A muscular girl is presented to the passionate world of crossover anime.

"Hey, you wish! Do you have any connections?"

"Don't underestimate me! I actually have one! The other day, the station arrested a swordsman from the Zhizhi Xiong faction. I heard he's a high-ranking officer. I saw him with my own eyes when I was on duty. He has a broom-like hairstyle and is known as 'Sword Hunter Zhang'..."

"Hey kid, you're not thinking of secretly releasing a prisoner to advance your career, are you?"

"Hehe, just kidding. Zhizhixiong's faction has been making trouble for so long without achieving anything. Even if I were to join them, it wouldn't be now. We're all just ordinary people. Let's just be humble wage thieves. As for the future of the country and social stability, let the big shots worry about that!"

"That's true."

The two junior police officers sighed for a moment, then fell silent. Beside them, a soft sigh drifted down: "Such simple values, not necessarily wrong, but unfortunately, the bigwigs in this country are always so unreliable..."

"Who?" The two patrolmen turned around quickly, but saw nothing. The sigh came from a girl, who then spoke behind them: "...I can't change things in other eras, but I have things to do right now."

"A ghost!" The two patrolmen were terrified, thinking they had finally encountered a ghost while on night duty. They trembled with fear, but the female voice behind them said indignantly, "It's not a ghost, it's a person."

"A person?" The two patrolmen regained some of their senses and quickly turned around again—still no one was there. The woman's voice was still behind them: "My God! This is definitely not a ghost!"

"Thud." Two hands landed on their shoulders, making their hearts almost stop. A woman's voice—oh, that's too much trouble—actually, it was a woman who had come to the Metropolitan Police Department at night to investigate but had found nothing, only to overhear the two chatting. She said, "Three things: First, don't turn around, if you see my face, you're dead; second, take off your uniform and give it to me; third, tell me where that 'Sword Hunter Zhang' is locked up..."

Ah Zhang is imprisoned in a cell at a police station in Kyoto. This swordsman, a senior member of the Shishio faction, was actually defeated by Himura Kenshin, the "Battosai" who was being sought after by the girl Ah Kaoru. He then resigned himself to being imprisoned and obediently waited for things to develop—perhaps police interrogation, perhaps government trial, perhaps Shishio's rescue or even silencing him.

"So boring." Ah Zhang, with wooden shackles on his hands and iron chains on his feet, was imprisoned in a special cell, his movements restricted and with no freedom. "So boring! If only... um, what would be more exciting?"

"Boom—" The cell suddenly shattered, splinters of wood and gravel flying everywhere. The large iron door was smashed through the air, nearly killing Ah Zhang. Ah Zhang barely dodged it, covered in cold sweat: "What the hell? That was too exciting!"

He looked up at the iron gate and saw a short, bearded policeman standing proudly, his voice deep and resonant: "I've been asked to come and rescue you."

Ah Zhang steadied himself, his eyes narrowing: "Who asked you to do this?"

The bearded man didn't answer, but instead reached out and struck. With two loud "bangs," the shackles on Ah Zhang's hands and feet were broken. This man's martial arts were truly formidable! But after demonstrating this skill, Ah Zhang suddenly realized, "Oh, it's 'Double Strength.' Did An Ci invite you here?"

The bearded man was naturally Kanon in disguise. She was surprised to hear this: "So Anji is also one of Shishio's people? It's a pity that I chose to travel with that bastard Sanosuke and missed him..." But she didn't say anything on the surface. She still spoke in a rough voice, pretending to be a man: "There's no time to explain. Get in the car."

"Get...get on the bus?"

Under Ah Zhang's questioning gaze, Hua Yin led the way, dodging around a corner, and suddenly shouted, "Ah, I'm dead!" When Ah Zhang arrived, he saw a group of police officers lying haphazardly in the corridor, and the bearded man had bumped into a police officer who was not yet dead. The two collided head-on and fell to the ground, dying together.

"Ahhh... What's your name?!" Ah Zhang was too shocked. How could his benefactor have sacrificed himself right after rescuing him? He rushed over to check: "It's over, he's no longer breathing or having a heartbeat... Oh, my benefactor, I will definitely ask An Ci about your background and then properly pay my respects to you."

