Chapter 141: I Have Come to Rescue the Hostages!

"This is..."

Ignoring Suzuka, who was huddled in the corner clutching her head and trembling, seemingly suffering from PTSD triggered by some painful memory, Asano Ariko stared at the screen and spoke.

"Well, although I haven't personally experienced the operational procedures of international anti-O units, I taught them how to apply those anti-O combat techniques to spirit exorcism based on various videos, textual materials, and the instruction manuals provided by my boss," Qiao Qiao replied with a slight nod.

"Spirit exorcism is essentially the same as anti-O combat; both involve fighting vicious enemies under extreme conditions with limited resources."

"It feels... so impressive." Asano Ariko's eyes sparkled.

The movements of each shrine maiden were incredibly professional. Seen from their first-person perspective, it was like watching a live stream of an FPS game. Is this the exorcism technique of a master? Asano Ariko felt a surge of admiration.

"Maki-san and the others had a very firm resolve to change, which is why they were able to complete their training in such a short time," Qiao Qiao added. "Furthermore, they are quite gifted. To be honest, I was surprised that they were able to obtain their firearms licenses within a week."

On the screen, Kitagawa Ryoko had already climbed to the roof of a four-story building. She attached an object to the muzzle of her shotgun and pulled the trigger. With a metallic screech, a grappling hook shot out, latching firmly onto the roof of the adjacent three-story building. After securing the line, she attached her harness to the cable and glided across with effortless precision.

The sixth screen showed that the source of the resentment in this building was on the third floor. However, due to years of neglect, the staircase leading to the third floor had collapsed, forcing Kitagawa to take this unconventional route.

"Shrine Maiden Kitagawa is... very bold."

"But how will she enter the third floor now? There are two simulated resentful spirits and the source of resentment down there. If she goes down the stairs from the rooftop, she’ll be easily ambushed."

"What will she do, Nishimoto-san?"

"Even if you ask me, I can't quite grasp the methods of Shrine Maiden Kitagawa."

"We are professional commentators; we should be bold enough to make judgments."

The two commentators exchanged remarks. In reality, they were merely repeating what Kitagawa Ryoko was already doing. The two professionals dared not speculate further, having already been proven wrong once.

Oblivious to this, Kitagawa Ryoko pulled a disk-shaped object from her backpack. Having learned the location of the resentment source from Hayami Nanase via radio, she placed the object directly above it. As soon as it was placed, the drills on its four corners began to bore into the surface, and the center drill pierced straight through the ceiling. Within seconds, Kitagawa moved to the other corner of the rooftop and pressed the switch in her hand.

*Thump, thump, thump—*

Several muffled thuds echoed from the room below, followed immediately by the roar of an explosion. Through the camera, the entire third floor could be seen in shambles, scarred by shrapnel. The vessel of the resentment source, an ordinary wardrobe, had been reduced to splinters.

"This is... to be able to strike an object behind a wall?"

"And it barely damaged the wall itself. What a surprising invention, Tono-san."

The two commentators at the desk stared blankly as Kitagawa Ryoko smashed through the ceiling with a hammer to finish the job.

"Hmm, it seems the field performance of the cluster explosive is quite good. Should I ask the boss to mass-produce it? If we sell it abroad, someone might..." Qiao Qiao watched the screen, nodding in satisfaction.

"Teacher, Teacher, is this... that thing?" Asano Ariko’s mouth hung open, unable to tear her gaze from the carnage in the third-floor room.

"It’s a cluster explosive. It should be in the games you play often, right..." Qiao Qiao briefly explained his inspiration and design process.

"No, wait—can something like this actually be made in reality?" Asano Ariko remembered that many hardcore gamers had analyzed such equipment; while most items in games had real-world prototypes, some were purely fictional. For instance, the cluster explosive Kitagawa was using. The teacher actually made it? Even though she knew the teacher was well-versed in weaponry, she never expected him to design and manufacture them himself. Is there anything the teacher cannot do?

"Although it’s going smoothly, the design of this resentment source, which was outside the outline, is a bit special. I wonder if Maki-san and the others will notice."

In less than twenty minutes, the shrine maidens of Shimogamo Shrine had eliminated the vast majority of the resentment sources and simulated spirits. Based on past experience, only one source remained.

"A truly astonishing speed. I didn't expect the Shimogamo Shrine maidens to reach the final stage in just twenty minutes."

"This exorcism speed must be the fastest this year, Tono-san."

"Indeed, Nishimoto-san. Even if they don't find the final source, the Shimogamo Shrine's score shouldn't be lower than eighty."

"It’s hard to imagine that the Shimogamo Shrine, which was so weak last year, would show such tremendous growth this year."

"However, the final source seems difficult to locate."

The two commentators finally managed a long string of dialogue while the shrine maidens searched for the last target. On screen, Hayami Nanase was piloting a drone for a site scan, while Hashimoto Kotone checked the corners invisible from the ground through her scope. Yet, the final source remained elusive. Without clearing all sources, even a smooth performance could result in a point deduction; it was the most critical part. Kitagawa Ryoko, Shinoki Maki, and Sasaki Haruka scattered throughout the village, checking corners, but found nothing.

"It seems that even with new equipment, these new types of 'strange' entities are still a bit too difficult for these shrine maidens."

"After all, it's a source of resentment that even the Fushimi Inari Taisha couldn't immediately locate. It's understandable that these maidens couldn't find it. They have already been impressive enough today."

"Indeed, from now on, no one will look down on the exorcism skills of Shimogamo Shrine."

As the two commentators spoke, Kitagawa Ryoko and her two companions actually exited the abandoned village.

"Wait, why are they leaving the village? Nishimoto-san, there's no such thing as forfeiting midway through an exorcism exhibition, is there?"

"Correct. To prevent abuse of the rules, that option does not exist."

The screen zoomed in. The five shrine maidens had gathered together. From several backpacks beside Hashimoto Kotone, they pulled out cylindrical objects. Simultaneously, they held a button-type remote detonator in their hands.

"Th-this... could it be?"

"Tono-san, isn't this too far beyond common sense?"

When the two commentators and the audience saw what the maidens held, they all displayed expressions of extreme shock.

"T-Teacher, are they...?" Seeing that it was Qiao Qiao who had coached these maidens, Asano Ariko suddenly had a bad premonition.

"It's fine. I asked around beforehand; this abandoned village has been bought by the shrine and the Exorcist Association. It can be destroyed at will," Qiao Qiao said.

*BOOM—*

An explosion thundered from the distant mountains.