A minimum of 240,000 deaths per year—directly pushing Tokyo's annual death toll from 110,000 to 350,000?
This responsibility was too heavy for Daichi Fujiwara to bear. The cabinet couldn't shoulder it either, and neither could the prime minister.
Moreover, if Ghouls were left unchecked, their existence would inevitably become public knowledge, leading to the exposure of the mystic side to the masses.
And that was a taboo for all five great nations.
At that point, wouldn't Japan face joint condemnation from the five major nations - the US, China, England, France and Russia - or even... military intervention?
'Japan already has America as one overlord; must we add four more?'
Daichi Fujiwara's lips twitched as he turned to look at Akira Fukuda.
As Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Fukuda showed no surprise at the total Ghoul population, as if already familiar with the figures.
He carefully reviewed the documents in hand and said:
"Director Tachibana, I notice your files list major organisations within Ghoul society. May I assume your department has infiltrated their ranks, or possesses means to track most Ghoul's movements?"
Hearing Fukuda's words that practically took Ghoul extermination as a given, Kirika Tachibana glanced at Luo Shu again.
'Why do you keep looking at me?'
Luo Shu sighed internally but took over the conversation: "I can't disclose specific surveillance methods, but yes, we have infiltrators among Ghouls and can pinpoint most of their locations."
In truth, Luo Shu had already identified the whereabouts of every Ghoul.
With the convenient Mysticism Encyclopaedia at his disposal, why wouldn't he use it? Though tracking 20,000 targets was tedious, dividing the workload between Kisara, Utaha, Eriri, and Mira meant just 4,000 entries each.
Apart from wearing out some keyboards and manpower, the actual operation took barely over three hours.
'How did Mira still have energy for alchemy after three hours of continuous searching? Is she superhuman?'
As Luo Shu silently complained, Fukuda exhaled in relief: "So the hardest work is already done by your department? Truly reliable allies."
At this, Nurarihyon and Dogen Takayanagi exchanged meaningful looks. Asato Ichijo studied Luo Shu's face intently, as if memorising it.
Self-proclaimed background character Kotoko Iwanaga muttered: "Pinpointing 20,000 targets in days... Abyss Artefact or ability? Indeed, no SDS department head is ordinary."
Though whispered, this echoed everyone's thoughts. All present now recognised Luo Shu's exceptional intelligence capabilities as the Hidden Management Department's Director.
While unclear why he didn't oversee SDS intelligence, this didn't diminish their high regard.
"So all 20,000 Ghouls have been located?" Director Ito murmured. "That simplifies matters greatly."
Previously, Ghouls were like 20,000 pigs loose in a forest - manageable but messy with unpredictable casualties. Now, with SDS intelligence, they became 20,000 stationary targets - far easier to handle with minimal losses.
As Dogen Takayanagi quietly reviewed the documents, he added:
"Director Luo, was the weapon recommendation against Ghouls in the materials your suggestion?"
"It was indeed my suggestion."
Luo Shu glanced at Dogen Takayanagi in surprise, not expecting the leader of the Bujin-shū to be the one concerned about this detail.
Dogen Takayanagi's expression turned grave as he read aloud from the document:
"For A-class Ghouls and below, possessing certain regenerative and defensive capabilities, full-power rifle rounds are recommended."
"For S-class to SSS-class Ghouls, some exhibit defences comparable to light tank armour with regeneration measured in seconds. While full-power rifle rounds can penetrate their armour, they cannot outpace the Ghouls' recovery rate to cause direct lethal damage. Cursed Spirit Bullets should be deployed first to restrict them."
"How accurate is this intelligence?"
"Completely accurate."
As he spoke, Luo Shu gave Meer a meaningful look. Understanding his cue, she stood up and operated the conference room's projection screen.
While the video played, Luo Shu explained:
"This is combat footage recorded by the Ministry of Environment Countermeasures Office, showing my engagement with an SSS-class Ghoul."
Hearing it was recorded by the Ministry of Environment, Daichi Fujiwara and Akira Fukuda exchanged awkward glances. Knowing the ministry's tendencies, "recorded" was more accurately described as "secretly filmed". Yet the fact that SDS could obtain even covert footage from the Ministry of Environment spoke volumes about their capabilities.
"In this engagement, I employed intermediate-power rounds, armour-piercing bullets, and Cursed Spirit Bullets - all in 9mm calibre. The varying degrees of effectiveness can be observed in detail on screen."
Daichi Fujiwara studied the projection intently before whispering to Akira Fukuda:
"What exactly are we seeing here?"
Fukuda's mouth twitched as he replied tersely:
"Intermediate rounds are ineffective against SSS-class Ghouls, meaning standard police equipment won't work. Their regeneration and defences can withstand such firepower."
"9mm armour-piercing rounds penetrate defences but represent overkill, and their specialised manufacturing makes them prohibitively expensive. Full-power rifle rounds would be more cost-effective."
"Most crucially, SSS-class regeneration outpaces even rifle round damage. Cursed Spirit Bullets appear uniquely effective against Ghouls, though their cost likely restricts deployment to S-class specimens."
Lowering his voice further, Fukuda added through gritted teeth:
"Minister, I strongly advise familiarising yourself with mystic-side fundamentals. Please refrain from displaying ignorance in front of outsiders."
