Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 248 Unexpected Supporters

It was late at night, close to midnight.

The lights were still on in the office of the police chief of Jinlin District Police Station in Muxu City.

Jiang Jin rubbed his throbbing temples, dealing with this infuriating yet inescapable international murder case, which also offended Long Mingzhang and Shen Mohan.

However, he does not regret it.

Without the willingness to risk his life, he would never have put on that police uniform, let alone risked his life to rescue hostages in a heavily armed jewelry store.

Just as the clock hands were about to overlap, his cell phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang. The screen lit up, displaying a completely unfamiliar number.

Jiang Jin frowned slightly.

He hesitated for a full ten seconds before pressing the answer button, but did not speak immediately.

On the other end of the phone came a deep, slightly domineering male voice, a voice he had just heard that evening: "Deputy Commander Jiang, sorry to bother you so late at night."

It's the Blood Lord!

"I heard that you and Minister Long have some...ideological differences?" Blood Lord's tone was unreadable. "Minister Long holds a high position and has his own rules and considerations. But sometimes, it's not a bad thing for young people to have some sharpness and their own ideas."

He paused, then raised his voice: "I'm calling to tell you that if Minister Long puts pressure on you because of this, or if anyone else tries to take advantage of the situation... I, Blood Lord, am willing to stand by your side and support you."

Jiang Jin felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

Although the two sides had just made peace over drinks at the Genting Hotel, he knew perfectly well that it was only a temporary peace based on the balance of interests.

He had assumed that once news of a rift or even antagonism between him and Minister Long Mingzhang spread, figures like Blood Lord would at least gloat and watch from the sidelines, if not openly kick him while he was down.

To my utter surprise, the other party actually said... that they strongly supported me?
Jiang Jin was completely stunned.

Blood Lord, a notorious and ruthless figure with peak LV4 strength and a massive team under his command, would actually offer his support to someone who was his enemy not long ago and has now offended Minister Long? This is simply unbelievable!

Although shocked, Jiang Jin quickly calmed down and kept his tone steady: "Blood Owl Chief, I appreciate your kindness. But... I don't understand why you..."

“Hehe,” Blood Lord chuckled on the other end of the phone, seemingly seeing through his doubts. “Surprised? Think I should just stand by and watch the show? That’s right, that’s how it should be according to common sense. But when I, Blood Lord, do things, I never just look at the immediate gains and losses.”

He continued, "I've already used some of my connections to try and smooth things over with Minister Long. Minister Long is a sensible man, but given his position, there are some things he can't directly say. I think he might be able to give me 'a little' face."

These words were spoken lightly, but Jiang Jin knew what kind of power and deals were required to get Minister Long to "give face."

"In addition," Blood Lord suddenly changed his tone, "I wonder if it would be convenient for Deputy Commander Jiang to... have a video chat? Some things are more sincere when said face to face."

After a moment's thought, Jiang Jin agreed.

He turned on his computer and accepted the video call invitation from Blood Lord.

The screen lights up, indicating a successful connection.

The Blood Lord on the other side of the screen appears to be in a study decorated in an extremely luxurious style with a strong European classical style.

Now, Jiang Jin finally got a close look at the Blood Lord's face. He looked to be about thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, with a dark complexion. His face was not handsome, but it was angular. What was most striking about him were his eyes, which were as deep as a cold pool and so sharp that they seemed to be able to penetrate the screen.

Looking at that face, many rumors about this man involuntarily flashed through Jiang Jin's mind.

Blood Lord, a highly controversial and legendary name among the reincarnators. Many rumors circulate about him, but three points are generally accepted:
First, he possesses exceptional talent, but is ruthless and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. In order to advance quickly, he repeatedly used "forbidden techniques" with severe side effects to kill people, and was exiled to a completely rule-based instance. After surviving, he handed over many rewards to the imperial court and obtained a pardon.

Secondly, he possesses an extremely resilient character and terrifying perseverance. He has experienced two near-fatal setbacks in his life: once being demoted to the lowest level of the branch, and once being arrested after being reported for using forbidden techniques. However, he persevered through both, and each time he was able to rise again with an even stronger presence. His willpower is nothing short of abnormal.

Third, his fetishes are unusual and extremely bizarre. Simply put, he has an extremely twisted "NTR" fetish. While most men prefer virgins, the Blood Lord is the opposite, having a penchant for "collecting used women." The mistresses gathered around him, such as Bernadette, Georgia, Aurora, Kim Suk-mi, and Valeria, are all extremely promiscuous, practically "available to everyone," almost all comparable to the female villain "Lin Xian'er" from Gu Long's novels. It's joked within their circle that if he weren't a powerful reincarnator, he would probably have long since contracted various unspeakable venereal diseases.

