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

"Your trump card is a bit scary..." Izumo no Okuni curiously examined the Divine Mirror in Shinji Ikari's hand. The demon that was about to evolve into a vengeful spirit could be easily dragged away in front of her, showing the power of a vengeful god.

"Kiri-nee can't leave the Himuro mansion, don't you know that?" Shinji Ikari put the self-sealed Divine Mirror into his pouch. What's so special about that? Last summer it was so hot, I turned on the Divine Mirror to broadcast TV dramas to Himuro, and the whole summer was incredibly cool. Air conditioning was totally useless.

After being discovered by the Onmyo-ryo (the guild for the protection of the emperor), Himuro Kirie was provided with a complete set of living supplies, including the tea set she was just using.

"Even if they can't leave, it's terrifying enough!" Izumo no Okuni's lips twitched. If someone killed Shinji Ikari, needless to say, a top-tier evil god would immediately target the other party, and there probably wouldn't even be time to fight him.

"Alright, you make it sound like you don't have any trump cards up your sleeve." Shinji Ikari got back on his motorcycle. "By the way, it's impossible to hide this from NERV, so I'm planning to report it."

"Just one more person getting involved, nothing much to say. With such a big commotion, I reckon everyone who's supposed to come will be here soon. Congratulations, you've got your B-rank mission reward." Izumo no Okuni said to Ikari Shinji with a grin. "The usual?"

"Same as always! I'm counting on you. If there's enough money, I'll treat you to dinner." Shinji Ikari nodded. This was the usual rule between Shinji and Okuni Izumo: Okuni would try her best to get Shinji a good price on the mission fee, but any extra money she gave as a gift would be hers.

Because the difficulty of the task suddenly jumped from a level E to a level D at most, it would normally be compensated by the organization that issued the task. Of course, in most cases, this compensation would be in the form of "funeral money", so it is not a small amount of money.

Of course, since B-level is, in a sense, a level of mission difficulty, the upper and lower limits are very different. A B-level character who is close to an A-level disaster rating may be worth nearly ten million yen, while the lowest level B-level character is only worth one or two million yen. So the difference is huge. And if Izumo no Okuni, who is qualified to make the evaluation, tilts his pen slightly, it will be a lot of money.

"Hmm... I'll pass on the meal, I'm on a diet. I'm really curious about the milk tea you made for your sister Himuro! Could you make some for me while you're at it?" Izumo Okuni thought for a moment. The only places Shinji could treat her to, besides a certain Yukihira restaurant which was quite good, were pretty much the same everywhere else. However, what had just happened made Izumo Okuni very interested in the milk tea Shinji had offered to Himuro Kirie! Something a fierce god would covet couldn't be bad, could it?!

"Are you sure? Then I'll save money. I'll prepare the ingredients and let you know." Shinji Ikari was slightly surprised. If they were going out to eat, it would definitely be a big meal, which would probably cost him at least tens of thousands of yen. If a few cups of homemade milk tea could make do, then he would save a lot of money!

"Great! I'm really looking forward to it!" Izumo no Okuni lightly touched her lips with her finger, looking delighted. Then, in the next instant, she suddenly became furious because Shinji Ikari had already turned away from her, taken out his phone, and started dialing a number: "Come back! Don't you realize I'm being cute?"

"Hello? Why are you calling me at this hour? Is something wrong?" The phone was answered after a short while. A lazy voice came from the other end, followed by a noticeable burp.

“…Miri, you didn’t know I went out? At least…” Shinji Ikari glanced down at his watch, “Has it been three or four hours already?”

"..." Misato Katsuragi silently slapped her forehead hard, letting out a long sigh. What on earth were these intelligence guys doing? But then she immediately thought of "So where are you now?"

"I'll send you the address right away. I just solved a Class B paranormal case. If you come now, we should still be able to investigate it. But it would be best to send more people, because this mountainous area is quite large." Shinji Ikari didn't hide anything and said very directly, "So it's time to get up and work overtime!"

