Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

God knows how much suffering he has endured because of his appearance. Every time he goes to talk to people about transferring or renting a property, the other party will say everything is fine on the phone, but after meeting in person, they will make an excuse to go to the bathroom and then disappear without a trace. They won't answer the phone. Compared to those people, Lai Sheng Lei is practically an angel. Although he is blind, he can already feel that she is an absolute beauty!

"Although I have already spoken to you about this before, I still need to emphasize the terms of the transfer. I hope you don't mind."

Lai Sheng Rui smiled slightly, then said to the muscular bald man, "Due to some family reasons, the three of us sisters are unable to continue running this café. However, we still have a very deep affection for this café and do not want it to close down. That is why we are transferring it to Mr. Ijuin. Mr. Ijuin is free to run this café, but I hope you can keep the layout of the café as it is as possible, and also the name of the café. Please keep calling it 'Cat's Eye Café'. I hope Mr. Ijuin understands this."

The muscular bald man nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I understand, I understand. This is also my first time running a coffee shop. Compared to messing around on my own, I think it would be better to run it according to your original layout, Miss Laisheng."

Before taking over Maoyan Cafe, he had inquired about it. The cafe had a good reputation, had been open for many years, and was always loved by customers. However, it had been frequently closing down in the past year, which may be why the original owner had to transfer the cafe.

"Thank you."

Lai Sheng Rui thanked the muscular bald man, and then showed him around the coffee shop. She knew that the muscular bald man was blind, so she reminded him from time to time while showing him around.

"The second and third floors are also handed over to Mr. Ijuin. Please feel free to use them as living quarters or warehouses."

"Tears of the Next Life" said to the muscular bald man.

"As for the rent..."

"The original price is fine."

The muscular bald man was immediately moved; what a wonderful landlord!

After showing the muscular bald man around the coffee shop and getting him used to the layout, Rui Kisugi came to a message board and gently rubbed it.

"I also hope that Mr. Ijuin will leave this message board."

"Tears of the Next Life" said to the muscular bald man.

"Of course, no problem!"

The muscular bald man replied without hesitation, "That's obvious. The original store owner offered such a low rent and even included a second and third-floor attic. What's wrong with just asking for a message board? Besides, regarding this message board... he had actually heard a rather peculiar urban legend."

"Um, Miss Kisugi, may I ask you a question?"

The muscular bald man spoke somewhat reservedly.

"What is it? Mr. Ijuin, you can ask me anything about this café."

Lai Sheng Lei smiled slightly.

"Ahem, I only heard it from someone else. If it's just a baseless rumor, I hope Miss Laisheng will just laugh it off and not take it to heart."

This muscular bald man may look rough, but he is extremely thoughtful and speaks very politely, which makes Lai Sheng Lei feel very fond of him. She feels that entrusting Cat's Eye Cafe to him was indeed a wise choice.

"Mr. Ijuin, please speak."

"Tears of the Next Life" said to the muscular bald man.

"Legend has it that if you leave a note on the message board of the Cat's Eye Cafe in front of the Metropolitan Police Department, with an 'X' on the front and your contact information on the back, the legendary 'X' will solve any problem for you... Such an urban legend... is probably just the nonsense of bored people, right?"

The muscular bald man touched the smooth back of his head and smiled.

Within his industry, if we're talking about "X," it can only be the owner of the newly emerging "X" agency. It's hard to imagine that such an extraordinary and powerful person would be associated with a small coffee shop.

Even his industry peers, known as the "Shinjuku Stallion"... no, I mean Ryo Saeba from "City Hunter," that guy always boasted about how close he was to "X" and how they had even fought side by side, which Muscular Baldy didn't believe, let alone a coffee shop owner who had absolutely nothing to do with their industry, how could he possibly know "X."

"Of course it's fake."

Kisugi Rui's answer made the muscular bald man think, "I knew it," and then he heard Kisugi Rui continue, "How could it be like making a wish, where you just write down your contact information and they'll solve any problem for you? You definitely have to pay a fee based on the difficulty of the request!"

"what?"

The muscular bald man paused for a moment, then before he could react, Rui Kisugi handed him the café keys: "Anyway, please take good care of this message board and this café from now on, Mr. Ijuin. Thank you!"

"Yes Yes……"

As she walked out of the Cat's Eye Cafe, Lai Sheng Lei glanced back at the cafe, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

This place, which holds the most memories for her, is about to be left behind, and it's hard for her not to feel a sense of reluctance.

