A locked-down Cochlea wasn't something that a few Aogiri Tree executives could casually breach.
The most ideal course of action now was to lift the external lockdown and lure the ghouls inside.
If the One-Eyed Owl wasn't present, then this wouldn't be a defensive battle for Cochlea, it would become a total annihilation operation against Aogiri Tree's elites instead.
That way, the CCG wouldn't suffer such a humiliating loss; at the very least, it would be a draw.
Aura Kiyoko looked somewhat puzzled upon seeing the development.
She had originally intended to ask Uesugi Ryu for his opinion. After all, the fact that he had successfully predicted the appearance of the One-Eyed Owl proved the sharpness of his judgment.
However, seeing that Uesugi Ryu didn't seem intent on saying more, she didn't press him.
Instead, she quickly began adjusting tactical priorities, preparing to switch to the second battle plan that had been laid out in advance to defend Cochlea.
Mado Kureo's gloved hand clenched slightly. He couldn't help but worry about the safety of Shinohara Yukinori and the others.
But now was not the time to space out. Mado Kureo stood up, his gaze turning to Aura Kiyoko as he waited for her orders.
The original plan was for him to lead Koutarou Amon, Mado Akira, and a number of temporarily transferred Rank 3 Investigators in cooperating with the Ward's Director Misaka to suppress the Aogiri Tree members and executives.
The One-Eyed Owl was to be dealt with by Uesugi Ryu, Hirako Take, Aura Kiyoko, and Hoji Kosuke.
The night descended like a massive, heavy black curtain, swallowing the last light of dusk. In that moment of deathly silence, a blood-red meteor suddenly tore across the night sky, streaking straight toward Cochlea.
With a thunderous crash, the entire Cochlea facility trembled as if struck by a powerful earthquake.
The deafening explosion rang out like a bolt of lightning splitting the heavens, sending a chill through everyone's heart.
At that moment, the investigators monitoring the security feeds widened their eyes in disbelief, faces filled with horror as they stared at the screens.
One of them raised a trembling finger to the display, his voice shrill and cracking with fear.
"Th-The One-Eyed Owl! And there's two of them!!"
His voice had barely faded when the others gasped in unison, looks of shock spreading across their faces.
The defensive layer, meticulously constructed from thick metal, was instantly blasted open by the One-Eyed Owl's violent impact as the massive crater was torn into the structure.
The nauseating grind and screech of metal smashing and compressing echoed through the air.
On the large central screen, a terrifying monster over four meters tall howled as it thrashed.
Its sharp claws gleamed with a cold, deadly light, and the warped metal it struck crumbled like foam beneath its claws.
It looked like it wouldn't be more than a few seconds before Cochlea's first line of defense was breached.
At the same time, Aogiri Tree's ghouls began appearing one after another in the surveillance footage.
Hoji Kosuke narrowed his eyes at the white-haired young man leading the charge, his brows furrowing tightly. The two locked eyes like sworn enemies meeting again.
Though Aura Kiyoko felt a surge of dread in her heart, as a veteran Special Class Investigator, she showed no hesitation. She shouted loudly and firmly:
"Proceed according to the original plan! All combat squads, move out immediately!"
With that resolute and decisive order, the investigators immediately surged into motion, swiftly and orderly heading toward their preassigned combat positions.
Uesugi Ryu, carrying two heavy Quinques, followed close behind Aura Kiyoko, sprinting toward the upper levels. Thick clouds of CRC gas spewed from countless pipes, quickly turning the top floor into a fog-filled zone.
On the way up, Mado Akira, clad in her battle uniform, couldn't help but glance at Uesugi Ryu beside her.
"Will we win?"
Uesugi Ryu looked at her helplessly.
Did she really have to jinx it now of all times? Seeing her slightly uneasy face, he forced a confident smile and replied in a low voice:
"We'll win."
Hearing that, Mado Akira lightly bit her lip. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but ultimately chose to remain silent.
The temporary command post wasn't far from the upper level, and the group quickly arrived.
Crash!
With a sharp metallic screech, the One-Eyed Owl came crashing down from above like a truck, the floor beneath splintering instantly into a web of fractures.
Uesugi Ryu stood in a billowing black trench coat, the gusts of wind making it flap wildly. With the emergence of his identity, he no longer needed to wear standard combat armor.
Across from him, Yoshimura Eto gazed at Uesugi Ryu with a slightly curious look. Her heart held some irritation at this unexpected interloper.
Arima had already told her about this situation, it was all caused by the man in front of her: Uesugi Ryu.
Beneath the hardened outer shell of her kakuja, the kagune eye on Eto's right side flashed with an obvious trace of annoyance and savagery.
In the next moment, clouds of blood-red mist gushed out from her kakuja's armor-like surface.
At the same time, that massive single eye flickered with a mocking glint, like a cat toying with a mouse.
"Heh... heh..."
A hollow, eerie chuckle sounded as the long tongue in Eto's mouth danced and whipped freely.
Uesugi Ryu pressed a button on his Quinque, and two dark purple twin blades appeared in his hands, 'Jason-made.' One was a long blade, the other more like a wakizashi.
The two long, slender blades spread out at his sides like wings.
He said softly:
"I've been waiting."
Tatara's pupils widened slightly upon hearing the voice, his eyes locking tightly onto Uesugi Ryu.
That familiar tone was unmistakable, not the clumsy, heavily Japanese-accented Chinese of someone like Hoji Kosuke, but fluent, standard, and purely native Mandarin.
In some sense, Uesugi Ryu and Tatara were like countrymen meeting again, except..this "half-countryman" was a man-eating ghoul.
Hoji Kosuke was also surprised.
He had worked in that region for a time, and he could clearly tell that Uesugi Ryu's pronunciation was flawless, without the slightest trace of a Japanese accent.
Tatara frowned deeply, a vicious glint flashing through his eyes. Hearing that familiar language again, this could only mean trouble.
Yoshimura Eto couldn't understand what was being said, but from Uesugi Ryu's expression and Tatara's reaction, she could guess it probably wasn't anything good.
Hirako Take gave Uesugi Ryu a quiet glance.
The man exuded an aura of utter calm and confidence. Hirako had felt the same thing only once before, when standing beside Arima.
He could only hope Uesugi Ryu was as reliable as he seemed.
Otherwise, they were all going to die here.
Hirako's eyes turned to Eto's kakuja form.
He gripped his Quinque tightly.
The oppressive force from that massive body was not something any ordinary ghoul could compare to.
Azure-blue flames curled around Tatara as he raised his head and glared at Uesugi Ryu with frustration.
"Ki-sa-ma! You're really full of yourself!"
Hoji Kosuke's expression turned grim while his Quinque extended up his arms, forming two lightweight spears. He turned his head to look at Mado Kureo.
"Mado-san!"
Mado Kureo nodded, his eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at Tatara.
"So this guy's the brother of that other one? What a bizarre kagune, he would make a fine Quinque."
Tatara's face went dark and without hesitation, he activated his kakuja form. The CRC gas affected him too, he had to end this quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the kakuhou on his back suddenly inflated like a balloon. Shining silver kagune, as hard as armor, rapidly spread over his entire body.
Within moments, a terrifying sight unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Now, in addition to the terrifying, beast-like One-Eyed Owl, there stood a second figure, a tall, muscular silver knight over three meters tall.
At the same time, waves of Aogiri Tree foot soldiers had arrived at the scene. Surprisingly, every one of them wore simple gas masks, clearly, they had prepared for this in advance.