Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - Final Chapter: Merchants and Extra Weapons

With the Blood Flame accelerating, running to the kitchen was a matter of moments. In that instant, I felt a sense of resonance, a connection that only exists between strong individuals of the same level, something that cannot be hidden!

Boom!!!

I kicked the kitchen door open and rushed in, followed closely by Haoyue and Xiao Wu.

Then, we both stopped in our tracks.

Stranger.

A strange man stood with his back to us in the center of the not-so-spacious room.

An opened bottle of orange juice fell at his feet.

"Oh? You've arrived?"

He turned around.

He had the appearance of someone in his early twenties, a handsome face that wouldn't leave a lasting impression, straight dark brown hair that wasn't styled very carefully, an average height of 1.75 to 1.8 meters, a slender build, and a business casual outfit that wasn't brand new but was very neat, along with shiny leather shoes.

He looks like a young white-collar worker.

I know who he is.

Givinia described it to me, and it was also written in Ling Ye's notes.

No one would have guessed that this seemingly ordinary white-collar worker is the man who unifies the economy of Spirit Star.

One of the high-ranking officials, Yu He as the "Law of Money".

It was too sudden.

I never imagined that after defeating the Madam, I would immediately face the next high-ranking official.

But that's not the point.

He was holding something in his arms.

It was a girl who was unconscious.

"Little Butterfly!!!!"

I yelled and couldn't help but rush forward, but I stopped immediately—damn it, Little Butterfly was in his hands, I didn't dare to make a move!

"It's good that you can stay rational even in extreme anger; you might have a talent for business."

Yu He smiled at me gently, a very kind smile, so much so that even I couldn't detect any danger.

"... What do you want?"

"First, I must apologize," he nodded slightly. "Using hostages is a very bad thing, I know that, but I can't exactly confront all three of you head-on, can I? Between fools and bad people, I'd rather choose the latter, so... I'm sorry, okay?"

"You--"

Just as I was about to make a move, he immediately shielded Little Butterfly in front of him, forcing me to stop.

Using a comatose little girl as a shield!?

Even I couldn't do something so despicable!

"Please don't be in a hurry. You know, my Leader is very eager to obtain the incarnation of the Planet Will. Do you think I should offer her to the Leader?"

"..."

"But I don't plan to do that, at least not immediately."

"... Why?"

Yu He took a step back, still using Little Butterfly as a shield in front of him, but his eyes were a little different.

"I am a businessman, and weighing the pros and cons is my instinct... Profit and risk go hand in hand. If we proceed according to the original plan, is the profit worth continuing to take the risk? I want to figure it out—no, I must figure it out. You can rest assured until I have the answer; I will temporarily conceal the Planet Will and not hand it over to the ill-tempered Leader."

He took another step back.

"But... 'Not handing over' doesn't mean 'not harming,' and I still have the mission of eliminating you before things get out of control."

He had reached the window.

"Farewell, ladies. Please don't forget, the Planet Will (the hostage) is in my hands, so before you wreak havoc with your superior strength, think about what fate awaits this child..."

"..."

Concise and to the point.

If Little Butterfly were to cause a ruckus on his territory as she did when fighting monsters or the lady, her life would be in danger.

We were so foolish to think we had enough power to eliminate the higher-ups less than a minute ago.

Hostages—such a simple and old-fashioned threat has shut us down.

"Don't listen to your nonsense!"

Just then, a gunshot rang out. It was Xiao Wu; she had fired a perfectly accurate shot that pierced Yu He's head, leaving a bullet hole in his forehead.

"--ha!"

But Yu He did not fall.

He grinned, and his body gradually dispersed, turning into countless banknotes that scattered and flew everywhere.

This is not his true form, but merely a substitute made of banknotes.

The fluttering banknotes dazzled my vision, and after I unleashed Blood Flame that burned everything, he and Little Butterfly disappeared.

Only the sound remained.

"From this moment forward, this child is our guarantor for victory or defeat. She will bear all the consequences of your actions. In other words, brute force alone will no longer solve the problem... Come, I, Yu He, await your arrival in Business Capital."

A room in an office building in Business Capital.

There were no windows. Several old-fashioned wooden desks were casually placed, with messy files piled on them. Scattered metal chairs were next to them. Large filing cabinets filled one side of the wall, while complicated schedules and line graphs hung on the other walls. Several potted plants that were about to wither were placed in the corner.

It looks like the office of a shady company from decades ago.

That's why no one would have guessed that such a shabby place would be the private office of Yu He, the top President of the Gray Starling Group, the hegemon who unified the Spirit Star economic circle, and a high-ranking member of the organization.

Let alone the Big Figure at the Gray Starling Group, even an ordinary section-level cadre's office is a hundred times better than this.

Although his confidants repeatedly advised him to move to a more magnificent and dignified place to work, he always just smiled and didn't respond.

Now, this place, which usually only he and his secretary frequent, is packed with people.

There were men and women, young and old; they were standing or leaning against the wall, some even lying across the table. Most of them were expressionless, and a few looked impatient.

"... Um..."

At the base of the wall at the other end of the room, Yu He, who had been sitting on the ground with his eyes closed and head bowed until now, suddenly spoke. He blinked and raised his head.

"... Ah, sorry to keep you all waiting. I just used my money clone to take care of something on the other side... hehe."

Yu He stood up, dusted off his business casual clothes, and sat down in a slightly worn office chair, resting his arms on his thighs in a very casual posture. He took out a checkbook from his pocket and habitually fiddled with it. As he moved, semi-transparent images appeared behind him, including candlestick charts, financial statements, and many charts of unknown purpose.

