Chapter Thirty-Five: The Conception of "Prosperity"

Back when he faced off against Setsuna Kiryu, Kyou Byakudou already felt something was off.

On the surface, both Nen and Dragon Blood Inner Power seemed to be refined forms of life energy. But their application and potential were entirely different. Nen also involved "mobilizing" life energy, but within its cultivation system, this step played a very minor role. From circulating energy throughout the body, to concentrating it in a specific part, to training the speed of energy manipulation... The exploration of internal power within Nen more or less ended once the aura nodes were opened. After that, all focus shifted to developing the energy itself.

So, in the world of Nen, a species of humans with lifespans of just five hundred years, whose life force couldn't even regrow a severed hand, managed to forge countless unreasonable, rule-defying abilities.

But Dragon Blood Inner Power was different. After years of cultivation, Kyou Byakudou realized that this energy, born from the martial arts of immortals and demons, was deeply entwined with the body's muscles, meridians, and acupoints. Where the inner energy flowed, how it ran, which acupoint it passed, what effect it had on the body—these were what inner power manifested in a foundational practitioner.

When a cultivator, with profound reserves, gradually climbed toward the pinnacle of their art, only then did inner power, at its highest quality, start to break free from bodily constraints—much like Nen—connecting with the world itself, or even forming a world of its own. Ultimately, one could become an immortal or demon, living as long as the heavens.

Simply put, Nen was like a player in a game who focused on finding bugs; if they found one, they could bend the rules of the world. In other words, they exploited the game's loopholes. Inner Power, on the other hand, was like working one's way up within the game company, eventually running the game or leaving to start a new one.

Under the pressure of unknown disasters, Kyou Byakudou's goal had always been to pursue the path of greatest survivability. Nen, no matter how potent, could never withstand a nuclear explosion—it was simply a means for him to get by in critical moments. Ultimately, in his heart, he still aspired to obtain spiritual energy or dragon blood through dimensional salvage, and set out on the path toward undying immortality.

But after testing his Nen attribute in the udon shop’s Water Divination—a Transformation type—a single thought about "breaking the system" began to run rampant in his mind.

In the world of Nen, the protagonist Killua once used his Transformation Nen to absorb electricity from an outlet and temporarily power himself up. So, could he, by perfecting his own "Specialization," turn his Transformation Nen into a converter, and transform common forms of energy in daily life into spiritual energy to fuel his Dragon Blood Inner Power?

Kyou Byakudou lay in the arms of a beauty, idly playing with the wooden plaque symbolizing his membership.

"As long as I complete this idea for my 'Specialization'—to fuse Nen and Dragon Blood Inner Power—then..."

Then, even if the next moment brought world war or a bioweapon crisis, Kyou Byakudou was confident he could lead his loved ones to survive.

"Training begins now! Saeko, for the week leading up to the Deadly Tournament, the commotion will astonish you."

"Even more outrageous than today? Hm, although I hate seeing you advance so quickly, supporting a man's path to strength is one of a woman's necessary dignities, isn't it?" Saeko rested her chin gently on Kyou Byakudou's head and spoke softly.

~~~~~~

Fukushima Prefecture, near the nuclear power plant.

In a room rented under the identity of Joey Brody, funded by Yagami, and located very close to the plant, Yagami stood by the window, peering through a slit in the curtain at the facility in the distance.

Behind him, a white-haired old man was struggling through Japanese, arguing with a voice from the computer that spoke in a theatrical tone.

"I simply cannot comprehend, Mr. Yagami! Why did you bring such a fraud into our investigation?"

"Who are you calling a fraud?! F***! I'm a bona fide engineer, graduate of a world-renowned university!"

The racket made Yagami pinch his brow and sigh heavily. "Aren’t technical people supposed to be rational? Can’t you discuss things calmly?"

"I—Seiichi Tsukumo—could never get along with someone who blames their own disastrous mistakes on fairy-tale excuses!"

"I've explained it over and over," Joey Brody slammed the table in frustration, "I even showed you the data!"

The voice from the computer was undeterred. "This is all you showed me? Your basis is data from 'Echolocation Method'?" The dramatic voice tapped furiously at the keyboard.

Windows popped up all over the computer screen, filled with countless screenshots.

"Although my expertise is in information technology, I have friends in various Japanese universities," the rapid-fire typing continued, pop-ups flooding the monitor. "These are the responses I got after asking around the nuclear engineering departments... Nothing! No one in nuclear engineering has even heard of this book!"

Joey struggled to rein in his anger, replying with forced patience, "Listen, this isn’t a nuclear engineering source, it's—"

"I know! It’s not nuclear engineering, not even electrical engineering! It’s animal behavior science! If a student from that field hadn’t stumbled across it, I’d be searching through the geology department by now!" Seiichi Tsukumo from the other end of the computer cut him off furiously.

"Animal behavior science?"

This time, even Yagami, who had no intention of getting involved in the technical debate, furrowed his brow and came over to the computer. Even as someone who studied law, he knew this field had nothing to do with their investigation.

"Mr. Brody, what’s going on?" Yagami looked down at the old foreigner by the computer, his expression stern.

At first, he’d come to Fukushima at a friend’s request. He’d chosen to involve himself in the nuclear plant’s looming crisis out of conscience and a sense of responsibility, unwilling to stand by in the face of disaster. The millions of yen in funding sent from Kyou Byakudou, far away in Tokyo, was a testament to trust between friends—a bond between two kindred souls.

But if this old foreigner he’d brought in was just a charlatan, how could he ever face his friend again?

The thought made Yagami, whose nerves had been stretched thin for days, feel a surge of nameless anger. He wanted nothing more than to throw the old man out onto the street then and there!

Fortunately, both his past as a lawyer and his current work as a detective had tempered his mind, keeping him from losing control.

"Give us an explanation, Mr. Brody. Why is all your data from unrelated fields? Or are you hiding something?"

"It’s not unrelated! I’m not hiding anything, I’ve given you everything I have!" Joey growled, on the verge of losing it. "You have it all! I didn’t keep a single sheet! Why won’t you believe me? Why!"

After his outburst, he buried his head in his hands, sighing in despair.

To see an old man before you, on the verge of collapse after a lifetime of effort, was something that would move any person of sound mind. Yagami was no exception.

After a long silence, he spoke to the computer.

"Tsukumo, let’s put aside the difference between disciplines. What about the data itself—any problems?"

The old man, still clutching his head, stiffened, then looked up at Yagami in disbelief.

"Well... I did check, and the data is all normal."

"So, putting aside the academic distance, the phenomena in the data did in fact occur at Janjira Nuclear Plant and at Fukushima the other day?"

"Yes, that’s right. But, Yagami, do you really believe some creature could cause anomalies at a facility on the scale of a nuclear plant? How could that—"

"Nothing is impossible, Tsukumo," Yagami said with conviction. "If there’s one thing my life as a detective has taught me, it’s this—"

"Until the truth comes to light, nothing is impossible, Tsukumo!"