Zhang suppressed his grief and stood up: "Our priority now is to escape!"

“That’s right~” After Ah Zhang’s finger left, Hana’s breathing and heartbeat slowly returned to normal. It turned out that she had been faking it all. Shishio’s group was carrying out activities to subvert the government, so of course they were very careful. She didn’t know the inside story, and it would be difficult to gain Ah Zhang’s trust if she went with him. It was better to let him go and then pretend to be dead to dispel his suspicions, and then follow him all the way to Shishio’s base.

So, after knocking out the police officers they encountered on the road, Hanon deliberately had one of them pose, creating the illusion that a "heroic rescuer had died unexpectedly." Hanon was quite satisfied with her plan: "Nice, plan worked! This is the victory of martial arts!"

Sensing Ah Zhang's footsteps fading into the distance, Hana opened her eyes a crack: "Fly, little bird, fly~ take me to your lair... Huh?"

Just as Ah Zhang reached the door, the cell door next to him suddenly shattered. A merciless iron hand clenched into a fist and, amidst the dust and smoke, unexpectedly struck Ah Zhang in the face. The force of the punch was so heavy that it sent him flying, crashing down next to Hua Yin... and knocking him unconscious.

"Hey, I never thought I'd encounter a prison break while trying to make a living in jail. But with me here, things won't go smoothly. Who knows if you're some kind of heinous criminal?"

Sanosuke Sagara emerged from the smoke.

"Ah, I'm dead!" This time, Kanon was so angry with this guy that she almost fainted.

Author's Note: Life is full of unexpected encounters!

Section 885, Chapter 876: The Annoying King

"Zanosuke, oh Zanosuke..."

Hanon's heart was ice-cold, but she could only grit her teeth inwardly; outwardly, she had to continue pretending to be a corpse.

The officers who quickly realized something was wrong rushed to reinforce the team, but they didn't know exactly what had happened. Because Hanon was wearing a police uniform, they mistook her for one of their own and quickly carried her out for treatment. In the chaos, Hanon took advantage of a moment when no one was looking and slipped away from their surveillance... and returned to her cell.

"Damn it, that Sanosuke guy, he definitely needs to be taught a lesson." While muttering about teaching Sanosuke a lesson, Kanon had actually just come back to check on him. Having known each other before, and now that they'd run into each other again, she felt she should at least show some concern. For example, if Sanosuke's diet was too bland, Kanon wouldn't mind bringing some seasonings from "Shirakabe" to add some flavor. She'd heard that last time they had some ghost peppers from the West, which were very fragrant and delicious…

Then, when Kanon sneaked into the cell, she saw Sanosuke talking to someone else.

Hanon should have known this person... if she hadn't left Crescent Village back then.

That was Saito Hajime, the captain of the third division of the Shinsengumi during the Bakumatsu period, who used the alias "Fujita Goro" and was a swordsman police officer who led the fight against Shishio Makoto's gang of terrorists.

"So you're in Kyoto too." Compared to Kanon, Sanosuke was much more familiar with Saito. The prison was damaged by his "Double Strength" and there was no time to repair it, but Sanosuke didn't leave. He was still sitting in the cell talking to Saito: "It's a pity you were a step too late and didn't see the results of my training."

Saito wasn't alone; he was a special police inspector. This time, he was accompanied by the police chief, who was covered in sweat. Because of the prison break, the chief was afraid Saito would blame him, so he was being extra careful: "Do you know this person?"

“I don’t know him. Keep him locked up.” Saito turned and left.

"Hey!" Sanosuke hurriedly chased after him: "Damn it, don't ignore me! Damn it, don't even think about running away, we still have a fight to fight!"

"Hmph..." Saito turned around and silently walked to the cell door, ignoring Sanosuke. Instead, he examined the cell door that Sanosuke had shattered with his "Double Force": "Is this the result of your training? It's similar to the 'power release' of Tang Shou, but much more powerful. It seems usable." He turned to Sanosuke, acknowledging him: "So, I mentioned your defensive problem before. Has it been resolved?"

"Huh? Defense?" Sanosuke was taken aback, then shrugged nonchalantly: "People work hard enough practicing their attack techniques..."

