The Killing Stops / As Long as the Negotiations Succeed

Shimakawa Kameyo is doing well lately.

Although he still faced hostility and alienation within the Divine Gate, such behavior no longer had a significant impact on his life.

"Get off work..."

The middle-aged man murmured, a glint of light in his eyes.

He was neatly dressed and his face was clean. His face, which should have been dejected, was imbued with a newfound vigor, making one wonder if he had suffered setbacks.

However, Shimakawa Kameyo didn't intend to cause much trouble with such a drastic change. So, at Divine Gate, he put on a facade, adopting the image of a gloomy, silent man. Few people noticed this facade; those who didn't care much about Shimakawa Kameyo simply assumed he was still wallowing in the aftermath of his fall from grace, and couldn't help but sigh.

Even Okita Qishen and Yuria were in the same boat, each busy with their own affairs.

Okita Qishen is working on how to further negotiate with Yotsuya Miko. He just learned from Yuria that Miko is willing to continue the conversation, which forces him to have in-depth talks with all parties again, especially the Wagen Family, who are backed by him.

He and his deputy, Oune Tatsu, one outside and one inside, prepared a chair and a chessboard for the newcomer.

Meanwhile, Yuria continued to adapt to her job as the deputy head of the Special Affairs Department. Although the position sounded busy and specialized, she became increasingly adept at it as she gained experience. Through repeated practice, Yuria's mastery of Spiritual Power techniques deepened, and her demonstrated strength profoundly impressed her subordinates. The head of the Special Affairs Department, who was already wary of her, had no choice but to gradually relinquish his power and tactfully become a mere background figure.

Although the newly appointed head of the Special Affairs Department was unaware of the deputy head's specific situation, he was quick-witted and noticed something amiss. Learning from the experience of his predecessor, Shimakawa Kameyo, he wasn't particularly concerned about his current position. As long as he could keep his job, he had no other desires.

This "stepping down" allowed Yuria's political acumen to gradually emerge. Through departments like the Special Affairs Department, she gained a deeper understanding of the Investigation Department and the head of the Divine Gate branch. She roughly figured out the various factions within the Divine Gate branch, as well as other forces above them. Consequently, some unfounded thoughts arose in her mind.

She suddenly wondered if the Chief of Staff was involved in the Shimakawa Kameyo incident. But looking at Shimakawa Kameyo's current miserable state, and considering that he hadn't yet accused Yamada Mukawa, she had no choice but to abandon her gut feeling. After all, if the Chief of Staff had really intervened, Okita Qishen should have realized it much earlier than she had, yet he hadn't made any move.

Thus, the possibility of revealing the truth was lost.

Shimakawa Kameyo is unaware of the situation at the moment, but even if he knew of Yuria's fleeting thought, he would have no other ideas.

Because he has now found something else that makes him feel more comfortable and at ease than working for Divine Gate —that is, using his abilities to kill those who do evil.

Anger had once clouded his judgment, but adults of this age no longer possess the youthful passion. He considered using that ability to kill Yamada Mukawa, but ultimately shelved the idea.

The death of Yamada Mukawa is a completely different matter from the deaths of these villains. Under those circumstances, it was only a matter of time before Shimakawa Kameyo was discovered. Modern surveillance equipment and big data analysis could easily uncover even a god-like being, let alone him. And no matter how bizarre his abilities were, he couldn't possibly fight against modern firearms with his mortal body.

But... just because it's not possible now doesn't mean it won't be possible in the future.

Having obtained the bizarre power of the Blood Sha Needle from the monster within his own heart, he might very well gain even more powerful abilities. The prerequisite for acquiring these abilities is to kill for this monster, to kill as many people as possible. If he kills enough people, he'll eventually become as powerful as a god, making killing Yamada Mukawa a piece of cake, right? No, at that time, he'll not only kill Yamada Mukawa, but also torture him mercilessly.

The thought of this scenario brought a pleasant smile to Shimakawa Kameyo's face.

