Juvenile Detention Center Incident

Half a month later, Lin Ran had long since put on his altered school uniform. It looked pretty good and was slightly different from Yuji Itadori's, though only in minor details.

Lin Ran had not been idle during those two weeks. Not only had he built good relationships with everyone, but he had also grown proficient with his own abilities.

That day, Lin Ran sensed a hint of danger. What was coming had finally arrived.

"Our 'Windows' confirmed the Cursed Womb roughly three hours ago. Once the evacuation guidance was ninety percent complete, the facility was sealed off based on the situation at the scene. All residents within a five-hundred-meter radius have been evacuated."

At that moment, the four of them stood outside an enormous building: a Juvenile Detention Center. The one who had just spoken was Jutochi Kiyo, a Jujutsu Sorcerer serving as an assistant supervisor. His duties included transporting Jujutsu Sorcerers, creating barrier Curtains, conveying mission directives, and other support work. He was skilled at handling miscellaneous matters and all sorts of clerical tasks.

He was currently assigned to liaise with Lin Ran's group of four, and this mission had been assigned to them as well.

The other three did not seem particularly affected. Perhaps they considered this a relatively low-difficulty mission. Both Cursed Spirits and Cursed Wombs were curses, and curses only needed to be exorcised.

But Lin Ran was the only one among them who did not see it that way. He was thinking about how to defeat that Special Grade Cursed Womb: Heavenly Restriction.

Having fought a Special Grade Cursed Spirit before, Lin Ran knew full well how powerful they were. But this Cursed Womb: Heavenly Restriction might not be able to deploy a Domain yet. It might simply possess overwhelming physical strength. If that was truly the case, Lin Ran would not be too worried.

After all, his strength was completely different from when he had faced that Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Even if he encountered one today, he had the power to fight it.

The Cursed Womb: Heavenly Restriction at this Juvenile Detention Center was not actually so simple. Their monitoring results had only identified it as a Cursed Womb, and they had not fully grasped its grade, which was why Lin Ran's group had been sent to handle it.

But in reality, the Cursed Womb inside the detention center had already surpassed all expectations. Some people should have known that, so why had they still sent them here?

The purpose was undoubtedly Yuji Itadori, but no one knew what was going on behind this. Everyone had come here as though they were simply handling an ordinary curse.

Lin Ran gave Jutochi Kiyo a once-over, unable to tell whether this guy knew anything or not.

"Mr. Ijichi, I have a question." Yuji Itadori looked at Jutochi Kiyo. "What are 'Windows'?"

"Windows are affiliated personnel at Jujutsu High who can visually observe curses, though they are not sorcerers." Jutochi Kiyo gave a brief reply.

"I see." Yuji Itadori nodded to show that he understood.

"I'll continue." Jutochi Kiyo looked toward the dark clouds overhead. "Five inmates in the second dormitory for incarcerated juveniles are currently still inside with the Cursed Womb. If the Cursed Womb fully transforms, it is projected to become a Special Grade Cursed Spirit."

Lin Ran's gaze shifted. So they knew the Cursed Womb inside was dangerous. It had the potential to become Special Grade—then why send them in to die?

Did they think the few of them could handle a Special Grade?

At present, only Fushiguro Megumi had that kind of strength, but his mindset was different. That guy was currently fighting with an attitude of trading one life for another. He could never win that way.

"Special Grade..." Fushiguro Megumi and Nobara Kugisaki both realized that this could become very troublesome, though the Cursed Womb inside was most likely only Grade 2 or Grade 1.

"Hey... I still don't really get what 'Special Grade' means." Yuji Itadori scratched the back of his head. After all, he had never encountered anything at that level. The ones he had met before did not count as Special Grade, right?

Jutochi Kiyo looked expressionlessly at Yuji Itadori and the others before saying, "Then I'll explain it in terms even an idiot can understand."

"First, Grade 4: easily handled with a wooden bat. Grade 3: you can barely feel safe with a handgun. Grade 2: you can barely handle it with a shotgun. Grade 1, including Semi-Grade 1: even a tank would have trouble. Next is Special Grade: even carpet-bombing it with cluster bombs probably wouldn't be enough."

After Jutochi Kiyo finished, Yuji Itadori looked shocked. "That's way too strong."

Fushiguro Megumi closed his eyes slightly before speaking. "Jujutsu Sorcerers of the same grade as the Cursed Spirit are supposed to be dispatched for missions. For example, Teacher Gojo should have come today."

"So that's how it is..." Lin Ran knew that Teacher Gojo likely had something else to do. But anyone capable of drawing Satoru Gojo away with other business was surely no simple person.

"Then where's Teacher Gojo?" Yuji Itadori looked around, but there was no sign of him.

"He went on a business trip. He was never meant to be stuck doing idle work at Jujutsu High." Fushiguro Megumi understood Satoru Gojo fairly well, considering they had known each other for so many years.

Jutochi Kiyo adjusted his glasses and nodded. "Unfortunately, understaffing is normal in this line of work. We often receive jobs that are difficult to handle. But this is an emergency and abnormal situation. Under no circumstances are you to fight. If you truly encounter a Special Grade, you have only two choices: 'run' or 'die.'"

At the words run and die, the other three showed different expressions. Lin Ran, however, had a very direct understanding of death.

Theoretically, he had already died once, so he had a more real impression and understanding of death. It was not that he no longer feared death, but that facing it gave him an even stronger will to survive and a clearer awareness of what it meant.

"Listen carefully to your fear. Do not forget that your mission is only to confirm and rescue survivors." Jutochi Kiyo looked up at the sky. It seemed like it was about to rain.

"Excuse me, excuse me, A Zheng..."

"Don't come any closer." "Please step back, please step back."

Behind Lin Ran's group, personnel had already set up a security perimeter. This had become an extremely dangerous area, and outsiders were not permitted inside.

But the woman who had called out just now had someone deeply important to her inside the Juvenile Detention Center, so she was extremely anxious. Lowering her voice slightly, she asked, "A Zheng... Is my son A Zheng all right?"

Jutochi Kiyo walked over, then turned to the others behind him. "She is the guardian here to visit him."

He then looked at the woman. "Please go home. We currently suspect someone has poisoned the facility, so we cannot disclose any further information for the time being."

"How could this..." The woman covered her face with both hands and crouched down in agony. Tears could no longer stop flowing from her eyes. "Why... Why did this happen..."

Yuji Itadori could not bear to watch this. His face darkened. "Fushiguro, Kugisaki, Lin Ran, let's go save them!"

"Of course." Nobara Kugisaki answered decisively. There were four of them. Getting people out of there should not be a problem.

The four immediately sprang into action and entered the Juvenile Detention Center.