One-Eye

Things were progressing quite smoothly. The Hirosue family didn't need to personally escort everyone over, and the group wasn't filled with die-hard loyalists like in the dramas; in reality, most were just wage earners. There were a few trusted confidants, but there was no guarantee they could keep things completely secret. The only reason Shiraishi Wataru had Nobuo Hirosue pick up Nakai Hayato was to see if they were efficient and capable.

As for the other hidden members, Shiraishi Wataru had them head directly to rooms in hotels owned by the Hirosue family. Unless there were special circumstances, they didn't need to gather together. This way, even if one or two were exposed, the Huajin Group could use "lax management" as an excuse to deflect blame.

A few days later, in a conference room at the Huajin Hot Spring Hotel, Nobuo Hirosue and Hideyasu Hirosue underwent their initiation ceremony under the witness of Nakai Hayato and the Ninth Guardian.

Standing below, Ryomiya Hirosue watched the Holy Infant duo with a calm, composed expression.

The ceremony was simple—it only required a show of loyalty, far less solemn than the rituals of certain religions.

"In view of the merit you and your son have shown in sheltering fellow members, I, on behalf of the Holy Infant, hereby bestow upon each of you a Holy Son Pill as a reward."

"Thank you, Holy Infant. Thank you, Ninth Guardian. Thank you, President."

The two men carefully accepted the Holy Son Pills.

Is this the Holy Son Pill that has the entire upper echelon drooling with greed? It seems a bit too easy to come by. Ryomiya Hirosue thought to herself as she watched. However, she suspected that what could be given could also be taken away; she feared that whether these pills actually worked depended entirely on the whim of that Holy Infant.

As the son, Hideyasu Hirosue was the first to swallow his.

Adapted [Steel Body] and [Regeneration] abilities. Not bad.

Seeing his son's face become increasingly youthful and rosy, Nobuo Hirosue didn't wait long before swallowing his own pill.

Then, he experienced the miraculous sensation of his lost youthful vitality gradually returning—a pleasure and excitement difficult for those who had never lost it to comprehend.

The Ninth Guardian looked at the still-intoxicated Nobuo Hirosue with some surprise. He had actually adapted the [Offense-Defense Integration] ability, despite being a seventy-year-old man. He looked at Nakai Hayato beside him, who was also an old man; could it be that old men were more prone to adapting to abilities?

Is the Holy Infant Society going to be renamed 'Old Men's Joy'?

Shiraishi Wataru had only activated [Steel Body] and [Regeneration] for him; unless there was a plan to have him engage in combat, he didn't intend to grant him any more abilities for the time being.

After completing the initiation ceremony, the group began to converse.

"How did you know I would see that news report?" the Ninth Guardian asked, looking at the young woman before him.

With fair skin, a delicate figure, and a charming face, she was the standard template for a wealthy heiress. The only thing that didn't fit was that she looked too "alluring," though years of rigorous training allowed her to suppress that allure with her temperament, adding a different kind of charm instead.

"Guardian, when I saw the investigation team raid the Society for the first time, most members were able to prepare days in advance. So, I thought that the President and the Guardian must place great importance on information or have other sources, which is why I suggested the family contact you in that manner," Ryomiya Hirosue explained slowly, not knowing if she was shooting the arrow and then drawing the target, focusing the credit on the Guardian and the leader.

The Ninth Guardian nodded and didn't ask further. Sometimes, many strategies were gambles; if you won, it was considered flawless planning, and if you lost, you were just a defeated general.

"My lords, many consortiums now have the intention of joining our Society. Do we need to bring in some people of value?" Hideyasu Hirosue asked the two after glancing at his father.

The Ninth Guardian shook his head. "Not for now, but you can compile a list."

The Holy Infant Society would remain low-key for a while. Shiraishi Wataru intended to use other forces to attract the attention of the authorities, making them believe that the extraordinary was emerging everywhere, not just within the Holy Infant Society. This would reduce the pressure on the Society and increase the voices calling for cooperation.

"Then, my lords, what do we need to do to help the Society?" Nobuo Hirosue asked.

"Find a large warehouse and buy a batch of animals according to my requirements." The Ninth Guardian intended to resume his biological experiments.

Hindered by the persona of his main body, he couldn't purchase large numbers of animals, nor did he have the space to conduct experiments. Using the identity of the Ninth Guardian made things much more convenient.

"Yes."

One-Eye had fled from Adachi to Saitama, disappearing into the mountains and forests where the two-legged beasts that seemed to occupy the world became scarce.

It didn't know why it had become so powerful. All the wild cats and dogs were no match for it, and even the two-legged beasts could be knocked down with a single strike.

Thus, this escape, which lasted only a few days, hadn't been too bad.

When hungry, there was no shortage of food from the two-legged beasts; when tired, there was always a place to lie down.

But it still couldn't adapt to the two-legged beasts; the pain kept the memory of its original anger fresh.

It feared that one day it would wake up and be restrained by the two-legged beasts again, left without the power to resist.

And this fear reached its peak today.

Late June.

The rainy season finally passed, and the sunlight spread across the land.

People were praising the sun one second, only to complain about the heat and wish for an overcast sky the next.

A tabby cat crawled out of a tree hole in the forest. Its body was covered in scars, and it was blind in one eye, but its presence was as majestic and imposing as a lion surveying its territory.

Behind it, the sound of immature meows interrupted One-Eye as it scanned its domain.

Following the light into the tree hole, there were three stumbling kittens and a mother cat.

One-Eye was different from other solitary tomcats; it seemed to value its offspring highly, taking care of and protecting them from the moment the mother cat became pregnant until she gave birth.

An average mother cat might not allow a tomcat near her children, but One-Eye was clearly different from other tomcats. The disparity in their combat power was too great; the mother cat had no strength to resist, and over time, she had grown accustomed to One-Eye's care.

After playing with the children for a while, One-Eye planned to go hunting in the forest.

As it emerged, it saw a two-legged beast child hiding behind a tree in the distance.

Ever since this child had discovered it, it would come to check on it every so often, occasionally leaving some food, but One-Eye never touched it.

It had tried to drive the child away several times, but the other party always kept a safe distance. As time passed, One-Eye simply acted as if the child didn't exist.

Leaping through the mountains and forests, One-Eye unleashed its wild nature and strength to the fullest. In this stretch of wilderness, it was at the top of the food chain, and what it ate depended entirely on its mood that day.

For instance, today it wanted fish, so it headed toward a pond in a mountain gully.

It took half an hour to arrive. Fearless of the water, One-Eye dove straight into the pond, searching for small fish to fill its belly.

Once it was about sixty or seventy percent full, it left the pond, found a rabbit warren, killed a rabbit, and headed home with its trophy in its mouth.

Near noon, One-Eye was almost back to the tree hole when it caught a scent it instinctively loathed.

It quickened its pace and reached the tree hole, but it didn't hear the meows of a welcome. Peering inside, the tree hole was empty.