However, as he thought about killing someone again, his smile gradually faded.

Ultimately, murder is still too difficult for a human being who hasn't completely crossed the line. In this modern society, an adult who has been navigating the complexities of law for many years still holds some respect for the law, and thus, the law becomes a knot in his heart that leads him to commit murder.

As long as he is unable to defy the law, it will loom over his chest like a gun. Therefore, he can only find various reasons to convince himself, and killing those who commit evil is a powerful way to do so. At least in that case, Shimakawa Kameyo feels he is somewhat excusable, and the gun of the law will seem far removed from his imagination.

However, after killing so many people, the original deterrent effect of the law became negligible, replaced by concerns about the cultivation method. Simply killing evil people, and causing such a large number of asymptomatic deaths, would likely lead to him being quickly identified and placed under surveillance due to his connection with these villains. After all, killing and plundering the Life Energy of these evil people meant that, regardless of the circumstances, he would have to come into contact with their corpses. No matter how careful he acted, the police weren't idle; based on clues at the scene and pressure from above, it was inevitable that they would find him.

That's why he needs to find new ways to kill again, to create more covert murders. And for that, he needs the monster's help.

"Hey, you know what I'm worried about, right?"

Back home, looking in the bathroom mirror, Shimakawa Kameyo suddenly said.

"If things continue like this, it's only a matter of time before they catch us. Or... are you planning to make me stop?"

However, these words did not awaken the monster hidden in his heart. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, but the voice did not sound, and there was nothing else in his mind.

After a moment of silence, Shimakawa sighed.

"Since that's the case, then I guess I'll have to give up on killing people, okay?"

The threatening words still did not elicit a response from the "monster," as if it didn't care.

Negotiations broke down.

Shimakawa Kameyo's mood soured, and he walked out of the bathroom. He glanced at the coffee table, then lost all interest in leaving.

He had originally planned to continue killing tonight, but since the monster wasn't responding, he had no choice but to give up. Such a task was too risky for him now, and he already had enough spiritual energy. This spiritual energy was sufficient to unleash even greater power when combined with his existing Spiritual Power techniques; Shimakawa Kameyo felt he could handle even Dragon-class spirits without any problems.

He pulled a bottle of beer from the refrigerator and pulled the tab.

It would be a good thing if he stopped now. After all, he had already vented all the pent-up anger from killing so many people.

That's what Shimakawa Kameyo thought.

Chapter 208 As long as negotiations can be reached

Urban legends come easily and disappear just as quickly.

After several days without any more asymptomatic deaths, the murdered villains became an urban legend, attributed to Guardian of Silver Pellets. Then, they gradually faded from public view. After all, neither the police nor the government would allow such murders to spread among the people. Becoming an urban legend was just within their tolerance limit.

The fact that a new, seemingly confirmed urban legend had suddenly appeared only caused Yotsuya Miko a little distress.

The murderer probably knew that continuing to do such things would easily attract the attention of the authorities.

In fact, Yuria had already shown her the true efficiency of Divine Gate in the past few days. They had already compiled a list and data on the deceased, and the next step was to continue investigating the related individuals. Among these people, there was one name that particularly intrigued Yotsuya Miko.

Shimakawa Kameyo.

If she remembered correctly, this Shimakawa Kameyo was the one who caused trouble during the last delivery and has since been dismissed.

She herself had examined the bodies of the deceased and detected no spiritual energy emanating from them. However, these corpses decomposed much faster than ordinary ones, as if most of their life essence had been drained away. Based on this, and considering Zhang Qiudao's own knowledge, it was undoubtedly a technique that plundered Life Energy. After examining the bodies, she was certain that the murderer's cultivation method was Demonic Path technique, very similar to Tong Sheng Yuanhe's, both focused on plundering Life Energy.

That's why it seems that this Shimakawa Kameyo doesn't match up.

