It was 6:00 AM on July 19th, Japan Standard Ti. Host Body Two, Xia Pingzhou, woke up on the mattress laid out on the floor, groggily sitting up and rubbing his forehead.
Looking up, he saw Oda Takikage standing at the top of the loft's stairs.
The two-ter-tall ninja butler looked at Xia Pingzhou and Ayase Origami resting in the loft and spoke.
"Miss, Mr. Xia, I just received news. The Brigade Leader has arrived in Tokyo."
The Brigade Leader had arrived?
Ji Minghuan's heart stirred. He hadn't expected to wake up to such excellent news.
He thought with great interest, 'I want to see exactly what kind of monster leads this freakish brigade. If he has ties to the Salvation Society, even better.'
Hearing Oda Takikage's voice, Ayase Origami also slowly woke up from the bed near the windowsill. She cast her eyes down at the thin blanket covering her, then glanced at the "haiku blanket" hanging on the rack.
She extended a slender hand, dismantling the blanket made of interlocked paper back into individual sheets. They seamlessly rged into a single book, which flew directly into her grasp.
Gripping the haiku collection, she sat up on the bed. After a mont of silence, she raised her empty, soulless eyes to Oda Takikage.
"When do we assemble?"
Oda Takikage adjusted the reading glasses on his nose and spoke slowly, "At 8:00 PM on the 20th, the entire brigade will gather on the rooftop of an abandoned building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. He has already sent the exact address to Hacker. This is a direct order from the Brigade Leader."
He paused, looking down at Xia Pingzhou. "The operation is about to begin. It is best not to go out for the next day."
Ji Minghuan nodded. "No problem. My Celestial Drive has already been upgraded to the second rank anyway."
Right at that mont, he received a ssage from Hacker.
[Hacker: Number 12, here is tomorrow's assembly point. Don't die too quickly.]
"I also hope I don't die too quickly..."
Ji Minghuan mocked himself internally, then synchronized his consciousness with Host Body One.
At the exact sa ti, Host Body One, Gu Wenyu, woke up in his bed at the Roppongi Grand Hotel.
As usual, he used his restraining bands to fetch his cup, toothbrush, and towel from the bathroom. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he followed his mory to the front of the Qingbenhua Hotel, arriving right on ti to stake out the area.
By 8:00 AM, Su Zimai and Ke Qirui finally erged from the hotel.
He tailed Su Zimai and Ke Qirui. This ti, the two weren't heading to the seaside villa, but to a massive skyscraper. It was one of the Amamiya family's properties.
They walked into the building and stepped into a glass-walled elevator.
Black Cocoon had anticipated they would take this elevator. Keeping his restraining bands completely transparent, he clung to the top of the glass exterior. He ascended along with the elevator, silently looking down at the two people inside the cabin.
Ke Qirui pressed a button on the control panel, and it wasn't long before the elevator arrived at the 15th floor.
The two of them entered a conference room and closed the door. Black Cocoon hung upside down from the ceiling outside, pressing his transparent restraining bands against the wall. His Restraining Band Senses seeped through like a torrential downpour, observing the situation inside for him.
The Japanese representatives—Sakura Bud, Haihara Ritsu, Kyomori, and Fuyuyama Nobunaga—were already waiting inside the room.
After Ke Qirui and Su Zimai arrived, Xu Sanyan and Lin Zhengquan from the Ghost Train Gang quickly took their places.
Blue Arc was the last to arrive. He remained silent the entire ti, looking as though he was weighed down by heavy thoughts.
Ke Qirui then relayed the intelligence she had gathered from Black Cocoon, though she carefully avoided revealing the identity of her collaborator.
She simply stated that the intel was highly reliable. Otherwise, there was no way to explain how the White Raven Brigade had managed to escape unscathed from so many brazen operations.
"That covers the information I acquired yesterday. It is highly likely that there is an Esper within the brigade who has the ability to 'open doors'. If he infiltrates our ranks, he could easily open a portal right inside the auction house, allowing the brigade mbers to swarm in."
At this point, Ke Qirui looked up at Sakura Bud. "May I ask how your side plans to ensure that no mbers of the White Raven Brigade slip in among the guests or bodyguards?"
Sakura Bud answered decisively, "You can rest assured on that front. Every bodyguard present at this auction is a veteran from the security detail of the last Tokyo auction. We can verify every single person's background through our physical archives. It is absolutely impossible for any forged identities to exist."
She paused. "Even if a mber of the brigade possesses formidable hacking skills and is capable of altering or fabricating personnel files in our network database, it would be aningless. We are relying entirely on hardcopy personnel records stored in the real world."
Ke Qirui asked without missing a beat, "What if a brigade mber disguises themselves as one of those people?"
Sakura Bud spoke up, "Naturally, we have taken precautions against that scenario as well. On the day the auction begins, we will strictly verify whether anyone entering the venue is wearing a facial mask, and whether their appearance and voice match their records. If we discover even the slightest discrepancy, they will be imdiately intercepted at the entrance. We absolutely will not allow enemies to slip into the auction."
Haihara Ritsu adjusted his round-rimd glasses and added, "When the ti cos, Fuyuyama Nobunaga and I will personally lead a group of bodyguards to inspect everyone for disguises."
Ke Qirui thought for a mont before asking, "You ntioned that all the bodyguards this ti are veterans from the previous auction's security team. What if a mber of the brigade was part of that detail?"
"No," Sakura Bud shook her head. "The previous auction in Tokyo went off without a hitch. If a brigade mber had infiltrated the security detail then, why didn't they make a move during that auction? It completely contradicts the operating logic of those bandits."