In the video, Blood Lord picks up a glass of red wine and gently swirls it.

Jiang Jin composed himself and asked directly, "Blood Lord, thank you for your support. But I still want to ask, what are your conditions for helping me like this?"

He never believed in free lunches, especially when the other party was a ruthless and powerful figure like Blood Lord.

Blood Lord looked at him with sincere eyes: "Conditions? There are no additional conditions. The compensation offered by Cloudtop Hotel is my sincerity. The only reason I'm helping you extra is that I hope from now on, our Bloody Team and your Nirvana Team can truly turn hostility into friendship, and no longer be enemies, but... friends who can watch over each other."

He paused, then changed the subject slightly, a hint of barely perceptible pleasure flashing in his eyes: "Furthermore, I personally must express my sincere gratitude to you. I heard... that you severely injured Bai Mia with the 'Soul-Splitting Nail'."

Jiang Jin's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Yes, that's right, they're still using the props from your Bloody Team."

"I had Jin Shumei perform a divination to confirm it," Blood Lord's voice was filled with barely suppressed elation, "It's certain that that bitch Bai Miya has suffered a severe blow, her level has plummeted from LV3 to LV2! Hahahaha! This is truly gratifying!"

Jiang Jin could clearly sense that the Blood Lord's hatred for Bai Mia was deep and ingrained.

Although he was unaware of the specific grudge between the two, he knew that the Blood Lord and the Insect Nest team had an extremely bad relationship, and this hatred was obviously related to that.

"I have a deep-seated hatred for her, an irreconcilable enmity! You severely injured her, which is equivalent to avenging me! For this alone, I, Blood Lord, should thank you!" Blood Lord's tone was filled with the exhilarating satisfaction of avenging a great grudge.

Jiang Jin was surprised. Was it because of this that the Blood Lord expressed his support for him?

The two then spoke via video for a short while, mainly with Blood Lord expressing goodwill and support, while Jiang Jin responded cautiously. Finally, they ended this unexpected late-night call.

After the video call ended, in the study where Blood Lord was located.

Long Cang, who had been standing quietly to the side, stepped forward and asked softly, "Commander, why did you choose this moment to so clearly take sides and support Jiang Jin? Is it really just because you are grateful to him for hurting Bai Miya?"

The Blood Lord's carefree smile slowly faded as he took a sip of wine.

His eyes gleamed with a cold, calculating light: "Of course it feels great! Back then, that bitch Bai Miya and her poisonous mother Bai Yewei conspired to frame me, ruining my reputation and almost preventing me from ever recovering! From then on, my mindset changed! What pure and innocent maidens, what unwavering loyalty, all bullshit! I'll collect used women, I'll keep those promiscuous women by my side! I want to tell everyone that I, the Blood Lord, would rather hold a bunch of worn-out shoes in my hands than have that seemingly pure and innocent, but actually venomous bitch Bai Miya!"

The Blood Lord's tone was chillingly venomous, but he quickly regained his composure: "But do you really think I helped Jiang Jin just for the sake of pleasure?"

He glanced at Long Cang and said, "And what do you know? Jiang Jin's talent is astonishing, unlike anything I've ever seen in my life. He has now forged an irreconcilable blood feud with the Insect Nest! As long as he doesn't die young, he will surely grow into a powerful force capable of shaking the foundations of the Insect Nest! Such a person is my natural ally in dealing with Bai Yewei and her daughter, and Lady Pustules!"

“I am offering him help now when he has a rift with Minister Long and seems isolated and helpless. This favor is far more valuable than any future favors! Investing in him now is laying the groundwork for the future! I must ensure that he can grow and never let him be crushed by Minister Long or prematurely killed by the insect nest!”

He walked to the window, his voice lowering: "Who can say for sure what the court is thinking? They want to eradicate the insect nest now, but if the insect nest chooses to accept amnesty one day, the court could very well turn around and incorporate them into the official reincarnators, or even turn around and eliminate us 'unstable' ones, the white gloves who do their dirty work. Only I am truly irreconcilable with the insect nest, with absolutely no possibility of reconciliation!"

Then Blood Lord looked at Long Cang, his tone softening but still carrying an undeniable authority: "Long Cang, I know what you're thinking. Let bygones be bygones. I regret Xiao Wu's death, but it wasn't Jiang Jin's intention to kill him. You must prioritize the bigger picture. Our primary enemy is the Insect Nest."

Long Cang's lips moved, but in the end, under the gaze of the Blood Lord, he lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "Yes, Commander, I understand."

He recalled his secret plot with Li Yuanxiu and made up his mind.

At the same time, in Heian-kyo, Japan.

The ancient capital under the cover of night was shrouded in an indescribable atmosphere of tension.

