Close Your Eyes

Nighttime, east of Shirakawa-go.

Suddenly, a large fire broke out in a thatched hut Gassho-zukuri.

The entire Shirakawa-go Gassho-zukuri thatched houses, all constructed with real thatch and wood, and is a World Heritage Site.

Every thirty or forty years, the Gassho-zukuri roofs of the Gassho-zukuri houses need to be replaced. The whole village will gather together and work together to replace the thatch for each house.

At that moment, the Gassho-zukuri, which embody the dreams and heritage of the entire Shirakawa-go, burst into flames, and the snow on the roof melted into water.

The firelight illuminated the entire Shirakawa-go.

Outside the thatched hut, members of the Mysterious Affairs Department were dragging two adults toward a vehicle outside.

The two people being dragged struggled fiercely, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't break free from the members of the Mysterious Affairs Department.

Some of the two men's relatives rushed out to help, but they were all knocked down.

"Let go of my dad!" A young man rushed out wielding a large wooden mallet used for pounding rice cakes, but as the heavy mallet fell, it was caught by a member of the Mysterious Affairs Department with one hand and remained motionless.

But then, the Mysterious Affairs Department member casually tossed the hammer and the young man away together.

These members of the Mysterious Affairs Department, who have been injected with gene-enhancing drugs, treat ordinary people like adults treating children.

A member of the Mysterious Affairs Department coldly said to the young man lying on the ground, "These three are all people on our list to take away. We are here to give them a better future. Are you trying to make an enemy of the entire Mysterious Affairs Department by doing this? I advise you not to try again, or all the Gassho-zukuri in Shirakawa-go will become history."

Including Jingūji Maki, these three were confirmed by the Mysterious Affairs Department to be qualified to travel through time after comparing their household registration information with that of the "Outer World and Inner World".

The Mysterious Affairs Department sent a total of four cars and seven people.

For a small place like Shirakawa-go, there's no need to make a big fuss; seven people are enough.

At that moment, Jingūji Maki was sitting in the back seat of the car, her eyes red from crying, trying her best to suppress her sobs.

She didn't know why these people were arresting her, nor where she was being taken.

The eight-year-old girl only knew that her grandmother had collapsed and was unable to get up because she was trying to stop these people from taking her away, but she did not know that her grandmother had died.

All she knew was that these people were vicious and incredibly strong, like the legendary Superman, and that it would be difficult for anyone to stand up to them.

Besides her, the other two people arrested were an uncle from the Shirakawa-go Puppet Theater and an older sister from the Shirakawa-go Craft Shop.

Every autumn during the festival, the uncle manipulates puppets to perform lion dances, which is a favorite program for children and tourists.

Before her father got into trouble, he would take Xiao Zhenji to see a puppet show every autumn. The uncle who was arrested with her would invite her to stand in the front row.

The lady at the handicraft shop would then pick out a simple little gift for her.

Back then, Shirakawa-go was truly like a paradise on earth, carefree and idyllic.

At that moment, the uncle and sister were lifted into another car by people from the Mysterious Affairs Department, as if they were nothing.

This scene left Xiao Zhenji speechless and filled her with despair.

The little girl initially hoped that her older brother would suddenly appear as a hero and rescue her.

At this moment, all she hoped was that Qing Chen would not return to Shirakawa-go and would not witness this scene.

These people are simply too powerful; ordinary people cannot deal with them.

Actually, the little girl wasn't quite sure whether the older brother would really come to her rescue after he knew she was in danger.

Probably not.

After all, these people are so capable.

After all, that older brother hadn't known him for very long.

Since we're not that familiar with each other, who would risk offending the Mysterious Affairs Department for a complete stranger?

Thinking of this, Jingūji Maki was not sad at all; on the contrary, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though she was the one in danger, her first thought was, "Please, I hope my kind and gentle brother doesn't get into trouble because of me."

The members of the Mysterious Affairs Department got into their cars and drove away from Shirakawa-go- go via the same route they had come from.

The little girl's tears flowed uncontrollably. As she looked at her home receding into the distance, she thought it was such a pity. If only she could spend more time with that older brother.

She had already asked the aunt at the neighboring hot spring hotel to teach her how to cook, and she was thinking that she must cook a decent meal for her brother within a month.

And... I don't know how Grandma is doing, or if she'll ever get better.

The member of the Mysterious Affairs Department looked at the little girl and teased with a smile, "This little girl is very pretty. I'll have to ask the captain to assign her to me when I get back. She can become my pet."

"Then you'll have to do something good, otherwise I might get the pet before you."

These people spoke in a vulgar and offensive manner, clearly not treating Jingūji Maki as a living, independent person.

After driving through the mountains for a while, suddenly there was a loud crash, and a rock fell from above, hitting the hood of the first off-road vehicle.

The boulder was so large and heavy that when it hit the engine, it caused the rear of the SUV to lift up and roll to the right.

All the airbags in the SUV deployed, and the vehicle couldn't stop rolling. It crashed through the guardrail and fell to the bottom of the mountain.

The ravines in Shirakawa-go aren't deep, maybe ten meters at most. If the members of the Mysterious Affairs Department are lucky, they won't die.

Over the car radio, someone said, "Send two people down to the bottom of the mountain to check the situation. I suspect it was sabotage."

"Such a large boulder would require at least B-Class strength to lift. I think it's probably just a coincidence that we encountered a landslide."

"It's always better to be careful."

The convoy stopped, and some people rushed out of the cars, groping their way down the mountain to search.

At that moment, a knocking sound came from the window of the vehicle that Jingūji Maki was in.

