I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 190 The Encounters of Ordinary People

Buzzing buzzing buzzing

Amidst the rapid hum of propellers, several small drones flew straight down and crashed headfirst into the chimera's shell.

Boom——Boom——Boom——

Amid the explosion and smoke, the shockwave generated by the 'Monroe effect' propelled a jet of metal at a terrifying speed of 9000 meters per second: although it lasted only for a brief moment, it was enough to penetrate metal armor tens of centimeters thick.

Penetrating the bony shell of a chimera is no problem at all!

"Roar~~Roar~~"

After being hit by several armor-piercing bullets, even the massive chimera couldn't help but howl in pain.

Although its internal structure was strong enough that it didn't need to be washed out of the driver's compartment with a high-pressure water gun like tank crews, its internal structure was still a mess, greatly reducing its strength and putting it at a disadvantage in the fight.

"Lie down!"

With a roar, he grabbed the opponent's giant claws with both hands.

The black mercenary captain, who had been in a 'wrestling' stance, exerted his strength and flipped the chimera to the ground.

Undeterred by his advantage, the mercenary captain strode forward, his red-glowing eyes darting about, and 'saw' the chimera's weakness. He raised his two fists, each the size of a clay pot, and slammed them down—

boom!boom!boom!boom!
After a flurry of punches, the 'wolf-level' synthetic beast was instantly beaten until its limbs twitched, rendering it unable to get up again.

"Muscle relaxant, quick—"

Seeing that the chimera was half-dead, the other mercenaries immediately switched to specially made 'muscle relaxer bullets' and fired them into the chimera's body with a series of bangs.

"As expected of the captain, he's taken down another one."

Franky, a mercenary with mechanical prosthetic legs, whistled.

"How easy! Our merits will soon be enough to exchange for another bottle of extraordinary potion!"

Ever since their captain struck gold and drank a level 3 potion that produced the effects of the highest-grade "supernatural potion," their mercenary squad took off immediately: they no longer cared about ordinary demons, and their goal was to hunt down more valuable synthetic beasts.

They can put up a fight against 'extraordinary knights' and 'extraordinary mages'; as for 'extraordinary assassins', they are too dangerous, so it's best to avoid them.

With the captain's 'mutated eyes' enabling him to conduct long-range reconnaissance, he was even more at ease.

"Hey, hey, my drones deserve credit too!"

After taking off his VR glasses and carrying his computer equipment, Kaplan, who was in charge of technology logistics, spoke up unhappily.

"Don't underestimate the power of technology!"

"Okay, okay, okay."

"Once we get back, I'll get you a bunch of airplanes, so you can shoot them to your heart's content!"

The other mercenaries laughed jokingly; they knew, of course, that Kaplan's drones were powerful: a tiny black dot hovered hundreds of meters in the air.

It would be difficult for ordinary people to notice, but under the gaze of the 'eye' on the shoulder of mercenary captain Matthew, even the texture of the parts on it was clearly visible.

"Kaplan has only two small drones left, and they are preparing to return."

That's right, hovering hundreds of meters in the air is a "drone mothership" that looks like a large "disc frame".

Strictly speaking, this is a large drone with a diameter of two meters; however, below it, a large number of small drones are suspended in standby mode.

Beneath these small drones is an armor-piercing round: as long as Kaplan operates the controller in his hand, the large drone will drop the small drones, which will then carry the armor-piercing rounds and, under Kaplan's control, launch a fearless charge against the enemy!

What once seemed like a weapon from a science fiction movie has become a reality due to strong demand.

This entire drone "mother-daughter" system cost nearly a million dollars, and that's a special edition; however, for the current Hive Mercenary Group, it's nothing.
Bringing this controlled chimera back would mean a large sum of US dollars.

Keep in mind that the price of a live animal is much higher than that of a corpse!

"Ok?"

When the mercenary team returned to base in a transport plane, they saw a group of people who 'shouldn't have been there.'

Wide double eyelids, straight jaw, slightly upturned chin, brown and chestnut hair, gray pupils. Although they all had fair skin and were fully armed, the Hive mercenary squad could tell at a glance that they were Slavs.

"The Russian army?"

Kaplan, with his blond hair and blue eyes, looked surprised.
"This is—"

"Shut up."

Raising his hand to stop his subordinate from speaking, the black mercenary captain glanced around and walked toward a lieutenant from an island nation.

"Sir, may I ask you something?"

A few minutes later,

"Da Mao's army will be responsible for the defense lines in the Jinggu Mountains and Zuxiang Mountains."

"These areas are not under American jurisdiction?!"

"It has nothing to do with us,"

The black mercenary raised his hand to interrupt his teammate's exclamation.

"The power struggles between nations and the battles between important figures are too far removed from our lives."

"What we need to do is to do our jobs well, and at the same time—"

Exchange for extraordinary potions.

