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Information Integration Thoughts: Chapter 684 Haruhi Suzumiya's Curiosity (23)
Yukimura Yoshihisa felt that something was wrong.
It wasn't something he perceived through sight or hearing, but rather something indescribable—more like intuition.
Three days ago, Yukimura Yoshihisa learned from the "organization" about what was happening to the group of superpowered individuals. Unlike most of the superpowered individuals who were panicked, Yukimura Yoshihisa did not have much of an opinion. After all, since his freshman year, he did not believe that "Haruhi Suzumiya," that high school girl who had no other strengths besides her cute appearance, possessed the so-called "divine" power. The reason why the "organization" brought up these non-existent things was simply to make the superpowered individuals hesitant to use their abilities.
Yes, Yoshihisa Yukimura was a conspiracy theorist.
Whether it's Haruhi Suzumiya, the Information Integration Thought Entity, a person from the future, or a person from another world, or even the "organization" itself, they are all just special institutions set up for their existence. As for why these things are proposed, it's very simple: to maintain social stability.
This concept has been proposed in more than one novel: when a new class that does not belong to this society emerges, unless they intend to submit to the interests of the existing class and become the new exploited, they will inevitably find another way to gain dominance over this society.
Obviously, superpowered individuals cannot be exploited. However, if they must violently destroy the existing social classes to gain dominance, social unrest becomes inevitable. To prevent this, the government established the "Institution" at the expense of some interests. Then, within the "Institution," they spread a non-existent threat to divert the attention of superpowered individuals to this non-existent threat, thereby maintaining general social stability... This is a logical and convincing explanation.
It has to be said that Yukimura Yoshihisa felt that he was really too wise. He had even imagined such a hidden truth. What else could he not do?
Of course, given the power that Yukimura Yoshihisa currently controls, he doesn't intend to directly rebel against the rule of the "Organization." After all, his abilities are not strong enough, his resources are not abundant enough, and his connections are not wide enough. He needs to accumulate power and wait for the right opportunity. The "Organization" is a platform he uses to accumulate power before soaring to great heights.
With this in mind, Yukimura Yoshihisa not only did not resist the arrangements and tasks of the "organization," but even took the initiative to accept those relatively difficult and dangerous tasks in order to understand and contact the higher-ups to obtain more "real information" about superpowered individuals, and this time was no exception.
Investigate the areas where Koizumi Itsuki might be hiding and capture him alive if possible.
This mission was issued three days ago, and along with it appeared a scene of Koizumi Itsuki brutally killing another superpowered individual. It is worth noting that the way he killed the other superpowered individual was precisely through superpowers.
Unlike previous missions, this one has a high chance of involving combat, and it won't just be a matter of victory or defeat—even a fool could see that the mission target's mental state is abnormal, and no one will take responsibility if you get killed by a madman.
In contrast, the huge reward behind this mission was so great that Yukimura Yoshihisa did not hesitate to accept the mission when he saw the huge reward. After all, in his opinion, this was just another test of the "mechanism" to intimidate, but the reward could not be faked.
Of course, to avoid repeating past mistakes, Yukimura Yoshihisa was prepared to kill his target the moment he spotted him. After all, one only has one life, and any negligence is unacceptable...
With this in mind, after stepping into the area provided by the "organization", Yukimura Yoshihisahara felt something was amiss.
It's so quiet.
It was still early morning, and the surrounding area wasn't exactly deserted. There was a school not far away, so from any angle, this park shouldn't be this quiet.
Even if there's no human habitation, there should at least be insects and such, right?
However, the deathly silent park offered him no response, simply standing quietly in the increasingly thin sunlight, waiting for its prey to come to it...
Swallowing hard, Yukimura Yoshihisa hesitated for a moment before stepping inside: It's alright, he still has espers.
I don't know if it was just Yukimura Yoshikubara's imagination, but the temperature seemed to drop considerably the moment he stepped into the park area. However, upon closer inspection, it felt no different from before, so I could only conclude that I was being overly sensitive.
"The release of Koizumi Itsuki's ability is a red sphere with explosive power, which can be regarded as an explosive fireball. Even if there is a temperature change, it should be an increase in temperature rather than a decrease in temperature."
When accepting this mission, Yukimura Yoshihisa had done a lot of research on the mission target, and this came in handy at this moment, at least confirming his previous misconception.
After searching the outer areas of the park for more than ten minutes, Yukimura Yoshihisahara was disappointed to find that Koizumi Itsuki was not hidden in those obvious areas. The rest were either not in the park or hidden in the artificial forest.
The western sunlight had completely faded, and bathed in the dim yellow light, the entire forest seemed to be on another side of the non-human world.
Involuntarily, Yukimura Yoshihisa recalled a phrase: the hour of twilight.
This time, Yukimura Yoshihisa wasn't as reckless as he had been when entering the park before. The series of unusual events had made him somewhat paranoid, and he was considering whether to leave temporarily and come back when the sun rose the next day when a figure flashed past out of the corner of his eye, making him shout out, "Stop!"
