Great, we're doomed now!

Just then, a familiar voice rang out:

[They're underground, they'll be coming out soon. You can go in through the ejection port, and I'll tell you how to get to the cockpit.]

Ye Shou's expression turned slightly serious, and after a moment's thought, he immediately began to act!

-

The TPC team, still fighting outside the factory, watched helplessly as the earth cracked open and a disc-shaped spaceship, hundreds of meters in diameter, emerged from beneath the factory floor.

This was the first time that Megumi Kijima had ever seen a real alien spaceship, and she was deeply shocked. But she quickly recovered and ordered the ground firepower and new-generation fighter jets that had been deployed to open fire and shoot down the spaceship!

However, the spaceship's armor was exceptionally strong, and neither cannonballs nor lasers could stop it in the slightest. It broke through the human firepower head-on and flew towards the more distant sky.

……boom!

A burst of flames suddenly erupted from the bottom of the spaceship, causing it to immediately lose its balance.

Originally in despair, Izayoi was stunned. Instinctively, she ordered everyone to adjust their parameters and fire at full power, and the overwhelming attack covered the sky.

The spaceship wobbled and slid, sometimes flying and sometimes falling, as if it were being piloted by a drunk... It was impossible to tell whether it was due to the anti-aircraft fire or a problem with the spaceship itself. It plunged into the lake with thick smoke billowing out...

Chapter 206: [The Rules Are Mine - The Outsider]

When Ye Shou climbed out of the water, soaking wet, the surrounding area had already been taken over by TPC troops, who had established a military restricted zone within a five-kilometer radius.

The medical team wanted to come up and examine him, but Ye Shou sent them away to serve others. He knew his own body was in a state where he either didn't get injured or, once injured, couldn't be repaired by ordinary medical methods. The effect was far inferior to healing magic and [transition effects].

The maid brought a professional team that had already set up the tent and changed him into dry and comfortable clothes. He didn't waste even this little bit of time, and through a canvas, he communicated with Megumi about the situation and made a simple plan for handling things afterwards.

Liuli immediately contacted the technical staff for consultation and offered several suggestions: "The salvage operation is very difficult, but this is an artificial lake, and the water can be discharged into the sea through the flood discharge channel."

Megumi nodded and asked, "But we have to move the spaceship eventually; we can't leave it here forever."

"I have captured the leader of the Crow People." Ye Shou walked out of the tent after getting dressed. His tall and straight figure, coupled with his decent casual clothes, showed no signs of having just gone through a bloody boarding battle.

"As long as it can be made to 'cooperate,' it may not be possible to completely repair the spaceship, but it is not difficult to activate the anti-gravity engine and move the spaceship to another location."

Jujian Hui looked at Ye Shou with admiration. She knew that although she was nominally in command, Ye Shou had completely dominated the operation, and his individual achievements surpassed the sum of all the others!

This is no longer a question of how big or small his contribution is; you could say he is the absolute core of the team, and only "Kusei Yoshimori" is irreplaceable.

Capture a spaceship by himself?

This is a scene straight out of a superhero comic book; seeing it in person is truly awe-inspiring.

But the person involved seemed completely nonchalant, which made it seem like Megumi Kijima had never seen anything like this before.

“Okay, then we should make the relevant requests to the government now. In addition, this project will definitely affect the surrounding environment, so we need to see if there is any private land involved.”

"Oh, I almost forgot—Liuli?"

"Yes, Lord Ye Shou."

"Hmm?" Megumi looked at the master and servant with a bit of confusion.

Liuli kept clicking on her small portable computer, and after less than two minutes her eyes lit up: "Found it... The ownership of this artificial lake belongs entirely to the local government and two large companies. Their business is not doing very well, so I believe they will be happy to accept our investment."

"...Do you want to buy this lake?"

Kijima leaned back slightly: "Such a big matter, shouldn't we reconsider?"

“It’s easier to do things on your own turf. Miss Ju, you don’t want to be bossed around by the government, do you? As long as you get a majority stake, you can shut up the local officials. As for Tokyo… there will be a solution.”

"I'm just surprised... all for 'convenience'?" Megumi Kijima was a little unaccustomed to the unique way Kuze and his servant acted.

She was Sawai's disciple and had worked at the United Nations for a period of time. It was a place that seemed impressive, but where people felt constrained in their work.

Furthermore, somewhat awkwardly, the United Nations needs to be frugal, investing limited funds in unlimited responsibilities. Therefore, waiting and compromise are the daily routine for the United Nations.

Buying things on a whim, paving the way entirely with money, is something that Megumi Kijima could never imagine.

"As for the surrounding land, that's a bit of a problem."

"So it really is private property?"

In Japan, many natural resources are privately owned, from mountains and fields to mines and ports; some areas are practically states within a state. This is why, even in the 21st century, Japan's powerful clans remain so active, representing the "prestige" of a region, and even politicians need their support to rise to power.

It is very troublesome to move private property, and even if the government intervenes, people may refuse.

Izumi is worried that if the landowner is an old stubborn person, it might cause some trouble if construction starts here in the future.

However, Liuli changed the subject: "This place was originally going to be a hospital, but it seems we need to change it. I'll have someone replan it when I get back."

"Hmm?" Megumi blinked. "Could it be that...!"

"what happened?"

"This land..."

“It’s under the name of ‘Kuze’.” Ruri paused for a moment, then added, “It’s a private property, not owned by the group. If you need anything, just contact Lord Ye Shou… no, just contact me.”

The tone was as if to say, "This is such a trivial matter that it's not worth the master's concern"—and for a moment, Megumi Kijima didn't know what to say.

She finally regained her composure and secretly decided to go back and investigate the size of the Jiushi Group's assets.

