Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

No, impossible... This is the "Sky Dragon," this is the power of a "god"... How could it possibly lose...

So shocked was Malik that he even forgot about the death threat of falling from the sky.

Just as Malik was about to hit the ground, a cloak flew over and caught him, dissipating the impact of his fall and allowing him to land safely on the ground.

"Any other tricks up your sleeve? If not, come with me to see your sister."

Li Xin approached Malik and said.

“I…I still have the ‘Millennium Staff’!”

Malik got up from the ground, disregarding the consequences of using the "Millennium Staff" after just summoning the "Sky Dragon," and directly used the power of the "Millennium Staff" to deal with Li Xin.

Like the "Millennium Jewelry" which can foresee the future, the "Millennium Staff" also possesses a very powerful ability, perhaps even more powerful than the "Millennium Jewelry": the ability to manipulate other people's minds. It is with this ability that Malik gathered a large group of thugs and formed a thief organization called "Gurus," which specializes in excavating pyramids in search of the whereabouts of the "Millennium Artifacts."

However, when Malik swung the "Millennium Staff," Li Xin seemed to feel nothing at all, and Malik also failed to sense any connection between himself and Li Xin. The "Millennium Staff's" ability to always work was completely ineffective!

Li Xin did indeed sense a spiritual force trying to invade his brain, but the Mingyu Gong was the most superior martial art for refining the spirit. Although it had little offensive capability, it allowed Li Xin to ignore most spiritual attacks in the world, keeping his mind clear. This spiritual force landed on Li Xin without even causing a ripple.

Feeling as if he'd been punched in the gut by a three-year-old, Li Xin couldn't help but ask, "That's it?"

The words "That's it?" completely broke Malik's defenses. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.

Chapter 603 "The Tomb Guardians"

Malik lay on the ground, his eyes vacant.

He gripped the Sky Dragon slab tightly in his hand. The sacred and inviolable pressure that had once been on the Sky Dragon slab had vanished. Although Malik could still sense the power of the Sky Dragon within it, thus confirming that the Sky Dragon was still there and had not truly disappeared, the fact that the invincible "god" in Malik's heart had actually lost to a mortal was more unbearable for him than any other pain.

"Malik, are you alright?"

Seeing that the battle was over, Isis rushed over and asked Malik, who was being helped up by Lishid, with concern.

Lishid bowed slightly to Isis. Although Isis told Li Xin that Lishid was her sworn brother, he could actually be considered a servant of the Ishdar family. Although Isis and Malik did not think so and regarded Lishid as their true brother, Lishid never overstepped his bounds.

Malik, who was still disoriented from the shock, instantly snapped back to reality upon hearing his sister's voice. He glared at Isis with venomous eyes and said, "Why? Why do you always have to get in my way, sister? I don't blame you for not wanting to avenge Father, but I really don't understand why you keep hindering me like this!"

Isis's face showed extreme pain. She hugged Malik and said to him, "Malik, stop thinking about revenge. Let's not seek revenge, okay? Let's go back to Egypt and start over, okay?"

Malik angrily shoved Isis away: "You've forgotten our father's revenge! You're not my sister!"

Li Xin stepped forward and helped Isis up as she was about to be pushed over, then looked at her and asked, "Miss Isis, what happened? Your father was murdered, and everything your brother did was for revenge?"

Previously, Isis only said that Malik had a conflict with his father and then ran away from home with his adoptive brother Rishid. How come in Malik's words, it became that he wanted to avenge his father, and that Isis was trying to stop him? Why is there such a big difference between their accounts?

Isis looked extremely conflicted, unsure how to explain it to Li Xin. She could only steel herself and say, "Mr. Li Xin, the reasons are extremely complicated and cannot be explained in a few words. Please allow me to explain to you later..."

"What can't be said!"

Malik said angrily, "For the sake of that so-called Pharaoh, our family lived in darkness underground for three thousand years, and in the end, Father was cruelly murdered by him, and you, sister, are even trying to cover up his crimes... What are you thinking!"

“No, Malik, it’s not for that nameless pharaoh, it’s for…”

I did it for you!

Isis desperately wanted to tell Malik the truth, to stop him from seeking revenge, but she simply couldn't bring herself to speak—telling Malik the truth about his father's death was no different from forcing him to die. She had already lost her father; did she want to make her lose her brother as well?