"Level B?!" Misato Katsuragi was somewhat surprised. Shinji Ikari was already able to handle matters at this level? "I'll report this to my superiors now. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"If you're coming, you'd better act quickly, otherwise you might get blocked by the Self-Defense Force's birdmen. But this place isn't far from Third New Tokyo, so you should be able to get here quickly." Shinji Ikari said quickly without wasting any words. It's not the first time the Self-Defense Force has acted so rudely. Although they are completely incapable of fighting in the mysterious realm, they still put on an attitude of "If I can't kill these monsters, I can certainly kill you." In short, they are extremely annoying.

"Alright, I'll gather the men. But Shinji, next time you set off, you'd better give us a brief heads-up." Misato Katsuragi scratched her head, sounding somewhat exasperated. She felt a bit helpless about this. From her perspective, she certainly didn't want Shinji running around outside; in fact, if possible, she'd love to keep him by her side! Keep an eye on him! This kid is too unruly.

Because Vice Commander Fuyutsuki was quite curious about Shinji Ikari's "side job," and in a sense, because humanity's understanding of various mysteries was still insufficient in order to deal with the Angels, who also belonged to the realm of occultism, it was clear that one could never have too much knowledge of the occult, especially since much of it stemmed from mythology and legends.

Clear instructions had been given beforehand: do not interfere with Shinji Ikari's part-time job, and support his operations where possible. If there were any successes, Shinji could be rewarded to some extent. Therefore, Misato Katsuragi was relatively accepting of Shinji's call to inform NERV of the situation after the mission ended. After all, she knew that some things couldn't be solved by NERV's weapons.

"Okay, next time for sure! Bye~" Shinji Ikari hung up the phone with a smile, then sent out his coordinates, and looked back at Okuni Izumo, "Did you find anything? After all, this thing doesn't look like something that formed naturally."

"Oh~ you're very perceptive!" Izumo no Okuni's eyes crinkled. She really hadn't expected Shinji Ikari to notice this. After all, most exorcists or sorcerers rarely cared about how ghosts, monsters, or cursed spirits appeared. They were more concerned with dealing with the trouble of the outbreak and then leaving the purification rituals to the lower-level exorcists at the Onmyōryō headquarters.

Of course, something like today's incident qualifies as a B-level event, so Shinji Ikari absolutely cannot simply walk away. He needs to conduct a thorough search of most of the mountainous area to prevent any escapees, or to eliminate what is merely a clone or doppelganger. He must eradicate evil completely.

"This thing doesn't seem to be a demon that can be conceived normally. After all, a normal demon, when faced with this situation, would devour the lower-level demons, at most leaving behind some that aren't worth devouring to run errands for it. This thing feels more like a Frankenstein's monster. These demons haven't truly merged together, and when I broke through it, it didn't feel like they died out directly. In fact... it weakened too quickly. This doesn't make sense considering the power it displayed." Shinji Ikari briefly explained his discovery.

"Oh~ a very reasonable suspicion! The Frankenstein's monster is indeed a very apt description! It makes sense immediately!" Izumo no Okuni clapped his hands, looking very happy. "However, that's not enough! After all, it's just a guess right now."

"So we'll have to search carefully from now on. Hopefully, this mountain isn't too big, and there aren't many places along the river where we can hide a car," Shinji Ikari said with a shrug and a smile.

"When you came back, did you really not see anything at all? You could only follow those golden talismans? And it was a straight path?" A middle-aged policeman, covered in salt crystals, asked the two young men squatting on the ground, their bodies drenched in cold sweat, with a look of fear on his face. Clearly, the two men had been terrified on their way down the mountain. It was a winding mountain path they had walked countless times during the day, but on the way down, they had walked straight down, just like that!

"Yes... we can't see anything. It always feels like there's a road turning around. If it weren't for... if they hadn't said to follow the talisman no matter what, we..." The two young policemen felt completely overwhelmed!

"These two are really something." The middle-aged policeman scratched his head and looked into the distance. The mountains, though brightly lit by starlight, were blurry and indistinct, looking like monsters with their mouths wide open. This sent a chill down the middle-aged policeman's spine. He clicked his tongue, grabbed the salt he had just bought, and started sprinkling it all over the two young men.

"Did they say anything to you?" a policewoman asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Oh! Yes! Let's go to Izumo Taisha Shrine of the Yin-Yang Bureau!" The two young policemen exchanged a glance and said as if waking from a dream.

"Go! Go right now! No, I'll go with you!" the middle-aged policeman said anxiously. "Let's pool our money and buy more supplies; we need to thoroughly clean all these cars!"

