Comprehension against the sky, creating the Five Thunders in the real world

Zhang San remained silent, though he had already realized the seriousness of the situation.

Even without further news from China, Zhang San understood the critical importance of this operation. If an effective deterrent couldn't be established against the surrounding forces quickly, they might indeed launch a coordinated attack. China, of course, was not afraid of these cowards.
But a large number of rats can also kill an elephant.

Even if they ultimately win,

It is also inevitable that they will pay an unnecessary and heavy price.

There are never any absolute winners in a struggle; conflict inevitably leads to mutual destruction.

Even the victors are often scarred, and Zhang San knew this all too well.

He truly is the king of individual combat.

Countless lives were lost under his command.

The amount of blood stained with it is already countless.

But he was not bloodthirsty, nor did he like to solve problems in this way.

Nara Koki remained silent, understanding that the situation involved classified information. After a moment's hesitation, he tentatively spoke up, "Should I excuse myself? I..." After all, as a citizen of Japan, it was indeed inconvenient.

Knowing too much is not a good thing.

Knowing too much can actually harm the relationship.

Nara Koki was hoping these people would take him to see his older sister, Nara Kotsubaki.

"It's alright, just listen. We'll need your full cooperation later."

Lin Beichen shook his head, interrupting him.

In the upcoming operations, Nara Koki will be a key figure.

To execute the plan perfectly, Nara Akatsuki must make certain sacrifices.

If he really does that,

From now on, there will be no place for him in the land of cherry blossoms.

Even if they were to hide and live in China in the future, they might still be harassed by assassins. But this was a last resort; at least Lin Beichen was willing to spend the effort to protect Nara Koki, provided, of course, that he was truly willing to make such a great sacrifice for them.

The current situation is indeed quite severe, and can be described as extremely difficult.

However, China also provided Lin Beichen with its strongest support.

The subsequent operations might go more smoothly, but only if they complete the mission as soon as possible. If they cannot achieve their objective in the short term, they may have to terminate the operation prematurely. This is because there are many other places besides Japan that they need to visit. However, Lin Beichen is still quite confident about this mission.

Putting everything else aside, Nara Akatsuki is their trump card.

Perhaps this is destiny.

Furthermore, reinforcements sent by China have arrived, this time including Japan's former top assassin. While he was ostensibly killed during a live broadcast in China, in reality, this former top assassin of Japan has been recruited by China.

That's right, this number one assassin from Japan is none other than...
It was Norasuke himself.

Today, he has become a sharp blade for China.

He was once Lin Beichen's enemy, but now, Nora will become their ally.

As a party involved
Norasuke was filled with mixed emotions.

He never imagined that this day would come.

He hadn't expected to have the opportunity to cooperate with Lin Beichen, which left him with mixed feelings, but also a sense of relief. Only those who had been Lin Beichen's enemies understood how troublesome this man was. He was naturally a headache as an enemy, but as an ally...
The mindset is completely different.

With such a powerful teammate, Norasuke has no trouble completing the decapitation operation.

Lin Beichen's unpredictable feng shui skills alone are enough to make people wary.

With a top-tier assistant like Lin Beichen during the assassination, they could definitely appear and disappear without a trace, killing without a trace. Thinking of this, Norasuke couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

He once served as a sharp blade in the land of cherry blossoms, killing many people.

However, Norasuke has never assassinated any high-ranking figures in the Sakura Kingdom.

Upon hearing about the assassination of high-ranking officials in Japan, he felt no resistance; instead, he was filled with uncontrollable excitement and even had high expectations for it.

"We have two pieces of intelligence; one is not good, the other is not bad."

Lin Beichen spoke.

Yu Feng immediately rushed to answer:

"I want to hear the good one first."

Zhang San nodded silently in agreement.

Seeing this, Lin Beichen continued:
"The good news is that we're getting a new helper. He's quite capable, and someone you all know. With him on board, the rest of the operation will go much more smoothly."

Another helper, and an old acquaintance at that—

This is indeed good news.

However, Lin Beichen's next words stunned Yu Feng and Zhang San. They never expected that the "old acquaintance" Lin Beichen mentioned was actually Nora, who had once attempted to assassinate them.

Is Noraku really trustworthy?
What puzzled them even more was that this person had already been executed in full view of everyone.
It turns out that Norōsuke did not actually die.

This is actually not hard to deduce.

