Pursuit

Osaka

Those with night-vision gear led those without, stumbling their way through the pitch-black mountain forest.

Lights came on in some of the houses in the residential area at the foot of the mountain. A few residents stuck their heads out to look, but aside from the glow on the horizon, they naturally saw nothing.

Under a streetlight, everyone stopped and looked around uneasily.

At that moment, even the usually calm and composed manor maids had no idea where to go. The evacuation route they knew about ended at this residential area.

But one thing was certain: staying here wouldn't be safe.

If anyone was looking for them, it was only a matter of time before they realized they were still here. Trouble would likely come one thing after another.

The youngest, Qing Tian Chizuko, asked timidly, "Where are we going?"

The maid looked toward her mistress.

As everyone stood at a loss, the Qing Tian Clan's Ancestor spoke again. "There are car keys beneath the lithops planters at houses Number 13, Number 16, Number 19, Number 25, Number 32, Number 49, and Number 55. When you take them, knock on the planters in a pattern of three long beats and two short ones, then drive the cars away. Don't worry, no alarm will go off. Once you're in the car, open the toolbox. There's a map inside with our destination marked. We'll meet there."

Going home separately at a time like this probably wasn't a good idea. It would only give their opponents a chance to pick them off one by one. No matter how many people the Qing Tian Family had, they couldn't withstand one assassination after another.

The Ancestor had carved a path through endless schemes and every kind of underhanded tactic, so she was clearly no