Make the entire squad extraordinary!
In this way, even when facing important figures, they will have leverage to negotiate, rather than dying inexplicably in a mission where they know nothing about the details.

"Let's go, take the chimera and exchange it for merit points."

Exchanging military merits for extraordinary potions is how ordinary soldiers change their fate.

How will America respond?
At worst, they'll just start fighting.
Do you think we'd dare throw mushroom eggs at each other?!

As long as we don't lose the mushrooms, our daily routine can continue.

As for the rest, that's not something these mercenaries should worry about.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Yoshida City,
Mingze Junior High School

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm talking~~"

Why do we always have to go to the toilet in a group?

Several junior high school students were urinating in the urinals while complaining.

"What's going on? Doing us the same way you would treat girls?"

"This is school policy. If you want your parents to be called in for a talk, you'll have to do things by yourself."

"Tch, forget it."

Those who complain are just saying it;
Anyone who dares to act alone at this time is either incredibly audacious or has a death wish.

A supernatural disaster known as the "Evil Spirit Parade" has spread throughout the entire island nation. It is said that the Supernatural Countermeasures Department suffered "heavy casualties" in the "Yellow Spring Rift" natural disaster a week ago, and there are even rumors that the entire team was wiped out. Although the government has repeatedly denied the rumors, it is very strange that no supernatural special police officers have appeared in the past few days.

Adding to the fact that I heard even the Russian army came to 'aid disaster relief,' it gives people the feeling that the government is doomed!

"Sigh, in a small place like ours, we don't even have a single superhuman."

Another middle school student, who was supporting the bird, couldn't help but sigh.

Their city, Yoshida, and town, Narusawa, are located at the foot of Mount Fuji, not far from Aokigahara.

A week ago, although the 'Ripple of the Underworld' was quickly sealed, they still suffered many attacks from evil spirits: many people died.

"What are you afraid of!"

"According to the teacher, we outnumbered each other and were in the prime of our lives, so ordinary evil spirits should be afraid of us!"

That's true in theory, but in reality, it's about maintaining courage when encountering an evil spirit.
It's hard to say.

It is in times of crisis that true heroes are revealed.

"Let's go. By the way, why is the toilet located so far away?"

"That's what happens when we're on the old campus."

The footsteps faded into the distance, and a figure hurriedly ran into the restroom.

"Naoto, Naoto?"

"Are you here—"

The middle school student in school uniform looked around anxiously, his gaze landing on the closed door at the end of the toilet.

"Seriously, why would someone come to a place like this all by themselves?"

As the middle school student quickly walked to the end of the restroom, he just raised his hand to knock on the door:
Ga,

The toilet door opened, revealing a pale face.

?

"Great, Naoto."

"If something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to Mom and Dad?"

The middle school student outside the door breathed a sigh of relief and tilted his head slightly to look out.

"You should have called me,"

"Let's go back to the classroom."

The middle school student emerged from the restroom with his head down, saying nothing. "This world is getting more and more chaotic, but don't worry, I'll protect you—"

The middle school student in front kept talking, while the one behind remained silent. When the two emerged from the restroom into the sunlight, the boy behind finally stopped.

"What's wrong, Naoto?"

"Brother"

The pale-faced boy raised his head, tears welling in his eyes, his trembling teeth chattering.

"why are you?"

How am I supposed to muster the 'courage' when you're like this?!

? !
"Naoto, what are you saying—"

The junior high school student in front asked in confusion.

"enough!"

"My brother, Zhenren, died seven days ago!"

The pale-faced boy lowered his head, and tears finally streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably.

"He was killed by a group of evil spirits while protecting me."

Thump,

At this point, the boy named 'Naoto' went limp and collapsed to his knees involuntarily.

"Why you?!"

If it were any other evil spirit, the boy could muster the courage to face it; but when faced with his former 'brother,' all he felt was sorrow and regret.

"You've become an evil spirit too, are you here to take me away?"

Bang!
Just as the boy was pounding the ground in despair, a pair of illusory shoes appeared in front of him.

"What are you talking about?"

Something fell on his head, illusory yet seemingly real.

Naoto raised his head.

Through my teary eyes, I saw a familiar face.

"I'm your brother, how could I possibly hurt you?"

"I will protect you, Naoto."

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Just then, a high-pitched scream suddenly rang out from the side: a girl who had just come out of the restroom collapsed to the ground, pointing shakily in their direction:

"It's an evil spirit! Help me—"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

"So, these are the 'two brothers'?"

In an interrogation room, a junior high school student sat nervously in a chair.

Beside him, another junior high school student sat stiffly in the air, without a chair under his bottom, looking like some kind of 'horse stance' expert.

But upon closer inspection, its illusory figure and indistinct feet prove that it is an 'evil spirit'.

