While Fang Cheng was hurrying back to Tokyo, people in the city were discussing him, too.
The Countermeasure Department, headquarters building.
In the spacious, luxurious minister's office, two bald old men sat together, puffing away as they wore troubled expressions.
One was Fukuda Tadashi, the current head of the Countermeasure Department. The other was Deputy Minister Arai Yamataka.
Arai Yamataka had once been Kanzaki Rin's direct superior. Thanks to her repeated outstanding achievements, he had recently been promoted to deputy minister.
Whether Kamikawa Takumi had anything to do with that was hard to say.
These two old men were important figures even by Tokyo standards. Now, Fang Cheng had them frowning with worry, and the ashtray on the desk was already piled high with cigarette butts.
The previous night, Fang Cheng had routed the SOT Unit in the suburbs and smashed six Bishamonten. The Area 11 government had learned of it right away.
Only after receiving the news and the details of the entire battle did the Area 11 government realize just how badly it had misjudged Fang Cheng's strength.
After all, just a few months earlier, Fang Cheng had defeated the Wild Boar Monster Otu using a shell.
At the time, the Area 11 government had assessed Fang Cheng's strength as somewhere between Hazard Level A- and A, clearly short of A+, and even farther from an Ace.
But based on the combat strength Fang Cheng had displayed last night, he was now a monster on par with an Ace.
A monster like that appearing in Tokyo wasn't as serious as the Blood Queen passing through last time, but it still demanded a cautious response.
Fang Cheng's file had once again landed on the desks of senior government officials. This time, it had even made its way straight to