16
The images synchronized by the Information Bug slowly cleared in Zhou Huai's mind.
The instant he saw the contents of the image, Zhou Huai couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
"How could it be her?"
Inside the image was an extremely luxuriously decorated villa living room.
The crystal chandelier refracted a soft glow, and the expensive carpet was covered with the fur of an unknown exotic beast.
And on that large leather sofa, a blonde-haired and blue-eyed woman was lying quietly.
Her complexion carried a morbid paleness, and her lips were devoid of any color.
Her long blonde hair spread out like a waterfall across the dark sofa, making that paleness appear even more startling instead.
On her exposed arms and thighs, there were wounds deep enough to reveal the bone.
The flesh at the edges of the wounds had turned black and curled outward, failing to heal for a long time.
A faint, imperceptible black power coiled around the wounds like bone-gnawing maggots.
That power seemed to possess life, transforming into countless fine black threads that tightly stitched the wounds shut, preventing any form of healing energy.
A handsome man in a suit and leather shoes was half-kneeling beside the sofa.
He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and his eyes were filled with heartache.
He carefully used a cotton swab to apply an ointment emitting a soft white light onto the woman's wounds bit by bit.
The moment the ointment touched that black power, it emitted a soft "sizzling" sound, like ice and snow meeting a branding iron.
The white light and black Qi eroded and canceled each other out.
The man's movements were very light and very slow.
The woman tightly closed her eyes, frowning slightly.
The reason why Zhou Huai was so astonished was simple.
He knew this woman.
It turned out to be that SS-Rank Professional from Great Bear Country, the Sovereign of Desire, Polina.
Besides that, he also saw a familiar face on another sofa.
That person had a tall build, bronze skin, and facial features as angular as a sculpture of an Ancient Egypt Pharaoh.
It was precisely that prince of Ancient Egypt, the SS-Rank Professional Pharaoh Guardian, Kalen.
Unexpectedly, the other party had actually run all the way to Tokyo.
Looking at Polina's gruesome injuries, Zhou Huai instantly figured everything out.
The one who broke into the Ise Grand Shrine three days ago was probably her.
Zhou Huai truly underestimated this woman's obsession with the Pendulum of Life.
However, he couldn't figure out why Prince Kalen had followed along as well.
Furthermore, judging by the looks of it, he was still hanging out with Polina.
Had he forgotten how Polina toyed with him like a stinky dog back in the Kaslandis Ruins?
One could only say that simps never prosper.
But then again, this Polina truly possessed high skills and a bold heart.
The Classer searching all over Tokyo for her—the other party hadn't fled at all.
Instead, she was hiding in the luxury villa area of the Kujo Family.
This trick of hiding in plain sight was truly played brilliantly.
However, she could hide from others.
But she couldn't hide from Caesar's Information Bug.
Zhou Huai sneered inwardly.
As long as Polina was still in Tokyo, his Information Bug could find her.
Thinking of this, Zhou Huai controlled Caesar to silently leave this bustling underground plaza.
Like a drop of water merging into the sea, he quietly blended into the crowd on the street.
According to the current situation, he could find an opportunity to actively communicate with that cunning woman.
Exchange information about the interior of the Ise Grand Shrine.
Even, he could cooperate with them.
After all, Zhou Huai's goal was the same as theirs.
Being able to obtain the help of two SS-Rank Professionals would make the plan to contend for the Pendulum of Life much more certain.
The Kujo Family's estate was nestled on a secluded mountainside in Takamagahara.
The black forged iron gates loomed tall, with ferocious ghost-mask reliefs entrenched upon them.
Behind the gates lay meticulously pruned gardens, with every pine and cypress looking like silent guards.
The air was permeated with a stern, killing aura.
A pitch-black sedan slowly drove out from the depths of the estate like a ghost.
The car body reflected a cold luster under the afternoon sunlight.
When it reached the main gate, the vehicle stopped smoothly.
The rear window emitted a faint buzz of electric current and slowly rolled down.
Several guards standing guard at the gate instantly straightened their backs and bowed in unison to salute.
"Mr. Matsutake!"
Inside the car, a middle-aged man with a rigid face stuck his head out. He wore an exquisite kimono and carried an arrogant expression.
He swept a critical glance at the guards outside the door and let out a soft snort from his nose.
"Sharpen up your spirits, all of you."
"Takamagahara hasn't been peaceful lately, so step up the patrols and don't let just any random cats and dogs sneak in."
The leading Patrol Team Leader hastily bowed his head, his posture humble.
"Hai! Please rest assured!"
The middle-aged man then nodded in satisfaction, and the car window slowly rose, blocking out the outside view.
The vehicle drove out of the gate, and the engine let out a low roar before speeding away.
Until the black rear of the car completely disappeared around the bend of the mountain road.
The Patrol Team Leader slowly straightened his back.
The humility on his face instantly faded, replaced by an undisguised disdain.
