Prelude to the Incident (I)

The days in Seireitei are like the wind chimes hanging from the eaves of the Gotei 13, making a soft, rhythmic sound in the gentle breeze of time.

Liu Ziyun's life seemed to have returned to a familiar rhythm—during the day, he fulfilled his duties as a medical team member in the Fourth Division, and at night, he engaged in endless trials and explorations with the Life-Taker Tulu in the Underground Training Ground. This simple life, going back and forth between two points, allowed him to almost temporarily forget the undercurrents hidden beneath the calm surface.

However, the wheels of fate never stop turning.

On a gloomy afternoon, as Liu Ziyun was preparing a batch of special medicines to treat the poison in the Medical Room, Captain Unohana was summoned.

Pushing open the door to the Captain's Office, Liu Ziyun could sense an unusual heaviness in the air. Unohana wasn't sitting at the tea table, but standing by the window, gazing at the overcast sky outside. Her figure was somewhat blurry in the dim light, but the chilling atmosphere was clearly palpable.

"Captain, you wanted to see me?" Liu Ziyun closed the door, his voice calm.

Unohana turned around, her usually calm eyes now flashing with a sharp light. "Liu Ziyun, recently some strange things have been happening in Rukongai. Souls are mysteriously disappearing without any warning. Although the number is small, they are widely distributed, and there is absolutely no pattern to it. Are you aware of this?"

Liu Ziyun silent for a moment, then slowly walked to the guest seat and sat down. "Yes, I know. Looks like it's about to begin."

His tone was as calm as if he were talking about the weather, but Unohana could sense the weight it carried.

"It's about to begin?" Unohana sat down opposite him, crossing her arms on her knees. "What does 'about to begin' mean? Are these disappearing souls related to the 'future' you mentioned before?"

"Yes," Liu Ziyun replied briefly and definitively, "But that's not our primary concern yet. For now, we should let things take their course and handle it according to normal procedures. In time, these events might affect Soul Reaper, but that's not the main issue either. I will continue to monitor the situation."

Unohana stared at him. "So when do we need to make our move? When is the 'key moment'?"

Liu Ziyun raised his head, his empty eyes "looking" at Unohana, a bitter smile appearing on his lips, "This matter happened about a hundred years ago. We absolutely cannot interfere now. Let's handle it as a normal incident for now, and have the team leaders investigate if necessary. However... we need to be careful when selecting people."

He paused, his tone becoming meaningful. "Just those few unlucky guys, don't pick the wrong ones."

"Unlucky ones?" Unohana frowned slightly. "Why choose them? If you call them unlucky ones, then they're bound to get into trouble, right?"

"Hmm." Liu Ziyun, "But there's no rush. Anyway, we'll be replacing at least six captains this time, so let's just consider it a chance to send them out and improve their strength."

These words, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirred up a thousand ripples in Unohana's heart.

"Is it that serious?" Her voice was filled with disbelief. "Sacrificing six captains? Liu Ziyun, do you know what you're saying? The disappearance of six Captain-level would cause a huge shock to Soul Society! The Gotei 13's system could collapse because of it!"

Liu Ziyun's expression remained unchanged, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact. "There's no other way; sacrifice is necessary. Because if we don't sacrifice, a future savior will never appear. Captain, this is a last resort."

"Savior?" Unohana repeated the word, her tone filled with complex emotions. "You compromised and yielded time and time again, watching things unfold without intervening, just to wait for that so-called 'savior'?"

"Yeah," Liu Ziyun sighed, "Although these unlucky guys aren't directly related to that 'Cheat B,' they indirectly contributed to his creation. So I can only watch these guys suffer."

Unohana keenly noticed a new term. "'Cheat B'? What does that mean?"

Liu Ziyun paused for a moment, realizing he had let something slip, but then smiled knowingly, "Um... it's like someone who just won't die no matter how much you fight them, and gets stronger the more you fight. No matter how many times you fight, you lose, but you get stronger the more you lose, and you just won't die. In the end, you win at the crucial moment, and your opponent either dies or gets sealed away. Simply put, it's an unkillable cockroach, and a cockroach that gets stronger the more you fight."

This description elicited a strange expression from Unohana: "Isn't this... a bit of an exaggeration?"

"Now you know why I've been dragging my feet, watching these guys get their comeuppance without lifting a finger, right?" Liu Ziyun's tone was tinged with helplessness. "The key is that there's a Major Boss coming up, and only this guy can kill it. I might be able to too, but I can't guarantee it. After all, they're beings that no one else can kill; only this Cheat B can handle them. There's nothing I can do."

Unohana remained silent for a long time, seemingly processing this information. Outside the window, the first raindrop finally fell, tapping against the glass with a crisp sound.

"What you're really waiting for is the boss later on, isn't it?" she finally said, her tone certain.

"Yes," Liu Ziyun didn't deny it, "This BOSS is just a beginner now, and he'll contribute to taking down the Major Boss later, so we have to keep him alive. Otherwise, why would I watch them wreak Soul Society?"

"Even the Captain-Commander isn't a match for her?" Unohana's question went straight to the heart of the matter.

Liu Ziyun's expression turned serious. "Yes, the Captain-Commander will die. And those birdmen from the Zero Division are all dead too. But they can resurrect infinitely, Captain-Commander can't. So... let's just lie low and wait for the Cheat B to appear."

The weight of those words seemed to freeze the air in the room. The rain poured down harder, pounding against the windows with a dense, rhythmic sound, like a prelude to an impending storm.

"Alright," Unohana finally spoke, her voice filled with deep weariness, "Then let's just wait and see."

"Okay." Liu Ziyun stood up. "By the way, Captain, remember—the first one to attack will definitely be that brute, Kensei. Alright, I'm off."

Unohana nodded. "Okay, I still need to report to the Captain-Commander. You can go back now."

After Liu Ziyun turned and left, his figure disappearing into the corridor outside the door.

Unohana sat alone in her room, listening to the rain outside the window, her heart heavy. Every word Liu Ziyun had just said struck her like a hammer blow. The sacrifice of the six captains, the death of the Captain-Commander, the annihilation of the Zero Division... these messages were too shocking, too heavy.

She stood up, straightened her haori, pushed open the door, and walked towards the First Division.