Chapter 11: The God Who Stands on His Own Side (Part 2)

The next day, at dawn.

Liu Mengchao's room was already crowded with reincarnators.

"This is the report L sent us today," Liu Ling said, standing beside Liu Mengchao. "There are six prisoners in the prison, all of whom died of cardiac arrest."

"However, the situation is different from yesterday," Misaki Mei said, taking out a handful of photographs and placing them before Liu Mengchao.

There were three photographs in total.

Two of them were covered in Japanese handwriting. Another showed a hexagram drawn in blood.

"The prisoner who drew the hexagram escaped the prison, ran to the restroom, and suddenly died of cardiac arrest," Komuro Takashi said, pointing his finger at the blood-stained photograph.

"What on earth is Yagami Light trying to do? Making someone perform such actions right before death—is he trying to confuse us?"

Mengchao shook his head and looked at Liu Ling. "You should know what Yagami Light is planning."

Ling nodded and said, "There are a total of six prisoners who died of cardiac arrest. That means six people were killed by the notebook. But only three of them performed actions just before dying. We can infer that he wants us to focus our attention on these prisoners who made unusual movements before their deaths."

"In other words," Liu Mengchao smiled slightly, "his purpose is hidden behind these actions. He wants to use these dying prisoners to measure just how precisely the notebook can control a person's behavior right before death."

"This..."

As soon as Liu Mengchao finished speaking, Xu Longxiang's eyebrows knitted together.

"I seem to remember a plot like this. Yagami Light uses prisoners for testing to obtain more detailed information about the notebook."

"That's right." Liu Mengchao nodded. Yet his entire demeanor suddenly sharpened. "This is indeed the plot, but it also points to another problem."

"Another problem!?"

Xu Longxiang subconsciously glanced at Liu Ling. He had originally thought this woman would be able to keep up with Liu Mengchao's train of thought, but Liu Ling was currently acting just like him—clutching the puppet in her arms and instinctively looking at Liu Mengchao, waiting for his explanation.

"The answer is simple. The reincarnators on the other side haven't found Yagami Light yet."

"Why?"

Before Liu Mengchao could finish, Komuro Takashi asked first.

"I understand." Liu Ling nodded slowly. "I've figured out what Mengchao means. How simple, why didn't I think of it just now?"

"Stop keeping us in suspense." Qi Xiaoxiao glanced at Liu Mengchao and said, "If you know, just spit it out. Daydreaming here isn't going to get us anywhere."

"It's about information—information regarding the notebook," Liu Mengchao raised a finger and slowly said, "Anyone who has watched this anime should have the impression that the notebook can thoroughly control the pre-death behavior of anyone whose name is written in it. But there is one person who doesn't know this..."

"It's Yagami Light!"

"Exactly."

Interlacing his fingers, the smile on Liu Mengchao's face grew richer.

"He doesn't know that he has teammates assisting him. That is why Yagami Light is conducting these tests."

As soon as Liu Mengchao finished speaking, Komuro Takashi's eyes lit up.

"You mean Yagami Light's originally flawless plan has been exposed precisely because he didn't know he had teammates?"

"You could put it that way." Liu Ling nodded. "According to Professor Liu's theory, the two sides haven't made contact yet."

"Therefore, this is our last chance." Liu Mengchao stood up. "In two days at most, the enemy reincarnators will definitely find Yagami Light."

"You mean..." The corners of Liu Ling's mouth twitched upward; she had already grasped Liu Mengchao's intent.

"Can you two stop talking in riddles? When you speak half and hide half like this, I have no idea what you're talking about." Komuro Takashi sighed, sat directly on the bed, and glared with dissatisfaction at Liu Mengchao and Liu Ling, who was smiling just like him.

"Don't you even understand this?" Liu Ling shook her head. "Mengchao means that in two more days, our first-mover advantage will vanish, and we will be forced to face a Yagami Light who is also assisted by reincarnators."

"Then we need to speed up!" Qi Xiaoxiao immediately reacted, looking at Liu Mengchao as she said, "Is everything ready? Although we know from the plot that Yagami Light didn't trade half his lifespan for the Shinigami Eyes... still, it's too risky. Let me do it!"

"Do what on earth?"

Komuro Takashi turned his head to look at Xu Longxiang beside him. This police academy graduate was now nodding approvingly. By this point, he was the only one in the entire room who still had no idea what was going on.

Sighing, Liu Ling looked at Komuro Takashi.

"Create evidence for L—evidence that can directly prove Yagami Light is Kira."

While Liu Mengchao's room was busy discussing how to manufacture evidence against Yagami Light, Yagami Light himself was leaning back in his chair, smiling with smug satisfaction.

"Look, Shinigami. Father's computer has already been updated with the experimental results of those six people from yesterday. Just as I expected, the notebook can be used this way."

"What's going on?"

The Shinigami sat on the bed, its crimson eyes filled with puzzlement as it looked at Yagami Light.

"When a person was about to flee, he went to the restroom just as the notebook specified. Then he died after I drew a hexagram pattern on the notebook. The other two wrote articles exactly as I penned in the notebook."

At this, Yagami Light suddenly sneered.

"In other words, those three did exactly as I anticipated. As for the other three, I tried writing down some deliberate or extremely difficult scenarios."

"Oh?"

The Shinigami furrowed its brow as well; its curiosity regarding Yagami Light's actions deepened.

"First, to die in front of the Eiffel Tower in France an hour later. A prisoner locked up in Japan getting to France in an hour is physically impossible. So that didn't happen, and he simply died of cardiac arrest. Next, although I wrote in the notebook to draw a portrait identical to L on the prison wall, one cannot draw the face of someone they don't know."

"I see." The Shinigami nodded, signaling for Yagami Light to continue.

"Next, I had the last person write, 'I know L is suspecting the Japanese police.' I thought this might be doable, but he didn't do it. That is to say, he won't write information he personally doesn't know or things he hasn't thought about. Therefore, it's best not to write things that seem unnatural to that person. In other words, even the notebook cannot accomplish the impossible."

"However..."

Yagami Light spread open the notebook before him, a ballpoint pen already in his hand.

"If I write down actions that wouldn't seem strange for that person to perform, I can make them complete everything and then kill them."

"Now that you know this, what is your goal, Light?"

"L and the police definitely cannot figure out my true purpose right now. If he's a master detective, he should be focusing his attention on the drawings and essays left behind by the prisoners—those completely meaningless messages of death."

Clap! Clap!

Clapping his hands together, Yagami Light tapped the computer screen before him with his pen.

"The good show is about to begin."

"A good show?" The Shinigami shifted its gaze to the computer screen, which displayed a news report. A rugged-looking wanted criminal was flashing an ugly smile on the screen.

"This was reported in yesterday's news: a repeat drug offender who robbed a bank without getting any money, and then attacked ordinary citizens before fleeing. We'll use him!"

Before his voice faded, Yagami Light had already stopped his ballpoint pen.

"Shinigami, don't you want to guess? Just how many are there?"

"How many?"

"I happen to be very popular with girls, you know."

With that, Yagami Light smilingly turned on his cell phone.

From the other end of the line came a girl's voice.

"Ah..." The girl on the phone clearly had just woken up, her voice still somewhat hazy as she said, "...Light? Morning!"

"Shiori, do you have time today?"

In just an instant, the girl on the other end of the line was fully awake.

"Yes, I do!"

Hearing the girl's reply, a smile burst uncontrollably across the corners of Yagami Light's mouth.

Everything was going so smoothly.

Even the gods were on his side!