Chapter 939: The Strange Shop Assistant |
Early the next morning, Liu Xing was transformed with the help of Shimada Sho and Matsui Yui.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Liu Xing couldn't help but marvel at the magic that had transformed his appearance and physique. Of course, he also attributed this to the various cosmetics used, no wonder the Island Nation's makeup techniques were included in the Four Arts of East Asia.
"Liu Xing, I've said everything I needed to say yesterday. If anything happens, you can contact my men, and if that doesn't work, contact me directly. I and Matsui Yui will arrive at the scene as soon as possible to help you. But let me tell you this, don't risk everything just to complete the mission. Sometimes, you have to know when to let go, as the Chinese saying goes, 'As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.'" Shimada Sho said seriously.
Liu Xing nodded, but before he could speak, Matsui Yui interrupted, "Shimada Sho is right, Liu Xing. You should try to complete the mission while ensuring your safety. Besides, your Exoskeleton Armor is still undergoing modifications, so you won't have any reliable protection for this mission."
The previous night, Matsui Yui and Dogo Aige had managed to transport most of the treasure from the site before it was flooded, including the materials needed for the Exoskeleton Armor modifications. Matsui Yui took Liu Xing's Exoskeleton Armor for modification, which would take at least ten days for the basic version. The super deluxe version, on the other hand, would require over two months.
It's worth mentioning that the cloak Matsui Yui had mentioned was also found, but after being stored for over a hundred years, most of its magical power had faded away. So, Shimada Sho and Matsui Yui collaborated to create a vegetable greenhouse, where they placed the magic items that had lost most of their power, allowing them to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to rejuvenate them... Well, the last part was just Liu Xing's imagination.
Although the magic items had lost most of their power, as long as there was still a trace of magic left, they could be restored to their original state by infusing them with magic again. However, this process was not as simple as pouring water into an empty cup; it was more like placing an empty cup in a humid environment, allowing the moisture to slowly condense on the walls of the cup and form water.
It was similar to helping someone who had been starving for a long time. If you fed them rich and fatty foods directly, they might enjoy it, but there was also a high chance of causing health issues, or even death. In such cases, it was necessary to start with a mild rice porridge to slowly nurse them back to health.
The same principle applied to these magic items. If they were directly infused with a large amount of magic, they might appear perfect on the surface and function normally, but they could easily become completely unusable after one or two uses.
This was also the reason why Liu Xing didn't use the cloak for this mission.
"Yui, don't worry too much. The risk level of this mission is not high. Liu Xing is just tracking the members of the Ii Family, not going into battle with Ii Naoyoshi and his group. As long as he's careful, it should be fine. I've already arranged for my men to set up observation points at key locations in Kagoshima City, so Liu Xing just needs to observe from the appropriate spots," Shimada Sho said as he checked his mobile phone. "Liu Xing, you can set off now. The Ii Family members will arrive at Kagoshima City Airport in an hour."
Liu Xing nodded and got into a car driven by Dogo Aige, heading towards Kagoshima City Airport.
Kagoshima City Airport was a second-tier civil airport, so it wasn't very large. Foreign tourists usually didn't choose Kagoshima City as their first stop, and the well-developed rail system in the Island Nation also took away a significant portion of the airport's passenger traffic.
As a result, the airport didn't have many daily flights, and the passenger flow was relatively low. Liu Xing got off the car at a necessary stop near the airport and bought some random items for breakfast at a convenience store after saying goodbye to Dogo Aige.
Since airports were usually located in remote suburban areas, requiring a large piece of land for development and construction, Liu Xing could tell that this convenience store wasn't doing very well.
With nothing better to do, Liu Xing started chatting with the only shop assistant in the store.
"Sigh, if I had known this, I wouldn't have been so foolish to come here as a manager. I thought I would at least have a few subordinates, and I could see beautiful flight attendants every day, maybe even have a wonderful encounter... But when I came to this place, I realized that I only had one night shift employee. I only get to see him during the night shift handover, and we exchange a few words. As for flight attendants, forget about it. There aren't any based here, so I only get to see one every ten days or so when they come to buy something."
Listening to the shop assistant's complaints, Liu Xing smiled but remained silent.
"But speaking of which, I don't know what's going on today. When I came for the shift handover, I saw a convoy of cars heading towards the airport, and they were all luxury vehicles. I suspect that the Shimazu Family is going to the airport to pick up some important person. After all, in Kagoshima City, only the Shimazu Family can afford such a grand display." The shop assistant poured a cup of coffee and said, "This coffee is on me. You know, the only good thing about this place is that I can dispose of the nearly expired products myself. If the Kagoshima City headquarters had to handle them, it would take hours, and the costs would be too high."
"Thank you."
Liu Xing took the coffee with a smile and pretended to be curious, saying, "You're right. The only family in Kagoshima City that can afford such a display is the Shimazu Family. After all, they've been in Kagoshima City for hundreds of years, and all the other families are basically their vassals."
The shop assistant clasped his hands together and struck a pose like a sword-wielding samurai, saying, "If this were still the Warring States period, I would definitely become a samurai of the Shimazu Family and follow the lord to Kyoto... But Kyushu is just too far from Kyoto, and it's too difficult for the Shimazu Family to make the journey to Kyoto on their own."
Who would have thought that the shop assistant was a chuunibyou?
