The rain in Yoto City continued for the whole day. It didn't stop until the evening. The air was still moist from the heavy rain. On the cool city streets, the number of pedestrians didn't decrease because of the night. The lights in the shops on both sides of the road were lit up, and the huge glass windows reflected a bright and clear atmosphere.
At eight o 'clock in the evening, Fumitaro walked out of the subway station in Chiyoda District, crossed the road, and walked into a bar that hadn't opened yet. Then, under the guidance of a waiter, he walked into the corridor behind the bar.
After turning a corner, the noise behind him gradually faded away. At the end of the road was a wall with a strange Ukiyo-e hanging on it. He knocked twice on the Ukiyo-e with a special method, and a secret door quietly opened. Walking in from there, he saw a large room that looked like a conference room. There were already twenty or thirty people gathered there. As soon as they saw him, everyone looked at him.
"Sato, how is it?"
"The higher-ups have confirmed the operation."
The room was big, but at this time, it was messy. Some people were smoking, some were playing with daggers, some were disassembling and reassembling guns, and some were sitting on the windowsill listening to music. As Fumitaro spoke, he walked to a computer next to him and inserted a USB flash drive. Soon after, documents were displayed on the big screen on the side of the room.
"This is the Hayakawa Building near Asakusa Bridge in Moda District. According to the investigation, a branch of the Sankou Group is also located there. You can take a look at the official structure diagram. There are guards on the front and sides, and there are cameras. There may be more than what is reported …"
As he spoke, he manipulated the 3D graphics to rotate and browse. After a while, a middle-aged man sitting in the corner and smoking frowned and said, "Has the higher-ups confirmed that it was Pei Luojia who did it?"
As soon as he said this, several of the more violent people in the crowd had already shouted, "Who else could it be other than them?!
These guys, the lesson they learned four years ago wasn't enough, and now they are raising their heads again! "
"This time, we will beat them until they have nowhere to hide!
Let them know how powerful we are! "
"God's Punishment!"
Originally, four years ago, when Pei Luojia's reputation was soaring to the heavens, everyone would only frown when talking about it. However, after Imperial Guardian Cang was killed, Pei Luojia was unified by Imperial Guardian Xi after internal strife. In the past few years, Pei Luojia had always kept a low profile. Whenever there was a possibility of conflict, Pei Luojia would actively avoid it like a tortoise hiding its head in its shell.
These people hadn't experienced too many cruel battles. Although Buntaro had some experience a few years ago, he had just finished his training not long ago. Although his results were excellent, he might not have been able to become the main force. However, at this moment, he wasn't too arrogant. He nodded and spoke.
.................. is.................................................
.... Yu Shouxi is in Europe these days … "
"But according to the information we just received, Li Ming Daitou, who has been in Europe for the past few years, may have returned to Tokyo a few days ago. Combined with the conflict between Europe and China, Yu Shouxi must be planning something. We can't be passive anymore."
... "The middle-aged man nodded and threw away the cigarette in his hand." Then there is no problem. "
"Okay, at the same time as our operation tonight, Fukui-senpai will lead a team to attack their gathering point in Setagaya, and Kimura-kun will go to Shibuya. What we need to do is to cooperate with them, and before midnight tonight …"
"… This will be the largest scale deployment we've made in the past few years!"
It was almost nine o 'clock, and the streets became more lively. Cars drove out of the streets behind the bar and merged into the torrent of lights. At the same time, in a room on the 14th floor of a hotel next to the road, a man who was observing with binoculars picked up the phone next to him and pressed a number. After a while, he murmured, "Chiyoda … the snake has come out of the hole … It's …"
In the city at night, the game of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, was going on. At the entrance of an abandoned factory located on the outskirts of Tokyo, some vehicles drove out at this time. After a while, they disappeared into the relatively desolate distance of the road.
This place was close to the sea, and there were not many people living nearby. There were cars passing by from time to time on the road. The land outside the factory was mostly abandoned, and the trees were sparse. Most of them were wormwood that was half the height of a person. From afar, the bustling lights of Tokyo Bay could be seen. The beauty and magnificence of the whole city seemed to be trapped in a void. Where there was no light, it was all nothingness.
