Chapter 24: The Wicked Aizen
After finalizing the plan, Su Xiao returned to the First Division barracks, while Ichimaru Gin headed straight to the Third Division. Aizen didn’t leave, seemingly enjoying the night view.
The next morning, Su Xiao sat up from his bed. Before the plan began, he would maintain his previous disguise. However, after last night’s meeting, the second ring of his main mission was successfully activated.
[Main Mission: The Hogyoku Battle (Second Ring)]
Difficulty Level: A
Mission Brief: Assist Aizen in successfully seizing the Hogyoku (incomplete product)
Mission Time Limit: 10 natural days.
Mission Reward: 3 True Attribute Points + Legendary Chest × 1
Mission Penalty: Forced Execution.
…
The second ring of the main mission was very difficult, but the reward was generous. What Su Xiao lacked most were True Attribute Points.
Judging from the mission time limit, the story’s protagonist, Kurosaki Ichigo, would arrive at the Soul Society within the next few days.
With nothing else to do, Su Xiao got up and began manufacturing Reishi Spheres. As for the situation at the faction shop, it was not optimistic. After [Spirit Remains] was exchanged, the items in the faction shop were quickly cleared out, leaving only that Zanpakuto and some low-quality items.
When Su Xiao had manufactured 100 Reishi Spheres and quickly rushed to the Sixth Division barracks, he found that the Zanpakuto in the faction shop had already been exchanged. This showed that the other contractors within the Seireitei were not to be underestimated.
Thus, the Seireitei reputation could only be used to improve his status, but status in the Seireitei meant nothing to Su Xiao. Therefore, Su Xiao began to keep a low profile. Compared to the faction shop, his gradually perfected new model of Alchemy Bombs was a greater gain.
With ample materials to squander, Su Xiao became engrossed in the study of Alchemy Bombs. When tired, he would take a short nap; when bored, he would invite Aizen for a drink.
Over time, Yamamoto Genryusai and Unohana Retsu became much more at ease with Su Xiao, as they had already discerned his purpose: to find a research facility with sufficient resources.
The Seireitei naturally welcomed this. After the Reishi Spheres spread among the Shinigami, they were immediately hyped to sky-high prices by the major nobles. For example, the Kuchiki family was one of the great nobles within the Seireitei.
As Su Xiao’s good friend, Aizen’s Fifth Division became the priority beneficiary group for Reishi Spheres. Sometimes, Su Xiao would hand over 80 Reishi Spheres, and the remaining 20 would be given directly to Aizen.
Regarding this, Unohana Retsu chose to turn a blind eye. As long as the beneficiary group was Shinigami, she wouldn’t interfere too much. However, old man Yamamoto Genryusai was somewhat displeased. As the Captain-Commander, he had to try to keep things balanced.
Ten days after Su Xiao entered the Seireitei, he successfully integrated into it. Or rather, the Shinigami had begun to get used to the existence of Soul Medicine and Reishi Spheres, especially the latter. The feeling of fullness after eating a Reishi Sphere was vastly different from eating food. It was a sense of satisfaction from every cell in the body, making it irresistible.
Inside Su Xiao’s room, he suddenly sat up from his seat at the test bench. After pulling open the sliding wooden door, he closed it tightly again.
“Is the progress going smoothly?”
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, Bubu Wang appeared out of thin air. It had come to rendezvous with Su Xiao.
Bubu Wang was very excited, circling Su Xiao a few times before casually gnawing on a wooden table to celebrate.
Looking at the wooden table, which looked like it had been thrown into a shredder, the corner of Su Xiao’s mouth twitched noticeably. Bubu Wang’s home-wrecking skills had improved. He wondered if the home of the story’s protagonist, Kurosaki Ichigo, in the real world was still intact. Probably… not so much.
Bubu Wang’s rendezvous with Su Xiao meant that Kurosaki Ichigo had already arrived at the Soul Society, and Aizen’s plan was about to unfold.
“Bubu, go disguise yourself as a stray dog.”
Bubu Wang was stunned for a moment, then understood what was going on. If it wanted to openly follow behind Su Xiao, it needed an identity.
That afternoon, a dirty “stray dog” appeared behind Su Xiao. It was Bubu Wang.
