Chosen One

"It's a good thing no one was timing you with a stopwatch, otherwise they would have noticed you were a second fast," a message came from Outer World Division Yi.

Qing Chen glanced at the text message expressionlessly. "You really have a lot of free time..."

Walking among the bustling crowd, the boy took off his coat, turned it inside out, and put it back on, his face silently changing its appearance.

Just as Ye Wan said, as long as the Forbidden Item ACE-005 Dafu is in Qing Chen's hands, if he is determined to hide it, no one will be able to find him.

In a city with a permanent population of millions, finding someone who can change their identity at any time is harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

At least you're looking for a needle in a haystack; the needle stays the same size and won't change or run away.

A needle won't kill you.

Outer World Division Yi: "Why do I have to film videos and post them online?"

Qing Chen said, "I originally wanted to be drawn in the busiest place so that people would notice me, a wanted criminal, drawing there. But I didn't expect that more than an hour has passed and no one has noticed me... Are they all blind? If I don't film it, I'm afraid those idiots in the Mysterious Affairs Department won't even think of me."

Outer World Division Yi: "Well, it's not that stupid."

Qing Chen's most important task on this trip was to help Jingūji Maki and Yang Yang attract attention. Therefore, he wanted to use a relatively safe yet high-profile method to bring the Mysterious Affairs Department back into the picture.

"What are you planning to do now?" asked the Outer World Division Yi...

"Let's have a bowl of 'Ichiran Ramen,' I've heard it's pretty good," Qing Chen said after thinking for a moment. "Let's keep the Mysterious Affairs Department on edge for a while, and then we'll get down to business at their press conference tomorrow."

"By the way," Qing Chen suddenly asked, "Did you mark those Chosen One online before? Were any of them alone?"

"There is one called Kamishiro Yunluo, whose strength is unknown," Outer World Division Yi.

Qing Chen pondered for a moment, but did not speak.

"Are you going to kill this lone one first?" asked the Outer World Division Yi.

Qing Chen: "No, kill the others first."

"Why?"

"In this situation, anyone who dares to act alone, knowing that I have killed so many people including Kamishiro Unichi, must be fearless. There are herds of cattle and sheep, but only a fierce tiger roams alone."

Qing Chen looked at the bustling street. "We should save him for last."

On the 60th-floor rooftop of the St. Regis Nankai Hotel Shinsaibashi.

Dressed in a white hunting robe, Kamishiro Yunluo silently looked down at the place where Qing Chen had been painting and killing people in the street during the day.

The bloodstains on the ground have been cleaned up, and surprisingly, there are more tourists here than usual after the attack.

"What a prosperous world this is, even more prosperous than City 22," said Kamishiro Yunluo.

He held a piece of drawing paper in his hand, on which was clearly the image of the couple. It was unclear when he had obtained the sketch.

"A beginner, he hasn't even developed the most basic brushstroke habits yet. His work is disordered and chaotic, but he can still draw with remarkable realism," said Kamishiro Yunluo calmly. "But why did he suddenly start learning to draw?"

In his view, Qing Chen was strong enough to kill a few henchmen from the Mysterious Affairs Department on the street without any disguise; he could just crush them when they met.

This reflects his awareness as a master, so Qing Chen's act of setting up a stall to sell paintings during the murder was definitely not superfluous.

It must have its reason for existing.

This must be a crucial step!

But why learn to draw? Especially while being chased? What good are a few sketches?

Kamishiro Yunluo can't think of a reason yet.

"Besides, going to such lengths just to kill a few small fry doesn't match his status," Kamishiro Yunluo pondered. "As the boss of Daylight, he's known as the Joker in Europe and has already established himself in the Inner World. His return to the battlefield ceremony should at least involve sacrificing one or two Chosen One. Choosing a few small fry is meaningless."

Kamishiro Yunluo stood on the edge of the rooftop, his white hunting robes fluttering gracefully, as if he might fall from the building at any moment. He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment.

"I see, no wonder you were the only one in Osaka."

"You have guts."

"Admire."

