On July 17th, in Tokyo, at 5:00 AM Japan Standard Ti, along an empty coastal highway.
Black Cocoon sat on a public bench, his arms resting over the backrest and his head drooping. The intermittent snores were muffled by the restraining bands wrapping his cheeks.
Early this morning, he was staking out this place once again.
The bleak sea breeze blew past, causing the restraining bands on his body to slightly open and close like scales.
After sleeping for a while, he shook his head and rose from the public bench with his arms crossed over his chest, looking just like a holess man sleeping on the streets.
"I might as well be dead..." he muttered.
Uttering his first auspicious greeting of the morning, he yawned. Taking advantage of the fact that the nine mbers of the auction's core bodyguard team had not yet arrived, he used his restraining bands to pull his body upward and slipped inside the villa.
As always, Black Cocoon leaned against the second-floor railing, maintained his Restraining Band Invisibility form, and fell fast asleep.
Before long, Blue Arc arrived right on schedule, accompanied by his earth-shattering rumble.
As if to refute Ke Qirui's repeated teasing from yesterday about him being "the fastest in speed but the slowest to arrive," today he was deliberately the first to show up.
Black Cocoon's head, which was resting against the railing, jolted slightly and bumped into the gap between the balusters.
"Damn it, bro. Can't you let soone get a good sleep? It is a miracle the Chinese citizens haven't filed noise complaints against you..." he grumbled.
Fully awake now, he muttered under his breath as he fished out his mobile phone. He wrapped it in his restraining bands, then relied on his Restraining Band Senses to read the screen and used the bands to type and hit send.
[Black Cocoon: Good morning, Mr. Blue Arc.]
[Blue Arc: Just how twisted are your tastes? Do you really enjoy peeping on people that much?]
[Black Cocoon: I have to guarantee your safety, after all. The security of my partners has always been my top priority.]
[Blue Arc: Just don't get caught. This isn't my turf, and I won't be able to save you.]
[Black Cocoon: Mr. Blue Arc sure has a great sense of humor. You say that as if you would actually save
back in China.]
[Blue Arc: What is your relationship with Ke Zinan and Ke Qirui?]
[Black Cocoon: We are partners. I will make sure both of them survive this auction, just like you. But don't be jealous; my partnership with you remains my highest priority.]
He thought to himself, 'Without you, how am I supposed to unlock the main storyline related to Rainbow Wing? Am I supposed to rely solely on my dad?'
[Blue Arc: Let
ask you a question. What is the deal with that girl nad Ke Zinan? I think there is sothing weird about her.]
[Black Cocoon: Prying into a lady's private matters isn't sothing a hero should do. You will find out sooner or later.]
Their text ssage exchange ended there. Figures began to stroll in from outside the villa one after another, gathering in the magnificent first-floor lobby.
Looking down from the second floor, the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling seed to divide the nine figures into two distinct groups:
Blue Arc stood right in the middle, with the Japanese guard team on his left and the Ghost Train Gang on his right.
"Today, we need to discuss the specific deploynt plan for the auction," Sakura Bud announced. "First, I must explain the ability of Kyomori on our side. As everyone can see, he is an Exorcist, and as introduced yesterday, his Celestial Drive is a mirror."
She paused for a mont. "And this mirror can replicate any location he has seen with his own eyes."
"Replicate a location?" Blue Arc raised an eyebrow. "How exactly does this replication work?"
Ke Qirui crossed her arms and offered a suggestion. "Miss Sakura Bud, rather than giving us a verbal explanation, it would be much more efficient to just let us witness his ability with our own eyes."
"Of course. That was our intention in the first place," Sakura Bud replied.
Saying so, Sakura Bud held her sword hilt and cast a sideways glance at Kyomori.
Clad in his Onmyoji attire, Kyomori summoned his Celestial Drive. A palm-sized vanity mirror materialized in his right hand.
