Upon returning to Iron Fortress, Inaba Tsukiyo immediately sought out Mumei, pulling her into a secluded corner for a private conversation.
"Mumei, you once told me that you were never bitten by a Kabaneri. So how did you become a Kabaneri? Was it that guy, Amatori Biba, who turned you into this?"
"Eh? Yes... that's right. When Big Brother found me, he said that only the strong could survive in this world. But I was too weak, and to survive, I had no choice but to become a Kabaneri."
Mumei was turned into a Kabaneri by Amatori Biba through injections; not only her, but some members of the Kataribe were also injected with the serum and became Kabaneri.
Since Amatori Biba has the ability to turn people into Kabaneri, it's certain that he himself has also become a Kabaneri and gained a Kabaneri's strength.
"I'll tell you what I just saw. While I don't expect you to help brainstorm, you can at least understand the situation a bit."
Ignoring Mumei's implied complaint of 'Are you treating me like an idiot?', Inaba Tsukiyo told Mumei about the bleeding human corpses she found beneath the walls of Shitori Station.
Finally, she also recounted the failed assassination attempt on Amatori Biba and her discovery of the Kabaneri in the Kurenai Castle's laboratory.
"Kabaneri? Big Brother and his people are researching Kabaneri, so it's not strange for Kabaneri to appear, is it?"
"No, it's very strange. Even if they're just researching Kabaneri, they don't need that many. Furthermore, if this guy truly wants to liberate humanity, the technology the Kataribe possess could be shared. But he has never made it public. If he were truly a good person, he would definitely release this technology. Yet, apart from them, everyone else is still using steam guns."
It's too abnormal. And the fact that this guy deliberately lured Kabaneri to attract others' attention—no matter how you look at it, it's too suspicious.
This guy has definitely made the Kataribe do something, and it's something that absolutely cannot be discovered.
"How many stations are left until Kongokaku, Mumei?"
"Eh? We'll be there soon. The last fortress before Kongokaku is Iwato Station."
"Is that so? If the Shogunate is unwilling to let the Kataribe proceed to Kongokaku, they definitely won't allow the Kataribe's Kurenai Castle to enter the city. To reach Kongokaku, they will surely use every means possible to pass through Iwato Station."
It's likely that at the next station, Inaba Tsukiyo and her companions will see the true colors of the Kataribe.
But before that, Inaba Tsukiyo still wanted to see what was inside the Kataribe's Kurenai Castle.
While the Kataribe members were cleaning up the aftermath, Inaba Tsukiyo secretly snuck into the Kurenai Castle and searched for various things.
In the Kurenai Castle's laboratory, besides mortar ammunition and motorcycle parts, Inaba Tsukiyo also found a weapon resembling a Gatling gun.
They are all people from the same country, so why is there such a huge disparity in weapons? Why do they even have Gatling guns?
Cautiously exploring the laboratory, generally speaking, such a laboratory should contain very important things.
This laboratory contained many test tubes with strange liquids; these were definitely not normal liquids.
After spending some time and failing to find any useful research data in the laboratory, Inaba Tsukiyo was about to head towards the room where she found the Kabaneri when she realized that Iron Fortress and Kurenai Castle had merged.
It seems Amatori Biba and Shikomorikawa Ayame reached an agreement, allowing the Kataribe to escort them to Kongokaku.
However, this guy definitely isn't that kind-hearted. Considering that the Kataribe have a large number of Kabaneri, these guys might be treating the people of Iron Fortress as blood bags for producing blood.
At night, Kurenai Castle pulled Iron Fortress forward, with Iron Fortress connected to Kurenai Castle.
As Inaba Tsukiyo prepared to continue searching for things in Kurenai Castle, Mumei held her back.
The girl also wanted to come along, so Inaba Tsukiyo had no choice but to bring Mumei with her to Kurenai Castle.
The rearmost carriage of Kurenai Castle was a laboratory, specifically for researching Kabaneri, and there were many of them.
These Kabaneri were confined in an iron cage. The soundproofing of this carriage was excellent, preventing people outside from hearing the sounds within.
Amatori Biba walked into the interior of the laboratory. Within this laboratory, there was also a secret room, in the center of which was a heart covered by a strange membrane. This was a blue heart, clearly an experimental result of the Kataribe.
Besides this beating heart, two people were also confined here. From their attire, they appeared to be of some status.
They watched everything before them in terror. In this place where Kabaneri were imprisoned, it seemed like hell in their eyes.
They were the ones who ordered to kill Amatori Biba.
When the attention of the people in Shitori Station was drawn to the Kabaneri outside the city, they were captured by the Kataribe.
