Chapter 64: The Price of Vengeance

Bai Mengqi stared coldly at the corpses on the ground, a sneer twisting her lips.

“Rest assured,” she declared, “anyone who dares lay a hand on my woman—even your self-proclaimed sacred and inviolable Emperor, that piece of shit—will never escape the clutches of death.”

Bai Mengqi’s voice was low and resolute, each word seemingly ground out from between her teeth, brimming with an palpable intent to kill.

After speaking, she raised her hand, her fingers subtly flicking. Mana surged forth like a tide, coalescing into several scorching balls of flame that struck the corpses.

Fueled by her mana, the flames roared, instantly devouring the bodies.

The corpses crackled and popped as they burned, swiftly turning into ash that scattered with the wind, leaving nothing but charred ground.

Despite having killed so many in one breath, Bai Mengqi’s heart remained utterly undisturbed.

This was likely due to her childhood exposure to horrors, a familiarity that had hardened her. She had long ceased to view her enemies as human.

In this world, where the strong reigned supreme, possessing sufficient power naturally eliminated all fear.

Bai Mengqi typically maintained a gentle and introverted demeanor, but provoke her, and you would never witness her ruthless side.

Moreover, some matters in this world defied resolution through mere legal means. Therefore, when necessary, she opted for the most direct and brutal approach to solve problems.

****

Having dealt with the bodies, Bai Mengqi swiftly departed from the contact point.

She knew the location would soon be discovered, necessitating her urgent arrival at Zi Yanran’s side to neutralize the Sakura Society’s ability users who had laid an ambush around the building.

Only then could she ensure the safety of Zi Yanran and her companions.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, Zi Yanran’s negotiations with Matsushita Group remained at a standstill.

Zi Yanran’s stance was firm and decisive; she would not tolerate Matsushita Group’s continued procrastination. Her patience was wearing thin.

Matsushita Suguru, however, proved to be an obdurate opponent. Regardless of Zi Yanran’s pressure, he maintained an ambiguous attitude, neither refusing nor agreeing, merely dragging out the time.

Time slipped by, and it was already around three in the afternoon.

Observing Matsushita Suguru, who showed no signs of budging, Zi Yanran felt an inexplicable surge of irritation.

She knew that any further progress in today’s negotiations was impossible. Rising from her seat, she began gathering her belongings, preparing to leave.

“Forget it. It seems we won’t reach any conclusions today, Mr. Matsushita. We’ll be heading back now. I hope your esteemed company can deliberate thoroughly and provide a clear answer by tomorrow. Otherwise, we’ll be preparing to return to our country the day after,” Zi Yanran stated, a hint of displeasure in her voice.

Having delivered her words, she exited the conference room without a backward glance.

The Matsushita Group executives, witnessing this, could only rise reluctantly to see her off.

They understood that these negotiations had utterly failed.

Matsushita Shinichi was about to stand and follow when Matsushita Suguru abruptly stopped him.

“Shinichi, stay. There are some things I need to discuss with you,” Matsushita Suguru said, his voice imbued with a mysterious gravity.

This caused Matsushita Shinichi to frown, a premonition of ill fortune stirring within him.

“Father, I also have something to tell you. When Miss Zi arrived today, she gave me this. You must know what this means, don’t you?”

As Matsushita Shinichi spoke, he placed the videotape before Matsushita Suguru.

The moment Matsushita Suguru saw the item, his eyes immediately darted away.

He hastily reached out and opened the videotape on the table, as if he knew exactly what was inside.

“Take it away! There’s something dirty in here; don’t get contaminated.”

His voice clearly held a trace of panic.

Matsushita Shinichi observed his father’s reaction, and suddenly, everything became clear. His face ashen, he said, “Alright, it seems this was also a tool you intended to use against Miss Zi. What about the explosion on the road? Was that also your arrangement? Do you realize the extent of the fire that explosion caused, and how many innocent civilians it burned to death?”

Matsushita Suguru’s expression turned exceedingly grim upon hearing his son’s words.

He rose, agitated, and declared, “That operation was not my doing! I never instructed them to do such a thing!”

However, his words brought Matsushita Shinichi no comfort whatsoever.

On the contrary, Matsushita Shinichi’s face grew even paler.

He understood that his father had only denied directly arranging the operation, not that the operation was unrelated to him.

“But those people were hired by you. Can you truly disclaim any responsibility?” Matsushita Shinichi demanded, his voice thick with disappointment and anguish.

He could not bear to watch his father continue down this path of error.

He desperately hoped his father would abandon these shady tactics and return to the righteous path.

Startled by his son’s outburst, Matsushita Suguru was instantly overcome with fear, trembling uncontrollably.

He knew he had committed an egregious crime, and if exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, he was already deeply mired, unable to extricate himself.

“Go quickly! Stop Zi Yanran and her group from entering the elevator! Hurry!” Matsushita Suguru instructed, his expression frantic.

