Chapter 63: A Ruthless Negotiation and a Shadowy Interrogation

Zi Yanran soon met Matsushita Suguru, the true decision-maker of the Matsushita Group.

Their meeting took place in a lavishly decorated conference room at the Matsushita Group headquarters. Through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, the bustling cityscape of Tokyo stretched out before them.

“Hahahaha, you must be Miss Zi Yanran, the CEO of the Bauhinia Group from Xia Kingdom! Truly young and accomplished!”

Matsushita Suguru greeted her with overflowing enthusiasm the moment they met, his face wreathed in a smile as bright as the most radiant spring sunshine.

A man who had navigated the business world for decades, he was a master of pretense. Despite secretly wishing Zi Yanran dead, he still spoke to her with a beaming smile.

Zi Yanran, however, remained unmoved. Her gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s, seemingly capable of piercing through his deceptive smile.

She had no intention of continuing this charade with Matsushita Suguru today. Since her arrival in Japan, two assassination attempts had occurred, forcing her to suspect the Matsushita Group’s involvement.

The technology held by the Bauhinia Group was undoubtedly a treasure in the global tech sphere. Not only was the Matsushita Group coveting it, but several other powerful international companies had also expressed interest in collaboration.

Initially, Zi Yanran had chosen the Matsushita Group because, compared to other companies, they were the most suitable, promising to save them considerable time and effort.

However, everything now seemed to be cast under a shadow of doubt.

“Chairman Matsushita, I feel that your esteemed company lacks sincerity in this collaboration.”

Zi Yanran’s voice was frigid, like a winter’s gale that sent shivers down one’s spine.

Her words caused Matsushita Suguru’s expression to slowly freeze.

Zi Yanran continued, “Many unpleasant incidents have occurred since I arrived in Japan. I’ve decided that if we don’t reach a resolution within three days, the collaboration is off. There are plenty of companies eager to partner with our Bauhinia Group.”

As these words left her lips, the temperature in the entire conference room seemed to plummet to zero.

The executives on the Matsushita Group’s side all looked grim. They had not anticipated Zi Yanran would be so direct and assertive.

While both parties ostensibly spoke of cooperation, in reality, the Matsushita Group was far more desperate for the Bauhinia Group’s technology.

Thus, it was clear who was more reliant on whom.

After a moment of awkward silence, Matsushita Suguru let out a few dry laughs, attempting to break the heavy atmosphere.

“Haha, Miss Zi, you must be upset about the recent unfortunate incidents. Our preparations were indeed inadequate, but the Matsushita Group is absolutely sincere about this cooperation. Please, Miss Zi, do not be so hasty. Negotiations inherently require some time. I assure you, within five days at most, the Matsushita Group will sign, regardless of whether a consensus is reached.”

Matsushita Suguru’s words were smooth, but Zi Yanran was not so easily deceived.

She knew he was merely stalling for time, attempting to gain more preparation for some ulterior motive.

Therefore, she unhesitatingly rejected Matsushita Suguru’s five-day proposal.

“I apologize, but my company has made a temporary decision: three days maximum. If we cannot reach an agreement after three days, we will return to Xia Kingdom and reconsider our potential partners.”

This was undoubtedly a direct challenge to Matsushita Suguru, putting him on the defensive.

The negotiations once again reached a stalemate, the air thick with tension.

****

Meanwhile, Bai Mengqi was in an unoccupied room within the fire-damaged area, interrogating a Japanese ninja she had captured.

The ninja was a woman, seemingly in her teens, dressed like a high school student.

Yet, her cold eyes betrayed a ruthlessness and tenacity unbefitting her age.

“Still won’t speak? Are you truly so eager to die?”

Bai Mengqi’s voice rang out coldly as her fingers tightened slightly around the female ninja’s throat.

The ninja’s face instantly turned crimson, her eyes began to roll back, and her body instinctively started to struggle.

The disparity between her and Bai Mengqi was immense; Bai Mengqi could kill her with ease.

However, even as she was on the verge of suffocating, the woman showed no intention of revealing her mastermind.

Bai Mengqi couldn’t help but admire her resilience. This female ninja was the third person she had captured, and not one of them feared death.

But just as the female ninja believed she was about to die, Bai Mengqi suddenly released her grip.

The female ninja slumped to the ground. As if granted a great reprieve, she gasped for several breaths, panting violently.

That sensation of near-death had been terrifying.

“It seems you truly aren’t afraid of death.”

Bai Mengqi’s voice resounded again, tinged with a hint of amusement and curiosity.

“However, I am rather curious. If you don’t fear death, is there truly nothing you’re afraid of?”

After regaining her breath, the female ninja still looked at Bai Mengqi defiantly, as if her eyes were telling them, ‘We fear nothing; you can simply kill me.’

Bai Mengqi paced before her, like a cat toying with a mouse.

She had already attempted a mind-control technique on the woman earlier, but it had failed.

It seemed a defense mechanism against mental control had been implanted in the ninja’s brain. Any forceful attempt to control her would cause her brain to explode.

“Kill you? That’s impossible. Nor will I allow you to commit suicide.”

Bai Mengqi suddenly laughed, her smile sinister and eerie.

“Oh, right, I have another method here that might prove useful to you.”

With that, Bai Mengqi suddenly leaned closer to the female ninja, reaching out and drawing a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth.

