Chapter 662: Finally Arrived at Tokyo Bay (3k)
The vast azure ocean, its surface rippling with sunlight and a light rain, sent gentle waves. Occasional seabirds soared overhead, their shadows falling on the sea like real entities, causing many dolphin-like monsters to leap in surprise and bite, appearing exceptionally lazy.
From the shipping lane not far from Tokyo Bay, a large ship suddenly appeared, cleaving directly through the seawater. A sharp, chilling aura emanated from the ship, blowing outwards. At the very front of the hull, the figure of a Red Warrior stood motionless, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.
Looking at the harbor’s outline, which was becoming faintly visible ahead, Lin Chujiu turned to Shadow One, who was reclining on a lounge chair not far away. Her curiosity welled up again, and she asked in Japanese:
“Aren’t you humans?”
“No,” Shadow One replied, pulling down his sunglasses slightly and glancing at her, saying indifferently, “We are merely the boss’s shadows, serving the boss.”
“I didn’t expect classmate Su Jiu to have grown to this extent.”
Lin Chujiu smiled at Shadow One’s answer, not finding it strange. In this world, monsters and humans were not entirely opposed; many monster races served human powerhouses in exchange for resources for advancement.
“Captain, it’s time for us to wrap up,” Shadow One said, stretching his waist and standing up. His gaze swept towards the distant port, and he whispered to the stern-looking General Feng.
The latter nodded and then dissipated into a wisp of red mist, vanishing from sight.
After General Feng departed, Shadow One floated in mid-air and softly instructed, “I hope you will all refrain from casually publicizing our existence. The boss does not wish for our existence to be exposed too early.”
“With your strength, you shouldn’t be afraid of exposure, right?” Lin Chujiu mentioned with some surprise, looking at Shadow One’s receding figure. These powerhouses gathered together were strong enough to be considered formidable in top-tier cities in Dragon Country. Why would they be worried about exposure?
“We face very powerful enemies. They might even investigate the boss’s information from time to time…” Shadow One paused, still remembering Su Jiu’s admonishment: to remain vigilant as long as they were not capable of facing War God Level opponents alone, knowing that they would have to face the elder councils of top monster races in the future.
The current need was to lie low and develop!
If they couldn’t crush their opponents, there was a risk. They could be resurrected, and those High-Class Blood Clans also had the possibility of regenerating from a drop of blood. In the boss’s words, if it wasn’t an overwhelming victory, there was a risk of being overturned.
Watching Shadow One’s figure completely disappear, Lin Chujiu fell into thought. She wondered how strong the opponents must be if even Su Jiu’s forces considered them powerful. Perhaps only the first-tier or even top-tier international forces would reach that level?
“Teacher Lin, what Chairman Chen said earlier was just his side of the story. We definitely won’t abandon our classmates, so please don’t send us back.”
Several students who had planned to flee with Chen Qianyun looked nervously at Lin Chujiu. They couldn’t compare to Chen Qianyun, who had the backing of the Chen Family. If they were sent back, this research project would result in them failing, directly affecting their graduation.
With her arms crossed, Chen Qianyun sneered, ignoring these turncoats. She understood that Lin Chujiu wouldn’t send her back. She wanted to see what level her former opponent had reached now. The Chen Family also had many guest scholars at the Demigod Level, so she didn’t think much of it.
Lin Chujiu looked at the pleading students and simply shook her head. She turned around and replied with a calm tone, “I said I wouldn’t do anything to you, but your refusal to help classmates leave is enough to fail this course and require a retake. Cultivation: cultivate virtue before physical training. With inferior character, how can you claim to be a student of our Imperial Capital University?”
“Teacher Lin, we…”
Hearing Lin Chujiu’s words, the students who wanted to run had regrets filling their guts. Such opportunities for external exchange were not available to ordinary students. With senior graduate students not competing, only those in the top dozens of their grade had a chance to come.
“Teacher Lin, I was just joking earlier. I definitely won’t easily abandon my classmates.”
The Young Man with Yellow Hair, in particular looked more flustered than ever. If he failed, he would likely lose his chance to become the student union president, his proud resume completely ruined.
Glancing at them, Lin Chujiu stopped speaking and continued to take slow drags from her metal pipe. Rounds of blue smoke rose with the wind. Facing these students, she felt a bit of anger, but more so disappointment for failing to live up to their potential.
Behind her, Su Ze began to play the peacemaker, waving to the students who were being sent back and offering words of comfort:
“The punishment is only to remain in the first year. But have you ever thought that if you were soldiers on the battlefield, your current actions would be those of deserters abandoning their teammates? Facing a military court would be the least of it. If you were unlucky, you might even be beheaded by your supervising officer with a single sword.”