As the saying goes, "Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes." Clearly, there is a deep conflict between Isis and Malik, but this is their family matter, and Li Xin shouldn't interfere. In any case, Malik has already been subdued, so let Isis take him back and discipline him properly.

"Miss Isis, let's go back."

Li Xin said to Isis.

Looking at Malik, who was resisting her in every way, Isis could only say to Li Xin, "Mr. Li Xin, please help me take Malik back."

Although Malik was only a teenager, he was still a boy. Isis couldn't forcibly take Malik away, especially with Rishid standing by. Although Rishid wouldn't hurt Isis, if given the choice between Isis and Malik, Rishid would definitely listen to Malik more.

"no problem."

Li Xin simply lifted Malik up with one hand. The skinny Malik, who was as thin as a stick, didn't look out of place at all when Li Xin held him. Even his constant struggles only made Malik look more like a little devil.

Lishid hesitated for a moment. He knew Isis wouldn't hurt Malik, but he was still worried, so he silently followed her.

Seeing that Isis did not object, Li Xin allowed Delihid to follow.

With Hu Laoliu by his side, Li Xin and the others returned to the hotel where Isis was staying. By this time, Hu Laoliu had regained his mobility under Li Xin's healing power and reluctantly handed over the ten million dollar check that he hadn't even had a chance to warm up.

However, Hu Laoliu did not intend to hand over the ten million dollars for nothing. He said to Li Xin, "Um, Mr. Xin, in a few weeks I will be going to a very dangerous place. I would like to hire you as my bodyguard to protect my safety. Consider this ten million dollars as a deposit. What do you think?"

Li Xin looked at Hu Laoliu with a half-smile: "Mr. Hu, isn't this inappropriate?"

Hu Laoliu said with a sly grin, "Mr. Axin, the place I'm going to is extremely dangerous. If I'm not careful, I'll lose my life there. So, if you save me now, it'll be a waste of time, and the ten million dollars will be wasted. Don't you think so?"

Li Xin shook his head: "You can't say that. One thing at a time. This ten million US dollars is for saving you this time. What happens to you after that is a matter for later. If you want me to protect you later, you'll have to pay extra."

Old Hu's tooth ached slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he asked, "Mr. Axin, may I ask, if you don't complete the commission, will you still charge the commission fee?"

"Naturally, it will be fully refunded."

Li Xin replied.

In their line of work, half of the commission fee is usually collected in advance as a deposit. If the commission is not completed due to reasons other than the client's fault, the deposit must be returned in full. Of course, some people are shameless and will keep the deposit even if the commission is not completed. Of course, "X" firm would never do such a thing.

"Alright, my request is that Mr. Ashin protect my safety during the subsequent operations. If Mr. Ashin fails to protect me and I die, who will you return my deposit to?"

Hu Laoliu asked.

"This one……"

Li Xin hesitated for a moment. Yes, if the person was dead, even if Li Xin was willing to return the deposit, who would he return it to?

"So, this is what I'm thinking."

Hu Laoliu said to Li Xin, "I'll go home first to take care of my affairs. If I can return safely with Mr. A Xin's help, I have nothing to say and will hand over the commission fee in full. I wouldn't dare to default on the commission fee of an extraordinary expert, right? But if I don't make it out of here and die, then that money will be my inheritance, left to my wife and children. I think you, Mr. A Xin, wouldn't steal the money from those orphans and widows, would you?"

Li Xin pondered, "This Hu Laoliu knows that I am an extraordinary expert, yet he still feels that I am in grave danger. Is the place he is going to really that dangerous?"

Considering Hu Laoliu's identity, Li Xin couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Hu, let me ask you first, where exactly is the place you're going that's so dangerous?"

Hu Laoliu looked around before approaching Li Xin and whispering, "Qianling!"

Li Xin was taken aback, and his gaze toward Hu Laoliu became somewhat strange.

Isn't this the place Mao Lixia was going to? Mao Lixia mentioned before that the person who invited her to Qianling Mausoleum even consulted an expert on tombs, and that expert was Hu Laoliu? What a coincidence!

"What time is it?"

"About three weeks later."

"That's what Hu Laoliu replied."

Great, even the timing matches up, then it's definitely true.