The number of Self-Defense Force soldiers patrolling the streets has increased significantly, and temporary roadblocks and checkpoints have even been set up around many important shrines and temples.

Alan Tully, the Duncan Club envoy visiting Heian-kyo, is standing on the terrace of a traditional Japanese restaurant, overlooking part of the night view of Heian-kyo.

He was dressed in an expensive custom-made suit and had an elegant demeanor, but there was a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

Even in the Kansai region, far from the Edo Special District, he could clearly feel the oppressive atmosphere of impending doom permeating the city and even the whole of Japan.

Even Heian-kyo, this ancient capital with a history of over a thousand years, may not be safe under the threat of meme contamination.

Accompanying him was Masato Takada, the second-ranked Reincarnator in all of Japan.

He looked to be around thirty years old, with a lean build and wearing a well-fitting suit, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, as if they could disappear into the shadows at any moment.

He belongs to an extremely rare variant of the ninja profession... Shadow Warrior.

“Mr. Talley, please look,” Masato Takada said in fluent English, tracing the city’s outline against the night sky with his finger. “That’s the Kamo River. The lights in the distance are in Gion. And further away, that area is the ruins of the Heian-kyo Palace, where Emperor Kanmu moved the capital. A thousand years of history have settled here, and every inch of this land is imbued with the aesthetics and spirituality of the Japanese people’s ‘mono no aware’ (the pathos of things).”

His tone was filled with pride, yet also with concern: "Heian-kyo is the heart of Japan, carrying our most precious culture and traditions. But now, this heart is being eroded by the shadow of memes."

"The meme contamination from Edo is starting to show signs of westward expansion, right?"

Masato Takada sighed and continued, “What we are most worried about now is the complete outbreak of the ‘Hyakki Yagyō’ meme. Those demons and monsters that originally only existed in legends and ukiyo-e prints—Aoandon, Shuten-dōji, Tamamo-no-Mae, Jorogumo, Nurarihyon… their ‘concepts’ have been contaminated and activated in Edo, and have even begun to distort reality, appearing on the streets at night. Fortunately, thanks to the priests of Meiji Shrine, who are professional reincarnators… and some other means, the Hyakki Yagyō is currently being barely suppressed below the critical state, but no one knows how long it can be maintained.”

Masato Takada turned around and bowed deeply to Allen Tully at a ninety-degree angle: "Mr. Tully, the power of the Japanese Reincarnation Realm is limited. Faced with such a large-scale memetic crisis, we cannot stand alone. We earnestly request the Duncan Club, as well as the Cross Council and other powerful Reincarnation organizations, to lend a helping hand and help Japan overcome this crisis! The entire nation of Japan will never forget this kindness!"

The pressure that Heian-kyo is under right now is extraordinary.

How big is it?

Companies like Honda and Lexus have even prepared to sell their core technologies.

They are even willing to share semiconductor technology with South Korea in exchange for the relocation of some Japanese people to South Korea.

They requested an immigration plan that would accept Japanese citizens, and made many concessions in this regard.

In short, any conditions can be proposed, just to give the people of Area 11 a way to survive, so that they don't really end up with a hundred million people dying for the Emperor!
Alan Tully nodded slightly, maintaining a diplomatic politeness and reserve: "Mr. Takada need not say more. Combating meme contamination is the shared responsibility of all Reincarnators worldwide. The Duncan Club has been closely monitoring the meme situation in Japan and throughout the Far East..."

Before he could finish speaking, his phone suddenly started vibrating rapidly.

Allen frowned, made an apologetic gesture to Takada, and walked aside to answer the call.

The news coming from the other end of the phone made the usually composed Duncan Club executive's face turn extremely ugly instantly!
His son, Resai Talley, was arrested in Mukden City on suspicion of murdering two female college students!
"Fuck! That stupid idiot!"

Allen cursed under his breath, veins bulging on his forehead. He suppressed his urge to lash out and quickly gave a few instructions to the person on the other end of the phone.

After ending the call, he took a deep breath and tried to maintain a calm demeanor.

He immediately took out another phone and dialed the dedicated line directly.

After the call was connected, his tone became harsh and cold.

“I am Alan Tully of the Duncan Club. I am aware of the incident involving my son, Rayce Tully, in Muxu City. I urge you to investigate this matter immediately! However, I must emphasize that Rayce is an important reincarnator of the Duncan Club. Even if he has indeed broken the law, he must be extradited back to the United States through diplomatic channels and tried by our American reincarnator judicial system! I will never allow my son to be treated unjustly or with political motives in a foreign land!”

His words were resolute and carried an undeniable force. A transnational crisis triggered by a spoiled brat suddenly escalated, drawing the reincarnation organizations of two major powers into the vortex!
(End of this chapter)