After painting the floor with gore, Hachishaku-sama's expression remained utterly placid. Having just taken a human life with her bare hands, her eyes didn't flicker with emotion.
Evil spirits were, after all, evil spirits.
Ye Xing wouldn't alter his perception of her just because of their working relationship.
Still, a tool's value depends entirely on its wielder.
Even killing has its nuances—it matters who gets killed.
"Set the bait. Lure them out."
At Ye Xing's command, Hachishaku-sama gave a slight nod and turned towards a spacious activity room.
This vast hall was originally meant for kindergarten performances, where laughter once echoed.
Now, the room trembled with children's muffled sobs, teachers' shaky reassurances, and the heavy tread of kidnappers—an atmosphere thick with dread.
As a renowned evil spirit, Hachishaku-sama didn't operate on mere instinct like lesser spectres.
She first peeked inside, confirming no other spirits lurked nearby, then squeezed a perfect imitation of the dead kidnapper's voice from her throat:
"H-help... someone, please."
Though spoken by Hachishaku-sama, the voice was indistinguishable from the decapitated man's—flawless mimicry.
Old habits die hard, even for a spirit now enjoying bureaucratic employment under Ye Xing.
"Huh?"
Hearing their comrade's faint cries from the corridor, the kidnappers exchanged glances.
A burly man with a beard and a semi-automatic rifle frowned deeply:
"Send two to check."
At his order, two armed men crept out cautiously, pistols drawn.
What they found puzzled them.
The voice that had initially seemed so close, just a few metres away, grew increasingly distant as they walked, yet never completely vanished, leading the two men all the way to the end of the corridor.
Even a fool would have sensed something amiss by now.
"Hey, I say..."
Just as one of them opened his mouth to speak, a bundle of jet-black hair suddenly extended from the side, coiling around both their necks.
"Urk... urgh..."
The two kidnappers' feet left the ground as they clawed at the dark strands constricting their throats, straining with all their might.
But aside from the crimson blood seeping from their own hands, their efforts proved utterly futile.
"Just ordinary humans, then?"
Ye Xing stepped out leisurely from behind Hachishaku-sama, observing the kidnappers whose faces had turned deep purple. With a casual wave, he said:
"Kill them."
Hachishaku-sama gave a slight nod and promptly pierced their necks with her rigid black hair.
Surveying the lifeless bodies of the two kidnappers lying wide-eyed on the floor, Ye Xing crouched down and picked up the pistols they'd dropped, examining them carefully.
Poor quality, covered in wear and tear.
These handguns were like a mining-worn RTX 4090, battle-scarred Air Jordan 1s, a donkey that had pulled millstones its entire life, or a saintess who'd spent three days in a goblin nest.
In short, they were as loose as cream puffs that couldn't stay shut.
"Seems we're not dealing with professionals here."
To confirm his suspicions, Ye Xing inspected the kidnappers' hands and bodies.
As expected - no calluses from years of firearm use.
Their bodies bore numerous scars, but all from bladed weapons, with no bullet wounds.
From these details, Ye Xing could roughly determine the kidnappers' background.
Most likely, they were members of a violent yakuza group.
Which raised the question:
Why would the yakuza, who were doing perfectly fine with their usual business, suddenly decide to kidnap a kindergarten?
If they wanted money, why not rob a bank or jewellery store?
Even if demanding ransom, why take all the students hostage? That was practically suicidal.
There was only one explanation.
Some hidden evil spirit was manipulating their actions, driving them to such absurd behaviour.
Crucially, they themselves seemed completely unaware of this.
Like puppets being played with, oblivious to their own strings.
People controlled by evil spirits differed from those possessed by them. With external intervention, they could still regain consciousness and survive.
Not that Ye Xing had any intention of saving them.
Not out of any moral stance.
Simply because when facing armed opponents, the slightest hesitation or mercy might lead to injury - and instant, irreversible doom.
They could be saved, but it wasn't worth the risk.
...
Meanwhile, back in the activity room.
"What's taking them so long?"
One of the armed kidnappers pressed his pistol against a female teacher's temple, his expression utterly inhuman - positively demonic.
"This is such a drag. Maybe we should kill a few for fun."
The gang leader shook his head, his lips curling into a vicious smile.
"Don't rush, wait a bit longer. Wait until those Metropolitan Police Department bastards can't resist charging in. That's when..."
As he spoke, he waved the detonator in his left hand, his expression bordering on madness, like a fanatical believer of some evil cult.
"We'll give Kyoto City, no, the entire Japan, a surprise gift!"
Hearing the kidnapper leader's words, the kindergarten teachers' faces filled with terror.
The children, being too young and caught off guard, hadn't fully grasped the situation yet.
But the adult teachers had already realised.
These kidnappers weren't here for money at all.
The reason they hadn't acted yet was simply to use the hostages, waiting for the Metropolitan Police Department to launch a raid before detonating the bombs planted in the building.
This wasn't something any sane person would do!
...
Meanwhile, outside the classroom.
Ye Xing observed the situation inside the activity room through the window, thinking this was rather troublesome.
Several kidnappers had their gun barrels inadvertently aimed at the hostages.
If they were professionals, it might have been manageable.
The problem was, these amateurs - though guided by evil spirits in their actions and thoughts - probably had never held guns before.
If he barged in suddenly, wouldn't he startle them?
And startled people tend to pull triggers instinctively.
Truthfully, losing a few hostages wouldn't matter much to Ye Xing.
But as the saying goes.
Every gamer wants that perfect full-achievement run, and Ye Xing was no exception.
After careful consideration, he turned to the pale ghost hand floating behind him.
"Your turn. Go steal all the bullets from their guns."