~Tokyo, the X-Seed 4000 Skyscraper~
This towering structure named 'X-Seed 4000' was a concept proposed by Japan in 1995...
At the time, the Governor of Tokyo had planned to construct a superstructure standing 4000 meters tall with 800 floors, capable of housing 5 million people.
According to the designer's rough estimates, the project would have required an astronomical construction cost ranging between 300 billion to 900 billion yen and would have taken a decade to complete.
The total expenditure would have surpassed even the cost of a manned mission to Mars. The prohibitive financial investment became the primary obstacle, and many argued that erecting such a colossal building in earthquake-prone Japan was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Thus, the grand blueprint remained nothing more than a fantasy. Only the foundation was laid before the project was indefinitely shelved, destined never to become reality.
The Japanese had envisioned using vast manpower and resources to construct a superstructure that would overshadow even Mount Fuji; a massive city within Tokyo. Unfortunately, too many external factors led to the project's demise.
Sean stood atop the foundation of the X-Seed 4000...
Even though the skyscraper had never been completed, the base itself towered over most ordinary buildings. From this vantage point, he gazed down at Tokyo under the night sky, its dazzling lights blooming like an eternal city of radiance.
A cold wind carrying a biting chill swept past, lifting the edges of the young man's clothes.
Wearing a hood, Izumi sat on a steel beam with her legs dangling in the air. The crimson glow of her blood-red eye was particularly striking...
"How do you know they'll definitely come here?" the girl asked, tilting her head upward.
Recently, while following Sean, she had discovered that he was far more mysterious and terrifying than she had imagined. It wasn't just his overwhelming strength which enough to effortlessly defeat Ghouls, but also the hidden power he wielded.
The true face this young man revealed was merely the tip of the iceberg. A far more formidable force lay concealed beneath the surface.
"Your two little friends have nowhere left to hide. The special task force 'C.C.G.' established by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police isn't just a bunch of useless fools. They've been tightening the net, pushing the Ghouls into a corner." Sean leaned against the steel beam.
From this elevated vantage point, his keen eyesight allowed him to observe every movement below.
"It's like a hunt. A large number of personnel form an encirclement, gradually shrinking it. The trapped prey has no choice but to retreat until it falls into the trap. Haven't you noticed? The number of cannibalistic incidents reported in the news has been increasing, far exceeding the Ghouls' usual feeding frequency. That means they're losing control, venting their rage by hunting humans."
Wolverine, whose healing factor had been suppressed, was currently staying at a Hand stronghold. Sean had no intention of letting him get involved until the chaos in Tokyo was resolved.
Given Logan's volatile temperament, the first thing he'd do upon learning the truth would likely be storming the Yashida estate in a rampage.
Not that Sean could blame him. Anyone would react the same way.
Who could have guessed the Japanese would have such a twisted way of thinking? Repaying a life-saving favor by stealing his healing ability, all while putting on a facade of "I'm doing this for your own good."
No wonder even his own granddaughter couldn't stand it in the end. Yashida Ichirō had been completely consumed by the fear of death, reduced to a deranged shell of a man.
"Kanou Hiroshi, graduated from Tokyo Medical University, later studied in Germany, joined Hydra as a researcher working on genetic engineering projects. Japan really produces an abundance of psychopaths, huh? This guy voluntarily subjected himself to live Progenitor Virus experiments and emerged as one of the few mutated Ghouls out of 300 test subjects... Kamishiro Kazuha , another rare surviving mutated Ghoul. Speaking of which, do Ghouls even have a concept of 'comrades'?"
Izumi fell silent for a moment before shaking her head.
When they had first escaped Hydra's Yokohama lab, they had nearly turned on each other due to extreme hunger...
Ghouls, as creatures fundamentally different from humans, only recognized the concept of food. Once driven to starvation, any living thing in sight could become a meal.
This was also why Ghouls divided territories and claimed different hunting grounds. They had to remain wary of humans while also distrusting their own kind.
"Then I probably won't need to lift a finger tonight." Sean smiled faintly.
Within his line of sight, two figures were rapidly approaching.
C.C.G. helicopters cast bright searchlights, tracking the fleeing Ghouls. Behind them, a cacophony of police sirens blared as fully armed special forces and barking hounds pursued like sharks drawn to blood.
The figure approaching from the southeast had bony armor-like protrusions growing beneath its shoulder blades. Even under heavy gunfire, it remained unscathed. Compared to Izumi's ukaku, this Ghoul clearly prioritized defense.
Meanwhile, the other figure had four scaled tentacles writhing behind it, moving with agility as it scaled skyscrapers like an octopus, desperately trying to shake off its pursuers.
The wind howled...
Kanou Hiroshi, a man in his forties, had never felt such exhilaration before. His mutated body was reborn. Shattering a building's glass window, he lashed out with his tentacle-like appendages, hurling heavy objects at the pursuing helicopters.
To escape C.C.G., he first needed to eliminate their line of sight.
The RC cells stored in his specialized organ were rapidly depleting. The gnawing hunger roared like a beast, gradually eroding his rationality.
Hiroshi knew he had to feed immediately. otherwise, he would inevitably falter in this desperate chase and be recaptured by the lab for disposal.
At the same time, closing in from another direction, Kamishiro Kazuha harbored the same thought.
His situation was even more perilous. The armor-like protrusions beneath his shoulder blades granted him formidable defense at the cost of mobility.
As his mutated cells dwindled, his genetically altered feeding organs screamed in protest. Ordinary humans could no longer sate his hunger, he needed to hunt a more powerful creature.
"Cannibalism… how brutal." As a spectator, Sean's lips curled into a delighted smile.
The spectacle about to unfold perfectly embodied the cruel instincts hardwired into all living beings.
Two beasts backed into a corner wouldn't cooperate to break free. Instead, they would turn on each other, seeking to devour their own kind to fuel further evolution.
Sean glanced at Izumi, then said, "See? This is your true nature. Well, no... this is the nature of all living things."
The girl's face had turned slightly pale. She knew what was coming.
Ghouls were inherently twisted creatures. Even with clear thoughts and emotions, they were ultimately monsters wearing human skins. Once pushed to the brink of starvation, all reason would vanish...
"Not going to ask me to save them? You know I have the ability to." Sean asked with interest.
Izumi shook her head.
Creatures like Ghouls shouldn't exist in this world. They were born in opposition to humanity. Allowing them to proliferate would only shatter the fragile peace and plunge everything into chaos.
"Hah, that's exactly why I chose you as my 'specimen'. Be a good Ghoul with proper morals." Sean ruffled the girl's hair, ignoring her indignant glare.
Below the X-Seed 4000, Kazuha overturned a truck, blocking the path of pursuing police cars.
Crushing a car beneath his feet, he launched himself into the air before twisting mid-flight and crashing into a building.
Meanwhile, Hiroshi anchored himself to the edge of a neighboring skyscraper with his four blood-red tentacles, drool dripping from his mouth in hunger.
In an instant, two pairs of crimson eyes locked onto each other, both brimming with killing intent.
Like wild beasts unleashed, the two figures collided mid-air, crossing paths in a spray of vivid blood!