"Pretty much."
Shiba Isshin frowned slightly, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes.
He weighed it in his heart for a while, and in the end, he decided to reveal a little information to Kurosaki Masaki.
Logically, a Quincy shouldn't be involved in this mission.
But unfortunately, that Fullbringer is too good at hiding.
To this day, the Shinigami side only knows about the crimes he has committed, but nothing about his appearance or reishi signature.
Because when he commits crimes, he uses X-cution, and his reishi are always in a suppressed state, operating by absorbing others' reishi.
This led to Shiba Isshin always seeing only a corpse when he arrived at the crime scene, with no one else and no trace of reishi.
And Kurosaki Masaki, as a Quincy and a human, has lived in the Human World for a long time.
Perhaps she could provide him with some unexpected help from her perspective.
Clink.
Kurosaki Masaki sat there quietly, one hand unconsciously stirring the ice in her cup.
She listened to what Shiba Isshin said, then took a sip of her drink.
After Shiba Isshin finished speaking, she nodded gently and said thoughtfully:
"So that's it, a murderer who roams the Human World, specializing in killing Fullbringers?"
"No wonder you're frowning."
"With the ability to absorb reishi, unless you catch him at the crime scene, anyone could be a target."
"How long were you originally planning to stay in the Human World this time?"
Shiba Isshin was slightly startled by this question; Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't seem to have specified a time limit for the mission when he came.
However, he thought that for a criminal who endangered the peace of the Human World, it would naturally be better to catch him as soon as possible to avoid complications.
Therefore, he answered truthfully.
"As soon as possible… That's very tricky, Shiba-sensei."
Kurosaki Masaki raised her eyes, a hint of thought flashing in her clear eyes, and after a few seconds of pondering, she expressed her opinion:
"Regarding the enemy, we only know his ability; all other information is zero."
"If we want to catch him in a very short time, we must actively lure him in."
"But the problem is, his targets are all Fullbringers, right? Which Fullbringer would be willing to sacrifice themselves to lure the enemy?"
Kurosaki Masaki did not know any Fullbringers, only having heard some vague information about them from her parents.
Since she had only heard about them, she had naturally never seen them.
In her opinion, solving this problem was almost impossible.
Even if someone willing to help could be found, using others as bait was simply too dangerous.
Moreover, it was hard to say if they would be willing; Shinigami cannot command humans, it's against the rules.
However, Kurosaki Masaki's words, full of worry, entered Shiba Isshin's ears like a ray of light illuminating his confused mind, making him suddenly enlightened.
—Lure the snake out of its hole.
He almost forgot.
Kurosaki Masaki didn't know any Fullbringers, but he knew a few, and one of them was even a Substitute Soul Reaper.
Shinigami cannot command humans, but commanding other Shinigami is no problem at all; this can be used to formulate a plan.
Thinking of this, Shiba Isshin took a deep breath and raised his eyes.
He managed to suppress the urge to act immediately and immediately expressed his gratitude to Kurosaki Masaki:
"Thank you so much, Kurosaki, Miss."
"Your suggestion has given me some inspiration. I probably already know how to apprehend him."
"Eh?" Kurosaki Masaki's mouth opened slightly, her cute expression as if she had heard something incredible, a little surprised.
She hadn't expected that there really were Fullbringers willing to sacrifice themselves to lure the enemy.
She had intended to ask Shiba Isshin how he planned to proceed and if she could help…
The next second, Shiba Isshin suddenly stood up.
The orange-red sunset streamed through the window and fell on his shoulders, as if cloaking him in a golden cape, and a shadow at that moment just covered Kurosaki Masaki's face.
He looked up at the sky, then grabbed the ice water on the table and chugged it down, the cool sensation instantly spreading throughout his body, invigorating him.
Immediately after, he quickly suggested: "It's getting late, we've been sitting here all afternoon without realizing it."
"Since I have a plan, Kurosaki, Miss, I think our conversation should end here."
He bowed slightly, as a gesture of politeness, "It was a great pleasure talking to you, but if I don't go back soon, your parents will probably start to worry."
At this point, Shiba Isshin put down the water glass and then instructed Kurosaki Masaki,
"I hope you can keep this meeting a secret from outsiders, as it's still unclear what his current identity is."
"Naruki City is small, and if he happens to be one of your friends, that would be troublesome… Of course, it's just a possibility, but we can't ignore that probability."
As long as a Fullbringer doesn't actively use their ability, no one can tell that they have anything special about them.
A great hermit hides in the city, a small hermit hides in the wilderness; it's not impossible for him to blend in with the Quincy.
Upon hearing this, Kurosaki Masaki nodded. She knew this was Shiba Isshin's caution for her, worrying about her safety.