"Big sister, is everything done?"

Kisei Ai's voice sounded from behind. Kisei Rui turned around and saw Kisei Ai getting out of the passenger seat of the car.

Laisheng Lei nodded slightly, then said to Laisheng Ai, "Let's go, don't keep Dad waiting."

The two sisters drove together to Michael's place, picked him up, and then drove to the airport together.

That's right, this time when Lai Sheng Lei accompanied Li Xin back to his hometown for the Chinese New Year, she didn't plan to go alone, but brought Lai Sheng Ai and Michael along.

In other words, this Chinese New Year is not just a simple celebration, but also the first meeting between both sets of parents.

Originally, Laisheng Lei had planned to bring Laisheng Tong along, since the whole family should be together. However, Laisheng Tong is currently dealing with a lot of mess and doesn't have time to accompany Laisheng Lei to Li Xin's hometown.

Going back to the beginning, after receiving support from her family, Hitomi Kisugi told Toshio Utsumi that she was "Cat's Eye".

At first, Toshio Utsumi didn't believe it, but after Hitomi Kisugi told him one by one what only he and "Cat's Eye" knew, Toshio Utsumi couldn't help but believe it.

However, Toshio Utsumi did not arrest Hitomi. On the one hand, the Metropolitan Police Department had withdrawn its arrest warrant for "Cat's Eye" after she returned all the artworks. On the other hand, Utsumi also knew that "Cat's Eye" was Heinz's daughter and that she had no choice but to steal Heinz's collection.

However, Toshio Utsumi did take some action; he resigned from his police job and returned to his hometown in Kyushu.

He couldn't bear to arrest Lai Shengtong, but he also felt guilty about his job as a police officer. Torn between personal feelings and a sense of responsibility, he had no choice but to give up his police career.

Even after resigning, Toshio Utsumi didn't know how to face Hitomi Kisugi, so he could only escape back to his hometown. Feeling indebted to Toshio Utsumi, Hitomi Kisugi went to Kyushu, hoping to salvage their relationship.

As for this matter, Rui Kisugi didn't have a good solution... Well, actually she did, after all, Toshio Utsumi was so kind and loved Hitomi Kisugi so deeply, a little trick would be enough to make Toshio Utsumi forgive Hitomi Kisugi.

However, since they had already taken advantage of Toshio Utsumi in this way, it would be unfair to do this to him again.

Moreover, she understands that sincerity is the most important thing in a relationship; a lie can only be lied to for a while, not forever.

Now that we've gotten through this crisis with lies, once the lies are exposed in the future, the thorn in our hearts will not only reappear, but will also fester.

So let Hitomi use her sincerity to win back Utsumi Toshio. It's good that she suffers a little; it's what she deserves.

Upon arriving at the airport, Li Xin and the others were already there. Apart from Crocodile, almost everyone from the agency was present, including not only the few who had agreed beforehand, but also Mai Zhuo and Wei Si.

The Central Plains is an underdeveloped country, and Li Xin's hometown is in the countryside. Logically speaking, these two pleasure-seeking women, who would die without modern society, would absolutely not want to go to Li Xin's hometown. But the problem is, the female boss wants them to go, so how dare they not go? After all, she pays them!

According to Lai Shenglei, besides spending the New Year with Li Xin, he also planned to make some investments in the Central Plains during his trip to Li Xin's hometown.

After all, this is a huge market with 1.2 billion people. Although the economy is lagging behind now, its development potential and market potential are the strongest among existing developing countries. From any perspective, investing in the Central Plains is a wise decision.

In fact, by this time, many multinational corporations had already noticed the potential of Central China. Some had already entered the Central China market, but most maintained the composure of established international companies, waiting for Central China to invite them into the market in hopes of receiving better treatment.

However, Lai Shenglei wasn't going to wait like that. In business, seizing an opportunity is key. Entering early and making arrangements early allows you to take the lead in the market. If she didn't enter now while foreign investment in the Central Plains was insufficient, would she regret it after the Central Plains took off? Lai Shenglei wasn't stupid.

It was also because of the plan to invest in the Central Plains that Lai Sheng Lei brought Mai Zhuo and Wei Si along. After all, although these two women liked to slack off, they were indeed capable. The value of their Level 1 Secretary Qualification Certificates was beyond doubt, and they were also foreigners. Bringing them along would save Lai Sheng Lei a lot of trouble in the future investment.

