Chapter 47: Kaguya Shinomiya's Deduction
"These are the Great Wolf King's — ahem — my invention from last month. They were originally built to surveil Goat Village and track the little lambs' movements, but that old goat Slow used his jammer device to knock every last one of them offline."
Wolffy held a tablet in his paws, claws tapping and swiping across the screen at speed.
Operating the complex controls, he continued: "In this world, though, there shouldn't be anything capable of jamming them."
There was no denying it — within the Dimensional Chat Group, Wolffy occupied a truly unique niche.
The guy could do just about anything except actually catch a sheep.
His aptitude for scientific research and invention was especially formidable.
Bizarre, ingenious gadgets like these?
Heaven only knew how many he had stockpiled.
There were roughly one hundred to two hundred Surveillance Bugs in total. Each one could monitor everything within a five-hundred-meter radius.
Wolffy had written a small program: the moment any Surveillance Bug captured a facial match for Meyu Inkyo, it would instantly transmit a location signal, giving Wolffy the target's precise coordinates in real time.
Under this kind of carpet-search, even hiding in the sewers would be futile.
The Surveillance Bugs could burrow into sewers too.
And they were waterproof, fireproof, and shockproof.
Wolffy really did have an impressive arsenal — all tech-side, granted.
But the tech side had its own advantages.
Namely, the barrier to entry was low.
"Given the number of Surveillance Bugs and their search speed… how long would it take to find a single person somewhere in H City?"
Ryū asked, turning to Wolffy, who was still hunched over the tablet.
Wolffy thought for a few seconds. "Roughly within five hours."
He couldn't guarantee the target wasn't hiding somewhere exceptionally concealed — a cellar, for instance — so rather than oversell his invention, he gave a conservative estimate.
Five hours wasn't long at all, considering they had thirty days.
As long as the traverser was eliminated within that window, the quest was complete.
Halting the virus's continued spread, on the other hand… that might take a bit longer.
Just then, Kaguya spoke up. "Admin-dono, I think there's a very good chance the traverser is hiding among the zombies."
Ryū blinked, then it clicked. That possibility was… actually quite high.
The traverser's System was called the Apocalypse Fabrication System. The zombies were obviously his handiwork, and under normal circumstances, a creator's creations would obey their creator's commands.
In other words, the infected zombies in H City might very well be under the traverser's direct control.
And if he could control the zombies, then hiding among them was the logical move.
That was where he'd be safest.
Anyone who lacked a sense of security…
Would almost certainly make the same choice.
And a traverser who had apparently arrived only recently — unless he was some kind of genius-level intellect — would absolutely be operating without much sense of security right now.
Under those circumstances… the probability of him being among the zombies was extremely high.
Kaguya's analysis had genuine merit.
Ryū glanced up at the overcast sky.
Then spoke. "Wolffy, focus the Surveillance Bugs on the infected zones as much as possible. We might turn something up."
Wolffy had no objections and began redirecting the swarm per Ryū's instructions.
Watching Wolffy pilot several hundred Surveillance Bugs at once…
Kaguya found herself momentarily dazed.
She hadn't expected that simply voicing a suggestion and a guess… would result in the Admin-dono of the Dimensional Chat Group actually accepting it and committing the search in that direction.
She felt a rush of being flattered — and, at the same time, a spike of anxiety.
What if her judgment was wrong and it delayed the mission?
The Admin-dono had placed so much trust in her…
What if she was the one who ruined everything?
Even if the Admin-dono wouldn't hold it against her, Kaguya would feel that any delay to the mission's progress was squarely her responsibility.
So alongside the honor, there was a very real unease.
All she could do now was trust her own judgment.
And Kaguya did have a tiny, tiny bit…
Just a tiny bit of confidence in herself.
Her IQ, after all, surpassed that of most adults by a wide margin.
* * *
Time ticked by. Ryū, unaware of the storm of thoughts in Kaguya's head, stood calmly in place, his expression betraying no impatience as he waited for the search results.
Yukari, the Yōkai Sage who had lived for who-knew-how-many centuries, wasn't anxious either.
When you'd been alive as long as she had, the concept of "time" had essentially lost all meaning.
Waiting half a day, or a day or two…
To Yukari, that probably felt like a second or two at most.
Maybe not even that.
Such was the curse of living too lo—
Meanwhile, inside the Dimensional Chat Group, Ryū was chatting idly with the non-participating members, killing time.
RawrSoFierce: Huh?! Whitebeard, you're saying you want to share the training methods for Observation Haki and Armament Haki with the whole group?!
Seeing Whitebeard's message, Ryū couldn't help but do a double take.
He hadn't expected that a casual chat session would lead to Whitebeard dropping something like that.
Offering to freely share the cultivation methods for Observation Haki and Armament Haki.
Uploaded to the Dimensional Chat Group for any member to study.
That was a little beyond what Ryū had anticipated.
Edward Newgate: Gurararara! That's right, Admin-dono.
Edward Newgate: These things are quite common in this old man's world. They're hardly some jealously guarded secret. Sharing them freely isn't a big deal.
Edward Newgate: Besides, we're all members of the same chat group. In a sense, you could say we're 'family,' couldn't you?
Edward Newgate: Under those circumstances, sharing the training methods for Observation and Armament Haki is perfectly natural.
RawrSoFierce: …That actually makes a certain amount of sense.
Crazy Diamond: Whitebeard-jiisan, you're amazing!
RawrSoFierce: Wait — Josuke, where did you pick up THAT word?
Crazy Diamond: From you, Admin-dono!
RawrSoFierce: Hah?!
When had he ever said that? Had he? Hmm… he genuinely couldn't remember.
* * *
Just then, Wolffy — who had been glued to his tablet the entire time — suddenly let out a deep, heavy breath of relief.
He wiped the sweat from his brow.
Breaking his silence at last, he spoke: "Admin-dono! The Great Wolf K— *ahem* — I found her!"
In his excitement, he'd nearly slipped into his habitual "the Great Wolf King" introduction.
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