Li Xin nodded slightly, then said to Hu Laoliu, "Alright, although this is against the rules, you're right. If I fail to protect you and you die, there's no point in returning the money to you. It's better to leave it to your wife and children... I'll make an exception for you this once, but don't go around telling everyone, or I won't be able to do business in the future, understand?"

Anyway, he was going to accompany Mao Lixia to Qianling Mausoleum anyway, and he could earn extra money by agreeing to Hu Laoliu's offer, so why not?

Hearing Li Xin agree, Hu Laoliu was overjoyed. He nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I understand, of course I understand! Thank you, Mr. Li Xin!"

After arranging a time with Hu Laoliu, Li Xin sent Hu Laoliu away and then found Isis.

Isis looked quite haggard, completely unlike her usual calm and collected demeanor as the director of the archaeology bureau. She sat motionless on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought.

The "Millennium Staff" rested quietly beside her hand, and perhaps coincidentally, the "Eye of Horus" on it was facing Isis, as if silently watching her.

Back at the hotel, Malik was locked in the next room by Isis. The room was sealed off. Without the "Millennium Staff," Malik was no different from an ordinary boy. As long as Lishid was kept in sight, there was no need to worry about Malik escaping.

"Miss Isis."

Li Xin called out to Isis, intending to say goodbye before leaving, but Isis did not respond to his words. He could only raise his voice and call again, but still could not get Isis's attention.

Helpless, Li Xin could only call out again. This time, however, he infused the power of "Buddha Asks the Monastery" into his shout, which finally woke up the preoccupied Isis.

Isis, as if waking from a dream, felt as if she were hearing the sound of bells ringing in her ears. Seeing Li Xin standing beside her, she quickly stood up and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Li Xin, I was just spacing out..."

Li Xin shook his head slightly and said to Isis, "Miss Isis, are you troubled by your younger brother's matter?"

In Li Xin's mind, if his younger brother is disobedient, he can just beat him up. But unfortunately, judging from Isis's quiet demeanor, she doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would be cruel to her younger brother.

Isis gave a wry smile and said to Li Xin, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Mr. Li Xin."

"It's not funny at all. It's normal for family members to have conflicts. Even the lips sometimes quarrel, right? It's precisely because we're family and spend so much time together that we're most likely to argue. But blood is thicker than water. No matter how big the misunderstanding is, as long as we talk it out, everything will pass."

Li Xin comforted him.

Isis was silent for a moment, then a look of sorrow appeared on her face: "Mr. Ashin, I'm sorry, the misunderstanding between us can't be resolved."

"How could there be a misunderstanding that can't be resolved!"

Li Xin said with a smile.

"Because I couldn't explain this misunderstanding to Malik."

Isis said sadly.

Li Xin was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Miss Isis, what exactly is going on between you and your brother?"

"It would take a long time to explain this."

Isis said.

Li Xin glanced at the time. Hmm, it was still early, so he said, "Anyway, I don't have anything to do right now, so we can talk slowly."

After a long silence, Isis finally spoke: "It all started three thousand years ago."

Yes, it is indeed very long.

Li Xin sat on the sofa and listened quietly to Isis's story.

"Three thousand years ago, Egypt was facing a 'catastrophe' that threatened the entire world."

Upon hearing Isis mention the familiar term "the cataclysm of destruction," which dates back three thousand years, Li Xin was initially surprised, but quickly regained his composure.

The "catastrophe of destruction" is not unique to any one era; it exists in every era, and each era has its own saviors who resolve it. It is these saviors who, generation after generation, protect the world like a relay race, allowing human civilization to survive to this day.

Previously, when facing formidable enemies like Nuga and Goenitz, Chin Gentsai clearly had the ability to easily resolve the crisis, but he always slacked off. This was because each generation had its own tribulations to overcome, and Chin Gentsai couldn't keep carrying them all the way. So he could only let them grow through their own hardships, and at most he would cover for them.

The "catastrophe" that struck Egypt three thousand years ago was clearly averted by the saviors of that generation.