"Yes! Yes!" a group of police officers replied quickly. This incident had truly frightened them; they never expected such a mess to occur in their jurisdiction...

Chapter 23 Us too!

"Who are you...?" The middle-aged policeman, who was preparing to leave, suddenly didn't know what to do when he saw the large group of people suddenly approaching from a distance. He was just an unlucky policeman from a small town who had been sent here to conduct a preliminary investigation. He had just almost sent away a few young men.

“We are NERV, affiliated with the United Nations. We have taken over the blockade of this mountain area. You can set up a checkpoint on the outer highway to prevent civilians from accidentally crossing it. The matter is not completely over yet. There is still some pollution in the mountains, which could easily cause unnecessary incidents.” After receiving Shinji Ikari’s notification, Misato Katsuragi, who was not far away, immediately brought her people over. A line of twenty or thirty large trucks with their headlights on, and a large number of people in uniforms and carrying guns, as well as people in white coats, began to jump out of the vehicles and unload various equipment.

"Okay, then let's have a quick handover." The police officers, who had been wanting to leave for a while, readily agreed, with the middle-aged officer stepping forward. Whoever wanted to stay in this haunted place could stay; it was truly incomprehensible why these lunatics always liked to flock to such places.

“Okay, but I have a lot of information I need to ask you. Also, if it’s convenient, please hand over all relevant records and information about people who have had contact with suspicious individuals to us.” Misato Katsuragi said with a smile, smoothing her long hair.

"Uh..." The middle-aged policeman looked at the two young policemen who were squatting on the ground, still in shock, with a troubled expression, and sighed.

More than a dozen large helicopters are preparing to take off at the base, ready to deliver more personnel and equipment based on the initial results obtained from the front. Vice Commander Fuyutsuki is rushing to the base, and even Gendo Ikari, who has not yet met with Shinji Ikari, has learned of this news and expressed his support.

"To be honest, coming to this place in the middle of the night is really..." Sitting in a Hummer military vehicle, Ibuki Maya scratched her face, clutching her laptop, looking somewhat frightened.

"The Eternal Emperor (the special villainous BOSS who substituted for Shinji Ikari) is on the mountain. What are we afraid of? We should be afraid of those messy evil spirits, not us, right?" Makoto Hyuga thought he had told a very funny joke.

"While I'd love to say yes, treating Shinji Ikari as a villainous boss seems like an insult to him. Judging from his fighting prowess shown in the movie, he could easily kill that so-called Eternal Emperor even without piloting Unit-01," said Shigeru Aoba with a smile. He and Makoto Hyuga had gone to see the movie together, and they had to admit that the fight scenes after the transformations were spectacular, giving them a very good understanding of Shinji Ikari and his friends' fighting abilities.

"This is Fuyutsuki. Where have you arrived?" Fuyutsuki Kozo's voice came through the radio, though it didn't seem very clear.

"Vice Commander! We have arrived at Mount Kintoki and are now preparing to deploy troops and equipment," Aoba Shigeru said quickly, taking the walkie-talkie.

"Have you found Shinji Ikari?" Fuyutsuki's question was very simple.

“Uh…” Aoba Shigeru looked at Ibuki Maya beside him. Ibuki shook her head. They really hadn’t found Shinji Ikari yet. They didn’t know if Shinji’s phone was out of battery or what had happened. Since then, they hadn’t been able to get through to Shinji.

"Contact him as soon as possible. Satellite images of this area have just been restored, and their location should be just ahead, not far from the road," Vice Commander Fuyutsuki briefly described. As for why Vice Commander Fuyutsuki was so certain of Shinji Ikari's location, it was because there were only two humans in the entire mountainous region affected by the heat.

"Yes! We'll go find them right away," Aoba Shigeru replied quickly.

"This is really... interesting!" Izumo no Okuni looked at the small wooden house in front of him and used a twig to pick out some paper documents from a charcoal brazier by the door. The other party had obviously destroyed the evidence before leaving. The entire wooden house was clean and there was nothing left. The only thing left was a simple charcoal brazier in front of the door, which seemed to have some residual ashes on it.