"Pfft, he's getting anxious, he's getting anxious, he's getting anxious~" Kanon, hiding in the shadows, almost couldn't hold back her laughter. It's true that Sanosuke's personality makes it hard for him to get along with anyone. Even Saito, who always had a cold and aloof expression, couldn't help but grab Sanosuke by the collar.

But Saito was more cunning, and in the end he did nothing. He released Sanosuke and turned to walk deeper into the area, saying, "I'm busy, I don't have time to waste with you."

Sanosuke persisted, "Tch, are you scared? Then consider this duel a slap on my head!"

"up to you."

"Damn it! How can this end like this! Duel! Duel!" It seems the best way to deal with Sanosuke is to rationally ignore him. As long as you don't go crazy with him, it will be Sanosuke's turn to get angry.

Saito walked ahead, Sanosuke followed behind, Kanon lurked in the shadows, and the chief was sent outside—Saito was going to interrogate "Sword Hunter" Zhang next, which was an operation against Shishio's faction, and the level of secrecy was very high.

"So this cold-faced guy actually likes Sanosuke quite a bit." Kanon concluded, "Although they're arguing, he hasn't ruled him out in his actions."

With Kanon's cultivation level, even experts like Saito and Sanosuke couldn't detect her presence when she held her breath and concentrated. However, due to the layout of the prison cell, Kanon couldn't get too close and could only listen to the interrogation process from a distance.

It was less of an interrogation and more of a quarrel. Ah Zhang and Zuo Zhizhu were so incompatible that they started arguing as soon as they met: "You bastard with the mohawk, if you hadn't suddenly appeared and knocked me out, I would have escaped long ago!"

"Cockscomb haircut..." After being mocked for his hairstyle, Sanosuke's face visibly contorted with rage. He immediately retorted, "You damn broom-headed bastard, you're one of Shishio's gang villains. Are we going to let you escape from prison and run rampant on the streets?"

"Aren't you also someone locked up in prison?"

"I did that to defeat you!"

"Tch, what a high-sounding excuse. Government lackeys are all talk and no action."

"Damn it, who are you calling a lackey? I hate the Meiji Restoration government too, but Shishio's side is even more despicable. If you say that again, I'll beat you up."

"Fight? Sure, I'll beat you to a pulp, you brat!"

Both of them had fiery tempers and acted on impulse, instantly striking at each other at the same time... just kidding.

With his hands now shackled again, Ah Zhang moved more slowly. So he used a feint, but actually threw the newly added iron ball at Zuo Zhizhu, "Duang~" breaking Zuo Zhizhu's forehead.

However, Zuo Zhizhu's target was not Zhang's head, but the wooden yoke on his hand. With a "crack," the yoke was shattered.

Ah Zhang was shocked: "Ah, you!"

Ignoring the blood streaming down his forehead, Sanosuke raised his head and said, "It's fairer to fight now."

"You came for the shackles from the start, huh... I hate opponents like you the most." Ah Zhang gritted his teeth, turned his head away, and said, "Just say what you want to ask, and get out of here right after you're done."

Zuo Zhizhu was quite surprised: "You're willing to talk?"

“You remind me of the man who just died saving me.” Ah Zhang looked at the shattered wooden yoke: “When Zhizhi Xiong’s faction fights against the Restoration Government, many heroes like him will lose their lives in battle…”

Hana, hiding in the shadows, rolled her eyes: "Huh? Are you talking about me?"

Saito Kazue's heart skipped a beat: "All the police officers were knocked unconscious just now, and there were no reports of anyone dying, not even a single seriously injured person... Something's strange." As for what was strange, without witnessing Kanon's performance just now, Saito couldn't figure it out in the short term. Besides, the idea that "someone died to save him" seemed to have really touched Ah Zhang, and it was precisely the breakthrough point for the interrogation. He wouldn't be foolish enough to point out the fact that no one had died.

Saito said, “I have two questions. First, I selected fifty skilled swordsmen from the military and the Metropolitan Police Department to form a special forces team as a trump card against Shishio, but these men were all killed overnight. The murderer was obviously a lone wolf who fought alone... How many of Shishio’s men have such strength?”

