Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit-01 during the Spirit Awakening Era

"Tsk, it looks like... it's only 300 million. Oh well, I'll leave the cleanup here to you guys. I'm going back."

"What a willful woman, Isayama Mei."

"Each each other."

Chapter 103 Stay away from him!

"Oh! You must be Sadao Maou, right? Nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you." After pushing open the door of the NERV-designated McDonald's in Tokyo-3, Mei Isayama walked over excitedly and shook Sadao Maou's hand, his eyes gleaming with golden light. Without a doubt, this golden light was literal, A-rank, at least A-rank.

"Um, have you seen me before, sir?" To be honest, it's quite a sight to see such a beautiful woman grab his hand right away... Sadao Masao has seen plenty of those lately.

"Snap..." A mop handle was snapped off.

"Bang..." The cash register was slammed shut.

"Oh...it seems I've caused an unnecessary misunderstanding. You're quite popular, aren't you! Such a kind old man!" With a slight sidelong glance, Mei Isayama's face revealed an obvious smile. Tsk tsk, keeping a close eye on things...

"Oh, so you're Shinji's friends?" Seeing Shinji Ikari and Yuu Aso push open the McDonald's door a few steps behind, Sadao Maou instantly understood. "Nice to meet you. Please take care of me from now on." Then, very politely, he withdrew his hand and casually wiped away a small beacon that had been stuck to the hem of his clothes.

"Hmm?" Feeling her mark disappear in an instant, Isayama Mei looked disappointed, but she didn't care. The other party was probably beyond her ability. This gold mine... it seemed that she couldn't dig it up in a short time! Isayama Mei figured out the approximate level of the person in front of her who had been rumored for a long time. This level was called... Unknowable, which was the initial theoretical meaning of S-rank.

After figuring out the opponent's skill level, Mei Isayama tossed his long hair and walked towards Shinji Ikari and Yuu Aso, who were already seated, without looking back. A gold mine that couldn't be dug up was no longer relevant to him; all that remained was to properly manage his own gains for the day.

"Congratulations, Yuu. You're absolutely right. The American troops arrived much faster than we expected." After sitting down next to Shinji Ikari and the others, Mei Isayama was the first to complain. "I lost 600 million yen, no, 900 million."

"Oh~ just a moment!" Sadao Maou brought over a few drinks and snacks with a grin, then took a few Fukuzawa Yukichi cards from Shinji Ikari, tapped a glass, and a magical wave spread out. "It's been a few days since you've been here, Shinji-kun. Coffee and cola, the barrier is set up, please feel free to chat."

"Thank you very much." Shinji Ikari smiled and shrugged, then glanced around. They hadn't arrived too late, but all the booths seemed to be full, with many people talking about something. But strangely, the entire McDonald's was so quiet that it didn't feel like a fast food restaurant at all, but more like a library, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Oh~ Shinji, your suggestion last time was good. Business is booming every day now. Please enjoy, and you can get free refills." Sadao Maou said with a smile. Shinji Ikari had repeatedly invited people to the shop to discuss matters, and Sadao Maou, out of kindness, released a tranquil barrier. Shinji Ikari later suggested that this be operated as a specialty of Sadao Maou's shop. As a result, it became the first choice for all the forces clustered in Tokyo-3 to negotiate. There were even instances where a group of people were talking separately, and then they would find out, "Oh, you're here too!" and then gather together to get a new table of snacks and continue their trivial discussions.

Perhaps due to the peculiarities of this world, Sadao Maou himself was not lacking in magical power. He didn't mind that his shop's business was doing well. Moreover, perhaps because he had vouched for the business, no one was able to play any tricks with his power, so the business was doing too well. Even though the prices were far higher than those of a regular McDonald's, many people felt it was a great deal.

"Is this his magic? It seems quite similar to the Western version," said Mei Isayama with a smile.

"That's true, but nobody knows the specifics. He doesn't want to say more, and lately, he seems to be recovering even faster." Shinji Ikari carefully considered his words, ultimately choosing to use the more impactful word "recovery" instead of the more subdued term.

