Logan moved swiftly along the steel framework of the tower, his body weaving through the intricate lattice of beams and supports.
Using the night and the swirling snow as cover, he avoided prying eyes from the ground. The Tokyo Skytree, glowing faintly with its white lights, was still operational, but most visitors and staff had long since left for the night.
Gripping a horizontal steel plate several meters wide, he propelled himself upward, landing on precisely arranged steel girders and climbing higher and higher. Given the open structure of the tower, it was less like running and more like scaling a massive, industrial skeleton.
The thick, drifting snow continued to swirl around him, while the world below shrank into insignificance. With his experience in climbing high-rise buildings, things were progressing smoothly.
In fact, although the plan is whimsical, except from what he needed to do at the top, the initial phase wasn't particularly dangerous. Avoiding the outer security checks and making sure not to get spotted at the start were the only real challenges. After that, all he had to do was climb.
By the time Logan had left behind a 31-story building adjacent to the tower, his vision expanded dramatically.
After a few dozen meters higher, he no longer bothered to conceal himself within the steel framework. Instead, he leaped directly onto the outer layer of the tower, running across the exposed beams without hindrance.
The icy wind lashed against his face, while the white steel girders stretched infinitely in his sight, dusted with a thin layer of snow. His boots left a trail of fleeting footprints, shallow impressions that vanished almost as quickly as they formed.
It was impossible to tell how long he had been climbing, but by the time a few millimeters of snow had accumulated on the brim of his cap, the endless white beams finally gave way to something new, which is a protruding spherical observation deck.
A streak of blue lightning crackled through the night, breaking the monotonous glow of the tower's illumination.
Logan didn't slow down, but accelerated instantly. Like a shadow cutting through the darkness, he sprinted past the reinforced glass of the first observation deck. From the corner of his eye, he caught a fleeting glimpse of the interior, empty space with dim lighting, and a world that blurred past in a single instant.
"Phew."
After reaching the top of the observation sphere, Logan finally shifted from vertical climbing to standing upright. The snow on his cap slid off as he leaned against a steel support, catching his breath.
The difference between running on solid ground and constantly fighting against gravity was immense. After a brief pause, he brushed the snow off his clothes and casually glanced downward. Then, he saw a vast ocean of lights stretched out beneath him.
Tiny, shimmering, and densely packed neon glows spread endlessly across the city like fireflies. Blurred and flickering, the luminous dots filled every inch of the ground below.
He stared in silence for a long moment, "If I remember correctly… this should be around 350 meters."
He stomped lightly on the spherical structure beneath him, not enough to make a sound, but testing its sturdiness.
Long before attempting this climb, Logan had done his research, finding out about the tower's layout, its operating hours, and everything essential.
He had originally considered buying a ticket and taking the elevator up like a normal tourist, but that would have required leaving behind an ID record and dealing with internal security cameras.
So, in the end, he chose the most straightforward method, which is scaling it by hand.
At over 300 meters in the air, Logan carefully pulled out his phone, 'The observation deck should be closing around now.'
Sure enough, as he rubbed his legs to keep the blood flowing, the surrounding lights began to dim. He could see the illumination inside the first observation deck shutting down one by one.
"The wind's getting stronger up here."
Tugging his coat tighter, Logan observed the blizzard intensifying. Snowflakes now blanketed the sky, falling in thick, heavy sheets. The wind, mild at ground level, had transformed into a howling force, bringing a brutal chill that would be unbearable for an ordinary person.
Fortunately, Logan has Chakra protection and has been 'cleansed' by the mark of the Divine Bird. The Fire Nature Energy was naturally drawn to him, so he is not feeling uncomfortable at this time.
Looking up, he saw that he was only halfway through the journey.
With a deep breath, he patted his face to refocus and gripped the next steel beam.
The climb itself was exhausting, with endless wind, bitter cold, and numbing repetition. Logan had assumed it would be nothing more than a tedious challenge until he reached the top, but fate always likes to play tricks on people. This journey, which should have been smooth, encountered unexpected changes.