Upon hearing his father’s words, Matsushita Shinichi rushed out of the conference room without a second thought, chasing after Zi Yanran and the others.

He silently prayed, ‘Please, let me be in time. I must prevent this disaster from happening.’

“Miss Zi! Miss Zi! Wait!” Matsushita Shinichi’s voice echoed loudly through the empty corridor.

By this time, Zi Yanran and her group had reached the elevator doors and were about to step inside.

Hearing Matsushita Shinichi’s voice, they looked back towards the conference room direction with a hint of confusion.

However, just then, the elevator doors slowly slid open.

Liang Qiuyu, seeing the open elevator doors, gestured, “Miss Zi, the elevator is here. We can go in now.”

Zi Yanran pondered for a moment, then decided to enter the elevator.

She knew that leaving at this moment might be the best choice.

Thus, she led Zhou Xiaodie and the others into the elevator and pressed the close button.

By the time Matsushita Shinichi arrived, the elevator doors had firmly closed and had begun its descent.

He stared at the tightly shut elevator doors, a wave of despair and helplessness washing over him.

“This? It’s over,” he murmured to himself.

He knew that his father’s urgency to stop Zi Yanran from entering the elevator likely meant that something had been tampered with, perhaps explosives or other dangerous devices.

If the bomb were to detonate once the elevator reached a certain height, no one inside would survive.

However, to Matsushita Shinichi’s surprise, the elevator soon reached the ground floor without any incident.

He quickly rushed to the glass wall and peered down, observing Zi Yanran and her group emerge from the building unharmed.

His fears had not materialized.

This left him feeling bewildered and confused. “What? What happened? Did I make a mistake?”

In truth, he hadn’t made a mistake; rather, someone had already neutralized the hidden danger.

****

At that very moment, within the elevator shaft, Bai Mengqi stood on the emergency ladder, holding an unconscious man.

In her other hand, she clutched over a dozen dismantled timed bombs.

These bombs had been planted by members of the Sakura Society on the elevator and within the shaft, with the intention of detonating them once the elevator reached a certain height, thereby killing Zi Yanran and her companions.

However, Bai Mengqi had obtained a lead from the contact point, rushed over, found these bombs in advance, and disarmed them one by one.

While she wasn’t a bomb disposal expert, destroying the explosive materials within was an effortless task for her.

“Whew! Thankfully, I arrived in time, or they might actually have succeeded.”

Bai Mengqi sighed with relief as she looked at the bombs in her hand.

She knew her mission was critical during this period, and she could not afford any oversight or carelessness.

The Sakura Society was one of Japan’s largest right-wing ability user organizations, comprised entirely of fanatical Japanese ability users.

Operating under the banner of Japanese revival, they openly opposed the current ruling cabinet.

Their members were spread throughout Japan, wielding formidable strength and influence.

Their decision to dispatch so many individuals to assassinate Zi Yanran clearly indicated their determination to sabotage the cooperation, or perhaps to extract something they desired from her.

In short, it was either acquire the technology or ensure Zi Yanran’s demise.

Yet, they had never anticipated encountering such a formidable opponent in Bai Mengqi.

Bai Mengqi, carrying the unconscious ability user and the bombs, ascended to the building’s rooftop via the elevator shaft. After ensuring the man’s death and discarding the damaged bombs, she departed the area with the utmost speed.

By now, Zi Yanran and her group had safely left the building, and Bai Mengqi was preparing to rendezvous with them.

Meanwhile, at Matsudaira Kouichi’s contact point, several Sakura Society ability users had arrived.

Observing the charred marks on the ground, their expressions turned exceptionally grave.

They could discern that a battle had recently taken place here.

From the combat traces, it appeared that one group had been swiftly annihilated by their opponent.

A tall man dressed as a samurai stepped forward, bowed deeply before the charred ground, and declared, “Matsuda-kun, rest easy! We will surely avenge you!”

His voice was firm and powerful, as if making a solemn vow to his fallen comrades.

The other ability users also came forward, bowing in tribute, expressing their sorrow and respect for their deceased comrade.

Matsuda possessed a spiritual medium for communication. Upon his death, the medium would immediately notify his companions.

They knew that this assassination attempt had completely failed.

And the reason for its failure was the powerful ability user protecting Zi Yanran.

“Sasaki-sama, what level of ability user is hidden beside this Xia Kingdom woman? Why are they so formidable? Both Miss Kyoko and Matsuda-kun have fallen at their hands,” one middle-aged man asked Sasaki, his voice filled with confusion.

He found this outcome unacceptable.

Sasaki shook his head upon hearing this. “They must be at least a B-class ability user. We initially believed that woman only had one B-class ability user protecting her, but it turns out there’s someone even stronger in the shadows. Investigate thoroughly and make sure to find this person.”

His voice was low and potent, each word laced with killing intent.

After speaking, Sasaki departed with the other ability users. They had no time to waste here; they needed to report to their superiors and seek further instructions.