On the handsome face of Kamishiro Yunluo, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

Under the night sky, the six shikigami behind him appeared and disappeared in the night sky.

ATS-010, Hyakume-ki.

ATS-011, Oki-Hori (pants).

ATS-013, Mezu Raksha.

ATS-018, Bone Woman.

ATS-091, under the Tenjō-shita.

ATS-229, of Shirayōsei.

The six shikigami each have a different form, and are extremely bizarre.

Among the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade on the Shinto Bridge, Hyakume-ki, though not the number one ranked shikigami, is the most unique.

The reason is that the Onmyoji needs to obtain one hundred pairs of human eyes that meet the requirements. When all one hundred eyes are gathered, it can transcend the Onmyoji's power level. Even if the Onmyoji is only C-Class, it can transcend the mortal realm and become a demigod.

At this moment, Hyakume-ki had forty-one pairs of eyes, and its body, draped in a white cloak, floated quietly behind Kamishiro Yunluo.

This is truly the Chosen One.

Ichiran Ramen is a famous chain ramen shop in Japan. It was first established in 1960. When eating ramen, customers sit in partitioned booths made of wooden boards.

While Qing Chen was happily munching on his noodles, videos and legends about "Takashima Ichimei" had already spread rapidly and even reached back to China.

The initial cause of this online incident was the recording released by Outer World Division Yi, which triggered a reversal in public opinion.

Everyone went from wanting Qing Chen to sympathizing with him and Jingūji Maki.

When Qing Chen suddenly returned with a powerful and judgmental demeanor, punishing eight members of the Mysterious Affairs Department, public opinion shifted once again.

Gradually, people began to regard him as a hero with a tragic air, a hero who protected an innocent little girl, a hero who spoke out for the little girl.

The line, "I'm back. Is the Mysterious Affairs Department ready to pay the price?" excited many people.

After the video surfaced, some North American Time Walker even publicly offered to buy the painting held by the couple in the video.

However, the couple stated that the painting was bought for ten million yen within 15 minutes of the incident.

This incident caused a huge uproar. That very night, someone even created a website for Qing Chen, where tens of thousands of people appealed to the public not to provide clues about "Takashima Ichimei" to the Mysterious Affairs Department and protested against the Mysterious Affairs Department's actions.

Qing Chen wiped his mouth, smiled, and left the ramen shop.

The countdown to crossing the barrier has begun; it's day nine.

The Mysterious Affairs Department held a live-streamed press conference at the Osaka City Hall. At 10:00 AM, the head of the division, Kamishiro Yunxiu, clarified the public's misunderstandings about them.

At 7 a. m., a large number of reporters had already gathered outside the Osaka City Hall. They were wearing the distinctive khaki vests of reporters, carrying cameras and microphones.

Reporters have already begun their morning news reports in front of cameras. "The Osaka City Hall is not yet open for business, but people have already gathered here with banners. They have only two demands: one is to know if the recordings are authentic, and the other is to hope that the Mysterious Affairs Department will stop its forced recruitment and let those Time Walker who do not want to join the Mysterious Affairs Department go home."

"Of course, everyone is also very concerned about whether Avenger Takashima Ichimei will reappear at this important moment, and what kind of changes he will bring to this press conference. As far as I know, the Mysterious Affairs Department has blocked all traffic within a radius of 3,000 meters, and a large number of the Mysterious Affairs Department members are on high alert, so it can be said that they are being very cautious."

"Will Takashima Ichimei, who is praised by the public as a hero with a golden spirit, actually appear? We shall wait and see."

Qing Chen listened with great interest, a Rubik's Cube spinning rapidly in each of his hands.

A long convoy of black cars was heading towards the Osaka City Hall. Inside one of the cars, Kamishiro Yunxiu calmly said to Sora Kamishiro beside him, who had long, Kamishiro Kongxu black hair, "He might not show up today, but if he does, make sure to use your Cloud Mirror to lock onto him. I suspect he has the ability to disguise himself, otherwise he wouldn't be so hard to find."