Chapter 176: Infiltration
Chapter 176: Infiltration
He really had no acting skills, but pretending to be a fool wasn’t too difficult.
He tried chatting with the girl named Kamichiruzuru.
He also gathered bits of information indirectly.
For example, he learned that the Fang Hunter groups under the Fang Hunter Organization were roughly divided into three factions. The first was the Old Succession Faction, basically composed of the oldest inheritors of traditions, a conservative group mainly formed by the two prestigious families, Tatsumiya and Yabusame.
The second was the New Reform Faction that joined after the reforms twenty years ago. They held considerable power in the Executive Department, especially occupying over sixty percent of the supervisor seats. They were also one of the funding sources for the Fang Hunter Organization. The New Reform Faction had government informants or monitors sent by high-level state officials. These two factions constantly schemed against each other in the Executive Department to fight for dominance.
Below them was the Independent Faction, mostly Fang Hunter members who didn’t belong to either of the first two and remained neutral.
The Independent Faction didn’t join the Mobile Operations Room and weren’t assigned to the three main groups “A,” “B,” or “C.”
Moreover, many of them lacked discipline and operated outside the jurisdiction. So, the Mobile Operations Room simply established a special task force labeled “D” to officially incorporate the Independent Faction.
With this move, the Mobile Operations Room stopped higher-ups from interfering and also handled potential disputes with the Independent Faction.
They set up an internal network with the Independent Faction to share information and provide various assistance.
The Independent Faction naturally didn’t object much. They were just ordinary Fang Hunters unrelated to power or leadership. Some inherited skills from their ancestors and trained since childhood; others had relatives hunted by Corpse Hounds, swore revenge, and independently walked the path of hunting Corpse Hounds. After some basic guidance, they directly picked up the Exorcism Blade and joined the Fang Hunters.
The Independents were the neutral party among the three factions, usually ignoring internal changes within the Fang Hunters and prioritizing completing hunting tasks.
Kamichiruzuru should be considered a member of the Independent Faction. Her parents were killed by a Corpse Hound when she was young. An experienced Fang Hunter who killed that Corpse Hound also discovered the infant still in swaddling clothes in the ransacked house.
Soon, this Fang Hunter found that besides her biological parents, the infant had no other relatives, so he reluctantly learned how to raise a child.
After Kamichiruzuru grew up, her adoptive father taught her hunting skills.
Now, with over two years of hunting experience, she was considered a Fang Hunter who could handle things on her own.
“Sorry, Sister Zururu, what does ‘partner’ mean?”
“You… really know nothing. Where did you even come from, some remote mountain forest?”
She wasn’t surprised by the ignorance displayed by “Oreki Tsuyoshi.”
Oreki Tsuyoshi’s ignorance was mostly related to the teacher who instructed him; there were many such strange figures among the Fang Hunters.
“You must have heard! Since ancient times, Fang Hunters had the custom of five-person hunts, meaning they avoid groups of three or four. They either hunt alone, in pairs, or in teams of five. It’s rare to have groups of three or four for hunts…”
Kamichiruzuru told him that, possibly due to customs or superstitions, Fang Hunters were used to teams of five, pairs, or solitary hunts by “lone wolves,” though those were definitely top experts.
“The intel we received this time says a group of Corpse Hounds used an offline gathering as bait to lure a bunch of ordinary people to the Yamanami area of this city. There are quite a few of them, and in this situation, it’s hard to hunt with just one or two people.”
Kamichiruzuru shrugged. “So everyone gathered together, and we just happened to have exactly five people.”
“So, including me, it counts as a five-person hunt.”
“If we get separated or split up, you just cooperate with me. Also, for this mission, our two-person task is very important.”
She explained a bit more, then looked at him suspiciously.
“By the way, where did you put your ‘Ba Bell’?”
“Ba Bell?”
Fang Jing naturally didn’t understand what that meant, but from Kamichiruzuru’s tone, he knew it must be some kind of object. He pretended to have searched for a while.
“Sorry, Sister Zururu, I think I might have dropped it somewhere along the way.”
“Huh! What are you talking about! Is your brain broken?”
She opened her mouth wide, then yelled after a moment.
“Dumb rookie, how could you even lose the Ba Bell?”
“Haha… I can’t remember where I dropped it either.”
“Whatever, you’re such a hassle.”
Kamichiruzuru handed him a bell from her hand.
“This is my bell. Remember to return it to me after the mission.”
“Okay.”
By the way, what was this bell for?
He wasn’t sure what this thing was for, but he decided to take it first.
