Volume Six: What She Lost, What I Gained - 570: 3002000000

Fisher then took out a beautiful little paper package from his clothes, carefully opened it, and found fine corn kernels, buckwheat, and various kinds of grains that birds like. He gently tossed the package, and Dastan, which had been circling low in the air, immediately flew down happily, landed on Fisher's shoulder, and stuck his head into the package to feast.

Fisher, however, was sneering, enjoying the sight of this strong woman in pain.

"Ha... ga... you... bastard..."

Xiao Wu knelt on the ground, large drops of cold sweat streaming down her forehead. Her complexion was beyond description; it was no exaggeration to say that all her skin, including her face, had an ominous purplish-black hue, as if she had been poisoned.

"How are you feeling, Urushihara?"

"You bastard... you've got guts... wooo!"

"Sorry, I don't have the guts."

"Damn it..."

Xiao Wu tried to stand up, but stumbled and fell to the ground. She struggled to get up, but it was all in vain. She could only glare at Fisher with resentment.

"Still putting on a brave face, huh? Impressive, impressive! You can even withstand a lethal dose of poison meant for two million people. Just how strong is your body?"

"Gurgle..."

Fisher leisurely teased the bird, Trister stood behind him with a smile. The two seemed relaxed, but their eyes concealed a wariness. Neither of them let their guard down despite having the upper hand.

Xiao Wu's current situation is naturally Fisher's doing.

He had tampered with the city's water supply system the night before, mobilizing hundreds of employees to add a deadly poison that would take more than a day to take effect into the drinking water purification system. By the next morning, this poison, along with the first glass of water of the day, had entered the stomachs of two million innocent citizens.

Now, the potent poison has finally taken effect.

A lethal dose equivalent to two million doses was simultaneously applied to Xiao Wu.

That alone wouldn't be so bad, but the problem is that the poison's effects are continuous. What's concentrated on Xiao Wu is "the harm suffered by two million citizens due to the poison in their bodies," not "the poison itself." The poison itself is still rampant in the bodies of two million people. Unlike instantaneous damage like an explosion, as long as the poison is still taking effect in the citizens' bodies, its effects will continue, and Xiao Wu will continue to suffer from the deadly poison.

"You damned bastard... If it weren't for... if it weren't for this two million times lethal dose... I... would have already..."

"You already subdued me, then used restraint techniques that wouldn't harm my body to deprive me of my mobility? Even you could figure that out, so how could I not have made any preparations?"

"Tsk..."

Xiao Wu's vision was already blurry; in this state, she couldn't even aim her gun. For the first time, she wished she had multiple lives like Ye, so that she only needed to die once—

--It's no use. The effects will continue after the resurrection. Even if Ye came, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

"Alas... how pitiful, how pitiful, Urushibara!"

Fisher lit a second batch of tobacco, puffing away on his hookah with obvious enjoyment, a stark contrast to the struggling Xiao Wu.

"A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs; that's a perfect description of you right now, isn't it? Although I don't consider myself a 'dog.' But even if you were at your peak, you would never win against me, because your vulnerabilities are meaningless in front of me."

"Shut up!!! If you have the guts... if you have the guts, then undo your power!"

In her haste, Xiao Wu even yelled out lines that sounded like a child throwing a tantrum after losing a fight, however—

"Since you put it that way, sure, I'll remove it right away--"

"... Uh? Wait! Don't deactivate it!!!"

After a moment of shock, Xiao Wu screamed desperately, her voice almost hysterical. Fisher stopped preparing to deactivate his ability and looked at her with a sinister smile.

"Hoo hoo... How kind you are, Urushihara! Now you know why this ability to concentrate the pain of others onto one person is called the 'savior'!"

"You are truly... the most despicable scum..."

"Is it really okay for you to insult me like that? I might accidentally cancel my powers if I get distracted!"

"..."

Xiao Wu's eyes were practically spitting fire, but she managed to suppress her anger and keep her mouth shut.

Fisher must not be allowed to lose his powers.

It was precisely because of Fisher's abilities that the damage caused by the poison to two million citizens was concentrated on Xiao Wu.

If the ability is removed, the innocent citizens will be the ones to suffer the consequences.

At that time, two million lives will have been lost in vain.

"That's it, Urushihara... The 'savior's' mercy compelled him to bear the sins of all humanity alone. Although it was incredibly painful, he knew that if he gave up, all of humanity would suffer... Just like you now. Although I've said it many times, I still have to say it— Urahara Sakura Dance, your kindness will destroy you!"

(Author's note: Uncle Fei is definitely the most cunning villain to appear so far, I couldn't help but applaud.)

(What do I do?)

Xiao Wu struggled to maintain her awareness, which would completely disconnect if she relaxed even slightly, and used her sluggish brain to think of a way to break the deadlock.

Her body had almost completely lost its mobility, making it impossible to use restraint techniques against Fisher, and pure violence was out of the question. Moreover, she was forced into a desperate situation where she would rather Fisher not remove his abilities. What about the others? None of her companions were by her side; they all had their own enemies to deal with. Besides, Xiao Wu would rather Haoyue and Ye not come, because they would never care about the lives of millions of civilians.

(Hateful...)

Was I being too foolish?

