Previous Life Side Story 16: Negotiations

The negotiations between CCG executives and the Japan government progressed remarkably quickly, from initiation to finalization.

The chaos stirred up by Knox was like a death knell, robbing both sides of their patience for further wrangling.

Therefore, under the pretext of "eliminating Ghouls," the CCG mobilized almost its entire force.

Combat forces available in various regions were deployed in large numbers to the site of the explosion.

A large number of Ghoul investigators, whose combat capabilities rival those of armed special police officers, roam the streets and alleys.

They worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Department.

They assisted with the evacuation of residents from the city.

While following the clues, they quietly launched a counterattack against Knox's spies who were lying in wait at the port, ready to detonate the explosives.

During this time, quite a few Ghoul smelled blood and went out to hunt for food were unlucky enough to run into the investigator squad and were thus driven away.

The situation appears to be steadily progressing in a controllable direction.

However, the Japan government's sense of security was destined to be short-lived.

As dawn broke, embassies of various countries within the country opened their doors and began their work.

Immediately afterwards, groups of ragged figures staggered into view.

Some rushed into the embassy in a panic, others were tense like startled birds, and still others were incoherent and almost insane.

No one knows what these people have gone through.

But everyone had a premonition—an international media storm powerful enough to overturn Japan's fortunes was already brewing.

Meanwhile, the Japan government remains completely unaware of this.

They are currently busy with emergency public relations efforts regarding the explosions at those oil ports.

The spokesperson was frantically trying to cover up the damage, defining the incident as an accident caused by aging pipes.

Ironically, undercurrents were already brewing in the political arena.

Some lawmakers saw the attack as a "golden opportunity," plotting to use the unrest to oust former officials and seize power.

Even worse, some, due to their excellent connections, already knew about the tragedy that had occurred at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.

They are currently preparing to take over the positions of the deceased officials.

Those who crave power secretly plotted to achieve their goals.

They planned to bypass the CCG and the central government and negotiate privately with the mastermind Knox.

They hope to use the exchange of benefits to elevate themselves to a higher position.

In Tokyo, in an empty house that is temporarily uninhabited, Tsukimi Shisui Tsukimi Shisui utterly bored.

He had little interest in the political infighting and power struggles that were none of his concern.

Therefore, his sharp killing knife was temporarily sheathed.

The all-night assassination attempt did not cause him any injury, nor did it cause him much fatigue.

Tokyo is far less dangerous than a battlefield.

Even the only lethal weapon that could threaten his life and the few CCG Special Agents were trump cards that could not be used lightly.

Therefore, he was starting to get a little bored.

"Beep beep beep..."

A soft beep came from the communicator next to my ear.

Without opening his eyes, Tsukimi Shisui casually raised his hand and tapped his earpiece, connecting the call immediately.

"Tsukimi, it's me."

Jackal's voice came through the earphones, tinged with a hint of seriousness.

"There's a meeting coming up, and we need someone to cover for us. Are you coming?"

Shisui didn't ask what kind of meeting it was, and made a decision almost instantly.

"Come."

Instead of staying here, we'd rather go watch the show from the front row.

Ten minutes later, Tsukimi Shisui sat in a corner of a platform near the top of a tall building.

With the surrounding walls providing cover, and the building being extremely high off the ground, Shisui is practically invisible.

At that moment, he gazed at the slightly shorter building across the street, observing the situation inside the conference room through the somewhat reflective glass windows.

The two buildings are separated by a main road with four lanes in both directions, so the distance between them is not very close.

However, as Ghoul with Ukaku, Shisui is quite astonishing in terms of speed.

As long as Jackal, who was in charge of leading the negotiations in the conference room, gave the order, he was confident that he could cross the distance between the buildings in five seconds.

He then smashed the tempered glass and stormed into the conference room.

According to Knox's intelligence team's preliminary screening, the building only had temporarily installed Ghoul detection equipment.

There was no time to deploy the inhibitor sprayers used to paralyze Ghouls.

Therefore, if Shisui, this ruthless Kakuja, were to rush into the conference room, it would be tantamount to a wolf entering a sheepfold.

The other party is doomed.

However, the CCG's Special Class Investigators should also make time to support the various ports these next few days.

As a precaution, Knox also deployed snipers and missiles targeting these individuals.

Hopefully, we won't need these surprises.

Tsukimi Shisui observed the conference room and its surroundings, adjusting her breathing to fully immerse herself in the environment.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the Prime Minister's Official Residence was quite oppressive.

The Prime Minister's face, seated in the main seat, was contorted with anger.

He never imagined that his political rivals would be so desperate as to seek a deal with a tiger in order to become prime minister in the next election.

"No wonder, no wonder those people were able to easily infiltrate and kill so many officials."

"No wonder, Knox's ships were already in coastal waters, and we hadn't received any news!"

The prime minister was breathing heavily, clearly very angry.

But upon closer observation, one can see that the anger was mixed with a trace of lingering fear.

If he hadn't been lucky, he would have been one of the victims last night.

The thought of this possibility sent chills down his spine.

This fear, when it became outward, was transformed into even greater anger.

He could no longer tolerate those enemies who wanted him dead.

"Arrange some men, and while they're negotiating, wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"Remember, anyone who resists is permitted to be shot on the spot."

Upon hearing this, the official standing nearby nodded obsequiously in agreement.

As for how they found out about that meeting...

They couldn't easily track Knox's movements, but the officers weren't that well-trained.

With just a little supervision, their schedules can be kept under control.

Not long ago, the person in charge of surveillance disappeared without a trace, as if he had vanished into thin air.

This certainly wasn't done by the bodyguards hired by those officials.

However, before turning to notify the person to carry out the arrest, the official made a suggestion indirectly.

"Knox seems to have quite a few Ghouls."

Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister immediately added.

"Let's call the CCG. Didn't they send another team? There seems to be some special agents among them. That should ensure everything goes smoothly."

"Sir, you are wise."

The official's timely praise greatly improved the Prime Minister's mood.

He was unaware that online searches for "Japan government involvement in population control" and "human experimentation" had already topped the trending charts.