"Thank you all for responding to my call and gathering at my humble abode. As the saying goes, 'An army is raised for a thousand days, but used for only one.' Now is that time."

He exuded a remarkably gentle aura throughout, without a trace of oppression, quite unlike the other high-ranking officials. Yet, for some reason, his words carried an irresistible power.

"Now we have a mission. Ye, Haoyue Tartaglia, Urahara Sakura Dance are unprecedented enemies for the organization, and even more so, the biggest enemies of our Gray Starling Group right now. But as you can see, I am not the type to fight bravely. Even if we win by using violence against them, it will do more harm than good."

That's why we need you.

Yu He looked around at everyone and smiled.

That was the smile of a cunning merchant.

Even knowing this, even knowing they were merely disposable pawns in Yu He's business dealings, no one could defy him.

"If they get serious, destroying Business Capital would be a piece of cake. Fortunately, I've already used the hostages to make them hesitant to go all out. Your mission is simple—display your talents to the fullest in Business Capital, and use every means possible to kill them."

[img=700,990]http://book./UploadPic/2016/03/0ead672a-e7b5-4e68-8d5b-7114bf8f1d60. jpg[/img]

Yu He flicked his finger, and bank cards flew into everyone's hands.

"Each card contains enough money to buy a medium-sized city. You can use it as operating funds or save it as a reward. Don't hold back, go for it, my dear 'Extra Weapon'!"

There are countless people with supernatural abilities on the Spirit Star, and the types of supernatural abilities are extremely diverse.

However, most superhumans are monotonous in their elemental or Physical Enhancement System. Only a few superhumans possess abilities that are refreshing and unique. And then there are a very, very few superhumans whose abilities are... extremely strange, and cannot be described simply as strong or weak.

The organization is the same; it brings together all sorts of talented people and a variety of unique abilities.

But there are always some people whose special abilities are quite bizarre even within an organization.

Thus, this standard came about.

Those who "may not be particularly strong, but possess the potential to kill high-ranking individuals under certain conditions" are known as "Extra Weapon."

The far side of the moon, the mirror sea, in a space that doesn't exist --

A young girl is watching a video on Spirit Light Display Screen.

To be precise, it's someone in the video.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, her hands gripping the wheelchair armrests so tightly that her knuckles protruded.

Who is this woman?

Is that her?

That's impossible. The person in the organization who was kindest to me passed away a year ago.

But what about this "Ye"? Why are all her stats so similar to that person's? Why is my heart pounding so fiercely?

I must go see her.

We need to leave here.

Although the outside world is tough, there are some things that must be confirmed in person.

The girl never considered the organization her home. After all, she was forcibly brought here by her Uncle Gustav, a high-ranking member, far away from her family and relatives, and forced to join a place she neither knew nor liked.

She has always been the one who gave me courage; without her, I really don't know how I would have survived.

That's why, upon hearing the news of her death, the girl had suicidal thoughts for the first time, and almost carried them out.

Because it was all my fault, I killed her.

If she hadn't diverted a portion of her power to herself to suppress the "warnings of the world" and improve her physical condition, how could she have died in a place like the Rakshasa Divine Sect?

But she still didn't commit suicide, because that person wouldn't be happy to see her do something foolish.

Moreover... I still have a mission.

Her words still resonate in my ears.

"Hey, Xiao Nuo, sometimes I feel... that this is probably the end for me."

"... Hmm? I'm not kidding, I mean this is all I can do. Maybe it's fate; I'll never reach the heights I aspire to."

"You ask why? Because... we can't find it."

"Yes, I've only found half so far. The other half is missing, and I can't find it no matter what."

"Help me? Ha, don't be ridiculous. This is something you can't help with. I'm leaving. Tomorrow I have a mission that Ji Li Jili —to go to the South Spirit Continent."

That was their last conversation.

To this day, the girl still doesn't know what she's looking for.

I want to figure it out.

I wanted to help her fulfill this "last wish".

"Bless me, Blood Sister, I need to take action too."

Although the exact relationship between this woman with long, peach-colored hair and Blood Sister is unknown, she is currently the only lead.

Find her, find her, find her! We must find her before Yu He kills her!

Destination: The bottom of the North Sea, the Business Capital

Target: Ye

The perpetual homebody, Mengyin Turing Neumann, has finally stepped out of this warm cage.

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Celebrating the completion of Volume 5! According to my plan, there are only two major chapters left in this book, and if nothing unexpected happens, there should be Volumes 6 and 7 as well. Volumes 4 and 5 were really exhausting to write, but Volume 6 feels like I'm finally getting back on track. One JoJo-style encounter after another, battles of wits and courage, plus the unpredictable factor of Little Nuonuo, culminating in a concentrated explosion – this is exactly the kind of writing I enjoy.

As for the angst? Hahaha, don't worry. Several characters who were practically doomed in Volume 5 survived, so what's there to be afraid of in Volume 6? I can't come up with anything new anyway, so enjoy!

This chapter features a new illustration; thank you to the artist!

Also, the illustration for Little Nuonuo (my second wife... oops) is finished, but I'll use it later. Here's a screenshot for now?

[img=341,306]http://book./UploadPic/2016/03/d3f97673-7a8f-4b07-8cef-442042ba4ad0. jpg[/img]

Huh? You're asking why collarbone and breasts? Well, nobody knows?