Unusual Fate Records

Chapter 403, Section 095: Barbed Caltrops (Part Two)
At the Hanting Tianque Palace, atop a hundred-meter-high rooftop, an old man stood quietly by the railing, his right hand gently waving a feather fan.

The fierce winds high in the sky howled like demons against his face. But before the turbulent air currents reached him, they transformed into docile sheep, merely ruffling his white temples.

Kato Ren ignored the helicopter's explosion and stared intently at the distant sky.

It's now almost certain that the NA organization's true intentions lie elsewhere. Their so-called revenge against the White Walkers and the creation of terrorist attacks are merely a cover for their ultimate goal. Their real targets are Chen and that boy.

Even the Crimson Star Peak could be sacrificed for this.

Kato Ren was very curious about what kind of ruthless person stood opposite him, who could be his opponent with such a playful attitude towards life.

But it didn't matter. Wu Xiang trusted Chi Xinghuang; his domain was enough to keep them locked up for a while. Rather than locking Jin Ziyue and the others up, it was more like protecting them.

As long as tonight is over.

Kato Ren looked at the horizon, where a half-moon was already faintly visible.

The moon was nearing its end. Ink stained the horizon, and the uneasy commotion below continued. The wailing of police sirens pierced the cold air, reaching Takesō's ears like the cawing of crows. As the sky gradually brightened, neon lights illuminated this dazzling city. No matter how many times Kato Ren looked at it, he could hardly connect it with the impoverished village and buildings of his past.

The changes of the times cannot be stopped.

The glory of the White Walkers is gone.

Those days of agrarian society, where every family worked from sunrise to sunset and gave the night to foreign tribes, are gone forever.

When did this ancient city begin to be called a city? Kato Ren didn't know; as far back as he could remember, Sakyoto had been the capital of multiple dynasties. Through a thousand years of change, this city miraculously maintained its vitality. If the 16 wards were likened to individuals, and there were places that could be called the brain, it might be Ukyoto at present; but if there were a place that was the heart, it would always be Sakyoto.

Kato Ren had no idea where his meaningless reverie would lead; it was just a way to kill time out of boredom.

He waved his fan, trying to appear aloof and superior, but deep down, he was a military general.

"I really envy you young people. You can pick a fight anytime you feel like it, and someone will cover for you." He chuckled self-deprecatingly. What can you do? As you live longer, you start to worry about your status and position. Those days of rolling up your sleeves and wrestling sumo were eliminated hundreds of years ago.

These days, if he made even the slightest movement, who knows what kind of trouble he might attract? A triple-stage bomb falling on his head wouldn't be out of the question. He chuckled to himself, thinking that if he could find the NA's hideout, he wouldn't mind sending them a similar level of "gift" as a token of his respect; otherwise, it would be too stingy.

"Your Excellency, Minister of War, what a refined interest you have!"

A sudden voice came from behind.

Kato Ren's eyes narrowed slightly. In the instant he turned around, the old man half-covered his lips with his fan, leaving only his smiling eyes staring directly at the newcomer.

"Not dead yet?" he chuckled, his aged voice gaining a touch of vitality.

The newcomer was dressed in a black satin-lined top with a peaked collar and a stylish black velvet top hat. He twirled his straight-handled cane and taped it against his hat, saying, "Thanks to you, I still have some time to live."

That's what the smiling mask said.

"Honestly, you truly deserve to be called the most annoying mask. The things you said almost made this old man like me want to teach you a lesson," Wu Xiang said, half-jokingly.

"That would be a disservice to my initiative in making small talk." He chuckled, and as he tilted his head back, the bow tie on his collar swayed.

"It seems that after five years, apart from your improved skills in pretending to be a ghost, you haven't changed much," Wu Xiang said with a smile.

"The Prime Minister is just like that. All he does is rely on his age and wait to die," the smiling man retorted. "But five years is nothing to the White Walkers. The Prime Minister can certainly live a few more years before retiring."

The old man covered his face with his fan and chuckled, "Retirement? You'll give it to me? To be honest, I don't welcome you. If you hadn't caused so much trouble, I would have been back in my coffin long ago."

