Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 259-02: The Renault Family

Tuk Tuk.

"Please come in."

The assistant carefully turned the doorknob, trying to make as little noise as possible, and opened the office door.

"Minister, Miss Hirosue just emerged from that cocoon," the assistant said, while observing Leon's expression.

Leon has been in a bad mood these past few days. His usual easygoing demeanor has been worn away by the relentless overtime work, leaving only exhaustion and irritability from being drained by continuous high-pressure overtime.

In fact, this is the case throughout the entire department; whenever some extraordinary event occurs, there is absolutely no private time to speak of.

Closing my eyes means I'm sleeping, opening my eyes means I'm going to work.

The vast amount of data surrounding Mount Fuji needs to be collected and analyzed as soon as possible; internal research has begun to fully shift towards the "Supernatural Game Theory"; and the tasks assigned by the Grand Commander are one after another.
The assistant's words took a moment to process before Leon realized what it meant.

The numb gaze that had been scrutinizing the documents paused, a hint of new life appearing in his eyes. He looked up at his assistant: "Is there anything unusual?"

As for Hirosue Eri, she may be the only non-player character among the extraordinary beings, possessing considerable crucial value.

"She's lost a lot of weight." The assistant thought for a moment and could only express this most direct visual impression.

Leon nodded slightly and rubbed his temples. "Does she want to meet?"

“I brought it up, and she didn’t refuse.”

"it is good."

Leon closed the file, stood up briskly, grabbed the suit jacket hanging on the back of the chair and put it on. After quickly tidying his appearance in front of the mirror, he and his assistant headed towards the room where Hirosue Eri was.

It shouldn't really be called a room, but a laboratory, which was occupied by Eri. The cocoon made of trees and vines hung in the center of the laboratory.

They had tried calling several times without getting a response, so Leon had no choice but to shut down the lab and have people keep a close watch on what was happening inside.

Fortunately, Eri's self-isolation only lasted for ten days.

Based on the information above, some members of the expert team have speculated that Eri's low mood is closely related to the large-scale destruction of vegetation on Mount Fuji.

It seems that the forests surrounding Mount Fuji possess a spirituality, and have established some kind of connection with Eri, a spiritually sensitive and extraordinary person.

Now that they are facing a great calamity, they have also passed on their emotions to her.

Thinking about this, perhaps he can successfully complete the task that the president recently assigned to him.

More importantly, he hopes to take this opportunity to go back to China and enjoy a proper vacation!
He simply couldn't win against these Japanese!
Inside the laboratory, the doors, which had been closed for many days, were now open, and the tree cocoons that had been hanging upside down had split open in the middle, resembling a unique swing.

Vines covered most of the laboratory, with flowers and plants growing on the vines, decorating the place like an artificial landscape.

Leon saw Hirosue Eri, who looked even thinner. She was sitting in a chair by the window, leaning on the table, quietly staring at a mimosa plant that had opened in front of her.

The other person's already fair skin seemed to become transparent, and the blood vessels under the skin could be vaguely seen.

"Miss Hirosue, it's so good to see you safe and sound." The long-absent, formulaic smile reappeared on Leon's face, his surprise perfectly expressed. "Everyone was so concerned about you. Would you like something to eat? The strawberry mapo tofu in the kitchen is quite good today; I recommend you try it."

Eri shook her head and looked at him quietly: "You know I don't like hypocrisy and formalities, so let's go back to the way we used to communicate, it's direct and convenient."

Leon's smile froze on his face for a moment, then slowly faded. He sighed helplessly and found a slightly more normal chair opposite Eri to sit down.

"Miss Hirosue, did you know? And as you probably know, the North American continent is vast, possessing rich primary forest ecosystems ranging from frigid to tropical zones."

"Your ability is very unique. You can use the power bestowed or activated by the divine flower to create a peculiar connection with plants and nature."

"We believe that your current condition may be better nourished and restored in that wider and more diverse natural environment."

He paused, observing Eri's reaction.

Leon didn't actually say it directly, but Hirosue already knew what he meant.

"Who wants to see me?"

"His Excellency the President has expressed deep concern after hearing about your situation. He very sincerely hopes to invite you to North America for a... well, nature exchange trip, to experience the natural beauty of other countries, which may help alleviate your current condition."

Leon's expression became unusually solemn, with an official air about him, almost as if he were about to bow to the west.

"It seems he wasn't actually as relaxed as he appeared to the media."