"Hmm...not bad." Shinji Ikari's words made Mei Isayama glance again at Sadao Maou, who was standing at the store entrance handing out coupons. "So, Aso, I believe you must have made quite a few new discoveries during this time."

"I found something interesting. Guess who instigated the US attack last night?" Aso Yuu took out a paper bag containing information about the US military that he had obtained through some means yesterday. Anyway, it's the US military. If you find the right person, you don't need any key data, so it doesn't cost much at all.

“I guess it’s the Evil Spirits Group. If it were the Onmyo Bureau, they wouldn’t still be planning to give me money.” Mei Isayama rolled her eyes at Yuu Aso. “That’s not hard to guess. The question is what you found out next. Is it really as we imagined, that some ghostly things have been passed down?”

“We haven’t found out yet, but the Ghost Group seems to have an unusual relationship with the US military. You can often see high-ranking officials from the Ground Self-Defense Force and the US military at the Ghost Group’s nightclubs. They are greeted by Ghost Group leaders.” Aso Yuu took out a few photos.

"This...maybe it doesn't count...To be fair, many nightclubs live off the spending of American soldiers, so we still don't have direct evidence, right?" Shinji Ikari tilted his head and looked at Yuu Aso. In the last meeting, Aso had already suggested that the Demon Souls might be a shield pushed out by some organization, and that they might just be a subordinate doing the dirty work.

In a recent series of events, Yuu Aso unexpectedly came into contact with some information and came to a rather chilling and bold speculation: the Evil Soul Group may be a front man specially selected by some high-ranking government officials and foreign forces.

And on Japanese soil, who is the biggest foreign power? Is there even a question? Of course, it's their American daddy! NERV, isn't it, that's how they've been able to make the Japanese government suffer all sorts of setbacks by relying on their American daddy's influence!

Therefore, Aso Yuu directly suspected the role of the US military in the series of messes involving the Evil Souls Group, especially that huge warship in the sea. Although the ferocious beasts in the ocean that tried to resist were brutally suppressed by humans, and various depth charges made these underwater creatures suffer greatly, it would be difficult for such a huge beast or anomaly to move around in a place like Tokyo Bay that is under close surveillance.

“The big shots up there should have already noticed something’s wrong.” Asou Yuu took a sip of his coffee, then glanced at his cup, which looked slightly better than the coffee sold at McDonald’s. He looked at the separate coffee machine on the counter, shrugged, and understood what was going on. Consider it a special service.

"Here you go..." A young girl from the Onmyōryō (Bureau of Yin and Yang) whom Shinji Ikari knew very well walked over and placed the ice cream on the table, her attitude clearly not very friendly.

"Wow! Your skills are pretty good!" Shinji Ikari glanced at Yu Isayama's ice cream and almost burst out laughing. Red strawberry sauce had written on the ice cream, "Stay away from my manager!" Good grief, this is a warning!

Isayama Yu's lips twitched twice. In her twenty-plus years of life, she wasn't unfamiliar with suitors, nor was she unfamiliar with hostile women like this. But encountering something like this in a fast-food restaurant left her momentarily unsure whether to join her two mischievous friends, Shinji Ikari and Yuu Aso, in laughing hysterically, or to remove the dust cover from her naginata and drag those two girls out for a good beating. What's the meaning of this? They're daring to warn me! Can't you even tell which head of his I'm after?

"The Onmyo-ryo and the Spellcaster Association have conducted separate assessments, and it seems there was no influence from magic; it's simply a matter of goodwill." Just as someone's gaze suddenly sharpened, Shinji Ikari added this information, and Mei Isayama glared at Shinji Ikari with annoyance.

"So what's this about the big sum of money you mentioned?" Mei Isayama stirred her ice cream, then scooped a spoonful into her mouth. Shinji Ikari had called her over to exchange information and analyze the current situation.

“Of course it’s… the Ghasts’ money!” Shinji Ikari looked up at the fourth person who had suddenly appeared beside him. “Are you interested too, Shin-san?”

"It may be a bit impolite, but I'm somewhat interested in this matter. I'm a little short on money, so could you tell me about your profit-sharing method?" Sadao Maou didn't shy away from Shinji Ikari's question. The house he was currently renting was still very basic, and he mostly opted for half-price bento boxes and the cheapest possible dishes. Therefore, he was very interested in the kind of money-making scheme that Shinji and the others were discussing, which was clearly plunder-like.

