Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 213 Shinjuku Kabukicho
As soon as Shen Mohan finished speaking, Madam Ye's eyes, which had been filled with despair, suddenly lit up.

She suddenly rushed to Jiang Jin's side, tears streaming down her face.

"Mr. Jiang! Please! Save Ye Xiu!" Her voice was hoarse. "I'm willing to pay any price to save him!"

Jiang Jin subconsciously took a half step back, but she held him back tightly.

Madam Ye, her makeup ruined by tears, yet her eyes burned with a desperate hope: "If Lanruo Temple can truly suppress the witchcraft, then Ye Xiu can be saved! You, your Nirvana Sect, if you bring him into Lanruo Temple..."

Shen Mohan stood aside and calmly added, "Madam Ye, but there is one thing that must be made clear—we have experimented, and the strongest reincarnator who can enter Lanruo Temple at present is only LV3."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over me.

Madam Ye was also stunned.

At this moment, Ye Yinghuo knelt down on the ground, feeling dazed and confused, her mind a complete blank.

Her world froze in that instant.

She was wearing a wedding dress stained with blood, the lingering notes of the wedding march still echoing in her ears, and she could vaguely feel her father Ye Xiu's warm and strong hand gently supporting her arm as he led her step by step to the groom.

This should have been the happiest moment of her life.

But the next second, her groom smiled and slid a dagger out of the Reincarnator's Watch... and stabbed it into Ye Xiu's chest.

She still remembers the sound of the blade piercing flesh.

Ye Yinghuo watched helplessly as blood gushed from her father's chest, like blooming spider lilies.

No one knew better than Ye Yinghuo that this knife shouldn't have been able to hurt him.

His ability, the [Turtle of Achilles], could have made him immune to all physical damage.

But because of himself, he lost his power.

Because his daughter wanted him to hold her hand and walk her down the aisle.

All this was so that my daughter wouldn't have any regrets about her wedding!

Now, that trust, that love, has become the knife that killed him.

"dad--!!!"

Ye Yinghuo finally accepted the reality before her.

She screamed, her voice filled with heart-wrenching pain.

"Help! Where's Zhu You?! Zhu You, please save them!!!"

“Miss, I can only do this temporarily…” Zhu You reincarnator Bai Zhi tried to help Ye Yinghuo up, but she refused to get up.

"Why...why?!"

Ye Yinghuo's vision was blurred by tears.

Even when she first became a reincarnator due to meme contamination, she never experienced such panic.

To protect her, Ye Xiu never told her that the extinction of humanity was already in its final countdown.

And right in front of her, the man who was supposed to spend his life with her was about to kill her father!

That was the person she decided to spend her life with!

"Ah ah ah ah ah--!!!"

She cried out in despair, her nails digging deep into her palms, blood dripping from her knuckles, but she felt no pain.

Because the excruciating pain in my heart had consumed everything.

Her world completely collapsed at that moment.

Meanwhile... the dull thud of Li Tianshi falling was particularly jarring in the conference room. His secretary rushed over in a panic to support him, calling out repeatedly, "President Li! President Li!"

Li Tianshi had already fainted. He never dreamed that his son would betray him like this. If it weren't for his special status, the people of Yongmeng might have torn him to pieces.

Imperial Commissioner Wen Jinsong never expected things to develop to this point, and was even horrified that there might still be people from the wormhole and the old core in the meeting room.

He turned to Long Mingzhang, who had walked up to him, and whispered, "Minister Long, is it possible that the Pan Shi Group has been colluding with the Insect Nest team all along? Was the previous hostage situation with the Old Core a ruse?"

Long Mingzhang's face was gloomy, but he quickly regained his composure as was common in official circles and nodded slightly: "Your Excellency, rest assured, I will personally oversee this matter and will not tolerate any wrongdoing."

Wen Jinsong chuckled softly, lowering his voice even further: "Supervisor? Minister Long, the 'tribute' that Panshi Group has given to our imperial envoy over the years has certainly passed through your hands quite a bit, hasn't it?"

Long Mingzhang's eyelids twitched, but his face remained calm: "Lord Wen, you are mistaken. When the imperial envoy inspects the local area, it is only a matter of courtesy for the local enterprises to show some hospitality. How can this be considered 'filial piety'?"

Wen Jinsong gave him a meaningful look: "Really? Then how did the price of that piece of land in Jiangzhou that Panshi Group acquired last year leak out?"

Long Mingzhang felt a chill run down his spine, but he didn't show it on his face: "The court has strict laws and regulations, and everything is done according to the rules. If Lord Wen feels something is wrong, he is free to review the case files."

Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Wen Jinsong suddenly smiled and patted Long Mingzhang on the shoulder: "Minister Long, you're overthinking it. I was just mentioning it casually. But—"

He abruptly changed the subject, his eyes sharp as knives: "Ye Xiu's identity is extraordinary. The life and death of any LV5 Reincarnator is a matter that reaches the ears of the Emperor. The Imperial Court will surely be furious about this incident with the Insect Nest. If it is found that the Rock Group is involved, it will probably not be something that can be dealt with by mere 'etiquette'."

The meaning is quite clear: if the Emperor punishes us, we're all in the same boat, and no one can escape unscathed.

Long Mingzhang broke out in a cold sweat, but his tone remained calm: "Rest assured, Lord Wen, I will handle this matter impartially."

Wen Jinsong nodded slightly, said no more, and turned to look at the unconscious Li Tianshi, saying calmly, "Is Mr. Li suffering from a sudden outburst of anger? Or... is he hiding something?"

Upon hearing this, the secretary broke out in a cold sweat and quickly explained, "Mr. Wen, President Li has been overworking lately and his health is already poor..."

Wen Jinsong waved his hand, interrupting, "It's alright, I still have questions to ask him when he wakes up."

Then, he turned to Jiang Jin and the others, his tone suddenly becoming solemn: "Gentlemen, the court needs accurate information about the Lanruo Temple matter. Commander Ye's identity is very special, and if he were to perish, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Yu Tianlun stepped forward and said, "Lord Wen, we were going to Lanruo Temple anyway. We will not let Commander Ye get into any trouble."

Ye Xiu is indeed not a good person, but if he dies as a LV5 reincarnator, it will actually benefit the Old Core and the Bug Cave.

Wen Jinsong's gaze was deep as he slowly said, "The imperial court will not mistreat meritorious officials. We will also send people to go in with you."

He paused, then looked at Long Mingzhang: "Minister Long, this matter is of great importance. The imperial court may send another special commissioner to assist in the investigation."

Long Mingzhang's heart tightened, but he said respectfully, "I understand, and I will cooperate fully."

Wen Jinsong smiled meaningfully: "I hope so."

After Wen Jinsong had walked away, Long Mingzhang's face darkened completely. He strode towards Xiao Tianze and whispered, "Immediately contact Jiangzhou and clear up all accounts related to Panshi."

Xiao Tianze asked nervously, "What is Wen Jinsong going to do?"

Long Mingzhang sneered: "He's just trying to use this as an excuse to drag us down with him. The 'tribute' that Panshi has given to the imperial envoy over the years wasn't handled by just our family. If it really comes to an investigation, no one will be able to escape unscathed!"

Xiao Tianze hesitated and asked, "Then... what about Li Tianshi?"

Long Mingzhang's eyes turned sinister: "It's hopeless. Since the court is determined to eradicate the insect den, someone has to take the blame for this. His son dared to collude with Lady Pustules; that's a death sentence. If he knows what's good for him, he'll take the blame himself, otherwise—"

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was already quite clear.

On the other side, Wen Jinsong said to his attendant, "Send a secret letter to Yanjing. You know what to say, right?"

The attendant whispered, "I understand, I'll get on it right away."

Wen Jinsong nodded slightly: "That old fox Long Mingzhang, does he think he can get away with this? Hmph, the accounts with Panshi Group will be settled one by one sooner or later. Now, we need to clean up this mess as soon as possible!"

The attendant asked cautiously, "Sir, will the court really send someone down again?"

Wen Jinsong said calmly, "The imperial court's extermination of the insect nests this time is a warning shot. The real target... is those reincarnated people in the common people who have always refused to be officially recognized by the imperial court."

He glanced back at Li Tianshi, who was still unconscious, and sneered, "As for this Mr. Li, he's nothing but a pawn."

Finally, after rounds of checks, the people at the wedding venue were allowed to leave.

The events of today will be subject to strict reporting controls, and the police will not be involved in the investigation; the Meme Contamination Monitoring Department will be solely responsible.

As Yu Tianlun and the others walked out of the banquet hall, Liu Yan whispered, "Did Shen Mohan originally intend for us to be cannon fodder?"

Yu Tianlun said, "That's no longer important. Right now, the imperial court will let us in to investigate first. But they will never give us such a great achievement as saving a Level 5 Reincarnator. Otherwise, how will they save face when the imperial court's investigation team comes down?"

Xu Yinqiu frowned: "Then aren't we being used as pawns?"

Yu Tianlun's gaze was deep: "Right now, we can only earn money on our knees."

After all, he had once been an imperial censor and was very familiar with the ways of officialdom.

He looked at Jiang Jin and said, "Jiang Jin, Long Mingzhang and the others will summon you soon."

Jiang Jin nodded and said, "I know."

