"A VICTIM OF A NUCLEAR EXPERIMENT?" "RYUJIN-MARU II DISAPPEARS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC!" "The Beautiful Woman and the Liquid Man (BIJO TO EKITAININGEN)" " Good evening." " Are you waiting for somebody?" "Good luck." "Misaki!" "What are you doing?" "!" "What happened?" "Officer!" "Why did he run away naked?" "Well, the witness didn't say that they saw him running away." "I don't understand it at all." "Are you saying this guy used some Ninjitsu and disappeared?" "That's what I thought too." "I believe in the strength of my own legs." "From the moment I heard the gunshots, I swear no more than a minute had passed!" "But the car was in the vicinity of the scene, right?" "The accident occurred after it had left!" "Well, with the evidence we have on him, we'll catch him soon enough." "Good work." "We recovered a large amount of drugs in the bag." "It's more than we've seen lately." "The street value was estimated at ¥800,000." "A locker in the bank was broken into, but nothing else had been touched." "He must have dropped the bag and escaped." "The driver involved in the crash is clean." "It's a shame..." "We know who rents the bank locker, so I'll assign Taguchi and Ogawa to that." "His name is Kin, a third-world foreigner." "It's probably a pseudonym." "If we prod him a little, he may give us a lead." "Please let me make a phone call!" "I want my lawyer here!" "Tell me why you've brought me in!" "Hello?" "Mr. Kin is in custody." "Right." "Have you seen this morning's paper?" "What do you think, after your men so rudely woke me up?" "A thief broke into a bank locker." "Oh, so you're the guy called Kin?" "Regardless if your name is Kin or Jin, where did you get a hold of those drugs?" "On a platform at Tokyo Station." "From who?" "!" "I don't buy from faces I know." "You're a compassionate man." "There's nothing wrong with protecting your associates." "One of them broke into your locker, and they knew what they would find there." "They were probably going to sell it themselves." "If they were bold enough to have a shoot-out in the city you should feel lucky that they spared your life!" "I hope you can remember the seller's face." "So, it's Misaki?" "We've had concerns that Misaki is well-armed and dangerous." "Who's there?" "What are you men doing here?" "!" "Where's Misaki?" "He hasn't been back for about 4 or 5 days." "You're Arai Chikako, the girl that lives with Misaki, right?" "Unless you're sick, please get out of bed." "I need to change." "Please shut the doors behind you, okay?" "You're not done yet?" "You live with Misaki, and you don't know what he was doing?" "When I asked him, he said that it wasn't a woman's business to know." "A television, a tri-panel mirrored bureau..." "That's quite a collection you have there." "How can Misaki afford such things if he's been fooling around?" "He's been fishing the area, right?" " Fishing?" " Don't play dumb!" "That's a good act." "I bought the television." "You sing at the cabaret, right?" " Yes." " How much do you earn in a month?" "It depends on the month." "I'd say about ¥50-60,000." "That's enough to buy a television." "Misaki... has something happened to him?" "Why?" "That watch..." "is very dear to him." "There's no doubt that these are Misaki's belongings?" "Yes." "Well, please sign for them." "For your own sake, it would be better if Misaki was caught." "If his name shows up in the newspaper, he's as good as dead." "These days, gang members have no sense of duty or compassion to their own kind." "Well, you're free to go home." "Thank you for your trouble." "What do we do now?" "Her face is her trade." "There's no way Misaki would leave her alone." "Welcome!" "I need to talk to you about Misaki." "Oh, you're done already?" "The time sure flies!" "Let's go everyone!" "Come in." "Give at least half of this to Misaki." "Tell him to stop torturing me like this." "And that the police are on the lookout for him, so he should lie low..." "What are you doing?" "!" "We're with the police." "Please come with us." "Well, let's go." "What happened?" "Really?" "All right." "They caught a suspect and they're bringing him in right now." "Hello." "What the hell is this?" "!" "That's what I'd like to know." "He's a friend of mine." "This is Masada." "He's an assistant professor at Jyoto University." "His speciality is biology." "I don't know when he started drinking at cabarets, but he used to be