Great, we're doomed now!

'W-What's going on... You, Ye Shou! Is that you? Quickly turn me back to normal!'

"Oh, you're still conscious? Don't worry, you'll pay for your sins."

I'll keep using you until I no longer need you, then I can send you to the underworld, like after I defeat the giant conch... But with your strength, it's really unlikely you'll survive until the final boss—that's what Ye Shou thought.

-

-

P.S.: The design of the sash can be referenced from the resurrected stone statue in "Jackie Chan Adventures".

By the way, I was actually so sleepy I was thinking of taking a day off, but then it happened to be Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day), and the thought of fighting for my family's innocence made me get out of bed and finish writing this chapter~

Chapter 164 is, of course, about "The Man Who Needs a Mother"!

Ye Shoujiang reclaimed the [Prosperous Kingdom], and the ghostly body beneath his feet had completely melted away, leaving only a huge and blurry humanoid black shadow on the ground.

Having witnessed what had just happened, Nishikida Keiryu asked in surprise, "Ye Shou, did you subdue Sukuna-ki?"

"I guess so." Ye Shou thought for a moment. Although he hadn't tested the effect yet, he said with certainty, "This guy will never be able to come out and wreak havoc on the world again."

“That’s fine.” Jinglong nodded. “But you must be careful not to be misled by overly convenient powers. Everything comes at a price.”

"Thank you, Master. I understand that. I will never be obsessed with the power of ghosts and gods... In the end, this guy is just clinging to life."

If it were the original Sukuna Oni, even if Ye Shou could control it with [Soul Summoning and Exorcising], it would still be susceptible to being corrupted by resentment, since this ability doesn't make it immune to negative energy. But now Sukuna Oni has returned to its spirit form, losing all its hundreds of years of accumulation in one fell swoop. Bound by both its innate abilities and its Stand ability, it is powerless to resist and can only be manipulated by Ye Shou.

"However, there is one thing that bothers me."

Ye Shou recalled the coin from before and paused: "The contract doesn't say 'Ryomen Sukuna Oni,' but 'Samurai General Oni Princess Sora'... Master, you've dealt with her before, could this be her real name?"

"I don't know. The Sukuna Oni I encountered had completely turned into a demon, and the villagers never told me his 'name'."

Jinglong shook his head, propped the knife on the ground, and calmly said, "You don't need to worry, this kind of thing is very common."

"Common? You mean?"

“A name has power! It is also the most common form of power of words.”

Jinglong patiently explained, “Being bestowed a name is a privilege of those in power. This act itself represents the establishment of a distinction between superiors and inferiors. Therefore, since ancient times, when daimyo or powerful clans wanted to win over retainers of ordinary origin, bestowing a family name was a common tactic... For example, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, you know?”

Ye Shou nodded: This person's experience is indeed very convincing, and the fact that he was able to give this example proves that Jinglong has read a lot of books.

(Kageryū was a person from the Sengoku period of Japan, while Hideyoshi emerged at the end of the Sengoku period. Kageryū had never heard of him during his lifetime.)

As a rare example of a commoner rising to power during the Sengoku period, Hideyoshi was originally from a ronin or peasant family whose lineage was unclear. He was just a foot soldier and cannon fodder when he joined the army. It was only after being given important positions under Oda Nobunaga that he received his first family name, which was his official family name, "Hashiba".

This means that the Hideyoshi family were Oda's retainers, and their loyalty remained unchanged from generation to generation.

—Later, through a series of struggles, he inherited Oda Nobunaga's career. In order to improve his status, he had to get rid of the title of Oda retainer, so he abandoned "Hashiba" and asked the court for the prestigious "Toyotomi" as his family name.

As Jinglong said, "naming" is the oldest contract, and it has been common from the slave era to the 21st century, from the East to the West.

Furthermore, the name bestowed upon Sukuna-ki by the "Prosperous Country" involves powerful incantations at the soul level!

