Chapter 228

"Before that," Urahara lowered his voice, "You need to sound out Aizen's opinion."

"Everything he's doing now is to draw the attention of the Seireitei to the Quincy."

"If the Seireitei and the Wandenreich really clash head-on, at what point does he plan to launch the Hōgyoku plan?"

"If we don't figure these issues out, we'll become very passive."

"That's right."

Wang Xun stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window is the inner courtyard of the Fourth Division, where several members can be seen carrying medicine bags as they cross the stone path.

"Aizen recently told me that the Hōgyoku experiment is nearing completion. Since it's close to completion, the next step will inevitably be to accelerate the process and then find an opportunity to seize the one you have."

"The Wandenreich's move may just be a tactic he's using to distract the Gotei 13."

"And he hasn't informed me about anything he's done lately."

Wang Xun turned around.

"He's probably already on guard against me."

"But you're right, we need to know his plan."

"I need to at least have a general idea so I can prepare in advance. I'll try asking him and see his reaction."

Urahara nodded, pushed open the door and left. The door closed gently behind him, and the consultation room returned to silence.

Wang Xun sat back down at the table and pondered carefully.

Finding out Aizen's intentions sounds simple, but it requires extreme caution in practice.

Since the incident involving the fake Kaname Tōsen, Aizen hasn't pursued any responsibility against Wang Xun, but Wang Xun could sense that the relationship between the two had begun to become somewhat delicate.

At this point, Aizen will be more cautious when assigning tasks and more tactful when revealing information.

But at this moment, the fake Kaname Tōsen be exposed, the shadow of the Quincy emerges, the Hōgyoku plan is progressing steadily, and it is precisely when Aizen needs manpower the most.

How Aizen will balance between need and precaution is something Wang Xun needs to test.

As evening fell, Wang Xun left the Fourth Division and headed towards the desolate mountains west of Rukongai.

He walked slowly, organizing his thoughts as he went.

Inside the secret laboratory, the moment Wang Xun pushed open the stone door, he heard more than one voice.

He stopped in his tracks.

Besides Aizen, there was another person in the lab who surprised him somewhat.

At this moment, Aizen had his back to the door, his posture calm, and was flipping through a document.

Beside him stood a thin, silver-haired boy dressed in a shihaka outfit.

Gin Ichimaru heard the sound and turned around.

"Oh, Senior Wang Xun."

Gin Ichimaru narrowed his eyes, a hint of surprise on his face, before a faint, enigmatic smile appeared on his lips.

"That's really... not surprising at all."

Yin trailed off the last syllable.

Wang Xun's gaze lingered on Gin for a moment before shifting to Aizen.

"Wang Xun, you've come at the perfect time."

He placed the documents in his hand on the lab table, raised his hand, and gently pointed at the silver.

"Gin Ichimaru, a new recruit in the Fifth Division. From now on, he's one of us."

"Gin has proven his worth during his time in the Fifth Division."

He approached me and expressed his willingness to join our project.

Aizen smiled gently and gestured for the two to come closer.

"Yin is a rare talent, and I have high hopes for him. However, Wang Xun,"

He paused, looking into Wang Xun's eyes.

You should already be quite familiar with him.

These words were spoken casually, yet they still made Wang Xun's heart tighten.

Wang Xun knew what Aizen was implying; Aizen had known about his conversation with Gin Ichimaru for a long time.

Now that he's brought Yin to the lab, he's casually lifting the veil in front of the two of them, perhaps just to see Wang Xun's reaction.

"I do recognize you," Wang Xun said. "We met briefly when we were on a mission in Rukongai."

"You've more than just met; you should have a deeper connection."

Aizen's fingers lightly traced across the document, as if recalling something interesting.

Silver opened her squinting eyes a crack.

He didn't speak, but Wang Xun could sense that Aizen's body gradually tensed up as he spoke.

"We have had some exchanges."

Wang Xun's voice remained completely calm.

"This kid has big ambitions; we need to be extremely cautious when using him."

"And he seems to have some reservations about what you've done."

Aizen's smile deepened.

He was clearly pleased with Wang Xun's unreserved attitude.

Wang Xun turned his gaze away from Yin and onto Aizen's face.

"Aren't you afraid he'll ruin your plans by just letting him in like this?"