a lab rat." "We caught him having a secret rendez-vous with Arai Chikako." "This is your writing?" "How do you know about Misaki and the woman?" "She was featured in a newspaper column." "Do you meet everyone featured in the paper?" "I try to meet them..." "What happens if I refuse to speak?" "I would have to lock you up." "Then I have no choice..." "The truth is, I'm doing research on the radioactive products of nuclear explosions." "In particular, the effects of the "Ash of Death" on the human body." "You know..." "Strontium 90, Cesium 157, Plutonium..." "What does that have to do with Misaki?" "Did Misaki escape naked, that night?" "It was a cold, rainy night..." "So what?" "How about this for an explanation?" "What if, by some bizarre phenomenon, his physical form just melted away?" "Would that fit your crime scene?" "Melted?" "!" "For example, if there was an excessive amount of radioactive material in the rain that night..." "I see..." "It fits perfectly." "That would solve our case." "You've got to be joking!" "There were several million people that got wet in the rain that night." "In fact, I was one of them, and as you can see, I'm perfectly solid." "But that doesn't mean you won't melt." "Masada, do you have any scientific proof to back up your theory?" "No, nothing that can prove it yet." "What business did you have with the woman tonight?" "I wanted to learn more about Misaki." "I wondered if he had ever been to Bikini or Christmas Island." "And what would that information tell you?" "Well, it's for my research." "Alright, I understand." "Here's some advice, a researcher like you shouldn't stop at seedy joints like that." "Make no mistake about it." "Promise me you won't stick your nose into our investigation again, okay?" "Am I free to go?" "A very powerful gang is involved in this case." "You'll just get in the way." "She has come home." "Don't make a sound!" "There are police all around this building!" "If you make a sound, you know what'll happen!" "Just tell me one or two things and I'll leave..." "Where's Misaki?" "Tell me where he's hiding!" "There's no way you wouldn't know where he is!" "Who are you?" "!" "I'm sure you have a good idea." "I don't want to hurt you." "But I haven't seen him since!" "He's a man that can't stand being apart from you for a single day!" "I'll spare you tonight, but if you turn Misaki over to the police, you're dead!" "And let me tell you, the police aren't the only ones after you!" "Don't move!" "What was that?" "It sounded like a gunshot!" "We're with the police!" "Arai!" "Hang in there!" "Are you alright?" "What happened, Arai?" "Did you think we would accept "I don't know" or "I'm not sure" from you?" "We're to believe that was a stranger in your apartment?" "!" "A single woman doesn't do things like that after midnight!" "He was inside my apartment when I got home!" "Is that why you didn't yell for help?" " It had to be Misaki!" " No!" "There were police all over the area." "How could he have pulled off a stunt like that?" "Listen, you heard what the chief said." "Misaki is being targeted by his fellow gang members." "It's no use talking to her!" "She burst into the hall and fainted to provide a distraction for Misaki!" " You're quite a convincing actress!" " No!" "That's not what happened!" "I saw a black shadow in the window!" "Black shadow?" "!" "What the hell is that?" "!" "There was only one set of footprints on the tatami!" "Until you can tell us the truth, we'll let you rest and think somewhere quiet." "Hey!" "It seems that it wasn't Misaki." "Really?" "Then it was one of his gang members?" "Yes." "Arai Chikako's more honest than we thought." "I don't think she lied about her confession." "You've locked her up for now." "Why did she burst into the hallway?" "It had nothing to do with the gang member." "She was scared by a black shadow entering her window." "It was dark, so perhaps the curtains moved." "After all, the window was open." "What is it, Masada?" "Hello." "Do you think you'll catch Misaki?" "You promised to stay out of the investigation." "Can I at least get an update?" "It seems you tried to visit Arai Chikako's apartment." "You even get reports about that?" "I wish I had your sources!" "It's not a laughing matter." "Bring Arai Chikako to me." "I'll let you see her now." "Ask her all you want and don't come back again, all right?" "Thank you." "The truth is at heaven's door, huh?" "You know each