Anime Crossover: The Small Workshop System's Aggressive Feeding

Page 394

The announcement from the General Office had already spread throughout the entire college. Although most students and teachers did not believe that Gojo Satoru would betray them, the oppressive feeling of an impending storm truly enveloped their hearts.

“Hey, I said,”

Kugizaki Nobara lowered her voice, her hands in her pockets, "We're not really going to fight that idiot teacher, are we? I really want to beat him up, but not this way."

"Gojo-sensei is not a traitor." Itadori Yuujin clenched his fist, speaking with certainty, but his eyes were also filled with unease.

Fushiguro Megumi didn't speak, only staring in the direction of the school gate. He knew Gojo Satoru's character better than anyone. That man might do many outrageous things, but he would never do them without a reason. He just wanted to know, what that reason was.

Just then, a figure walked in from the school gate.

The three students' attention was instantly drawn to him. The newcomer was none other than Gojo Satoru, but his appearance today made the three of them feel a sense of unfamiliarity.

He wasn't wearing an eye patch or sunglasses; his pair of azure "six eyes" were calmly displayed in the air. He wasn't wearing his usual loose-fitting college uniform, but a crisp black combat suit, simple yet futuristic in design, with a silver celestial emblem on his chest. His usual frivolous and carefree aura had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented focus and competence.

He was like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, except that before he was wielded casually, but now he was firmly grasped by an invisible hand and pointed at a clear target.

"Yo." Gojo Satoru walked up to the three of them and greeted them, his tone much more composed than usual.

"It seems everything is ready. Principal Moth should have told you that there will be a practical lesson today."

"Teacher..." Itadori was about to ask something when Gojo Satoru raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Mission briefing."

Gojo Satoru's tone left no room for doubt: "Target: Aokigahara Forest, Special Grade Hypothetical Cursed Spirit Seeking Death. Mission Level: Special Grade. Mission Objective: Not Exorcism, but Purification."

A person seeking death!

Fushiguro and Kugizaki's expressions changed instantly. In the records of the sorcery world, this name was equivalent to a "death zone." The high school's textbooks clearly stated that no student or sorcerer below level two was allowed to approach that forest.

"Are you kidding me?!" Kugizaki Nobara couldn't help but exclaim.

"Is that kind of place something we can go to? Besides, you are now..."

She wanted to say, "You are a wanted criminal now," but she swallowed the words back.

Gojo Satoru seemed to have read her mind. He placed the silver briefcase he was holding on the ground and opened it.

"It is precisely because it is that kind of place that new methods are needed to solve the problem."

He took three instruments out of the box and handed them to the three men respectively.

"Today, we are not warriors, but technicians. Put away your spells and incantations, and learn how to use these new toys."

Kugizaki Nobara took a bracelet-like device, frowning as she examined it from all angles:

"What is this? A decoration? What are we going there for without using magic? A picnic?"

"That's an individual's emotional stabilizer,"

Gojo Satoru smiled, a smile tinged with the patience of a mentor. "The realm of those seeking death can pollute the mind and induce suicidal impulses. This, however, can shield you from all the erosion of negative emotions, ensuring your thinking is absolutely clear. As for why we're not using surgery, it's because what we're doing this time is a radical cure, not just removing the tumor."

He shoved a tablet computer into Fushiguro's hand.

Fushiguro Megumi instinctively took it, and when his gaze fell on the screen, he froze. The screen displayed a real-time graph of the flow of magical energy throughout the Aokigahara Forest. The green lines represented normal natural energy, while a huge, ink-like dark red area occupied the center of the forest.

That's not all. He could zoom in and out at will, and the map's precision was frighteningly high. He could even pinpoint the core of that dark red area, and a data box would immediately pop up next to it, displaying a series of terms he had never heard of before, such as "peak emotional fluctuation," "curse concentration," and "conceptual pollution range," and all the data was changing in real time.

What's the principle behind this?

Any auxiliary monitoring or detection method is like a stone spear in the hands of a primitive man in front of this tablet. This is no longer the realm of magic; this is the technology of a god.

“Fukuguro, your task is to monitor the overall situation,” Gojo Satoru’s voice pulled him back from his shock. “Based on the data on the tablet, find the three nodes with the highest concentration of curses and guide us to deploy beacons.”

Finally, Gojo Satoru patted Itadori Yuujin on the shoulder and pointed to the last backpack-sized device in the box.

