Kōe hadn't expected that Yamamoto's decree to "halt all research regarding the Quincy" was not just a new regulation, but also a completely unreasonable execution order.
Any Quincy still alive within the Seireitei were to be executed immediately, and all related research data was to be deleted. Furthermore, anyone caught conducting private research on the Quincy in the future would be killed without exception.
If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. For the Quincy living a fate worse than death in the laboratories, it was a release. Perhaps this was the most merciful thing the Seireitei had ever done for them.
What truly baffled Kōe was the second order: Kurotsuchi Mayuri, having previously researched the Quincy through inhumane methods, was to be imprisoned indefinitely, effective immediately.
Because of this, Mayuri—who had been cleared of any involvement in the annihilation of the Royal Weaving Facility and had even cooperated with Hikifune Kirio afterward—was unexpectedly locked up. They didn't even bother to give him a trumped-up charge.
There were many prisons in the Seireitei. Setting aside Squad 9, which inherently held the duty of interrogation and torture, every squad had its own confinement rooms. Naturally, calling them prison cells wouldn't be wrong.
The two most famous prisons were the Shrine of Penitence, also known as the White Tower, and the Great Central Prison. Kōe had never been to either, though he might have the chance to visit an inmate in the future.
There was another, lesser-known but equally important prison. Located in the northwest corner of the Squad 2 barracks, it sat underground beneath a massive moat roughly the size of thirty standard houses.
It was named the Underground Special Detention Facility. The members of Squad 2 also called it the Maggot's Nest.
"First time here, right? What do you think?" Yoruichi asked, walking ahead with her hands behind her back. If Kōe wasn't mistaken, she looked like she was showing off.
The Underground Special Detention Facility—or to translate it more literally, a special underground location managed by the Detention Unit. And Yoruichi's current title was the Corps Commander of the Detention Unit.
Strictly speaking, the Detention Unit was not part of the Gotei 13's organizational structure. It was one of the five branches of the Onmitsukidō, the private military of the Shihōin clan.
However, since the Shihōin clan typically commanded Squad 2 as well, the Onmitsukidō had gradually begun to merge with it. The seated officers of Squad 2 would also hold key positions within the Onmitsukidō, and the Captain of Squad 2 served concurrently as its Commander-in-Chief.
Therefore, the current Maggot's Nest could even be considered the Shihōin clan's private dungeon. Without Yoruichi, the next head of the family, leading the way, it would have been genuinely difficult for Kōe to get inside. Thinking about it that way, it made sense for Yoruichi to show off a little.
Kōe looked at the stalactites lining the descending staircase, unsure of what to say. *You're asking me how I feel about a prison? How am I supposed to answer that? That it looks a bit damp?*
"It certainly has a different vibe from other prisons."
After Kōe gave a casual reply, the two arrived at a stone door at the bottom of the stairs. Yoruichi turned her head, flashing a mysterious smile. "It's even more different inside." She then slowly pushed open the stone door before them.
Behind the door lay a massive stone cavern containing roughly thirty to forty people. Some were playing chess, while others lay flat on the rocks with their arms spread, staring blankly at the ceiling. A few paced back and forth with their arms hanging limply at their sides. Looking at their dead-eyed expressions, Kōe highly doubted they were just taking a stroll.
These people wore no handcuffs or shackles, nor did they show any signs of having their Reiryoku restricted. Aside from all wearing white kimonos, they looked no different from ordinary Shinigami.
"Other than not being able to leave, they can engage in any recreational activities they want here. If they're in a bad mood, they can even throw a few punches. Not bad, right?"
"Judging by the look in their eyes, they aren't exactly grateful to you," Kōe said flatly, glancing around the room.
Yoruichi spread her hands in a gesture of helplessness. "From the moment they walked in—no, from the moment they were dragged in here, it became impossible for them to hold any gratitude toward people like us."
"That's because you locked them up before they even had a chance to do anything wrong. You're lucky they haven't rushed over to kill you!"
"That's where you're wrong." Yoruichi wagged a finger at Kōe. Suddenly, she used Shunpo, appearing beside a long-haired man a few paces away. She stomped her foot down on his lowered hand, pinning it to the ground and revealing a sharp stone knife hidden in his palm.
"See? They really will rush over to kill people."
Kōe glanced at the man howling in pain on the ground, then turned his gaze back to Yoruichi. "People need an outlet for their frustrations. It's understandable."
"Dead-eyes, whose side are you on?!" Yoruichi yelled in dissatisfaction, planting her hands on her hips. The man beneath her foot was truly out of luck; his hand was nearly crushed under the weight of the slightly irritated Yoruichi.
"I'm on your side. Can we keep moving now?" Kōe offered a half-hearted apology before adding, "We still have business to attend to."
Yoruichi wasn't the type to throw petty tantrums. She lifted her foot and continued leading Kōe forward—or rather, downward would be a more accurate description.
"When I was little, I used to feel sorry for these people. After all, why lock them up when they haven't even done anything wrong?" The two passed through the cavern and opened another stone door at the far end, revealing yet another descending staircase. "But I gradually came to understand. Some people are just destined to commit crimes. Take Shikaon Susumu, for example. I bet if he hadn't died, he definitely would have ended up in here!"
The inmates of the Maggot's Nest were individuals who, based on the laws of the Seireitei, were deemed dangerous despite not having committed any actual crimes. Whether this was considered crime prevention or unwarranted persecution depended entirely on one's perspective.
Such extreme measures would inevitably cause widespread panic, which was why this remained a hidden rule within the Seireitei. Only a select few knew of the Maggot's Nest's existence. However, Kōe had always believed that the real reason it was kept secret was to allow these 'dangerous' elements to act with a bit more impunity before they were caught.
In truth, the Maggot's Nest was established exclusively for members of the Gotei 13. Following an investigation by the Detention Unit, once an individual was deemed a dangerous element, they would be secretly apprehended and imprisoned in the Maggot's Nest.
To the public, it would be announced that the member had simply resigned from their squad as a cover-up. Because of this, the existence of the Maggot's Nest had remained a secret for thousands of years. Most squad members had no idea that the concept of voluntarily resigning from the Gotei 13 didn't actually exist.
"So, because the previously permitted Quincy research is suddenly forbidden, anyone who ever conducted such research is now considered a future criminal?" Kōe curled his lips in a self-deprecating smirk. "Then why didn't they lock me up in here too?"
In reality, Central 46 had genuinely entertained that thought, but the idea had been swiftly suppressed by the combined efforts of Yamamoto and the Shihōin clan.
"Lock you up in here? Setting aside whether you'd even come willingly, the Maggot's Nest doesn't have any spare solitary cells left for you to stay in!" Yoruichi's voice sounded cheerful, as if she were just joking around. But with her back turned to Kōe, her face was full of worry. She knew certain things.
As the final stone door opened, the spacious cavern gave way to a long, gloomy corridor. The light at the end of the hallway was sliced into distinct beams by the bars of a cell. It was the only solitary confinement cell in the Maggot's Nest, and the person inside was exactly who Kōe had come to find: Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
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