He flicked open his folding fan, walked up to the villa's wall with the mirror in hand, and gently pressed it against the surface. The mirror stuck to the wall as if secured by superglue, completely motionless.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the mirror rapidly expanded. Two or three seconds later, it finally stopped growing, having reached the size of a double full-length mirror. From a distance, it looked like a doorway large enough to accommodate any human being.
"Please co in... everyone," Kyomori invited, covering the lower half of his face with his folding fan as he glanced sideways at the group.
He then stepped directly into the glass. It was as if a swamp was hidden within the surface; Kyomori's figure was swallowed whole, leaving behind only glowing ripples undulating across the pane.
"Leader, are we really supposed to go inside that mirror too?" Su Zimai leaned close to Ke Qirui, asking suspiciously.
Ke Qirui gave no verbal response, rely turning her head to watch the three Japanese mbers.
Sakura Bud, Fuyuyama Nobunaga, and Haihara Ritsu stepped into the mirror one after another, seemingly trying to dispel any misgivings their Chinese reinforcents might have.
Seeing this, Ke Qirui and Blue Arc subsequently entered the mirror, with the rest of the Ghost Train Gang following closely behind.
Watching this scene unfold, Black Cocoon narrowed his eyes slightly. 'What is going on here? There is no way I can just follow them into that mirror. Are these Japanese guys baiting a hook, trying to catch ? I cannot fall for it. Ti to show so restraint.'
Exercising the imnse concentration of a ditating old monk, he lay on his side on the floor and started playing Minesweeper, completely ignoring the affairs of the world.
At this mont, within the mirror world. Ke Qirui was briefly taken aback before lifting her gaze from beneath the brim of her hat to scan her surroundings.
It was a space entirely identical to the villa they had just been in. The only difference was that looking out the windows revealed no coastal highway or vast, boundless ocean. Instead, the view was filled with sheer nothingness and desolation, as if they had reached the very end of the world.
After pondering for a long mont, Ke Qirui looked up at Kyomori and slowly spoke up.
"I see. You plan to use Kyomori's ability to replicate the auction site. This effectively splits the venue into two separate auction houses, which will completely confuse the White Raven Brigade's line of sight."
Sakura Bud nodded in confirmation. "Exactly. In a few days, we intend to have Kyomori replicate the auction venue, allowing the guests from the underworld families to conduct the real auction inside the mirror world." Sakura Bud paused. "anwhile, the auction in the real world will serve as a decoy... a trap to lure the White Raven Brigade into taking the bait."
Ke Qirui thought it over. "You are planning to have the underworld families' bodyguards disguise themselves as the guests, waiting in the real-world auction house for the White Raven Brigade to arrive. The actual guests will be safely hidden inside the mirror world. This way, you can completely bypass the potential risks and smoothly carry out the auction to the very end."
Sakura Bud nodded once again.
"Miss Ke is brilliant indeed," Haihara Ritsu remarked with a smile, adjusting the round-rimd glasses on his face while keeping his hands behind his back.
Blue Arc stayed silent for a mont. "Uh... I fully agree with your concept, but the problem is that the auction venue and this villa are on completely different scales when it cos to sheer volu."
He paused briefly, turning his attention to Kyomori. "My friend, are you absolutely certain you have the capability to perfectly replicate an entire auction house and accommodate every single guest inside?"
Kyomori nodded. Glancing up from his folding fan, he spoke in a feminine, snake-like hiss.
"There is no need for you to worry about that. I personally tested it last night. If you refuse to believe , we can head over to the auction site and try it again. However, doing so risks alerting our enemies. I only went there last night because the streets were completely deserted."
"I trust your abilities. It is a very solid proposal, highly imaginative," Blue Arc said, looking at Kyomori before turning his head toward the Ghost Train Gang. "And what do the mbers of the Ghost Train Gang think about this?"
"So the Japanese are sowhat useful after all," Xu Sanyan said coldly.
Lin Zhengquan nodded. "It really is an excellent plan. It ensures the safety of the guests while allowing us to fight with our full strength in the real-world auction venue."