On the other side of the road was a relatively dense forest. Not long after the convoy left, a blue figure quietly walked out from behind the trees. It looked like a young girl who was probably still a student. She wore black-rimmed glasses, showing an intellectual beauty. She wore a light black long-sleeved shirt and trousers, and her short black hair was soft and smooth on both sides of her cheeks. Her bangs drew a straight line in front of her forehead, and she carried a bag on her back. She looked like a friend who had gone out on a holiday but missed the return trip on the tram.
She looked very thin, and her expression was a little cold. Although she was dressed simply, it could not hide the girl's soul-stirring cold beauty.
She glanced at the abandoned factory, then stepped inside.
Our vision pushed past the undulating sea of grass with water droplets on it under the night wind. We entered the factory. The abandoned factory had not been cleaned up for many years. However, on the other side of the factory, where the sea was facing, there were many speedboats docked under the dark factory. In a room above the sea, a faint light was emitting.
Two people were guarding this place in the dark. The only source of light was the computer screen in front of them. They were wearing headphones so that it was convenient for them to contact their distant companions. However, at this time, there was probably not much to do. While drinking coffee, the two of them chatted and talked about some random topics. One of them was even playing a card game on the computer. Perhaps it was because of special training, but if it were someone else playing a game, they would have to think for a long time. However, he only used the mouse to click continuously. It was as if there was another computer in his mind calculating. All his movements were orderly and the speed at which he completed the game was so fast that it was shocking. After one game, another game.
They played and talked like this. During the game, they contacted their companions once through the walkie-talkie. About half an hour later, they finished their coffee. The man who was playing cards stood up. "Mr. Yamaguchi, do you want more coffee?"
"It's super thick, no sugar. Sorry to trouble you."
"It's nothing."
The man walked out of the room. There were not many things in the other room, but there were instant noodles and coffee in the cupboard. There was an electric water heater outside. He filled it with water and was about to plug it in when a light gray mark silently streaked across the corner of his eye.
It was the grayish-black circular pattern on the sleeve.
His body's reaction was almost faster than his brain. He wanted to move at the first moment, but it was already too late. The blade silently swam through his throat. The girl's smooth and white hand touched his neck for a moment.
This was the last thing he felt from this world.
Twenty minutes later, the girl walked on the road. The night wind slightly ruffled her hair. She walked along the street lights and passed by the houses with their lights on. Ten minutes later, she sat down in a nearby restaurant that operated overnight.
This was a well-behaved restaurant. It was well-lit, the tables and chairs were clean, and there was light music playing. There was a glass wall with a wide view. There wasn't much personalized design, but it didn't make people feel restrained. It was a model product that could be seen everywhere in Japan, the country of fast food.
Although there weren't many residents around, business wasn't too bad since the restaurant mainly catered to drivers coming and going on the road.
Sitting down in a seat near the window, the girl ordered a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Then she took out a small laptop from her bag and turned it on. After turning it on, she opened a few programs and closed them. She took out her headphones and began to listen to music. After a while, the coffee and sandwich were served. She took out a thick book and began to read. Her lips were pursed slightly, and she occasionally took a sip of coffee.
It was close to ten o 'clock, and then it gradually pushed to ten thirty. People came and went in the restaurant. It was rare to see such an outstanding girl at this time and place. After a while, a few hippie-like teenagers parked their cars outside the restaurant. After entering, they came over to strike up a conversation. But no matter what they said, the girl didn't lift her eyes from listening to music and reading a book. After more than ten minutes, they had no choice but to leave.
Time gradually passed. Lights flashed through the window. Cars came and went one after another. The girl's coffee was refilled twice. It was past midnight. It wasn't until one o 'clock in the morning that several familiar cars drove by the restaurant. The girl folded a corner of her book and finally raised her eyes. Her clear eyes moved, and her eyelashes trembled slightly under the light.
She turned on her laptop and looked at the screen, waiting for the time to come.
A few minutes later, she took a deep breath and pressed the Enter key. When she stood up from her seat, she felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
The tremor came from the other side of the earth.
The girl didn't feel anything and packed her things into her bag. The crowd in the restaurant instantly became chaotic. Japan was a country with many earthquakes. The first thing people felt was that there was another earthquake. But it wasn't long before they realized that it was an explosion.