Nora-suke's strength was indeed outstanding; even Yu Feng had to admit his formidable power. If Lin Beichen hadn't exhausted his stamina beforehand, Yu Feng wouldn't have been entirely confident of subduing him. Moreover, Nora-suke's forte wasn't direct confrontation, but assassination techniques. If he truly intended to assassinate Yu Feng, without Lin Beichen's assistance, Yu Feng was certain he would die.

Therefore, having such a powerful partner is indeed good news.

Yu Feng then looked at Lin Beichen. Although he did not speak, his eyes showed that he wanted to know another piece of information.

Now that we've covered the good news, what's the bad news?

"The bad news is that we have to complete this mission within a month."

"The sooner the better. The situation in China has changed. Besides Japan, many other forces are also making moves. The Daoist sect has deduced some results, and we must crush their ambitions as soon as possible."

Lin Beichen gave a general explanation of the current situation.

He did not avoid Nara Koki beside him.

Because Nara Koki will be an important part of the subsequent plans.

Without her full cooperation, they would never have been able to achieve their goal within a month. Now that they had reached a consensus with her, there was no need to hide anything anymore. Lin Beichen's actions clearly showed that he considered Nara Koki one of his own.

Seeing Lin Beichen reveal information without any hesitation, Nara Koki felt a warmth in her heart.

She never expected Lin Beichen to trust her so much.

Is this what it feels like to be trusted and needed?
"After the mission is over, you must take me to see my sister."

"Otherwise, I will never cooperate with your operation."

Nara Koki finally said those words.

She worried that these people were just using her.

Of course, she was just overthinking it.

"Rest assured, keeping our word and doing what we say are our principles."

"Since we've promised you, we'll never go back on our word."

Before Lin Beichen could speak, Yu Feng stepped forward to make a guarantee.

His gaze was incredibly firm, and his tone was so sincere that it was deeply moving.

"Okay, I believe you."

Not long after, Norasuke met with Lin Beichen.

They had met as enemies, but now they were comrades fighting side by side. Norasuke gazed at Lin Beichen, still feeling a little apprehensive. This man before him was as unfathomable as a mystery; even now, Norasuke still couldn't figure him out.

This was a formidable opponent, a powerhouse he could never hope to reach in his lifetime. To be an enemy of such a person would never end well.

However, since they are now on the same side, there is naturally no possibility of them being enemies.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Lin Beichen spoke first, a gentle smile on his face.

Noraku also laughed:

"Haha, you've really changed a lot in just three days. Now we're friends."

"To use an old Chinese saying, this is called 'no fight, no friendship,' or 'the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple'—family members no longer recognize each other." Norasuke skillfully uttered a string of Chinese proverbs. He was fluent in Chinese, and if it weren't revealed, no one would have guessed that he was once the top assassin in Japan; they would only think he was a special assassin trained in China.

Of course, Norasuke would never admit to his past identity.

He has been publicly executed in China; the former Nora-suke is long dead.

He is now a reborn Norasuke.

On the surface, he is a member of a minority ethnic group in China, and this is the identity he will uphold for the rest of his life.

Yu Feng was still somewhat unaccustomed to No Ryosuke's pedantic and meticulous use of language.

After all, they were enemies not long ago, yet now they were chatting and laughing together, which was rather strange. Moreover, Yu Feng clearly remembered how he had thoroughly beaten up Noryosuke back then. Because of this, their current interaction was inevitably awkward.

Fortunately, Norasuke seemed to have put the past behind him. He showed no hostility towards Lin Beichen, Yu Feng, or Zhang San, and spoke very naturally. An uninformed person might have thought that the four of them were close friends who had known each other since childhood.

“You don’t need to be so wary of me. We are now partners who trust each other.”

"Now I am in the same boat as you, sharing both glory and disgrace, and we are closely connected."

"The whole world thought I was dead."

"The past me is gone; now I am Chinese."

Norōsuke was well aware of his situation.

If his past identity is exposed, he will surely die a horrible death.

Regardless of how the Sakura Parliament investigates, the accountability from China alone would be enough to cause him trouble.

This is tantamount to publicly slapping China in the face, and it is absolutely courting disaster.

This is why Norasuke came to Japan to carry out this mission—partly to pledge his allegiance and completely sever ties with Japan. He needs to demonstrate tangible achievements.

"Alright, Norasuke is now a trustworthy ally."

