Chapter 925: The Overall Situation Has Been Decided |
To be fair, Liu Xing is also a fan of Kamen Rider, even though he's only watched a few series.
"It seems Kamen Rider's influence is quite significant in the Island Nation, even someone like Shima Takeshi, the actual head of such a large conglomerate, can't resist playing with a belt in his office," Liu Xing said with a smile. "But this information isn't important to us because we can't possibly bring this up while fighting Shima Takeshi and embarrass him in front of his subordinates, right?"
On the other end of the phone, Shi Zixuan also chuckled and said, "Yeah, at first, I also took this information as a joke, so I didn't tell you right away. However, today I was planning to sneak into the Shimazu Group building, take a tour of Shima Takeshi's office, and see if there's anything worth taking, like Shima Takeshi's belt."
Liu Xing couldn't help but laugh again, "Shi Zixuan, how can you be so bad? That's Shima Takeshi's favorite toy. But speaking of which, is that fake Shima Takeshi still going to work on time?"
"That's right, the fake Shima Takeshi is still living a routine life, and there doesn't seem to be anything unusual. I've also found out that the Shimazu Group is currently operating very well, so it seems that the fake Shima Takeshi is also a business talent," Shi Zixuan replied.
Hearing Shi Zixuan say this, Liu Xing's imagination ran wild, "Oh, do you think there's a possibility that the Shima Takeshi honestly going to work is the real Shima Takeshi, and the one stationed at the Shimazu Residence is actually the fake? After all, the Shimazu Group is vast, and keeping this business machine running smoothly isn't easy, especially when taking over halfway. So, I suspect Shima Takeshi is using our inertia, deliberately making us think he's at the Shimazu Residence."
Shi Zixuan was silent for a moment before seriously saying, "But here's the problem, why would Shima Takeshi do this? Compared to the Shimazu Group building, Shima Takeshi should be stationed at the Shimazu Residence, because that's where he needs to oversee the overall situation. After all, the Shimazu Residence is the foundation of the Shimazu Family. I believe Shima Takeshi can discern the pros and cons, not to mention it takes one or two hours to travel from the Shimazu Group building to the Shimazu Residence. If Shima Mitsuhiro attacks the Shimazu Residence, the situation would be over by the time Shima Takeshi arrives."
"What if Shima Takeshi has already prepared for failure from the start?" Liu Xing suddenly had a flash of insight and said seriously, "Although Shima Takeshi doesn't know much about mythical creatures and secret cults, he should already understand that while he currently has the upper hand, the balance of victory is gradually tipping towards Shima Mitsuhiro. Shima Takeshi's advantage is built entirely on the hostages in the Shimazu Residence, an advantage as fragile as a bubble. If Shima Mitsuhiro decides to blow it away, Shima Takeshi will be at a disadvantage."
"By then, if Shima Mitsuhiro brings enough people to confront Shima Takeshi head-on, Shima Takeshi's men won't be enough unless he has some hidden cards we don't know about. So if Shima Takeshi is a smart person, he should know his rebellion is doomed to fail. Even if he successfully forces Shimazu Nakano to step down, at the latest, when the Public-Military Conflict ends, Shimazu Nakano or Shima Mitsuhiro will retaliate against him, and Shima Takeshi won't be able to hold the position of head of the Shimazu Family."
After hearing Liu Xing's thoughts, Shi Zixuan was silent for a long time before saying, "Liu Xing, you make some sense because I found that Shima Takeshi's subordinates are just ordinary people, so it's likely Shima Takeshi is just a puppet. Therefore, it's not impossible for him to have prepared an escape route in advance."
"Yeah, if Shima Mitsuhiro attacks the Shimazu Residence, then the Shima Takeshi there will definitely be executed. So without the confidence to fully defend the Shimazu Residence, I don't think Shima Takeshi would risk staying there. After all, the Shimazu Residence is located in a remote area, and Shima Mitsuhiro has many means at his disposal." Liu Xing sighed, "So I now believe the real Shima Takeshi is still working at the Shimazu Group building, and the one at the Shimazu Residence is just a substitute."
"It seems our capture plan is going to fall through," Shi Zixuan sighed. "I had already scouted the location and found the best time and place to act, but now it's all for nothing... Wait, Yin En is calling me. Should I answer his call?"
"Yin En?" Liu Xing immediately shook his head, "Don't answer. If nothing unexpected happens, this call should be from Shima Mitsuhiro or Kitano Masakazu. Unless Shima Mitsuhiro has already acknowledged his collaboration with Kitano Masakazu to Yin En, Yin En's phone shouldn't be in their hands."
"That's true, I won't answer. But here's the thing, why would Shima Mitsuhiro use Yin En's phone to contact me? If they want to confirm the situation on my end, they could just let Zhang Jingxu and the others call me."
Liu Xing was taken aback.
Just like Shi Zixuan said, if Shima Mitsuhiro wanted to confirm the situation on Shi Zixuan's end, they could have let Zhang Jingxu and the others call. There was no need to use Yin En's phone... Wait a minute.
Liu Xing suddenly realized.
"No, they're trying to test whether you've contacted me and whether Zhang Jingxu and the others have contacted me. From the current situation, unless you were at the dock and witnessed Zhang Jingxu and the others being taken away by the Black-Clad Men, you shouldn't know that Yin En and the others have been captured. So you wouldn't know that the Yin En calling you now is fake."
"So should I answer this call now?" Shi Zixuan asked hurriedly.
"No, of course not," Liu Xing replied. "Shima Mitsuhiro probably doesn't know that our communication is one-way, so not answering the call is the right choice, because they will definitely try to test Zhang Jingxu and the others later on why you didn't answer."
