Lin Wuming was attacked while out grocery shopping, and it was confirmed that an Anbu organization was involved in the attack, resulting in a direct confrontation with Lin Wuming and even a fatality...
All sorts of chaotic events were piling up, but regardless, Yomikawa Aiho, as a Judgment officer and Lin Wuming's guardian, had to go.
"Classmate Torami," Yomikawa Aiho said apologetically, "I'm very sorry I can't continue to host you today. Please come back another time for Wuming-kun's cooking."
"That's not the point, is it?" Torami Toumi said. "I heard the phone call just now. Lin Wuming is in trouble and missing?"
"Please rest assured, I will find him." Yomikawa Aiho had already changed into her Judgment uniform. "Just wait for my good news... Do you need me to take you home? It seems a bit unsafe outside right now."
"No need, you go help Lin Wuming first." Torami Toumi shook her head. "I'll be fine."
The two left the apartment building together.
As they parted ways, Yomikawa Aiho couldn't help but call out to the blonde girl: "Classmate Torami, please... don't do anything reckless!"
"Don't worry, Yomikawa-sensei." The girl responded with a smile, then turned and walked toward the bus stop, seemingly preparing to take the bus home.
The mature Torami Toumi didn't say much because she knew Yomikawa Aiho wouldn't agree to let her help. If that was the case, it was better not to mention it from the start, saving time and avoiding mutual annoyance.
However, once she was out of Yomikawa Aiho's sight, what Torami Toumi did was her own business.
"Of course I can't give up." Her pair of emerald eyes narrowed slightly, showing a dangerous look, like a hunter.
She gently flared her nostrils, as if catching a scent.
"Ah... this city has been peaceful for too long. Even the slightest hint of gunpowder smells so distinct."
As if immersed in the long-missed scent of war, Torami Toumi suddenly turned her head in one direction, pumping her legs and pouncing forward like a beast on the hunt.
"The people in this city have also been peaceful for too long, so even the Judgment force won't be able to find Lin Wuming before me!"
Torami Toumi ran confidently along the route she had determined.
Having grown up in war-torn regions since childhood, Torami Toumi possessed an extraordinary sensitivity to "war"—without this almost instinctive "talent," she probably wouldn't have survived that brutal environment.
Therefore, by utilizing this "talent," Torami Toumi was confident she could find Lin Wuming in the vast populace of the large city.
Based on the content of Yomikawa Aiho's conversation with her Judgment colleague just now, it was easy to deduce a few basic facts:
First, Lin Wuming was attacked. The mastermind was highly likely the research facility he was at before, except this time they hired an Anbu organization named "Hunter" to carry out the assassination.
Second, Lin Wuming had engaged in a direct battle with the enemy and must have emerged victorious.
Third, Lin Wuming refused to be a passive victim. After dealing with the immediate enemies, he was preparing to counterattack and strike at the enemy's lair.
"Lin Wuming probably has the same concerns as me—worried that the adults will stop him, so he chose to temporarily disappear and act alone." This was the conclusion Torami Toumi drew based on her own inference.
Truthfully, Lin Wuming's performance and decision appealed to Torami Toumi's tastes. His resolute style of action was very similar to her own personality, so Torami Toumi decided to give him a hand.
More importantly, the organization that wanted to assassinate Lin Wuming was also an enemy Torami Toumi was focused on—Sakurai-sensei was injured by the killer they hired and was still in the intensive care unit receiving treatment, unconscious.
Dr. Sakurai and Torami Toumi shared a mother-daughter bond; how could she not seek revenge for such a profound grievance!
—This time, Lin Wuming defeated the killer they sent. If he successfully interrogates them for information, I can seize the opportunity to get revenge!
This was Torami Toumi's plan.
—Of course, if Lin Wuming isn't good at "interrogation," then my help is even more necessary.
Torami Toumi firmly believed that as long as there were enemy captives, she could always extract something from them.
Using various shortcuts between the buildings and streets, Torami Toumi arrived at the battle scene even earlier than Yomikawa Aiho, who was driving.
Since the area had already been cordoned off by the Judgment force, Torami Toumi did not approach rashly. She merely glanced from afar, immediately locking onto a new direction and running toward the office building a hundred meters away.
The situation at the scene was obvious at a glance, especially the enemy's extensive use of firearms—this was an easy test for Torami Toumi, who came from a battlefield environment.
The enemy had a sniper—the bullet capable of a headshot couldn't have been fired by the short submachine guns at the scene.
And based on the deceased's posture, it was easy to reverse-engineer the approximate trajectory of the bullet.
In that direction, only that office building was suitable for setting up a sniper position.
—Lin Wuming isn't here; he most likely went to deal with that sniper.
Torami Toumi never considered that Lin Wuming would choose to flee to avoid the sniper attack, because in the same situation, she herself wouldn't choose to run. Instead, she would actively attack, close the distance, and kill the enemy!
Regardless of whether Lin Wuming managed to catch the sniper, pursuing the direction of the office building would at least yield more clues.
Crossing the street took less than three minutes. Torami Toumi arrived near the office building, and the ambient noise suddenly dropped, as if she had entered a deserted area again.
She keenly sensed—she had found the right place.
In Academy City, both the Judgment force and Anbu organizations have specialized technical means to drive away bystanders. Generally speaking, the sudden appearance of a quiet, deserted area in a bustling urban district is highly likely an indication that an organization is clearing the area.
Torami Toumi heightened her vigilance but did not slow her pace, plunging headfirst into this "Quiet Zone."
Then, she heard sounds amidst the quiet environment—
The sounds of heavy blows against a human body, and also...
"...Are you going to talk or not! Are you going to confess or not!"
Torami Toumi ran toward the source of the sound.
"Lin Wuming is interrogating for information?" she speculated.
As she got closer, she saw a slightly thin figure straddling another person in the alley behind the office building, swinging his arms left and right, fiercely punching the person.
It was easy to recognize that the boy frantically beating the other person was Lin Wuming.