"Although it's not exactly a perfect ending, things are looking pretty good now—I just wonder what Father Makoto would think if he met Ryōko and Hinami together."
Of course, that was merely a thought. Daniel had no devious intention of deliberately arranging a meeting between them; after all, he wasn't like those twisted souls such as Kyudo Nibifuku.
After being transformed into a human—capable of eating human food—both Touka and Hinami immediately turned into little foodies, sampling every treat that girls adored.
At the same time, Touka was finally able to go out on dates with her good friend Izuko Kosaka. For the longest time, because she was a ghoul, she had no choice but to use her busy schedule at the coffee shop as an excuse to refuse Izuko's invitations—except while at school, where avoidance was impossible.
By now, Touka no longer worked at the Antique Coffee Shop; she had shifted her focus to enjoying her campus life. As for Wujima Shin, he and Wujima Ayaka had opened another coffee shop together.
Kaneki, naturally, had returned to university, and his bond with his close friends had been restored—even though his part-time job at the Antique Coffee Shop continued.
"I mean, how can you still be so fixated on opening another café?"
Daniel looked over at Takatsuki Izumi, who was busy brewing coffee at one end. He was a bit exasperated—taking her into account, there were now three cafés in total, and their locations weren't even far apart.
"Well, if I'm idle, I might as well, and besides, I don't really need to make money from this," Takatsuki Izumi replied matter-of-factly. As a famous writer, her assets were quite substantial; her café, though modest in seating, was priced exorbitantly—it was more of a hobby than a profit-making venture.
Perhaps it was because ghouls used to be limited to just coffee that these people had honed an art of coffee-making. Even Kaneki's skills had now reached the level where he could run a café of his own.
"I can't believe General Arima ultimately decided to step down," someone remarked.
After the treaty was signed by various countries and following that battle—and with the widespread distribution of the drug—the formidable General Arima had resigned as head of the CCG, retreating to a secondary role.
As the drug began to circulate, aside from some radical ghouls who initially vehemently opposed the idea, things proceeded quite smoothly. Still, some ghouls refused to turn human. Some continued to hide among humans, while others retreated deep into the underground labyrinth of District 24.
"After all these years, he's exhausted. Here's the script you wanted," Takatsuki Izumi said as she placed a stack of documents on the table.
"That fast?"
Daniel immediately picked up the file in front of him. He explained that this script was a project he had conceived on a whim after acquiring the publishing house owned by Takatsuki Izumi. The idea was to create an animated series set in this ghoul world—the general plot remained similar, but all the characters had been completely reimagined.
"And what about the pair of twins by your side?" Takatsuki Izumi, sitting across from Daniel and casually pouring herself a cup of coffee, asked.
"They're, of course, at work."
After Dr. Kanou's demise, the Ankyu family's assets naturally fell to those twin sisters. Nowadays, they served as Daniel's assistants, helping him manage the company he had built.
"Looks like I should be on my way."
Seeing a figure entering from the door, Daniel stood up and waved at Takatsuki Izumi. If anyone else had arrived, he wouldn't have batted an eyelid and would have continued to linger—but today, it was none other than Fangcun Gongshan, Takatsuki Izumi's father. Even though she had long since abandoned the name Fangcun Ait, nothing could change the fact that she was the daughter of the café's owner.
Though Takatsuki Izumi hadn't openly acknowledged her father, she hadn't driven him away with a scowl either—which led to the scene where the Antique Coffee Shop's boss ended up drinking coffee in another café.
"This Cookin armor would be perfect for Tian Yan—it could bolster the strength of the network under her command."
Relying on his new analysis of the Cookin he had obtained from the CCG, Daniel discovered its secret. Using his own kagune, he had manufactured over twenty sets of armored Cookin. Although these wouldn't be very useful for Daniel himself or for figures like Aidestes and Aida, they would be tremendously valuable for arming his subordinates.
The defensive performance of the armored Cookin far exceeded that of ordinary steel. Moreover, as it was a product of hardened RC cells, it was much lighter than steel. Most importantly, due to the spatial stacking properties of RC cells, it was extremely convenient to carry.
Daniel fashioned them into belts and bracelets—items that could be instantly activated during combat. Once his network's operatives possessed these, they could easily evolve from mere assassins into berserk warriors.
In contrast to the CCG's new tactic of exposing one's head as a weak point, Daniel's solution was comprehensive—even the head was encased in black armor.
The Cookin produced from RC cells shared some similarities with nanodevices in terms of performance; its capabilities could certainly be further exploited. However, that was not Daniel's concern—it was a problem for the scientists of this world, such as the CCG's Di Xing Jia Yi.
