Breaking News: Aizen Is a Bad Guy

Wang Xun's pupils contracted slightly.

Urahara... he even guessed that?

Urahara observed Wang Xun's reaction and continued speaking.

"While investigating those missing persons cases, I discovered many strange things."

"Those speculations, which can hardly be called clues, all point to the darkness behind it."

Wang Xun looked at Urahara without saying a word.

"But I have no evidence. Those people are too cautious; they leave no room for error."

"And you, perhaps, are the only breakthrough right now."

He looked at Wang Xun and repeated his purpose.

"Wang Xun, I'm here to seek cooperation."

Wang Xun was silent for a moment, then he smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it made Kisuke Urahara's heart tighten slightly.

"Third Seat Urahara," Wang Xun said slowly, "You've investigated for so long, and this is all you've found out?"

Urahara was taken aback.

"You just said you discovered traces of Hollowfication Experiment, and you also said that there is an unseen darkness within Soul Society."

He looked at Urahara, his gaze eerily calm.

"But all of this is just your speculation, isn't it?"

Urahara fell silent.

He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't say anything.

Because what Wang Xun said was indeed true.

He investigated and pursued for so long, but he still couldn't catch a glimpse of the mastermind behind it all.

That person was so well hidden that he almost doubted his own judgment.

Wang Xun looked at his silent expression and gently shook his head.

Then, he spoke softly.

Let's talk somewhere else.

Wang Xun simply looked at Urahara quietly, his gaze as calm as still water.

Urahara paused for a moment, then realized what was happening.

The two walked one after the other through the streets of the Seireitei and arrived at the Second Division.

Wang Xun entered the Maggot's Nest after a long absence, heading all the way inside until he reached Kisuke Urahara's secret laboratory.

"Is this safe enough?"

Wang Xun observed his surroundings along the way until he confirmed that there was no trace of Aizen or any fragments of him.

Wang Xun's gaze swept around, finally landing on Urahara.

Urahara stood behind him, waiting for him to speak.

"I know who you're talking about."

Urahara's pupils contracted sharply.

"What?"

He suddenly stood up, looking at Wang Xun in disbelief.

"You... you know who he is?"

Wang Xun nodded.

Urahara's breathing became rapid.

Who is it?

Wang Xun did not answer, remained silent for a few seconds, and then spoke in a deep voice.

"You said you'd cooperate, that's fine, but I need to see your sincerity."

Urahara narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression becoming solemn.

"You say."

Wang Xun looked at him, his gaze deep.

"Tell me first, what is your ultimate goal in studying the power within me?"

Urahara was stunned.

He looked at Wang Xun, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

The young man in front of me probably sensed something.

It seems they're not so easy to fool.

He would never reveal anything about the Hōgyoku, but he could think of something else to refer to it.

After a long silence, Urahara nodded.

He walked to a chair, sat down, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly began to speak.

"You should know that the power of Soul Reaper actually has its limits."

"Depending on individual aptitude, the growth of Reiryoku will stagnate after Reiryoku to a certain level."

"This is a shackle on the soul itself."

Urahara looked at Wang Xun and continued.

"At first, I just wanted to explore the boundaries of power."

"I wonder, what would it be like if the power of the Soul Reaper could continue to grow and become even stronger after reaching its limit?"

His voice lowered.

"So I started researching and experimenting. I tried many methods and took many detours..."

In the end, I realized I was wrong.

"This path is too dangerous. Its possibilities are endless, but so are its risks. This is not a good thing for Soul Society."

"I realized I couldn't continue this research, at least not in the original direction."

He paused.

"But the power within you has shown me the feasibility of this path."

"That's one of the reasons I contacted you."

"Now, the more important reason is that someone else might be doing the same thing."

Urahara's eyes sharpened.

"Those disappearances, those traces of the Hollowfication Experiment, and all the things you encountered..."

"I suspect someone else is researching this too. And their methods are more direct and cruel than mine."

He looked at Wang Xun.

"I don't know who that person is, but I know that if he succeeds, the consequences will be terrible."

Wang Xun smiled.

Although Urahara didn't directly mention the Hōgyoku, his description was pretty much the same.

It's clear that he was sincere; at least he didn't make up some excuse to deceive himself.

You are very smart.

Urahara waved his hand.

"Enough of this, can you tell me who that person is?"

Wang Xun looked at him and slowly spoke.

"Sōsuke Aizen."

Urahara's expression froze.

He stood there, his eyes wide open, staring at Wang Xun in disbelief.

"Who... who are you talking about?"

Wang Xun repeated it.

"Fifth Division Lieutenant, Sōsuke Aizen."

Urahara opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

The expression on his face looked like he had been punched hard.

Shocked, confused, incredulous.

"That kind-hearted Aizen?"

Wang Xun no explanation.

He simply watched Urahara quietly, waiting for him to process the information.

It took Urahara a long time to come to his senses.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

"What's the reason?"

Wang Xun remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"Do you know about that joint mission before?"

Urahara nodded.

"I heard that the 11th Division, the Fifth Division, and the Fourth Division went to Rukongai to wipe out the Hollows."

Wang Xun hummed in agreement.

"During that mission, I saw something I shouldn't have seen, and that's probably why he wanted to harm me."

He looked at Urahara.

"Aizen, along with a few men, attacked a girl in Rukongai. They extracted something from her body."

Urahara frowned.

What is that?

Wang Xun slowly uttered a few words.

"Like a fingertip."

"Fingertip?"

Kisuke Urahara frowned, his pupils trembling involuntarily.

He had already begun to have some bad suspicions.

"Then, I saw him take out a small blue, glowing ball."

"He put that thing inside that little ball..."

Upon hearing Wang Xun's description, Urahara's expression changed instantly; his pupils contracted sharply, and all the color drained from his face.

"A small blue ball... fingertips..."

Urahara muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief.

That damn thing... isn't it the Hōgyoku?

That fingertip... could it be... a fragment of the Soul King?

He suddenly raised his head and looked at Wang Xun.

"Are you sure what you saw is true?"

"Any other details?!"

For the first time, Urahara's voice carried an undisguised shock.

No, it wasn't just shock.

It is fear.

Because he understood better than anyone what the power of the Hōgyoku meant.

If Aizen was indeed researching the Hōgyoku, then these vanished souls, these strange experiments...

Then everything becomes clear.

Urahara's breathing became rapid.

Aizen, unconstrained by those moral principles, actually progressed further than him in the research of the Hōgyoku.

Wang Xun shook his head, indicating that he had not made any other discoveries, then calmly looked at Urahara without saying anything more.

He needs to let Urahara process this news on his own.

Only in this way will Urahara truly realize what kind of enemy they are facing.

It took a long time for Urahara to calm down.

He looked at Wang Xun with a complicated expression.

The only good news is that since Aizen wants to target Wang Xun, he probably hasn't discovered anything special about Wang Xun yet.

In that case, I might be able to get ahead of the experimental schedule through Wang Xun, and incidentally...

I've come up with some countermeasures.

"I think I understand now. It seems you were right."

"Although I don't know how he did it, he managed to stir up so much trouble in the Seireitei without anyone noticing..."

"Sōsuke Aizen is indeed a dangerous fellow."

He looked at Wang Xun.

"But there's one more thing I want to confirm with my own eyes."

Wang Xun raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What's up?"

Urahara looked at him and said, word by word.

"That power within you."