A few minutes later, the tower's structure continued to narrow as Logan climbed higher. At 450 meters, he finally reached the second observation deck.
All the interior lights had shut off, leaving the sphere-shaped platform in darkness. The wind had become deafening at this altitude, forcing Logan to raise a hand to shield his eyes as he looked up.
"How much farther…"
Boom!
A deep, resonant sound rolled through the thick cloud cover above.
It lingered, stretching through the sky like distant thunder.
Hearing this, Logan was stunned, "Thunder? Right as I'm about to reach the top? Talk about timing."
For a second, he thought Japan's weather was incredibly cooperative, but another reverberating boom spread across the clouds.
"That's not right."
A sudden, inexplicable sense of unease crept up his spine. Though intangible, the very air around him felt different. Even the slightest shift made his hairs stand on end.
Logan halted his climb, tilting his head to listen. His expression darkened, "That doesn't seem to be thunder..."
Whoosh-
Two bright dots with flashing signal lights flickered in and out of the clouds.
Seeing this, Logan wiped his eyes. Even with his enhanced vision, he had barely managed to catch a glimpse what it was just now, 'That silhouette… streamlined wings, elongated fuselage… and those white, tube-like attachments?'
…
Above Tokyo Skytree, two F-16 fighter jets roared through the sky.
"Command, this is Jingu Squad. We've arrived at the target airspace. Everything appears normal."
Inside the teardrop-shaped cockpit, the pilot spoke into the densely packed instrument panel. He turned his head slightly, the reflection of Tokyo's dazzling nightscape visible on his flight helmet.
A new command came through the channel. The lead pilot hesitated briefly before adjusting the aircraft's nose, "Copy that."
"Jingu Two, run another patrol sweep."
"Understood." The other pilot responded, sounding less than enthusiastic.
Having already exited supersonic speed, the two F-16s circled the airspace once more. Their tight formation weaved through the clouds, flying nearly side by side.
"There's nothing out here." Jingu Two muttered, his young voice tinged with resentment. Through the radio, his tone carried clear reluctance, "Seriously, flying out in the middle of the night… there's no anomaly. Maybe HQ got it wrong."
Jingu Two boredly scanned the scenery beneath his wings, terrain he had long grown sick of seeing, trying to spot whatever disturbance had sent the command center into a frenzy.
"Jingu One..."
"There was a sudden change in the magnetic field, and the alarm suddenly sounded, thinking that there was a world war. But this is the city, isn't it? Even the Skytree is standing just fine..."
"Hey, Jingu One..."
"And on Christmas of all nights. Honestly, I bet those guys at HQ have paranoia, especially about what's across the sea. I even got a date tonight, damn it, already booked the..."
"Shut up, you brat!" The lead pilot suddenly roared, snapping his head toward the other aircraft, who was flying just a few dozen meters away.
Jingu Two flinched. The outburst stunned him into silence, and the radio went dead for a moment.
The lead took a deep breath. He hesitated but chose not to reprimand further, instead issuing a firm command: "Focus on the mission!"
"…Roger."
After flying around again and still not finding anything, Jingu One requested to return to base, and HQ approved.
The flight back was silent. The supersonic jets tore through the sky like streaks of lightning, quickly leaving the airspace behind.
In the blink of an eye, even the silhouette of the Tokyo Skytree had vanished.
Above the clouds, the lead pilot glanced at his younger partner and sighed internally. Jingu Two was usually a disciplined pilot once in the air, after all, getting selected meant he wasn't some dropout. His youth only proved he had exceptional skills. If he was this chatty today, then… perhaps he really was upset about missing his Christmas date. As someone with experience, the lead pilot actually understood and sympathized...
The instrument panel suddenly flickered.
Beep.
A few seconds later, the encrypted channel linking to HQ reopened.
"Jingu Squad, the magnetic field anomaly has escalated. Return to the target location immediately."