone, please end my life!
Day after day, Nakamura Yoji waited for this to happen. He stared blankly at the ceiling, hearing the sound of urine falling into a bag beside him.
This was the sound he hated most.
As a man, he couldn't even go to the bathroom by himself but had to use a catheter to drain his urine into a bag.
"Damn it!" Nakamura Yoji growled, his helpless rage boiling up again.
But venting this anger on himself was no longer sufficient.
Soon, he would complain to his wife again, saying all sorts of hurtful words.
When did I become this monster that spews negative energy?
Nakamura Yoji covered his face with his hands. He wanted to recall his life before paralysis, but those memories were too distant to grasp.
"Damn it," he repeated.
"Are you in pain?"
A seductive voice suddenly sounded. Nakamura Yoji turned his head and saw a tall Caucasian man standing by his bed, speaking fluent Japanese.
"Who are you?"
"I'm here to relieve you of your pain," the man said.
Aozawa raised his hand. He wanted to test whether this paralysis, caused by an accident, could be healed with his Marvelous Resurgence.
If such an injury could also be stored and then imparted to someone else, it would mean that Marvelous Resurgence wasn't just a healing Superpower but also a terrifying one.
Terminal leukemia, late-stage cancer, mental illnesses, and more.
The diseases plaguing humanity were too numerous to count.
"So, someone's finally here to kill me." Nakamura Yoji showed no resistance to the approaching hand. Instead, he revealed a relieved smile. Finally, I can fulfill my wish.
Aozawa touched his forehead. Marvelous Resurgence activated, sending a warm current spreading across Nakamura Yoji's forehead and quickly flowing toward his crushed spine and nerves.
A warm sensation spread through his waist. Nakamura Yoji's expression turned to shock. For the first time in years, he felt the lower half of his body.
Could it be?! A daring thought flashed through Nakamura Yoji's mind. Afraid he was expecting too much, he tried to lift his foot.
Although he had been paralyzed for years, the motion was as effortless as before his injury. His muscles had not atrophied.
Aozawa withdrew his hand, noticing that the cloud of dark mist around Nakamura Yoji was larger than Emily's.
With a flick of his finger, he stored the dark mist and used his Schrodinger's Cat Ability to vanish from the room swiftly.
Watching a living person abruptly disappear, Nakamura Yoji's face grew even more astonished.
Am I dreaming? He pinched his cheeks hard, then his thighs. The pain told him this was no dream!
His face a mix of excitement and trembling, he slowly rose from the bed.
"Yoji, it's time to eat."
The door opened. The woman, his wife Mika, stepped in. Her steps faltered. Seeing Nakamura Yoji standing on the bed, she froze, dumbstruck.
CLATTER! The bowl of food she was carrying fell to the ground. She covered her mouth with both hands, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. "Yoji, you're standing?! Am I dreaming?!"
"Mika, this is no dream! I'm standing up!" Nakamura Yoji's face brimmed with ecstatic joy. He remembered the blond man who had inexplicably disappeared and blurted out, "It was all thanks to that blond man! He saved me! He must be an Angel! From now on, I'll go to church to pray every week! Thank God, thank that Angel, for letting me stand again!"
「...」
In Shinjuku, at the Central Building, the Special Intelligence Investigation Department had picked up some unusual short videos and comments online and quickly compiled them into a report for their Minister.
Jack looked at the report in his hand, his face full of surprise.
A father paralyzed for ten years suddenly standing up; a husband who had suffered a stroke now showing no ill effects; a man with 90% of his body burned now showing no trace of injury...
TikTok, YouTube, even Twitter and other social media platforms were filled with young people celebrating their family members' healing in their own ways.
And in all their accounts, there was a common figure: a tall, blond, Caucasian man.
Some said it was a manifestation of God; others claimed it was an Angel, Brahma, the Messiah, and so forth.
Jack looked at the series of reports and felt overwhelmed. Silencing such a massive outcry would not be an easy task.