From now on, "Onihime Sora" will be her name, replacing the original one. Unless Ye Shou sets her free, she will never be able to find her true name and will be forever at Ye Shou's beck and call!

Just like in Spirited Away.

As for the name "Sora"... it actually has nothing to do with Sukuna. It's just that Ye Shou subconsciously chose a name that sounds similar and is familiar.

(Note: Sora means "sky".)

"No matter what, it's a boost." Ye Shou breathed a sigh of relief, his expression becoming much more relaxed.

Jinglong found it amusing: "You seem to be in a good mood."

"Of course, I've wanted to try doing this for a long time."

— Ye Shou was referring to the act of fixing the soul and then "collecting" it.

"In this way, I can command spirits at will and make them work for me. Compared to human employees, they don't need holidays or pay, and I don't even have to consider their feelings... It's perfect."

"Hmm~"

Jinglong frowned and blinked: "That sounds strange. Doesn't this mean we've fallen to the same level as those powerful lords who have no regard for the people's welfare?"

"That's why I haven't actually laid a hand on him, not even now."

Ye Shou revealed a genuinely happy smile: "Sukuna-gui caused such great destruction and has committed numerous evil deeds. Working under me is a form of labor reform for her—is there anything wrong with that?"

"No...right?" Jinglong scratched his head. He felt that Ye Shou's words made a lot of sense, but something still didn't feel right.

"I originally thought you were a forgiving saint, but now it seems you're more like the kind who seeks revenge quickly."

"Forgiveness depends on the person, Master." Ye Shou smiled slightly, not caring.

Was it tyranny to exile people to Siberia to dig potatoes, mine, and eat dirt? Of course it was.

But what if the exiles were prisoners of war from the Kwantung Army?

—Doesn't it instantly feel like it aligns with the way of the sages?

Ye Shou is a seasoned capitalist warrior. He will make the most of even a piece of toilet paper or a screw, and he will not make an exception for Su Na Gui just because he has a large bust.

He hasn't found the correct way to use Sukunagi yet, otherwise...

Damn it, once you're on the production team's millstone, it doesn't matter if you're male or female, human or ghost!

-

"Wow! That's powerful! Is that the power of [J]? Amazing! Even if it's an alien invasion..."

Seeing the enormous creature gradually fall silent, and black mist rising from its body dissipating into the void, Yoshioka, concluding that the battle was over, clenched his fist and shouted with joy.

Lost in the moment, he pulled someone close, embracing them tightly while patting their back.

"You're a truly remarkable fellow, Dr. Yamata!"

"Uh, um...you flatter me."

"Haha, don't be so reserved. From today onwards, we're comrades who've risked our lives together."

Yoshioka pointed excitedly at the distant corpse of Sukuna Oni, which had begun to "evaporate" and melt away like snow: "See this? This is our victory! Without your [J], we wouldn't have been able to defeat that monster."

"Oh, it's all thanks to everyone's cooperation, otherwise..."

"Is this called 'Redstone Technology'? If it can be miniaturized and applied to new fighter jets, the Earth Defense Force will have its own elite force!"

"..."

Seeing Yoshioka Tetsuji lost in his beautiful fantasy, Yao Meifan fell silent, paused, and then interrupted Yoshioka.

"Actually, this technology is still in the experimental stage and has not yet been put into actual combat. In order to meet the needs of combat, we had no choice but to bring out the prototype. These two shots have already exceeded the carrying capacity, and the built-in artificial chips have probably been completely destroyed... It is unknown how long it will take to rebuild."

"Ah... even with sufficient resources?" Yoshioka frowned.

"Redstone Technology was established through a collaboration between TPC and the Jiushi Group. It was not lacking in funding; the issue was purely theoretical and productive."

You may not know that these artificial chips cannot yet be mass-produced. They need to be manufactured one by one through extremely complex processes, and the entire prototype takes two to three years to complete. Even with increased investment, the time can only be shortened to a year at most.

Eight-tailed Fox paused, then said, "All of this is supported by data."

