Chapter 128: He’s one of the scientists.

“Kai, are you okay?” While traveling next to Kai and using her quirk to try to detect the scientists, Tomoko noticed his expression, which led her to ask with concern.

“Not really, I feel like something strange is going on, but I can’t pinpoint what it is.” Kai replied in a thoughtful tone, making Tomoko nod. She quickly added with a small smile.

“Oh, that. Don’t worry, I felt something similar on my first mission. It could be nerves or something like that. You’ll get used to it.”

“I hope it’s just that…” Kai answered with an uncertain tone, which made Tomoko smile gently as she continued in a warm, gentle voice.

“You’ll see it’s just that. Everything’s going to be fine.”

As they ventured deeper into the forest, Kai had extended the full range of his Observation Haki. Although it was far less precise than his [En]—to the point that, aside from the “voices”, everything else he sensed came through as “faint figures”—it had two incredible advantages. First of all, it was a [passive ability], so as long as he remained focused, he could perceive his surroundings at a very low energy cost.

Regarding the second advantage, his Observation Haki had a perceptual range at least 10 times larger than his [En], reaching close to a 5-kilometer radius—or, in other words, almost 10 kilometers in diameter. However, this did not come without drawbacks. Unlike [En], to which he could give any shape he wanted, thus modifying its extension or what he focused on. The range of his Haki always extended in all directions with him at the center, and the only thing he could control was how far it reached.

On the other hand, such a large perception range in highly populated places like a city was a headache because of the excessive amount of information he received, forcing him to keep his range from expanding too far. But on the island, he could let his range run free, so it wouldn’t take him long to explore the entire area.

About 15 minutes after navigating through a forest filled with strange hot spots and cracks emitting odd gases, Kai stopped on the branch of a tree along with Tomoko, wearing a serious expression. After all, they had just arrived in front of the ruins of what was once an impressive research center made up of different houses and facilities perfectly integrated into the forest. Now, it was only a pile of rubble.

“I can’t find anything with [Search]…” Tomoko commented in a serious tone while looking at the destroyed site, where even some of the nearby trees looked charred, and the ground was full of cracks releasing yellowish gases that obstructed visibility.

“There’s no one alive, but I can sense a corpse inside.” Kai responded after confirming the interior with [En]. He then turned to look at Tomoko and added in a serious tone.

“Wait for me here. I want to check the place thoroughly; I can’t shake this strange feeling.”

“Let’s go together. Maybe between the two of us, we can find some clue about what happened here. Besides, we were also asked to recover the base’s data.” Tomoko replied, looking directly into Kai’s eyes through her visor. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and agreed.

“All right, let’s go together then.”

With superhuman agility, Kai and Tomoko began jumping from branch to branch until they reached what was left of the building, carefully avoiding the cracks in the ground that released the strange gases. At that moment, Kai, making use of his extraordinary strength, began to lift the debris from what appeared to be a research facility, soon revealing the corpse of a man beneath a collapsed wall.

“He’s one of the scientists.” Tomoko said gravely, and Kai nodded before walking among the rubble to examine the body himself. Just then, Shino’s telepathic message arrived again.

[Ragdoll, Kai, any updates?]

[Yes, we reached the research base, but it’s completely destroyed, and we’re currently examining the body of one of the scientists Kai found.] While Kai crouched down to study the body, Tomoko answered in a serious tone through the mental connection, prompting Shino to reply in a solemn voice.

[Any trace of the others?]

[None so far.] Tomoko responded concisely, leading Shino to give firm instructions.

[For now, focus on finding any survivors. Split up to cover more ground.]

After Shino’s message, Tomoko approached Kai, who had already moved the corpse onto the ground for a better look. She then spoke in a serious voice.

“Kai, did you hear Mandalay?”

“Yeah…” Kai nodded, a thoughtful look on his face as he closely observed the corpse, which had a strange pale greenish skin and multiple contusions. He then looked at Tomoko and added more seriously.

“Stay alert. For some reason, this all feels very off.”

“All right. You be careful too.”

After nodding, her expression serious behind the gas mask, Tomoko sprinted toward the other side of the island. Kai watched her until she disappeared from view. At that moment, he stood up from his crouching position and surveyed the area with visible unease, still keeping his [En] active over the entire place.

[Sage, is it just me, or have we not found a single living thing on this island so far?] Kai asked in an unusually solemn tone as he looked at the corpse at his feet. The beautiful fairy answered similarly.

[You’re right, Master. So far, we haven’t detected a single sign of life, not even insects.]

“Salem, try sniffing around here to see if you find any trace of prey or anything strange.”

Kai quickly commanded the cat on his shoulder, which jumped off and grew to about one meter in length before it began sniffing the surroundings. However, not long afterward, it returned, meowing, which Kai understood as a negative.

“As I thought. Let’s move more quickly.”

