Listen, I'm not going to write another extensive explanation for this chapter's long wait, all I'll say right now is that, as always, I have good and unavoidable reasons for taking this long. Now, what does AV have to say?

Yeah, please do [timestamps].

Okay.

Damn, he must have Ben Heck-level skills to make that kind of modifications to an Apple Watch.

It's not that hard. And it's not like he had to do it overnight or something.

Wait, isn't Rugo saying he is too stupid to insult an insult? So he did insult him, so he isn't too stupid to insult, which means that he can be insulted, which means... Okay, I give up.

I actually didn't even notice that.

Yeah, this. THIS is the thing I've been waiting for since a month to address.

First, it's SIEVERT, not sivert, and can be abbreviated to Sv. Also, 1800 mSv is 1.8 Sv, and according to Veritasium, anything over 2 Sv will probably kill you (/watch?vTRL7o2kPqw0) and if 2 Sv can probably kill people, I'm sure 1.8 Sv will do some serious shit to them.

So, I watched the video, and now I can identify two possible explanations to why Veri said that:

A: All 5 of the sources I used in researching the effects of ionizing radiation on the human body, despite all being consistent with one another, are all wrong, and he's right.

B: My sources are right, and he made a typo in the script for the narration or something.

Of course, even though Tom, Lauren and Indy would've all survived, it wouldn't exactly be pleasant for them. I didn't mention it since it all happened "off-camera", but here's a rough overview of what an exposure of a bit under 2Sv would do:

Radiation poisoning

Low blood cell count

Nausea and Vomiting within hours of exposure (within 4 hours in 40-60% of cases)

Hair loss 2 weeks after exposure

Lifetime increase in cancer risk over 1%

Probability of acute death from radiation under 5%

Yeah, it would suck. But it's unlikely any of the three wouldn't make a full recovery eventually.

I also got a question from "epic and evil man", but I'll save it for the Q&A (or FAQ, or whatever we're going to call it).

Lastly, shoutout to The Sage of Whirlpool for favouriting 私は、キラ / I, Kira.

(Chris' POV, 13:21, July 12)

As lunchtime comes to an end, Luci, Connor, Lauren and I take our seats in science class at the back row, and I finish my story.

'…So by this point Mr Iesnes was really pissed at us and he was yelling "DO YOU EVEN KNOW BASIC MATH?! DO YOU EVEN KNOW ADDITION?! WHAT'S TWO PLUS TWO?! CODY, WHAT'S TWO PLUS TWO?!" and poor Cody wasn't paying attention so I leaned over to him and whispered "seven" and he blurted out "SEVEN!" and I have never laughed harder.'

'Hehe, you're actually kinda funny sometimes.'

'Really? Nah, I'm just mean and people think I'm joking.'

My attention suddenly steers away from the second Kira's adorable giggling, as a familiar red-eyed female enters the large room. Lauren notices my gaze on her rival and begins to mimic it.

'Lauren, it's okay, stay in your seat. Show her who's in charge now.'

'…Okay-'

'You're in my spot.'

'I don't see your name on it.'

'Who do you think you are?!'

'Someone who doesn't ask that question.'

'Oh man, this is even more intense than that time I forgot how to sit down!' Connor childishly comments, shortly followed by Dimina's 'Chris says it's okay! That probably means it isn't okay…'

After a few more seconds, Kallet walks off to another seat at the front row, subtly but no doubt intentionally stepping on Lauren's foot on her way.

Well, that was anticlimactic.

Connor is the first to break the silence. 'Did you hear about what happened to the last girl who got in Kallet's way? Or the one before that? Or the one before-'

'Yeah, I get it. You choose your friends, but sometimes your enemies choose you.' Before she can continue, Mr Orok enters the room.

'Allright you sons of bitches, shut up and listen because today we'll be working with some relatively dangerous equipment…'

'Hey Chris, remember that time last year when we had that field trip to the zoo for science class and one of the kids tried to sneak in a baby penguin and nobody even knew he had it until we were halfway back to the school?'

'Yeah, that was hilarious. You should've helped him hide it, Con-'

'Summer, Atarashimono, can you shut up while I'm talking please? Thank you… By the way, I just realized I left the box with the actual samples somewhere, probably in the student council room. It's a blue box about *this* big, could someone go run up and get it for me?'

'Sure.'

'It's pretty heavy, Atarashimono, you might need some help. Is there anyone else here who can access the stude-'

'I volunteer as tribute.'

'Me too.'