Firstly, he must be practicing a modified version of the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method. While the original method was Tong Sheng Yuanhe's technique for plundering Life Energy, the problem is that with the scientific research level of this world, it's impossible to modify it; at least, Shimakawa Kameyo couldn't change it back himself. Secondly, judging from his appearance, he doesn't seem like someone who only kills evil people and plunders Life Energy. According to the usual tropes, after obtaining an evil technique, shouldn't such a villain first take revenge on those who caused him harm? For example, Okita Qishen, or Yuria, or even deliberately seek death by retaliating against her.

However, since his name appeared on the list, Yotsuya Miko decided to save herself the trouble and go see Shimakawa Kameyo. She also planned to visit Divine Gate and Okita Qishen to discuss a deeper collaboration.

Since the last handover of materials, she hadn't gone to Divine Gate again. Instead, she learned about Okita Qishen from Yuria. Compared to the strong intimidation she exerted on Okita Qishen behaved much better in front of Yuria. There were many things that Okita Qishen wouldn't dare to say in front of Miko, but he could say them to Yuria.

This made the communication much smoother. During their conversation, the issue of Divine Gate was almost resolved.

First, there's the issue of Yotsuya Miko. The One Wagen Family secured her a seat in the highest council of the Divine Gate. With the Wagen Family's support, this seat carries real power, meaning that from now on, all Divine Gate throughout the country will obey her orders, provided that other councilors don't interfere. This seat originally belonged to the Wagen Family.

Such a move is tantamount to handing over one of his foundations to Yotsuya Miko, which is undoubtedly a grand gesture. However, he can't be considered completely open with the Wagen Family; at least the part within the military is still under his control, even though they initially started from Divine Gate or the official supernatural organization.

When she learned of this, Yotsuya Miko was somewhat surprised. Although worldly power was no longer of much significance to her, she had already obtained seven or eight tenths of what she needed in the previous transaction with Divine Gate, and she could obtain the rest herself, so as not to cause others to misunderstand these rather strange materials.

But given the Wagen Family's attitude, she still felt genuine respect. This attitude was very pleasing to her. Moreover, this solution was a good thing for her, at least in another form, it achieved her original goal: not to let Divine Gate manipulate and use her, but to let her become a true leader of Divine Gate.

The remaining task is to personally meet with the current head of the Wagen Family to clarify the demands and interests of both sides. This is a matter of course; in fact, given their attitude, it would be somewhat unethical not to meet with them.

Yotsuya Miko had already figured out what benefits to offer the Wagen Family had pledged allegiance to her, but she still didn't know what they really wanted. Was it the reliance on a divine status, a cultivation technique far superior to the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method, or perhaps the artifacts she possessed? These were all still within acceptable limits.

Of course, if the other party has ulterior motives regarding national affairs... then Yotsuya Miko can only be described as incredibly audacious. Although, it's not entirely impossible. Seriously, would anyone really make such an outrageous request?

She shook her head. Not far from where she walked out of the school gate, a black sedan was parked.

"It's been a long time, Ms. Yotsuya."

Okita Qishen down the car window and looked at Yotsuya Miko in front of him, feeling a deep sense of hardship.

It can only be said that he has been having a really tough time lately. He's been on tenterhooks about how to handle the cooperation between the Wagen Family and Yotsuya Miko, fearing that another accident might completely ruin this significant collaboration. Both he and the Wagen Family have paid a heavy price for this. Otherwise, the other powers would never have allowed such a god-like figure to enter their power structure.

Of course, the final agreement was also due to the undeniable power of the Oone family's reputation. The Wagen Family, backed by the forces behind Divine Gate and connected to the military, maintained a detached position. This stance made all other factions acutely aware that any attempt to obstruct the cooperation would inevitably provoke a fierce backlash from the Wagen Family. Even so, numerous underhanded maneuvers were still underway.

Okita Qishen couldn't attend to everyone's needs, and Oune Tatsu, who was still negotiating with the outside world, couldn't either. They could only ensure that Yotsuya Miko wouldn't be affected by external influences under their watchful eyes. Once the deal was finalized, they would have plenty of time to deal with these petty actions.

