Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

A faint spark of electricity flickered as he gently rubbed his fingers together.

The Three-Eyed Clan's enhancement involves using energy to control their unique computational core, creating supernatural effects. While somewhat similar to the information magic of the witches, their application differs. In this stage of enhancement, he can utilize bioelectricity, and with this power, he has gained some understanding of the nature of this world over the past six months.

—When verifying physical constants, he melted down a piece of iron and then tested it with a microcurrent, discovering that the resistance of every part of the iron was uniform. This phenomenon is absolutely impossible in the natural world.

It's quite simple. Nature is subject to numerous external factors, making it impossible for the arrangement of metal atoms to be perfectly uniform. They must be disordered, chaotic. Only in this way can we prove that this is the true natural world, and not a collection of fictional creations.

So from that moment on, he understood that everything before him was an illusion. He even figured out a way to forcibly break free, and even vaguely connected it to his body outside. It was precisely because of this that he wasn't in a hurry to find others, nor was he worried about falling into some kind of trap. After all, it was all a dream, and he had the confidence to overturn the table, so there was naturally no need to worry too much.

Of course, these words couldn't be said to Zheng Zha. Firstly, it would be useless to say them, and secondly, saying them... might trigger some unexpected changes.

[I'm missing a memory, and so are Zhang Heng and Zhao Yingkong. This memory should be everything they encountered in the world of Ju-on. I originally thought this was a puzzle prepared for us by Alice, to give us a sense of urgency while we train our strength, and to overcome this doubt and solve the trial she prepared for this era... Well, at least for Brother Zheng Zha, it should be a good opportunity to develop his brainpower.]

[I initially thought it wasn't important, so I didn't delve into it further. But Brother Zheng Zha woke up so late and lost so many memories. If it's not due to his constitution, then it can only mean he's died more than once… If that's the case, perhaps all of us have died more than once. So… it's possible a third party is involved.]

Alice's plan may have gone awry. Perhaps she never intended to erase our memories at all. Then... perhaps someone secretly came to us before we awoke from this era, and killed us to erase our memories... Could it be a native force from the Ju-on world?

[Chu Xuan… If a dead person is resurrected in a virtual world, it means that his data exists in this world. And he should have been devoured by Kayako in a previous reincarnation mission. Therefore, Kayako must be a component of this world… Is she not completely dead? Then, is the resurrected Chu Xuan… really Chu Xuan?]

He glanced at Ming Yanwei casually. The mature woman, dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit, looked furious after hearing about Zhang Heng. However, while Xiao Honglu was deep in thought, Zheng Zha struck up a conversation with her. The two of them were now standing at the edge of the castle tower, discussing some stories and legends.

A flash of lightning appeared in Xiao Honglu's mind.

[…Ming Yanwei, there's something wrong with this person.]

No... we can't jump to conclusions so quickly. We need to consider it carefully and weigh the pros and cons. We still lack sufficient information at the moment, so we can't make a hasty decision.

We still need to test the waters... Let's wait for Zhang Heng to return.

He pondered for a moment, quickly compiling a series of complete and feasible plans and alternatives in his mind. But on the surface, he still appeared completely perplexed, scratching his head in frustration. Meanwhile, the microcurrents within his body were quietly activating, stimulating the nerves in his ears to enhance his hearing so he could eavesdrop on Zheng Zha and the other man's conversation.

At that moment, Zheng Zha and Ming Yanwei's conversation happened to reach a topic that interested him.

..........................................

"...Thank you again for helping me find Xiao Honglu." Zheng Zha looked at the land and hills outside the castle tower, and in his vision he seemed to see dark clouds swirling and colliding in the mountains, faintly exuding a bloody aura.

“You’ve already thanked me once, there’s no need to do it again.” Ming Yanwei pursed her lips, her expression calm: “If you really want to thank me, then when Zhang Heng comes back later… don’t interfere in what’s between me and her.”

Zheng Zha chuckled dryly, unsure how to continue this topic. He shook his head slightly, trying to change the subject: "This kind of thing... never mind. Oh, by the way, you told me before that you'd heard some rumors about that village, what were they? Could you tell me about them?"

“That…” Ming Yanwei raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t expect you to be interested in this kind of thing. Hmm… but I’m free now, so I might as well tell you. It’s just that a few months ago, before the village over there was destroyed, a passing merchant told me some stories in my village.”

She carefully considered her words.