other's faces, right?" "This is Assistant Professor Masada from Jyoto University." "He has some questions to ask you." "Please have a seat." "It's regarding some research I'm doing." "If there's anything you'd rather not say, you don't have to tell me." "Has Misaki ever been on a tuna boat?" "No, not that I know of." "Has he ever left you for a long time?" "No, he hasn't." "You still believe he melted in the Tokyo rainfall?" "It's not a joke!" "I see that." "Another person has vanished and we're at our wits' end." "Another?" "!" "He left his clothes." "It's the exact same circumstances as Misaki." "Hey, come with me." "What are you proposing?" "There are people who have seen a human melt." "How are you feeling?" "I'm feeling a little better today." "Really?" "These are friends of mine, Tominaga and Sakata." "They came to ask about the drifting ship you found." "Okay." " Don't get up." " But I..." "It's alright." "When I think about it even now, I get chills." "We had left port the day before from Shimoda off to Izu." "Hey!" "Is anyone there?" "There's no one here." "Hey!" "Isn't there anyone on board this ship?" "Maybe, they're all just hiding from us." "This place is untouched." "Everything is still where it ought to be." "The only thing that's missing is the people, huh?" "Stupid idiot!" "Don't say such things!" "I think he's dead!" "Dai... you go first!" "Hey!" "What is this?" "They left their clothes all over!" "Hey, this is a little too weird." "Let's look elsewhere." "Navigation journal..." "He must have been killed while writing this!" "By who?" "What the hell could have done this to the whole crew?" "And why isn't there even one corpse?" "Let's go back!" "Dai!" "What do you think?" "Looks good, huh?" "Stop that!" "There's no one here watching us!" "We're heading back." "Hey, wait up!" "Let me pull up my pants!" "Hey, Dai!" "What happened?" " It's Dai!" " He's dead!" "What could have done it?" "Wait!" "I can't leave my brother behind!" "Let go!" "A ghost!" "There's another one!" "Not again!" "Damn it!" "Hurry!" "Run!" "Wait!" "Daisuke!" "Sou!" " Hey, hang in there!" " Hang in there!" "Hey, what made you come running back like that?" "A... a ghost ship!" "What?" "!" "A ghost ship?" "!" "That's insane!" "Hey, all of you go over and check it out again!" "Don't!" "Don't!" "What's that?" "!" "We lost four crewmen that day." "We were interrogated thoroughly by the Shimada Police... but we didn't have any answers to give them." "I still can't believe a scientist like you would seriously believe a story like that." "If you think they would make something up, they would tell a more convincing lie, huh?" "They say a lie that is the truth, hurts more than a truth which is a lie." "Those men didn't have any experience on the tuna boat." "They don't recall exposure to the "Ash of Death."" "All they did was board a drifting boat." "Now they've symptoms of post-atomic exposure." "I can't overlook the facts." "MAKI BIOCHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT" "The professor?" "He left to give a lecture at the university." "Really?" "Can you get me the travel log of the Ryujin-Maru II?" "Yes." "Please." "Those two brought it back with them." "The last date recorded was July 25th." "When I looked into it, it was the same day that a hydrogen bomb was detonated in the South Pacific." "That day, the six crewmen working on the deck disappeared." "With the remaning 23 crewmen, can you imagine that they met a fate similar to that witnessed by those two?" "I'll explain it in reverse." "Inside this chamber, we can produce a radiation blast and funnel out the heat here." "We can observe the effects of the radiation on a single organism in here." "Do you understand?" "It sounds difficult." "Why don't we put a bullfrog inside the radiation blast and you can watch what happens." "Here are our test frogs." "Ready?" "Yes." "Good." "All of its cells are being transformed." "It can no longer be considered a bullfrog." "Look at this." "This fluid is actually alive." "You're saying that Misaki was devoured by this type of organism?" "If we think in those terms, that would explain why the others didn't melt." "I see." "You mean that the monster on the Ryujin-Maru II came ashore to Tokyo?" "Impossible!" "Think about it." "You're saying that a tiny tuna boat got lost in the South Pacific." "It evaded the successive sweeps of the Maritime Safety Bureau... and drifted into Tokyo