Of Course I Won't / Armed with a Hidden Weapon

"So, you've already obtained the cultivation technique?"

While munching on her own bread, Yotsuya Miko glanced at Yuria, who was still eating the food she had made, and became curious about the information Yuria had given her.

In her original thought, the Divine Gate wouldn't spread such a cultivation technique on such a large scale. After all, no matter how crude it was, such a technique was invaluable in a world where supernatural power was weak. And good things are always easier to hide than to share. Human nature is selfish, and that cannot be changed.

Yotsuya Miko doesn't believe that the current government has the courage to spread such practices unless they have compelling reasons to do so.

"Yes, although it's an incomplete technique, there are no problems with cultivation."

The blonde girl chewed on a piece of tamagoyaki from her bento box. Even after what happened at the amusement park, she remained as usual in front of Yotsuya Miko as a friend.

"The techniques have a wide range of applications, and they are worried that if you were to spread them yourself, it would cause social unrest."

"... I see."

Miko nodded slightly, understanding the reason for doing so. As for the further chain reactions involved, she didn't care and couldn't fathom them at all. Moreover, as the creator of this cultivation technique, she had her own methods to avoid the problems it caused. After all, she never intended for Divine Gate to cultivate this technique on a large scale from the very beginning.

Moreover, even if she could cultivate, the speed of cultivation would be extremely slow. After all, this world lacks spiritual energy, and her shortcut is to use Life Energy instead of spiritual energy. This is far slower than directly absorbing spiritual energy from the air, as spiritual energy is far superior to Life Energy. Furthermore, it's common knowledge in the Xuanhui Realm that Qi Refining cultivators have very few methods of killing. And the exorcists' Spiritual Power techniques in this world are also designed for Ghosts, not humans.

"Let's not talk about that. Are you doing well at Divine Gate?"

"I?"

Yuria was slightly surprised. She glanced at Hua, who was happily eating bread beside her, and then looked back at Yotsuya Miko.

"As for me, I don't have anything else to do. The position of deputy director of the Special Affairs Department is alright. It's just a matter of going out to deal with some troublesome spirits. These things aren't too difficult. Compared to Okita Qishen, it's just more practical experience."

That's true. Yuria didn't intend to build her own faction within the Special Affairs Department; she merely wanted to use her position to deliberately annoy Shimakawa Kameyo. Even so, many people, seeing how young she had reached such a position, began to consider her powerful backers and chose to side with her. Yuria didn't show any particular attitude towards these people, simply handling matters officially.

She knew her own limitations. She was already busy with school and work, and managing a group of subordinates left her with absolutely no time. She could only watch as Yotsuya Miko was snatched away by Hana. Although... she herself really didn't have much of a chance.

However, the newly promoted head of the Special Affairs Department was a straightforward person who turned a blind eye to what happened within the Special Affairs Department. As a result, she had no choice but to find a few capable subordinates, not expecting them to genuinely serve her, but for the time being, she still managed to establish her own power base within the Divine Gate.

"Isn't this pretty good too?"

Yotsuya Miko smiled, offering no response to her surprised gaze. Although she desperately wanted to ask Yuria what she had said to Kyosuke at the amusement park last time, she couldn't find a good opportunity and could only try to find out little by little.

"You've become the renowned exorcist you wanted, and also a high-ranking official."

"I guess so?"

Yuria wasn't sure. If it were before, she would have felt her life was complete, but now something was always missing, something she couldn't have. She glanced again at Yurikawa Hana, who was blinking and eating beside her, listening to the two of them talking nonsense, and deftly placed a piece of tamagoyaki to her lips with her chopsticks.

Hua, without any hesitation, opened her mouth and took a bite of the tamagoyaki, enjoying it immensely.

"You ate a piece of my tamagoyaki, shouldn't you at least give me some bread?"

"No problem."

As Hua spoke, his words were slurred, and he tore off a piece of bread from his half-eaten bread and offered it to Yuria.

Looking at the bread she had "snatched" from Hua, Yuria paused, then stuffed the piece into her mouth and chewed slowly.

This was probably the only thing she could get from Hua.

Chapter 201 Of course I won't

When Shimakawa Kameyo returned home, the sky darkened, and a light drizzle even began to fall.

Fine rain splashed onto his dry hair, making this middle-aged man, who was not young, look even more dejected. He sighed, slowly straightened up, and unlocked the door with his key.

In the complete darkness, the light switch was found, and with a crisp "click," the room was illuminated again.

He hastily closed the door behind him, took off his dusty leather shoes, and placed them neatly to the side of the shoe cabinet.