Isis continued, “Back then, the Pharaoh who ruled Egypt sealed away the great evil god who had resurrected from the underworld with his ‘true name.’ In return, the Pharaoh’s soul, having lost his ‘true name’ and memories, would forever be trapped in the mortal world, unable to enter the ‘Reed Plains.’ Our mission as the ‘Tomb Keepers’ is to preserve the memories of the nameless Pharaoh. When the nameless Pharaoh’s soul reappears in the mortal world, we, the ‘Tomb Keepers’, will return the Pharaoh’s memories, helping him enter the ‘Reed Plains’ and allowing his soul to find eternal peace there.”

Li Xin didn't feel anything after hearing this. After learning about the "Cataclysm of Annihilation" and how myths from all over the world were closely related to it, Li Xin had done a lot of research on myths from around the world. Therefore, Li Xin knew what the "Reed Plains" that Isis mentioned was.

In Egyptian mythology, Anubis, the god of death, would weigh the heart of the deceased on a scale. If the heart was lighter or the same weight as the feather of the goddess Maat, the soul of the deceased would be allowed to enter the "Reed Plain" to enjoy eternal spring and fertile land, a status equivalent to the underworld in Chinese mythology and heaven in Western mythology.

"In order to fulfill our mission, our Ishdar family has lived underground for three thousand years, where the sun never shines. Even as dynasties changed and history changed outside, our family has always adhered to our mission and never forgotten it."

Upon hearing Isis's words, Li Xin couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect.

This is three thousand years, not thirty years. Even three hundred years is enough time for a dynasty to complete its rise and fall from its founding to its demise. Yet Isis's family has upheld a mission for three thousand years. This is truly remarkable and worthy of admiration.

But soon, Li Xin felt sorry for this family. They had been bound by a mission for three thousand years. Moreover, according to Isis, their family lived underground. This kind of dark and sunless life was definitely not enjoyable. Yet they had persisted for three thousand years and endured it for three thousand years. No wonder he felt that Malik's mind seemed a bit abnormal. This kind of life that could not see the light was probably a major factor.

Chapter 604 "Winged Dragon of Ra" Descends!

“Mr. Ashin, I’m not saying this to complain to you, but to tell you why Malik has become like this.”

Isis sighed deeply.

Unlike her, who was submissive and only knew how to silently endure, Malik longed for freedom from a young age, and this yearning for freedom was so incompatible with the mission of the Ishtar family.

"So, Malik ran away from home because he longed for the outside world?"

Li Xin asked Isis.

But if that's all there is to it, why does Malik keep saying that he wants to take revenge on the Pharaoh?

Isis shook her head: "No, although Malik doesn't like living underground and longs for the surface world, it's just a thought. He can't resist the family's mission. The reason he's become like this is because of something else."

"Five years ago, on Malik's eleventh birthday, he, who had always longed for life on the surface, made a promise with me to sneak out together. Just one day, just one day. He only wanted to live on the surface for one day. Although I was afraid of my father's scolding, I couldn't bear to refuse him, so I agreed. Meanwhile, Lishid stayed at home to cover for us."

“We originally thought that Father was unwell and resting in his room during those days. As long as we acted while he was asleep, he wouldn’t notice our departure. But we were so excited that we didn’t realize that Father had already set up a trap at the exit. So the moment we left the underground, Father knew that we had sneaked out. And when we returned to the underground, we saw Lishid being beaten to the point of near death by Father.”

As she spoke, Isis seemed to be transported back to that time, her eyes flashing with fear and panic: "Father blamed Lishid for our betrayal of the family mission, and wanted to beat him to death. Malik and I stepped forward to stop him, but Father pushed us away..."

"At that time, Malik, for some reason, suddenly became a different person. He picked up the 'Millennium Staff,' one of the 'Millennium Items' that the family worshipped, and used the power of the 'Millennium Staff' to subdue his father and... kill him. He even... peeled the skin off his father's back..."

Recalling what happened that day, even though a long time has passed, Isis is still filled with immense sadness and fear. Among these feelings, fear outweighs sadness, because Malik was truly terrifying at that time. He not only murdered his father but also treated his father's corpse cruelly, and there was no trace of discomfort in his eyes. Instead, he seemed completely absorbed in the act.

He no longer looked like a human being, but a demon, a complete and utter demon!

"What! Your father was killed by your brother!? Then why..."

Li Xin was shocked. A boy who kept saying he wanted to avenge his father turned out to be a patricide. Could there be anything more unbelievable in the world?