Chapter 68: Chapter 68: The Spirit Wave Measurement and Research Department
Chapter 68: The Spirit Wave Measurement and Research Department
The candidate for the new Captain of the 10th Division remained undecided, and the chaos in the Soul Society continued. The patrol squads were stretched too thin, and the figures of Rukongai ronin could be seen roaming everywhere.
However, the Gotei 13 wasn’t overly anxious. They systematically carried out their respective duties, and even during the Captains’ meetings, the issue was only briefly mentioned.
Ultimately, the Seireitei possessed more than enough military power. If necessary, they could simply dispatch a few Captains to easily suppress the chaos.
Furthermore, throughout the Soul Society’s million-year history, such situations were not uncommon. The annual mortality rate for Soul Reapers was as high as one in twenty. Long-lasting peace was the true rarity.
On this day, within the 12th Division’s SRDI.
"Spit it out, what is it this time?" Yato sat in a spacious reclining chair, pushing off with his foot to spin around. "Mayuri, this chair of yours is quite comfortable."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi, his skin painted stark white, scoffed coldly and said in displeasure, "Do you think I’m like you? This chair serves a purpose. It can maximally seal an experimental subject’s spirit... Hmph, you wouldn’t understand even if I explained it to you, 3rd Seat Uchiha."
"Hah, true enough. I really don’t understand the scientific research side of things." The youth chuckled lightly. "However, Mayuri, I like your current attitude. At least you know how to use formal titles now."
"...Hmph!"
The eccentric scientist’s brow twitched wildly. But remembering that the other party’s combat strength was far superior to his own, he suppressed his anger and handed Yato a list. "These are the biological materials required for the next batch of experiments. As the head of the Capture Department, 3rd Seat Uchiha, please fulfill your duty."
"Let me see... Oh... I can’t do it."
"Then take care and see yourself out... Wait, what? What did you say?"
"I can’t do it!" Yato Uchiha slammed the piece of paper onto the desk. "You bastard, look at what you wrote! Five Adjuchas-class Menos Grande! That includes winged flying types and eight-legged crawling types, and their Hollow holes must be in their abdomens!"
"These are indeed necessary experimental subjects. Besides, with those eyes of yours..."
"My eyes aren’t telescopes! Hueco Mundo is massive, how am I supposed to pinpoint them? You’re a scientist, and you’re actually telling me to find a needle in a haystack without even providing a plan to narrow down the search area?"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi displayed a rare look of embarrassment. He scratched his brass-colored conical ear covers, hesitating slightly before sighing. "You can go to the Spirit Wave Measurement and Research Department. We’ve marked suspicious locations on a map of Hueco Mundo, which should save you most of your time."
"Oh, you should have said so earlier..." Halfway through his sentence, the youth realized something was wrong. He shot to his feet and closed in on Mayuri. "The Spirit Wave Measurement and Research Department?"
"Yes, 3rd Seat Yato. It is a department under the SRDI capable of detecting specific Spiritual Pressure fluctuations. The scanning range includes the Soul Society, a small half of the World of the Living, and one-third of Hueco Mundo!"
"I know what the Spirit Wave Measurement and Research Department means." Yato glared at him. "But I clearly remember that when Captain Urahara submitted the application to establish this department, it was rejected by the 1st Division."
"It was rejected." Despite his eerie smile, Mayuri couldn’t conceal his smugness. "But the Captain had us build it secretly anyway. Once we prove that the Spirit Wave Measurement and Research Department is indeed necessary for our work, we will officially report it to the Seireitei."
Yato Uchiha pressed his temples in headache, speechless for a long while.
That had happened two weeks ago. Back then, when the proposal to establish the department was rejected, Kisuke Urahara had moped around for half the day.
Yato actually understood perfectly well why the 1st Division had rejected it—
The fundamental job of the Spirit Wave Measurement and Research Department boiled down to a single task: "Monitoring Spiritual Pressure"!
It wouldn’t just probe Hueco Mundo; it would scan the Seireitei as well. It was equivalent to installing a Spiritual Pressure surveillance camera in the sky. Let alone massive disturbances like a battle between Captain-class figures, even the fluctuations of the Senkaimon would fall under the department’s watchful eyes!
In all fairness, this truly exceeded the boundaries of the 12th Division’s authority. It was only reasonable for the 1st Division to be hesitant.
Although in the future timeline, the SRDI would openly possess both the Communications and Technology Research Department and the Spirit Wave Measurement and Research Department, at least in this era where it had just been founded, the Seireitei hadn’t granted it such massive power.
Needless to say, Kisuke Urahara was simply bold enough to touch the heavens.
Perhaps this was a common flaw among brilliant minds. They dared to do anything, believing that even if they poked a hole in the sky, they could patch it up relying purely on their intellect.
Yato Uchiha waved his hand wearily and picked up the list. "Forget it, do whatever you want. Where is this Spirit Wave Measurement and Research Department?"
"The entrance is right under that chair. Like I said, it serves a great purpose."
"...You really are something else."
Yato was so annoyed he almost laughed. After spinning the chair out of the way, he headed down the revealed staircase.
Soon, he arrived at an underground laboratory encased in metal walls.
A youth wearing a white cleanroom suit was bustling about inside.
He had a delicate, somewhat frail appearance. What caught the eye were the strange small horns growing on his forehead, suggesting he carried non-human blood.
"So it’s you, Akon," Yato smiled wryly. "I was wondering why I hadn’t seen much of you these past few days."
"Ah, 3rd Seat Uchiha." The youth, Akon, was a fairly proper individual. He stopped his work and bowed in greeting. "You’re here to..."
"Get a map. Here, the most likely locations for the Menos Grande on this list to appear."
"Understood."
Akon took the list and began rummaging through a mountainous pile of papers.
Yato wandered around with great interest. Even though he didn’t understand a single thing, there was no harm in watching the spectacle.
The newly established Spirit Wave Measurement and Research Department very much had the vibe of a secret base.
Millstone-sized machines lined the walls, emitting occasional beep-boop sounds. Thick, rough pipes throbbed like bulging veins beneath glowing screens.
Countless points of light flickered on vintage-looking electronic displays. Yato leaned in and watched for a while, managing to guess a few locations based on his judgment of the terrain.
"It can even monitor the Spiritual Pressure fluctuations of the Kido Corps. No wonder Head Captain Yamamoto didn’t give it the green light..."
The youth muttered softly. Just as he was about to examine some other equipment, he caught sight of a piece of paper that had fallen to the floor out of the corner of his eye. It contained images and text and seemed quite important.
Lately, he had been gathering intelligence on that place, making him highly sensitive to its geographical features.
Embraced by two bodies of water, a mountain to the north, the terrain swelling from west to east before dropping...
Is this... a log of Spiritual Pressure fluctuations near a Senkaimon?
Yato paused slightly. He quietly released his Zanpakuto, maintaining the state of his Sharingan as he picked up the paper, rapidly memorizing its contents.
By the time Akon approached Yato Uchiha with the map, the 3rd Seat had already returned to normal, as if nothing had happened at all.
"3rd Seat Uchiha, the item you requested."
"Yeah, thanks." Yato smiled as he stuffed the map into his Shihakusho, feeling genuinely delighted.
—An unexpected stroke of luck. It looks like I won’t need to go ask Sosuke Aizen for help after all.
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