I was the fourth disaster in Yokohama and was loved by everyone.

Coincidentally, Zhu Yu had just been assigned to a remote rural area on a mission, so by the time she returned in the afternoon, everything had already been settled.

[Loading the save] She returned shortly after receiving the mission that morning.

She was sitting in the assistant supervisor's car, idling, but as soon as the game resumed, she immediately quit the idling mode and directed the assistant supervisor to turn around and find Haibara and the others.

"Wait, wait, [Meichuan]-san, but what about our mission?"

This assistant supervisor was the same one who had witnessed Zhu Yu dragging Zenin Naoya out earlier. Seeing that Zhu Yu refused to do the task, he immediately became anxious.

You should know that refusing to do tasks will result in being held accountable by the supervisory department, and in serious cases, you may even be labeled a curse master.

The assistant supervisor, who had worked with Zhu Yu for a long time and had even been helped by her, was caught in a dilemma.

Although Mei Chuan-san sometimes acts a bit strange, she is proactive, strong, and efficient in completing tasks. Such a partner is hard to find even with a lantern!

Whether from an emotional or practical standpoint, assistant supervisors are unlikely to want the other party to be held accountable by the supervisory department.

"Let it go first."

"But... this mission is very urgent, and the higher-ups specifically requested that you go."

Yes, this was a designated task, with such high priority and generous rewards that Zhu Yu even postponed some of the Panxing Sect's urgent affairs.

The thought of possibly failing the mission made Zhu Yu feel so heartbroken that she could hardly breathe.

No! The player's completion rate is 100%!

But... let's check on the NPCs first, figure out the situation, and then find a way to satisfy both sides—one that can both rescue the NPCs and complete the quest.

Fortunately, the two hadn't been gone long when, with the car running at full speed, Zhu Yu ran into Haibara and Nanami, who had just put down their tents.

"senior!"

Noticing the commotion behind her, Haibara turned around and waved to Zhu Yu with delight.

Wasn't the senior also on a mission? How come he suddenly appeared here?

Zhu Yu nodded to him, looking directly at the two of them—

The tent behind them rushed away.

Urgent, urgent.

Haibara turned and exchanged a blank look with Nanami: "Um...I remember, this seems to be our mission?"

Nanami's lips twitched: "...That's our mission."

"So, what's this, Senpai?" Haibara was shocked.

Although the senior was a little "enthusiastic" about going on missions, he had never done anyone else's mission before.

Could this be... the senior's new method of cultivation?

You truly are a senior; I've learned a lot.

Haibara clenched her fist in excitement.

"..." Seemingly understanding what Haibara was thinking, Nanami sighed and urged, "Alright, stop thinking nonsense. The most important thing now is to find Senior [Umekawa]."

The two quickly turned around and rushed inside.

They had barely made contact with the cursed spirit when it vanished in a flash of white light. However, sensing the cursed power emanating from it at the moment of its attack, they were able to determine that it was clearly a level one cursed spirit.

The two stopped and stood facing each other.

After a few breaths, cold sweat soaked his back.

Aftermath.

*

In fact, Zhu Yu encountered some minor incidents while busy rescuing NPCs.

Chapter 151 Enemy?

The car had barely turned around and driven a short distance when the assistant supervisor received a call from higher-ups—seriously emphasizing that Zhu Yu should return immediately to complete the mission, or face the consequences.

Zhu Yu: ......

What an arrogant NPC! The players will have to wait and see! :D

Zhu Yu ignored him and had the assistant supervisor hang up the phone. He successfully delivered "divine justice" to the cursed spirit before the "Land God" could attack Haibara, saving her.

Unfortunately, by the time she rushed to the mission location, her mission had failed.

The mission requires exorcising the cursed spirit while rescuing the trapped civilians.

Because they did not arrive in time, the civilian casualties were heavy.

However, if they choose to do the mission, they will inevitably be unable to save Haibara.

To outsiders, this might be a choice between death and survival.

For a certain player...

She made her choice quickly after only a moment's thought—you, the player's tool subordinates!

She chose to call upon the people of the Panxing Cult.

Previously, the members of the Panxing Sect were all ordinary people, but since Zhu Yu took over the Panxing Sect, some curse masters have come to join her.

Among them were even remnants of the cursed mage group "Q".

In the "Astroma" incident, "Q" dispatched a large number of members to hunt down the Astroma, but they were all defeated by Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Suke. "Q" was severely weakened and forced to retreat.

The people of "Q" were somewhat tempted after hearing that the curse master [Kawakami Socks] had taken over the Panxing Cult, and wanted to switch their allegiance to her.

—That's the one who defeated "Six Eyes" and "Spirit Manipulator"!

The "Q" members, who had been brutally beaten by Gojo Satoru and his companion, were deeply traumatized. Now, someone had appeared who could defeat their "terror"...

Sorcerers are particularly fond of strength, and this applies to curse masters as well. Rather, it's more accurate to say that those who have deviated from the "righteous path" in the conventional sense have a more direct and fanatical pursuit of power.

In a short time, many curse masters joined the Panxing Cult, which transformed from a non-cursor group into a mixed group of cursors and non-cursors.

Non-magicians are responsible for communicating with believers and spreading the doctrine, while magicians are responsible for resolving believers' requests and fulfilling their demands.

Zhu Yu, the actual controller of the Panxing Sect, only needed to sit back and collect the money.

The "Subordinate Forces" section allows you to view the attributes and status of those who have joined the Panxing Cult.

