Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

"Oh, the news has spread this far..."

Otsuka shrugged nonchalantly: "Don't worry, the security team for this exhibition is JACES, the most professional security company in all of Japan, no, in all of Asia. They're not comparable to that bunch of useless cowards from the Metropolitan Police Department. Not to mention that new petty thief from 'Cat's Eye,' even if it were 'Kid,' no, even if it were Lu... cough cough, anyway, we won't let a single exhibit be stolen right under our noses!"

He originally intended to say that even Lupin III, known as the "King of Phantom Thieves," wouldn't be able to steal anything from them, but after considering the other party's reputation, he ultimately chose to keep quiet. What if he provoked the other party's competitive spirit and he insisted on coming to steal things protected by JACES? That kind of weirdo wasn't incapable of doing such a thing.

Li Xin asked Otsuka, "I heard that if anything happens at the exhibition, all the exhibits will be locked in a security box and then transported to a bomb-proof vault, is that right?"

Otsuka nodded and said, "That's right. Once you're inside the explosion-proof vault, unless the three of us—me, the person in charge of the exhibition, and the head of security from headquarters—simultaneously use the vault keys in our hands to open the vault door, there's no way to open the vault made of titanium alloy."

He wasn't afraid to tell Li Xin about this, because even if Li Xin knew, he could only get two keys at most. As for the third key, it was at JACES headquarters. For Otsuka, JACES was the safest place in the world. Who could possibly steal anything from JACES headquarters?

Li Xin nodded slightly; he had no intention of opening the treasure vault.

As they walked, Li Xin and Otsuka arrived at the Central Plains exhibition area, which displayed swords and blades from the Central Plains. Since the agreement had been reached, the White Jade Sword had already been placed here.

Otsuka told Li Xin, "Once the exhibition officially begins, you will be in charge of the Central Plains exhibition area. As for the other samurai sword you are to guard, 'Kikuchiyo,' I have arranged it near the Central Plains exhibition area so that you can take care of it in time if anything happens."

Otsuka diligently explained things to Li Xin, even taking good care of him, but unfortunately, Li Xin didn't listen to a word Otsuka said, his attention was entirely focused on an exhibit next to the white jade sword.

Inside the glass display case, an amber-colored glass sword lay quietly, radiating a peaceful glow.

Seeing that Li Xin's attention was drawn to the glass sword, Otsuka explained, "This is a glass sword, made entirely of glass, just like the white jade sword you're guarding. Although it's not forged from metal, it has extremely high sharpness. It's currently the most eye-catching sword in the Central Plains exhibition area. I really don't know what anyone was thinking, that someone would use these two materials to make a weapon. Aren't they afraid of breaking it in a fight?"

Li Xin looked at the glass sword placed next to the white jade sword, which seemed to have some kind of connection with it, and thought to himself, could this sword also have a hidden sword move, just like the white jade sword?

After discovering a sword move on the Purple Lightning Sword, Li Xin immediately returned to Cat's Eye Cafe and borrowed the White Jade Sword from Lai Shenglei to experiment. Sure enough, he also discovered a sword move on the White Jade Sword. However, unlike the fast moves on the Purple Lightning Sword, Li Xin preferred to call the sword move on the White Jade Sword "Dense," meaning dense. The sword strikes were delicate, like mercury flowing across the ground, penetrating everywhere. It was also an extremely terrifying sword move. Unfortunately, just like the sword move on the Purple Lightning Sword, Li Xin could not fully learn this move, which was regrettable.

At this moment, a masked man cautiously observed the exhibits inside the exhibition hall from outside. He skipped over the Western and Japanese exhibition areas and focused his attention on the Central Plains exhibition area.

His gaze swept around the Central Plains exhibition area, but he did not find the Purple Lightning Sword he had expected. However, he was pleasantly surprised by something else.

This is... a glass sword! A white jade sword!

Tears welled up in the masked man's eyes.

With our ancestors above us, we unworthy descendants finally have a chance to collect all the family heirloom swords!