The female ninja immediately tensed, a flicker of panic in her eyes. “You… what are you going to do?”

Bai Mengqi smiled ominously.

“You must have heard that there’s a spell in the Xia Kingdom’s ability user community that can trace the direct relatives of a blood’s owner through their bloodline.”

These words struck the female ninja like a bolt from the blue.

She certainly had parents and family, but the identities of ninjas were top secret, untraceable even on official government systems.

Thus, they never worried about enemies retaliating against their families.

But now, with her opponent possessing such a method, to say she wasn’t afraid would be a lie.

Everyone had a weakness; without one, they would be nothing but machines. This was not a time of war, and Bai Mengqi refused to believe this female ninja cared nothing for her family.

Though she disliked threatening others, there were times when it was necessary.

Of course, Bai Mengqi was bluffing; she hadn’t yet mastered such a technique.

Bai Mengqi’s tone grew increasingly severe.

“If you speak, I will release you and spare your family. If you refuse, both you and your family will die. Is it worth sacrificing your entire family to keep someone else’s secret? Don’t forget, once a person dies, there is nothing left.”

After a period of internal struggle, the female ninja finally yielded.

She didn’t even doubt whether Bai Mengqi’s claimed method was real.

She stammered, “I… I take direct orders from Matsudaira Kouichi-sama of the Sakura Society…”

Having obtained the desired information, Bai Mengqi nodded in satisfaction.

“Very good, now sleep.”

She immediately knocked the female ninja unconscious, then left the location with the utmost speed.

She now had to find Matsudaira Kouichi, because according to the female ninja, this was only their ‘A’ plan.

If Plan A failed, there would still be Plan B.

Bai Mengqi also learned that Matsudaira Kouichi was the senior apprentice brother of the priestess she had killed last night. He intended to avenge the priestess.

They had a rendezvous point before their operation, where they would meet regardless of success or failure.

‘It seems I’ll have to stir up trouble again,’ Bai Mengqi muttered to herself with a sigh.

At this moment, Matsudaira Kouichi had returned to the rendezvous point, waiting for his subordinates to come back.

He sat under the dim light, his expression shifting between dark and uncertain.

He hadn’t expected this mission to be so challenging. Not only had several subordinates been sacrificed, but the mission remained incomplete.

He now had no retreat; he could only go all-in.

After a while, a few more ability users returned, looking disheveled.

Their faces were etched with exhaustion and frustration.

“Matsudaira-sama, we… we failed.”

Matsudaira Kouichi’s expression grew even graver.

He had made such a huge sacrifice, yet the mission had failed, and so many of his people were lost.

“Wait a little longer. If no one else returns, we’ll assume they’ve fallen and prepare to implement Plan B.”

Matsudaira Kouichi’s voice was low and sinister, like a curse emanating from the depths of hell.

Soon, a familiar figure entered the rendezvous point.

It was the high school-dressed female ninja, Rumiko, whom Bai Mengqi had captured not long ago.

Her appearance surprised and puzzled everyone.

“Rumiko? You’re back? Why so late?” A ninja who recognized her quickly asked.

Rumiko promptly explained, “I was entangled by the protected target’s ability user for quite a while before I could shake them off.”

This explanation seemed reasonable enough, so no one questioned it further.

However, they were unaware that the Rumiko before them was actually Bai Mengqi in disguise.

Bai Mengqi did not immediately move to kill everyone; instead, she wanted to understand their next plan.

Otherwise, if she killed them directly and they had contingencies she wasn’t aware of, it would be troublesome.

Soon, Matsudaira Kouichi began to deploy Plan B, an even more ruthless scheme: they intended to blow up the Matsushita Group building, killing Zi Yanran.

She patiently listened to the ninjas’ conversations and plan deployments, committing every detail to memory.

Finally, after confirming all the information she needed, Bai Mengqi prepared to act.

“I don’t think you’ll have that chance.”

Bai Mengqi suddenly erupted.

Her figure darted through the rendezvous point like a ghost, leaving a trail of blood and mayhem in her wake.

The unsuspecting ninjas were struck down one by one before they could even react.

Matsudaira Kouichi, witnessing the sudden chaos, immediately cast the spell commonly used by Onmyoji.

However, he was only slightly stronger than the priestess from yesterday. Faced with Bai Mengqi’s sudden assault, he had no time to react.

“No time to play games with you.” Bai Mengqi waved her hand, and a surge of energy struck him, rendering him unable to resist.

The sudden change happened too quickly. Matsudaira, his eyes wide with shock, roared, “You… who exactly are you?”

Bai Mengqi shed her disguise, returning to her original appearance, then looked at him coldly and said, “Who do you think? I killed your junior apprentice sister.”

Matsudaira Kouichi’s pupils constricted. His opponent’s methods were too sophisticated; he hadn’t detected anything.

With that, Bai Mengqi struck Matsudaira Kouichi’s chest with her palm.

Then, with a crisp ‘crack,’ his sternum was instantly shattered.

Matsudaira Kouichi flew backward like a broken kite, crashing heavily to the ground.

Blood continuously gushed from his mouth, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

“Our… Sakura Society… will… will avenge me…” Matsudaira Kouichi struggled to say, his breath barely a whisper.

After uttering these words, his head tilted, and he died.

This fellow was nothing more than a slightly larger minion.