Of course, Shinji Ikari's high level of trust and recognition in him might also be a reason why he chose to join in this straightforward way.

"I want to confirm one thing..." Shinji Ikari frowned slightly, then looked at the Demon King of this other world, the McDonald's workaholic of this world, "Mao Sadao-san, are you genuinely interested in money, or is it for some other reason?" Shinji vaguely remembered that the magic power of the person before him came very directly from human fear; the more fear there was, the more terrifying Mao Sadao's magic power became.

"Please rest assured, I have no designs on this woman!" Sadao Maou said earnestly, making Shinji Ikari cover his face in embarrassment.

Chapter 104 We Came to the Right Place

"Is this the headquarters of the Demon Souls? It's very modern." Across from An, Shinji Ikari glanced at the magnificent building and clicked his tongue. A skyscraper with at least 20 stories, this truly exceeded Shinji's expectations. The other side seemed completely unprepared for an attack; the brightly lit building continued its busy work.

The four of them now looked like young men and women out for a night out, holding several cups of hot drinks, as well as crispy chicken skewers, golden hot dogs, Thai sweet and spicy fried chicken skewers, Nagoya fried chicken skewers, sausages coated in batter, crispy chicken drumsticks, and several full cups of oden from a nearby convenience store, eating a late-night snack in a very professional manner.

Mei Isayama, dressed in a leather jacket, was even playing with a sparkler in his hand, completely disregarding the evil spirits group opposite him. The four of them looked relaxed and blended in with the other young people playing around. If you got close to them, you would find that what they were talking about was not quite right.

"Floors 1 to 5 are all clubs like the one in 9saka, but floors 10 and above are so-called members-only clubs, which not only satisfy all sorts of crazy desires, but also have some restaurants, auction houses and other weird places."

Finally, floors 24 through 26 are unmarked, so that should be our target. And there's one last problem. Aso Yuu sighed, her face full of helplessness. "It's very likely there's cash inside. According to Japan's Organized Crime Control Law, yakuza groups can't open bank accounts, so there should be a large amount of cash inside. Our biggest problem is how to get this cash back."

“Ryuji’s shop was just painted and is airing out these past few days. When we arrived, Maou-san had already marked the location, so opening a teleportation portal shouldn’t be a problem. The rest is how much money we get before they find out and rush in, and we have to do it before the Onmyo Bureau comes in.” Shinji Ikari shrugged. He and Maou Sadao had already made preparations in advance.

"Have you inquired with Izumo no Okuni? When will they make their move?" Mei Isayama nodded. Shinji Ikari was very reliable; he had made preparations in advance. The rest was just a matter of when and how they would act.

"If you want to share some with me, then of course it will be in a few days~ Otherwise, it seems the sorcerer has run into a tough nut to crack, and he's really angry right now~" Izumo no Okuni said with a smile, holding a cup of oden, blowing on the squid roll inside to cool it down.

"..." Shinji Ikari glanced at Izumo no Okuni, who was rummaging through his bag for his late-night snack, sighed, took out his phone, crushed it, and threw it into the river. "When did you start pretending again!"

"Ah...isn't this a bit of a waste..." Izumo no Okuni didn't care about Shinji Ikari's accusations at all; this wasn't the first time she'd pretended. This little bastard, she was his biggest partner, and he didn't know how to be grateful at all! All he knew was hanging out with this money-grubbing lunatic woman—he'd learn good things for a lifetime, but only bad things in a few minutes. "So what? Anyway, we're only taking a portion; the Onmyōryō will still get the lion's share."

"..." Shinji Ikari glanced at the people around him. The speed at which they were adding people was a bit too fast. The group shrugged, indicating that they had no objections. "It seems like everyone has no objections. Welcome to the team, but you have to do some work!"

"Clang, clang!" As soon as Shinji Ikari finished speaking, Izumo no Okuni pulled out a few cards from a small pocket at his waist. "VIP cards that allow direct access from the garage to the upper floors! If the access on them hasn't been blocked yet." Izumo no Okuni winked at Shinji Ikari. "Because Aso, you've already gotten the building's structural blueprints, although they've definitely done the renovations themselves, they're now handing them over to you."