“By the way, Oreki, how’s your ‘Kangcang Technique’? Without the Ba Bell, can you detect Corpse Hound traces up close…”
“Kangcang Technique? Just so-so, haha…”
“I mean… what was your teacher thinking, sending a half-baked guy like you here? It’s like sending you to your death.”
Kamichiruzuru looked at him suspiciously, sizing him up.
Fang Jing could only put on a dumb face and grin foolishly, but he quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, Sister Zururu, my teacher also told me some key points about the Kangcang Technique, but I didn’t understand his explanation at all. Could you tell me some tricks?”
“Ah… what the heck, you need someone to teach you this too.”
Kamichiruzuru didn’t hold back with her words, but she was kind enough to chat with him a bit, intending to guide him.
Fang Jing breathed a sigh of relief. He felt lucky to meet someone like Kamichiruzuru, a silly big sister who took him in without asking too many questions.
But soon, Fang Jing understood why Kamichiruzuru didn’t suspect him much.
One important reason was that well-trained Fang Hunters could distinguish Corpse Hounds among crowds just by smell, sight, or intuition.
Moreover, they had an item called the “Ba Bell” that could detect Corpse Hound traces within about a kilometer.
Corpse Hounds disguised as humans couldn’t escape Fang Hunter pursuit. Naturally, no Corpse Hound would be stupid enough to get close to a Fang Hunter; that would be suicide.
(It couldn’t be ruled out that some humans, tempted or forced by Corpse Hounds, might try to infiltrate the Fang Hunters. But from Kamichiruzuru’s fragmented words, Oreki Tsuyoshi’s whereabouts were contacted through the internal network, and they agreed to meet near the cafe. I just happened to show up; it really was just a coincidence…)
Kamichiruzuru didn’t seem to be deceiving him; she really wasn’t the type to act.
Besides, if it were arranged by the Fang Hunter Organization, would they need to use such an “indirect” method?
After all, his public identity was just an ordinary high school student; they could just come directly to him.
“Of course, this possibility can’t be completely ruled out.”
If considering the worst-case scenario, the Fang Hunter Organization might be setting a trap for him or observing him from the shadows.
Whatever, once they reached the meeting point, his identity might be exposed anyway. Then he’d just knock everyone out and interrogate them for information.
Fang Jing didn’t worry too much about it. With his strength, whether it was a trap set by Corpse Hounds or a scheme by the Fang Hunter Organization, he could brute force his way out.
After going through so much, he had some understanding of his own strength and felt confident that no matter what happened, he could handle it with his own power.
Finally, he had one more question: Kamichiruzuru also knew through the internal network that Oreki Tsuyoshi was coming to this city. So where was he now? Why hadn’t he contacted Kamichiruzuru?
Whatever, why should I bother with these troublesome things!
He gave up unnecessary thinking and started actively chatting with Kamichiruzuru as they walked.
…
The two got on a bus, transferred once along the way, and after more than an hour, finally arrived at the meeting point.
It was a camping area. Kamichiruzuru told Fang Jing that among the companions, Mr. Hodai Shiki was the leader of this operation.
“Mr. Hodai is a good person. Although he’s a bit older, his skills are excellent…”
She earnestly reminded him, essentially telling him to obediently follow orders and act according to instructions.
Fang Jing naturally didn’t object and nodded in agreement the whole time.
But what he thought in his heart was: once we get inside, he’d knock Kamichiruzuru out, let her sleep for a while, and then interrogate the other Fang Hunters.
The two followed a man-made stone step path up the mountain and reached the campsite.
They also met up with a tall, thin man wearing a light jacket.
“I’m Kita.”
He introduced himself.
“By the way, little Zururu, and the one behind… Oreki-kun, right? As usual, please give me your phones.”
“Okay. Hey, Oreki, don’t just stand there dumbly, take out your phone.”
Kamichiruzuru skillfully took Fang Jing’s phone.
“Listen, Corpse Hounds are getting smarter these days. If you carry your own phone, they might track and locate you. So before the mission, we all switch to radios to prevent eavesdropping or information theft.”
Kita then took out two phones and radio devices, handing them to the two.
“Use these during the mission. I’ve tuned them all; they work very well.”
Kita was very tall, but his tone was gentle.
Fang Jing nodded silently and switched to the radio and disguised phone that Kita gave him.
Kita also told him that these fake phones couldn’t communicate with the outside world or be located; they were essentially empty shells.
For their upcoming mission, they would directly use radio communication.
(This actually saves me some trouble. Since their phones are taken away, the chance of my identity being exposed decreases. Next, I’ll continue playing Oreki Tsuyoshi and use this mission to catch a few Corpse Hounds to inquire about information related to the ‘Fang Jaw Seal’…)