Masato Murakami, Naoto Murakami: These are the names Naoto and Masato.

Taken together, it means 'to forge ahead bravely'.

"Exactly, what do you think, Yu-kun?"

I'm not seeing a ghost!

Okay, it really is a ghost.
"This is a 'guardian spirit'."

You spoke up, defining the nature of the phenomenon before you.

As the name suggests, a guardian spirit is a spirit whose duty is to 'protect'.

In island cultures, guardian spirits not only appear in legends and stories, but also profoundly influence people's beliefs and lives.

Many families and shrines have their own guardian spirits, and people seek protection and good fortune through prayer and offerings. These guardian spirits are not only depicted in literature and art, but also play an important role in daily life.

“Our experts think so too,”

"Today is exactly the seventh day after the 'Rift of the Underworld'."

The custom of "returning the soul on the seventh day after death" is a tradition found in East Asian civilizations; it originates from the *Book of Wei*: "An imperial edict was issued that from the time of death until the forty-ninth day, a thousand monks should be gathered, and seven of them should be ordained as monks."

Director Zhu Ya looked at the two 'people' in the interrogation room. Although one of the teenagers was an 'evil spirit,' this was the Metropolitan Police Department. Not to mention that everyone here was brave and fearless, there were quite a few superhumans who could easily scatter an evil spirit with a few punches and kicks.

But this is no ordinary evil spirit!

"Could this 'guardian spirit' be...?"

What are the drawbacks?
"There are definitely drawbacks."

Yu slowly began to speak as she flipped through the intelligence gathered by the Metropolitan Police Department.

"If a guardian spirit is to exist in the mortal world for a long time, it will inevitably consume the host's life force."

"Or, we could have him kill people to absorb their life force."

"Ugh, that's a criminal act."

Director Takeya coughed. After all, he was the Superintendent General of Police of the island nation, and the matter of killing people to absorb their life force was definitely not something that could be discussed openly.

"Well then, let the 'host' exercise more."

"It's understandable that it's a bit strenuous for one body to bear two souls."

After saying that, You changed the subject.

"Of course, it's not without benefits."

He raised his hand and pointed behind the glass curtain to the restrained boy in the interrogation room.

"With a 'guardian spirit,' he will be able to fight against evil spirits, and even kill them."

Ordinary people cannot kill evil spirits.

No matter how brave or fearless one is, it is difficult to kill an evil spirit because:

Evil spirits will run away!

After all, they are the remnants of human souls, and the behavior patterns of evil spirits are similar to those of humans.

When faced with an 'torch' that they can't defeat, they naturally know to retreat and run away. But what can ordinary people do to chase after an evil spirit that can freely pass through buildings and the ground?

Only those with superhuman abilities, empowered by spiritual power, can instantly kill evil spirits. If an evil spirit escapes underground, even a superhuman can only watch helplessly.

Fortunately, the evil spirits weren't that 'smart' and didn't know to burrow underground if they couldn't win; otherwise, this supernatural disaster called the 'Evil Spirit Parade' would have caused the island nation unbearable pain: if the evil spirits collectively burrowed underground, what good would other supernatural beings do, except for a certain little girl?

As a 'spirit,' this boy named 'Real Person' has the same thoughts and memories as when he was alive.

Naturally, one can catch evil spirits and beat them up, leaving them with nowhere to go, neither to heaven nor to earth.

"Is that so?"

Director Zhu Ya's eyes lit up, and she perked up.

He then gave his secretary a look, who understood and withdrew.

The entire island nation was thoroughly checked to see if anyone else had obtained a 'Guardian Spirit'!
There are two key points to the formation of a guardian spirit.

Yu handed the documents back to Director Zhuya and began to summarize.

"First, one must die in a fierce battle with evil spirits."

Only in this way can the soul be 'tainted' by the characteristics of evil spirits.

"Secondly, a strong desire to protect is required."

If it weren't for a strong obsession, the 'rules' set by Yu wouldn't have been triggered, and the spirit would not have been able to condense into a living entity.

Even so, the guardian spirit will lose most of its memories, leaving only its most deeply ingrained obsession. This obsession will undoubtedly be directed towards its own family—

After speaking, You turned to look at Director Zhuya, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Director, you'd better not be thinking about creating any 'artificial guardian spirits'."

"The soul is a delicate matter; one wrong move and it can turn into a high-level evil spirit, and then..."

"how come?"

Director Zhuya shook her head.

“I disdain such behavior, but others—”

If you could get yourself a 24/7 personal 'guardian spirit,' those big shots would use any dirty tricks they could think of.

The creation process of the classic Onmyoji shikigami 'Inugami' is filled with bloodshed and darkness, isn't it?

"That's your job as the Superintendent General of Police,"

"Let's go check on the progress of the other people's 'cultivation'."

(End of this chapter)