"You can't forget what you've done, so you intended to kill me, didn't you?"
Amatori Biba looked at the two people before him with icy eyes and drew his coated katana.
The katana's hilt had a trigger, and the end of the katana also had a small muzzle, suggesting it could also be used as a firearm.
"Answer me, who was it on the battlefield ten years ago who abandoned us to face the Kabaneri?"
Amatori Biba immediately shot one of the men. The captured man had been in charge of military provisions ten years ago and had received orders to cut off supplies.
Amatori Biba was one of those abandoned back then. His purpose in capturing him was to find out who was responsible for abandoning them.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! It was the General! The General ordered me to do this! It has nothing to do with me!"
For ten years, he had stayed in Shitori Station, knowing that a few days ago, the General's confidant and the one abandoned by Amatori Biba came to find him, hoping they could work together to assassinate Amatori Biba.
"Indeed, this guy's purpose in coming to Shitori Station was to capture the person who abandoned him back then and uncover the mastermind."
The Kataribe led by Amatori Biba were not created to liberate humanity; it was a force he gathered to seek revenge on his past enemies.
It can be almost certain that after Amatori Biba learned that the mastermind who abandoned him was the Shogun of the Shogunate, he intended to conquer Kongokaku to exact revenge on the Shogun who abandoned him.
These Kabaneri imprisoned in Kurenai Castle are very likely related to Amatori Biba's objective.
Mumei looked at Amatori Biba, who had shot someone, in disbelief. All this time, she had believed Amatori Biba's goal was to liberate humanity, only to find out it was to gather powerful people to achieve his revenge.
Pulling Mumei out of the laboratory, they secretly went to an empty rear carriage to discuss what they had just seen.
"Things are worse than imagined. It's almost certain that Amatori Biba plans to conquer Kongokaku, Mumei."
"..."
Mumei had been in a daze since earlier, sitting on the ground blankly like a puppet that had lost control.
"Don't be like this, Mumei. Didn't you say we still need to reach Iwato Station before arriving at Kongokaku? The people of Shitori Station must have informed Iwato Station about the Kataribe, and those there must already know that the Kataribe are approaching."
As long as Iwato Station informs the people of Kongokaku about the Kataribe, the Shogun residing in Kongokaku will definitely order the leaders of Iwato Station to prevent the Kataribe's entry.
"But... that's useless. Tsukiyo, you said that Big Brother... Amatori Biba used blood to attract Kabaneri when he entered Shitori Station. What if they arrange for Kabaneri to enter the city?"
She wouldn't even call him "Big Brother" anymore; she probably realized that Amatori Biba was not a good person and was utterly disappointed in him.
Mumei was smart for once, understanding that closing the city gates would not stop the Kataribe from entering.
If Amatori Biba arranged for Kabaneri to enter Iwato Station, then Iwato Station would fall instantly.
Moreover, the strength of the Kataribe members is not comparable to ordinary samurai; at that time, even Iron Fortress might be controlled.
"You're right. However, we still cannot reveal Amatori Biba's true intentions."
"Eh? Wh-why? If we don't stop him, many people will die next."
Mumei looked at Inaba Tsukiyo in confusion. Betrayed by the person she once trusted most, an image in her heart was rapidly crumbling.
But she was more concerned about Amatori Biba's plan.
If he used the same trick again, like at Shitori Station, letting the Kabaneri appear and then having the Kataribe act as heroes, he could gain immense trust.
However, Amatori Biba might use other plans, because with the power the Kataribe wielded, he could achieve his goals even without such petty tactics.
"Don't forget the Kataribe's standing in the eyes of others. If you run off and tell people that Amatori Biba is actually a bad guy, that he wants to use Kabaneri to attack Iwato Station, and wants to conquer Kongokaku, what do you think they'd think?"
"...Crazy."
"You... never mind, that's exactly what they'd say. So, before he reveals his true colors, anything we do might be discovered by Amatori Biba. To ensure his plan succeeds, he might try to control us. Even if we're not his opponents, he'll use the people of the Iron Fortress to force us into submission."
Given Amatori Biba's ruthlessness, he would absolutely do such a thing. So, it's crucial not to expose the fact that they know his plan right now.
"So, before this person officially acts, you still need to improve your strength. To prevent disaster from happening, we must rely on the strength of both of us."
"...Understood, Tsukiyo."
After understanding who Amatori Biba was, Mumei's trust in Inaba Tsukiyo was absolute, or rather, she now saw Inaba Tsukiyo as her reliance, the most important person.
What needed to be done now was to wait for Amatori Biba to reveal his true colors, and then prepare to counterattack.
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