"Bah! What the hell is he!"
He spat fiercely in the direction of the car's rear.
A young guard nearby walked over and said in a low voice, "Captain, why bother getting angry with him?"
The Patrol Team Leader sneered, his eyes filled with contempt.
"A mere flower arranger who climbed up by serving a woman dares to boss us around?"
"If it weren't for Madam Kaori's appreciation, what the hell is he!"
"Does he really think he's part of the Kujo Family? He's nothing more than a dog!"
The car had just rounded the halfway point of the mountainside.
"Screeech——!"
A harsh screech of sudden braking pierced the mountain's tranquility.
In the back seat, the man named Matsutake lurched forward violently, almost crashing into the front seat.
He frowned unpleasantly, his tone icy.
"Hayata, what's going on? Why did you brake suddenly?"
In the driver's seat, the driver named Hayata was as pale as a sheet, his voice trembling.
"S-Sorry, Mr. Matsutake!"
"J-Just now... We were driving fine, and suddenly in front of the car... so many bugs appeared!"
"It scared the life out of me!"
"Bugs?"
A mocking sneer appeared on Matsutake's face.
"You're a C-Level Professional at the very least, yet you're still afraid of bugs?"
"What a disgrace."
"Drive quickly, don't delay my business. I still have to go prepare a gift for Madam Kaori."
The driver Hayata didn't dare to talk back and hurriedly nodded in agreement.
He stepped on the accelerator again, but just as the car started and hadn't even driven two meters, it stopped abruptly once more.
This time, Matsutake was genuinely experiencing some angry.
Just as he was about to curse out Hayata, he saw the driver stretch out a trembling finger and point ahead of the car's hood.
Matsutake impatiently looked in the direction he pointed.
He saw that less than five meters in front of their car, a yellow-haired youth wearing a cheap jacket was quietly standing there.
He had a slightly plump build, with a faint, imperceptible smile hanging on his face.
Matsutake's brows knitted into a knot.
He rolled down the car window, stuck his head out, and roared unceremoniously.
"Baka yaro!"
"Where did a punk like you pop out from? Blockading the middle of the road—are you looking to die?!"
Hearing this, the yellow-haired youth's smile grew even wider.
He grinned, revealing a set of teeth that could hardly be considered clean.
"Excuse me, you two."
"I'd like to rob you."
Matsutake acted as if he had heard some cosmic joke and burst into loud laughter.
The laughter echoed along the empty mountain road, sounding exceptionally piercing.
A moment later, the laughter abruptly stopped.
He turned his head and stared coldly at the yellow-haired youth with the gaze of someone looking at a dead man.
"Do you know who I am?"
"I am a member of the Kujo Family!"
He deliberately emphasized the four words "Kujo Family", expecting to see a fearful expression appear on the other's face.
However, the yellow-haired youth merely dug in his ear, his movement as casual as brushing dust off his clothes.
"The Kujo Family?"
He repeated it, and then smiled.
"So what?"
"Now, immediately, get the hell down from the car."
The sneer on Matsutake's face froze.
A chill unceremoniously rose from his tailbone, instantly surging through his entire body.
He was merely a lifestyle-class professional, a flower arranger.
He completely lacked any combat capability.
Although the yellow-haired person in front of him had an unreadable Level, that unbothered and confident posture was definitely not something an ordinary person could fake.
He felt somewhat lacking in confidence inside.
But his mouth remained stubbornly tough.
"You tell me to get out of the car and I get out? What the hell are you!"
"I see you're simply tired of living!! I'll call the Kujo Family guards over right now!"
A moment later.
A mutilated corpse quietly lay in the grass by the roadside.
Countless pitch-black beetles covered it like a tide, frantically devouring it.
Sharp mouthparts tore at the flesh, emitting a teeth-aching "rustling" sound.
In a mere dozen seconds, the corpse was devoured completely clean, not even a single scrap of bone remaining.
The yellow-haired youth pulled open the car door and sat inside.
The moment his body sank into the shadows inside the car, his bones emitted a series of faint cracking sounds.
His figure was stretching, and his facial contours were remodeling.
When he raised his head again, that slightly plump yellow-haired face had vanished, replaced by Matsutake's arrogant and rigid middle-aged visage.
In the driver's seat, the driver Hayata's body shook like a sifter, his teeth chattering and emitting a soft "clacking" sound.
He looked through the rearview mirror and saw that familiar face, but those eyes...
Those were not Mr. Matsutake's eyes.
Those were a pair of cold, emotionless eyes, as if looking at an ant.
Fear gripped his throat like countless cold hands, preventing him from making a single sound.
In the back seat, that "Matsutake" calmly patted his shoulder.
"Don't be afraid."
The voice was still Mr. Matsutake's unique inflection, but in the tone, there was a trace of irresistible majesty.
"As long as you obediently listen, nothing will happen."
"Now, turn the car around."
"We are returning to the Kujo Family's villa area."