Chapter Ninety-Four: Hardware Gap

The next day, the sword exhibition officially began. Li Xin stood in front of the display case containing the white jade sword, while scanning his surroundings to take in the entire Central Plains exhibition area.

There aren't many people at the exhibition right now, which is normal. Sword exhibitions are niche events, and those who attend are usually enthusiasts in the field. Moreover, those interested in swords are generally male, so this exhibition not only has few people, but even fewer female attendees.

It was at this exhibition that two pure and beautiful girls entered the exhibition.

"Sonoko, I didn't know you were interested in swords and the like. Or are you here to look after something for your uncle again?"

Ran Mouri, who had met Li Xin once before, asked her friend Sonoko Suzuki.

"of course not."

Sonoko Suzuki shook her head firmly, then placed her hands on her chest, interlocked her fingers, and said with a blissful expression, "I've come to find my Prince Charming!"

"Prince Charming?"

Ran Mouri was taken aback, mainly because there were quite a few potential Prince Charmings for Sonoko Suzuki. Whether it was a real-life man, a celebrity on TV, or even a virtual anime character, as long as he was handsome, he could be her Prince Charming.

"Yes, that's the bodyguard I saw at the jewelry exhibition before!"

Sonoko Suzuki said to Ran Mouri, "That guy who's so tall and cool, and that damn mysterious aura, is simply irresistible!"

"Ah, that's it..."

Ran Mouri quickly remembered and asked, "Will he be coming to this sword exhibition too?"

"do not know."

Sonoko Suzuki shook her head and then said, "Afterwards, I went to 'Lian Jewelry' to ask. It seems that the handsome bodyguard was hired by the person in charge of that jewelry exhibition through personal connections. They didn't know any specific information about the bodyguard. As for the woman named Maria, she has already returned to Europe. They don't know how to contact her. I only know that the handsome bodyguard is in Tokyo. As for how to find him, I have absolutely no clue. However, since he appeared at the jewelry exhibition, he might appear at other exhibitions as well. There just happened to be a sword exhibition here, so I thought I'd come and see if I could run into him again!"

"So that's how it is..."

Ran Mouri smiled wryly; she didn't know whether to say that Sonoko Suzuki had perseverance or something else.

"I, Sonoko Suzuki, will travel to every exhibition in Tokyo in order to find my Prince Charming!"

Sonoko Suzuki is full of energy and genuinely enthusiastic.

This person is beyond saving...

Ran Mouri shook her head, but Sonoko Suzuki was her best friend since kindergarten, so what could she do? She could only stay by her side!

"Ah, my Prince Charming!"

A surprised and cheerful voice rang out from Sonoko Suzuki, and then Ran Mouri saw Sonoko Suzuki running towards a certain direction. Ran Mouri looked in the direction Sonoko Suzuki ran and sure enough, she found a familiar figure.

What a lie! Sonoko actually found it?

Ran Mouri was surprised. She originally thought that Sonoko Suzuki's actions were no less than finding a needle in a haystack. Who knew that Sonoko Suzuki just casually scooped up the sea and actually found that "needle"? Is this what is meant by "where there's a will, there's a way"?

Sonoko Suzuki rushed toward Li Xin, but was stopped before she could get close.

Rui Kisei stopped Sonoko Suzuki and said to her, "Miss, please don't run here. It's easy to cause misunderstandings. It wouldn't look good if you were pinned to the ground."

There are security personnel everywhere here now. If they see someone running around, their first reaction will probably be to suspect that the person has a problem and arrest them.

"Pressed to the ground? By whom? By him?"

Sonoko Suzuki pointed at Li Xin, then looked excited.

"what?"

Rui Kisugi paused, completely bewildered by what Sonoko Suzuki was talking about. What were these young women thinking these days? Was Ai-chan like that too?

Although somewhat surprised by Sonoko Suzuki's statement, Rui Kisugi still said, "Mr. Oshin is not part of the official security personnel for this sword exhibition. He is someone I have privately hired to protect the exhibits I have placed at the exhibition."