Fuck. Of all the people who could've raised their hands, fucking Luci and bitchface. I should get Lauren on the council just to avoid this kind of thing.

After silently walking through the empty hallways for half a minute, Luci is the first to speak up.

'Hey Chris, do you ever wonder how many tourist photos you're in the background of?'

'Probably not many. You know I spent most of my time indoors at home.'

'Yeah, I guess so. It's a shame you're like that, it makes it hard for me to find out more about you.'

'Uh, Lawliet-'

'It doesn't matter that she's listening, besides, she's a suspect too, and she knows that. She also knows I'm L. And now that my fourth main suspect, Alexander Rockley, is confirmed to have been killed, I'm now down to just you two and one other.'

...

…

Okay, let's think about what he just said. I don't think he knows Kallet and I already knew we were both suspects, and that we both already knew "Lawliet" is L. He also doesn't seem to know that we know Connor is the third suspect, and that he knows everything we do. In other words, Luci seems to think Connor, Kallet and I had no idea who the other suspects were, let alone that we already have our own "L-case" meetings in a coordinated group of the three of us.

'Wait, so Chris is a suspect?'

And little miss Vimerica seems to be playing along with that notion. Perfect.

'Indeed. And no, you can't bribe me to change my mind.'

Wrapping her arm around Luci's like how Calvin wrapped around the mouse in Life, she launches a counterargument in that lustful second voice of hers.

'Oh, L… are you suuuuure there's nothing I can do?'

'I'm sure. Don't bother trying your little "tricks" on me.'

'Wow, Lawliet, you really put the "homo" in "homocidal maniac".' And just like that she's back to normal.

'You can call me what you like, but I will be taking Kira's power. And I won't let anything or anyone stop me.'

'Hey Luci, here's a cool life hack I learned the other day. The next time your plugs keep bending, try straightening the outlet with a fork.' I add.

'Well why don't you provide a demonstration, Chris?'

'… I tell myself every day I shouldn't be friends with you.'

Another awkward silence later we enter the student council room, and as the air-conditioned gradiant in temperature slams into us, Kallet darts for the fridge.

'Hey, guys, while we're here, does anyone want an iced coffee? I saw a few in here earlier... yup, there they are.'

'Nah, but thanks for offering.'

'Allright.'

The sound of her swiftly gulping down both bottles is interrupted by a quiet giggle.

'What's so funny, Luci?'

'That crazy girl from the biology club needed something to keep it in, so she used the bottles and put them in the fridge for storage. I saw her do it this morning.'

'What are you talking about?'

'That iced coffee wasn't iced coffee, it was horse sperm.'

With an indecipherable screech, she immediately runs over to the sink and begins regurgitating, leaving me to join in on my enemy's laughter.

'It's probably still better than my cooking. I'm like opposite day's Gordon Ramsey.'

'That reminds me, here's an idea I had a while back, it would be funny if there was a show where Gordon Ramsey had to sing for Simon Cowell, and Cowell had to cook for Ramsey and they just spent the whole time criticizing one another.'

'L, that… would probably still be better than most crap on TV these days. Like, last night I was watching TV and saw someone who claimed to be a Bigfoot expert. I didn't know you could be an expert in things that don't exist, or at the very least, I thought the church had a monopoly on that.'

'BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP! YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANNA KNOW WHEN TRYING TO GROW UP TURNED INTO NOT TRYING TO THROW UP!'

Focusing my attention elsewhere, I locate the box Mr Orok sent us here to retrieve, hidden behind the ice-cream stand thing. As I approach it and begin attempting to pull it out, I start to hear a faint noise from my left.

'Luci, please stop tapping on the glass. It scares the ice cream. Kallet, here's a crowbar.'

'What the fuck do I do with this?'

'The box-'

'You could shove it up your ass.'

'…Wow, Luci, you're sooo mature. Kallet, the box is stuck in here and I need your help getting it out.'

She does as told, and with her help I bring the box out into the room, and from there the three of us carry it back to class, where we return to our seats.

'Okay, now that everyone's here, we can start. As I told the class while you were gone, you first need to get into groups of three and find a table… Oh, come on guys! Remember, the "F" in "Physics" stands for fun!'

'…'

'…'

'…'

'…'

'Exactly. Now get to work.'

Lauren, myself and Connor almost instinctively group up, and the latter restarts the conversation as we drop our books open on the nearest green table.

'Hey, did you hear that 33 Brazilian people died in an explosion a few days ago?'