Lai Sheng Rui was quite familiar with everyone in the agency, and greeted them all very warmly.

Unlike Rui Kisugi, Ai Kisugi looked at one of them with hostility—yes, it was Morishia.

Was this the woman who seduced Ashin? Was it because of those two Europeans? Useless Ashin, he couldn't even resist this temptation! Mine's not small either!

Lai Sheng Ai straightened her chest in front of Mao Lixia, but after assessing the difference in their strength, she quickly hunched over again.

I can't compare... I can't compare at all. How did this woman grow so big...?

In the next life, love is bitter. She remembered that Lei from the next life said that Mao Lixia was only one or two years older than her. How could the age gap be so big!

Seeing that Michael was among the people accompanying Lai Shenglei, Li Xin pulled Lai Shenglei aside and whispered, "Little Lei, is Mr. Michael also going to the Central Plains with us? His health..."

Michael is old, and traveling back to the Central Plains with Li Xin and the others would be arduous and could easily lead to an accident.

Lai Sheng Lei shook her head slightly: "This was my father's decision. He said he had wanted to go to the Central Plains for a long time, so he decided to take this opportunity to fulfill his wish from when he was young. What could I do? I could only take him with me."

Li Xin sighed, "Alright, I'll be more careful on the road."

Fortunately, Li Xin's worries were unnecessary. Although Michael was old, he was surprisingly healthy. He did not feel tired at all during the flight and was instead full of energy.

"When I was young, I always wanted to come to the Central Plains to see the world. I thought I would never have the chance. I never thought that at this age, I would be able to fulfill my long-cherished wish. Life is indeed unpredictable."

After getting off the plane, Michael exclaimed in amazement, and surprisingly, he spoke fluent Mandarin.

Li Xin asked in surprise, "Mr. Michael, you speak Chinese?"

Michael laughed and said, "Didn't I protect art in my early years? Some of those were cultural relics from the Central Plains."

In the early years, fascism swept across Europe, plundering many precious works of art from various European countries, including artifacts looted from their colonies, and naturally, artifacts from the Central Plains were also among them.

Michael continued, "At that time, the Central Plains had been re-established, so I tried to contact the Central Plains to see if they could take back those cultural relics. Then the Central Plains sent someone to take those cultural relics back."

Li Xin then recalled that Michael's collection was all-encompassing, ranging from Roman art to Renaissance paintings, and even Japanese Buddhist statues, but there were no Chinese artifacts. It turned out that they had been returned to the Central Plains a long time ago, which made Li Xin even more respectful of Michael.

Although Michael's efforts to protect artworks resulted in his three daughters spending their childhood in hardship and displacement, making him less than a good father, his actions certainly deserve the title of "noble."

Then Li Xin sensed something was wrong.

What did Michael just say? That the Central Plains sent someone over?

Li Xin understood that at that time, the new government of the Central Plains had just been established and had just finished the war against Goryeo. Everything was in ruins and there was a great need for manpower everywhere. In addition, due to the international situation, it was impossible to send elite troops to retrieve those cultural relics. However, sending only one person was a bit too much...

Seeing Li Xin's confusion, Michael smiled and said, "I thought so too at the time. I even wondered if the new government of the Central Plains didn't want to take back those cultural relics at all, otherwise why would they only send one person? But soon I realized I was overthinking it. Did sending only one person mean they didn't value those cultural relics enough? No, it wasn't that they didn't value them, but that they valued them too much, because the person they sent had the nickname 'Half-Man, Half-Ghost, Number One Marksman'!"

Upon hearing this nickname, Li Xin instantly thought, "What an arrogant tone!"

Chapter 642 Slippery Rural Roads

"Half-human, half-ghost, the best marksman"—even Li Xin thought this nickname was quite remarkable.

Don't assume that extraordinary people look down on those who use guns. Indeed, guns have limited use for extraordinary people. As far as martial artists are concerned, as long as their strength reaches level three, they are generally able to calculate the trajectory of bullets by observing the direction of the muzzle and thus dodge bullets. And after reaching the strength of a level one extraordinary person, they can even dodge bullets while approaching the gunman.

As for the extraordinary individuals, it goes without saying that unless you put a gun to their forehead, it's virtually impossible to hit them. Even if you do hit them, unless the gun hits their eyes, ears, or mouth—vulnerable areas—they'll at most get a scratch. For martial artists who practice hard qigong, they might not even break the skin.

