From Naruto onwards, I've become a dreamer.

Chapter 331 Rain and Torrent 2.0
Lead-colored clouds rolled across the sky above the coastal city, and a storm lashed raindrops against the windows.

Lightning ripped through the sky, cutting a gap in the thick black clouds and bursting out with dazzling light. Then came the rolling thunder, like the panting of an ancient, savage beast.

Sitting by the window, Chu Zihang gazed at the torrential rain and thunder outside the cabin window, his thoughts seemingly drawn back to that night.

On a night of torrential rain, a Maybach speeds across an overpass, a nightmare that can never be shaken off, and finally, an eight-legged steed appears riding on lightning, along with a one-eyed god wielding a divine weapon forged from the branches of the World Tree and wearing an iron mask—it's as if a scene from Norse mythology is being recreated in the real world.

Boom!

Suddenly, a flash of lightning outside the cabin window snapped Chu Zihang out of his reverie.

The flight attendant's clear voice announced over the cabin loudspeaker that the flight was about to end and the plane was about to land. Passengers were asked to return to their seats and wait for the plane to come to a complete stop.

The razor-sharp wings sliced ​​through the clouds, and the coastal city in the torrential rain slowly unfolded before my eyes like a scroll painting.

The city lights reflected on the rain-soaked portholes, creating a hazy, dreamlike, and beautiful scene, as if coated with Vaseline.

The Boeing aircraft smoothly broke through the rain and gradually descended from high altitude. After a brief sway, the plane taxied on the runway and slowly came to a stop. After the staff set up the boarding stairs, Chu Zihang, who was sitting in first class, was the first to get up and walk out of the cabin with his suitcase, guided by a slender flight attendant.

The moist, fresh air rushed into his nostrils, and Chu Zihang couldn't help but take a deep breath, savoring the familiar scent of his homeland.

After descending the boarding stairs, the man in black, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately came forward with an umbrella, shielding him from the downpour while reaching out to take his luggage: "Hello, I am Cheng Er, the logistics staff member in charge of liaison for this mission, from the Paleontology Department of Kassel College, Class of '85."

"No need, I can do it myself."

Chu Zihang shook his head and declined the other party's offer.

“Okay, Commissioner Chu, please follow me.” Cheng Er was used to it and didn’t feel embarrassed. After all, she had already heard about the cold and aloof personality of this ace of the execution department in the logistics department. So she continued, “Due to the special nature of this mission and its social impact, there will also be a trainee who will cooperate with you throughout the operation.”

"Who?" Chu Zihang asked, his brows furrowing slightly.

He doesn't like to cooperate with others. On the one hand, 'Junyan' is too lethal and can easily injure teammates by mistake. On the other hand, it stems from his own personality. He is more good at fighting alone than in a team, as can be seen from his last trip to Japan.

“She’s a freshman, with a ‘B’ bloodline, and her Word of Power is ‘Eye of the Wind King’.” Cheng Er paused for half a second before continuing, “Because she’s back in China for summer vacation, the Execution Department has decided, after careful consideration, to second her to participate in this mission. If needed, I can send you to meet with her and follow up on the mission details.”

"No, thank you." Chu Zihang slowly shook his head and said, "I want to go home first. Take me home."

"Okay, I understand, Commissioner Chu, please follow me."

Cheng Er, being very sensible, didn't ask any more questions. She turned and led him to the side of the airport runway, where a car had been parked in advance.

Sitting in the back seat, the preheated air conditioning kept the car at a comfortable temperature. The soft leather seats conformed to the spine, and there was plenty of legroom, so one could choose a comfortable sitting position. After Cheng Er sat in the driver's seat, he respectfully said, "Commissioner Chu, please be seated. I will take you back now."

"Ah."

Chu Zihang seemed a little tired and slowly closed his eyes.

Cheng Er slammed on the accelerator, the engine roared, and the tires screeched against the wet grass. The car shot off like a wild beast, speeding toward the exit.

The pitch-black vehicle drove into the deep rain. After the red light disappeared into the distance, the economy class passengers walked down the boarding stairs one by one. Among them was an elderly man with a full head of silver hair, wearing a floral overcoat, beach shorts, and flip-flops. His face was covered with wrinkles. He walked down slowly.

"I'm already so old, and I still have to come here to be someone's bodyguard."

Looking in the direction where Chu Zihang's car disappeared, the old man scratched his head and sighed helplessly, "I've been idle for most of my life, but in the end I still have to work hard for others. What a miserable life."