If she were ruthless, she could end Fisher's life in seconds.

If this scoundrel is left unchecked, how many more people will he harm in the future? Millions? Tens of millions?

Perhaps sacrificing these two million lives now could save millions more that would otherwise die in the future?

(No... no way!!!)

Xiao Wu felt ashamed of herself for having such thoughts. Sacrificing a few to save the many was, in the end, just an excuse for her own incompetence. No matter the reason, those who shouldn't die shouldn't die—was she hypocritical to think like this? No, it's not that being unable to keep one's promises that's hypocrisy. Being able to do what you say isn't hypocrisy, it's true goodness.

What I want to do has never changed from the beginning.

Eliminate Fisher, but also spare the innocent from suffering.

However, even so...

The deadly poison in the bodies of two million people is the shackles placed on Xiao Wu. As long as Fisher has this trump card, and as long as the toxin remains in people's bodies, there is no way he can turn the tide.

Please, someone... if only someone could cure all these people from the poison...

But who can actually do that?

Ye? No, at her peak, she could have transfused her blood into two million people simultaneously to help them detoxify, but now... it's very risky.

Bright moon? No, for the same reason as above.

Sin Annihilation? No, for the same reasons as above.

Givinia? The Sick Spider? Or Si Nan Ying? But they have no means to heal others.

Think about it, don't give up, think about it again!

Poisoning... Ultimately, the reason I was poisoned is because the citizens all had "a lot of toxins" in their bodies.

"...?"

Large amounts of poison?

"A large amount"?

What constitutes "a large amount"? Does it mean something that could kill someone?

Since Fisher dared to use them to threaten Xiao Wu, it means... the poison in each of their bodies has reached a lethal dose, or "fatal dose".

Lethal dose...

In other words, the minimum dose of a poison that can cause death from poisoning...

Even highly toxic substances like arsenic, if present in extremely small quantities, cannot kill a person.

It's a number.

If the "dosage" of a poison reaches the "lethal dose," a person will die.

The opposite is also true.

(Numbers... numbers... numbers!?)

If--

(Perhaps... it might work?)

But we must find a way to contact other people... that way!

"So, what are you going to do?"

Fisher scoffed.

"Whether it's your life or the two million cannon fodder who will die the moment I deactivate my powers, you're already my playthings. What kind of solution can you possibly come up with to break this deadlock?"

Although he said that, he still carefully distanced himself from Xiao Wu. Ye and his group had already created many miracles; who knew if Xiao Wu really had a way?

But Xiao Wu kept her head down and didn't say a word.

Her long, white hair obscured her face, making it impossible to see her expression, but she was clearly quite haggard.

(It seems... it's almost done, right?)

He carefully observed Xiao Wu's appearance. The woman was extremely weak, covered in cold sweat, and her skin had turned a purplish-black color, as if she had been poisoned. She looked completely helpless.

(If it has been confirmed that there is absolutely no way to resist, and even self-healing is difficult, then proceed to the final step...)

"Wait a minute... Is this really... okay?"

The frail woman suddenly spoke.

"... Oh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, is this... really okay? Threatening me with the lives of two million people..."

Although Xiao Wu's face was extremely pale, she still glared at him with burning eyes.

"Have you thought this through...? How did you manage to 'escape being killed by me'?"

"..."

What it relies on is, of course, a "Beautiful Mind"—the ability to share one's own suffering with millions of others.

"You rely on spreading the damage evenly... no, ultimately... you rely on 'numbers'..."

Number of people.

Whether it's spreading the damage evenly or concentrating a large amount of damage, Fisher is helpless if he's alone.

If you were to throw him into the desolate Gobi Desert, there would be no one else in his territory, rendering his abilities meaningless.

"So think about it... You said I'm afraid you'll dispel your abilities, but aren't you the same?"

Really.

Fisher was indeed threatening Xiao Wu with the threat of "removing her powers and letting two million people die in vain," making Xiao Wu hesitant to act.

But what if he really does lose his ability?

Then two million citizens will die, not a single one will be left alive.

"Right... In that case, you will lose... lose the very foundation upon which your power depends—'numbers'! It seems I've indeed been pushed to the brink, but... you've been pushed to this point too! You've paid the price and must bear this risk! If everyone dies, not only me, but anyone stronger than you could defeat you!"

A moment of silence.

Xiao Wu and Fisher stared at each other, neither of them speaking for a moment.

This silence lasted for a moment—

"... Oh."

Fisher tilted his head and gave a cold laugh.

"Well, you're right."

He clapped his hands.

"Indeed, as you said, while threatening you, I myself must also bear enormous risks... Ha."

But he smiled.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!"

He laughed heartily, as if he had heard the best joke in the world.

"But—do you think I'm the kind of person who enjoys taking risks? Of course not! I've said it so many times, how could I not think of something you've already thought of! You're wrong, Urahara Sakura Dance! You've got a major premise wrong—"

Fisher raised his hand high--

"--The number of people in my territory is not just a mere two million, but --"

He swung his hand down—

"--A full three billion!!!"

The target was Trister, who had been standing with a beaming smile among the group.

And, the planet on his chest.

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Long time no see, please Monthly Votes for me! Just one more second for Wu Ye!