“Hmph, there are probably two people…” Ah Zhang said.

"Only two out of fifty elite soldiers were wiped out overnight? Fewer than expected." Saito pondered, "It seems that Shishio Makoto's proud 'Ten Espada' unit is not as formidable as it seems."

"No way." Ah Zhang curled his lip: "To kill fifty people without anyone noticing, such a secret infiltration operation only has a time limit of one or two hours at most. That's the difficulty. If there were no time limit, I could do it."

"So all the Espada have this kind of strength?" Sanosuke interjected, "Because you're the lowest-ranking one among the Espada."

"...Damn it, you should have been killed!" Zhang roared in fury.

"Come on then, who's afraid of who!" Sanosuke roared in fury.

"Stop playing around, let him continue." Saito's tone was full of angry pressure. Sanosuke was too annoying. Even Kanon, who was hiding in the shadows, almost couldn't help but jump out and beat him up.

After calming himself down, Ah Zhang said straightforwardly, "The two people who could do this are, one of them is the so-called 'Heavenly Sword' Soujiro, a boy who is always smiling, but he has been busy gathering the scattered members of the 'Espada' and has no time to do this. The one who made the move this time is most likely 'Blind Sword' Usui. That guy was a formidable rival of Lord Shishio during the Bakumatsu period, but he was blinded by him. Later, he mastered the Mind's Eye technique and became one of the 'Espada' on the condition that he could assassinate Lord Shishio at any time."

Ah Zhang pointed at Saito and said, "Although you look very strong, to be honest, Yu Shui's martial arts are above yours."

"I don't care." Saito's smile carried a chill...

"Now let's ask the second question: What is Zhizhi Xiong planning?"

Author's Note: The next chapter will start soon, see you in a bit. It will probably be a little late, so you can wait until tomorrow morning to read it. I have a bit of a headache today, maybe it's from the wind this afternoon.

Section 886, Chapter 877: The Fire Never Rises

In late May and early June, the weather in Kyoto is dry and gradually becomes hot.

In the past two days, there have been more and more police officers patrolling the streets and alleys, and many residents in the city have also been spontaneously checking their belongings. Ostensibly, it is to be careful with fire due to the dry weather, but in reality, people are not expecting to stop the arrival of summer. This operation is actually to prevent the "national seizure plan" of Shishio Makoto and his gang of terrorists.

According to "Sword Hunter" A-Zhang, Shishio planned to reenact the "Ikedaya Incident" in Kyoto—originally referring to the June 1864 incident in which radical Restorationists secretly plotted at the Ikedaya Inn to burn down Kyoto, assassinate high-ranking officials of the shogunate in the chaos, kidnap the emperor to Choshu, and then use the emperor to command the feudal lords, spreading the flames of Restoration throughout Japan. However, this plan was discovered by the Shinsengumi, the last samurai group known as the "Wolves of Mibu," who forcibly stormed the Ikedaya Inn and thwarted the Restorationists' plan after a fierce battle—one of the Shinsengumi's most celebrated achievements.

Now that the Meiji Restorationists are in power, Shishio Makoto is planning to replicate their brutal scheme to overthrow the Restoration government—a truly cunning and ruthless move. It is said that Shishio has prepared 500 elite infantrymen to set fires in various locations, while his elite "Ten Blades" samurai group will take advantage of the chaos to assassinate political figures, creating widespread disorder to shake public morale in Japan. As for what happens later, if the chaos of the late Edo period returns, this generation of tyrants can seize power from the ensuing upheaval.

As for when the operation will begin... there's no set date. It depends on when all ten Espada are assembled and Shishio decides to act. That's why everyone can only keep patrolling; the exact date is impossible to pinpoint.

Police officers are on patrol, residents are in the police force, and it is said that the Oniwabanshu—the official ninja agents kept by the shogunate—are secretly colluding with each other. Among these people is Kanon, an orphan girl from a small village who seems unremarkable.

Hanon has been living a life somewhat like a superhero lately. During the day, she works at a restaurant serving food and drinks, and at night she changes into her police uniform and walks around Kyoto in secret, occasionally subduing petty thieves and effectively reducing the crime rate in Kyoto.