The roar of the helicopter was clearly audible, even through the screen.
Bold, crimson text scrolled across the bottom of the screen: [ tropolitan Police Departnt Launches Largest-Ever Search Operation! Aum Shinrikyo Headquarters Raided! Leader Shoko Asahara Arrested! ]
"This—" Takuya Nakayama shot upright in his seat.
The TV screen cut back to the studio, the anchorwoman's voice trembling: "According to a press conference just held by the tropolitan Police Departnt, authorities discovered a large quantity of chemicals and equipnt used to manufacture Sarin nerve gas at Aum Shinrikyo's facility at the foot of Mount Fuji. It is believed the organization was planning to carry out a large-scale terrorist attack in Tokyo in the near future—"
The scene then shifted to the press conference at the tropolitan Police Departnt.
Standing at the microphone was Chief Inspector Iwata.
In the month since he'd last been seen, his usually stern face had grown gaunt, his eyes bloodshot. Yet his spirit seed more vibrant than ever.
Facing the barrage of questions from the press below, Iwata Kiyoshi cleared his throat, his voice steady. "This operation's success is due to the efforts of the tropolitan Police Departnt, but we must also express our sincere gratitude to so concerned citizens. Special thanks go to the Ace Attorney series developnt team at Sega Corporation and the clue-gathering channels they established. It was a critical environntal sample provided by a player that allowed us to pinpoint the organization's secret testing facility in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. This led us to uncover this massive conspiracy ahead of ti."
Although Iwata didn't na the high school student, the words "Sega" and "Ace Attorney" instantly spread across the Japanese archipelago via NHK's broadcast.
Takuya Nakayama watched the television, his teacup growing cold in his hand.
Matsumoto City, white smoke, chemical residue, and the "Sarin" ntioned in the news.
These fragnts coalesced in Takuya's mind, exploding like a thunderclap.
mories from his past life surged like a tide—he had no recollection of the 1994 Matsumoto Sarin Incident, but the world-shaking 1995 Tokyo subway Sarin Incident still lingered in his mory.
That tragedy, which was supposed to happen next year—that nightmare that would have plunged all of Tokyo into panic and caused thousands of casualties—was averted... just like that? Because of a chuunibyou teenager's curiosity, because of a side quest in a ga?
The butterfly effect here had turned out to be... surprisingly hardcore.
Cheers erupted from the employees outside the office; they had clearly all seen the news.
For the average employee, this was Sega's glory, undeniable proof that gas could change reality.
But Takuya Nakayama felt a chill run down his spine, followed by an indescribable sense of relief.
"Yoshikawa-san," he said, turning around, his voice low.
"Yes, Managing Director! We're going to hit the jackpot this ti! This is national-level recognition!" Director Yoshikawa's face flushed crimson with excitent.
"Issue a directive: the PR departnt must not take credit. All interviews are to be turned down." Nakayama's command fell like a bucket of cold water.
Yoshikawa froze. "Huh? Why? This is a once-in-a-lifeti promotional opportunity—"
"Think, Director." Takuya Nakayama pointed to the TV screen, where the fanatical cult mbers were being led away in handcuffs. "These are fanatics. The leader has been arrested, but how many remnants are still out there? Do you want the Sega Building to beco the next target?"
The color drained from Director Yoshikawa's face, and cold sweat drenched his forehead.
He had been so caught up in the excitent that he'd completely forgotten these people were the terrorists who had dared to release sarin gas in Tokyo.
"Also, give the Ace Attorney developnt team, especially those responsible for screening letters, paid leave and cover their international travel expenses. The student nad Sakurai—" Takuya paused. "—contact Chief Inspector Iwata and ensure his identity remains absolutely confidential. From the news reports, Aum Shinrikyo's followers are fanatical. They might take extre asures."
"Understood! I'll arrange it imdiately!" Director Yoshikawa scrambled out of the office in a panic.
The office fell silent again.
Takuya Nakayama stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the bustling Tokyo streets below.
In the distance, Shinjuku Station teed with life, its commuters rushing past. None of them knew they had just brushed shoulders with death.
He had only wanted to make a ga to earn money, maybe even beco the founder of a popular mystery ga series.
But through a series of unexpected twists and turns, he had beco a savior.
"This good deed will probably offset a lot of the sins I'll commit later by making those pay-to-win gacha gas," Takuya Nakayama chuckled wryly, downing his now-cold tea in one gulp.
Still, now that Sega had beco the "tropolitan Police Departnt's Extradepartntal Investigation Unit," shouldn't the script for Ace Attorney 5 be spiced up a bit?
After all, this was now a real-world counter-terrorism textbook.
Though he didn't want to actively capitalize on the terrorists' notoriety, with the entire nation's eyes on Sega, it would be a disservice not to serve up so hard-hitting content.
Fortunately, Virtua Fighter 2 had just completed its final bug fixes.
In Yu Suzuki's developnt lab, a brand-new arcade cabinet stood silently in the center, its screen displaying a sharp, bold title: Virtua Fighter 2.
Takuya Nakayama removed his suit jacket, casually draped it over the back of the chair, and sat down. He grabbed the joystick, expertly selected Akira Yuki, and began to play.
As the man in the white do-gi executed a fluid sequence of the "Crushing Cloud Body Double Tiger Palm" on the screen, Takuya Nakayama couldn't help but smirk.
No longer the blocky, origami-like "block man" of the first generation.
The processing power of the Model 2 board had been fully unleashed.
The introduction of Texture Mapping technology gave the characters' skin a realistic texture, while the folds of their robes now moved with basic undulations. Even their facial expressions were no longer blurred color blocks; their eyes and brows exuded a striking heroic aura.
The quality of the 3D characters approached the level of Tekken 3 on the PlayStation of his previous life.
"This is true 3D fighting," Takuya Nakayama thought silently, releasing the joystick and gazing at the victory close-up on the screen.
This almost era-defying visual performance was achieved not only through hardware upgrades but also through clever "workarounds."
Takuya Nakayama had long set the tone for Yu Suzuki and the other tech enthusiasts: don't get bogged down trying to make everything fully 3D.
Sega's Sprite Technology, honed over a decade in the 2D realm, was perfectly adapted to the 3D ga.
The distant mountains and rivers, along with the intricate environntal effects, still employed Sega's signature 2D high-precision texture mapping. This approach not only resulted in detailed visuals but, more importantly, conserved resources.
The precious polygon processing power saved was entirely concentrated on the characters.
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