"It was probably last year, the fourth year of Keicho, around autumn. A Western woman who had been shipwrecked was washed ashore—no one knows her name, but she was dressed very elegantly. She woke up at night, fled the beach, and was then attacked by demons in the mountains."

"She killed the demons, but the demons also killed her. And shortly after she died, the villagers found her body, and then, in full view of everyone, she came back to life."

"Without a doubt, she was a witch. The villagers tried many methods but couldn't seal her away... However, it seems they eventually managed to solve the problem. In the end, the village chief managed to defeat her."

"...And then?" Zheng Zha asked. His thoughts drifted to the cross on the hill outside the village. That cross, stained with countless drops of blood, its wood blackened. And the villagers' many methods for vanquishing her...

“And that’s it.” Ming Yanwei spread her hands and answered. “I just heard a story and didn’t pay much attention to it at the time. But since what you said happened, she probably escaped successfully and left.”

"Is that so?" Zheng Zha chuckled, his fingers unconsciously stroking the demon-headed broadsword. "I'm starting to regret telling the shrine maiden about what happened in that village."

"You sympathize with her?" Ming Yanwei raised an eyebrow.

"...No. I just felt that I shouldn't get involved in this kind of thing."

Chapter 18 The Last Supper

With a base, a place to rest, and news of their companions, Zheng Zha and the others weren't in a hurry to get to work. That evening, he and Ming Yanwei received a grand welcome from Xiao Honglu, who could practically be considered the local host. Of course, it was a 'grand welcome' in Xiao Honglu's style.

Zheng Zha felt his facial nerves twitching.

"Grilled giant spider, a local specialty. Please." Xiao Honglu rolled up his sleeves and picked up a black spider the size of a soup bowl from the table. He grabbed it without hesitation and started gnawing on it, clearly enjoying it immensely.

“Japan doesn’t normally have spiders this big, but this era is clearly not normal Japan. So you can find a lot of interesting food. But… um.” He tore off a spider leg and crunched it down. “The taste isn’t actually that different from grilled spiders in the real world.”

He gestured with his free hand, gesturing as he tapped a circle on the table with his fingertips. It was unclear when he had developed this particular taste in food; the table was almost entirely filled with arthropods and crustaceans… a specialty of his class. He could barely accept the spiders, scorpions, and centipedes, though visually acceptable. But the plates of fried locusts and grilled leeches… simply made him unable to pick up his chopsticks.

[Should I be thankful he at least didn't steam it... Ugh, just thinking about it makes me sick.]

Zheng Zha thought to himself that he was starting to miss traditional Japanese food. Although the Japanese at that time mostly ate salted fish and pickled cucumbers, at least those could fill his stomach!

He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Ming Yanwei, who was elegantly peeling open a scorpion and putting it into her mouth. This time, even the corner of his eye started twitching.

"Aren't you going to eat it?" Ming Yanwei looked at him in confusion. "I think it tastes good."

[What happened to the urban white-collar worker I was supposed to be! My tastes have changed after only six months living in ancient Japan?! ...Well, six months is certainly enough time to change one's tastes.]

"Hmm, I think I'll just eat. I haven't had much of an appetite lately." Zheng Zha made up an excuse, then decisively ignored the strange dishes and started eating heartily with his rice bowl in hand. He wasn't actually that hungry; he had eaten quite a bit of meat in the wild and regained his strength. It was just that in this situation... it wasn't very convenient to just walk away.

Moreover, the clothes he was wearing had no sleeves.

There's something I need to say.

Xiao Honglu took a bite of the spider leg and suddenly said, "The others should be back by tomorrow morning. I've calculated their journey, and if they don't get delayed on the road, there shouldn't be a big error."

The others, naturally referring to Zhang Heng and Zhao Yingkong. As Zheng Zha thought of this, he subconsciously looked at Ming Yanwei.

"That's good." Ming Yanwei smiled lightly, but an undisguised chill permeated her smile. "Zhang Heng is finally coming back. This time, I have a big score to settle with him." She glanced at the other two, the curve of her lips becoming even more pronounced. "You won't interfere with me, right?"

Zheng Zha chuckled awkwardly, having absolutely no intention of getting involved in such messy affairs. Relationship problems were the most troublesome; no one outside the situation knew what would happen when the two met. Perhaps they'd have a real, life-or-death battle, or perhaps a few words would suffice and they'd become strangers. Of course, there was also the possibility of them making up after a fight. Regardless of the outcome, Zheng Zha didn't intend to waste his energy on it.