After a moment of silence, the four finally reached a consensus.

They're determined to wade into these muddy waters.

Meanwhile, in Edo Special District, Japan.

Standing on the streets of Kabukicho in Shinjuku, Yui Takamiya felt completely lost.

The street twisted into eerie arcs, and the words on the neon signs kept changing, sometimes in Japanese, sometimes in symbols he couldn't understand.

He knew that this day had finally come.

He has now become a reserve reincarnator.

"The Lost Layer," he muttered to himself, gripping the talisman in his hand tightly.

Suddenly, a dark figure darted past the alleyway entrance. Takamiya Yui whirled around, but saw nothing. "Who?"

silence.

The next second, a pale hand reached out from the ground and grabbed his ankle!

"Ugh!" Gao Gongwei staggered backward, throwing out a talisman.

The flames burst forth, illuminating the face that slowly emerged from the darkness—

Aged skin, bald head, and a wide grin that stretched from his mouth to his ears.

This is... Nurarihyon!

"Hehehe," Nurarihyon let out a sharp laugh, his body "sliding" out of the ground like a snake, his fingernails growing out and stabbing straight at Takamiya Yui's throat!

At the critical moment, three cold lights flashed!

Ding!Ding!Ding!
The kunai struck the Nurarihyon's arm precisely, forcing it to retreat with a yelp.

"Step back!" A clear shout came from the rooftop.

Gao Gongwei looked up and saw five figures standing in the moonlight.

The leader was a woman wearing a fox mask and dressed as a ninja.

Behind her, four reincarnators assumed fighting stances. Two of them were wielding katana.

“The Snow Cherry Blossom Team.” Takamiya Yui breathed a sigh of relief.

The woman—the captain of the Snow Sakura team, a Level 3 Chunin Reincarnator named Senba Sakura—leaped down, her katana pointing directly at Nurarihyon!
The elusive demon let out a resentful roar, but glanced warily at the runes on her knife before finally dissipating into black smoke.

Chiba Sakura tilted her fox mask slightly, as if re-examining Takamiya Yui before her.

"You don't seem surprised by our appearance? You're probably just a reserve reincarnator, right?"

Takamiya Yui bowed respectfully at a ninety-degree angle and said, "Thank you for your rescue! I have relatives in China who are reincarnators, so I know about reincarnators..."

Someone nearby shouted, "Since you know this, why don't you hurry up and find a way to get into the dungeon?"

"What career are you planning to choose?" Chiyu Sakura asked.

“Of course, samurai,” Takamiya Yui replied. “My ancestors were samurai of the Choshu Domain during the late Edo period.”

One of the female ninjas in the team scoffed, "Hey, these days there are still people who believe that bloodline can buy anything... Do you think you're Naruto Uzumaki?"

Before she could finish speaking, Chiyu Sakura raised her hand to stop her.

“There’s a reliable dungeon entrance in Kabukicho on the third basement floor of the pachinko parlor. We’re planning to go there.” As she turned, her sleeves fluttered, revealing a second katana at her waist. “Keep up with me, newbie.”

"Okay, thank you so much!" Takamiya Yui followed closely behind Yuki Sakura's team, while strange noises occasionally came from the shadows around them—these were the monsters of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons spying from the dark.

"Hey, newbie." The female ninja glanced back at Takamiya Yuichi, her tone sarcastic, "If you wet your pants in fear later, don't expect us to save you."

Chiyu Sakura walked at the front, her gaze calm and sharp beneath the fox mask. She suddenly raised her hand, and the team immediately stopped.

"ろくろくび!"

At the alleyway ahead, a giant windmill head (the Japanese word we just heard refers to it, a monster from Japanese folklore) was slowly floating by, with a woman's head connected to a long neck, twisting in the air like a snake.

"Don't move," Chiyu Sakura whispered.

The lulu head seemed to sense something, and its head suddenly turned towards them, a strange smile appearing on its pale face.

Gao Gongwei held his breath, his heart pounding like a drum.

Just as the tension reached its peak, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted in the distance! Startled, the Rokuro head quickly retreated into the darkness and disappeared.

"Go!" Qian Yuying gave the order, and the group immediately sped up.

On the way, Takamiya Yui couldn't help but ask, "Commander Chiba, do you think... the spirit of Bushido still has meaning among the Reincarnators?"

The female ninja scoffed, "It's the Reiwa era now, still talking about Bushido? Survival these days depends on strength, not those outdated moralistic ideas."

Takamiya Yui did not back down and said seriously, "But without conviction, what's the difference between us and those monsters corrupted by memes?"

Chiyu Sakura paused slightly, turning her head to glance at him: "Belief?"

Her voice carried a hint of sarcasm, "In the dungeon, faith can't stop meme contamination."