Bay?" "Do you doubt the men who saw it north of the Izu Peninsula?" "Well, your research is your research." "I'm sure it's good enough for your fellow scientists." "But unless we get our hands on more physical evidence we can't tie this to Misaki's case." "That's the difference between a scientist and the police, huh?" "FORENSICS DIVISION" "Looking back on it now isn't this identical to the case involving Misaki?" "Yes." "Even if their bodies had decomposed, the bones would still remain intact." "It seems we were too naive in our own assumptions." "You called for me?" "Yes..." "What about this?" "If you haven't found any trace of him, perhaps Misaki has been taken out by his gang... or he may not be in Japan anymore." "Yes." "Perhaps we need to rethink our investigation from the very beginning." "Misaki aside, there are no footprints indicating that a second man had escaped." "The footprints disappear at the windowsill." "Disappeared, melted..." "Leave that talk to the scientists!" "No one mentioned anything about melting." "Where do you get these crazy ideas?" "Miyashita, there is someone who may have sold the gun in Yotsuyasho." " I'll look into it." " Good work." "We've all lost our determination." "We're just fooling around." " Why are you still harping on this?" " Don't you think so?" "What was it about?" "Did they think you were neglecting your work?" "That's not your concern." "Are you sure the second man wasn't Misaki?" "Could the woman have given him some clothes and money?" "Sawada, what do you think?" "Should we call Arai Chikako one more time?" "Yes?" "Right, I'll take care of it." "A gun-smuggling case has just popped up in Yotsuyasho." "Yes, sir." "Ogawa just left to check it out." "It seems he recalls the gun used by the second man." "It's a .45 caliber Colt." "He said he sold five of that model to the Hanada gang before they broke up." "Don't tell me that the Hanada gang is involved." "You don't know what they're liable to do these days, if they're pressed hard enough." "Should we check out the likely suspects?" "Do you have the photos?" "Yes." "There isn't a Hanada gang's face I don't know." "Show these to Arai Chikako." "This is the one." "It's Nishiyama." "Good, thank you." " How many times must I warn you?" "!" " I have some very important business!" "Scientists should stay in their labs and experiment!" "You'll only wind up hurt." "I need to talk to you!" "Hey!" "A life preserver was found from the Ryujin-maru II!" "So what?" "Try to act more excited!" "It might be loaded with the "Ash of Death!"" "So what do you want me to do?" "Some kids aboard a barge are using it as a plaything." "I want you to come with me to confiscate it." "Ryujin-Maru II is a pretty common name, you know." "I want you to look that up too." "That's the least of my concerns!" " Please go to Ryutaimachi." " Head for the police headquarters." "Tominaga!" "We're conducting an investigation." "No visitors allowed!" "Are you looking for Nishiyama?" "Yes." "Is he out?" "Yes, for several days now." "Oh, thank you." "Right." "I'll be right there." "I believe this murder is connected to our case!" "It seems he's finally shown his tail." "We won't let him get away with it anymore!" " What is this?" "!" " Ah, just a moment, please." "This definitely belongs to the drifter ship." "I've checked it with both the Coast Guard and the Seaman's Maritime Safety Bureau." "There isn't another Ryujin-Maru II registered with either one of them!" "Will you give it up already?" "!" "Hey, Tominaga!" "Please remove this." "Where was this first discovered?" "At the tip of Godaibou." "Some children found it." "Professor Masada, you have a visitor." "Please show him in." "She insists on waiting outside." "It's a woman..." "Her name?" "I asked, but she wouldn't tell me." "Is something wrong?" "Please come in." "No, this is fine." "I'm sorry for calling you out like this." "Is there a problem?" "I came here to ask you one thing." "Has Misaki died?" "Please tell me the truth." "Well, I'm not sure I can say." "No, I'm sure that you know, Professor." "I've seen a person melt too." "Chikako!" " Record the data immediately." " Yes, sir." "What has happened to her?" "It seems to be a dizzy spell." "Is she alright?" " Give her some tonic." " Yes, sir." "You're welcome to rest here." "There's no one here to be worried about." "Professor, this is the Arai Chikako I told you about." "Is that so?" "Masada told