“Ugh~”
Bubu Wang’s abdomen convulsed. Just moments ago, it had jumped into a garbage pit and rolled around in it a few times.
Su Xiao appropriately distanced himself from Bubu Wang. That thing had been rolling happily in the garbage pit; the smell was too strong.
When Su Xiao returned to the First Division barracks, he didn’t bother explaining anything. He just told Bubu Wang to go wash up. Adopting a stray dog and then making a big fuss about it would only be suspicious.
…
The next morning. Su Xiao took Bubu Wang out, planning to have breakfast. But as he passed near the Fifth Division barracks, a scream shattered the peace of the early morning.
“Ah!!”
A scream filled with despair rang out. The sound came from the direction of the “Eastern Great Sacred Wall.” Su Xiao, who was “walking his dog,” happened to be nearby.
Su Xiao quickened his pace. After turning a corner, he saw a young girl kneeling on the ground, her shoulders trembling.
Drip, drip…
Blood dripped from above. A corpse was pinned to the high wall by a Zanpakuto. It was a bald Shinigami, wearing a captain’s haori over his Shihakusho.
Su Xiao had never seen this victim before, but that didn’t matter. In the eyes of others, the one pinned to the “Eastern Great Sacred Wall” was Aizen Sosuke. Such was the power of Kyoka Suigetsu.
“Aizen… Captain.”
The young girl kneeling on the ground was Hinamori Momo. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“I don’t want this, I don’t want this to happen. How could Captain Aizen have no Reiatsu? It can’t be…”
Clearly, Hinamori Momo was on the verge of collapse. Hearing her murmurs, Su Xiao confirmed that this was indeed “Aizen” without a doubt.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was around, Su Xiao took a deep breath to compose himself and quickly stepped forward.
“Ai… zen?”
Su Xiao’s tone seemed tinged with “disbelief.” He looked up, “dazed,” at Aizen above. Not at the corpse disguised by Kyoka Suigetsu, but at Aizen’s true self.
Aizen was standing at the top of the “Eastern Great Sacred Wall.” In the eyes of the Shinigami hypnotized by Kyoka Suigetsu, Aizen was an “invisible man.” They could only see the corpse below.
At the corner of a distant street, Ichimaru Gin leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. It wasn’t yet time for his appearance.
Hearing Su Xiao’s voice, Hinamori Momo slowly turned her head. Her small face was deathly pale, and her eyes were dull and lifeless.
Seeing Hinamori Momo’s expression, Su Xiao gained a new understanding of just how wicked Aizen’s personality was.
“Mr. Bai Ye, you must have a way, right? You definitely do. You can even make such amazing things as Soul Medicine, right?”
Hinamori Momo scrambled to her feet, ran quickly to Su Xiao, and grabbed his clothes, like a drowning person clutching at a lifeline.
“Aizen… is dead?”
Su Xiao didn’t look at Hinamori Momo. Instead, he stared at Aizen’s true self. At that moment, Aizen himself felt a bit awkward. He suddenly had the illusion of attending his own memorial service.
Acting was tiring, so Su Xiao waited for Ichimaru Gin to make his entrance. But before Ichimaru Gin appeared, several Shinigami came running over. They were several Vice-Captains.
Kira Izuru, Matsumoto Rangiku, and two other Vice-Captains ran over quickly. Seeing the corpse pinned high above, they immediately stopped in their tracks.
“No way.”
“This…”
Matsumoto Rangiku’s expression was somewhat dazed. The murder of a Fifth Division Captain was a major incident, and it happened without any warning.
“Mr. Bai Ye… can’t save Captain Aizen either?”
Hinamori Momo staggered back a few steps. She seemed to think of something and began to walk unsteadily toward Aizen’s corpse.
“Captain Aizen!”
Hinamori Momo completely broke down, letting out a desperate wail.
“What’s all this noise so early in the morning?”
A slightly playful voice shattered the desperate atmosphere at the scene.
“Oh my, this is a big event, isn’t it?”
Ichimaru Gin finally made his entrance. Putting aside his acting skills, his taunting ability was maxed out. “Aizen is dead,” yet he spoke in a tone of schadenfreude. Or rather, this guy always spoke in that tone.