Edano, in his stoic explanation, refers to the precision with which he targeted the leg, seeking to inflict a non-fatal wound.
"I didn't want to kill. Striking in a non-vital place is the best way to force your hand without shedding blood. Now, your friend's life isn't directly threatened, but if you take too long to find a doctor, the situation could change."
The group, faced with this unexpected situation, seems trapped between Edano's pressure and the reality of having to save one of their own. Worried murmurs spread among them, looking for solutions. Edano, impassive, observes their dilemma, aware that this choice will force them to question their own motivations and actions.
The members of the group, torn between personal survival and loyalty to their wounded friend, face a moral dilemma. Tension mounts in the subway, heightened by the medical emergency and the prospect of an imminent outcome.
Faced with the imminent threat of the situation, the members of the group, abandoning their hostage-taking posture, decide to surrender. One of them says: "We'll go down to the next station and get medical help. But if anything happens to our buddy, you'll be sorry." Edano, impassive, nods in agreement, and the tension in the car begins to ease.
After that, I turn to Edano to thank him for his intervention. He replies in a calm tone: "You'd never have had the courage to kill them anyway. You were bluffing." Although I don't entirely agree with his words, I choose not to engage in debate. We silently return to our seats, letting the tension dissipate as the subway resumes its course.
The subway sped through Tokyo's tunnels, the atmosphere almost back to normal. I decided to deepen the conversation with Edano, seeking to understand more about the mystery of the marks.
Edano, with his usual coldness, told me that the mark had to be there, somewhere on my body, and that I simply hadn't looked for it properly. It was a disturbing thought, as the idea of not being totally aware of my own body seemed absurd.
Meanwhile, Saé brought back to the discussion a remark made by another passenger about the lack of government intervention. The concern was shared, as it seemed strange that neither the Japanese government nor other nations had taken any action in the face of the dramatic situation we were plunged into.
"Why hasn't any help arrived?" I questioned, sharing Saé's skepticism. "Besides, other international countries should have been made aware of the situation in Japan."
Edano was silent for a moment, then replied in a calm voice, "Maybe this is happening all over the world. And that therefore all countries are in the same situation."
His words hung in the air, creating an atmosphere charged with mystery and uncertainty. The only certainty was that, whatever the scenario, our fate remained in our own hands, marked by enigmatic Roman numerals and facing unknown trials.
Edano's words sparked an idea in my mind.
"Think about it, because of time zones, some continents or countries might not yet be confronted with the reality we live in. Oceania, for example, would be the first to experience these events, since they're ahead of us. Japan would then be second."
The concept of time zones opened up a new perspective on our situation. Sitting in this moving subway, we contemplated the idea that Oceania, having already experienced what we were currently going through, could be the precursor to this strange ordeal. Japan, in turn, had succumbed to this enigma after Oceania.
Edano, with his pragmatic attitude, stressed that no one would come to us with ready-made answers. It was up to us, the "solvers", to unravel the threads of this complex enigma. Edano's words, though realistic, also seemed to charge the atmosphere with a greater responsibility, and we realized that our survival ultimately depended on our ability to decipher this mystery.
Guided by the logic of the film's events, I advised Saé to think back to the initial scenes set in Australia. The idea emerged that the country featured first in the film might be the first to be affected by the ordeals. The connection between cinematic fiction and our reality became more tangible, fueling our reflection on what the future held in store for us.
Faced with the impossibility of accessing the Internet, I tried to unravel the mystery by asking Saé about the differences in the film's release dates across the world. If one continent had been plunged into this ordeal before us, it could mean that other parts of the world were already facing the same situation. However, Saé, like me, was unable to provide a clear answer. The veil surrounding our situation seemed to be getting thicker and thicker, making us increasingly concerned about the scale of these planetary enigmas.
I asked Edano about his knowledge of the film in question, and while mentioning his lack of familiarity with it, he shared a few remarks about its reputation. He seemed to be aware of its existence, but had never felt the need to delve into it. Faced with this admission, I took the initiative of detailing my plan, which revolved around finding the film's protagonist in Okutama. I explained my logic, stressing the idea that our proximity to this character could significantly increase our chances of survival in this strange world of enigmas.
Edano, without seeming surprised by my intentions, informed me that he had already heard of this strategy before deciding to accompany us. His decision to follow us thus made perfect sense, feeding my curiosity about his motivations and prior knowledge. Our exchange became a source of reflection, while the mystery thickened around this enigmatic world that seemed to follow the rules of a film we'd never consented to experience.
I returned to the public chat to see if there was anything new.
New alerts had sounded, and as I looked at the location of these alerts, a sense of trepidation rose in me. They were getting closer and closer to our position. A sense of urgency began to set in, as if this fire and its attendant dangers were just another piece of the puzzle in this twisted game we were now all forced to play.