Instead of stopping as Yukimura Yoshihisahara had called, the figure paused briefly before running even faster into the depths of the forest. By the time Yukimura Yoshihisahara came to his senses, the figure had already followed him into the heart of the forest.
Within seconds, Yukimura Yoshihisa had vanished without a trace.
"Damn it!"
It wasn't that Yukimura Yoshihisahara lacked ability, but rather that this forest was simply too strange.
Generally speaking, no matter how well an artificial forest in a city is imitated, it is destined to be different from a real forest. However, Yukimura Yoshihisahara only realized the abnormality of this forest after rushing in.
The vegetation density is too high.
Not just trees, but also vines, weeds, and some old, thorny plants.
They are densely packed in this narrow area, fighting and vying for a ray of sunlight and nutrients, leaving no space apart except for the vegetation.
Yukimura Yoshihisahara, who had only run a few steps before getting entangled in the trap, suddenly realized something.
—Human flesh and blood can also become fertilizer for plants?
Information Integration Thoughts: Chapter 685 Haruhi Suzumiya's Curiosity (24)
Although he didn't know how these overly lush plants had grown to this extent, the series of unusual events made Yukimura Yoshihisa, who felt inexplicably uneasy, decide to leave first and immediately calmed himself down and activated his superpower.
Almost every superpowered individual within the "organization" possesses abilities that align with humanity's imagination of the existence of "superpowers," ranging from controlling flames to mastering ice, from telekinesis to teleportation—all superpowers that have appeared in human fantasy.
Yukimura Yoshikuhara's superpower is "shadow manipulation".
Of course, "shadow manipulation" is just what Yukimura Yoshihisa called himself. What was registered in the "organization" was "shadow control" because the shadow that Yukimura Yoshihisa could control was only the size of the area he projected under vertical light, and the amount of force he exerted at the same time was similar to his maximum strength.
However, this did not prevent Yukimura Yoshihisa from making such a vision. He was certain that one day he would truly master all shadows, and at that time he would be the emperor of the night, ruling over the entire human world at night!
The most important thing now is to get out of here.
As usual, Yukimura Yoshihisa controlled the "shadow" in a small area around his feet to move slowly. Although it was a two-dimensional projection without a physical form, it gained the ability to interfere with three-dimensional space under the modification of the concept of "superpower". As Yukimura Yoshihisa focused his attention, a large number of plants crowded around him were pushed aside.
Seeing the several bloody gashes inflicted by a thorny vine, Yukimura Yoshihisa cursed aloud, then moved towards the edge of the forest, protected by a small shadow beneath his feet.
After taking a couple of steps, Yukimura Yoshihisahara sensed something was wrong.
"Not this way?"
Yukimura Yoshihisa had moved in the opposite direction from when he rushed in, but this didn't seem to get him out of the woods. The last rays of the setting sun had disappeared, and the lights in the park were not on; perhaps they were broken, or perhaps it wasn't time yet.
The current situation is that Yukimura Yoshihisa, who has gotten lost in the woods, has accidentally lost his way.
—Lost in an artificial grove of trees.
Yukimura Yoshihisa could almost picture the scene of those people laughing loudly after hearing the news.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it—"
An emotion called anger gradually overwhelmed Yukimura Yoshihisahara's reason, causing him to ignore the strange phenomenon under his feet while trying to figure out the direction away from the woods.
Sometime later, the small patch of shadow controlled by Yukimura Yoshikuhara seemed to have been given life and began to "wriggle," eroding from the outside in...
"found it!"
At seven o'clock in the evening, the park lights came on.
The dim, yellowish light that Yukimura Yoshihisa used to complain about had become the best guiding light. As long as you followed that direction, you could leave this damned forest. But Yukimura Yoshihisa did not do that... or rather, he was unable to do so.
"What's this--?!"
As if stimulated by the light, the "shadow" that was originally more than 20 centimeters away from Yukimura Yoshihisa's feet suddenly accelerated. The shadow, which had been given a shape, wrapped tightly around Yukimura Yoshihisa's left foot like tentacles, causing him to fall down, his forward movement distorted.
It was only then that Yukimura Yoshihisa noticed the abnormality beneath his feet: long, black, greasy tentacles covered in nauseating slime were constantly extending from his "superpower"—his shadow—clinging tightly to the only thing he could grasp, his feet, and with that constant dragging force, it seemed as if something was trying to break free from the shadow.
Yukimura Yoshihisa struggled violently, instinctively screaming. He immediately tried to stop using his ability, but the shadow that had always obeyed his will now seemed to possess its own life and will, completely ignoring Yukimura's commands. As he was being pulled bit by bit towards a space beneath the shadow, Yukimura hardened his heart. Just as he drew his dagger to sever the tentacles, he met a pair of eyes—
Eyes peering upwards, hidden in the shadows.
In an instant, Yukimura Yoshihisahara's mind completely collapsed. He shouted meaningless words and frantically swung his weapon. Even when he cut his own body, he had no feeling. He was just subconsciously resisting the approach and arrival of something.
"laugh--"
----------segmentation----------
Kikumaru faced the mirror with a serious expression.
This is the thirteenth time he has done this today.