“Okay…” Aso took a deep breath, “I think we need a few clothes that look like they’re wearable.”

“At this time… I think we can go to the nearby Suzuki Hotel.” Shinji Ikari shrugged. “We can buy some suitable clothes there at this time…”

"Let's not delay! Let's go!"

A few minutes later, the five people, dressed in formal attire, drove a luxury car directly into the basement of the Ghost Group's building.

"Although this building appears to be a dry-hung glass structure from the outside, it's actually an illusion. Its interior is a completely enclosed environment!" Half an hour ago, Aso Yuu spread out simple drawings on the table. They didn't plan to spend too much time sketching. If things changed, they might take a more direct approach. After all, in Aso's estimation, the leaders of the Evil Soul Group should have already been alerted.

After all, the Spellcaster Association, the Anomaly Countermeasures Group, the Onmyo Bureau, and even the Totsuki Group have all sent representatives to publicly issue a food battle challenge to their vice president, Morishita Yamato. The encirclement and suppression has already taken shape. With such a large-scale operation against a group that is theoretically just a yakuza gang, who the hell can believe it's real?

"So our first destination was a bar on the 23rd floor. Besides offering some smuggled liquor, it seemed to also provide some illegally brewed drinks. It was quite a well-known place there. Once we got there, we would be very close to success," Shinji Ikari recalled Aso's words.

The three of them were dressed in contrasting styles. Maou was arm in arm with Mei Isayama, who, dressed in an elegant kimono, couldn't help but glance at Maou's neck. Maou didn't seem to mind, smiling and letting the beautiful woman beside him imagine. Meanwhile, Aso was intimately embracing Izumo Okuni, who was wearing a high-slit backless dress. The two seemed to be discussing where to go for more drinking that night.

As for Shinji Ikari? Well… Shinji's age is what it is, and he has a chubby face. If you ask him to play these roles, putting aside his acting skills, if he doesn't act well, people won't believe him, which would be a huge problem. So Shinji's role is very straightforward: a follower responsible for managing the luggage of rich people. Of course, to put it nicely, he's called an assistant. And you know what? On the ship, Shinji, wearing a suit vest and bow tie, carrying two suitcases, actually looks like he's in that role.

"Welcome! You all look unfamiliar," a member of the gang responsible for greeting the guests said, bowing and scraping.

"Damn it, what kind of look is that?" Aso frowned and began to scold, "Apologize, or you'll regret it!" Aso wasn't lying; they would most likely indeed regret it later, since Shinji Ikari and his group really were there to destroy the house.

"These are the VIP cards Mr. Junxin gave us." At this moment, Shinji Ikari, acting as his assistant, stepped forward and handed over two cards representing their identities. The two gang members at the door swiped the cards and glanced at them; they were indeed genuine. "I'm sorry to have disturbed your business. I'm truly sorry!" He bowed perfectly at a 90-degree angle.

After all, the people who come to such a place to spend money are basically either rich or noble, and it is definitely not something a small character like him can offend. The arrogant expression that Sadao Masao exudes further confirms his opinion that these people must be some kind of big shot, the kind that absolutely cannot be provoked.

"Excuse me, which floor are you going to? We'll help you reserve a table." As Shinji Ikari took the card, the other person asked a simple question, which was also the final confirmation.

"A succubus in a dream! I heard they have some drinks you can't get anywhere else. I hope Junxing-kun isn't just ignorant." Aso said with a wicked grin, tightening his grip on his arm. In the dim light, Aso, wearing a small top hat, spoke with an irreverent expression.

"23rd floor, 5 guests." This gang member was clearly not of high enough status to know that the once-powerful Evil Souls Group had actually been beaten up and was still operating according to the old rules.

"To be honest... I'm starting to like this place a little bit." Maou Sadao felt the negative emotions surging into him. The people being tortured, the people crying and begging for mercy, the people being manipulated by various means, countless emotions associated with fear were rapidly transforming into his power, allowing him to quickly recover his rightful strength. "Humans, they never disappoint me, no matter where they are."