me your story and I offer my sympathies." "Everyone here knows about you." "The police and the gangs have their sights set on you." "It's terrible..." "Here." "I've given up on Misaki." "But I don't understand why you aren't publishing your data on people melting?" "We must consider our reputation." "We're not at the stage where we can publish yet." "Why not?" "!" "People have already melted away and died!" "Whatever I say, no one understands me." "The police assume I was lying from the start and they're investigating the other leads instead." "Nishiyama and Sayuki?" "I've been making it a point not to speak to either of them lately." "Former Hanada members..." "Brothers in arms, ha!" "They go off secretly to wherever, doing whatever they want." "Nobody hears from them anymore!" "If we examine the tactics, we find that it doesn't fit the old established style of the Hanada Gang." "It appears that Nishiyama and Sayuki were used by a third party." "We should clean the slate and go over the whole thing once more." "Yes." " The university professor is here." " Tell him I'm not in!" "Arai Chikako is with him." " Arai?" " Yes." "Sir, excuse me." "As of today, I am Professor Maki's proxy, so I hope that you'll listen to me." "Well, I'll listen to you." "Please have a seat." "Regarding your current case, we'd like to give you our opinion." "Misaki and the man that vanished in Chikako's apartment..." "We have established a close connection between them... and the Ryujin-Maru II incident." "What do you want me to do about it?" "We'd like you to incorporate a little of our opinion into your investigation." "This is a more serious problem than we thought." "Luckily there have only been a few casualties, but what if the incident spreads even further?" "What a crisis..." "Stop your attitude!" "Today, I represent Professor Maki!" "That's why I'm listening to you so patiently!" "Is that all you came to say?" "It seems a strange crowd has been frequenting Chikako's cabaret recently." "They don't know each other directly... but a waiter named Shimazaki is a middleman for some kind of negotiations." "Shimazaki was apparently close to Misaki... so I'm hoping this information could be useful." "Let's go." "We're leaving already?" "What are you doing?" "What is it?" "I'm toasting friends." "This won't work." "What's the matter?" "You look scared." "Out of the way!" "You idiot!" "It's okay." "Hello?" "Chikako!" "What?" "Are you sure?" "!" "I just saw it with my own eyes." "Right, I understand." "I'll be right over!" "The liquid has appeared!" "It's at a cabaret in Tsukiji!" "Notify the professor immediately!" "Yes." "What the?" "Everyone, we sincerely regret to inform you that we are closing for the night." "Please begin to exit the building quietly." "Thank you." "Exit quietly!" " Quickly, please." " Exit quietly!" " Chikako!" " Professor!" "Arai, are you alright?" "Don't touch it!" "Chief!" "The man with Shimazaki has not been found yet." "Right." "It's Uchida." "MYSTERY MONSTER INCIDENT OCCURS IN TSUKIJI" "Just a moment!" "Can't you read?" "!" "The police chief is here, right?" " I don't know." " We just saw him." "Let us in." "Please observe this." "What happens from this point on, is what is most relevant to your case." "It seems almost alive." "It is alive." "But, that strong burst of radiation..." "Yes, you're correct." "The frog was transformed into... a whole new liquid-state organism by the radiation." "Observe." "It looks like the second frog is melting, but it's actually being liquified." "Please, look at this specimen." "At first, we did not realize that the liquid had such capabilities either." "But we've learned from our most recent experiments... the dangers involved with such nuclear reaction tests." "We've found that there's a distinct possibility of such a creature evolving." "Further evidence was established in the ship's log of the Ryujin-Maru II." "It states that the six men on deck were first victims." "We can theorize that the others became the organism's prey." "But Professor, why did the creature come to Japan... and specifically to Tokyo?" "I don't understand that." "It's just as you say." "That is our next research topic." "As horrible as it sounds... what if every iota of a person's psyche remains intact in the liquid form?" "It would not be surprising that this creature would want to return home." "So, it's a living liquid with human mental activity." "In