“They must have silenced us…” Shinji Ikari shone his flashlight on the wall and found several bullet holes. He quickly tapped them. “Judging from the lingering smell of disinfectant in the room, they cleaned up quite easily. But why would they leave these bullet holes?”

"Maybe we resolved it too quickly?" Izumo no Okuni shrugged. "Do you think it was the Cleaners, or some other damn organization that sent people to deal with it?"

“It must be the cleaners, otherwise they wouldn’t be so thorough. All the instruments and equipment have been moved away. Didn’t you see any vehicles coming or going when you were up there?” Shinji Ikari shook his head. “If it really was them, then there’s nothing to see here. There’s nothing left.”

"Then let's leave it to the professionals?" Izumo no Okuni looked around. There was only a little bit of spiritual energy and resentment left in the room. The other party was obviously a very professional person who had not left them any chance. So they could only leave it to the professionals who searched for traces. Moreover, the Yin-Yang Bureau might send out some ghosts or dangerous objects with special skills to investigate and see if they could find anything.

"But thanks to them, we've had a much easier time." Shinji Ikari stretched. The matter was over, and it had nothing to do with him anymore. Since the other party had already silenced the perpetrators of this incident and taken them away, whether dead or alive, the rest was no longer their concern.

“That’s true.” Izumo no Okuni confirmed the matter, then took out his phone and sent a series of messages, “Then let NERV investigate. Whatever the result, have them send me a copy! Don’t use that old-fashioned fax machine; I can at least send emails online.”

“I think you can tell them this yourselves.” Shinji Ikari, who had just stepped out of the door, noticed the headlights above. He took out his flashlight and shone it toward the road. Then the convoy clearly braked suddenly, and a lot of footsteps came from above.

"Why don't you call them? Is there no signal?" Izumo no Okuni looked at Shinji Ikari with some surprise, wondering why he was greeting them in such a traditional way.

"Your phone still has a signal? It's a Nokia?" Shinji Ikari looked at Izumo no Okuni beside him. By the roadside, his phone barely had a half-signal, but in this valley, well, sorry, not even one.

"Shinji Ikari!" Several soldiers escorted Shigeru Aoba and Makoto Hyuga, who were holding pistols, as they slid down the hillside.

"Hey, over here!" Shinji Ikari waved to them. "Where's Misato Katsuragi?"

"We're dealing with bureaucrats from the Self-Defense Forces who are on their way. After all, we've already reported this unusual incident to be under our jurisdiction. However, it would be troublesome if the Ground Self-Defense Force were to forcefully seize control. But this time, Vice Commander Fuyutsuki has already intervened directly, so it's just a little troublesome," Shigeru Aoba explained to Shinji Ikari, trying to sound casual.

"Got it, look at the wrangling up there." Shinji Ikari clapped his hands together, then gave them a brief overview of the situation. "So you questioned the police here?"

“Ritsuko is communicating with the police.” Ibuki Maya, holding her notebook, looked at Izumo Okuni, who was dressed as a Yamato Nadeshiko, with some suspicion. She felt that NERV's intelligence department was about to be reprimanded again, after all, Shinji Ikari was actually quite familiar with Izumo Okuni, the mysterious pillar of the Onmyōryō, and they had even gone on missions together…

As for Misato Katsuragi's response, this wasn't the first time NERV had encountered something similar. In this era of frequent anomalies, if you want to get things done, you'll run into all sorts of strange and unsavory characters! So everything had a set procedure. They immediately started communicating with the local police to understand the cause of the incident and what they knew.

NERV itself is an armed organization established to deal with the attack of a colossal anomalous apostle on a world-ending scale, and it possesses the extremely valuable EVA series combat equipment. Therefore, they have the authority to handle these anomalous events. In the ensuing communication, both sides got straight to the point, quickly explaining the course of events and their initial investigations. Time flew by in the midst of their busy work.

"So, this pot of unburnt paper and the few drag marks might be our biggest clue right now?" After the communication ended, Misato Katsuragi listened to Maya Ibuki's report through her earpiece, looking helpless. Had Shinji Ikari done his best? Undoubtedly, he had. He dealt with this seemingly man-made B-rank possessed demon and then sealed it away using a clever method. Misato Katsuragi said that she would reimburse "all" of the purchases Shinji Ikari made for Himuro Kirie tomorrow, as long as it wasn't excessive.