The restaurant itself was surrounded by glass walls on three sides. Looking into the distance from one of the walls, one could see a behemoth on the beach in the distance. Flames spewed out from the building in all directions, almost reflecting the night sky. The huge building began to collapse.
People rushed out of the restaurant and looked in that direction on the road. Some took out their phones and began to talk incoherently. Some used their phones with camera functions to take pictures of the scene in the distance. Some cars on the road began to stop.
The girl paid the bill at the panicked shop assistant and walked to the other side with her backpack.
The wind blew, and her footsteps were light. The two cars in front of her stopped. The driver and the passenger walked out of the car and looked in the direction of the flames. She walked past them and walked further and further away. Until a minute later, she suddenly slowed down.
Not far away under the street lamp, there were two cars parked there. She didn't know if they broke down or something else. Six or seven people surrounded them. Two of them seemed to have opened the car hood to repair the car. There were also some who were standing on the side of the road looking in the direction of the explosion. Although they were hidden, a trained person could more or less see that these people looked a little embarrassed. Under their brand-new clothes, the scratches on their hands could be vaguely seen. One of them had blood flowing from his sleeve.
The girl turned back to look at the explosion. Then, she began to walk forward as if nothing had happened. However, the eyes of the man at the front were already locked on to her.
This man was about thirty years old. He looked young and gentle. Like her, he was wearing black-rimmed glasses. At this moment, there was a smile on his lips, but there was a vague sense of coldness in it. He stood there motionlessly and studied the girl who was walking over. Then, he tilted his head and closed his eyes as if he was recalling something. The distance between the two continued to shrink. Ten meters, five meters, four meters, three meters … He closed his eyes and took a step forward.
A man and a woman, the figures of the two people suddenly froze there.
"It's you …" The man opened his eyes and revealed a bright smile. His two rows of teeth were like white porcelain, almost reflecting the light of the street lamp. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Downtown, on the street … To think that Yuechi's house was guarded. I knew something had happened …"
The two of them were less than half a meter apart. The man held a dagger in his hand, and the tip of the dagger was almost touching the girl's clothes. The girl also reached out her right hand and pushed the man's wrist. The two of them were in a deadlock for a moment. Then, she said calmly, "Li Ming Dao Xu …"
The last syllable of this name seemed to have detonated a bomb in the air. The man swung the dagger in the night sky. The distance between the two was quickly pulled apart. Looking from the back of the man, the girl seemed to have used his body as a shield. Under the cover of his body, she suddenly shrank and retreated across the entire road in an instant.
Everyone, including Li Ming Dao Xu, pulled out their guns almost at the same time. Then, the sound of gunfire lit up the night sky.
The girl's body jumped toward the grass on the opposite side of the road. Her entire body seemed to have been blocked by the backpack that was raised in mid-air.
A small car drove across the road. When it passed by the seven muzzles, the glass on both sides of the car suddenly shattered. Blood burst out from the car, and in the air on the other side of the car, the bullets kept sparking on the backpack that was shielding it.
The girl's figure rushed into the grass. The car sped past and crashed into a tree ten meters later. The explosion rose into the air.
On the road, the gunfire stopped. The seven people chased after the girl. The grass that was half the height of a person extended in all directions. There were houses and cities in the distance. The girl's figure had already disappeared before their eyes.
"Kaoru Tsukiike."
With a gun in his hand, Li Ming Dao Xu was the first to step into the grass. The others followed. "Tell the others to come."
He gritted his teeth and paused for a moment. "Kill her."
A cool breeze blew. Under the night sky, the grass swayed like the waves of the sea …
*****
About the recent update.
First of all, I have to admit that it's really slow. Although I used to think that it would become faster after I went out for a vacation.
Originally, I didn't intend to explain the reason because … I'm a writer. Everyone is a reader. If it's slow, then it's slow. No matter what the reason is, I think it's probably the same result. But recently, many people have asked about it and some people have contacted me on QQ. So, I think it's better to explain it.
Invikill is about to come to an end. Everyone knows that. Although the word count is about one or two hundred thousand words or more — I'm not sure about the length — but in short, it's about to come to an end.
