{Transitioning to Zuke}
Upon opening his eyes again, Zuke found himself standing on the edge of a Cairo street.
Technically, he should have appeared out of nowhere on the street, but the passersby seemed oblivious to his sudden presence. It was as if he had always been standing there, with everyone instinctively ignoring him.
Though it wasn't explicitly explained, Zuke understood that this was likely a protective mechanism for entering the mission world. However, this effect would only last a moment; once he was fully integrated into the mission world, others would notice him.
Aware that this world was filled with bizarre stand abilities, some potentially aimed at ambushing him, Zuke immediately summoned his stand.
"Blackbird: Void Miasma!"
A shadowy, humanoid stand emerged behind Zuke, then transformed into a shadow that enveloped his body, eventually merging into the shadows of nearby buildings and vanishing without a trace.
He arrived undetected and departed in silence. The "Void Miasma" power acquired from Vanilla Ice not only excelled in spatial attacks but also made for excellent concealment.
Using Blackbird's Void Miasma, Zuke moved through the streets, occasionally peeking out to observe his surroundings.
Compared to his arrival in the mission world the day before, the streets were now teeming with police officers, armed and patrolling.
This was likely a tactic from Dio and his subordinate Enya. They probably intended to use the police to track down Zuke. As for how they managed to command these officers, there were plenty of methods—whether through money or Dio's ability, they could easily manipulate the police.
In fact, Dio could even take it a step further: by inserting his hand into a person's neck, he could manipulate their actions by controlling their blood.
Such actions that might expose him did not concern Dio in the slightest. As a vampire, he considered himself superior, indifferent to the lives of "lowly" humans.
However, Dio clearly hadn't realized that Zuke had gained the Void Miasma ability, allowing him to remain perfectly hidden. The police wouldn't be able to locate him.
Dio was completely in the dark about Zuke's powers, whereas Zuke knew all about Dio's abilities, making defeat seem inconceivable to him.
…
"Not here either… Could my luck really be this bad?"
After yet another unsuccessful search of a mansion, Zuke emerged from the backyard, looking visibly frustrated.
An hour had passed since he entered this mission world. With the experience from yesterday, he moved faster through the mansions today. However, even after an hour, none of the mansions he searched had any connection to Dio.
This made him start doubting his luck; if he were in the Type-Moon world, he might have a Luck stat of E, right?
He wondered if he would eventually encounter the Type-Moon world in future missions and just how abysmally low his luck truly was.
"This won't do. I can't keep searching aimlessly like this. I may not have Iggy's nose, but I'm not completely without leads today."
After coming up empty-handed at yet another mansion, Zuke finally had enough. Continuing like this would mean wasting another eight hours today.
Since his luck wasn't helping, he'd have to rely on his brain to offset it.
Although today's situation seemed similar to yesterday's, there was one noticeable difference on the streets.
Yes, it was the police scouring the streets for Zuke.
The police had clearly received strict orders and were searching frantically, questioning anyone resembling an Asian person.
Luckily, they hadn't been this aggressive yesterday. All Zuke needed then was a simple hat for a disguise. Today, though, he'd lose that hat in no time.
Moreover, the police were carrying a drawing—most likely a sketch of Zuke's face. Although he hadn't left any images behind, Enya had seen him, so creating a sketch wouldn't be difficult.
While the police's random targeting of Asians forced Zuke to stay fully concealed in Blackbird's form, it also presented him with an opportunity.
—If they were searching for him so fanatically, couldn't he plant false information to trace it back to Dio's hiding place?
With this plan set, Zuke began selecting a target on the street and quickly settled on a police officer.
This Cairo officer not only acted alone but was also incredibly aggressive, using violence on anyone who resisted even slightly. Zuke even witnessed him harassing women. Clearly, this guy was a scumbag.
Perfect for passing along false information.
Keeping his eyes on the officer, Zuke stayed hidden in Blackbird's shadows and trailed him.
Finally, after ten minutes, the officer entered a deserted alley… another alley. Zuke was growing tired of alleys.
But the officer wasn't there to follow any lead; he simply took off his pants and relieved himself in a corner.
As soon as he finished, a powerful force struck the back of his head, pinning him to the ground with Zuke's foot, rendering him immobile.
"Disgusting. I really didn't need to see that."
Zuke stepped out of Blackbird's shadow with a look of disdain.
To the officer, who couldn't see the stand, Zuke's body seemed to materialize, forming from a foot into a complete figure.
"You… you're…!"
The officer recognized Zuke as the Asian man they were frantically searching for, though his words halted as a sharp pain exploded in his head. Zuke exerted a slight amount of pressure, making the officer feel as though his skull was about to shatter.
"I didn't give you permission to speak. Unless you want your head smashed open."
Zuke pressed his foot down on the officer and said coldly, "Now, contact your superior and tell him you've found me. Say that I'm hiding… near the Cairo Tower."
Given the 1980s setting, the Cairo Tower, built in 1961, certainly existed.
The reason for this fake location was simple—the high pedestrian traffic around the Cairo Tower would make an arrest difficult. Once the police received this intel, they'd undoubtedly report it.
But they wouldn't report it to any higher authority. They'd report it to… Dio.
To be continued…
Hand over your Power Stones! Ningen.