If Angers were here, he would probably be speechless with shock, because this old man, wearing a floral robe and slippers and looking unreliable, is none other than Uesugi Kotsuki, the last Shadow Emperor who should have been judged dead, and who once single-handedly resisted the Corpse Guardian Tide!
Uesugi looked around; the empty airport runway clearly indicated there couldn't be another car nearby.

So he could only sigh, lower his body, and look ahead: "There's no other way, I'll just have to work a little harder."

In the deep, dark rain, a blinding golden light suddenly burst forth—his pupils were burning, like two blazing suns. His muscles bulged and throbbed as if engorged with blood, and grotesque blue veins coiled around them. With a sudden slam of his foot, the surrounding lawn was instantly overturned by the force of the gushing water.

boom!
A sound like a muffled thunderclap erupted, and Uesugi Kotsuki's figure vanished in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, the dense curtain of rain was abruptly torn open, and a piercing sonic boom echoed through the airport. A sudden surge of wind, carrying raindrops, resembled a soaring dragon traversing the night. Cheng Er gripped the steering wheel tightly, steer the car onto the overpass.

Around midnight, the entire overpass was deserted. The streetlights on both sides of the road flashed by, and the rain was violently pounded against the car windows by the strong wind, leaving winding water streaks.

Soft, soothing music was playing from the stereo, and although the driving speed was quite high, it was surprisingly smooth.

"Strange, why have we been driving for so long and still not reached the tollbooth?" Looking at the increasingly thick fog ahead, and even the streetlights on both sides of the road becoming more and more blurred, Cheng Er, who was holding the steering wheel, suddenly felt a deep unease, as if a heavy boulder was pressing down on him.

The dark road stretches endlessly, like a wild beast lurking in the darkness, exuding a suffocating oppression.

"parking."

At this moment, Chu Zihang, who was in the back seat, opened his eyes at some point.

Looking in the rearview mirror, Cheng Er was surprised to find that on that cold, hard face, the golden eyes, as hot as molten lava, seemed to be burning.

"Commissioner Chu Chu?!"

Cheng Er stared at Chu Zihang, who seemed like a completely different person, and couldn't understand what had happened.

"I said, stop the car."

Chu Zihang repeated it again, his eyes fixed on the front.

This spectacle intensified Cheng Er's unease, as if some terrifying monster was about to burst forth from the depths of that thick fog!
After a fierce internal struggle, Cheng Er finally chose to obey the decision of the ace of the execution department and slammed on the brakes.

The tires screeched violently against the asphalt road, and after sliding for dozens of meters, the car came to a complete stop on the overpass, which was shrouded in thick fog and pitch black all around.

"Stay in the car and don't get out."

After leaving those words, Chu Zihang got off the bus with his suitcase.

The cold rain soaked him, and his hair clung to his forehead, but Chu Zihang did not hesitate for a moment. Like a warrior who had decided to step into the battlefield, he resolutely walked into the depths of the thick fog.

"Wait, Commissioner Chu, what are you doing?" Cheng Er was shocked to see Chu Zihang walking into the depths of the fog. She opened the car door and prepared to get out and follow him.

"Don't follow."

Chu Zihang turned around, his gaze containing an undeniable air of authority.

Those blazing golden eyes made Cheng Er, who had originally intended to follow, feel an immense pressure, causing him to stop in his tracks due to the difference in their bloodlines.

"Commissioner Chu, where are you going?" Cheng Er looked at Chu Zihang nervously, cold sweat beading on her forehead, her teeth chattering as she said, "Something's not right here. It's too dangerous for you to go in alone. Should we ask headquarters for help?"

"It's too late, we've already entered His territory."

Chu Zihang stared at the end of the thick fog, his gaze slightly darkening, and said softly, "They're here. Wait a minute, when I tell you to run, run. Don't look back, understand?"

"They're here? Who's here?"

Just as Cheng Er was about to ask who had come, a blinding white light suddenly pierced through the deep night and torrential rain.

Boom! ! !

From the dark fog at the end of the road, a mountain-like, eight-legged steed, draped in dazzling lightning, came into view.

In the torrential rain, an eight-legged steed stood proudly in the middle of the road, its strong hooves crushing the hard asphalt. Its pure white coat seemed to be coated with a faint shimmer of lightning, and it spewed out bursts of lightning from its mouth and nostrils. The figure, clad in iron armor and straddling the horse's back, exuded a terrifying and suffocating aura.

(End of this chapter)