"Protection? Is it close protection? I'd like to be closely protected too!"

Sonoko Suzuki's eyes sparkled.

Lai Sheng Lei: "..."

So, what I just said, you only heard that one sentence, right?

Even if I were to shed tears in my next life, I would have no temper left.

Just then, Ran Mouri ran over. Although she didn't know what had happened, she figured it must be that idiot Sonoko who had offended them again. Without thinking, she pressed Sonoko's head down and, together with Sonoko, bowed to Rui Kisaki: "Miss, I'm so sorry, my friend has caused you trouble!"

Finally, someone with a normal mind appeared, and said with a smile, "It's okay, don't worry about it."

"Are you Mr. Ashin's employer?"

Sonoko Suzuki suddenly realized what was going on and looked at Rui Kisugi with a scrutinizing gaze. She saw that Rui Kisugi had a hot figure and delicate features, and in particular, the charm of a mature woman was something that Sonoko, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, could not compare to. She was immediately shocked.

Wait, how come one Mary left and another such beautiful woman came? Also, why are all of Mr. Ashin's employers such beauties? Does that mean that if you're not pretty, you're not qualified to be Mr. Ashin's employer?

Sonoko Suzuki felt a pang of heartache.

Sensing that Sonoko Suzuki's mental state was somewhat off, and that there was a hint of hostility in her eyes, Rui Kisugi could only apologize to Sonoko Suzuki and Ran Mouri before walking towards Shin.

Facing Lai Sheng Lei, Li Xin, who had been on guard, naturally relaxed and said to Lai Sheng Lei, "No abnormalities have been found so far."

After saying that, he added quietly, "How are your preparations going?"

"Mr. Ashin, you've really worked hard."

After exchanging pleasantries, Lai Sheng Lei whispered to Li Xin, "Xiao Ai is all ready. We can begin our operation when the time comes."

Before each "cat's eye" operation, a notice is sent out, specifying the items to be stolen and the time. It is usually done at night to avoid disturbing the residents.

Li Xin nodded, then said, "I will cover you when you begin your operation."

Lai Sheng Lei shook her head slightly: "No need, just focus on your own business. We can handle things on our side."

Li Xin thought for a moment and said to Laisheng Lei, "Little Lei, I feel like there's something strange about this sword exhibition..."

"How to say?"

In the next life, I will ask Li Xin about his faith with tears in my eyes.

"Why would a security giant like JACES be deployed for a sword exhibition that doesn't attract many people? I've heard from Otsuka that such a security operation is quite expensive, especially considering that the rental fee for this exhibition hall is not cheap either."

Li Xin said softly.

Lai Sheng Lei knew what Li Xin was talking about. She explained to Li Xin, "The main reason for asking JACES to be in charge of the exhibition hall's security was to persuade the museum to lend out their collections without worry. But you're right, Ah Xin, this exhibition is indeed quite strange..."

Generally speaking, trade shows mainly make a profit by selling exhibits. For example, in a previous jewelry show, selling just one expensive piece of jewelry could easily recoup the cost of the entire trade show.

For exhibitions like sword and knife shows, which borrow other people's collections for display, the only fee they can charge is a percentage of the sales of the exhibits.

This might sound reasonable, but the problem is that museum collections are definitely not for sale. Only personal collections can be bought and sold. Many collectors have a special attachment to their collections and will not easily sell them. Therefore, the transaction volume at exhibitions like this is very low, and the commission is even less. It is safe to say that this exhibition is definitely a money-losing event.

“I actually looked into this exhibition.”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I faced Li Xindao in my next life.

"What did you find?"

Li Xin asked in a low voice.

Lai Sheng Lei said in a deep voice, "This exhibition is said to be organized by a certain cold weapon enthusiasts association, but this enthusiasts association recently received several large sums of money from the Tsukamoto Group. Even JACES was only willing to undertake the security work of this exhibition because it was introduced by the Tsukamoto Group."

