"Ti to get up."
Accompanied by a cold and clear voice entering his ears, Host Body Two, Xia Pingzhou, felt his eyelids flutter as he slowly woke up on the mattress in the loft.
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Ayase Origami sitting on the windowsill, reading a collection of haiku.
The moonlight coated her silhouette in a crisp, silver glow.
Ji Minghuan was about to speak when a black-and-white quest prompt suddenly popped up before his eyes.
[Main Quest 2: Lie dormant within the White Raven Brigade and wait for an opportunity to kill mber No. 2, Jack the Ripper.]
[A ti limit has been added to this quest: If Main Quest 2 is not completed before September 1, 2020, Host Body Two will be automatically destroyed.]
Ji Minghuan raised his eyebrows and glanced at the quest deadline.
The sudden ti limit for death did not cause much of a stir in his heart. 'I will die if this quest is not completed? That is truly absurd... Still, a month and a half is quite generous. By that ti, Host Body Two should have grown to Calamity-Tier in strength.'
'Even if Jack the Ripper advances to a Tier 3 Exorcist, she would be Calamity-Tier at most, just like . Against an opponent of the sa tier, it is impossible for
to lose.' Thinking of this, Ji Minghuan got up from the mattress and put on the Nike sneakers nearby.
"Takikage prepared dinner for you. There are people downstairs," Ayase Origami said.
After speaking, Ayase Origami hopped down from the windowsill and headed downstairs ahead of him.
Ji Minghuan quietly watched her retreating figure, then rose from the bed and shuffled toward the stairs, slowly making his way down. Every step was accompanied by a creaking sound; the old wooden staircase still felt incredibly unsafe to walk on.
Upon reaching the ground floor, he slightly raised an eyebrow. The main door of the cafe was closed, and three guests were gathered around a table playing cards. The three individuals sitting on the sofa were all familiar faces.
mber No. 11, An Lunsi, the Slot Machine boy.
An Lunsi was wearing his usual British-style suit today, his blond hair and blue eyes making him quite striking.
mber No. 7, Robert, the chanical box head.
Robert wore a white shirt, with a square chanical box still covering his head.
mber No. 2, Jack the Ripper.
She was also wearing her usual black-and-white Japanese school uniform, her eyes as pitch-black as a northern polar night.
At the mont, Ayase Origami was sitting beside Jack the Ripper, expressionlessly offering her strategic advice. "Pair of sevens."
"Pair of tens."
Jack the Ripper ignored her and was about to play a card, but Ayase Origami used her Supernatural Ability to jam the playing cards in her hand, stubbornly preventing them from leaving her fingers.
"Pair of sevens, otherwise you will lose," Ayase Origami repeated in a flat tone.
Jack the Ripper looked up from her hand, replying disapprovingly, "I can think for myself. Stop using your Supernatural Ability to remote-control my moves, or else I will gouge out your eyes."
Ayase Origami paid no mind to the threat.
"Hey, no outside help allowed. Is not this just bullying?" Robert scratched his square chanical box head, complaining about their behavior with a tallic voice.
An Lunsi, however, was unfazed and chuckled. "It is fine. With the Yakuza Young Mistress's skill level, her help only makes things worse anyway."
Hearing this, Ayase Origami looked up at An Lunsi and stated coldly, "Slot Machine, you step aside next round. I will take your place."
An Lunsi curled his lips into a smile. "Do not be a bully now. It is rare for
to visit your cafe as a guest. Also, my na is not Slot Machine, it is An Lunsi."
"Bomb." Jack the Ripper threw four playing cards onto the table.
"Pass." An Lunsi shrugged.
"Pass." Robert shook his head.
Ji Minghuan stood quietly by the stairs, curiously observing the four people on the sofa. Before this, he had no idea that Ayase Origami and Jack the Ripper were on such good terms.
Just then, Oda Takikage, dressed in a butler's suit, walked out of the kitchen and handed him a glass of hot milk along with a baguette stuffed with a hot dog.
"Mr. Xia Pingzhou, your dinner," Oda Takikage offered mildly.
"Thanks." Ji Minghuan took the baguette and milk, took a sip of the warm beverage, and then asked Oda Takikage, "Are mber No. 3 and mber No. 2 very close?"
As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Ayase Origami and Jack the Ripper.
Ayase Origami was perched on the armrest of the sofa, her eyes continuously looking down at Jack the Ripper's playing cards, her drooping black hair lightly brushing against Jack the Ripper's cheek.