"Shut up, newbie!" another male reincarnator wielding a katana interrupted impatiently. "Wait until you survive the first dungeon before you talk about Bushido!"

Takamiya Yui fell silent, but her eyes remained resolute.

Soon, they arrived at their destination—a run-down pachinko parlor.

The shop has long been abandoned, the glass is broken, and the signboard hangs crookedly with the words "Lucky House" written on it, which have long since faded.

Chiyu Sakura skillfully pushed open the back door, leading everyone through the dusty corridor, and finally stopping in front of a rusty elevator.

"Third basement level." She pressed the button, and the elevator made a piercing "creak" as it slowly descended.

Takamiya Yui's heart pounded wildly. He could feel the air around him thickening, as if some invisible force was squeezing his consciousness.

The elevator door opens.

They entered the terrifying dungeon world.

What came into view was a hellish scene of constant gunfire.

A deafening explosion swept over us instantly!

A wave of heat hit her face, and Takamiya Yui subconsciously raised her hand to shield her eyes, only to see the distant sky dyed blood red by the firelight.

“This…this is…” He stared wide-eyed in shock.

On the dilapidated rural dirt roads, civilians fleeing the disaster were everywhere.

Women held children, elderly people hunched over, and fear was written all over their faces. Even more chilling was the sight of slogans from the old Japanese Empire plastered on the roadside walls:
"One hundred million jade fragments shattered!"

"Ghost Miying!"

"China will never perish!"

"Hey, you're kidding, right..." The female ninja's voice trembled slightly, "What era's horror game have we stumbled into?!"

Beneath Chiba Sakura's fox mask, her expression finally changed: "I'm afraid it's Japan during the Pacific War... during the American bombing campaign."

Just then, an old farmer covered in dust staggered over, shouting in terror:
"Run! B-29s are coming! They're going to drop incendiary bombs again!!"

In the distance, a dark mass of bombers, like the shadow of death, slowly approached on the horizon.

Takamiya Yui's blood froze instantly.

Where's the promised horror dungeon?

Suddenly, he spotted several familiar figures in the fleeing crowd. He immediately remembered...

This is the world of Junji Ito's horror manga, "The Deserter's House"! Those people are the main characters in the manga!
Following Ueno Zoo, a horror version of Junji Ito has appeared in Kabukicho, Tokyo!
This is too chaotic... He had heard from an email sent by Shirakawa Rin that the Chinese instances were under strict containment, and even different quarantine zones would send terrifying instances from different countries.

He recalled that the plot of the comic was...

Muxu Market.

Inside the luxury suite on the top floor of the Guangming Hotel, the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the night scene of Muxu Market, with neon lights casting dappled shadows on the glass.

Jiang Jin stood in the center of the room, his expression calm and his gaze steady.

Long Mingzhang sat on the leather sofa, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his eyes sharp as knives.

Xiao Tianze leaned against the window, arms crossed, scrutinizing Jiang Jin as if trying to see through him.

The air in the room seemed to freeze, carrying an invisible sense of oppression.

“Jiang Jin.” Long Mingzhang spoke slowly, his voice low and cold, “Why was Cai Xiaoyu’s domain of rules able to hinder Li Yuanxiu? I saw it very clearly; he initially aimed his knife at Ye Xiu’s throat. At that time, it was you who made Cai Xiaoyu take action, which saved Ye Xiu’s life.”

“I have a certain degree of influence over the rules.” Jiang Jin’s tone was calm, neither humble nor arrogant, nor deliberately ostentatious.

The matter of the charlatan lawyer must never be discussed.

Xiao Tianze narrowed his eyes: "Interference ability? Are you sure? This doesn't seem like the kind of ability a newly promoted LV2 should have."

Jiang Jin's abilities can no longer be explained by being a newly promoted LV2.

Jiang Jin was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "My ability... I don't really have a good grasp of it myself. Sometimes it's just a matter of luck, just like Duan Yu's Six Meridian Divine Sword, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't."

"Six Meridian Divine Sword?" Xiao Tianze frowned.

Long Mingzhang and Xiao Tianze exchanged a glance.

In any case, Jiang Jin's ability has exceeded the comprehension of ordinary reincarnators!

Xiao Tianze's gaze grew increasingly profound.

A reincarnator with such an extraordinary understanding of the rules...

This goes beyond being merely "powerful"; it is a true strategic force!

Long Mingzhang took a deep breath, slowly put down the cigarette in his hand, and his tone became solemn: "Jiang Jin, your abilities... will be highly valued by the imperial court."

Such a talented person must be recruited as a trusted confidant!

In this way, he can cultivate another LV5 for the imperial court!

(End of this chapter)