'33 Brazilian? How many is that?'

'Uhh…'

'So by the way, what did those two bitches and I miss out on while we were gathering supplies and shit?'

'Nothing much, just a lecture on covalent bonds and how to break them.'

'Okay… I wish I knew how to break my covalent bond with Kallet right now.'

'That's the most terrible pun I have ever heard, Chris. Why did you even-'

'You wanna know why I make science puns? Beryllium, Carbon, Gold, Selenium, Fluorine, Uranium, Carbon, Potassium, Yttrium, Oxygen, Uranium, Thorium, Astatine, Iodine, Sulphur, Tungsten, Hydrogen, Yttrium.'

'…What?'

'Oh, I'm sure someone will get it.'

'The Dysfunction is strong with this one.'

Well, I can't exactly tell Dimina to shut up, so I'll have to let it slide for now. In any case, a bigger worry has just shown up at the table.

'Hey Connoooooor, do you have a phone I can borrow? Mine's out of charge and, in preparation for the play that's happening in a few weeks, I want to record my speech later today to see how my voice sounds.'

'Is it bad I still use my IPhone 4?'

'Oh… No, it's not bad, just… stay away from me 'cause I don't wanna catch your poor.' She answers, walking off like the path back to her group's table is some kinda runway.

'What was that about?'

'As president of the student council, Kallet makes the opening speech at each assembly, such as the one we have after this class, after all the bible bullshit. You'll have to get used to it, Lauren…'

'HEY! GUYS! I NEED YOUR HELP WITH SOMETHING! MY GROUP-'

'What is it, Harry?'

'Hypothetically speaking, at what point does fire become too much fire?'

(Tom's POV, 14:07, July 12)

Well, that was a boring art class. Hopefully they won't all be this unexciting. I remember last year when my class was working with clay in art class, and we were told that if there were any hollow parts in our projects, they would explode on the kiln and destroy everyone else's, so naturally it was inevitable that I made a creeper with a hollow head and body. Hopefully I'll get to do something cool like that.

In any case, I flow along with the crowds of teenagers gathering for assembly and eventually take my seat…

'Tom!'

'…Uh, hey Alice.'

'Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. Was I being too creepy or something? I do that a lot. I'm sorry.'

'What? No, no that's not it at all.'

'Oh, okay. So, you don't think I'm annoying?'

'No, you aren't.'

'That's… nice of you to say. So, I hear you're the son of the chief of ANPA?'

'Yes.'

'And you're also a professional illegal hacker?'

'How do you know that?'

'My older brother's best friend is one of your customers. The boy with the green eyes?'

'His name is Chris. He's very… unique. Certainly one of the most interesting customers I've had. No doubt he'll give me another task before Christmas. Come to think of it, that's not very far away.'

'…So, what do you want? For Christmas?'

'A girlfriend.'

'Heh, hahahaha-'

'Stop laughing.'

'Oh, calm down! So, I hear you're into computer games?'

'Yes. Some say video games make you violent, but until recently we burned people alive just because we thought they were witches so I say humans are just shit.'

'That's cool, I have a few games I play on Steam. Oh, by the way, there's one more specimen in my bag I didn't get a chance to show you earlier.'

'What is it?'

Alice reaches into her bag and displays another glass test tube, with a large ant inside.

'The Australian bull ant, one of the most powerful such insects on Earth. Step on it and it'll just brush it off without a scratch and keep attacking. They live in colonies of 200-500 which they protect with their lives, and their excellent vision lets them see you before you see them. And you see this stinger? It does what you think it does, it jabs the fuck into things. And these aren't bees, no, they'll stab as many times as they want. The venom from a single sting is said to feel like if one's hand were dipped in boiling lead, and is potent enough to cause an anaphylactic shock. Oh, and some of them fly.'

'Alice, you're very…'

'…yes?'

'…Ah, never mind.'

'No, tell me.'

Shit, what was I going to say? How do I politely compliment a girl? What do I say? Shit shit shit shit…

'…If you were a tree, you would be a good tree.'

'Thanks, I guess.'

As we uncomfortably take our seats in the crowded assembly, I hear what sounds like an announcer or something.

'Alright, once everyone's in their seats we can begin. Remember, Kids! Brush your drugs! Eat plenty of teeth! And don't do vegetables!'

(Lauren's POV, 14:14, July 12)

Less than a second after locating an empty chair I feel a hand holding mine, and turn to see Chris sitting down next to me. Out of my peripheral vision I sense Kallet passing by as well.