The smiling man tilted his head and remained silent, only the smile on his mask swaying in the light and shadow of the setting sun.

"You came here specifically to see this old man, not just for pleasantries, right?" Wu Xiang walked closer to the smiling man, glancing at him. "Moreover, at this time of year, this behavior is really suspicious."

"Let me guess, you're here to make a deal, right? To show your sincerity, why don't you name your price first?"

Wu Xiang paced back and forth, observing the smiling man's reaction. "Aren't you sure you don't want to take a look at the goods first?" the smiling man asked.

The smile in Wu Xiang's eyes deepened, his wrinkled eyelids almost narrowed into slits, and his lips, hidden behind the fan, parted: "It's nothing important, you wouldn't try to take advantage of me at this critical juncture."

The masked man shook his head: "Trying to take advantage of me? You think too highly of me."

He looked at Kato Ren, his smile almost widening across his mask: "What I want is simple: open the barrier, and we'll call it even for tonight."

Takeshi Kato Ren remained silent, calmly watching him and waiting for him to continue.

……

"boom--"

Once again, [Iron Horse and Ice River] was unleashed with full force, like an ice dragon emerging from the ground to reveal its ferocious spine, with surging ice shards heavily surrounding Akashi Hoshi.

The latter raised his arms, letting the ice crystals stick to his arms. The extreme cold did not have the effect he had imagined. The frost hanging from the cloth hissed on the White Walker Commander's torso and face, and the rising white mist made his body look like a mountain, appearing and disappearing among the clouds.

"It won't freeze!"

Fu Xun sprang into the air, dodging the opponent's double punches that slammed into the ground. The seismic shockwaves caused by the breaking of the ice made his ears ring.

Beside him was Jin Ziyue, who was also retreating. He held a knife in one hand and barely managed to maintain his balance under the influence of the seismic waves.

Akira's attack was unexpectedly sustained. His powerful and fierce punches were aimed at the ground, one after another without hesitation. His profound internal energy combined with the shockwaves in the space caused the punches to bounce back and forth repeatedly, making them impossible to defend against.

Once you lose your balance from the shock, you will be bombarded by endless shockwaves from all directions, like ripples spreading across the water. It may not kill you, but you will inevitably lose the ability to think.

Fu Xun could stay in the air for a long time. He manipulated the suspended ice block to hang upside down, and Jin Ziyue took the opportunity to climb up the ice pillar he created. The steps that appeared out of thin air allowed Jin Ziyue to walk quickly in mid-air, just about to slash at Chi Xinghuang.

Just then, a muffled groan drew Fu Xun's attention to what was behind him.

Oh no, I forgot that they can't withstand this move.

Fu Xun felt a sense of foreboding. Just then, Akashi Akira also stopped his impact punch that was pounding the ground, and the vibrations in the space continued to echo.

The sound of him kneeling was exceptionally clear amidst the echoing noise.

Fu Xun turned around and found that Chen Ruolan was already kneeling on one knee, her hands raised high above the injured Qi Tongshan.

As Qi Tongshan was lifted up, a dagger in her right hand was stuck in Chen Ruolan's chest like a hook.

As the seismic waves subsided, Chen Ruolan, unable to support herself any longer, collapsed to the side, leaving Qi Tongshan without support as she fell into a pool of blood.

She was panting, weak, but she gave a final smile.

"Who are you?" It was Akira Akahoshi who asked the question. The White Walker commander's gaze remained fixed on the frail woman the entire time, never once glancing at Jin Ziyue, who was wielding his sword.

Qi Tongshan looked up and met Akahoshi Akira's gaze. From the other's increasingly serious eyes, he must have already known the answer.

Indeed, in this world, if anyone could discern a person's identity from their expressions and demeanor, it would be none other than the man before them.

After all, she was the one who replaced his son.

"Red Star, Luan."

Qi Tongshan gave his instructions without any expression.

"Keng——"

Jin Ziyue's knife struck Chi Xinghuang's shoulder, the sharp, metallic clang echoing through the air.