"I always knew these people couldn't be trusted—you handle it all," Daniel said.
After arriving in the world of the Two Dragons with his armored Cookin in hand, Tian Yan immediately reported on the latest movements. Although the Central Plains had been unified, there were still undercurrents stirring in secret; many aristocratic families were colluding, scheming behind the scenes.
Daniel merely glanced at the report and dismissed it—it was nothing more than a bunch of insignificant clowns. They didn't require his intervention; Tian Yan could handle them.
"No wonder those ancient emperors rarely lived long—their strength was lacking. It turns out that true strength is the foundation of revolution."
Lying in the palace hot springs, Daniel couldn't help but reflect on his recent indulgences. After roughly arranging matters, he then took Tian Yan, Shi Qingxuan, and the rest of the group to the palace for a vacation, thereby enjoying the full imperial treatment. Except for Wanwan, who still had to continue refining her Heavenly Demon Technique, the others had no such worries.
"Come to think of it, I must be one of the few enlightened ones—look at Ying Zheng, forget him; look at Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng—doesn't every one of them have scores of concubines?"
Including Tian Yan, Daniel calculated that he had no more than four or five. In this world, where having three wives and four concubines was the norm, a mighty emperor like him was no better than some minor noble's disciple.
Yet there were still those who criticized him for neglecting state affairs. Daniel could hardly contain his anger. Frankly speaking, if people truly believed that he—whose household was overflowing with concubines—could be criticized for not handling state matters, it was laughable.
For someone like that, Daniel wouldn't mince words. Who in their right mind would care about Confucian critiques? The era of Confucian supremacy was long over—he had completely severed those ties.
Confucian hypocrisy was revolting—while outwardly righteous, too many of its practitioners were involved in vice and debauchery. Daniel had exposed them all in the newspapers.
"I never expected to see you here. Weren't you supposed to be disinterested in such matters?"
At a global conference on biochemical attack prevention, back in the Marvel world, Daniel attended at the invitation of Chris. With some free time on his hands, he decided to drop by—and unexpectedly encountered Ryōko Yaku Shidera.
"Since I've got some spare time, I thought I'd come and see how things are going. I just hope nothing goes wrong like last time."
Dangerous elements abounded in the Marvel world—especially certain individuals who thrived on conflict. For instance, at anti-terrorism conferences, one sometimes ended up facing actual terrorist attacks; the same held true for biochemical defense.
"That shouldn't happen—this time, security is extremely tight."
"Let's hope so."
Looking at the faces of Chris, Jill, and Leon at the venue, Daniel shook his head slightly. The claim of "comprehensive security" was often mere lip service. It was like when Black Panther's father was blown up at the United Nations—while ordinary people might feel secure, in reality, certain individuals found vulnerabilities everywhere.
"Rebecca, it's been a long time."
While two people were talking on one side, several of Daniel's old acquaintances strode over—truly a reunion after a long absence.
"Ah, Shelley."
Beside Rebecca stood Shelley Platinum. After S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded, she had joined the Biochemical Terror Defense Organization; by now, Shelley had become an exceedingly rare beauty.
"Something about that phrase sounds off."
Seeing Shelley, Daniel remarked with genuine emotion—and then realized that the phrase in question sounded oddly like something a worker at a distillery would say.
"Claire."
Rebecca, Shelley, and Claire arrived together. And if you add Ashley, who was with Leon on the other side, it was practically a grand gathering of biochemical heroines—even though, strictly speaking, a few were still missing.
"Claire doesn't seem very happy. What's wrong?"
When Claire went to see her brother Chris, Daniel curiously inquired of Shelley about Claire's state.
"Her boyfriend had an accident recently."
"Could it be… her boyfriend, 'K'?"
Shelley's words left Daniel a bit speechless as he watched Claire's retreating figure. Even though they had hardly been in contact lately, Daniel had nonetheless instructed the Red Queen to gather intelligence on Chris and the others; not deliberately, but just to keep tabs on Claire's situation.
In short, if one wanted to be Claire's boyfriend, one's fate depended on having nerves of steel. In that regard, Leon "Triple-Light" seemed more than qualified—unfortunately, the two did not click. Leon's playboy nature was certainly not what Claire was looking for.
"Here's Jack Wesker—now one of Chris's teammates."
After meeting with Chris and Jill, they introduced the people around them to Daniel.
"Jack Wesker—the second-generation toxic heir—has actually joined the department for biochemical crisis defense. It seems we're just one toxic heir short. I wonder if the final one will emerge. But as a toxic heir, he shouldn't be overly affected by Chris's aura of camaraderie, right?"
