Fiery flames consumed Kishibe Rohan's artistic mansion, tongues of fire wildly licking the night sky, shattering the tranquility of Green Hill.
Thick smoke billowed upwards, clearly visible even from a distance.
Kujo Jotaro stood before the flames, the scorching heat stirring the hem of his white trench coat.
His face was terrifyingly grim, not because he couldn't extinguish the fire—though he indeed lacked a Stand ability for firefighting, and the SPW Foundation's convoy was not yet equipped with professional fire suppression gear.
Rather, it was because the fire had started too quickly and conveniently; most of the evidence in the house had been directly incinerated, and the extracted memories of those people had also turned to ash with it.
"Still lurking nearby? They really look down on me."
Almost immediately after he had subdued Kishibe Rohan, completed a preliminary check of Josuke and Okuyasu's injuries, and was about to contact his superiors,
Flames, as if alive, erupted simultaneously from multiple corners within the mansion and spread with astonishing speed. It was clearly arson, meticulously planned to thoroughly destroy all traces.
"Yare yare daze..."
Jotaro pulled down the brim of his hat. He hadn't hesitated; putting out the fire wasn't the priority. Ensuring the safety of the injured and the captive was. He decisively abandoned the idea of entering the burning building to search for more clues.
After all, the lives of his companions and his uncle were far more valuable than those clues. Clues could be found again; once people were dead, there was nothing to be done.
With Star Platinum's power and speed, he had already moved all the injured to one side, away from the flames, but he dared not enter the burning building. He didn't know if the enemy was still hiding nearby.
Kishibe Rohan, who had completely lost his ability to move, was dangled like a sack of goods by Star Platinum and tossed at Jotaro's feet, where he was carefully monitored.
Piercing sirens approached from a distance. The first to arrive were not fire trucks, but the black convoy of the SPW Foundation. As a foundation convoy that had received intelligence about the operation and was always prepared, their response time was incredibly fast.
Several sedans and a modified van screeched to a halt, and black-suited personnel disembarked with trained efficiency.
"Mr. Jotaro!"
The lead manager quickly ran over. Seeing the extent of the fire and the condition of the injured, his expression changed.
"Prioritize treating the injured. This is Kishibe Rohan. Heal him, then make him a high-priority surveillance target."
Jotaro ordered succinctly, then handed the bag in his hand directly to the manager. "This, keep separately, absolutely confidential."
"Yes, sir!" The personnel immediately sprang into action.
A professional medical team brought stretchers from the van and quickly provided on-site emergency treatment and stabilization for Josuke and Okuyasu.
Another group injected a sedative into Koichi, whose eyes were hollow, and then fitted him with a special monitoring bracelet to prevent the possibility of him still being controlled.
Kishibe Rohan was roughly cuffed with special restraints and stuffed into another vehicle.
It wasn't until then that local fire trucks and ambulances arrived, wailing.
The scene immediately became somewhat chaotic. Firefighters began to take over the firefighting efforts, and local Hospital paramedics also tried to approach but were politely but firmly stopped by SPW Foundation personnel at the perimeter.
"We're taking over here. Thank you for your timely arrival. Please do your best to control the fire; we need to investigate the cause. As for the ambulance, we will transport the people to the Hospital ourselves."
The SPW manager stepped forward to negotiate with local police and fire commanders, displaying a credential with a special emblem.
Upon seeing the credential, the other party's expression subtly changed, and their attitude immediately became cooperative.
Clearly, the SPW Foundation held extremely high authority and influence at certain levels in Japan, after all, this was an old capitalist country, and one governed by zaibatsu.
The injured were swiftly loaded onto SPW vehicles. The convoy, flashing its indicator lights, ignored the local ambulances and drove directly to Morioh Central Hospital. The Foundation, having received the news, had already pre-booked and secured an entire floor.
On the way, Jotaro received an encrypted communication from higher levels within SPW headquarters.
"Mr. Jotaro, the situation has become complicated."