Once Salem hopped back onto his shoulder, Kai muttered under his breath. At the same time, sparks of electricity began crackling around him, causing his hair to stand on end. He then dashed off at blinding speed into the forest in the opposite direction from Tomoko. But just a few minutes later, the moment he passed near one of the cracks releasing the strange gases, a powerful explosion shook the island.

…

…

…

While Pixie-Bob used her Quirk to create a small elevated plateau, flat and sturdy, as well as capable of withstanding tremors, Mandalay, Tiger, and Mirko opened the metal cases they had brought. They then began organizing all the medical, communication, and other equipment inside them before starting to move everything up onto the plateau.

“Ragdoll and Kai found one of the scientists’ corpses at the research base.”

As they finished organizing the equipment, Mandalay suddenly reported in a deep, solemn voice, drawing the other heroes’ attention. Chatora spoke up in a similar tone.

“Any sign of survivors?”

“Not yet. Ragdoll and Kai split up to cover more ground with their quirks, so we just have to be ready to move at any moment.” Mandalay shook her head and replied with some concern, prompting Mirko to step forward and ask seriously.

“Did they mention anything about the monsters?”

“No, so far—” Just as Mandalay was speaking, the ground shook violently, and in the distance, a bright ball of fire could be seen expanding with tremendous force. Pixie-Bob cried out, her voice filled with panic.

“Kai, Tomoko!!!”

Without a single moment of hesitation, Ryuko leaped from the plateau and immediately manipulated the earth to propel herself, flying toward the explosion. At the same time, she crossed her arms in front of her, causing a bluish electric-like shield to protect her from the shockwave that reached them along with the powerful sound of the explosion, without slowing her down. She was closely followed by the other heroes.

[Kai, Ragdoll!! Are you okay?!!] While running with all her might, Shino urgently sent a telepathic message laden with worry, which Tomoko answered immediately, sounding just as alarmed.

[I’m fine, I’m heading toward the explosion; Kai is over there!]

[Don’t worry, I caused the explosion, but I’m okay. Just be very careful—the gas coming out of the cracks is explosive. A single spark of my electricity was enough to set it off.] Kai quickly replied telepathically, letting Shino breathe a sigh of relief before sending out another message to everyone else.

[Kai and Ragdoll are okay, but the gas in the cracks is explosive. Be careful.]

[That’s a relief…] Ryuko commented, much calmer now, then landed nearby using her metallic cables, which wrapped around tree branches to break her fall. At that moment, Mirko asked in a serious tone.

“We’re still going over there, right? With an explosion like that, if there are any survivors left, they’re probably in a panic.”

“You’re right, we need to move fast. Also, even though Kai said he’s okay, I’m still worried. I’ll inform the others.”

After Shino used her telepathy to get Kai’s location, everyone rushed to the site. They arrived to find Ragdoll already there, checking on Salem’s condition along with Kai, who was now shirtless from the waist up and no longer wearing his gas mask—though he was completely unharmed. Ryuko immediately ran to him and asked, worried, while Shino lingered behind, biting her lip.

“Kai! Are you okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine. A spark set the gas off, and it blew up in my face. So be really careful near the cracks.” Kai answered calmly, apparently more preoccupied with the cat in his arms, which allowed the Pussycats to fully relax. Mirko commented with a hint of approval.

“You’re pretty tough if that explosion didn’t leave a single scratch on you, kid.”

“Thanks, I guess?” Kai responded casually, not really sure how to reply to the “compliment”. Chatora then added in a serious tone.

“It’s a relief that you’re okay, Kai, but we have to move fast to find survivors. Also, you need to head back for a new mask.”

“I understand, but there's something I need to say first.” Kai remarked with a serious tone, causing all the heroes to look at him with curiosity. At that moment, he added solemnly while placing the equally unharmed Salem back on his shoulder.

“Don’t get your hopes up about finding survivors. It’s possible there aren’t any. I couldn’t sense so much as a mosquito in all the places I checked. Something very weird is happening on this island—it’s as if, aside from us, nothing else is alive.” Kai’s words caused a slight stir among the group of heroes, but Mandalay quickly composed herself and spoke firmly.

“I understand. But we still need to search for them. Go back for a mask so you can continue exploring. You and Ragdoll doing the search will be the most efficient. Meanwhile, Tiger and Pixie-Bob will look through the research base for clues, and hopefully the facility’s records. I’ll return to our base and maintain telepathic contact with everyone. Be extremely careful.”

“““Understood””” the Pussycats responded in unison to their leader. At that moment, Mirko spoke up as she crouched slightly.

“I’ll do my own scouting, too. I’m sick of sitting still. Keep me posted on any changes.”

“All right.” Mandalay nodded seriously. Mirko grinned fiercely and dashed off into the forest, quickly disappearing from sight. The red-clad heroine then turned to Kai, speaking sternly.

“Let’s go back, Kai.”

“Let’s go.” Kai agreed, then picked Shino up in a princess carry and bolted toward the spot where they had landed. The other members also split up to carry out their respective roles.

***

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