She paused. "Based on that logic, I believe our current personnel are entirely trustworthy."
Ke Qirui nodded. "Then, has the final location for the auction been decided?"
"The yakuza have already made their decision. They will select one of the Amamiya family's three skyscrapers to serve as the venue. The exact location will be announced on the 20th. At that ti, Kyomori will establish the entrance to the 'Mirror Auction' on that specific floor. The true auction will take place in the Mirror World."
Saying this, Sakura Bud took a deep breath. "That concludes our final eting. As for the rest... we just need to prepare for battle."
Ke Qirui pulled a tobacco pipe from her pocket, clamped it between her lips, and said casually,
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly."
Haihara Ritsu nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly, a piercing gaze flashing behind his round-rimd glasses. "Let's hope that this ti... we can take down all those arrogant villains once and for all." "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
After Blue Arc spoke, he walked out of the conference room without looking back, leaving only a cold silhouette.
The group watched Blue Arc walk away, none of them entirely sure what was bothering the superstar of this era.
A mont later, Sakura Bud broke the silence. "Then we shall take our leave as well. We still need to do one final check on the bodyguards. We will examine the unit of nearly fifty elite Espers one by one, observing the execution of their abilities to ensure there are no fish that slipped through the net."
With that said, Sakura Bud led the other three out of the conference room.
"Xu Sanyan, try to die a little slower," Lin Zhengquan said, clapping Xu Sanyan on the shoulder.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Xu Sanyan sneered. "You should be worrying about what our little miss is going to do." Saying this, he turned to look at Su Zimai.
"Who are you calling a little miss?"
Su Zimai shot the two grown n a frosty glare, instantly making them shut their mouths.
Ke Qirui pondered for a mont before speaking up. "I don't know why, but I feel like sothing is slightly off."
"What's off about it?" Su Zimai asked.
"An indescribable sense of dissonance," Ke Qirui replied, shaking her head.
She thought about it and pulled out her phone to send Black Cocoon a ssage as she walked out of the conference room.
Currently, the only person who might know the White Raven Brigade's movents was Black Cocoon, who had a working relationship with Xia Pingzhou.
[Ke Qirui: Let's et up right now.]
[Black Cocoon: Of course. You pick the location. By the way, we can't rule out the possibility that our ssages are being intercepted by a brigade mber. Well, you understand. So it's best to choose a place only we know about.]
[Ke Qirui: Then didn't the fact that you texted
their abilities last night also fall into their ears?]
[Black Cocoon: Naturally... Though I feel a bit sorry for you, speaking from my personal standpoint, I obviously want to attract the Brigade Leader's attention.]
[Black Cocoon: To , he would make an excellent collaborator. If he notices
through this opportunity, it will definitely be a good thing.]
Ke Qirui stared at the ssage. She fell silent for a long ti before typing out a reply and hitting send.
[Ke Qirui: The place where we first t.]
Then, she looked up at the three people beside her. "You guys go ahead. I need to find soone."
Not long after, in Shiba Park, Minato Ward, Tokyo.
Ke Qirui stopped in her tracks. She looked up at a massive, pitch-black chrysalis hanging upside down beneath a ginkgo tree and asked, "How many brigade mbers' abilities do you know in total?"
"Eleven." Black Cocoon erged from the chrysalis, holding a copy of "Infernal Affairs" in his hands. "So, what business do you have with ?"
"Has any brigade mber infiltrated our security team?" Ke Qirui cut straight to the chase.
"As far as I know, the brigade mbers haven't infiltrated your ranks," Black Cocoon said. "Except the Brigade Leader, of course."
Ke Qirui raised an eyebrow, looking at Black Cocoon from under the shadow of her hat brim. "In other words... the only person who could possibly have slipped in among us is the Brigade Leader, whom you know nothing about?"
"Correct."
Ke Qirui thought for a mont before asking again, "According to our intelligence, the Brigade Leader of the White Raven Brigade is an Esper whose ability is related to 'Raven Manipulation'. Is that a smokescreen?"
Black Cocoon shook his head. "No problem there. Even though I know very little about the Brigade Leader, the limited intel I have proves that this is true."
When he was chatting with Ayase Origami yesterday, he had asked about the Brigade Leader's ability. Ayase Origami hadn't bothered to explain much, but she did casually ntion that it was related to "ravens."
"That's a relief."
Ke Qirui quickly recalled the mbers of the Core Bodyguard Team. The only Espers among them were Blue Arc and Sakura Bud. It was impossible for the Brigade Leader to have disguised himself as either of them to infiltrate the group. That would be completely absurd.
"I wish you success in your operation."
Hanging upside down from the tree, Black Cocoon gave her a mock salute.
Ke Qirui stayed silent for a mont before speaking. "Tell Xia Pingzhou for : if he shows up at the auction alongside the brigade mbers, then... absolutely no one will hold back against him."
She paused. "The goal of the security team is the total annihilation of the White Raven Brigade. Moreover, there is an out-and-out monster hidden among the auction guests. If that monster makes a move, I believe wiping out half the brigade won't be an issue. Right now, only Su Zimai and I know that Xia Pingzhou is an undercover agent. So... before the operation begins, this might be his last chance to break away from the White Raven Brigade."
Black Cocoon stared straight into Ke Qirui's eyes and spoke slowly, enunciating every word.
"I will pass on the ssage. Until we et again, Miss Ke."
As soon as his voice faded, his figure vanished entirely from Shiba Park. Ke Qirui looked up; ginkgo leaves fluttered down around her, and the chirping of the cicadas was deafening.
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