'Ah, being pretty on camera sure is tiring. Now, let's get this shit started!' She says in the rudest tone imaginable, before continuing into the doorway next to platform at the front of the assembly hall.

'…Alright Dimina, here's my plan. Since you're invisible to pretty much the entire school, when that bitch begins her speech at the start of assembly, you can run up behind her and pull down her skirt… actually, also pull down everything under her skirt.'

'Sounds fun!'

And just like that, the aforementioned demon enthusiastically follows Kallet into the doorway, leaving me to sit back and listen to the…

…

'…So what's up with all the religious bullshit?'

'It's a school tradition. You know, now that I think about it, a Christian telling one of us that we're going to hell is about as scary as a small child saying we won't get any presents from Santa this Christmas.'

'When I was a little girl that was a legitimate concern for me.'

'Yeah, same here. But you get what I'm saying, right?'

'Indeed. One could even say that religion is the practice of training your mind to ignore evidence, logic and reason, while being able to believe in fictional stories based on absolutely nothing, and being proud of it.'

'Exactly. And I bet if a scientist threatened a child with an eternal pit of flames, it'd be global news, yet these people do it every day.'

'Oh, here it comes…'

With a confident posture the president of the student council approaches the microphone, and initiates her speech.

'Hello. As you are all aware, today we have a few new arrivals at this school, and… in other news, We still have a few roles open for the end-of-year school performance, so if anyone is still interested in being a part of the play they should let myself or one of the staff involved know by the end of next week-'

At that moment… Dimina does it. She actually did it. And just as I expected, the room is filling with gasps as the girl panics and runs off the platform.

'Chris, can I talk to you for a second?' I notice Luci asking Chris.

'Oh, sure.' And without another word the two of them leave the room unnoticed. I wonder what that's about. Hopefully nothing serious.

'Heh.'

'What?'

'Oh, I just…'

'Dimina, what is it?'

'…'

'…'

'…You've taken to him, haven't you?'

'I trust him, if that's what you mean.'

(2 days later)

As soon as Chris parks the motorcycle, I jump off and observe the abandoned facility.

'So this is the base?'

'Yup. I actually haven't been here in nearly a year, so we'll probably need to do some maintenance on the drones and clear up the runway before we can start launching anything. Personally I'm glad we showed up here in the evening, because in the middle of the day this place is hot as fuck. Luckily, the control tower is air-conditioned, and as I mentioned there are beds with mattresses so we don't have to use shitty sleeping bags.'

'You know, I'm really glad my dad let me have a "two-day sleepover" with "a new friend". He's become so stuck in the Kira case that he doesn't even notice or care what Tom and I are doing any more.'

'But look on the bright side. Since I only have to drop you off at home on Sunday night, that gives us over 48 hours here. In that time we can launch each drone twice, carrying a total of 48 missiles. This'll be a serious step towards getting the world's governments on my side. All in all I've prepared 47 messages to send to various nations. Some are instructions for those that accepted by initial offer, some are renegotiated deals for those who didn't, and some are directed at nations that I haven't tried to contact yet. All in all, the countries we'll be targeting are Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, East Timor, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jamaica, Korea, Libya, Mauritania, Nambia, Nepal, Novorossiya, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Russia, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, The Bahamas, The Dominican Republic, The East African Federation, The Netherlands, Vietnam, Yemen-'

'And while you three are doing that, I'll just sit here quietly and eat my ice-cream.' Dimina smugly replies.

'…Hey, that's my ice-cream!'

'Not anymore.'

'Fine. I have six person-days of food loaded in the back here, so surely there's something… Aha! Chocolate sushi rolls!'

'Chris, you're an idiot for eating that kind of food.'

'What are you talking about? It has seaweed and rice in it!'

'Actually, that's a good point. Not about the sushi, but the food you eat. Chris, how do you stay so fit with your, umm… appetite?' I ask.

'Alright, here's my secret: I burn 1800 calories a month by drinking 1.5 liters of ice water a day. You see, in order to keep my body tem-'

'That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard.' Dimina interrupts.

'Well I'll respect your opinion so long as your opinion doesn't disrespect my existence.'

'Can we just get inside?'

'Oh, sure. Lauren, I disabled the security systems last time Rugo and I were here, so you can just walk right in.'

'Oh, good. It's great to have an ex-mafia member on the team.'

'Yeah, I know I'm a real asset.'

'You're only off by two letters.'