If it comes to an end, what's the problem?
Some people know that I used a pen name in the past to write some books. Among these books, none of them had an ending. My habit in writing books is that I like to build up a big scene. Many times, I want to use hundreds of thousands or millions of words to build up one or several moving and shocking scenes. This is the problem with traditional literature. The central idea, the most important thing, is always expressed at the end.
But there's a problem. Is there anyone who is willing to endure hundreds of thousands or even millions of words to look forward to a climax?
I've seen people do this kind of thing in web novels. It's very difficult. That person is called Sun Xiao. That book is called Heroes. Old readers have probably seen how that book is now.
Because of this problem, plus the fact that my writing style was very bad in the past. After writing for a while, I would get tired of myself. So, none of those books were at the point where I really wanted to express the plot in my heart. Although I started to make adjustments from 'Survival Diary in a Different World', even if that book had more than a million words, it still hadn't really reached the point where it could really pave the way. Sometimes, I think that once the plot of that book exploded out, it would be even more exciting and majestic. But that's useless. The process still needs to be more interesting.
To me, Invikill is the first book that has passed this stage. It's also the first book that is about to come to an end.
It's only at this time that I can understand how difficult it is.
Coming to an end doesn't mean that it can really be done immediately. I once said that it's better to be a eunuch than a lousy ending. Even now, I still insist. The beginning of a book is always easy to write. As long as you have a wonderful idea, you can casually add a little bit of plot and add a little bit of character. But the end won't do. Not only do you have to avoid new problems, you also have to make sure that all the clues are collected at the right time. Then, not far from the end, you have to let them come to an end. You can't first complete the task and break this thread, then move on to the next one.
Only this way can it be full.
Then what are we facing? I think there are a lot of things:
Dongfang Wan, Kaoru, Europe, Natalie, Kelly, Yu Shouxi, Vampire, Marilyn and her mother, Ya Han and her mother, and also Mu Qingqing. Of course, there are also the people that everyone is most concerned about, the natural evolvers, Jian Suyan, and even Mumura Hiroki. Just like what that person said, if a gun appears in a book, it must be fired. It's necessary to give these people a basic explanation of the suspense.
I can't go into too much detail, but I have to complete these things, mix them together, and finish them at the right place. During this process, I have to maintain a certain sense of anticipation, but I can't let new problems crop up. I have never done these things before. My thoughts are always wild and unrestrained. When I write Invikill, I often don't hesitate to destroy the previous plot. And these things can't be inserted anymore. But it just so happens that I'm the worst at composition.
Do you know?
If you give me a topic to write, my mind will definitely be thinking about things outside of the topic. The messy ideas in my mind right now can support more than ten new books. Let me think … one book on classical Xianxia, one book on urban supernatural, one book on urban Xianxia, one book on urban rebirth, one book on the future, one book on the infinite flow, one book on ancient rebirth, one book on the rebirth of the three kingdoms, one book on World of Warcraft's fandom, one book on Otherworld … Heavens, I can occasionally dream of some unique scenes in my dreams, but none of them match Invikill.
For example, for the first two chapters, after the class reunion, I planned to change the perspective to Japan. That chapter was about a thousand words long, but after thinking about it for a long time, Dongfang Wan still hadn't explained it to me, so I rewrote it. Every chapter, every plot, who came before who, who came after who, how they intersected … It wasn't that I wanted to make it into a classic, but I just wanted to make it as perfect as possible. In terms of the layout, I always followed the concept of traditional literature. Rather than being too unfinished, I didn't want it to be too unfinished. Of course, it was impossible for it to be unfinished now, because there really wasn't much left. I just hoped that it wouldn't be too unfinished.
The ninth volume of Invikill, 《The Last Turn》, refers to the dance's final turn, because once the dance ends, the only thing we can remember is the dancer's last beautiful move. I can't guarantee the speed, but I can guarantee that I'll complete it seriously. I'm really grateful that everyone was able to accompany 《Invikill》 to this point.
At night, Wasabi sent me a message, saying that Shasha -jie's birthday is coming soon — — Sister Shasha in real life. So, I wish Shasha a happy birthday, and hope that she can give birth to a baby with Qizi soon.
The photoshop above doesn't cost anything.