After finishing all this, Shimakawa changed into slippers, placed his briefcase on the counter, stepped into the living room, took a chilled can of beer from the refrigerator nearby, and opened it.

"Glug... Glug..."

After downing a large can of beer with gusto, I sat exhausted on the sofa and finally relaxed.

Shimakawa Kameyo never married.

Although he was originally the head of a Special Affairs Department, he never had a lover during his career. His parents also worked as farmers in the remote countryside and did not move to the city with him.

In his view, there was nothing wrong with living alone.

At least... loved ones are spared trouble.

After taking another big gulp of beer, the man let out a long sigh, as if to put an end to all the misery he had encountered at work.

"Wouldn't it be unlucky for any woman to run into me?"

He chuckled to himself, gazing at the empty house, and then thought that perhaps not being married was a wonderful thing.

After joining Divine Gate, Shimakawa diligently performed his duties. Due to the nature of his work, he inevitably came into contact with inhuman beings that ordinary people could not handle, and he never thought of finding a woman. Even after becoming the head of the Special Affairs Department, he remained the same.

By then, he was already aware of the various competitions within the Divine Gate. As a result, his desire to settle down and start a family gradually faded. Even when his parents urged him repeatedly, he declined because of his career. This angered the two of them so much that they returned to the countryside, saying they would never come to the city again.

Shimakawa Kameyo did not stop them, but was relieved that the two elderly people had left, at least that way they wouldn't have any accidents because of his affairs.

"Yamada Mukawa..."

He suddenly remembered this name, and that was the end of his thought.

To be honest, it was Yamada Mukawa who promoted him back then, and at the time, he was ambitious and thought he could serve this chief. He never expected things to turn out this way, but now he couldn't extricate himself.

"Never mind, I'll take a look at that extraction method anyway."

A tin can with only a tiny bit of beer left was placed on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Only then did Shimakawa Kameyo remember about the <Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method>. After his demotion, he finally learned about the things that Yamada Mukawa had kept from him.

That batch of materials, along with the powerful figure from the Divine Gate of this city and the cultivation techniques she provided.

He could have avoided being used, but he never expected that Yamada Mukawa would suddenly use him as a test in this matter, and he unknowingly fell into this situation.

It was only after being dismissed from his post that he finally came to his senses. Relying on his still-recoverable political acumen and interpersonal skills, he pieced together most of the information from the fragmented rumors and news Divine Gate.

After learning the truth, he finally understood why Futamido Yuria was targeting him so much, and why Okita Qishen was acting so urgently. He also finally realized what Yamada Mukawa was really up to.

"Heh, they just think I'll be sensible enough to cooperate with their actions, so they're pinning this smear on me."

Although he didn't know much about the goods at the time, he wouldn't have done something so obviously and extremely rude. He spat on the ground. But when they inspected the goods, they actually found phlegm stains on one of them.

This tactic was merely to bully Okita Qishen. After all, in Okita Qishen's mind, he was the kind of person who would do such a foolish thing. Yet, he didn't even have the slightest thought of questioning him. No, perhaps he did have some doubts, but Shimakawa Kameyo did indeed make a "pui" gesture.

Thinking it over, by the time he picked up his briefcase from the counter again, Shimakawa Kameyo had almost sorted things out.

It's nothing more than Yamada Mukawa trying to disrupt Okita Qishen is doing right now, to test Yotsuya Miko's attitude, and he himself is just an unfortunate victim.

Even if he knew what had happened, what could he do? Would Yamada Mukawa allow him to contact Yotsuya Miko? Could he possibly convince Okita Qishen and Futamido Yuria, who already disliked him, with his own words? And could he really live peacefully after revealing such things?

Forced suicide, or even a dump truck, could easily have taken his life. The reason Yamada Mukawa hasn't yet dealt with his own fate is simply because he fears his death will arouse Okita Qishen's suspicion, leading him to uncover the truth behind the events.

"After that, you'll take action, won't you?"

He took out a booklet of cultivation techniques from his briefcase, and looking at the words "Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method" written on it, Shimakawa Kameyo couldn't help but reveal a contemptuous smile.

Judging from the attitudes of Okita Qishen and Yamada Mukawa, Yotsuya Miko is indeed an extremely powerful superhuman, perhaps even a deity. But would a deity be so easily deceived by the schemes of mortals?

He no longer had the will to uncover the truth; it wouldn't benefit him at all, even if it brought down Yamada Mukawa. But what did it matter to him?

In the end, he was just a nobody.

"Ordinary people should be aware of their own limitations."