Zhang Heng brought this upon himself, so he should deal with it. No matter what, hurting a woman is never gentlemanly. I can't tell who's more polite between the two of them… Oh well, let them handle it themselves. In the end, as long as Zhang Heng's life is saved, that's all that matters.

He was making such calculations, and Xiao Honglu, who had openly opposed it that afternoon, seemed to have figured something out at the dinner table. Although he did not show any approval on his face, he did not object either, which was considered as tacit agreement.

Ming Yanwei nodded in satisfaction and continued to process the scorpion in her hand.

“…Never mind.” Xiao Honglu felt a chill in his heart, but his face still showed a helpless expression. “Let’s put that aside for now. There’s another matter. It was probably yesterday or the day before yesterday when Kita no Seiin Nene died. Then Tokugawa Ieyasu issued a proclamation of war against him.”

Before Zheng Zha could even ask, "Who is Ningning from the Northern Academy of Government?", Ming Yanwei, looking shocked, exclaimed in a somewhat discomposure.

"Ningning from the Northern Academy of Government is dead? How is that possible? Shouldn't she have lived for several more decades before passing away peacefully in her old age?!"

“So the Battle of Sekigahara will be…” Her expression suddenly froze, then she quickly regained her composure. “Is that so… It seems there will be war very soon.” She shook her head slightly.

"I apologize for the overreaction. I've been in this era for a while now, and my perspective has changed somewhat... My apologies."

"It's nothing," Xiao Honglu waved his hand.

“But you’re right, war is probably coming soon. Maybe in the next few days, maybe tomorrow.” Xiao Honglu shrugged. “The original owner of this city has basically stopped participating in politics since I bewitched him. I made him focus on developing agriculture and infrastructure. Military power is in my hands. I was thinking that after some more consolidation, he might become a force that could participate in the Battle of Sekigahara. But now… the Tokugawa army will probably be coming soon, after all, this place is quite close to Mikawa… which is Tokugawa Ieyasu’s territory.”

He looked at Zheng Zha and said, "Brother Zheng Zha, don't worry about who Ningning from the Northern Academy is. All you need to know is that her death means war, and the war will soon spread to our city. What we need to do is defeat all the invading armies, make a name for ourselves, and then our other companions will surely notice us and join us."

“War…” Zheng Zha clenched his fist. “Okay, I can still manage to kill people.”

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Brother Zheng Zha. Soldiers fight soldiers, but what we're dealing with might not even be human... In this era, manipulating ghosts and monsters isn't unusual. Besides, you probably aren't interested in those ordinary soldiers either."

Xiao Honglu waved his hand and said, "Although time is tight, it's not impossible. I just received this news, so even if Tokugawa's army has already made preparations to mobilize, the official deployment will definitely not be tonight or tomorrow morning. We still have time to consider countermeasures and make appropriate arrangements."

Chapter 19. Stop! They're friendly forces!

Nothing unexpected happened that night, except for a few foolish monsters who tried to ambush the enemy but were killed by a hail of arrows from the archers stationed there.

As night gradually faded, the morning breeze soon caressed everyone. When the first rays of light appeared on the horizon, the group, having slept soundly, ended their sweet dreams.

They woke up, washed themselves, and went out of the house.

In the distance, the first light of dawn broke. That sliver of white gradually extended and expanded, from a line into a patch. Then it changed from pale white to a light yellow, and finally became a blue tinged with a hint of pale green. As the sun fully rose, a flock of gray-winged birds fluttered up from the distant forests beyond the city walls. Several startled small animals rushed out of the woods in a panic, and with their hurried footsteps, a dozen or so slender figures quietly emerged from the forest.

The ghost-hunting party has returned.

"The adults are back! Lower the drawbridge!"

The soldiers on guard on the city wall cheered loudly, shouting slogans as they lowered the protective bridge. As the dozen or so figures gradually became clearer, the entire force emerging from the forest came into view—a battered but spirited army. The foot soldiers' armor was covered in black bloodstains and claw marks, the samurai wore demonic horns or claws at their waists, and their long swords were stained black and red with blood.

They led a horse that pulled a small cart laden with the heads of ghosts, testaments to their martial prowess. At the very front of the procession, an archer carrying a longbow and a petite warrior dressed in black stood out.

Zhang Heng, Zhao Yingkong.