"..." Because Shinji Ikari was behind them, Aso and the other two exchanged glances, their eyes filled with an indescribable feeling. This teammate they had temporarily formed was more than just a little troublesome.

“Yes, most of the time, humans expect others to save them, rather than saving themselves.” Shinji Ikari lowered his head slightly and murmured softly in a voice only they could hear, “That’s why we have heroes, isn’t it?”

“Hero…yes, hero.” Maou Sadao responded with a smile, glancing at the display screen above the elevator. His expression seemed to hold a mix of nostalgia, hesitation, and dissatisfaction. “But I’m just here to make money today. You don’t need to worry about anything. I only need my share.” As for the others, I’ve already gotten what I wanted.

"..." At this moment, Mei Isayama completely stopped looking at Sadao Maou's neck. She even felt a cold sweat breaking out on her back. Just what was this person next to her? Or what kind of important figure was he?! A-rank? Ha! That piece of trash by the sea was nothing more than a finger to be dealt with in front of him.

"Ding!" The elevator has arrived at the 23rd floor, and the doors have opened.

"Clearly, we came to the right place."

Chapter 105 Let's run!

"Shinji, have you found a way to get out of this? The drinks here are really expensive!" Mei Isayama smiled like a nouveau riche as he looked at the menu and ordered several drinks. Since he didn't plan to pay, ordering more drinks would be the joy of getting something for free.

"We found two, one ventilation duct, but judging from the feeling, there are quite a few infrared sensors inside. So the only way we can get up is through the ventilation window above the smoking room, which requires climbing up several meters." Shinji Ikari, who had just pulled back out of the toilet, stubbed out his cigarette and spoke very casually. "Kuni, are you sure about your side? The Onmyōryō is probably planning a surprise attack here tomorrow afternoon?"

If we wait for these large organizations to arrive, it will be like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth. After all, these large organizations need a lot of money to maintain their operations, and it is clear that the money of the Evil Soul Group is not just being targeted by the Yin-Yang Bureau alone.

"Don't underestimate me as the pillar of the Onmyo-ryo~" Izumo no Okuni smiled and stretched out his finger, circling it on Aso's chest. He then leaned slightly to the side, clearly intending to tease Aso.

Aso was a bit dumbfounded. The soft pressure on his ribs, combined with the sensation on his chest, made him feel numb. Then, he suddenly remembered what Shinji Ikari had told him: "When you're seventy or eighty, don't be alarmed even if the sky falls." He regained his senses almost immediately.

"Hmm?" Aso's eyes quickly regained their clarity, which surprised Izumo Okuni. How could his charm have suddenly failed again?

"Don't do anything rash, we're about to move out." Maou Sadao watched Izumo Okuni's actions with a smile, his fingers twitching slightly. The next instant, Asou felt a cool sensation on his head, and he felt completely refreshed. Clearly, Maou Sadao had cast a calming spell on his forehead.

Although it was a good cover, Mei Isayama and he had a pleasant conversation. However, their conversation was not about anything risqué, but rather about spiritual techniques. Mei Isayama was amazed by Sadao Maou's ability to draw inferences from one another and his extensive knowledge.

Although he was completely unfamiliar with spiritual power, he quickly offered many possible suggestions, many of which were full of ingenious ideas. This made Isayama Mei feel enlightened, and he felt that even if he gave up on making his head his target, he should try to get to know him better in the future. Perhaps his training efficiency could increase rapidly.

However, it is clear that Sadao Maou is somewhat dissatisfied with Izumo no Okuni's flirting with Aso. Sadao Maou has seen such playful and mischievous guys before. Back then, his group of succubi were good at and liked to jump around and flirt with these men.

"Aso must be feeling terrible." Although Shinji Ikari didn't hear Sadao Maou's words, he could guess what Izumo no Okuni was like when he was bullying someone, since he himself was the main target of bullying in the past.