"Kudos, your mission is the most important."

Just then, a slightly distorted but still gentle voice rang in Itachi's ears.

Is it possible for you to arrive, Mr. Itadori? I am Yukichi.

Itachi was startled and subconsciously touched his ear, only to find that a miniature earphone had been inserted into it without his knowledge.

"Mechanical Pill?!"

"It's me. Mr. Gojo said your physical abilities are the strongest in the academy, so the physically demanding task of deploying the conceptual purification beacon is assigned to you." Yukichi's voice held a hint of amusement. "This device is a bit heavy, and it requires rapid movement through complex terrain. Your physical attributes are well-suited to be an excellent engineer."

Engineer? Yuuji Itadori looked at the futuristic backpack, scratched his head, and was somewhat puzzled. He had always thought his role was to rush in and punch the cursed spirits away.

Moth Masamichi stood aside, watching this unbelievable scene, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He saw Kugizaki go from initial resistance to curiosity while studying the bracelet; he saw Fushiguro completely immersed in the information deluge displayed on the tablet, a torrent of information ahead of its time; he saw Itadori, though confused, with excitement in his eyes at receiving a new mission.

What complicated things for him even more was Gojo Satoru.

This was the first time he had seen Gojo Satoru so patiently explain principles and assign tasks to his students. He was no longer the aloof "strongest" figure for students to imitate and chase, but a true "captain," a guide leading his team to explore a completely new field. This was a teaching model he had never seen or imagined before.

Perhaps this is the right approach. It's not about training soldiers who can only fight, but about training engineers who can solve problems.

The group quickly arrived at the edge of the Aokigahara Forest. As the car door opened, a chilling stench of decaying leaves and despair swept in, sending shivers down their spines. The forest was deathly silent; not even the chirping of birds or insects could be heard.

Gojo Satoru took out the last piece of equipment from the box, a streamlined pair of goggles, and put them on his face.

"Alright, students, get ready for class."

The world before his eyes instantly changed. Real scenery faded, replaced by countless flowing data and energy lines. The gloomy forest transformed into a massive program riddled with red, buggy code.

He turned around, his pale blue eyes peering through his goggles at the three young faces behind him, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation on his face, and a confident smile curved his lips.

"Welcome to... the bug fixing site."

Chapter 352 Construction Site in the Mythical Era

The moment the group stepped into the Aokigahara Forest, it was as if they had crossed an invisible door. The last ray of sunlight and sound from the outside world were cut off, leaving only deathly silence. The air was thick and cold, carrying a nauseatingly sweet and pungent smell of rotting leaves mixed with despair. The trees here were twisted like struggling arms, and every fold of bark seemed to hide a weeping face.

"Ugh..." Kugizaki Nobara instinctively hugged her arm. Even though she was wearing a uniform, the chill felt like countless icy needles trying to pierce her skin and penetrate her bone marrow.

Before she could even adjust, a sudden change occurred in the shadows ahead. Dozens, even hundreds, of distorted, low-level cursed spirits emerged from the soil and tree trunks. Like vultures drawn by the breath of life, they swarmed forward with silent howls. Some resembled tangled clumps of hair, others like faceless, humanoid sludge, but all shared a deep-seated hatred for the living.

Yuujin Itadori instinctively assumed a fighting stance, his fists already gathering magical energy. Kugizaki also reached for the hammer and nails at his waist.

"Don't even move."

Gojo Satoru's voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable command.

He didn't even turn around, but merely tilted his head slightly towards Fushiguro Megumi. Fushiguro Megumi immediately understood the instruction; he raised his left hand and pressed the side button on the silver bracelet on his wrist.

There was no explosion, no shock wave.

A sound wave, almost invisible to the naked eye, spread out from him. It was not a sound on a physical level, but a rhythm acting on a concept.

hum-

A deep, resonant sound, as if from the depths of the universe, swept through the forest.

The leading group of cursed spirits abruptly halted. Their twisted bodies, like a low-quality pixelated image with the delete button pressed, disintegrated from the edges into countless tiny, ominous red specks of cursed energy. The next second, the device on Fushiguro Megumi's wrist lit up, generating an invisible suction force that pulled all the specks of energy towards her, greedily devouring them. The indicator light on the bracelet turned from red to green, emitting a crisp "beep."