As my thoughts raced round and round, a man came running into the metro. Out of breath, but determined, he announced to us all in a loud voice.
"The hunter has been definitively neutralized!"
The news seemed to relieve some passengers, but he quickly continued, explaining.
"A mysterious group ambushed Fuchu's prison. They lured him there and set fire to the hunter with it."
The news spread like wildfire, and a glimmer of hope crossed the wagon. Yet, despite the apparent end of the threat, a doubt crept into my mind. I couldn't help but step forward and ask.
"Wait, if the hunter has been eliminated, why hasn't the riddle ended?"
My skepticism floated in the air, and the passengers also seemed to be waiting for an answer, unsure of what was really going on.
As my thoughts became clearer, the beginnings of an answer seemed to dawn on me. The group that had started the fire burst into the subway. There were four of them, and their mere presence imposed a respectful silence on the carriage. Their massive build and determined expressions left no doubt as to the seriousness of their mission.
They were young, probably in their twenties, and all seemed to have a history of survival. The first, a dark-skinned man with shaved hair, wore a black leather jacket that gave him the look of a natural leader. His arms, crossed over his chest, showed scars from a violent past. The second, slimmer but just as imposing, had piercing, almost tawny eyes and a wry smile. His unkempt hair and casual gait revealed a calculating mind.
The third, much stronger than the others, with muscles bulging out from under a ripped tank top, appeared to be the brute force of the group. His intense, silent gaze sent a clear message: it was best not to provoke him. Finally, the fourth, a little further back, was more discreetly dressed, a cap pulled over his ears, but his fingers were nervously playing with a pocket knife, betraying an inner tension.
The leader spoke in a deep, confident voice. "If the riddle isn't finished," he said, staring me straight in the eye, "it's because there are false hunters among us. Since the beginning, we've eliminated the bad ones, the imposters. But the real hunter... he's still out there, somewhere."
The atmosphere became even heavier. My mind tried to understand the depth of his words, but the idea that we'd been duped all this time made it even more sinister.
The group leader continued with chilling certainty: "We're sure the real hunter is here, in this subway." His gaze swept the carriage, as if scanning the souls of the passengers, looking for the slightest flaw.
A shiver ran down my spine, and in spite of myself, I asked him the question that had been burning my lips: "How do you intend to go about catching him?"
The answer fell like a sentence: "We're going to do what we did at Fuchu prison. We'll set fire to this subway. If he's here, he won't be able to escape, and he'll perish with you if he has to."
The words echoed in my head, heavy with consequences. They were prepared to do anything, even burn an entire carriage of innocent passengers to the ground to neutralize what they considered to be the ultimate threat.
Just then, a passenger at the back of the car had a strange reaction. He began to fidget haphazardly, his jerky movements suddenly capturing my attention for a few seconds.
It was then that my gaze fell on a detail that had previously escaped me: on the back of one of the members of the group was a Type 89 rifle. I well remembered having read about this weapon in one of my many stories. A wave of panic swept over me. They were ready to start a murderous fire in this subway, armed to the teeth.
In a last ditch effort, I tried to reason with them. "You can't do that! You're going to kill innocent people. And there's no proof that the hunter is here among us."
But my words bounced off their icy determination. They seemed impervious to any reasoning, closed to any other solution. They were going to put their plan into action, no matter what the cost.
So, in a last-ditch effort to divert their attention, I said...
"How is it that you possess a weapon reserved for the Japanese Self-Defense Forces?" My gaze fixed on the man carrying the rifle. "Was a Japanese soldier one of the fake hunters?"
My words hit home. The group froze, surprised by my remark. Their hitherto unwavering leader frowned and stared at me with a glint of suspicion in his eyes. I had planted a seed of doubt, but I didn't know how long I could delay their plan.
The leader stared at me for a moment before answering in a deep voice: "Yes, it's true. I took it from a hunter. His eyes were burned out. He couldn't see, anyway." His words floated in the air, tinged with a dull unease.
I hesitated for a few seconds, my thoughts swirling with surprising calm. Then, without warning, a broad smile stretched across my lips. I observed each of them with a strange serenity, the weight of the situation fading beneath a new inner clarity.
"Know that I won't let you!" My voice was soft, almost soothing. Not an ounce of irony filtered through my words. I really meant it. This situation no longer frightened me. The chaos, the uncertainty, had ceased to seem threatening. If this was the path we had to take, then so be it. I was ready to accept it.
The group looked at me, bewildered. My smile remained motionless, sincere. This was no provocation, no desperate act. It was a pure and simple acceptance of the fate that seemed to await us.
"I've changed my mind, burn it all! <3 "
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