I only knew that Ye Shou's family was rich, even able to afford TPC's huge research funding, but I didn't really know exactly how rich they were!

Over the years, Jiushi has expanded into many industries, so their working capital should be quite high, right? Where does the money they pay to TPC each month come from?

Leaving aside the capitalist shock that young Izumi Megumi felt, Ye Shou turned and went into the tent, and when he came out, he casually lifted the lid to show what was inside.

There were rows of insulated box-like "cages" neatly placed on the ground, and another one was taken out separately.

“Those were the other group of humans I found on the spaceship, captured by the Raven People.”

Ye Shou pointed to the separate box: "Inside are the living crow people, including the leader, all of whom have been collected into the box by the shrinking beam... Time is of the essence, I didn't check if they had any other weapons, so you must guard them carefully."

They came to capture slaves, so they must have a way to restore humans. If our scientists cannot reverse-engineer the shrinking light, then the hope of saving these victims rests on these crows.

"Ah, I understand, please don't worry!" Jujian Hui looked Ye Shou up and down in surprise.

Despite possessing a superior overall perspective and leadership vision, he prefers to take the lead in charging forward. His individual combat ability is unmatched, and he considers all aspects, making him far from being a capricious person.

The entire operation didn't take much time from beginning to end, especially after the spaceship appeared, it only took a few minutes before it crashed into the lake... How did Ye Shou manage to "steal a moment of leisure" and capture so many people alive while seizing the spaceship?

And did he climb out of the water carrying so many boxes?

Unbelievable!

"This is really... Although as a comrade I shouldn't be so formal, I am truly grateful for your contribution."

Kijimi gave Ye Shou a peacekeeping military salute.

"Now I understand what Professor Sawai thinks of you, Mr. Kuze."

-

"I don't know whether to say you're lucky or unlucky, how come you always run into all sorts of things?"

"...I also want to know the answer."

Seeing Zi with a bitter face, he handed the shrinking gun in his hand to Ye Shou, which was then taken away by the staff and placed with other spoils of war for management.

Ye Shou glanced at the high school girl with a helpless expression and couldn't help but laugh: "But you used your Stand quite well. Is this your first real battle? Against an alien... This is quite an interesting start."

"Don't make fun of me. My mind went completely blank at the time. It was all the [Suspension Bridge Effect] that made me act on its own." Jianzi shook her head. "I don't know what happened either. That crow man was hit by the shrinking ray."

"Such independent Stands are rare, and they can be good or bad. But in your case, the [Suspension Bridge Effect] is not the kind that will harm the user; on the contrary, it will actively protect you... This is a good thing. Congratulations on gaining an older sister who protects you around the clock."

“…Hmm.” Jianzi nodded in agreement—her life had indeed become much more comfortable after having a substitute.

"It's all thanks to you... thank you."

Ye Shou accepted it readily and then followed Jian Zi into the safe area where the rescued people were placed.

As soon as they stepped into the temporarily designated area, several figures immediately surrounded them.

"Kou!" Chika was the first to rush forward, almost crashing into him and throwing herself into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, her voice still trembling with relief, "Thank goodness you're alright. I heard from Asuna that you fought those monsters all by yourself..."

Following closely behind was Shirogane Kei. Unlike Chika, she wasn't direct. At first, she seemed to want to hold onto Ye Shou's arm tightly, but she became embarrassed when she saw Chika's expression. Now she maintained a restrained distance, her upturned face filled with worry and lingering fear.

“Senior…the explosions outside just now…I’ve never seen Chika-nee look so worried.”

Ye Shou smiled with a hint of helplessness and gentleness, and patted the pink-haired girl's back lightly: "I'm fine. They don't know, but Qianhua, you've seen (Obik) before, so you should know that this kind of small scene is no problem for me."

Then, Ye Shou's gaze swept over the other two, confirming that they were unharmed except for being frightened.

Standing a little distance away, Yuuki Asuna no longer looked frightened and had regained her noble demeanor. She took a few steps forward and bowed earnestly to Ye Shou, her chestnut hair falling smoothly over her shoulders like satin.

"Kuse-kun, if you hadn't arrived in time, we probably would have... Anyway, thank you so much!"

She paused, not finishing her sentence, but the gratitude and determination in her eyes were genuine.

"You're welcome, Asuna." Ye Shou nodded to her, his tone calm. "You were trying your best to save yourselves, and you reacted quickly and did a great job. Maybe you have the talent to be a female swordsman."

"Thank you for the compliment..." There was nothing wrong at first, but Ye Shou's words "female swordsman" hit a nerve, and she immediately blushed.

Ye Shou didn't pay much attention. He calmed everyone down, exchanged a few words with the still-shaken girls, and then turned and left—he had a lot of things to do now, and he'd save chatting with the pretty girls for when he had more free time.

However, just as he stepped out, a familiar scent followed him, so he deliberately walked to a secluded spot where there were few people, and then turned around with a sense of helplessness.

"Is there anything else, Miss?"

"Well!"

Sure enough, when he turned around, he saw Qianhua standing behind him.

The pink-haired girl's eyes darted around, her hands behind her back, as if she were hiding something.

"Qianhua?"

"Um, this..."

Chika pursed her lips and took out something she had been hiding behind her back—

It was a "Metal Hero" driver accessory with a slightly exaggerated design and bright paint.

"I received this at the theater... Here, take it as a thank you gift."

"..."

Qianhua pursed her lips: "Don't look down on it. You know my financial situation... I can't afford anything more upscale."

"No... how could I possibly dislike it?"

Ye Shou paused for a moment, took the childlike toy, and felt a warmth in his heart, but looked at Qianhua with some confusion.

Such coyness is unlike Chika's usual style.