"Alright, you bastard, all you do is cause trouble. How's it going on your end?" Asou took a small sip of the drink brought by the hotel waiter. Although they were about to take action, normally they shouldn't drink at all. However, not drinking at all in a bar would make them stand out too much, so they had to drink a little. Asou Yuu, who wasn't part of the main force, took this opportunity to test things out. If any problems arose, they could just start making a scene before they were exposed.

"The taste is surprisingly good; it looks like it was specially seasoned," Aso Yuu said with a smile. Then, the group picked up the same glass of wine and took a simple sip.

"We've made it in smoothly. Although they were on guard, they're definitely a bit vulnerable." Shinji Ikari calmly helped a Ghoul Group building security guard down and gently laid him to the side. Then he found his target. Although the blueprints showed the surveillance was on the first floor, just as Shinji had guessed, the actual surveillance room was indeed on this floor, not in the basement, so that the Ghoul Group bosses upstairs could watch and monitor the situation at any time.

"They've entered the monitoring room?" Sadao Maou narrowed his eyes. Shinji Ikari's movements were quick enough; he was indeed very skilled. Then, he heard a "Fuck you" from his earpiece, followed by a series of clanging sounds. "Wow..." Sadao Maou looked up and saw that everyone's eyes showed an expression of "I knew it." Then, Mei Isayama and Okuni Izumo got up almost simultaneously and went to the women's restroom to touch up their makeup.

Aso Yuu exchanged a glance with Maou Sadao, and the two got up and headed to the bar, seemingly to do what lonely men and women often do in bars, to begin their hunting grounds for the night. After all, for people of their "level," family matters are certainly important, but occasionally indulging in some snacks outside is also a good way to entertain themselves.

This hotel also offers similar services, and some girls are allowed into the bar. Some are girls they've already selected, perhaps seeing it as their last chance to turn their lives around. Of course, if they haven't brought enough profit to the Evil Soul Group within a certain timeframe, the floors below will become their final fate. And who will meet their end first after today is anyone's guess.

"Oh, I can see you now." Shinji Ikari's voice came through the headset, accompanied by the sound of duct tape being torn, clearly indicating that Shinji Ikari did not intend to leave too much trouble behind.

"So, can we begin the performance?" Izumo no Okuni said softly, lightly applying lipstick.

"Yes, please begin your performance." Shinji Ikari confirmed Izumo no Okuni's words, and then he immediately saw in the video that Sadao Maou's head seemed to tilt to the side, a waiter carrying a tray slipped, and the entire tray of drinks flew into the air. A gang member who noticed this originally thought of going up to block it, but unexpectedly bumped into Izumo no Okuni, who seemed to be walking out. Without thinking, Izumo no Okuni screamed and then slapped him across the face.

"Tsk tsk..." Watching the group cause such a massive uproar almost immediately, and even as Yuu Asou subtly tripped a waiter during the shoving, the fallen waiter knocked over the festive candles on the table, which had an unexpected effect: the candles on the floor ignited the high-proof liquor on the stall, causing a huge explosion. The bar was instantly thrown into chaos. The members of the Evil Souls group tried to put out the fire, while the others tried to escape, creating complete chaos.

"Fire on the 23rd floor! Send people from nearby floors immediately!" Shinji Ikari grabbed the walkie-talkie and spoke quickly in a hoarse voice. Almost instantly, he heard running sounds in the corridor. Shinji shrugged, opened the computer case used for storage, and then simply unplugged the hard drive.

"I must say, the entrance path you found isn't exactly easy to navigate." Mei Isayama's voice came from behind Shinji Ikari. Clearly, Mei Isayama didn't want to cause trouble down there, and climbed up following the fishing line Shinji had left. "Found the spot?"

"We're waiting for someone to take us there!" Shinji Ikari said with a smile. He looked at the monitor and saw a group of people who looked like important figures walk into the main hall. Before the door closed, they saw from a distance that they seemed to be fiddling around in the main hall. Then, Shinji Ikari and Mei Isayama saw the outline of a keypad door with smiles on their faces.

“Time will be very limited.” Mei Isayama glanced at his watch. “At most, we’ll only have two or three minutes.”

"That's enough... If we can't even rob money fast enough, then we don't need to go through all this trouble." Shinji Ikari smiled; this was enough.

