A few hours later, as dawn began to break, several black sedans pulled to an abrupt stop.
The doors opened, and several solemn-faced men and women in black suits quickly stepped out.
They were members of Window, the organization responsible for intelligence and cleanup in Jujutsu Society. Leading them was the same veteran investigation captain with the brooding eyes, but his expression was even graver than usual.
"The Curtain Sato was responsible for lowering came down early..."
The captain frowned at the building, which showed no fluctuations of cursed energy. Rather than that old hand Sato slacking off and leaving early, the Curtain's sudden disappearance without a report more likely meant its caster had died.
"Everyone, prepare for the worst. Sato was most likely killed. We may encounter a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit that hasn't left yet," the captain ordered in a low voice, drawing the short blade at his waist.
"Yes, sir!"
His subordinates quickly spread out and followed the strongest traces of cursed residue all the way to the basement.
The instant they pushed open the heavy iron door, everyone held their breath. They had imagined countless terrible scenes: scraps of flesh strewn across the floor, a rampaging cursed spirit feeding ravenously...
Yet when their powerful flashlight beams tore through the basement's darkness, everyone stopped dead in their tracks.
An overpowering stench of blood filled the basement, but there were no roars from a cursed spirit.
What truly shook the investigators was the only living person at the scene.
Not far from the mangled pile of Sato's remains, a boy covered in blood and mud huddled in a cold corner.
Both his hands gripped the bloodstained short blade Asagirimaru tightly, its point facing outward, his entire body as taut as a fully drawn bow.
His dark eyes were unfocused, revealing the emptiness and defensive stress response of someone who had suffered an extreme life-or-death fright.
With the flawless support of the R-rank card "Life Is Like a Play," Li Shunchen gave a penetrating portrayal of a battered survivor who had been on the verge of breaking down in a desperate situation, yet had survived on instinct.
"You..." Sensing the cursed residue from the cursed spirit's ashes already dispersing through the air, the captain's throat went a little dry. "Where's the cursed spirit?"
At the sound, Li Shunchen suddenly flinched like a startled wild animal. He slowly raised his head, his voice as hoarse as scraping sandpaper.
"Dead... dead, they're all dead... it... wanted to eat me too... I had no choice but to kill it..."
An eerie silence fell over the scene. Several investigators exchanged looks, seeing the horror in one another's eyes.
He had single-handedly killed a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit that had killed an Assistant Supervisor?! That was simply impossible!
The captain took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his shock, and strode forward.
The moment he drew close, he keenly detected the faint yet exceptionally pure fluctuations of cursed energy emanating from Li Shunchen.
"You have cursed energy?!"
Then the captain's gaze fell on a torn, bloodstained paper figure lying on the floor nearby. It was the remains of the medium that had been slashed apart along with the cursed spirit.
The captain crouched down and carefully examined the lingering trails of cursed energy in the air, then whipped his head around and stared hard at Li Shunchen, his gaze completely changed.
"Isn't this Sato's cursed residue? You used it?!"
"I... I don't know what Puppet is..."
Li Shunchen's hands trembled slightly around the blade, displaying just the right degree of utter confusion and lingering fear for a newly awakened novice.
"I was about to be bitten to death... my hand touched that bloodstained talisman on the floor... and suddenly there were these strange sensations in my head, like I knew how to make it move... so I threw it out to lure that monster away... then used this blade to cut its neck."
Hearing this outrageous yet perfectly coherent answer, and seeing Li Shunchen's instinctive reactions without a trace of acting, the captain sucked in a sharp breath.
If this boy was telling the truth, this was a huge deal!
Awakening an innate cursed technique at fifteen or sixteen, at the brink of death, was already an exceptionally rare case of late development in Jujutsu Society.
What made the captain's scalp prickle even more was the nature of the cursed technique the boy had demonstrated.
Strange sensations had suddenly appeared in his head? He could control a dead man's talisman just by copying what he had seen?
This was absolutely no ordinary cursed technique! It was some extremely rare, absurd ability capable of "reading" or even "replicating" other people's cursed techniques!
Even setting all that aside, whatever this boy's cursed technique actually was, the fact that he could instantly calm down amid the extreme terror of his first awakening, use a dead man's belongings as bait, and seize an opening lasting a fraction of a second to behead a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit in one strike... that terrifying combat intelligence and mental fortitude were ten thousand times more valuable than sheer reserves of cursed energy!
He's a monstrous genius... no, he's a peerless gem that hasn't been polished yet, the captain cried inwardly.
Just then, another subordinate picked up the illicit ledger Sato had left in a corner and handed it to the captain.
The captain took just one glance at the sordid transactions recording the use of low-level personnel as bait, and his gaze instantly filled with utter disgust.
"Scum. He deserved to die."
He tossed the ledger to his subordinate. "Seal this away. Rule Sato's death the result of procedural violations and revoke his death benefits."
The captain stood up. By now, his attention was focused entirely on Li Shunchen.
Trading the life of one corrupt Assistant Supervisor for the discovery of a genius with exceptional combat intelligence and a rare cursed technique would be an incredible bargain in the eyes of Jujutsu Society's higher-ups.
After pulling up the records and confirming that Li Shunchen was now an orphan with a clean background.
The captain took a deep breath, pulled out a specially made phone, and bypassed the normal reporting process to dial a special number: Masamichi Yaga, the first-year homeroom teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
On the other end, Masamichi Yaga seemed to be making a cursed corpse. His voice was low as he answered. "What is it?"
As the captain rapidly and excitedly recounted what had happened, Masamichi Yaga fell silent for a full half minute.
"What did you say?" Masamichi Yaga's voice suddenly rose. "An unaffiliated awakening at fifteen... and in his very first encounter, he used a dead man's cursed residue to replicate a cursed technique and successfully turn the tables on a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit?"
"Yes, Mr. Yaga. And this boy went through an extremely gruesome scene. Although he has some stress-related trauma, his psychological defenses haven't collapsed. His combat instincts are terrifying."
The captain glanced at Li Shunchen, who was still clutching the blade in the corner and watching his surroundings warily, and spoke urgently in a lowered voice. "He's an absolutely outstanding prospect! If Jujutsu High doesn't step in to protect him as soon as possible, the consequences will be unthinkable if those lunatics in the Curse User groups discover him!"
"...Understood." Masamichi Yaga's voice became utterly serious. "Leave the cleanup to the others. Drive him to Jujutsu High yourself, immediately. I'll interview him personally this morning."
"Beep-" The call ended.
The captain put away his phone and turned to Li Shunchen.
By now, the trace of aloof arrogance in his eyes as a veteran member of Window had completely vanished, replaced by the equality and anticipation with which one treated a future powerhouse.
"Your name is Li Shunchen, right?"
The captain softened his voice, doing his best not to upset this "frightened genius."
"Mm..." Li Shunchen nodded slightly, but a barely perceptible hint of amusement flashed deep in his eyes.
"Don't be afraid. You're safe now." The captain offered a sincere smile, a rarity in his career, and held out his hand.
"Congratulations, kid. Starting today, your life is going to change completely."
Before you continue