Oda Takikage nodded. "Usually, when we need to split into groups, the Young Mistress and Miss Ripper always form a team. They have excellent synergy... Aside from you, Jack the Ripper is probably the mber the Young Mistress is closest to within the brigade."
"There is no need to add 'aside from you.' I only joined the brigade a few days ago, and my relationship with the Young Mistress is not that deep."
Ji Minghuan stated blankly, taking a bite of his hot dog baguette before glancing at the main quest once more.
[Main Quest 2: Lie dormant within the White Raven Brigade and wait for an opportunity to kill mber No. 2, Jack the Ripper (Ti Limit: September 1).]
Staring at the blood-red text on the interface, he raised an eyebrow, thinking with deep amusent,
'When the day cos that I slaughter Jack the Ripper, what will this Yakuza Young Mistress think of ... Will she question her entire life, knowing that her own cat scratched her closest brigade mber to death?'
In truth, up until tonight, Ji Minghuan had considered the possibility of exploiting his connection with Ayase Origami. This Yakuza Young Mistress lacked common sense and had been relatively attentive to him.
That way, when the murder of Jack the Ripper was eventually exposed to the rest of the brigade mbers and the captain ordered them to hunt him down...
...he would have Ayase Origami to lean on within the brigade, alongside White Wolf, whose usefulness had already been secured.
And for the sake of those two mbers, the captain might even give Ji Minghuan a chance to explain himself.
If that happened, Ji Minghuan would not necessarily have to turn against them entirely. Instead, he could attempt to use the connection between White Wolf and Filio to lure them to the Salvation Society's base.
But looking at it now... that idea was likely unviable.
Once Xia Pingzhou killed Jack the Ripper, there was a high probability that Ayase Origami would not take his side.
First, the brigade's strict rules were set in stone.
Second, Ayase Origami and Jack the Ripper already had a solid relationship. This young lady was fiercely protective of her own; she viewed outsiders as worthless weeds while shielding those close to her at all costs.
And relying solely on White Wolf would, at most, guarantee Xia Pingzhou's escape from the brigade's pursuit.
'Thinking about it this way, trying to use the power of the White Raven Brigade is indeed impossible... Unless I can find clues in the Salvation Society regarding the Restricted-tier Superpowered Individual No. 1001 that the Blood Progenitor is searching for. After killing Jack the Ripper, I could throw the clues about No. 1001 to the Blood Progenitor... making that Vampire Old Lady stand on my side too.'
With that in mind, Ji Minghuan slowly strolled over to the group.
He took a sip of his milk and directed a question toward Jack the Ripper, who was deeply focused on playing cards.
"mber No. 2, have you been keeping my heart safe?"
"Obviously." Jack the Ripper did not even lift her head, tossing two playing cards onto the table. "Pair of fives."
"Rookie, stop asking such boring questions." An Lunsi raised his head and flashed a smirk at Ji Minghuan. "Co and play cards with us."
With that, he slapped the last two playing cards from his hand onto the table, beaming. "I won again."
"Kick him out." Ayase Origami tugged on Jack the Ripper's sleeve.
"It is true, we have never won with mber No. 11 playing," Robert agreed, scratching his box-shaped head.
An Lunsi's smile widened. "No matter what, I am still the number one gambler in Britain. The captain is the only one who can keep
in check, otherwise, I would not be sitting here playing cards with you all."
He paused and checked his mobile phone. "Oh, right, Lan Duo Duo and Andrew said they will be heading over soon. Do you guys want to go find so fun? I heard there is a formidable Dragon-tier Esper at an underground arena here in Tokyo. Slaying him would fetch a hefty reward."
Robert chid in, "The auction is starting soon. Be patient, you will have plenty of chances for going on a killing spree when the ti cos."
"Give up your seat," Ayase Origami commanded An Lunsi.
"Alright, alright, the Young Mistress can play."
Smiling, An Lunsi stood up and offered his spot to Ayase Origami while scrolling through his phone.
Robert lifted his head and spoke to Ji Minghuan. "Rookie, I am tired of playing too. You take over."
"Oh."
Ji Minghuan sat down on the sofa, face-to-face with Jack the Ripper.
Ayase Origami also sat down. A strange gleam flashed across her hollow eyes, and imdiately, the scattered playing cards on the table all floated upward, stacking together neatly as if a pair of invisible hands were automatically shuffling them.