Inside the car, the members of the Mysterious Affairs Department, along with Jingūji Maki, all slowly looked out the window. They saw a boy standing outside, bending over, looking inside through the car window.

Jingūji Maki was stunned.

It's like a person about to fall into an abyss suddenly looking up and seeing a beam of light shining through the crack in the abyss, as if a hand is reaching out.

She felt the world warm up again.

However, the little girl stared wide-eyed at the older boy silently, shaking her head anxiously as she cried.

She didn't want the other person to fall into the abyss with her.

However, Qing Chen suddenly smiled and pointed to her eyes, clenching his hands together to indicate that she should close her eyes.

The next moment, Jingūji Maki obediently closed her eyes. She didn't know what Qing Chen wanted to do, but she subconsciously did as he instructed.

"Hey, who are you? You..." A Mysterious Affairs Department got out of the car, but before he could even draw his gun, Qing Chen chopped him in the neck with a single chop.

However, when ordinary people chop their necks with a hand chop, it's usually to strike the carotid artery and cause them to faint.

Qing Chen's chop snapped the opponent's neck bone.

The members of the Mysterious Affairs Department were stunned. Where did this expert come from?!

Wait, could this be the person who just threw the rocks down the mountain?!

The members of the Mysterious Affairs Department were filled with doubt and suspicion.

How could such a person appear in such a remote and impoverished place?

It's important to know that Shirakawa-go is just a remote village, and the members of the Mysterious Affairs Department who came here weren't particularly capable.

Now that Qing Chen's cultivation and awakening power systems are both at the C-Class, it means that his power has long since broken through the critical point of the C-Class peak.

The villagers of Shirakawa-go are ordinary people, ants, and weeds in the eyes of the Mysterious Affairs Department.

But in Qing Chen's eyes, aren't these Mysterious Affairs Department members the same?

Jingūji Maki was unaware that the older brother who brought her back on a mountain bike had already put the entire Osaka Mysterious Affairs Department in a state of tension and fear.

"Baka!" In another car, a member of the Mysterious Affairs Department cursed as he got out and swiftly pulled the trigger.

But he was shocked to find that the speed at which he turned his arm to turn the gun was not as fast as the speed at which Qing Chen dodged.

It wasn't until this moment that the members of the Mysterious Affairs Department realized they had encountered a monster!

Someone tried to use the "Shirakawa-go hostage" next to them to threaten Qing Chen into not getting closer, but Qing Chen had already obtained a pistol!

At such close range, the absolute feel for the gun is divine intervention.

Jingūji Maki obediently closed her eyes.

In the little girl's world, all she could hear were the angry shouts and gunshots of the members of the Mysterious Affairs Department, followed by wails.

Finally, there was silence.

Members of the Mysterious Affairs Department at the foot of the mountain finally managed to carry their companion up, only to be shot dead before they could even react.

The little girl sat trembling in the car. After an unknown amount of time, a warm hand covered her eyes, then embraced her and gently lifted her out of the SUV.

"It's alright now."

She heard someone whispering in her ear.

Jingūji Maki knew that her brother was worried about seeing some cruel scenes.

The other person's gentleness and kindness came from the bottom of their heart.

The problem is, those guys who call themselves the Mysterious Affairs Department are really powerful. Did Onii-chan take them all out?

Jingūji Maki listened intently, but she could no longer hear the voices of the members of the Mysterious Affairs Department; they all seemed to be dead.

So... Onii-chan is really special.

Thinking of this, the little girl silently rested her head on Qing Chen's shoulder, letting her tears flow through his warm fingers.

"Onii-chan, have you ever seen Grandma?" Jingūji Maki asked in a low voice.

Qing Chen paused for a moment, then said, "Grandma is gone."

He didn't choose to lie, because one must understand how cold the world is before realizing how important the warmth in one's own heart is.

Qing Chen said to the other two people from Shirakawa-go, "You two should push the car down the mountain and find some relatives to lay low for a while. Believe me, if the Mysterious Affairs Department finds you, your fate will be worse than you imagine."

As he spoke, he did not linger.

Qing Chen was well aware that pushing the car down the mountain was only a way to delay the reaction time of the Mysterious Affairs Department.

Tonight, the other party discovered that their companion had not returned to the Osaka City Hall and will soon come to investigate.

Perhaps tomorrow morning, the Mysterious Affairs Department will arrive in Shirakawa-go -go to review everything that happened last night.

The other side will learn that the arrest operation was successful. If they do not see the three Time Walker Reserves at the scene of the car accident, they will immediately seal off the entire Shirakawa-go and investigate the clues.

There wasn't much time left for Qing Chen. He had to take Jingūji Maki with him into the mountains under the cover of night, and return to Shirakawa-go only after he had completed his Life and Death Trial.

Qing Chen said in a low voice, "After we go back and bury Grandma, I'm going to take you with me to Mount Okuhotaka. You'll have to stay there with me for a few days. Although the conditions are a bit tough, everything will be alright."

The little girl cried for a long time, but her grandmother eventually passed away.

Qing Chen didn't comfort her or urge her to stop crying; these were things the little girl would have to go through sooner or later.

After a long while, Jingūji Maki looked up with red eyes. "Onii-chan, have I dragged you into this?"

Qing Chen nodded. "Yes, that's right."

The little girl lowered her head in shame.

The next second, Qing Chen said softly, "But it's okay."

After saying that, he put the little girl down and took her cold little hand as they walked towards Shirakawa-go- go.

The people from the Mysterious Affairs Department will soon be coming to their deaths.

Sorry, only one chapter today. I overestimated myself. My legs sometimes hurt so much that I can't concentrate. After writing a chapter, it takes me a long time to revise it until I'm satisfied. I might update once every two or three days...