short, a liquid human." "Correct?" "LIQUID HUMAN APPEARS!" "EMERGENCY COUNTERMEASURE HQ ESTABLISHED" "In this way, the radiation that was created by humanity has brought all of humanity, to the brink of extinction." "Ironically, this radiation has also brought forth a new life form." "So, we must be careful in all our future ventures." "Is there any way we can combat it?" "It's counter-intuitive, according to our research." "A high voltage electrical disharge or incineration by a high intensity flame are our only two options." "Fortunately, the casualties sustained have been restricted to this one general area." "We should concentrate on the passages by the river and sewers, of course." "Investigate all the suspicious places in that area and incinerate potential threats." "We will now recess." "The next conference will resume at 13:00 hours." "The last one to disappear at Homura was Uchida." "He escaped." "He's alive." "He's your main perpetrator." "He's also very bright." "The clothes that were there didn't emit any radiation." "Damn..." "We'll have to let it pass." "Stopping the liquid humans is a much higher priority than the drug gangs." "You finally have the right attitude." "Thanks." "I'll give you credit for that." "You bum!" "Well, this time my hat's off to you." "Arai Chikako is a good woman." "Take good care of her." "Aria, the escort car sent by Masada has arrived." "Thank you." "Thank you for waiting." " Thank you." " Have a good time." "No!" "She just left in that car that came to pick her up!" "Huh?" "!" "Follow that car!" "The high voltage discharge unit, once deployed... will stop liquid human infiltration upstream at these checkpoints." "The inferno units will target these waterways for their attack." "The gasoline attack will begin at 20:00 hours when the town is evacuated... and attack it from all sides at once." "No one will ever imagine that I did it, if your corpse is found floating down here." "I'm a dead man." "It all depends on your answer." "Honestly, you're too good for Misaki." "If you're willing, you can have anything you want." "I'm different from Misaki." "Here it is." "How much do you think it weighs?" "If you help sell it, we'll all have a trunk full of ¥50,000!" "Let's go!" "Where are you going?" "!" "Aren't we going back?" "The exit is this way." "How about it?" "Will you run away with me?" "Or would you rather be eaten by the liquid human?" "Strip!" "Do it!" "If it looks like the liquid human got you, no one will think twice!" "That means I can't leave your corpse behind." "Walk more quickly!" "If you don't, I'll drag you!" "I chased them this far, but then I lost sight of them." "We've searched this area thoroughly." "Hurry up!" "Hey, what's that white thing?" ""C. A."" "Arai Chikako?" "Incredible!" "Chief!" "A message for you!" "They've sighted the liquid human in the sewers!" "Right!" "Hey, let's go to the action." "Yeah..." "Hey!" "Masada!" "Masada!" "Preparations complete!" " They're ready!" " Right!" "Retreat!" "Right..." "The fire-fighting units are in place." " Preparations are complete." " Good." "Chikako!" "Commence operations!" "Have you given the order?" "Yes." "Masada is in the sewers!" "Huh?" "Where?" "Around this area." "How much time before the gasoline reaches there?" "Fifteen minutes." " Under here?" " Yes." "I'm Police Chief Tominaga." "Thanks for your help." "Yes, sir." "Rescue team, depart!" "Chikako!" "Hurry up!" " Masada!" " Have you seen Chikako?" "There's no time to search!" "The flaming gasoline will be here any moment!" "But I know I heard her voice!" "Stop it!" "Masada!" "Professor!" "Chikako!" "Hang in there!" "Hang in there!" "Masada!" "Hurry!" "Fire!" "Retreat!" "Professor!" "Hang in there." "The gasoline wave will hit at any moment." "Retreat!" " Head for the ambulance." " Right." " What happened to Uchida?" " What happened to Uchida?" "Do you know what happened to him?" "The liquid human got him." "Please hold your questions." "You go take care of her." "Right." " What happened?" " What happened?" " What happened to the liquid human?" " Do you know anything about it?" "It is safe to believe that Tokyo is finally rid of the threat by the liquid human." "However, there is no guarantee that such a creature will never generate again." "If the earth ever becomes enveloped in the "Ash of Death", all of mankind could become extinct." "Perhaps the next species to rule will be the liquid human." "THE END"