Silver's laughter came from the other side of the lab table, tinged with a hint of misunderstanding and grievance.

"Senior, those words are very hurtful. My admiration for Lord Aizen is genuine."

"To say such things to his face, isn't that slandering me?"

Aizen chuckled softly, breaking the awkward atmosphere between the two, and raised his hand to signal them to be quiet.

Aizen believed that what he was seeing was merely a performance by a top spy and a junior spy.

Just kidding, there's no such thing as a good person here.

"Alright, from now on we're all friends, no need to argue."

I have my own judgment regarding Yin's abilities and character.

Wang Xun sat down opposite him.

Gin also dropped his playful expression and stood quietly beside Aizen.

Aizen picked up the document he had been looking at and placed it in the center of the lab table.

"The experiments on the Hōgyoku are nearing completion; it's time to move forward."

His voice became serious, and the lighthearted tone he had used earlier vanished.

"The test results at this stage show that the Hōgyoku's Reiatsu output frequency can now stably maintain the initial stage of Arrancarization."

"But early-stage Arrancar are far from being fully developed, both in terms of form and combat power."

He picked up a data table and pointed to several key nodes on it.

"The next step is to start with the number of souls, increase the abundance of Reiatsu samples, and at the same time increase the quantity of experimental materials to conduct large-scale physical testing."

"Relying solely on Hollows from Hueco Mundo and a few souls from Soul Society as materials is no longer enough. I need souls, a large number of souls."

Silence fell over the laboratory.

Wang Xun remained silent, waiting for Aizen to finish speaking.

"Wang Xun."

Aizen raised his head, his eyes becoming slightly dangerous.

"I need you to go to Rukongai and bring back some souls."

"This task is very important, so I'm entrusting it to you."

Wang Xun and Aizen stared at each other for a moment.

How many should be arrested?

"The first batch, thirty."

Aizen stood up and put the data sheet back in the drawer.

"You are fully responsible for apprehending the target, but Kaname Tōsen will accompany you as a supervisor."

I hope you won't let me down.

The night was as dark as ink. On the desolate land of the North 66th District of Rukongai, a few dilapidated wooden houses stood crookedly at the foot of the mountain.

This is one of the more remote areas of Rukongai, far from the jurisdiction of Seireitei, and rarely visited by Soul Reaper.

The spirits that live here are mostly villains among the refugees; those who cannot stay in other areas eventually end up in this place.

Wang Xun stood on the hillside, the night wind making his death knight's robes flutter.

He had anticipated the capture of souls and therefore had made some contingency plans.

This is the spot he had chosen in advance.

"The target is just ahead."

Wang Xun spoke.

"A dozen or so refugees lived in the several rooms."

"Is this the goal you chose?"

Kaname Tōsen's voice came through, his tone somewhat disdainful.

Wang Xun did not answer, but simply started walking towards the wooden house at the foot of the hill.

Kaname Tōsen closely behind.

In the outermost wooden hut, a burly man was dozing against the wall.

Several crudely made knives lay beside him, their blades still bearing traces of blood that hadn't been wiped clean.

When Wang Xun pushed open the rickety wooden door, he suddenly woke up and instinctively reached for the knife beside him.

"Who?!"

"The Grim Soul Reaper of Seireitei? What are they doing in a place like this..."

His voice was filled with disbelief and panic.

Wang Xun did not answer, Shunpo and knocked him unconscious with a palm strike.

Wang Xun then activated the Bakudō, Bakudō #4: Hainawa: Gray Rope.

A gray rope of light shot out from the palm, binding the man's hands behind his back.

His movements were clean and efficient, without any unnecessary words or actions.

The people inside the cabin were even more alert; upon hearing the commotion outside, they all stood up and came out with their weapons in hand.

"It's Soul Reaper! Kill him!"

Upon seeing Wang Xun, these people roared and charged forward.

Wang Xun's figure vanished from the spot; his Shunpo was so fast that these people couldn't even react.

One of them pierced through the afterimage left by Wang Xun with an iron rod, slamming it heavily to the ground.

The next second, a precise chop to the back of his neck sent his eyes rolling back as he collapsed to the ground.

Wang Xun acted swiftly, and within moments, all of them were knocked Wang Xun.

Then, Wang Xun dragged the unconscious people over.