"That's too difficult. Those thick manuals put me to sleep like hypnotism every time."
Daichi Fujiwara chuckled awkwardly, but fell silent under Fukuda's withering glare.
"Ghouls seem rather vulnerable to spiritual attacks, no?" Nurarihyon stroked his chin, visibly intrigued. 'How does their Fear compare to humans'?'
Dogen Takayanagi frowned pensively: "While the Bujin-shū includes masters skilled in spiritual assaults through sheer willpower, they're exceptional cases. Does this mean we must rely on firearms teams?"
Though a martial artist who revered individual strength, Dogen Takayanagi was not one to reject technology.
He even possessed considerable skill in the American art of rapid-fire drawing of firearms.
Thinking this, Takayanagi turned his head and calmly stated:
"Using expert-level martial artists from the Bujin-shū as the spearhead, equipped with Cursed Spirit Bullets and supported by three regular soldiers using full-power rifle rounds to directly target S-class and above for decapitation strikes – this approach has high feasibility."
"As for Ghouls below S-class, if Director Luo's intelligence is accurate, then suppressing fire from a three-man squad with full-power rifle rounds and grenades should suffice. Though, as a precaution, we should assign one disciple-level martial artist per squad carrying Cursed Spirit Bullets as insurance."
Director Ito raised an eyebrow at this. As an Aikido practitioner, he too was a martial artist – not quite at master level, but skilled among experts. Therefore, he trusted the judgment of Takayanagi, a veteran master. He understood well what disciple-level and expert-level martial artists could accomplish:
"Can we achieve precision decapitation strikes against S-class targets among twenty thousand Ghouls?"
"Does the Bujin-shū have enough members for all required squads?"
"Precision decapitation requires detailed intelligence support and coordination with other departments, even other species."
"From what I understand, our side has more than sufficient manpower."
Takayanagi didn't boast. Though he disliked Nurarihyon, as an opponent, he thoroughly understood the yokai's capabilities. While Small Yokai were weaker, Medium and Great Yokai all had their specialities. With their abilities, escorting three soldiers with ample ammunition, they could eliminate an S-class Ghoul with minimal or even no injuries.
Calculating for twenty thousand Ghouls with a configuration of three soldiers plus one Bujin-shū member per squad – this setup could eliminate two Ghouls each, which would be sufficient in terms of soldiers but absolutely insufficient in martial artists. However, adding yokai manpower, plus the Onmyou Agency and Vampires, it should be nearly adequate.
At minimum, they could muster 30,000 soldiers and 10,000 mystic-side personnel.
As for the SDS, their primary role would be intelligence and command. Though opinions about the SDS varied among the assembled factions, none could deny their exceptional reliability in logistical support.
"So we require cooperation from all major factions present – the Metropolitan Police Department, yokai, Vampires, Onmyou Agency, Self-Defence Forces, even the SDS – a multi-faction alliance to solve this Ghoul crisis?"
"Then I understand."
Having grasped the situation, Director Ito fell silent and turned his gaze to Akira Fukuda, the administrative vice-minister.
Noticing Ito's look, Fukuda immediately understood – the Metropolitan Police couldn't withstand the Ghoul pressure alone, so they were passing the burden upwards. 24,000 murder cases annually would be enough to make all senior police officials perform seppuku before the public.
The Prime Minister, too.
With the pressure evident and proposals made, the decision now fell to those with authority. The ones who could give final approval were these two SDS directors and himself as vice-minister. Of course, if the former two took firm stances, he'd have to comply – but the troublesome part was the pressure from the Prime Minister's cabinet.
Of course, while the Prime Minister's pressure remained, the previous plan of having the SDS cover part or even all of the expenses was clearly no longer feasible.
The threat posed by Ghouls was too severe. The current situation wasn't about them pressuring the SDS—it was the SDS holding the upper hand.
Just as Akira Fukuda was pondering countermeasures, Daichi Fujiwara suddenly interjected:
"According to Mr. Takayanagi, pooling everyone's strength could suppress the Ghouls in a short time. I, too, believe in everyone's capabilities."
"But what about the funding?"
Daichi Fujiwara bluntly pointed out the crux of the matter:
"Whether it's mobilising troops, compensating casualties, consuming equipment and weapons, or even the cost of suppressing information—all of these require money."
"So, who will foot the bill, and how?"
Daichi Fujiwara spoke plainly, his gaze shifting between Kirika Tachibana and Luo Shu.
In his eyes, only the three of them present had the authority to make this decision.
At that moment, Akira Fukuda, who had just realised Daichi Fujiwara was the first to strike, felt utterly drained.
He suddenly recalled a long-standing rumour within the cabinet:
The Fujiwara family always had a knack for stabbing you in the back at critical moments, leaving you speechless with frustration—yet somehow, they also managed to defuse major crises when it mattered most, making them both infuriating and indispensable.
Now, he could only hope that the Fujiwara family's peculiar trait would help mitigate the situation.
Otherwise, if the two SDS directors were driven away, the operation against the Ghouls would likely escalate from easy to hell difficulty.
If it really came to that, the minister would have to resign, and he himself would probably be job-hunting soon.
'I'm sixty years old—am I really going to have to re-enter the job market now?'
Just as Akira Fukuda was quietly crumbling inside, Luo Shu and Kirika Tachibana exchanged glances and reached a silent understanding.