Chase The Truth

Chapter 64: End of the Line

Begin

~Normal POV

12/22 - Thursday

It took a while to get properly prepared. Yu wanted to ensure they had everything they could possibly need for this final trial. And didn't want to leave any business behind. But today was the day. They had what they needed- they were more than ready. Immediately after getting out of school they jumped back into the tv world and went to Adachi's hideout.

The trek through the open path was long and tedious. This place was confusing. It seemed to somewhat resemble Inaba. Yu guessed that it might have been an image of what Inaba would look like once it was swallowed up by the fog. A grim fate to be sure, but they were going to stop that from happening. Or at least, they hoped they could. Would catching Adachi really affect that? There was only one way to find out. The whole time spent traversing the area, they could hear Adachi taunting them, trying to mess with their heads. Clearly, he wanted to make them turn back, but they ignored it. They came this far and weren't about to stop now.

When they reached the end, they found the man for real this time. Adachi was waiting for them in an open area that resembled a cliff overlooking a sea of fog. This time, he reacted to their presence right away. Greeting them with a bored clap and a twisted smile.

"Wow, I'm surprised you made it this far."

"Allow me to confirm the crimes you've committed thus far." Naoto replied, "You had suspicions that this world was dangerous, yet you threw Mayumi Yamano into the tv. Knowing full well that Ms. Yamano died here, you did the same to Saki Konishi."

Adachi sighed boredly, but didn't interrupt her.

"Not only that, but you duped Namatame into taking over your murder attempts, while you watched like a spectator at a game. When the disappeared stopped dying, you sent a warning letter to ensure more victims. Even when a copycat killer arose, you had the gall as a detective to eliminate a suspect under investigation. Two people died in the last six months, and a young girl is now in critical condition... But that's not all. If at any turn something had gone wrong, many more would have succumbed... All for some foolish 'excitement,' like a criminal reveling in the chaos he creates!"

"Yeah?" Adachi said, simply. "So what's your point? All I did was put people in here. It's the world that really kills them, isn't it? This world reflects people's thoughts... Which... Oh dear... Does that mean the real culprits are everyone on the outside? Including... you?"

"To hell with that!" Yosuke screamed, "You did that stuff knowing full well those people were gonna die! If that's not a crime, then what is?!"

Adachi chuckled. "You're so self-righteous."

"How can you say that?!" Chie asked, "Aren't you a police officer?! Out of everything you could have been, didn't you specifically choose to join the police?!"

"Ha! Don't make me laugh. Just because someone joins the police, it doesn't make them some kinda agent of justice. Ya know why I applied? So I could legally carry a gun... That's all. You'd be surprised how many are like that. I thought it would be fun, too, but to tell the truth, that was a wash. Everyone around me was such an idiot... I made one tiny mistake, and they all got on my case and sent me out here to Nowheresville as punishment... I was bored shitless and wondering what to do next... when I discovered this power."

That certainly explained what Adachi was doing in Inaba in the first place, if he disliked it so much. But even that explanation didn't justify anything he's done. It only made it worse.