Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

Ueda was crestfallen; he had messed up.

If this stone truly has a spirit, I hope it will be a kind companion.

After they left, the Killing Stone made a soft gurgling sound.

Crack! A crack appeared at the bottom of the stone.

A flash of red light appeared and then vanished in an instant.

Huangquan Pavilion.

The nameless monk was already standing at the door waiting for Higashiyama Shin.

“The Nameless One has met the Unknowable Lord.”

He clasped his hands together and bowed in respect.

"This thing cannot remain in the human world; it will dissipate as soon as it is released. The only thing I can think of is using it to repair the Yellow Springs Pavilion, right?"

After Dongshan Shen obtained the Heart of Ninja, its beating frequency kept decreasing. After it was placed inside the Soul-Gathering Umbrella, it only beat once every ten seconds or so.

After examining the Heart of Forbearance for a while, Wuming said, "This thing is born of nature, and its instincts also return to nature. Its life force begins in the Yellow Springs, flourishes in the human world, and ends in the Nine Heavens, traversing the Three Realms. If you give it to this humble monk, it can be used as the springhead of the 'Spring of Life' in the Yellow Springs Pavilion; if you give it to the Killing Stone, it can accelerate its gestation."

Accelerated gestation my ass! There's a fox inside the Killing Stone, and Shinji Higashiyama sensed it long ago.

However, that creature was quite cautious and deeply versed in the art of survival. After taking shape, it probably felt that it was still too weak, so it stayed inside the stone and did not come out, constantly accumulating strength.

Just like the nameless person in front of you, you can't say he is Nichiren.

Therefore, the fox in the Sesshoseki cannot be said to be Tamamo-no-Mae.

It can only be described as one of the countless possibilities in a parallel world.

However, judging from its current cowardly appearance, the little guy is unlikely to be of pure heart.

"What use is this 'living spring' you're talking about?" Higashiyama Shin's collecting obsession was genuine; he didn't find the 'Heart of Shinobi' particularly appealing.

Consequently, there was little expectation for the "Life Spring" created using this as its core.

"For adults, it's not very useful. But for cultivators, drinking the spring water can restore their spirit and strength, and heal common injuries. If used on ordinary people, it can even prolong their lives and eliminate most illnesses."

Wuming is indeed the instruction manual that came with the Yellow Springs Pavilion, and he is very knowledgeable about the relevant contents.

Higashiyama Shin nodded slightly; the description sounded like a free red and blue potion.

In other words, after using this item, players will likely be able to break the limit of playing three times a day and complete the game much faster?

nice one!

It is indeed more valuable to lay a solid foundation.

The fox wasn't in a hurry; it would wait. Since the hatchlings were already born, it could simply break the stone when needed.

With the "Fountain of Life," won't we have new entry rewards for the game in the future?!

Each person receives two bottles, and the player, upon receiving the reward, must remember the kindness shown to them and be motivated to complete the level quickly.

It's similar to working on a project while drinking coffee with cattle and horses.

Even so, many companies still require employees to pay for their own coffee.

Chapter 194: Final Report

Night fell over the Kinki Plain.

Kyoto is unusually noisy tonight.

Armored bulldozers have cleared all vehicles from Kyoto's two main thoroughfares, creating a clear area.

Even if the driver were still alive, it wouldn't stop the brutal behavior of this steel behemoth.

The skeleton that Takatsuki Tetsuo transformed into did not turn into blood and disappear like his flesh and blood, but instead became a veritable mountain of skeletons.

Official staff bustled around it like ants foraging for food.

Large areas of the houses were dark and gloomy, but the roads and the areas surrounding the skeletal remains were brightly lit, as if it were daytime.

Several helicopters circled overhead, using searchlights to provide visibility for those below.

A large number of rescue teams are still carrying out intensive rescue work in the ruins.

"There is a life signal here!"

"The imaging shows that the structure is very unstable. We need to clean the surface first, and then apply protection."

"Uh, I guess we don't need to."

"Ok?"

While they were discussing how to rescue the survivor buried under the concrete ruins, Muramasa Taki appeared lightly with a pickaxe. After estimating the location, she started digging immediately. She was very fast and did not disrupt the balance of the building. She successfully connected a passage.

Not long after, Taki, looking rather disheveled, came out carrying a little girl whose face was streaked with tears and who was sobbing uncontrollably.

"There are two more bodies inside. Thank you for your help."

"You're too kind, Miss Muramasa! We will make sure everything is arranged properly!" The rescuer saluted somewhat flusteredly, while the other bowed nervously.

Taki dusted the girl off her head, handed her over to the two men, and then quickly headed to the next ruin where a survivor had been identified.

The contact's voice on the other end of the earpiece was a little hoarse: "We've found a trail that looks like the Knight. He's back to join the rescue effort. Ms. Muramasa, would you like me to send you his location?"

“Okay.” Taki did not refuse.

Although the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department did not test her bottom line, it did conduct numerous small and indirect tests.

Right now, they're testing her knowledge of the knight's whereabouts and trying to figure out if she has any secret ways of communicating with him that they don't know about.

[Correct: They've spotted you.]

[Zhi: You just realized? I've been back for three hours. It's okay, I have a way to get away.]

[Correct: You don't have to come back. Without official location assistance, it's difficult to determine the survivors' location.]

