But that was a dead end.
Fukuyama Toshin was also sprinting down a dead end, desperately seizing wealth in hopes of giving his life a chance to restart.
After Prince Akihito’s death, his body turned into a tree man. Fukuyama Toshin extracted a new medicine from the body that could resist the tree man’s pollination, thereby extending his own ’life’.
By that time, the Aum Truth Sect had already grown into a massive entity. They took over Prince Akihito’s investments, demanding that Fukuyama Toshin produce research results. The latter was worn out merely trying to survive; each tree man was a precious experimental subject. How could he allow the Aum Truth Sect to squander them?
After a round of negotiations, Fukuyama Toshin simply suggested they rob graves.
Prince Akihito’s corpse was lying in the Royal Cemetery. Pretending to need an autopsy, Fukuyama Toshin had already taken enough samples from it and hadn’t bothered with it since... If the Aum Truth Sect wanted more, they should feel free to help themselves.
Upon learning this, the Aum Truth Sect indeed sent people to dig up the grave and retrieve the tree man from the coffin.
Oogami Nui was originally just an ordinary believer in the Aum Truth Sect, tasked with helping to cultivate and care for the tree men. After discovering the wonders of Ye Tea, she began to work part-time as a spirit medium, providing this ’Divine Medicine’ to the Aum Truth Sect’s upper echelons, enabling them to demonstrate Divine Power before their followers...
Until one day, an assistant burst into a cabinet and left without closing the door, allowing a tree man to escape.
By instinctual cluster behavior, the tree man had the urge to return to pollinate where it came from. As soon as it got out, it fell into the sewers because, after eavesdropping, the assistant didn’t cover the manhole. By the time the city planning department came to repair it the next day, it had already run far along the sewer.
Scrambling and struggling all the way, the tree man ran back to Wulin Temple.
Under normal circumstances, it would have sought another parasite to pollinate. Akishino Mako stumbled upon the tree man, causing a fungal imbalance and resulting in hallucinations—she should have had her brain sucked dry right then, but she survived.
Later, Fukuyama Toshin found the wandering tree man and returned it to the Aum Truth Sect.
Akishino Mako realized there was something suspicious about her father’s death and secretly investigated without informing her mother. She found her father’s past pathology reports, experimental analyses, financial expenditures, and an unsent letter in his study.
The envelope contained Akihito’s hopes for the future. He never forgot his promise; the family must enjoy flowers in the rain. For this, he took the first step, asking Nakako and Mako to go see the crabapple trees next spring on his behalf.
Akishino Mako intended to inform her mother of the truth, but it coincided with a heavy rain. The pavilion overturned, allowing the tree man to absorb moisture, and the airborne fungi triggered her hallucinations again. She ran downstairs in a frenzy, mistakenly recognizing Fukuyama Toshin as her father, lamenting about the unsent letter, which ultimately led to her doom.
Wulin Temple was still under Nakako’s name, which necessitated Fukuyama Toshin silencing her.
At that time, Fukuyama Toshin drowned Akishino Mako. Before Ono Ken arrived, he jumped into the pond, pretending to rescue Akishino Mako, but in reality, it was to cover up the fact his clothes were wet.
After Akishino Mako’s death, Fukuyama Toshin found the letter, which mentioned Akihito leaving a ’treasure’ for the mother and daughter, though it didn’t clarify what it specifically was, only that it was at Wulin Temple, enough to ensure they were comfortable for the rest of their lives.
Fukuyama Toshin believed it was a huge sum of money and planned to search carefully. Unexpectedly, Madam Nakako refused to leave and even planned to summon spirits. He intended to endure a bit longer, but Oogami Nui pulled a stunt, trying to deceive Madam Nakako out of her estate...
None of this mattered; he could wait until the spirit summoning ceremony was over and then privately reveal Oogami Nui’s deception to Madam Nakako.
But Oogami Nui dropped dead.
Of all places to die, she died at Wulin Temple, murdered, and it was witnessed by two criminal police officers.
Subsequent police investigations would surely uncover his experiments; the tea garden was full of buried bodies, there were a few finished experiments under the pavilion, and he had a laboratory in the basement... Fukuyama Toshin could already imagine his fate.
That was none of it. It turned out that Oogami Nui brought the tree man with her, and her assistant openly demonstrated the tree man’s pollination process before everyone.
At this point, Fukuyama Toshin could only go all out. He sealed the basement, planning to silence everyone. He would burn everything that needed it clean, and at dawn, seek refuge with the Aum Truth Sect.
At present, there were only four active people left in Wulin Temple.
Fukuyama Toshin did some mental math and realized he was short on bullets. If it took two shots to kill one person, he barely had enough bullets.
To save bullets, he subtly drew closer while speaking, "You want to reunite with your companion on the second floor, don’t you? What’s his name again? Something something... Roku? How about you call him down now, and I won’t shoot for the time being, giving you a chance to reunite, how about that?"
Minamoto Tamako certainly couldn’t agree. If Fushimi Roku came down, he might also become a tree man, leading to everyone being wiped out. She would only ask for help in absolute desperation!
As a future famous police chief, surely she would face situations of confrontation with criminals. Minamoto Tamako encouraged herself, believing this was a necessary trial for growth!
Following the police department training teaching, now was the time to find a way to deceive the criminal, looking for an opportunity to enter his blind spot. Minamoto Tamako sneaked a glance; as long as she slipped behind the hallway corner, Fukuyama Toshin wouldn’t be able to shoot them!
She hesitated for a moment, racking her brain for a lie, and finally blurted out:
"He... he’s having diarrhea..."
As soon as she said that, Ono Ken was dumbfounded. Fukuyama Toshin sneered, mocking Minamoto Tamako, saying that guy must have run away in fear, leaving them downstairs without a care. Otherwise, he’d be coming down to support them at the sound of gunfire, right?
Minamoto Tamako wanted to defend, but she felt that it made some sense. Shots had been fired downstairs for five or six times, yet Mr. Fushimi wasn’t here to help, at least he should have shouted to ask what was going on?
Could he really have gone to the bathroom?
Fukuyama Toshin took advantage of her momentary daze to step closer, to prevent himself from missing. He wasn’t confident in his shooting skills, so he aimed to kill with one shot, preferably shooting the female police officer first and then solving the other male criminal police officer upstairs.
Minamoto Tamako sensed his intent and quickly helped Ono Ken quietly move. Fukuyama Toshin sternly yelled at her to stay still, or he would shoot!
Upon hearing this, Minamoto Tamako dared not act rashly for a moment.
Seeing Fukuyama Toshin approach step by step, like a noose tightening on the gallows, sweat beaded on her forehead. Just as she was hesitating whether to risk it all, Ono Ken suddenly reached out and pushed her and Madam Nakako behind the hallway.
The next moment, gunshots rang out, and Ono Ken fell to the ground.