The whole process took less than three seconds. The forest clearing, which had just been like a ghost town, was now as clean as if it had been thoroughly swept.

"..." Kugizaki Nobara's hand, which was reaching for the hammer, froze in mid-air, her mouth slightly open, but she couldn't utter a single syllable.

Yuji Itadori was also stunned. He had imagined a hundred different scenarios of how he would blast these guys away, but he never thought they would "evaporate" like this.

"The recycling and reuse of spell power is one of the council's basic environmental protection regulations."

Satoru Gojo's voice broke the silence at just the right moment, "Stop daydreaming, technicians, we still have work to do."

"Yes!" This time, no one had any objections.

"Fu Hei, report the node location."

"receive."

Fushiguro Megumi's gaze was completely drawn to the tablet in her hand. On it, within the huge dark red cursed area, three points of light shone exceptionally brightly, like three malignant tumors.

"The first node is located 300 meters to the northeast, beneath a huge, withered tree struck by lightning. The concentration of the curse is fifteen times that of the surrounding area."

"Itadori, Kugizaki, prepare for deployment."

Gojo gave the order.

Yuji Itadori took a deep breath and steadily slung the heavy backpack over his shoulder. Kokichi's voice immediately came through the earpiece.

Mr. Itari, the backpack has a built-in gravity cushioning module, but you should still pay attention to your balance when moving quickly. After arriving at your destination, unlock the probe at the bottom of the backpack and insert it vertically into the ground at least 50 centimeters deep.

"Understood, engineers in position!"

Huzhang responded, bent his knees slightly, and shot off like an arrow in the direction Fu Hei had indicated. His movements were swift and steady; the heavy backpack seemed weightless on his back as he darted and weaved through the rugged woods without making a sound.

"Hey, what about me?" Kugisaki Nobara followed behind, asking somewhat resentfully.

Kugizaki-kun, your mission is to escort Itadori-kun and deploy a small defensive field when the beacon is deployed. Press the second button on your bracelet and aim it at the beacon. Yukichi's voice was gentle and clear.

Soon, they arrived at the first node. It was a huge, long-dead cypress tree, its charred trunk pointing straight to the sky, like a giant tombstone. The cursed power gathering beneath the tree was almost visible to the naked eye, swirling in black mist.

Without the slightest hesitation, Huzhang put down the backpack, skillfully untied the three sharp probes at the bottom, gripped the handles at the top of the backpack with both hands, and poured all his strength into them.

"drink!"

He gave a low shout and suddenly plunged the probe into the tangled tree roots and the hard earth.

The instant the probe was fully inserted, Kugizaki pressed the bracelet. A pale blue hexagonal energy shield popped out from her wrist, enveloping the cane and the device within it.

The indicator light on the top of the backpack began to flash, emitting a continuous low hum. Then, centered on the withered tree, golden lines lit up from the ground, spreading rapidly outwards like a spider web. It wasn't cursed power, but a more precise and purer form of energy. Like living circuits, they traced complex geometric patterns on the ground, forcibly "formatting" this cursed and polluted land.

"pretty."

Gojo Satoru's voice came through the communicator.

"The next node is 500 meters due west, at the entrance of a collapsed cave."

The three formed a highly efficient production line. Megumi Fushiguro was in charge of navigation and data monitoring, Yuu Itadori was responsible for precise "delivery" and "installation," and Nobara Kugizaki provided immediate protection and support. They moved through the desolate forest like a well-trained special forces unit, carrying out surgical-like precision missions in the heart of the enemy.

When the third "concept purification beacon" was successfully deployed in its designated location, the anomaly finally occurred.

—Aww—!

A piercing scream, belonging to no known creature, echoed from the deepest part of the forest. The sound didn't travel through the air; it exploded directly in everyone's minds. The entire space trembled; trees shook, and the ground cracked.

The "master" of the Aokigahara Forest, the top-tier imaginary spirit "Death Seeker," was thoroughly enraged.

It had no fixed form. The next second, the ground in the center of the forest suddenly rose up, and the corpses of countless suicides, their resentment, and their despair were forcibly gathered together, forming a giant hundreds of meters tall, composed of black mud, white bones, and distorted human faces. It had no legs, and its lower body blended into the darkness of the entire forest. It raised its "head," formed by countless intertwined arms, and opened its gigantic maw, composed of hundreds and thousands of mouths.

A terrifying wave of mental pollution swept in like a tsunami.