The voice on the other end of the line was serious, "Last night's large-scale explosion in Morioh's commercial district, and the series of inexplicable explosions there, have caused casualties and impacts beyond the normal scope, attracting high attention from Tokyo.
Although they have controlled public opinion, if this continues, public opinion will be completely ignited, and Stand Users will be fully exposed to the world."
"A clandestine department within the Japanese government, responsible for handling 'anomalous incidents,' has proactively contacted us, requesting intervention and intelligence sharing.
They seem not to be entirely ignorant of such 'supernatural' events, merely lacking effective means of response. Pressure from higher-ups is immense; we cannot fully refuse cooperation."
Jotaro listened in silence, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of his seat. This was within his expectations; with such a commotion, the authorities couldn't remain in the dark forever.
And how many supernatural events are there in this world? The supernatural in this world is never just Stand Users.
Ghosts, gods, souls, haunted places, and even the so-called "Heaven" are all real. People may not understand the principles behind them, but some major countries do have relevant departments.
"Cooperation is possible," Jotaro responded coldly, "but they must completely follow our command, and the level of intelligence sharing will be determined by us.
Most importantly, we absolutely cannot alert the enemy. The enemy is very cautious; once they detect large-scale official intervention, they might hide completely or resort to more extreme actions."
"Understood, we will coordinate. Additionally, Mr. Joestar's ship is about to dock. We will take him directly to the Hospital, and the spirit photography equipment is also ready. Mr. Joestar should be able to perform spirit photography again sometime this evening."
"Hm."
After a pause, the person on the other end of the phone seemed hesitant, but finally said, "Mr. Jotaro, this situation is special. If it's not feasible, please stop the investigation.
According to Foundation intelligence, America has taken some interest in this matter. If it cannot be resolved... it is said they plan to have the Self-Defense Forces directly take over the town and conduct individual screenings of the town's population until that Stand User is found."
"America? These are just some murders, how could..."
"Mr. Jotaro, for a Stand User, silent killings by a Stand might still be resisted, but for normal people, especially the high-ranking officials of major powers who value their lives, these inexplicable explosions are too dangerous. If they cannot be controlled, they must be eliminated."
"Alright, I understand..."
The convoy arrived at Morioh Central Hospital. The independent floor had been completely cleared and secured. SPW security personnel filled the corridors and entrances, even subjecting Hospital medical staff to strict scrutiny and accompaniment upon entry.
This area had now come under absolute surveillance akin to military zone control. From now on, even Hospital doctors could not enter this floor without cause.
Otherwise, it would be considered a direct violation of the law, leading to arrest and detention by the police until the Stand User was found, only then would they be released.
Higashikata Josuke and Nijimura Okuyasu were quickly sent to the operating room and intensive care unit, where a top medical team brought by SPW and local experts held a joint consultation.
The examination results were consistent with previous estimates: Josuke's injuries were extremely severe, requiring a long recovery, estimated at one month.
Okuyasu's condition was stable but still required rest. However, his actual recovery would be more difficult; without the help of Crazy Diamond, it would take at least over a month to recover, otherwise, he might suffer a lifelong disability in one arm.
Koichi Hirose was placed in a special observation room, where psychiatric experts began to evaluate him. He had not sustained any physical injuries, but it was suspected that he might still be under the control of Kishibe Rohan's Stand ability.
Kishibe Rohan was locked in an isolation ward comparable to a bank vault, under strict guard. Two SPW Foundation guards monitored the door 24 hours a day, and once government personnel arrived, they would be replaced by armed soldiers.
Kira Yoshikage had caused too much trouble this time; the impact of this incident was greater than he himself had imagined.
After all, in his opinion, what Dio did in Egypt back then was even worse, but didn't it just end up like that afterward?
He had only blown up half a street, which was just a minor splash in comparison. But he hadn't considered that his remote, invisible explosions held far greater appeal to certain people than two physically powerful monsters.