They appeared to have won a resounding victory, with minimal... or perhaps none at all. They hadn't brought back a single corpse of their own, and the cart stuffed with demon heads contained no weapons or armor left behind by the dead.

One-third of the ghosts died from arrows piercing their eyes. That must have been Zhang Heng's achievement. It's unknown what kind of training he has undergone in the past six months. Although he still seems a bit restless, his steps are extremely light when he walks, sits, or lies down, and his reactions to his surroundings are quite sharp.

And it was precisely for this reason that when he stepped out of the mountains and approached the moat, he immediately saw Ming Yanwei standing on the city tower.

Zheng Zha watched helplessly as Zhang Heng's face, which had been beaming with pride from the bountiful hunt, transformed in seconds from disbelief to a mixture of surprise and delight, before finally settling into utter despair. He opened his mouth, as if to say something. But the next moment, Ming Yanwei drew her bow and shot an arrow straight at Zhang Heng's head.

"Zhang Heng!" she screamed, her voice filled with unspeakable hatred and resentment. "How dare you show your face in front of me!"

This is how women are when they're being unreasonable. Faced with an arrow that wasn't particularly fast, but could still be fatal if it hit the eye, Zhang Heng didn't even try to dodge. He just stood there, looking utterly defeated, letting the arrow hurtle his eyeball.

then……

With a 'thud,' a streak of flame-tinged light severed the arrow. Zhao Yingkong, who was traveling with Zhang Heng, kicked the archer, who had lost the will to live, to the ground without hesitation. She took half a step forward and cut the arrow, which was neither enchanted nor executed with any special technique.

"What are you doing? Are you looking for death!" Zhao Yingkong's cold tone carried a hint of resentment. She glared fiercely at Zhang Heng, then lunged forward in a cloud of smoke, covering nearly a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. In just a breath, she arrived at the foot of the city wall.

“Ming Yanwei…” She recognized this woman. During the Ju-on storyline, she had even gone to the bathhouse with this woman and Zhan Lan, and they had even discussed some private matters concerning women. They did have some connection, but she also remembered that Ming Yanwei was dead, and that this dead woman was attacking her own companion.

After fighting side by side for several months, it would be impossible to say there wasn't some camaraderie. And during those months of hunting demons and monsters, she successfully mastered most of the properties of her own "Residual Fire" enhancement... though it was primarily due to the increased proficiency gained from unlocking her genetic locks. But it was undeniable growth.

And in the daily battles and familiarization with her power, she felt that she was getting closer and closer to unlocking the second stage of her genetic lock.

Therefore, when she flipped her hand and leaped onto the city wall, Zheng Zha and Xiao Honglu, who were dozens of meters away and had not initially intended to get involved in this mess, were unable to react in time.

Or rather, Zheng Zha failed to react in time—he subconsciously overlooked Xiao Honglu's combat strength and did not realize that it was precisely because Xiao Honglu stood in front of him, blocking the direction of the charge, that he was unable to react in time.

He could only watch helplessly as Zhao Yingkong rushed in front of Ming Yanwei.

"Human or ghost, since you made the first move..." The Netherfire Fang she was holding extended a fiery blade nearly a meter long. She was about to slash at Ming Yanwei's shoulder. "Then shut up for now."

However, at that moment, she felt a sharp pain behind her. A sense of danger made her instinctively move half a meter to the side. And the next instant, the arrow shot from Zhang Heng's hand, after she moved to the side, still struck the end of the Netherfire Fang.

With a clang, the Fang of Netherfire suddenly ripped apart. She instinctively raised a ball of flame in front of her to guard against any possible counterattack from Ming Yanwei—even though the other party had no intention of making a move.

"Zhang Heng! What are you doing!" A flame ignited in her eyes, and this time she was truly angry.

She turned her head and saw Zhang Heng's gaze filled with helplessness and regret.

"I'm sorry, this is between her and me...." His face was a little pale, but he still gripped the longbow tightly.

"Okay." Zhao Yingkong uttered a single word, then turned and left. She paused for a moment when she saw Xiao Honglu and Zheng Zha, nodded to Zheng Zha, glared fiercely at Xiao Honglu, and then left on her own, heading towards her own room.

Xiao Honglu gave a wry smile and shook his head.

Ah...she found out. Well, it's true, it's my responsibility that this happened while I was stationed here. I'll have to apologize to Sister Sakura sometime later.