Lu Mingfei, become the king of gambling in dungeons!

Genji Heavy Industries, Awakening Temple.

Named Awakening Temple, it is actually a terrace hidden high up in the Genji Heavy Industries building, its exterior modeled after a Shinto temple in Japan. The granite walls and rough bluestone floors create a solemn atmosphere, surrounded by flowing water. Under the vermilion torii gate, there is a black stone table. This is often the highest-level meeting hall of the Snake Clan, but now only two people are talking.

Due to the continuous heavy rain, a new drainage system was installed on the terrace.

"I've already told you about the previous movie star, Uesugi Koshi. The people we sent out couldn't find him, and someone in Tokyo helped him hide."

The iron teapot base was glowing red-hot, and Yuan Zhisheng looked at the teapot, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"The volcanic belt off the coast of Japan will erupt with unprecedented intensity, and a tsunami shock wave, never before observed, is advancing toward Tokyo, similar to what is recorded in mythology." Tachibana Masamune was brewing tea. His tea ceremony skills were not actually superb, but his every move gave people the illusion of a "tea ceremony master." Genji Chisei sat in a high position, thinking.

Just a few days ago, their positions were reversed because Tachibana Masamune, who was raising a dead servant at Genji Heavy Industries, resigned from his position as head of the family, and a power transfer was completed within the Snake-Headed Eight Families. However, their way of getting along in private did not change much.

"Could the resurgence of Yamata no Orochi really have such an impact on Japan? We all underestimated its hatching speed. I originally thought the correct time was three days later."

"But there's a question I've never been able to figure out: if Yamata no Orochi was behind all this disaster, then it means it has already hatched successfully... If that's the case, why didn't it leave the Red Well? It should have been invincible in Tokyo."

"Unless—" Genji paused as he explained his doubts.

"It may indeed be intelligent and aware of the measures we have taken against it. It is capable of detecting massive amounts of mercury and mistakenly believes that there are stronger predators in Tokyo."

Tachibana Masamune shook his head: "It's not a mistake to think that the Snake-Headed Eight Families are now predators stronger than gods. After ten thousand years of development, our technology has progressed to a different path from dragon alchemy. Our roars and determination have made even the beings that once gave us our bloodline want to retreat."

Yuan Zhisheng remained silent, lost in thought.

Can hybrids really make monsters of the level of Yamata no Orochi back down?

This is an incredible phenomenon; no matter how I think about it, I can't figure out the answer.

But if the Yamata no Orochi hadn't noticed the Red Well's scheme, what reason would it have had not to crawl out of the Red Demon River and head to Tokyo to feed, now that it had already hatched?

Or perhaps we were wrong from the start, and the Yamata no Orochi never hatched properly; the unusual events in Tokyo these past two days are actually an extremely rare natural phenomenon.

Genjiro looked up at Tachibana Masamune. Over the years, he was no longer the boy from the small town of Shikatri in the mountains, but there were still times when he couldn't help but want to ask Tachibana Masamune for help, to ask the man who had led him out of the town.

Seeing the worry hidden in Tachibana Masamune's brows, he silently swallowed his question. The Yamata no Orochi should be the responsibility of the current head of the family.

"Are you worried about Herzog, or rather, the King?" Genji asked, looking at Tokyo in the pouring rain.

Tachibana Masamune added tea powder to a teacup that had been heated with boiling water: "I am a little worried. After all, he is an old rival, and he is the most dangerous man I have ever met. But I am not bad either. I can judge his moves."

"Haha, there was a time in the Soviet Union when the name of the KGB would cause people to whisper nervously, just like Ming Dynasty officials would mention the Embroidered Uniform Guard hundreds of years ago... maybe even more nervous."

Genjiro remained hesitant to speak. He was no longer a reckless fool; he was now a composed and powerful patriarch who understood that even Tachibana Masamune felt nervous in the face of a dangerous man like Herzog.

"The former Shadow Emperor had a stubborn prejudice against the family, so he could not come back. Zhisheng, you are the hope of the family, the only emperor. With you, the family can continue. We are willing to sacrifice as many people as possible for this."

"I told you, you've grown up, Naki." Tachibana Masamune said softly, like a kind teacher. "You really have the air of a patriarch now. I'm so glad to see you like this. In my heart, you're no less than any of the previous emperors; you're just a little hesitant."

No less than any of the previous emperors… Genjiro was lost in thought, and after a long while, as if he had made up his mind, he said: “There is no way to make everyone happy, as it is said in Tokyo Babylon.”

He knew better than anyone the limitations of his abilities; he couldn't save the young girl, and Erii hadn't been found yet.

"What is 'Tokyo Babylon'?" Tachibana Masamune racked his brains but still couldn't figure out which literary work it was.

Genji said in a low voice, "It's a manga that girls might like. I flipped through it when I was choosing books for Erii, but then I thought about it and decided to give it up. Let her read some youth-oriented books when she's older."

A young girl... she should like this kind of comic, right? He thought to himself subconsciously.

"You have a truly compassionate heart that can slay demons—" Tachibana Masamune wanted to say something more, but the sound of the door opening made the two of them turn to look at the entrance of the Akatsuki Temple.

Crow and Yaksha pushed open the heavy black wooden door of the Awakening Temple and approached Genji and Tachibana Masamune with strange expressions, hurriedly reporting the news that made the two of them think they had something wrong with their ears.

"What do you mean by McDonald's infiltrating Genji Heavy Industries?" Genji's brows furrowed slightly. "You're talking nonsense... Show me the surveillance footage."

Tachibana Masamune took a thoughtful sip of tea.

"Notify Sakura to send people over to protect Mr. Masamune. You all follow me." Genji stood up and took the Dojigiri and Kumogiri that Yasha handed over.

"Sakura has been dealt with by the intruder, but after knocking her unconscious with a karate chop, the intruder did nothing else excessive. He just left a McDonald's discount coupon next to her. I have notified the Sakurai family head to send someone over."

"Alright... let Sakura rest and recuperate."

They had just reached the entrance of Xingshen Temple when they heard a terrifying clap of thunder, and a thunder dragon seemed to be moving in the distant sky.

"What...what fell from the sky?"

"It's just a shooting star. Compared to a shooting star, McDonald's invading the mafia headquarters is much more bizarre."

"A shooting star?" Tachibana Masamune looked up at the dark, distant sky.

An unusual light suddenly streaked across the low southern sky. It was neither an airplane nor a shooting star; it moved too slowly, flickering in and out of the thunderstorm clouds like stardust in the night fog.

That thing, with a heavy elegance, eventually fell like a red-hot coin into the deep blue pool, sinking into the depths of the Pacific Ocean during a thunderstorm.