Kaname Tōsen stood on the hillside, saying nothing.

He didn't need to speak; his task was to supervise. Aizen sent him to confirm whether Wang Xun had carried out his mission effectively.

Wang Xun's chosen targets were all villains in the outskirts of Rukongai who specifically attacked others to obtain survival supplies.

Since no one cares about Soul Reaper, they survive by plundering. Even if left unchecked, these guys could very well die in one of their evil deeds.

Kaname Tōsen watched Wang Xun ultimately focus his attention on these people, his displeasure grew stronger.

At this moment, Kaname Tōsen finally came down from the hillside.

"You're wasting your time."

His voice was calm, but every word carried a chill.

"Lord Aizen's task is to capture thirty refugees. You just need to gather enough as soon as possible and then you can go back. You don't need to come all this way."

"It's also very difficult to find large groups of people in such remote areas."

Kaname Tōsen's tone was even colder than before.

"If you feel better about arresting these people to participate in experiments than arresting those weak and innocent people, that's just an excuse you use to comfort yourself."

"This is meaningless compassion."

"The result is the same; they will all never return. And you are merely wasting Lord Aizen's time."

Kaname Tōsen coldly uttered these words and then turned away.

"Time is running out, you'd better hurry up."

Wang Xun stood there, watching Kaname Tōsen's figure disappear into the night.

He dragged the dozen or so gray ropes, the other end of which was tied to the unconscious refugees. After placing them down, Wang Xun turned and walked in the next direction.

After quickly sweeping up another stronghold, Wang Xun had captured enough people.

Before dawn, Wang Xun led these people back to the laboratory.

The refugees were sealed away by a sealing spell and stacked like cargo in the innermost storage area of the laboratory.

Aizen stood in front of the experimental table, reviewing the experimental data of the Hōgyoku.

Wang Xun approached Aizen and reported his mission.

Aizen put down the data in his hand, his gaze lingering on Wang Xun for a moment.

"They've already told me about your situation during the operation."

His assessment was that you missed some opportunities.

Wang Xun remained silent.

"But I've seen it."

Aizen glanced at the direction in which the villains were placed.

"The materials you captured are of decent quality. They're strong and robust, with abundant Reiatsu, making them quite suitable as basic materials for Arrancar experiments."

"Furthermore, if a few souls from the back of Rukongai disappear, it certainly won't attract the attention of the Seireitei."

He closed the file and looked up at Wang Xun.

"So the conclusion is, you did a good job."

"Regardless of your choice, the people you captured meet the experimental requirements, and that's what I need."

Aizen walked back to the lab bench and put the document down.

"The process isn't important; I only care about the result, and your result is satisfactory."

"Prepare the materials and Hollowfication Experiment. We can begin."

Aizen said.

Then Wang Xun, Kaname Tōsen, and Gin Ichimaru separated the souls and arranged them neatly.

Aizen took out the Hōgyoku, and under his control, the Hōgyoku's light suddenly intensified, enveloping those guys.

The bodies of the refugees began to tremble violently in the blue light, their Reiatsu uncontrollably escaping from their bodies and coming into contact with the energy of the Hōgyoku.

The first refugee's Reiatsu reached its critical point the instant the Hōgyoku energy surged in; he spat out white fluid and his body began to disintegrate.

The Reishi began to peel away from his limbs, as if being sliced away layer by layer by invisible blades, and then turned into tiny specks of light in the air.

The whole process was quick.

After the first refugee disappeared, he left behind only a set of tattered clothes, which floated lightly to the ground.

Subsequently, wherever the energy of the Hōgyoku passed, the bodies of those refugees turned into Reishi and dissipated one after another.

Aizen stood before the container, looking at the empty garments, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Their souls could not withstand the power of the Hōgyoku and completely disintegrated, leaving only their clothes. At the scene, it looked as if these people had vanished into thin air."

He walked back to the lab bench, picked up the experimental data, and a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

"Keep these clothes safe. Next, we need to create a few new traces around Seireitei."

"Since Captain-Commander Yamamoto has ordered an intensified search, we must ensure that what they find is sufficient to confirm the existence of the Quincy."

He closed the spell base plate and looked up at Wang Xun.

"You're participating this time too."

"It's time to let you know what the next move is."