"Oh, I understand," Shi Zixuan suddenly realized. "Then this call should indeed not be answered, but I'm quite worried about Zhang Jingxu and the others now, because Shima Mitsuhiro and his group don't have good intentions."
From Shima Mitsuhiro using Yin En's mobile phone to test Shi Zixuan, it can be seen that Shima Mitsuhiro still doesn't fully trust Zhang Jingxu and the others, thinking they are hiding something from him.
Liu Xing sighed and said helplessly, "Now we can only rely on Zhang Jingxu and the others' luck, as we can't help them much at the moment..."
Before Liu Xing could finish his sentence, Shi Zixuan suddenly interrupted, "It seems like someone is following me now."
As soon as Shi Zixuan finished speaking, she hung up the phone.
Liu Xing frowned, not expecting that Shi Zixuan would also have a time when she was being followed.
So who is following Shi Zixuan now?
Ii Naoyoshi's subordinates?
Shima Takeshi's subordinates?
Or Shima Mitsuhiro's subordinates?
Or perhaps other forces?
Liu Xing really couldn't be sure.
Since he couldn't figure it out, Liu Xing could only shake his head, open the browser, and read the news, because it was still too early, and having slept all afternoon, Liu Xing wasn't sleepy yet.
However, due to the commotion caused by the Hokkaido and Ryukyu regions, almost all the media gave the headlines to the Hokkaido and Ryukyu regions, with various unverified revelations filling the pages.
What caught Liu Xing's attention the most was Mutou Masayoshi's official announcement of the establishment of a preparatory committee for the Ezo Kingdom. Currently, the Ezo Tribe people in the Hokkaido region have recognized Mutou Masayoshi as their representative.
If nothing unexpected happens, the Ezo Kingdom will be officially established on the first of next month... Of course, Shimazu Nakano and Inada Ichiyo have expressed strong dissatisfaction with this, and then there was no further action.
After all, Shimazu Nakano and Inada Ichiyo are still just ordinary citizens at the end of the day.
As for the Island Nation's government, it has long been in chaos, so who has the time to issue a statement on this? After all, no one wants to take the blame.
After you finish singing, I take the stage.
After Masayoshi Mutou finished the press conference, the so-called "Shang Family Descendants" in Ryukyu also held a press conference at the site of the former Ryukyu Kingdom palace, officially announcing the re-establishment of the Ryukyu Kingdom and the beginning of the expulsion of Island Nation officials.
Island Nation still turns a blind eye to this, after all, they originally occupied Ryukyu by force, and now Ryukyu's demand to separate from Island Nation and re-establish the Ryukyu Kingdom is understandable... Moreover, international public opinion, under the guidance of the United States of America, has fully sided with the "Shang Family Descendants."
However, many reports claim that those "Shang Family Descendants" are very likely not descendants of the Ryukyu royal family, because after Island Nation forcibly controlled Ryukyu, they took the entire Ryukyu royal family back to Island Nation for house arrest... Of course, some family members escaped to China.
So now, the officially recognized direct descendant of the Ryukyu royal family is named Shang Wei, a fairly well-known entrepreneur in Island Nation, but he has long integrated into Island Nation and has never returned to Ryukyu in his seventy-plus years of life.
Therefore, the "Shang Family Descendants" in Ryukyu call Shang Wei a traitor and have removed him from the Shang family genealogy; as for the origins of these "Shang Family Descendants," they claim that their ancestors faked their deaths to escape when Ryukyu was occupied by Island Nation and have been hiding among the people, biding their time.
In short, although the origins of these "Shang Family Descendants" do not hold up to scrutiny, these matters are no longer important once public opinion has formed.
"Interesting, I wonder if players in Hokkaido and Ryukyu will receive any special missions."
Liu Xing thought to himself.
At this moment, KP Duanqiao suddenly appeared and said, "Of course, there will be special missions."
Hearing KP Duanqiao say this, Liu Xing immediately asked curiously, "Oh, what kind of special missions are there? If I go to Ryukyu now, can I also receive such special missions?"
"No, if you go to Ryukyu now, you will only receive the default mission provided by the Warrior Faction—to prevent the re-establishment of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Although the difficulty of this default mission is very high, the mission rewards are also very good, allowing you to firmly sit at the top of the Warrior Faction contribution list. Most importantly, you also have the opportunity to switch to the Public Faction, and the contribution points will be transferred without any loss," KP Duanqiao said with a smile. "Do you understand what this means? As long as you complete this default mission, you will be invincible in the Public-Military Conflict. In the end, whether the Public Faction or the Warrior Faction wins, you will receive the final grand prize!"
"Of course, the premise is that I can complete this mission," Liu Xing shrugged and said. "To be honest, this default mission is basically impossible to complete because the situation is already set. Even if I go and take care of those so-called Shang Family Descendants, more Shang Family Descendants will stand up, because once the Ryukyu Kingdom is re-established, they will be royal relatives."
"Liu Xing, you're right, which is why the rewards for this default mission are so generous," KP Duanqiao continued. "As for the players who were already in the Ryukyu or Hokkaido regions, their missions are very simple—either continue to serve the Public Faction or the Warrior Faction, or work for the United States of America; if they choose the latter, they will leave the Public-Military Conflict scenario."
Liu Xing stroked his chin and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, those players should all choose to work for the United States of America, because it's obvious that before the Public-Military Conflict ends, Island Nation definitely has no time to manage the Hokkaido and Ryukyu regions."
"That's right, eighty-five percent of the players chose to work for the United States of America, and of the remaining fifteen percent, more than half chose to leave the Hokkaido and Ryukyu regions directly, so less than five percent of the players chose to take a gamble," KP Duanqiao said with a hint of sarcasm.
Liu Xing shook his head and said confidently, "That's not gambling, that's completely reckless."
"That's right, and now that less than five percent of the players have already lost their lives."
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