Now, at least we can finally see a glimmer of hope for completion.

Chapter 209 Successful Negotiations and a Little Surprise

Okita Qishen and Yotsuya Miko were not the only ones on the train heading to Divine Gate; Yuria, the vice-head of the Special Affairs Department, was also there.

So Okita Qishen started talking to Yuria about some recent events to ease the awkward silence.

Naturally, one of the most impactful issues is the asymptomatic deaths, and the Divine Gate the evildoers who caused those innocent deaths is also in-depth.

"Chief Okita, the Special Affairs Department has been tracking and investigating those who have been identified. Currently, it seems that a considerable number of them can be ruled out. Can the Investigation Department provide any further information regarding their networks of relationships or recent contacts?"

"The Investigation Department is working on what you mentioned, but I'm sorry, this is all the information we can gather. We can only conduct a long-term follow-up investigation, which is beyond the Investigation Department's capabilities. According to Divine Gate's principles, this matter can only be transferred to the Special Affairs Department; there's nothing more I can do about it."

"Yes, I understand. However, this will shift the Special Affairs Department's focus to these personnel. Please inform the Special Affairs Department if there are any new discoveries."

From the outside, the conversation between the two seemed perfectly normal, indeed representing the operating attitudes of the two departments within the Divine Gate. Beyond this topic, however, lay issues concerning the delineation of responsibilities for investigation and action, as well as each party's explanation of their respective duties.

Although Yotsuya Miko was puzzled, she didn't care about such matters and simply closed her eyes to rest.

Today's visit to Divine Gate wasn't to finalize a cooperation agreement, but rather to arrange some preliminary matters. Issues like this, involving power shifts, can't be resolved simply with a contract. The process is lengthy, but proceeding step by step from the start of negotiations is a sound approach.

If a preliminary agreement can be reached today, then in the next few days, Oune Tatsu, who was originally in charge of handling various matters outside, will return to this city to take over the handover work from Okita Qishen, and then the meeting schedule will be arranged.

Given that the head of the Wagen Family is unlikely to come to this city, whether for political reasons or due to his status, it's improbable that he would. The Wagen Family's influence in this city is relatively weak, as evidenced by the fact that the head of the Divine Gate clan is not a member of the Wagen Family. However, to demonstrate his willingness to cooperate, the head of the family chose a nearby city to complete this cooperation, or rather, a mutually beneficial partnership, there.

Currently, this so-called neighboring city has not yet been determined.

As the two ministers, representing their respective departments, discussed work-related issues, the vehicle slowly drove up to the Divine Gate Building.

Okita Qishen and Yuria put their attention on something else after the topic was put aside – today's negotiations.

However, the main person in charge of the negotiations, Yotsuya Miko, glanced at the building and frowned. Her action made Okita Qishen's heart skip a beat, fearing that something unexpected might happen. Fortunately, the distinguished guest did not do anything else, only frowned.

"Miss Yotsuya..."

He spoke up, intending to ask why, but the latter did not respond; instead, he simply stepped out of the car.

Let's make things clear first.

The golden eyes shifted from the building back to Okita Qishen, the gentle gaze carrying an indescribable depth. He didn't know what this deity had seen, but Okita Qishen, exhausted by everything, gave up on thinking about it. Right now, he didn't want to get involved in any troublesome matters at all.

"Okay... I understand."

The negotiations went quite smoothly.

Although Yotsuya Miko seemed somewhat distracted, she still carefully reviewed the documents that needed to be examined, even demonstrating an astonishing memory.

She pointed out words in the document that she didn't quite understand, putting her questions out in the open. As for Okita Qishen, all he could do was explain and clarify them word by word.

Futamido Yuria, the deputy head of the Special Affairs Department who should have been standing next to Divine Gate, was far more familiar with these reports and documents than Yotsuya Miko. Because of this, her views on many matters in these documents were more direct and sharp, and she would mark any ambiguity for Yotsuya Miko.