Friends?
She tilted her head, thought seriously for a moment, and realized that she indeed had many friends.
They had different personalities, but there shouldn't be anyone who matched the description, right?
Seeing that Shiba Isshin intended to leave, she also stood up.
"I'll keep it a secret, Shiba-sensei, but do you really not need my help?"
"The known information is that the more people he kills, the stronger he becomes."
"Although you are one of the Captains, you should still be completely unaware of his strength, right?"
"Since this incident occurred in the Human World, as a Quincy and as a human, I should also contribute my strength."
"Why don't we exchange contact information, just in case some unexpected incident happens and he escapes, that would be terrible."
As soon as she said this, Shiba Isshin's foot, which was about to leave, suddenly stopped.
He thought to himself and realized that he had indeed been a bit overconfident.
Because if what Kurosaki Masaki said was true, such a situation was not impossible.
He had almost projected Yoriichi Tsugikuni's experiences onto himself, subconsciously assuming that the Fullbringers in the Human World were generally weak.
In reality, some X-cution are simply unreasonable, easily surpassing Captains, it's just that breaking through their limits is a bit difficult.
He took a slight breath, calming his inner emotions.
Although he was reluctant to admit this fact, Shiba Isshin still gave Kurosaki Masaki his contact information.
At the same time, he warned her not to act rashly even if she found the enemy, because this was a Shinigami's mission, and it should be him who ended it.
Every word conveyed his concern for Kurosaki Masaki.
Upon hearing this, Kurosaki Masaki felt as if an adult was coaxing a child.
As she left, she couldn't help but say:
"Shiba-sensei, I'm not a child anymore."
"Also, didn't you call me Masaki before?"
"Why are you using honorifics now?"
Shiba Isshin didn't want to be like this either, but unfortunately, after many years apart, the former intimacy had gradually faded.
In addition, Kurosaki Masaki had now grown into the appearance of an eighteen-year-old.
If he called her by her first name directly, others might misunderstand their relationship.
He didn't care, but for the girl…
"My apologies."
Shiba Isshin apologized in a low voice, not directly answering Kurosaki Masaki's question, and left without turning his head.
He might have known some of Kurosaki Masaki's inner thoughts, but he couldn't respond.
After all, he was a Shinigami, and everything had to prioritize the mission.
Kurosaki Masaki watched Shiba Isshin's receding back without speaking.
She quietly lowered her head, her eyes, slightly sparkling from the sunset's reflection, wondering what she was thinking.
…
Seireitei.
1st Division.
"It's been a week, and Captain Shiba hasn't returned yet? Is that Fullbringer in the Human World really that troublesome?"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni frowned slightly and asked Chojiro Sasakibe, who was beside him.
At this time, Chojiro Sasakibe had just finished calculating the activity expenditures of each Division and association for the last quarter.
He rubbed his shoulders, sore from long hours of desk work, and listening to Yoriichi's question, he pondered for a moment and replied:
"According to the last mission report, that seems to be the case."
"However, there's no need to worry, Captain-Commander."
"Captain Shiba is not alone."
"To minimize casualties in the Human World, he contacted some Fullbringers and Quincy, and that Substitute Soul Reaper also got involved."
"I think he should be caught very soon."
At this point, Chojiro Sasakibe paused, his somewhat serious expression looking at Yoriichi Tsugikuni,
"Captain-Commander, what you should be concerned about now are these expenditures."
"Captain Urahara of the Twelfth Division is requesting another ten million rings for research funds."
"Although I know research cannot be done without money, two million rings have been requested in just half a month, and there's no sign of it stopping."
"With such an exaggerated spending rate, the our current finances simply cannot sustain it."
"Do you think we should cut back?"
"Why cut back?" Yoriichi found it strange. In his opinion, research naturally required a large amount of capital investment, and spending so much money was normal.
Moreover, Kisuke had indeed achieved some results, and those results had an undeniable impact on the development of the Seireitei.
He looked at Chojiro Sasakibe: "I trust Kisuke's character, and besides, twenty million rings is not a large sum."
"Since the 1st Division doesn't have money, then I will fund it."
"Go tell Kisuke that I want some shares in his computer business; it will be a good gift to give to Ai in the future."
Hearing this, Chojiro Sasakibe opened his mouth, wanting to speak but holding back, feeling a bit helpless.
He almost forgot that the current Captain-Commander was different from the previous Captain-Commander.
Yamamoto Genryusai had worked for so many years, and although he had some property, it was far from as wealthy as a noble.
He was about to ask Yoriichi how much he intended to invest.
Suddenly, Yoriichi said again: "Chojiro, remember to spread this news."
"If other nobles are also interested, let them participate as well."