Of course, Kikumaru, who is already middle-aged, is not the kind of narcissistic person who needs to look in the mirror a dozen times a day to feel at ease. The reason he does this is entirely because he has been feeling the prying eyes since early morning.
To the average person, Kikumaru, who holds an ordinary position in an ordinary company, seems unremarkable. However, few people know that Kikumaru is not just a middle-aged employee, but also a superhuman.
Two years after confirming that he had gained superpowers, Kikumaru's life took a different turn. However, instead of using his abilities to benefit himself, he took the initiative to find the then-undeveloped "organization" and expressed his willingness to accept supervision and assist them in achieving their "goal".
Compared to those young people who are still full of passion, Kikumaru is mature enough that he doesn't have foolish ideas like thinking that he can fight against "mechanisms" with his insignificant abilities.
In essence, the superpowers he gained didn't make him stronger; they simply made him more "sharp."
Kikumaru's superpower is "enhanced senses".
Simply put, it's the ability to see further, hear more clearly, and eat better. Other than that, it's practically useless. The so-called "clairvoyance" and "clairaudience" are a joke in this era. If you actually possessed such abilities, the sound of car horns and airplanes would make you question your existence before you could successfully eavesdrop on secrets thousands of miles away. As for clairvoyance, it goes without saying that being able to see things a hundred meters away under smog would make you a superhuman.
Clearly, Kikumaru is not a superhuman. His superpowers only make him more perceptive than ordinary people, far from reaching a superhuman level.
However, Kikumaru didn't mention that while gaining these heightened five senses, his "sixth sense" was also enhanced, as if he could vaguely sense someone watching him—this is why Kikumaru would do such a narcissistic thing in the middle of the night.
P.S.: I went to the hospital today, sorry for the late update.
Information Integration Thoughts: Chapter 686 Haruhi Suzumiya's Curiosity (25)
Someone is watching me from behind.
This feeling started when I woke up today. I remember the first time I felt it was when Kikumaru was brushing his teeth with his head down. I thought it was my wife or one of my children outside, but when I asked, I didn't get any response.
Suddenly Kikumaru remembered that his wife had taken the children to Old Wang's house next door.
—And who is that?
"Who is there?"
Asking the other side of the half-open door yielded no response, but the feeling of being spied on gradually disappeared.
"Don't play pranks!"
Kikumaru didn't pay attention to the conclusion he had drawn on his own, but the repeated occurrences of similar feelings afterward made him have to take it seriously.
That feeling of being watched doesn't occur in crowded places, or perhaps it does but go unnoticed, since so many eyes are passing by at the same time. No one can guarantee that nothing will be missed.
However, Kikumaru had a strong feeling when he was alone.
Office, restroom, elevator, car... Whenever Kikumaru is in these enclosed spaces, he always feels that someone is watching him with a deep and terrifying malice.
Because of this gaze, Kikumaru had to ask for leave early to go home. But the gaze did not disappear as he locked the door and closed the windows. Instead, it became more and more "rampant" and stared at him almost nakedly late at night.
Left with no other choice, Kikumaru began searching for the possible source of that gaze.
He was alone in the cramped bathroom, searching for a possible hidden camera or a vent, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find anything that would give him the feeling of being spied on.
Finally, he turned his gaze to the mirror.
The mirror wasn't big, since it was only used for grooming. It was also quite old; it had been stuck to the wall ever since Kikumaru rented the room. Because it wasn't damaged, Kikumaru didn't remove it and let the mirror continue to serve its purpose.
However, this mirror, which Kikumaru had looked at for over a decade without any change, seemed somewhat different today…
The mirror reflects the world outside; whatever is outside is exactly what is inside.
The same setup, the same figures, and the same gaze—
"Sight?"
It has to be said that this is a conjecture that is almost like a pipe dream, but a certain obsessive emotion compels Kikumaru to get closer to this conjecture.
He stared intently at the excessively bright eyes in the mirror.
Kikumaru's "enhanced five senses" ability allows him to see images more clearly than ordinary people, enabling him to see the fine details inside his own eyes.
Iris, sclera, pupil, and in the very center of the pupil—Kikumaru found what he had been searching for.
A tiny black dot.
It wasn't a living being, but a passageway.
Through the passage in my own eyes reflected in the mirror, something is spying on me.
"So you are here!"
Kikumaru finally understood why he had always felt like he was being watched, but he had never been able to find the person watching him.
"You're hiding here—"
With a slightly excited voice, Kikumaru reached out and slowly moved closer to the mirror, as if afraid of disturbing something, while soothingly saying, "Don't move, it'll be over soon..."
Then, Kikumaru successfully touched it.
It was a strange feeling; the mirror was cold, but what I touched was a smooth, warm sensation, which made Kikumaru even more certain that it was the mirror that was causing the trouble.
Now that the culprit has been found, the next step is naturally to catch it.
Kikumaru swiftly pulled the two peeping eyes from the "mirror," feeling a liquid trickling down his face, but he ignored it. Instead, he held the eye he'd retrieved from the mirror in front of him and opened his mouth—
Once it's in your stomach, it can't see itself anymore.
"Gudu."