Zhu Yu opened the panel, found a few subordinates capable of dealing with the cursed spirit, and tapped on the panel to issue remote commands. Finally, Zhu Yu could go and rescue the NPC from the Ash Plains with peace of mind.

The player's junior, the player has arrived!

*

Zhu Yu returned with Haibara and Nanami unharmed. Meanwhile, her subordinates fulfilled their mission by exorcising the cursed spirits, and a notification popped up indicating that the mission was complete.

The fact that Haibara and Nanami's mission had gone wrong naturally became known to others.

Xia Youjie pressed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, and let out a long breath, as if to expel all the pent-up frustration from his chest.

The summer heat and accumulated negative emotions have led to a new surge in the number of cursed spirits.

Everyone at the college is busy with missions, and often they don't even see each other for several days in a row, let alone find time to help others.

If KOKO-chan hadn't suddenly changed her schedule, I'm afraid...

Xia Youjie glanced at Haibara Yu, who seemed to have been unharmed, without showing any emotion, and finally felt relieved.

Even if Yu Haibara could laugh it off, Kento Nanami couldn't.

It's fair to say that his trust in "the window" has plummeted.

The arrogant attitude of those high-ranking figures in the sorcery world became even more detestable to him—because Senior Meichuan had violated the rules by coming to them, the higher-ups wanted to punish her.

When Wu Tiao Wu heard that Zhu Yu was going to be held accountable, he immediately flew into a rage and stormed into the director's office, demanding that the higher-ups lift the punishment.

If an ordinary sorcerer dared to do this, they would certainly be regarded as an enemy of the sorcery world and branded as a cursed sorcerer.

However, the Gojo family also wields considerable influence at the higher levels, and Gojo Satoru's own strength leaves no room for others to even attempt any underhanded tactics.

As a result, due to various factors, and the fact that there were already multiple factions within the upper echelons, one of the higher-ups suggested that it be better to let the matter drop to avoid provoking a backlash from [Meichuan Kuzi].

You should know that among the curse masters, there is one who is stronger than "Six-Eyed" and "Curse Spirit Manipulator" [Kawakami Socks].

What if they also offend Mei Chuan, who is in their own camp and can rival that "extremely evil curse master"?

I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well at night.

Thinking of this, the high-ranking officials, who had once been ruled by the fear brought about by "Kawakami Socks," became completely obedient.

In order to stabilize Zhu Yu's position, the original punishment was even changed into a reward, and a bunch of rewards were issued retroactively.

One player, upon discovering this windfall, exclaimed: "Where did this come from? Never mind..."

*

The days roll forward like pre-programmed mechanical gears, moving forward seamlessly.

Gojo Satoru gradually got used to this seemingly unusually busy summer.

They were crammed together in front of the vending machine at the vocational high school, their foreheads pressed against the glass door to cool off. Suddenly, someone shoved an iced drink against the back of Jay's neck, making him jump up and chase after them—Shoko and KOKO-chan were leaning against each other, watching their playful bickering.

The rising steam from the hot spring bath turned everyone's faces a shrimp-like color. Haibara's hair was wet and stuck to her forehead as she excitedly tried swimming in the hot spring, while Nanami closed her eyes to rest in a corner. Suddenly, Haibara jumped out from behind a rock and ambushed her unsuspecting juniors.

On a sweltering night, we huddled together with our equally sweaty companions. As the first firework exploded overhead, they all craned their necks in unison.

Sugar residue from the candied apple fell onto the back of my hand, mixing with my sweat.

It's impossible to tell who accidentally stepped on whose yukata hem or who accidentally bumped into whose ear anymore.

Laughter drowned out the cicadas' chirping, and colorful fireworks dyed the night sky into flowing aurora.

A summer that couldn't be more perfect.

—Until one afternoon when the sun was shining brightly.

"Regarding Jay..." Moth's face darkened, appearing even more serious than usual, "He defected."

Gojo Satoru's pupils suddenly contracted, like two black pools tossed with pebbles, the surface calm shattered silently. His lips parted slightly, but no air flowed through—his breathing was paused, a half-breath hanging in his chest, neither rising nor falling.

The world suddenly went silent.

"......ha?"

He managed to squeeze out only a blank syllable.

Night Moth Masakado frowned deeply, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "Everyone in the village has disappeared, and 70% of the village was burned down. The subsequent investigation team found two kinds of remnants of cursed power at the scene."

"One of them is his, and the other comes from..."

Moth paused, its lips turning down, seemingly extremely reluctant to mention: "The Cursed One [Kawakami Socks]."

"Later, some people witnessed him following [Kawakami] to Panxing Church to carry out religious activities."

"The investigation concluded that Xia Youjie was instigated by the 'Extremely Evil Cursed Master' and defected from the college."

Moth handed the investigation report to Gojo Satoru and sighed softly.

"The higher-ups have ordered that you personally execute him. Wu, the next time we meet, you'll be enemies..."

Chapter 152 Together?

Will we be enemies next time we meet?

"I don't think so, Satoru."

Xia Youjie, a colleague who was deemed to have defected, answered with a smile.

*

The sunlight spread across the road like melted butter. People came and went on the sweltering street. Gojo Satoru recognized the figure in the crowd at a glance—Natsuyou Jie, the curse master who was said to have defected. At this moment, he was sitting leisurely in the coffee shop on the street corner, sipping bitter coffee.

Xia Youjie looked up and saw them. A hint of surprise flashed across his face, but after regaining his senses, he smiled and waved, as if it were just a chance encounter between friends, as if everything was as usual.

Gojo Satoru clenched his fist instantly, his knuckles making a soft "click" sound.

This guy who disappeared without a word has finally shown up...