[Zhi: Sen has been assisting me; he's quite sensitive to signs of life.]

Is it Sen?

Although no one has gone into detail about their abilities, she can guess that abilities are closely related to personality, preferences, and experiences.

The abilities that Mori has demonstrated seem to be related to blood.

Of course, this is just a guess when dealing with the Heart of Pain together, and she cannot be completely sure yet.

But if Mori's abilities are truly related to blood, it's hard to believe he's a sunny, cheerful young man who idolizes knights.

Boom!

In another area, a dilapidated building that was already on the verge of collapse collapsed.

Nobi emerged from the darkness, darted forward, grabbed a rescuer who was too close, and rushed out of the affected area.

"Hehe, thank you, thank you."

That person was extremely fortunate.

Nobi is dressed casually right now, and his cards are mostly on cooldown, so he can't wear armor.

Without saying another word, he continued walking and disappeared around the corner.

"We've already rescued everyone we could in this area. There are too many police officers ahead, and there are also villagers there. Let's not get involved, shall we?" Renault said casually as he landed in front of Nobita.

During the day, after absorbing some of the essence and blood of the Heart of Patience, he felt his blood boiling.

There's a feeling that I'm about to lose control of myself on a physical level.

So, without caring about what good things might happen next, he quickly left the scene, found a secluded place, and tried his best to suppress the restlessness.

It took more than half an hour to finally emerge from that strange state, after which I felt refreshed and my blood energy limit was increased.

This improvement will require a period of time to be digested and fully absorbed.

He had a feeling that if he absorbed just one more, he could unlock the first growth ability, "Corpse Bomb".

Unfortunately, his current identity is not suitable for doing anything too cruel or greedy; otherwise, the essence he absorbed today would have been enough to unlock his first ability.

Doing things secretly isn't impossible, but it carries unnecessary risks. Only by staying hidden in the player mutual aid association can you catch big fish.

Seeking maximum benefit is his instinct.

At least now Nobita has lowered his guard a lot and contacted him for help even without wearing armor.

If we can maintain the trust of Nobita's faction, we'll have more opportunities when new members join in the future.

"Yes, indeed." Nobita nodded. "You really helped a lot today, thank you."

"No need to thank me, I just learned from you, Chairman." Renault shrugged, looking very relaxed.

Nobi noticed his shrug just now, his gaze fleeting: "You should be in the Edo period by now with 'The Heart of Shinobi', right?"

"Pretty much. Compared to 'Demon Blade,' the difficulty of the journey feels a bit too easy. It's probably more about the choices you make and the boss battles," Renault said casually.

After exchanging a few casual words about the game, the two said their goodbyes and left.

[Island: President, I'm sorry I couldn't be of help today.]

Nobi, who was about to find a place to cool off, saw the message from Oshima.

To be honest, Oshima has a very low profile in the players' association. He doesn't talk much, and he only speaks when someone asks him a question.

Timid, cautious, and confused.

Just like him in the past—no, it might be even more serious.

[Satoshi: Someone needs to be in charge in Tokyo, and there's no need to feel guilty. Everyone has their own strengths, and we won't force members to participate in the operation.]

[Zhi: In short, prioritize yourself, understand?]

[Island: Understood, thank you, Chairman.]

Nobita felt like he had started an adventure association, not only having to handle affairs but also taking time to care for the members' feelings.

However, it's not bad.

At least those titles of "chairman" sounded light and airy to him.

Fortunately, not everyone called him that. The two female players called him by his nickname or Knight, which allowed him to stand on the ground again.

After waiting for a while, the cards refreshed, but unfortunately there was no save point. He could only find a few gangsters who were "temporarily closed" to beat up before drawing cards again.

They must feel very innocent, since they didn't take advantage of the chaos today.

After resetting the save point, he returned to Nara, wondering whether he should hurry back to Tokyo.

Based on the events of this game, Japan was generally safe before the conclusion of "Shinobi Heart".

The Demon Mist has become more secretive in its actions lately, and even with the "Guidance" card, accurate answers have been repeatedly unavailable.

"I remember Yue saying that there have been several very serious cases in Osaka."

Since we're already here, let's just take care of it while we're at it.

As for Tokyo, Mori said he'd be going back tomorrow, Muramasa Taki might be a couple of days later, and Shima and Tsuki are keeping an eye on things, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

He stayed in the Kansai region to spread the word and let people know that the knight's sword was already hanging over their heads.

After making the decision, he headed towards Osaka.

A special hospital in Osaka.

Outside the operating room, Leon sat on a waiting chair, dealing with what he was doing, his gaze occasionally drifting to the operating light.

Miley has been inside for over six hours.

Ever since he was dug out of the vines, he has been in a coma, and his vital signs have been declining at a steady but gradual pace.

After learning that the light dust scattered by the giant hand in Kyoto had restored the health of some elderly people, they placed Milai in Kyoto for monitoring for a period of time.

But even after the light dust completely dissipated, Mila's condition did not improve at all, so she had to be transferred to a more specialized hospital.

Tuk Tuk.

The sound of leather shoes approaching drew near. Leon put down his computer, straightened his collar, and stood up to salute Lieutenant General McCullough, who was walking towards him.

"The situation hasn't improved?"

"Yes, the doctors attempted to establish extracorporeal circulation an hour ago, but it is still unknown whether it was successful."