"The Tsukamoto Group? What's that?"

Li Xin asked.

"A very famous conglomerate in Japan, with abundant funds and involvement in various industries. Chairman Kazuo Tsukamoto is the dictator of the Tsukamoto Group. If the Tsukamoto Group is really related to this exhibition, it must be at the behest of Kazuo Tsukamoto. But I have never heard of Kazuo Tsukamoto being interested in swords. Perhaps this sword exhibition really has something special about it."

Mentioning the Tsukamoto Group, Rui Kisugi's expression turned serious.

Kazuo Tsukamoto, the chairman of the Tsukamoto Group, is a madman who rose to prominence after the war. He made his first fortune through unknown means and quickly transformed from a down-on-his-luck military officer into a successful businessman after Japan's defeat. He has extensive connections in both political and business circles and is a truly ruthless character.

Kisugi Rui actually had dealings with Tsukamoto Kazuo, but at that time she was the CEO of a cosmetics company in Europa. Although it was just a simple business meeting, Tsukamoto Kazuo's wolf-like eyes left a very deep impression on Kisugi Rui.

That guy is definitely a ruthless killer, and an even more greedy businessman who won't get up early for nothing. He couldn't possibly be holding such a sword exhibition at a loss. There must be some purpose behind it that she doesn't know yet. She just hopes that it has nothing to do with their "Cat's Eye" operation.

"Anyway, Ashin, you should also be careful."

Lai Sheng Lei felt that this sword exhibition might not end peacefully, and was even more worried that Li Xin might encounter unexpected dangers.

"You are the one who should be careful."

Li Xin said to the next life with tears in his eyes.

Compared to himself, Li Xin was more worried about Lai Sheng Lei. After all, he was just providing cover for this operation, and the three Lai Sheng sisters were the ones truly in charge.

Seeing Li Xin and Rui Kisugi talking intimately, Suzuki Sonoko had already conjured up a six-thousand-word plot in her mind about a female employer sexually harassing a male bodyguard. However, she wasn't there to defend Li Xin because of this "workplace harassment," but rather...

"Damn it, why wasn't it me?!"

Sonoko Suzuki was so jealous her eyes turned red; she also wanted to flirt with the handsome bodyguard!

Ran Mouri covered her face, feeling ashamed to be seen by anyone after being around Sonoko Suzuki for so long.

"No way, I want a handsome bodyguard to protect me too!"

Sonoko Suzuki rolled up her sleeves and walked up to Li Xin, who was talking to Rui Kisaki, and said, "Mr. Li Xin, may I ask which security company you work for? How can I contact you if I want to hire you?"

Li Xin glanced at Lai Sheng Rui beside him and said to Suzuki Sonoko, "I'm working right now. Please wait until I finish my work before we talk about this."

After you finish work, please leave!

Sonoko Suzuki cried out in her heart. She had planned not to disturb Li Xin's work and to go find him after he finished, but she found that he was nowhere to be found.

"It'll only take a little while, please!"

Sonoko Suzuki asked Li Xin for a favor.

“Mr. Ashin, this little girl is so cute, just agree to her request, don’t be so cold.”

Lai Sheng Lei smiled and said.

Little girl?

Sonoko Suzuki lowered her head, a bittersweet feeling welling up inside her.

"I'm not little at all!"

Sonoko Suzuki tried to maintain her composure, unwilling to show weakness in front of Rui Kisugi, but after seeing Rui Kisugi's voluptuous figure, she quickly felt her energy bar be completely depleted.

It's incomparable...

Sonoko Suzuki was utterly defeated!

Fortunately, because of Lai Sheng Rui's words, Li Xin finally agreed to give Suzuki Sonoko his contact information. He handed Suzuki Sonoko a business card and said, "You can hire me through the phone number on this business card."

After receiving the business card, Sonoko Suzuki immediately perked up and said happily, "Thank you!"