However, this does not mean that guns pose no threat to extraordinary individuals. True sharpshooters are fully capable of using firearms to fight against top-tier extraordinary individuals.

Li Xin still remembers a match he had with Ryo Yaba, a sharpshooter, when he first arrived in Tokyo. He was completely defeated that time.

Although Li Xin did not know how to use martial arts at that time, he possessed the seventh level of the "Wedding Dress Divine Skill" and was also a first-class extraordinary person. However, he was defeated by Ya Yu Liao with BBs. Although it was a point-to-point defeat, it was enough to show the sharpshooter's prowess.

The person sent by the Central Plains to retrieve the cultural relics was nicknamed "The Number One Sharpshooter," a title that no ordinary person could bear.

Michael continued, "When that person first arrived, I was betrayed by my comrades, my hiding place was discovered, and a large number of troops came to arrest me. I thought I was going to be captured this time, and I was preparing to commit suicide to hide the whereabouts of those artworks. But that person only had two pistols and used the terrain of the street to kill more than a hundred armed troops and calmly left with me."

Li Xin was also shocked when he heard this.

The extraordinary person has an absolute advantage when facing a single soldier wielding a weapon, since ordinary firearms are difficult to hit the extraordinary person.

Facing two or three soldiers at the same time is somewhat difficult, but not a major problem.

But once the number of soldiers rises to ten or twenty, and their weapons change from pistols to rifles, forming a fire network in coordination, then sorry, even a genius will have to run, and may not even be able to escape.

This can be seen from the "Ikari Warriors". They are the most skilled among the extraordinary individuals in fighting against the military. However, even the "Ikari Warriors" mostly cooperate with the military in their operations and never rely on their superior strength to face armed forces alone.

The man sent by the new government of the Central Plains annihilated an armed force of more than 100 people with just two pistols. Although the terrain played a part, his strength was absolutely terrifying. The nickname "half-man, half-ghost, the best marksman" was probably not wrong.

"What then?"

Li Xin asked curiously.

Michael exclaimed, "After that man got me out of danger, he invited me to the Central Plains, but I had a lot of artworks to return, so I refused. He was worried about my safety, so he stayed and protected me for a while. During that time, he helped me evade the pursuers and taught me marksmanship and martial arts so that I would be able to protect myself in the future. It was also during that time that I learned Chinese."

Without that person's guidance, Michael, a lazy painter, would never have been able to escape the relentless pursuit.

Suddenly remembering something, Michael said to his two daughters, "Oh, right, I remember now, he was also my and Marie's best man at our wedding!"

In order to possess Zhen Li Hui, Xun Zhong Gong banished Michael back to Europe and spread the news that Michael possessed a large number of precious works of art, which led to countless smugglers and even allied forces hunting down Michael.

Despite knowing the dangers, Marie still chose to go to Europe. After going through many hardships, she reunited with Michael. During this time, the man from the Central Plains who taught Michael marksmanship and martial arts also played a significant role, serving not only as their officiant but also as a witness to their love.

"Is that so?"

Both Lai Sheng Lei and Lai Sheng Ai's eyes lit up. Lai Sheng Lei pondered, "Dad, can you still contact that person? Why don't we go and pay him a visit?"

This person is a great benefactor to their family, and they must repay him properly.

Michael shook his head slightly: "I can't get in touch with him. After I married Masahiro, he received orders from the Central Plains and returned to carry out other missions. I only know his name, nothing else."

"What is his name?"

"Yan Shuangying".

Michael spoke slowly, recalling the man with a resolute, even cold, face. He seemed ruthless and merciless towards his enemies, but Michael, who had spent time with him, knew that this man's heart was more passionate than anyone else's. He had a flame called "ideal" burning in his heart, and he was a strong warrior who had experienced countless hardships but had not been defeated, and who still yearned for light in the face of endless darkness.

When we first met, the man was probably in his forties. Now, forty years have passed, and he should be over eighty years old. I wonder if he is still alive.

"Yan Shuangying, huh..."

Lai Sheng Lei murmured softly, then said, "Okay, Dad, I'll go and find out."

Before coming to the Central Plains, she had already contacted the municipal government of Jinghai City to discuss investment plans. In those days, the government was very welcoming to foreign investment and would try its best to meet the requirements of foreign investors who came to the Central Plains. Perhaps she could take this opportunity to inquire about the whereabouts of the man named Yan Shuangying.

"It would be best if you could find out, but if you can't, don't make things too difficult for them."