"The extra portion can then be distributed to the 1st Division as activity funds."
"The Seireitei's technology has been stagnant for too long."
…
Technology is the primary productive force.
The reason why the Seireitei in the past was like stagnant water was precisely due to the stagnation of technology.
Now, the Fourth World is finally developing rapidly, and Kisuke Urahara has returned from there with relevant technology.
If the research and development failed due to lack of funds, which in turn dragged down the development speed, it would undoubtedly be a waste of this opportunity.
Chojiro's expression was solemn as he nodded in understanding, "Yes, I'll go do it now."
He actually understood the meaning behind Yoriichi's words.
It was just that the technology from the Fourth World was too unfamiliar, which inevitably made him worried.
It would be troublesome if it all went to waste, causing heavy losses to multiple parties.
Therefore, he had carefully considered it, wanting to cut expenses to buy time and observe the situation.
However, now that Yoriichi Tsugikuni was willing to step forward, there was no problem.
So, after Chojiro hurried away with Yoriichi Tsugikuni's order,
The research work on computers, strongly propelled by ample funds, advanced rapidly like a rocket.
In just a few days, Yoriichi Tsugikuni received a small sample.
…
Captain-Commander's office.
The crisp sound of keyboard tapping continued, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni looked at the small computer in front of him, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes.
"Shopping, chatting, games… it really has everything. No wonder the people there called the advent of computers an information revolution."
"According to Kisuke, this computer can be further miniaturized in the future, making it convenient for Shinigami to carry with them."
"By then, outdated things like the Spirit Communicator can indeed be phased out."
"It's only been seventy or eighty years…"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni felt a bit emotional. Unlike the Three Realms, the technological development level of his hometown was simply too fast.
Not just one country, but the entire world had pressed the acceleration button, with technological achievements in various fields emerging one after another.
If the technological level of the Three Realms could also have such a development speed,
After millions of years, why would it still be lingering in the early information age?
Beep beep.
Just as he was thinking, the computer in front of him suddenly emitted a crisp notification sound, and then a striking red dot appeared on the chat software.
He clicked it open and saw that it was a message from Kisuke.
After a quick glance, Yoriichi frowned and murmured,
"Using this kind of technology to change the entire environment of Soul Society?"
"Not a bad idea."
Kisuke Urahara's idea probably coincided with his own.
Currently, in Soul Society, apart from Seireitei, only the environment in Rukongai was severely harsh.
And the main reasons for the harsh environment were:
On one hand, the uneven distribution of reishi concentration, and on the other hand, the impact of topographical differences.
The land was barren, and Soul Society had no so-called fertilizers from the Human World, so there was naturally nothing that could be done.
Even the new types of seeds developed by Kisuke Urahara could only treat the symptoms but not the root cause, unable to massively change the current situation.
Therefore, the superposition of several unfavorable factors led to the consequence of a sharp decline in the living conditions of residents after the fifty-something districts.
This was not irreversible. In the past, perhaps one could only hope for the passage of time to slowly change all this.
But now, by utilizing the advanced technology of another world, it was entirely possible to achieve it.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni reined in his scattered thoughts, lightly tapped the keyboard with his fingers, and quickly replied with a message, telling Kisuke Urahara to boldly implement the plan.
Even if it failed, he would back him up.
After saying this, Yoriichi Tsugikuni closed the chat software and shifted his attention to the several games and shopping software.
He recalled that games should be popular things in the Human World over there.
And the shopping software was connected to the Twelfth Division's warehouse… refreshing instantly, very convenient.
But considering that he had nothing to buy, Yoriichi naturally focused his attention on the games.
"Mario? A strange name, I heard Kisuke likes it a lot… I wonder where its magic comes from."
"Although it's just a prototype, it should be able to open. Let's try it first."
Chojiro was not around at this time, and there was no urgent work recently, so he could naturally be more at ease.
In Yoriichi's opinion, it was probably just like hide-and-seek played by children, and a game wouldn't take much time.
He opened the game, and the art style was very peculiar, like characters made of red and white small squares moving flexibly on the screen.
Before long, Yoriichi roughly understood the game rules.
It was very simple, completely without difficulty, nothing more than controlling the character to advance and avoid various obstacles.
Under his dynamic vision, everything in the game was like slow motion.
Even though it was his first time playing and he chose Hell difficulty, he could easily clear the game with his excellent reaction ability and hand speed.
After about ten minutes, Yoriichi successfully cleared the last level.
Then, he saw the leaderboard that popped up on the screen. The first place was surprisingly himself, and the second place was Kisuke Urahara, who took twenty minutes.
…
Yoriichi was silent for a moment, then nodded gently.
