Chapter 105: Obsession (Fifth Update)
Chapter 105: Obsession (Fifth Update)
“Yes.”
Karasawa nodded in agreement. The reason Amasue Suetora sought out an ordinary person like him to participate in hunting Corpse Hounds was naturally because of his unique spiritual physique.
He only needed to touch a photo of a locked-on target to obtain important information about that person from a certain period.
The information he gained was random, and each photo could only be used once. However, with this ability, tracking down Corpse Hounds became very simple.
As long as Karasawa obtained a photo of a deceased person, he could retrieve fragments of information from before their death. Though the information was fragmented, this method provided a complete opportunity to gather intelligence on the Corpse Hound’s main body.
With relevant information, he cooperated with Amasue Suetora, and following the clues to find the Corpse Hounds’ lair became relatively easy.
“Through the deceased’s photos, I became aware of Kuranaga Kuraruka’s existence. While investigating her photo, I noticed in her field of vision a connection to you. After further investigation, I confirmed that you indeed live in the same apartment building as Kuranaga…”
“I never expected that Kuranaga was a Corpse Hound.”
“She was a first-year student at Wu Long High School, from a single-parent family, with good academic results but a poor financial situation. Her mother had been bedridden for a long time…”
Karasawa pulled out a file from the table. “This is information from four months ago. Kuranaga had been working part-time to support her studies, secretly waiting tables at an off-campus restaurant. However, she later quit that job. Moreover, four months ago, her mother Kuranaga Tamaki stopped leaving the house… It’s very likely they were attacked by Corpse Hounds and both became infected. There’s an even worse possibility: after Kuranaga Kuraruka was infected and transformed, she killed her own mother.”
“Senior, I won’t beat around the bush. Just tell me directly, what exactly are you worried about right now?”
“Nishizuka, someone as smart as you should have noticed something. Kuranaga’s background is just too similar to yours. You share the same circumstances. I have a very bad feeling… Kuranaga probably has a very strong obsession with you.”
“Obsession?”
“What do you think is the biggest difference between Corpse Hounds and us humans?”
“Just physically, humans and monsters have obvious differences, right…”
“No, it’s thinking… To put it more simply, it’s the distortion in their way of thinking. That’s the biggest difference between Corpse Hounds and humans. If Corpse Hounds still thought like humans, with normal values and ethics, they would at most be humans in monster skins. We could try to communicate with them to resolve certain disputes.”
“Indeed, if communication were possible, it wouldn’t be entirely out of the question to ease tensions between the two sides.”
Fang Jing thought it over carefully and felt it wasn’t completely impossible. Humans are creatures adept at compromise. If Corpse Hounds were beings that could be reasoned with, attempting such communication might be feasible.
(However, the issue of ‘cannibalism’ is something the general public largely cannot accept. If there were an alternative method, human society might not entirely reject the existence of ‘Corpse Hounds’…)
“The most troublesome problem is—Corpse Hounds are entities that cannot be communicated with. After their transformation, their thought processes become completely distorted. Humans cannot converse with a distorted monster; our brainwaves are simply not on the same wavelength.”
Karasawa spread his hands.
“Do you know… who are the first targets most Corpse Hounds attack once their transformation is complete?”
“…”
Fang Jing frowned slightly but did not continue speaking.
“Their own parents, friends, lovers. After a Corpse Hound’s mind becomes abnormal, its obsessive, greedy, and ugly negative emotions are ignited, causing them to spiral further out of control.”
Karasawa clasped his hands together and took a deep breath.
“Nishizuka, I have a bad hypothesis: Kuranaga might be targeting you. Of course, it’s just a guess, because every time I use a photo to track her, I pick up information about you from her.”
“But why would she specifically target me?”
“Because she sees her own reflection in you. Your environments are almost identical: single-parent families, struggling financially. Overlapping these experiences, she developed an admiration for you. After all, aside from your utterly terrible personality, you’re a fairly outstanding person.”
“Hmph! How much does she even know about me?”
Fang Jing coldly shifted his gaze toward the window.
“Senior, you called me here to ask about Kuranaga’s whereabouts… But honestly, I don’t know much about her situation either.”
“We took out a Corpse Hound gathering spot in the city, but Kuranaga herself escaped. To put it bluntly… the best scenario is that she left this city. If she left, I could relax a bit and not worry about it anymore. After all, matters like these should be handled by the Fang Hunters… The worst scenario is that she doesn’t plan to leave but intends to continue hiding within the city.”
Karasawa said calmly, “I hope my guess doesn’t come true. Sorry, I have to go now. If anything happens, notify me immediately. Oh, and take this.”
He handed over a metal object, placing it in Fang Jing’s palm.
“It’s a radio frequency transmitter. Press the button in an open area, and I can track your location.”
“Wait, if I really get attacked by Kuranaga, this thing could save my life.”
“No, at most it would let me collect ‘a piece’ of your corpse.”
Collect “a piece” of the corpse—meaning he expects I’d be reduced to scraps.
…
Karasawa left in a hurry. Since Fang Jing had no useful information for him, he naturally didn’t stay long.
“If you really feel unsafe, you might want to go to this place. Explain your situation to them, and they’ll protect you for a while—”
Before leaving, he slipped him a business card with the words “Muhe Style Sword Dojo” printed in gilded letters.
“Kneel on the ground, cry your heart out, and the old master will probably take you in. That’s it…”
After giving Fang Jing one of his own life-saving “trump cards,” Karasawa waved and left.
“Senior, that guy…”
A faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of Fang Jing’s mouth.
Though his words were harsh, Fang Jing could grasp his good intentions.
“So, should I visit this dojo?”
Karasawa also said he didn’t think Kuranaga Kuraruka would stay in the city. For his own safety, the best option was to seek refuge at this Muhe Style Sword Dojo.
Karasawa Meisuke’s subtext was clear: this was a shelter run by the Fang Hunter organization. As long as he hid inside, Kuranaga Kuraruka wouldn’t be able to do much to him.
Beep—!
His phone unexpectedly rang. Fang Jing picked it up.
“Um, brother, sorry for calling you out of the blue.”
“Satsuki, what’s up?”
It was his younger sister calling.
But she rarely called him specifically.
“Sorry! There’s something I want to confirm… Are you on a date with Kuranaga-san?”
“A date? Wait… What do you mean by that?”
“Huh? But just now Kuranaga-san said she got separated from you while you were on a date.”
Thud!
It sounded like the phone was snatched away, ending up in someone else’s hands.
“Hehe—! Senpai, hello, it’s Kuraruka.”
“Kuraruka, why are you with Satsuki? And why did you lie to her, saying we were on a date?”
A chill ran down Fang Jing’s spine. The current Kuranaga Kuraruka was no longer that cute underclassman but a man-eating monster.
And now, Satsuki was clearly in her grasp.
He forced himself to stay calm. Kuraruka was currently being hunted; she probably didn’t know that her identity had already been exposed to him.
“That doesn’t matter now, Senpai. Can you come meet me?”
Kuranaga Kuraruka spoke in a coquettish, cat-like tone, as if they were a couple deeply in love.
But every word she uttered sent shivers down one’s spine.
“Because… I want you right now.”