After leaving, Hirosue learned about recent events, including the President's tough speech a couple of days ago.

Because the atomic bombings caused network outages in the vicinity of the Battle of Mount Fuji, those who experienced the battle firsthand are now struggling to survive and it is difficult for them to make any sound or provide any information.

Therefore, the mainstream international opinion is that humanity will prevail, clamoring to kill every demon that comes, and vowing to fight to the death.

After all, it was Japan that was bombed, so their understanding of the situation was rather vague, relying entirely on biased media reports.

Information about the extraordinary players forming a group to resist Ashiya Doman, with the white-clad masked figure stepping in to finish things off, is only circulating among high-ranking officials of powerful and well-connected major countries, and is being strictly censored.

Leaders of some small countries have to watch other countries' news broadcasts to get information.

However, the media is now only reporting what major powers are willing to release. At this stage, it is in the interest of humanity to take a tough stance against demons. In any case, the president is not foolish enough to represent humanity in expressing hostility towards all supernatural groups, which shows that he has maintained his rationality, so everyone tacitly accepts it.

The only piece of information that is relatively difficult to block is the scene of Muramasa Takii casting a shield to protect Tokyo at the Tokyo Skytree. Footage of this has already leaked, but the authorities have not stopped it and are actually happy to see it happen.

They might have even released these videos themselves.

Creating heroes, especially in an era where both the extraordinary and the monstrous coexist, is a morally uplifting activity that has proven consistently effective.

Of course, it cannot be denied that in today's world, in just a few months, the monsters and demons that have appeared have become more and more powerful.

If this continues, even those who firmly believe in humanity's inevitable victory will begin to have doubts. Even if we do win, how much will we have to pay?

Fortunately, at this time, the information that Muramasa Taki shared proactively brought a great sense of relief to the authorities.

Although Taki's revelations were quite limited and cautious.

It only mentions an indescribable entity that, every so often, selects a group of players to participate in a game related to history and grants them extraordinary powers.

The reason for the birth of the demons and the method to eliminate them are hidden in the game.

By comparing this information with the players' behavior, the official team could at least vaguely sense that the entity that granted the players extraordinary powers was guiding them to fight against demons.

This stance makes it highly unlikely that they are accomplices of demons.

"Okay, I'll go to North America."

Eri didn't refuse. She knew her current situation was strange, heavily influenced by the forest consciousness, so she was also thinking of ways to resolve it. Perhaps interacting more with the forest would be a good thing.

Just thinking about this, a scene suddenly flashed through her mind without warning:
It seemed to be the forest of her hometown, Northern Ireland. In a misty forest clearing, the carcass of a large stag stared at her with lifeless eyes.

Her head throbbed slightly; she shouldn't have seen this scene before. Suppressing the strange image, she decided to study it later.

"But before that, I need to go to Mount Fuji again." Now that the demon matter is over, she wants to take advantage of the time she has to find out the root cause of the forest's influence on her.

Leon pondered for a few seconds, weighing the pros and cons: "That's naturally not a problem, but the radiation level at the Mount Fuji ruins is currently very high, even extraordinary beings can hardly withstand it. Only one Jizo statue in the vicinity has dispersed the radiation in a small area, and most of the area is still quite dangerous."

“I’ll go by myself, no need for help,” Eri interrupted him.

Seeing that she had made up her mind and that Yingli had already agreed to go to North America, Leon realized that his goal had been achieved and everything else was secondary, so he stopped insisting.

Everything else pales in comparison to the wonderful vacation that's just around the corner! Sun, sand, bikinis! Here I come!
Thinking about all this, Leon's smile became much more genuine.

"Of course, we respect your choice. We will provide you with the necessary information and equipment."

Leon was already planning in his mind that in the next few days, he could try to divide the tasks and delegate them to Minamoto no Himeko and Hiramori no Tatsumi.
He could never compete with those two workaholics who were on drugs and working overtime.

But having such talented people as subordinates is always a good thing.

This damned Japan, let whoever wants to stay here stay here. He just wants to return to the great America, where the so-called frequent shootings are nothing compared to the endless stream of extraordinary events here.

A single burst of demonic mist wiped them all out.

Leon rose to take his leave, his thoughts already drifting across the ocean. He began to ponder what reasons he could use to persuade the President to allow him to remain in America and work remotely, or simply to find a more hardworking successor.
“Father, I think it’s time to change the position of head of the family.”