Jack the Ripper crossed her arms, shooting a cold glare at the playing cards automatically shuffling in mid-air. She warned,
"Do not deal with your Supernatural Ability. Use your hands properly. Who knows if you will cheat."
"Shut up," Ayase Origami retorted blankly. "You should be grateful I am even willing to deal."
Having said that, she distributed the deck with her Supernatural Ability. The cards hovered in the air before fluttering rapidly into the three players' hands in sequence, dividing over fifty playing cards evenly in less than two seconds.
Ji Minghuan inspected the hand he had been dealt, then looked up to et Jack the Ripper's gaze. He asked,
"mber No. 2, I would like to ask for your advice. I am about to reach Tier 2 soon. What kind of demon do you think is the most cost-effective to make a pact with?"
"I have not made a pact with any demon," Jack the Ripper replied.
Ji Minghuan arched an eyebrow. "Your Celestial Drive is still empty?"
"I do not need to form pacts with demons." Jack the Ripper lowered her eyes to her cards. "My Celestial Drive evolves through killing. As it evolves, my physical attributes improve as well. I only need this one ability. As long as I am fast enough and strong enough, I can take out any opponent."
She paused for a mont. "Making a pact with a demon might compromise the purity of my Celestial Drive's chanism. I do not want to take that risk, nor is it necessary at all. So there is no need to look to
for reference; you would be better off asking Andrew."
'Hearing it like this, Jack the Ripper walks a purely physical path: continuously evolving her physical strength through killing. Since both are Near-Calamity Tier, I wonder if her speed can compare to Big Brother's?'
'If it can, then Big Brother's disadvantage is quite significant. Even the speed he prides himself on will not grant him a decisive edge...'
'However, for , this is an out-and-out piece of good news. Since Jack the Ripper does not possess an array of special abilities, in a month, I will be able to rely on my Celestial Drive's chanism to firmly restrict her physical prowess and figure out a way to checkmate her.'
Thinking of this, Ji Minghuan picked out two Jacks from his hand, tossing them onto the table as he spoke,
"This Tokyo auction opens for admission on the evening of the 20th and officially begins at dawn on the 21st. That ans... there are less than two days left. Has the captain still not arrived in Japan?"
An Lunsi leaned back against the sofa, took a sip of his hot coffee, and bead. "That is just the kind of person the captain is. You never know what he is thinking until the very last second." He took a brief pause. "Just get used to it... Welco to the White Raven Brigade."
"Did the captain not give any instructions at all?" Ji Minghuan thought for a second before asking again.
"Of course he did," An Lunsi noted.
"What instructions?" Ji Minghuan raised his eyebrows slightly, tilting his head to look at An Lunsi.
"Kill every single person in the auction, leaving no one alive," An Lunsi answered with a warm smile.
At that exact mont, the ten playing cards in Ji Minghuan's hand suddenly floated upward eerily, as if possessed by a demon.
He looked at the cards hovering in the air, then lifted his head to stare blankly at Ayase Origami. "What are you doing?"
"When playing cards, just play cards. Focus," Ayase Origami said indifferently, placing her four Kings onto the table. "Bomb."
"Oh."
Ji Minghuan nodded, and the playing cards drifting in mid-air slowly drifted back into his grasp.
"Joker Bomb."
Dropping those two words, he tossed the Red Joker and Black Joker from his hand onto the table together, overpowering Ayase Origami's bomb.
Ayase Origami fell silent for half a second before she raised her gaze to stare at Ji Minghuan. Her hollow eyes looked as if they could swallow him whole.
"We are on the sa team," she stressed, enunciating every word clearly.
As her words fell, Ji Minghuan's cards entirely flew out of his grasp again, dancing in the air above the cafe.
Left empty-handed for a mont, he raised his arms in mild irritation and grumbled,
"So what?"
"Hiss," Ayase Origami declared coldly.
At that exact mont, Jack the Ripper set down her playing cards, summoned her Celestial Drive, and expressionlessly plunged her dark red Short Blade straight into the table.
Cracks spider-webbed across the tabletop as she lifted her polar night-like dark eyes, shooting a glance at Ayase Origami and then at Xia Pingzhou. Remaining completely deadpan, she declared,
"How about we add a new rule? Whoever loses, loses an internal organ. I do not mind carving all of your organs out right now to use as betting chips."
"Sumimasen." "Gonasai."
Xia Pingzhou and Ayase Origami backed down simultaneously. With their eyes lowered, the two of them blankly played their cards, acting as obedient as two Artificial Intelligence programs.
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