"Natalia Wesker—they're not related at all."
Besides Jack Wesker, Chris also introduced a young female Wesker. Despite her youthful appearance, she was a bona fide genius with a unique insight into viruses.
Chris made a point to stress that she and Jack Wesker had nothing whatsoever to do with each other—after all, Wesker is just a surname; plenty of people share it.
"Aleksia Ashiford."
Finally, Chris introduced someone who made Daniel study her intently—a stunning blonde beauty named Ashiford. Daniel was well aware of that surname; it belonged to one of the top three families of the Umbrella Corporation. Having acquired extensive data from Umbrella, Daniel naturally knew secrets that others did not.
Like Natalia Wesker, Ashiford appeared young but was already an expert on biochemical viruses.
"This person probably isn't that guy, right?"
Although Daniel thought so internally, he maintained a calm exterior as he greeted the two and began discussing virus-related knowledge with them.
"Alright, this isn't a laboratory. If you want to talk about that, then head over to a lab," came the voice of Moira—a friend of Claire and the daughter of Barry. Originally, Barry didn't want his daughter to engage in such work because it was too exhausting, but Moira was passionate, and in the end, Barton had no choice but to relent.
"That's true. Perhaps today we can all relax and have some fun," someone remarked.
Although the banquet was ostensibly to discuss global biochemical defense issues, in reality it wasn't so solemn. Its primary purpose was to raise funds—since the frontline of biochemical defense required vast amounts of equipment and medicine, all of which cost a great deal of money.
Since Daniel had come, he naturally secured his share—just as Ryōko Yaku Shidera had. At the same time, the Stark Group had also sent representatives. Not Tony Stark or Pepper Potts, but rather a public relations manager. In situations like these, under normal circumstances, neither Stark nor Pepper would show up; instead, someone would simply come bearing a check.
"Of course, something's bound to go wrong."
During the first half of the banquet, everything had been quite calm. But just as the alliance chairman was about to speak, trouble erupted—not in the hall, but somewhere else: a small town was shrouded by a biochemical virus. Soon after, a figure dressed entirely in black appeared on a television broadcast, declaring that it was their act of retribution.
Aside from that incident, the rest of the evening wound down rather hastily. Chris and his colleagues immediately rushed to the scene to contain the virus and rescue survivors. The military and police could handle ordinary criminals, but when it came to a virus, they were no match.
After all, this was a biochemical virus—a slight misstep could lead to a catastrophic outbreak.
"With Rebecca around, that guy shouldn't be a big problem, right?"
Daniel had initially intended to check with Aleksia Ashiford to determine the situation, but when he remembered that Rebecca was present, he decided not to worry too much. After all, the body checks carried out by the biochemical defense department were extremely rigorous—unlike the CCG, where the Kaku Clan manipulated both sides, allowing for body checks to be easily tampered with.
Within the CCG—the Counter-Ghoul Agency—the internal inspections were extraordinarily strict to prevent any ghouls from infiltrating. If not for the fact that even the highest ranks were ghouls, such checks would be impossible to bypass.
"Beauty rendezvous—naturally, I'll have time."
Just as Daniel was about to leave, he received an invitation from Ryōko Yaku Shidera. Seizing the rare opportunity, he eagerly headed over. Although he wasn't one to actively pursue others, when someone came knocking, he wasn't one to refuse—especially considering how desirable Ryōko's legs were.
Some claimed that the biochemical virus was a study in eternal life—an idea that, while intriguing, had never really panned out.
Then there was the debate about whether the Navy in One Piece was truly righteous. That depended on one's perspective; indeed, figures like Sengoku were considered just—but with figures like Akainu and the countless Navy officers encountered by Luffy, and with the Celestial Dragons as their superiors, could an entire Navy truly be called just?
Of course, that was a matter of opinion—one need not force a conclusion.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. I plan to start a company soon, so I'd appreciate your support."
After all, even if this world's drug didn't boost Daniel's personal strength, it could still provide other resources.
"As long as it's legal, there's no problem."
"Rest assured—it will be completely legal."
"This is almost our final battle; and at the last moment, you even present me with a gift."
With top CCG officials from various nations arriving and powerful ghouls appearing worldwide, a drug that could transform ghouls into humans was, for ordinary ghouls, a boon—but for those who craved overwhelming power, it was an outright curse. The CCG could even use it to manufacture bullets and other weaponry to fight them. Under such circumstances, some ghouls naturally planned to take out Daniel—the very inventor of the drug.
"Finally, it's over. Now, what should we do next? Perhaps start an entertainment company—first, let's acquire the publishing house owned by Takatsuki Izumi."
(End of Chapter)
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