“Yes.” Maya Ibuki’s answer was very simple. NERV’s investigation department had found this much information. Shinji Ikari’s suspicions were correct. Under the illumination of a special bloodstain detection lamp, the entire cabin was clearly revealed. Although the other party had cleaned it, it was still possible to see that there was a pool of splattered blood in front of the door, and then inside several rooms, there were also some bloodstains that were obviously covered up. However, the things that were covering up these splattered bloodstains were gone. The other party’s actions were clean, decisive, and extremely efficient.

"I guess the drag marks would have disappeared by the time they reached the river, and there probably aren't any surveillance cameras in this mountainous area... Why are there always these kinds of lunatics who want to study these things?"

"...In a sense, we are too!"

"Ritsuko, you're absolutely right! It's just that we're good people."

"Yes."

Chapter 24 Morishita House

"So you're just going to dump everything here on us?" Misato Katsuragi, sipping her overtime coffee, stared at Shinji Ikari with a dark expression. This brat is really not cute at all! Not only did he call her to work overtime, but he's also planning to run away?! Doesn't this kid know what it means to share hardships?

"Will you pay overtime?" Shinji Ikari looked at Misato Katsuragi with a strange smile on his lips. Maya Ibuki, standing beside him, listened to Shinji's realistic statement with a shocked expression, but also seemed to find it quite amusing.

"...You're greedy for money, get lost!" Misato Katsuragi's forehead veins throbbed. She turned around, waving her hand with an expression that said she didn't want to see him, signaling him to get lost. Ritsuko, on the other hand, looked at Izumo no Okuni, the pillar of the Onmyōryō, who was perched on Shinji Ikari's back, with a somewhat amused expression in her eyes.

"I'll be going now. Please let me know as soon as you find anything." Shinji Ikari flicked his helmet, pulled the handlebars, and sped off. Shinji had just asked Izumo no Okuni, and her car was parked next to a gas station at the foot of the mountain. Drive up the mountain? Don't be ridiculous. If she's unlucky enough to get something, even exorcising it herself will cost money, you know.

Shinji Ikari didn't forget to greet the police officers when he reached the police cordon and inquire about the follow-up. However, the middle-aged policeman had already taken the two unfortunate men to Izumo Taisha, so he wasn't there now. But the police here confirmed with Shinji that they had notified the person who had previously reported the incident, and that the person would likely seek out an official agency to perform an exorcism or removal ritual soon.

"Good job!" Shinji Ikari glanced at the Self-Defense Force soldiers standing outside, hands on hips, glaring at them, and smiled. They even brought in the Ground Self-Defense Force's Type 97 Ground Combat Robot? They're quick on the upswing! But if they really let them up the mountain, they'll probably be happy to accept this unlucky guy delivered right to their door.

"It seems that although the bigwigs in the Ground Self-Defense Force lost the arm wrestling match, they are still unwilling to accept it." When it comes to criticizing the Self-Defense Forces, Izumo no Okuni is undoubtedly on Shinji Ikari's side. Both of them have no liking for the arrogant people in the Ground Self-Defense Force who like to meddle in everything, but are generally good at messing things up.

After all, there are always some shady dealings that leave a lingering trace, but since their owners, who fly the Stars and Stripes, seem to enjoy this kind of thing, it's not surprising that they have these kinds of shady dealings.

"Let's go!" Shinji Ikari greeted the police. Clearly, these police officers had no goodwill towards the SUPP forces that were moving around so recklessly. Besides, Shinji had just saved two of their colleagues. After expressing their gratitude to Shinji, they waved him away.

"It was definitely the right decision not to stop at the gas station!" A middle-aged man slumped over the steering wheel, a cigarette dangling from his lips, remarked with some emotion. The side of his Toyota pickup truck bore the logo of Chengtian Cleaning Co., Ltd., and the cargo bed was piled with some still-wet tools and several large packages, one of which was wriggling slightly.

"So how much longer do we have to wait? Narita-san, I want to go home and sleep early, it's the middle of the night." A burly man next to me glanced at the gas station diagonally across the street, then whistled, "What a nice woman! She must be worth at least 200,000 yen."