"Has Aso managed to escape?" Shinji Ikari turned to look at the last two people who had entered.

"They're already asleep and won't wake up until tomorrow morning." After entering, Sadao Maou gestured to them, indicating that he had cast a spell to put all the members of the Ghasts to sleep. From now on, no matter what they did, they didn't have to worry about these guys who had been knocked unconscious by Shinji Ikari waking up and betraying them.

"Spells are such a convenient thing. How come some slacker from the Onmyōryō doesn't know how to use them?" Shinji Ikari said with a mocking expression. He was obviously referring to none other than Izumo no Okuni, the pillar of the Onmyōryō, who had infiltrated this event.

"I'm really sorry for being a clueless little woman like you." Izumo no Okuni crossed her arms and glared at Shinji Ikari in front of her. "They've gone down, so shouldn't it be our turn to make a move?" Izumo no Okuni gestured.

"The rest is just opening their doors." Shinji Ikari shrugged. For ordinary people, the location of these people's storage might be a problem, but for Shinji and his crew...

"Then what are we waiting for?" Mei Isayama looked at Shinji Ikari with excitement in her eyes. All along, she had been honestly fighting exorcisms to earn what would be considered a generous commission by ordinary people, but for Mei Isayama, it was simply not efficient enough. She wanted a lot of money!

“Wait for the last person…” Shinji Ikari squinted. He saw a middle-aged man in a kimono, surrounded by a group of bodyguards, walk out of a room on the upper floor. He glanced at the closed door behind him, sighed, and then walked away from the elevator with a sigh on his face.

“I didn’t expect the leader of the Evil Soul Group to still be here…” Izumo no Okuni narrowed his eyes. This was indeed beyond what any of them had imagined. According to their initial guess, this old man should not have appeared. In fact, he should have already fled. After all, several organizations related to the Evil Soul Group had been targeted and eliminated. “According to the information we received earlier, he has already left Japan in an emergency and gone to the United States.”

"The Demon Soul Group hasn't fallen into chaos yet. If it were really as rumored, that its leader had already escaped, then these lower-ranking guys wouldn't be so complacent. And I believe that the people behind them wouldn't let them get away so easily. Cleaning up the mess, or even eliminating them all, is the norm, as far as I know." Shinji Ikari shrugged. He still remembered the unfortunate days when he and Aso, two poor souls, were chased by a group of assassins.

"Oh... was that time?" As soon as Shinji Ikari mentioned it, Mei Isayama immediately remembered. At that time, he didn't think much of Shinji Ikari and Yuu Aso. Although Yuu Aso was quite smart, Shinji Ikari wasn't as strong as he is now. So they were chased by a group of crazy pursuers with machine guns and grenade launchers, with nowhere to run or hide. But since they knew each other, they launched a sneak attack, and the three of them worked together to kill those assassins.

The reason might be that during the exorcism, one of the two unlucky guys accidentally learned something he shouldn't have known. The big shots didn't want their businesses to be damaged, so they had no choice but to let the two unlucky guys who knew the information suffer.

"Do you think we'll see them again this time?" Mei Isayama turned to look at Shinji Ikari.

“As you know, those things have the arms of the Bernard family on them, and Bernard just happened to come from America.” Shinji Ikari pushed the door open slightly, glanced around to make sure no one was there, and then gestured for the others to follow quickly. They were going to try out some special pleasures.

"So what are you planning to do with this door? Hmm?" Shinji Ikari and the others had just walked in when they saw a blast door with a combination lock, like a bank vault. The heavy door had a fingerprint lock. "Your Explosive Finger shouldn't be able to open a blast door of this level."

"What about you, Sadao Maou? If you can't handle this, I'll have to go and bring that old bastard back." Shinji Ikari glanced at Sadao Maou.

"A very ingenious mechanism, but..." Thanks to the abundant magical power here, Maou Sadao pushed his hand forward, sending a beam of light striking the massive lock cylinder. In no time, it began to melt the entire security door, quickly turning it into a lump of molten iron.

"Beep beep beep..." The alarm started sounding the moment the metal door collapsed.

"I just locked onto the elevator in the monitoring room, so we have a few minutes left. Now, it's time to start the race."