He paused, his expression suddenly becoming serious. His resolute face conveyed a sense of earnestness:
“You are entering Dragon Country’s top institution. Even the teaching staff of the other five major universities are far inferior. You have enjoyed top resources. On the demon battlefield, if you retreat, what will those weaker than you do?”
“And what about the cities behind you?”
Su Ze’s words clearly had some effect on the students. They all showed varying degrees of embarrassment, but they still didn’t dare to converse with the other students willing to contribute.
The Young Man with Yellow Hair tried to talk to Chen Qianyun, but was ruthlessly rejected when he asked for her family’s influence to help him. He then slumped onto the deck, head bowed, his face occasionally contorting in a ferocious expression. He looked behind him at Lin Chujiu, thinking that this woman deserved to die…
Seeing the looks on the faces of the students who chose to flee, Su Ze shook his head. Ultimately, there was no right or wrong in this matter.
Fear of death… everyone experiences it.
Time slowly passed, and the ship passed through the customs checkpoint. Standing at the bow, Lin Chujiu saw a figure not very tall, illuminated by the fading rays of the setting sun. In the sea breeze, the figure’s white dress fluttered, and her twin-tail braided hair gently swayed.
She had a feeling that this person was the one behind the mysterious rescue—Su Jiu.
After a delay of nearly ten minutes, the large ship finally docked. Lin Chujiu saw Su Jiu’s true appearance for the first time. She was holding a paper oil-based umbrella, resembling the “Lilac Maiden” from ancient poems.
“Teacher Lin, I am Su Jiu. Entrusted by your grandfather, I will be joining you all as a fellow student to explore the ruins this time.”
Seeing the large ship finally land, Su Jiu surveyed the girl in front, smiling. She had a hunch that the person before her was likely the leader for this expedition—Lin Chujiu.
“Thank you, classmate Su, for your help. Without you, we would have surely perished in the ocean.”
Lin Chujiu somersaulted and stepped into the air, landing steadily in front of Su Jiu. Upon seeing her young face, she exclaimed in admiration and performed a respectful bow.
“No need for that… I’ve already called over a dozen cars. We’ll head to the pre-booked inn to rest and drop off our belongings. As for the matters of this trip, we can discuss them on the car.”
Waving her hand, Su Jiu pointed to the dozen or so taxis nearby and waved to the students with a smile. The students were all taken aback by Su Jiu’s youthful appearance.
They didn’t know who Teacher Su Ze’s cousin was, but her youthful appearance caused everyone’s faces to show a hint of astonishment. They had expected the mastermind boss to be an imposing figure, but they hadn’t anticipated it would be a student not much older than themselves.
Soon, all the students got into the taxis. Su Jiu, along with the two supervising teachers, Lin Chujiu and Su Ze, rode in the same car. To be precise, this black Chevrolet was one she had just bought.
Leaning against the window, Su Jiu held the steering wheel with one hand and pulled out a piece of chewing gum with the other, popping it into her mouth. She asked softly, “Shadow One mentioned that this pirate incident is related to the eight major families of Sakura Country. Is that true?”
“The pirate leader told me himself, believing we were certain to die. As for other useful information, they didn’t carry any identification.”
Sitting in the back row, Lin Chujiu replied. As if remembering something, she continued, “They wanted to use Dragon Country’s official forces to eliminate Redbeard, perhaps because they had a grudge against Redbeard. Of course, it’s not impossible they had other motives.”
“There’s a grudge against Redbeard…”
Su Jiu blew a small bubble and chewed it again. She placed both hands back on the steering wheel, having a general idea of who was behind this. As for why Dragon Country’s official forces were involved, perhaps it was because most of the people on Shendai Yamaha’s ship last time were from Dragon Country, and they survived, thus incurring their wrath.
“Does classmate Su know who it is?”
Hearing Su Jiu’s tone, Lin Chujiu knew she likely had some speculation and asked.
Su Jiu said softly, “I know, but it’s useless. They hardly left any evidence. We suffered almost no losses in this matter; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs might at most issue a] condemnation.”
Lin Chujiu was stunned for a moment and wisely stopped asking further questions, then shifted the topic to the ruins. She began discussing with Su Jiu, a girl nearly ten years younger than herself: “My grandfather said that classmate Su is quite interested in ancient demons. How much do you know about the ruins for this expedition?”
“I have hardly received any insider information about the ruins. Please tell me about the basic information, Teacher Lin.”
Su Jiu shook her head. She truly didn’t understand the ruins, and exploring them wasn’t her primary purpose for coming here. In Tokyo, on that mysterious map, there was also a ghost. She wondered if she could capture that ghost in her gourd this time. Of course, the one she most wanted to capture was a certain indebted young lady…
“That’s a long story,” Lin Chujiu said, looking out at the night scenery. She opened the window, picked up the metal pipe, and blew gently. A thoughtful glint flashed in her eyes.
“It is said that these ruins are related to the ‘Hundred Demons Night Parade’ of the past…”