"Two hundred thousand yen? Maru, if you see this woman, you'd better run fast." Narita Kotaro, who was smoking a cigarette, almost choked to death. This idiot next to him was actually thinking about this? But looking at Izumo no Okuni's figure, tsk, two hundred thousand yen is indeed worth it.

"Huh? She is indeed big, but she's all skinny. How could she beat me?" Yang Zhongmaru said with disbelief, gesturing to his boss and employee beside him with his strong arms. "A woman like that, one punch and she's dead!"

Narita Kotaro wanted to take a picture of the little guy, but just then, Shinji Ikari finished discussing the profit sharing with Izumo no Okuni and sped off. Narita was a bit tired and wanted to go to sleep early (and also clean the house to avoid getting ripped off). So Narita sighed, realizing he'd missed out on an extra bonus. "Oh well, let's finish the delivery quickly, then find a stall for a couple of drinks, and then head back."

"I've been waiting for you to say that!" Oochu Maru said with a smile, then watched as the "200,000 yen" good woman got into a Lexus, started the car, and drove off. "A rich woman, huh? Looks like 200,000 yen isn't enough."

“You bastard…” Although he knew his partner was teasing him, Narita Kotaro still rolled his eyes at what Yano-maru said, then started the car and drove off in the opposite direction. “In this world, good women are never for us bastards. They’re either for heroes or for the rich and powerful.”

"Heroes? Does this world really need heroes? I used to think I was one, but you've seen it!" Ang Zhongwan leaned back in his chair, pulled out a cigarette, and gave a mocking laugh.

He used to be a firefighter. A group of bastards were messing around in a residential area with some kind of chemical reagents, which caused a fire. When they rushed in to rescue people, the other party did not inform them that the area was filled with a large amount of chemical reagents. In the ensuing explosion, whether it was a gas explosion or something else, he was the only one who survived from the first team that rushed in. He also suffered severe central nervous system damage due to inhaling an excessive amount of the compound reagents, resulting in severe mania. During his recovery period, he injured several people.

Although the court gave him a light sentence based on his circumstances and the certificate issued by the hospital, he lost his job, became homeless, and became a homeless person. If it weren't for his drinking buddy Narita helping him out, he would still be living in the park. A hero? What kind of hero? Homeless and starving.

However, from now on, he has gone from the light into the darkness. Not long ago, he broke into the door with an axe, cut down a person, and then shot him one by one with a shotgun until he ran out of bullets. It has to be said that his current job has given him the opportunity to fully utilize violence, which has effectively... calmed his manic emotions.

"Alright, hurry up and deliver the goods to Morishita-tei, then we can go home." Narita Kotaro shook his head. His drinking buddy, who used to be so sunny, confident, and cheerful, was now so gloomy and irritable. He was an unlucky guy who had lost everything because of a bunch of bastards and was even labeled a violent criminal by a group of self-proclaimed righteous people.

However, Narita, who was driving, chuckled self-deprecatingly. He didn't seem to have any right to laugh at him. He was just a jackal scavenging for food in the gutter. At least Narita had experienced the sunshine, while he had always been in the ditch where the sun never shone.

The two chatted casually as they drove, and after forty minutes, they arrived at a huge manor. However, the front of the manor seemed to be full of luxury cars, and various dignitaries were gathering in this luxurious restaurant. This was the world of the upper class, so Narita's pickup truck naturally couldn't just stop at the main gate. Instead, it drove directly into the heavily guarded backyard.

"Narita-san from Narita Cleaning House!" A somewhat burly doorman in a snow-white shirt and suit vest glanced at Narita Kotaro, waved to the back, signaling the person behind him to open the door, and said softly, "Chef Morishita is already waiting for you in the lounge!"

"Thank you! Thank you for your help!" Narita Kotaro nodded slightly, then stepped on the gas, and the car continued to move forward slowly. Perhaps it was a place where rich and powerful people gathered, as there were burly security personnel patrolling everywhere on the road. However, they quickly parked the car in the designated location. The two got out of the car, handed the keys to a waiter with practiced ease, and then walked towards a house not far away.

"Please wait a moment!" Two security guards quickly searched the two men, then opened the door and let them in. The room was simply furnished, with a low coffee table between two sofas. A middle-aged man was sitting on one of the sofas, pouring himself a drink, surrounded by a group of bodyguards with tattoos all over their arms.