After opening the booklet, Shimakawa Kameyo returned to the sofa, downed his beer in one gulp, and then carefully read through the cultivation methods described in the booklet. It's not shameful to give up when faced with setbacks; on the contrary, those who die because of it are truly laughable.

Did Shimakawa Kameyo not want to change all of this? Of course not. It was precisely because he lacked the power to change the situation that he chose to back down.

"If I were willing to give you power, would you still be an insignificant person?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Shimakawa Kameyo was slightly taken aback, assuming it was just a hallucination arising from his own melancholy.

He casually tossed the beer can into the nearby trash can, not intending to answer his own question.

But the idea changed when it came to being spoken.

"Of course not."

Chapter 202 Possessing a Powerful Weapon

After Shimakawa Kameyo carefully reviewed the Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method, he downed several more cans of beer.

For someone his age, there's not much to do besides drinking; he might visit the red-light district every few days. But right now, he has no money left to go there, so drinking is all he has left.

The trash can was piled high with empty beer cans. He shook the can he was holding, and as he was about to go to the refrigerator to get another one, he suddenly remembered that this was the last one.

He put down the booklet, feeling slightly tipsy after downing a dozen cans of beer. He couldn't quite recall the contents of the last few pages of the booklet; he simply assumed he'd read them and then completely forgotten them.

Slightly unsteady on his feet, Shimakawa planned to quickly shower and go to sleep, ready to face tomorrow's pent-up frustration.

"I'm filled with resentment and frustration..."

He muttered to himself, staring at the booklet on the coffee table, when suddenly a wave of depression washed over him. He felt completely drained and didn't want to do anything.

Why?

Shimakawa's face flushed, and his eyes were barely open. He slumped onto the sofa, pointing at the booklet on the coffee table as if it were a person.

Why did you do this to me?

But a booklet is not a person, and therefore cannot speak.

After waiting for a long time without saying a word, Shimakawa continued speaking on his own.

"Aren't you a god? A god high and mighty above? How could... how could you not even understand something like this?"

He picked up the booklet and this time poked his finger into the cover, making a dent.

"Yamada Mukawa, he schemed against me. Okita Qishen is a bastard too, and that blond little girl is completely clueless. And you? What kind of god are you? Kill all these idiots. You're supposed to be a god, yet you act so pathetically?"

He was in a daze, and his speech became increasingly illogical.

"God, you piece of bullshit! Is this what God is like? You bastard! I'd rather be God."

"So what if you're a god?"

The voice was mixed in with Shimakawa Kameyo's words, so it didn't surprise him much; he was just slightly taken aback.

"Am I God?"

What if I were God?

Shimakawa Kameyo regained some composure and grinned.

"Of course, it's killing! Kill them all, wipe them out completely! Hahaha..."

He laughed, then choked on his own saliva.

The cough triggered a reaction in his already irritated stomach caused by excessive drinking, resulting in a violent vomiting.

After vomiting, Shimakawa Kameyo knew nothing more.

He woke up again the next morning.

His phone alarm woke him up. He looked at the sofa covered in vomit and himself, who was lying there for some reason. All he could feel was the aches and stench emanating from his body.

He stared blankly at the martial arts manual on the coffee table, which was also covered in vomit, and suddenly realized that he seemed to have memorized the entire manual in his mind.

But... they're not the same.

"Kill?"

Hastily flipping through the small booklet, comparing it with memories that were inexplicably etched into his mind, Shimakawa Kameyo felt increasingly uneasy as he read.

This booklet doesn't mention that killing someone can generate a large amount of spiritual energy, so why?

Why would the cultivation method in his mind, which is almost identical to the one in this booklet, contain the idea that killing people can make you stronger?

Moreover, it seems to be much faster than the original Life Spiritual Qi Extraction Method...

Shimakawa Kameyo frowned, desperately trying to recall what had happened yesterday, but his throbbing head prevented him from remembering even the slightest detail.

"Never mind, let's deal with this place first."

I decided to let go of my worries and deal with the mess I had made.

After cleaning up the vomit and washing up, I glanced at the time on my phone and, sure enough, it was past my usual time to go to work. Several calls had come in from the current head of the Special Affairs Department, his former subordinate.

Shimakawa ignored the phone calls and simply stared silently at the booklet in front of him.

He hadn't yet begun cultivating spiritual energy, but judging from the attitude of the Divine Gate and the introduction of this technique, spiritual energy was far more powerful than the previous Spiritual Power. But no matter how powerful it was, it wouldn't warrant killing people to cultivate it. After all, exorcists weren't suited to dealing with humans; their extraordinary powers were meant to combat spirits.

"Poor pay"

He said something out of the blue, staring at the coffee table in front of him.