He had no choice but to adopt Plan B. Since Dio's actions couldn't be concealed, they would use an abundance of miracle news to overshadow the true information.
This was a standard tactic of the CIA.
The best way to discredit something isn't suppression; it's assimilation.
Take, for example, environmentalism and animal protection—causes originally seen in a very positive light. However, when many unrelated parties are hired by sponsors to adopt the most extreme tactics, it provokes public disdain, directly tarnishing the reputations of both.
"Spread false news. Then find a few bloggers with high traffic to post related videos; let that wave of traffic help wash things over. In a few days, we'll leak some celebrity scandals or stories of corrupt officials."
"Yes."
The agent left. Jack called the task force.
"Emily, did you see the viral short videos on YouTube?"
"Yes, I saw them. Those incidents must be Dio's doing."
Emily answered candidly, "The Z Drug in my system was cured by Dio too."
"What is he trying to convey with this behavior?"
Jack felt puzzled. Dio had helped people before, but the way he cured them now was completely different. All the ailments that had troubled people were now healed.
At Inada Hospital's ICU, all the critically ill patients had become lively and active.
Jack couldn't understand why Dio was doing this.
Emily couldn't immediately provide an answer. After thinking for a bit, she suggested uncertainly, "I guess it might be a necessary step to ascend to Paradise. Dio didn't do this before, possibly because he didn't think it was necessary. His choice to act this way now could mean that after his previous failure, he's drawn a new conclusion. Perhaps he needs others' belief?"
This explanation indeed had some persuasive power.
Nobody really knew what methods and steps were required to ascend to Paradise.
Jack pushed aside his doubts and said, "If that's the case, it's going to be much harder for us to suppress news about him."
"Hasn't the information already leaked?"
Emily responded. She recalled Mitsui's death, which indicated that information about Dio being a Superpower User had already been exposed.
"That was only leaked to some of the major powers. Smaller countries are still in the dark, but the current situation might change that."
Jack sighed softly. Their fabricated stories could only confuse the general populace. However, for those countries already closely monitoring the situation in Tokyo, it would be easy to discern the truth from the multitude of falsehoods.
The CIA couldn't very well take any action to interfere.
Officially, they were still allies.
The Five Eyes Alliance has always had an intelligence-sharing covenant.
The CIA's previous concealment of information from them had already breached that covenant.
"There's nothing we can do about it. We can't control Dio's actions. He does whatever he wants."
Emily could foresee that when more countries learned of Dio's existence and the existence of Superpower Users, Tokyo would become an even busier place.
At that point, she probably wouldn't be the only one trying to use seduction tactics.
Jack leaned back and sighed, "You're right. We can't influence Dio's actions. Prepare a report for me on this incident. I'll pass it on to the higher-ups later."
"No problem."
Emily knew. This report wouldn't be from the task force's standpoint. Instead, it needed to reflect Jack's CIA perspective in detailing the incident. Then, she'd submit it to Jack, who could give it a cursory review before passing it to his superiors.
The guy was getting lazier, but Emily didn't mind such a laid-back leader. As long as he didn't interfere with her work, cooperated actively, and shouldered pressure from above, he was a good leader. A little laziness was fine.
She hung up.
Across from her, Morimoto Chiyoda picked up a piece of cake and complained, "Has our task force become a subordinate department to Jack, the CIA's Minister of Special Intelligence Investigation?"
"Stop complaining and get on with writing that report."
"Huh? You want me to write it?"
"Of course! Who do you think got me into that mess in the first place?"
Emily answered assertively. Now that she was fine, it was only natural to bring up the dentist incident to get some leverage over Morimoto Chiyoda.
This girl's conscience had an expiration date. Wait too long, and she wouldn't be able to use it against her.
"But you're fine now, aren't you?" Morimoto Chiyoda muttered, her mind already starting to consider how to write the report. She did indeed want to make amends for her actions.
Sigh, her conscience still wasn't wicked enough.