"If that's the case, considering that it's similar to a disposable item, its practical value in combat is very low."

Yoshioka murmured, slightly unwilling, "Is this just an exception...?"

"In fact, this technology was originally intended for quantum communication and solar power, and was never intended for weapons development—"

"In your opinion, how difficult would it be to scale down the prototype to a size that can be installed on an aircraft, and how long would it take to mass-produce it?"

"...I can only say I will do my best." Dr. Yao Meifan pursed his lips, bowed his head to Yoshioka, and made a seemingly serious promise.

Yoshioka quickly bowed in respect, showing great respect to the professor and having no doubt that Yao was lying.

From an ordinary person's perspective, such advanced technology should require a long and arduous research and development process. Time, funding, technology... any one of these issues could potentially cause a year or two of delays. The situation described by Yawei is actually quite ideal.

Who would have thought that "Aja Redstone" would fall from the sky!

(6 This is not normal technological progress, but an apocalyptic explosion, just like Wakanda obtaining vibranium.)

As long as Yao and Professor Agasa don't say that the original sample exists, even their researchers will only assume that the crystal structure was finally obtained through years of trial and error.

"Ah~"

Leaving the command center in Yoshioka, Yao didn't let anyone follow him and went to the area of ​​the two "prototypes" on his own. They were so large that they needed to be loaded onto multiple trucks and then assembled on site—before a breakthrough in energy storage technology, it was impossible to shrink their size to the level of a vehicle.

This was a weakness that Ya-Tails and Agasa deliberately left behind after discussing it!

Seeing that the machine was clearly overloaded and that the artificial chip had damaged a lot of it, Yao Meifan touched it and gradually fell into deep thought.

This machine alone demonstrates the potential of Project J, and the Super Redstone brought by Kuze Ye Shou is even more powerful. It might actually solve the problem of energy transmission on a cosmic scale, making it easy to establish a base on the moon.

If Magneto propulsion also achieves a breakthrough, then humanity will be able to enter the era of interstellar colonization, heading towards Mars and even more distant places... But are we, the "us" of today, ready for this?

--No.

Ya-o shook his head inwardly, turning his gaze to the distance, looking at the mountains ravaged by Sukuna-ki, his expression deep and melancholy.

"It's not the right time yet... Yes, it's not the right time yet. Professor Agasa, I hope that your decision and mine will not be wrong."

We cannot hand over redstone technology to humans for the time being!

They were just one Sukuna Oni; the threats they faced were not strong enough, and they lacked the corresponding sense of crisis, so they could not truly unite.

TPC also lacks the power to protect this technology from misuse!

We must wait patiently... Sawai Soichiro, Kuze Mamoru, and others will surely change this world!

What scientists like him need to do is to quietly prepare usable technologies for people before that day arrives.

-

After defeating Sukuna Oni, the cleanup work is left to TPC.

This wasn't Ye Shou deliberately being lazy; it was to train the team. TPC would encounter more and more formidable enemies in the future, and they needed to gain more experience in both the battles themselves and the pre- and post-battle management to avoid showing any weakness later.

No one is born knowing how to fight monsters. Once you see them a lot and get flustered a few times, you'll gradually get used to it.

TPC really made a name for itself this time. After all, the brutality of the battlefield is evident, and there's video evidence. A little investigation would reveal that it's a formidable force capable of creating nuclear-level shockwaves with its own body—it's impossible for world leaders not to take it seriously.

Of course, the video was edited; the parts involving Ye Shou were replaced with the image of "Jintian Jinglong," and with Lucy and the others' skills, no flaws would be left.

Thus, the MVP of this battle was the swordsman hero spirit who woke up alongside Sukunaki and stepped in to stop their nemesis. Obik, the monster that made its second appearance, was explained as Keiryu's former companion.

There's comic book proof!

So that's how it is. That popular anime was actually based on this folktale—even within TPC, this is the prevailing narrative, let alone outsiders.