For example, me.

America, Georgia.

Atlanta, Riverside Estate.

Ethan Reno sat on the sofa, beaming, while sitting opposite him were his father, James, and a man who bore a striking resemblance to Ethan—his older brother, Alexander.

Just now, he casually said something that seemed extremely outrageous to outsiders, as if he had made a dinner appointment at a restaurant tonight.

However, there are no outsiders here.

It was just the father and his two sons.

Sitting to James' left, his elder brother Alexander frowned slightly, his eyes sweeping over his younger brother, who always acted with self-interest above all else.

James, who is only fifty years old this year, remained calm and did not seem particularly surprised by Ethan's words.

He even nodded slightly: "It seems you've gained quite a bit in Japan. As long as you can convince me, the position of head of the family can be handed over to you at any time."

Ethan's smile remained bright, but he didn't respond immediately.

The scene fell into an odd silence.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Young Master Ethan, your black tea is ready." A maid's cautious voice came from outside the door, her tone soft and timid.

“Bring it in,” Ethan said, his voice as gentle as ever.

The door was pushed open, and the young and beautiful Lisa walked in quickly, head down, carrying an exquisite bone china tray.

She quickly glanced at the expressions of the father and his two sons in the room from the corner of her eye, then lowered her eyes, knelt in front of the coffee table, and gently placed three steaming cups of black tea on the table in front of each of them.

"hiss."

As she carefully placed the last cup of tea for Ethan, her fingertip seemed to be scratched by something sharp, perhaps a small chip on the edge of the cup or saucer. A bead of blood immediately appeared, spreading slightly on the white bone china.

"Sigh, Lisa, you're still so clumsy."

Ethan's voice was full of affection as he gently took the maid's hand and brought it directly to his lips, disinfecting the wound with his saliva. The action was as intimate as that of a lover.

Lisa's face flushed instantly, filled with shock and panic: "Young Master Ethan, the Master and the others are still here!"

She never expected the other party to be so bold. Although they had indeed been together for a long time, it was all done in secret, and she was also hiding something.

Now that the strict head of the family has found out, her future work will likely be quite troublesome, and whether she can continue to stay here is also a question.

However, the expected angry rebuke did not come.

She looked up in alarm, only to find that both the head of the family, James, and the eldest son, Alexander, the two most powerful people in the family, were just watching silently, without any intention of stopping or expressing their dissatisfaction.

That's strange, why?
Before she could think any further, she was suddenly horrified to find that she felt a strong wave of dizziness.

Only then did she finally realize that blood was flowing out of the tiny wound on her fingertip at an unscientific speed, entering Ethan's mouth.

"Ah! No help! Master, young master! Help me!"

Lisa screamed and struggled in vain. The hand that Ethan was holding was as if it were firmly fixed to Ethan's mouth, and she couldn't move it even an inch.

She didn't know what was happening, but she could feel her body temperature rapidly decreasing, her vision beginning to blur and darken, and the skin on her cheeks and the backs of her hands visibly drying out, losing all color, turning from pale to waxy yellow.

Her other hand flailing helplessly in the air a few times before finally falling limply, knocking over Alexander's cup of black tea with a thud. The brown tea spilled down the edge of the table, unnoticed by anyone.

The whole process took only ten seconds. When Ethan finally let go, Lisa's once youthful and full body had completely turned into a withered, dried-up corpse with skin clinging to the bones.

Those once captivating eyes are now just two sunken, shriveled black holes.

Ethan calmly picked up a handkerchief and elegantly wiped away non-existent bloodstains from the corner of his mouth.

Then, he extended a finger and gently touched the mummified corpse.

boom!
A muffled cracking sound rang out.

Lisa's body suddenly exploded, but strangely, the flying flesh and bone fragments did not completely disperse. As if bound by some unseen force, they condensed into a ball of bone and blood.

Although they are called blood cells, there is actually not much blood left.

Under Alexander's tremor, Ethan opened his mouth and inhaled, and the ball of blood instantly elongated and shrank, turning into a thin line of blood that disappeared into his mouth.

Finally, some remained, which he casually tossed into the cup of black tea, turning it a true bright red color.

Not a single bit is wasted.

After doing all this, Ethan picked up his still-warm cup of black tea, and that gentle, warm smile returned to his face.

He took a sip of his black tea with refined manners, his smile radiating absolute confidence.

"Father, is this enough now?"

(End of this chapter)