"Oh! Narita-san! You must be tired so late! Let's have a couple of drinks! I've asked the kitchen to prepare some dishes for you." A middle-aged man with a receding hairline said with a smile.

"Oh! Being able to eat Morishita-tei's cuisine is something I can't miss!" Narita Kotaro looked very happy.

"Hahaha... It's just some snacks to go with the drinks, nothing fancy. How did things go today?" Morishita Yamato said with a happy expression.

"It went fairly smoothly, but a rather formidable person came from the other side, so I had to evacuate as soon as possible." Narita Kotaro shrugged. "I brought back all the specific information and data, but due to time constraints, I was a little rough around the edges. Your people should have obtained it by now."

"..." A waiter stood beside Morishita Yamato and whispered a few words. "Understood, I'll be right there." Morishita Yamato nodded, a smile playing on his lips. "Narita-san, excuse me for a moment. Please prepare a set meal for Narita-san and the others. I'm very satisfied with your service, thank you! Excuse me." With Morishita's thanks, all the waiters in the room bowed in unison, and then Morishita turned and left, followed by a group of waiters.

"So... what's going on?" Having been holding it in, Oshimaru finally couldn't contain herself any longer. The conversation between her boss and employer was rather mysterious, leaving everyone puzzled.

"Oh! They're probably quite satisfied with the little gifts we brought back. They'll pack up and leave in a bit!" Honda glanced at the empty room, took a deep drag of his cigarette, stubbed it out in the ashtray, gritted his teeth, and muttered, "The Ghost Group's food... Hmph."

A group that raises ghosts doesn't value human life at all. Eating their food? Especially for someone like me who can't stand the light of day, if I want to live freely, I'd better not eat indiscriminately! But this is still their territory, so I can't say much.

"Okay! The regular meals are hardly enough to fill you up. We'd rather have a few bowls of ramen." Oshimaru said nonchalantly. He wasn't stupid; his boss obviously knew something. But this was definitely not a good place to talk. He couldn't refuse the other party's kindness on the spot, but they could throw it away outside.

Chapter 25 Deadly Speculation

"Waaah...waaah..." A human-shaped package struggled on the ground. He knew very well that he was about to face his "judgment".

"Hey, isn't this our Light-san? How did he end up in a bag? How rude of you. Open it up." Morishita Yamato said casually, a cigarette dangling from his lips. His two underlings greeted him with "Hi!" and stepped forward to open the large travel bag. A middle-aged man rolled out of it.

"You can't do this to me..." The middle-aged man was released from the bag, and then his underling ripped the tape off his mouth. He staggered and fell to the ground. "My experiment is almost a success! Our contract is fulfilled! The Evil Soul Group cannot break its promise!"

"Oh! Is that so!" Morishita Yamato crossed his legs and looked at what was in front of him. "Light-san, then can you show me where your results are?"

"..." The middle-aged man called Lightsan collapsed to the ground. Of course, this wasn't his real name, but he couldn't care less at this moment. "That bastard from the Onmyoji Bureau came too fast! It's just some missing people! How did it attract their attention! This isn't my fault! My synthesis control experiment is almost complete!"

"So you're saying there were no results!" Morishita Yamato laughed heartily. Where there are people, there are conflicts; where there are conflicts, there are factions. And this Light-san... isn't in his faction. "Do you know what day it is today, Light-san? You and the chairman made an agreement back then."

"...No, no, no!" Wright panicked. The money from the Evil Souls was easy to get, but also hard to get. If they didn't get what they wanted, his fate was predictable! He frantically waved his hands, trying to buy himself a chance. "Let me call the vice president! I only need a little time!"

"Yes, I know. Of course, there's no problem with you making this call! The vice president will consider how much trouble you've caused him." Morishita Yamato's eyes gleamed with regret. "However, this isn't the answer I'm looking for!"

"Thump!" At Morishita's signal, one of his underlings took a wooden sword from the wall and struck Wright on the back of the head. The middle-aged man immediately fainted.

"Send it to Tokyo Bay, the little guy must be hungry!" Morishita Yamato's words made the henchmen's faces turn pale, but they didn't dare to say anything, nodded and left. The henchmen quickly rolled Wright up in a carpet, then stuffed him back into the backpack, and a burly man carried it away.