He was not surprised why Kisuke Urahara, as the developer, took twice as long as him.
In his opinion, this was normal, after all, his vision and hand speed were incomparable to ordinary people.
Overall, this should be a very good game.
He believed that once it was promoted, it would effectively solve the problem of some Shinigami feeling bored during their holidays.
Besides this, there were other games, which by their names were probably fighting and racing games, but Yoriichi did not continue to experience them.
He closed the computer, let out a long breath, and then called Kuchiki Byakuya over.
As soon as Byakuya arrived, he respectfully bowed his head:
"Captain-Commander, you called for me?"
Yoriichi did not beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose.
That was, to have Byakuya take his order to the Twelfth Division to have Kisuke Urahara customize several special computers, and then, they must be sent to Squad Zero.
Considering the millions of kilometers of distance between Soul Society and Squad Zero,
Therefore, the configuration of the computers must be of the highest level, and it must be ensured that the signal can propagate for millions of kilometers, foolproof.
Kuchiki Byakuya was stunned when he heard this bizarre order.
He felt like he had misheard. What was a computer?
It was not until then that his gaze swept back and forth in the room, and he noticed the never-before-seen machine placed in front of Yoriichi.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni also noticed Kuchiki Byakuya's gaze.
But considering the urgency of the situation and the tight schedule, he did not explain in detail, but simply said:
"This order concerns the future of Soul Society."
"I remember that previously, your Kuchiki Clan communicated with Squad Zero through letters, right?"
"The efficiency is very low, only able to make a round trip once every half a month."
"But with this machine, it's different."
"Messages can be sent back in time."
"As a Shinigami, you should understand what this means."
The reason why Squad Zero was unwilling to interfere with the lower realm was partly due to the great distance, and partly because they had not been in contact with Soul Society for too long.
Ichibei Hyosube, who had lived for a million years, was an exception.
The others, like Nimaiya Ōetsu, a Shinigami even older than Yamamoto Genryusai, had been in Squad Zero for too long and felt nothing towards the Shinigami of the lower realm.
This situation could be completely changed.
As long as they had contact with Soul Society and developed an interest in some things, with Nimaiya Ōetsu's personality, he definitely wouldn't be able to sit still.
By then, even online teaching might become a reality.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that must not be missed.
Because it could benefit all Shinigami and even influence the future direction of Soul Society.
Although Kuchiki Byakuya did not yet understand the detailed specifics at once,
Seeing Yoriichi Tsugikuni's serious expression, he also knew that this matter must be extremely important and could not tolerate the slightest slack.
He quickly responded, firmly memorizing the order, then turned and quickly left the 1st Division.
Upon receiving the news, Kisuke Urahara immediately devoted himself wholeheartedly to the research and development of the special version of the machine.
Using existing technology, extending signals for millions of kilometers would definitely not work.
Even the signals within Seireitei were maintained based on a base station owned by the Twelfth Division.
And Squad Zero had no base station, so even if the computer could be sent over intact, once it was turned on, it would definitely be in a no-signal state.
Therefore, in his opinion, to achieve this almost impossible goal, only the Hōgyoku could be used.
After a period of tireless, day and night research, Kisuke Urahara finally lived up to expectations and successfully developed the machine.
It utilized spiritual energy waves to continuously extend and transmit signals.
As long as reishi still existed in the air, the signal would never be interrupted.
Even the seventy-two indestructible barriers separating Seireitei and the Soul King Palace could not block the signal's transmission.
Because these barriers were essentially products of reishi.
Thus, when the machine was sent to Squad Zero,
Ichibei Hyosube saw that each divine general had a computer.
He knew that this was an unprecedented major change in Soul Society, a new development that even the Soul King had not foreseen. He was slightly stunned at first.
Then he couldn't help but look up and laugh loudly:
"Interesting, truly interesting. I really didn't misjudge him."
"In less than a hundred years, the million-year-long barrier between Squad Zero and Seireitei can gradually disappear."
"I'm really looking forward to future developments even more."
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni, don't disappoint me."
He laughed loudly, while the other Squad Zero members were puzzled.
But due to the novel machine right in front of them, they didn't bother with the Monk.
Each of them hugged their machine and eagerly returned to their respective palaces.
Among them, Hikifune Kirio's smile was the most obvious, and the sense of anticipation in her eyes was the strongest.
Because she finally had the chance to see Hiyori often.
…
Soul Society.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni was unaware of what was happening in Squad Zero.
He merely relied on his understanding of the Monk, feeling that the Monk would not dislike these fresh, technologically advanced things.
At this moment, he was intently listening to Chojiro's report, his expression growing more and more solemn.
Simply because.
Shiba Isshin had gone missing.