In other words, Okita Qishen genuinely had no intention of falsifying documents to deceive the two girls who were technically in high school and were indeed in high school; otherwise, this step would have taken several days of trouble. His answers to these questions were clear and straightforward.

Despite discussing for two or three hours, the discussion ended successfully, with the three reaching a consensus on the matters concerning the documents. After confirming several times, Yotsuya Miko signed her name.

These secular contracts are neither particularly significant nor insignificant. In the event of a dispute, the terms of the contract can quickly clarify which party is at fault, and they can also serve as evidence in negotiations with other powers regarding interests. Of course, if an uncontrollable dispute arises, or if the relationship breaks down, then they are nothing more than a worthless piece of paper.

This thing isn't like Heavenly Dao Oath, with some great power to guarantee it; all it can guarantee is the trust between the two parties. And trust is practically nonexistent in political negotiations. Sometimes it's quite useful, though, when one party to a contract is particularly powerful, that party can use the contract to force the other party to fulfill their obligations and responsibilities without facing external criticism.

Therefore, after clarifying the boundaries of responsibility and obligation, such a contract is generally beneficial to Yotsuya Miko, and formally beneficial to the Wagen Family as well. The moment Yotsuya Miko's name was signed, it meant that the Wagen Family and Yotsuya Miko were connected, thus cutting off the possibility of other forces contacting Yotsuya Miko.

After the documents were signed, Okita Qishen hurriedly began processing them. Since the Wagen Family hadn't signed yet, he needed to handle matters concerning them.

With Okita Qishen's departure, Yotsuya Miko finally refocused her Spiritual Sense on the things she cared about.

Nervous and anxious to the point of not being able to sleep, Okita Qishen was afraid that if he knew that there was such a person in Divine Gate, he would become so emotional that he would faint and delay the original plan. This was also the reason why she did not say it out loud at the beginning.

But for now, that's about right.

"Yuria, do you know this guy? (The rest of the text appears to be a series of random characters and symbols, possibly a corrupted file or a corrupted file.)"

Miko spoke, he pulled a piece of white paper from his shoulder bag, wiped it with his right hand, and spiritual energy adhered to the paper, revealing a human face—a little trick using spiritual energy.

"Who?"

Yuria didn't think much of it. Feeling relieved that she had finally finished, she was planning to sit for a while longer before leaving work when she heard Yotsuya Miko's question and turned her gaze to the white paper in her hand.

However, she was stunned after just one glance.

"Shimakawa Kameyo?"

Chapter 210 The Reality of Creating Death

People can experience a sense of disappointment.

After giving up on killing, Shimakawa Kameyo would often ponder the same question when he practiced the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method alone: why was his practice so slow?

Compared to the spiritual energy gained from killing, the speed of proper cultivation was comparable to a snail's pace, even making him wonder if the monster within him had tampered with the original cultivation method, forcing him to kill to cultivate quickly. However, after inquiring, he realized that this was not the case; the original speed of the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method was indeed this slow.

Of course, this is also very slow for him.

In fact, the members of the Divine Gate found the experience of this technique quite novel after practicing it. They sensed a powerful energy different from Spiritual Power, and although this energy was much less than Spiritual Power, its effects were several times greater.

Some people have already begun experimenting with incorporating spiritual energy into techniques that drive Spiritual Power, with remarkable results. In a very short time, the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method has enhanced the strength of exorcists like Divine Gate, significantly reducing the pressure Divine Gate faces in dealing with various incidents.

However, this is perfectly normal. Shimakawa Kameyo cultivated by killing, is the one whose strength has increased the fastest among this group of exorcists. The spiritual energy in his body far exceeds that of the members of the Divine Gate who cultivate the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method. Now, he can easily deal with Tiger-class Spirit without any pressure. He is even confident that he can surpass the three strongest exorcists in the country.

Of course, the god-like Yotsuya Miko a different story. Shimakawa Kameyo even felt that even the monster inside him would only meet its end in death if it encountered such a being. However, he wouldn't provoke her for no reason.