Sakura Bud crossed her arms, her gaze sweeping over the crowd. "So when the ti cos, we will wait for the White Raven Brigade in the real world, while the guests safely bid on items in the replicated mirror auction house. Do we all have a consensus on this?"
Ke Qirui shook her head. "No, Miss Sakura Bud. Just in case, we also need to station bodyguards inside the mirror world. Otherwise, the mont the White Raven Brigade finds a way in, won't it be like a walk in the park for them to slaughter everyone inside?"
Taking her pipe out of her pocket, she continued in a teasing tone. "It would not be surprising if the White Raven Brigade had all sorts of bizarre ability users among their ranks. We must remain cautious. This is also for the clients' safety. Without bodyguards, those brutish underworld bosses wouldn't even last half a second against the White Raven Brigade."
Sakura Bud thought for a mont, then nodded. "You are right. When the ti cos, we will temporarily split the core bodyguard team into two groups. One will stay in the real world, and the other will guard the mirror world. As soon as we spot traces of the White Raven Brigade, the group on standby will imdiately rush to support the side under attack."
"I do not know if I should ask this, but I have one last question," Blue Arc spoke up after a mont of thought, his arms crossed.
Sakura Bud turned to him. "What is it? Speak your mind, Mr. Blue Arc."
"What happens to the mirror world if Kyomori dies?" Blue Arc asked, raising his eyes to stare at the man in Onmyoji attire. "If his death causes the mirror world to instantly collapse, will the guests inside disappear along with it, or will they be returned to the real world?"
Kyomori replied, "Please rest assured on that front. Even if I die, the mirror world will remain stable for at least half a day. The guests will be able to evacuate the mirror-version auction house in an orderly manner and return to the real world before it collapses."
Blue Arc sighed, looking Kyomori dead in the eye.
He said, "I am not trying to be overly aggressive, I just think this issue is of the utmost importance. So... how am I supposed to trust your word?"
Kyomori slowly lowered the folding fan covering the lower half of his face, eting Blue Arc's gaze.
"You may say that, Mr. Blue Arc, but it is not like I can drop dead right here and now just to prove that the mirror world will persist after my death," he stated calmly. "My knowledge of my Celestial Drive relies entirely on the understanding I've gained through years of cultivation. Based on that profound understanding, I firmly believe that the mirror world will continue to exist for a period of ti even if I perish."
He paused. "As for whether or not you are willing to believe , that is entirely up to you... If you don't, we can simply terminate our cooperation right now."
Blue Arc remained silent.
After a long silence, Ke Qirui spoke up from beside him. "Mr. Blue Arc, weighing the options, I believe that even if there is a risk of the mirror world collapsing, it is still far better than letting the elders of those underworld families attend the auction in the real world. If they get caught in the crossfire of our battle, the probability of them dying on the spot exceeds ninety percent."
"Then I will follow Miss Ke's advice," Blue Arc chuckled.
Sakura Bud breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Since we have reached a consensus, we will notify the guests a day in advance of the auction, informing them that the real bidding will take place within the mirror world."
She took a deep breath. "And then... it will be up to us to intercept the White Raven Brigade outside the mirror and catch them all in one net."
A mont later, Black Cocoon, who had been lingering on the second floor playing on his mobile phone, suddenly sat up from the floor. He put away his phone, propped his head on his hand, and looked down at the villa lobby.
From within the mirror's surface, Blue Arc's figure was the first to erge.
He imdiately used his restraining bands to type out a text ssage and sent it to Gu Qiye.
[Black Cocoon: Hey, hey, hey. Mr. Blue Arc, mind telling
what you guys chatted about in there? Not a single sound ca out of that mirror from beginning to end. I was starting to suspect you all died inside.]
[Blue Arc: Tell
your true identity, and I'll tell you what we talked about.]
[Black Cocoon: Gu, Zhuo, An.]
[Blue Arc: Goodbye.]
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