“Yu Feng, you don’t need to be so tense. Like he said, you can’t be friends without a fight.”

Lin Beichen's words completely put Yu Feng at ease.

Yu Feng immediately regained his usual confident demeanor, pacing around Norasuke to examine him, clicking his tongue in amazement:

"Not bad, I didn't expect you to survive. I won't hold a grudge about what happened before. From now on, follow me, and I'll guarantee you a life of luxury in China!"

Yu Feng's words weren't exactly boasting.

He came from a prominent family and was at least a young master.

Following him, you'll never have to worry about food or drink.

Yu Feng thought Nora would be extremely grateful, but the other party looked him up and down with a suspicious gaze, which made Yu Feng very unhappy.

"Are you sure you have the ability? Your skills may not be better than mine. Why should I, Noryusuke, follow you? Even if I lost to you before, it doesn't mean I'm really inferior to you."

Norasuke's words made Yu Feng's face stiffen.

He didn't expect Noryosuke to bring up the old matter again.

Didn't we just say that you become friends after a fight? Why are you bringing up old grievances again? It seems those words were just casual remarks.

"Are you looking for trouble? I could beat you up back then, and I can beat you up again now!"

Yu Feng stared coldly at No Ryosuke.

He wouldn't allow himself to lose face in front of Lin Beichen.

"Hehe, if Brother Lin Beichen weren't here, I wouldn't mind having a one-on-one fight with you." Norasuke turned his head to the side and stood next to Lin Beichen.

His meaning was very clear—

He didn't admire Yu Feng, but he admired Lin Beichen.

"Big brother, I'll follow you from now on."

"Please take good care of me. I have personally experienced your methods and am truly convinced of your abilities."

He gave Lin Beichen a slightly ingratiating smile, a stark contrast to his attitude toward Yu Feng.

Then Nora-suke greeted Zhang San:

"Brother, how have you been?"

"Yes, let bygones be bygones," Zhang San nodded in response. He didn't dare underestimate Noryōsuke; he was indeed a formidable character.

"You want to follow me?"

Lin Beichen's expression became somewhat subtle.

He then said to Nora-suke:
"You're not still thinking about the money I took, are you? Let me make it clear, that's all my spoils, it has nothing to do with you."

Upon hearing this, Norasuke's lips twitched slightly.

He immediately responded:
"Let bygones be bygones. Besides, I still have savings. The moment my identity was confirmed as dead, I transferred the money out of my overseas account. I may not be as wealthy as before, but it's enough for me to live on."

Norasuke appeared very open-minded.

He didn't care that Lin Beichen had taken his inheritance.

What's the use of having a lot of money? In the end, it's all for someone else's benefit.

……

"Are you still looking for that girl? When it comes to intelligence gathering, I'm far more skilled than her."

Without Norasuke around, Lin Beichen undoubtedly had to personally travel around gathering all sorts of information...

However, since Norōsuke came along, the intelligence problem has been solved.

As Japan's top assassin, Norasuke carries out missions extremely frequently, and his understanding of the situation in Japan far surpasses that of Nara Kotsubaki. Instead of continuing to inefficiently try to gather information from Nara Kotsubaki...
It would be better to just ask Norōsuke for ready-made information.

However, this involves a key element—trust.

After all, Norasuke was still serving the Sakura Kingdom not long ago, and no one could guarantee that he would never betray Lin Beichen and his group, nor could anyone be sure if he harbored resentment. In any case, if Lin Beichen and his group hadn't appeared, Norasuke wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

Therefore, Lin Beichen's first thought was to abandon the option of asking Norasuke for information. Only when Norasuke brought it up again did he reconsider the feasibility of this plan.

People's hearts are unfathomable; this has been true since ancient times.

It is never easy to determine whether someone is lying.

After all, people are good at pretending, and no one can truly know what the other person is thinking.

Of course, Lin Beichen also had a solution to this—he could use divination to determine whether Norasuke was lying, and this method was indeed feasible.

The atmosphere at the scene instantly froze.

Neither Lin Beichen nor Yu Feng ever considered Norasuke as one of their own.

Therefore, Norasuke's words show a lack of self-awareness.

"Why should I believe you? You bastard, are you trying to kill us while we're at it?"

"Do you think I don't know what you're up to? Your previous mission was to assassinate me, and your failed suicide attempt has brought shame upon you, a 100% successful assassin." (End of Chapter)