'SHUT UP DIMINA OR I'LL-'

'You'll what, Chris? You try to throw as many punches as you want, I bet you a thousand dollars you won't land one.'

*WHACK*

…

*flop*

…

'AT ME, NOT RUGO, YOU IDIOT!'

'Well you didn't say that.'

'What did you think I meant?!'

While that argument rages on I activate the lights to see the inside of a hangar, covered with large rocket-like objects lined up in neat rows on the right, a few boxes and barrels in the middle, and two large white vehicles on the left.

'Hey, Chris, are these the drones?'

'What? …Yes, yes they are. One of the most feared weapons of the most powerful military force on Earth. And over there we have all the missiles. Last time I checked there are only 50 left, so we'll have to get more soon.'

As he starts inspecting the 52 aforementioned assets, I let my curiosity take the wheel and start investigating the stuff between the aircraft and their payload. Opening up a large crate I see a rack filled with several neatly-lined metallic egg-shaped objects. I hold one up so Chris can see.

'What's this?'

'Oh, that? That's the most extreme weapon you'll ever find in a place like this. The mini-nuke. No-one I've spoken with knows where they came from or who made them – most think it was the Israelis, some assume it was the Americans, and a few even say it was the Pakistanis or Chinese – but, sometime in early 2015, the mafia somehow acquired nearly a hundred of them, and old bases like the ones on this map are sure to have one or two in storage. The device is a small but powerful tactical weapon, the warhead itself weighing only a bit over 4 kilograms but containing the same explosive energy as 750 metric tons of TNT, or 5% of the energy of Little Boy.'

'…5%?'

'Yeah.'

'…What is this?! An A-Bomb for ants?!'

(Rugo's POV, 17:50, July 14)

As I'm plugging a fuel pump into one of the drones, a soft tap on the back alerts me to Dimina's presence.

'Rugo, are you feeling better?'

'Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, do you ever wonder how an author would describe you in a novel or a Fanfiction? Not just your appearance but the way you talk and laugh and all the expressions on your face?'

'Chris' description would probably start with "and then there's this asshole".'

'Dimina…'

'Hey, look what I found earlier!'

Without any more of an explanation she rolls over a large metal gas tank with the letters "He" on it.

'Is that…'

'Yup! How about we trick Chris into inhaling it without him knowing and then piss him off? It'll be hilarious!'

'…Dimina, did it hurt?'

'Did what hurt?'

'When you broke through the Earth's crust ascending from hell?'

'Oh, you!'

She's hugging me again. I think I'm starting to get used to it.

'So Rugo, what do you think of my idea?'

'Sure, let's do it. I'll go find Chris.'

Jumping out of the hangar I enter the control tower (the only other part of the base aside from the airstrip and surrounding forest) and find the two humans having some kind of discussion. I may as well listen in for a bit. And the first Kira does seem rather talkative.

'…That's how the IMF works. It loans billions to countries it knows can't pay back. It's a scam to "foreclose" on a country's assets. You see, the IMF's major shareholder is the US Treasury with sole veto rights. Many current and former heads of the treasury are Goldman Sachs. Now connect the dots. The treasury that runs the IMF is bankrolled at interest by the Federal Reserve, a consortium of banks revolving around the Rothschild faction. The IMF is another so-called "bankster" operation, whose loans are not to boost a country's economy but to pay off creditors it already owes, many of whom are already part of the kleptocracy. Anyway, I'm starting to get a bit off-topic. My main point is, money doesn't grow on trees. Privately owned central banks create money out of thin air and loan it out at interest. All modern money is literally debt owed to them. The economy is a casino, central banks control the games, and the house always wins. Any questions?'

'…'

'…'

'…I wonder who invented the word "spoon".'

'You weren't listening.'

'No, of course I was. It's certainly interesting how you know so much stuff. I'm… rather glad the Death Note fell into the hands of someone like you. And now that you'll be using it for the rest of your life-'

'Lauren… personally I've never wanted to use the Death Note for the entire rest of my life.'

'Huh?'

'One day, I want to create a world free of crime and war… where I don't have to use one of these. This device is too dangerous to be used by humans, and it shouldn't exist in this world if it isn't absolutely necessary. Over time, I want to change things so that the world stays safe and peaceful with or without Kira… and then, I suppose the requiem will have completed. It's strange, less than a year ago I thought it was impossible. Just a student changing the world… it's not realistic. You'll understand that if you think for a bit. But now, I've acquired… this power. Now, let's start the "democratic" process…'