"By the way, did you get a good look at the Shimazu Family's convoy? If there were enough cars, I suspect that it might be Shimazu Nakano returning to Kagoshima City from Osaka." Liu Xing got to the point.
The shop assistant thought for a moment and shook his head, "I don't think it's Shimazu Nakano returning to Kagoshima City. I remember seeing him at a press conference in Osaka on the news yesterday, and today's convoy only had about ten luxury cars, with several different models. I think it's more likely that a member of the Shimazu Family is going to pick someone up."
Upon hearing this, Liu Xing frowned.
Initially, Liu Xing had thought that the convoy was sent by Shima Takeshi, as it was a great opportunity to make a statement. However, it now seemed more likely that the convoy was sent by Shima Mitsuhiro.
With Shima Takeshi's current control over Kagoshima City, gathering a hundred identical luxury cars wouldn't be a problem. So, it was unlikely that he would send ten different models to pick up the members of the Ii Family.
What was Shima Mitsuhiro up to?
Was he walking into a trap?
Liu Xing couldn't understand why Shima Mitsuhiro would show up at this time. Wasn't he afraid that Shima Takeshi would try to kill him?
In this parallel world based on the Cthulhu myth, it was very easy to make someone "have an accident."
So, how bold was Shima Mitsuhiro to dare to...
Wait a minute.
Four large characters suddenly appeared in Liu Xing's mind - "Lure the Tiger Away from the Mountain"!
If Shima Takeshi knew that Shima Mitsuhiro was at Kagoshima City Airport and was going to pick up the members of the Ii Family, he would definitely, or rather, 100% choose to go to the airport to "reconnect" with Shima Mitsuhiro. After all, Shima Mitsuhiro was an unstable factor for Shima Takeshi, so he would want to get rid of him.
Therefore, if Shima Takeshi didn't know that Kitano Masakazu was also in Kagoshima City, he would probably leave a group of men to control the Shimazu Residence and take the rest to the airport to confront Shima Mitsuhiro.
At this thought, Liu Xing suddenly realized that Kitano Masakazu was truly ruthless, forcing Shima Mitsuhiro to be a decoy or, to put it bluntly, sending him to his death.
Indeed, a friend in name only.
Just then, Liu Xing heard the sound of a car speeding by and instinctively looked outside. He saw dozens of identical black sedans heading towards Kagoshima City Airport, all with the Shimazu Family crest on their doors.
It seemed that Shima Takeshi had indeed arrived.
Liu Xing began to worry about the safety of Zhang Jingxu and the others, as they were likely to be by Shima Mitsuhiro's side. After all, they couldn't just defect to Kitano Masakazu, could they?
"Wow, this is the real Shimazu Family convoy."
The shop assistant took a sip of coffee and suddenly changed his tone, saying, "By the way, are you here to pick up a friend at the airport?"
Liu Xing nodded and forced a bitter smile, saying, "Yes, my friend should be landing in about ten minutes, but with this situation, he'll probably have to wait at the airport for a while."
"Yes, the Shimazu Family has brought so many people that they might temporarily close the airport. It will only return to normal after they've picked up their important guest. So, you might have to wait here for a while, guest." The shop assistant raised his cup and smiled, "Would you like another cup?"
Liu Xing shook his head and finished the coffee in his cup, saying, "No, thank you. I think I'll go to the airport first, as I'm curious to see who the Shimazu Family is picking up. Why don't you close the shop and come with me to the airport to watch the show?"
Just as the shop assistant was about to say something, the door to the staff room suddenly opened.
Then, a man in a dazed state, wearing a shop assistant uniform, stumbled out.
The "shop assistant" frowned and immediately went over to forcibly hug the man. When the man saw the "shop assistant," he also looked afraid and tried to speak, but the "shop assistant" forcibly turned him around and dragged him into the staff room, covering his mouth.
It was clear that this "shop assistant" was not normal.
Liu Xing looked at his now-empty cup and suddenly felt a bit dizzy... but then he recovered.
There were no extra ingredients in the coffee, as Liu Xing had not yet received any judgment from the GM.
Could this just be an ordinary robbery?
Liu Xing touched the handgun at his waist, wondering if he should take the initiative.
However, Liu Xing felt that this "shop assistant" was not an ordinary robber. Logically, he wouldn't have stayed at the convenience store to "work" after the robbery, nor would he have been so calm when his cover was blown. Most importantly, he hadn't tried to control Liu Xing, who had combat abilities.
So, was there really nothing special in this cup of coffee?
At this moment, the "shop assistant" had already dealt with everything in the staff room and was looking at Liu Xing, saying, "Why aren't you running?"
"Why should I run?" Liu Xing played with the empty cup, saying, "If you wanted to harm me, there should be something extra in this cup of coffee, so even if I ran, I wouldn't be able to escape. Besides, you didn't directly attack me just now."
"Interesting."
The "shop assistant" struck a JoJo pose and said in a chuunibyou tone, "So, do Stand users really attract each other?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xing was sure that the "shop assistant" was also a player.
The "shop assistant" then initiated a private room conversation, saying, "My name is Li Hanxing. It's nice to meet you."
Liu Xing raised his eyebrows, surprised that this player was also Chinese.
"Liu Xing, it's nice to meet you too. But by the way, can you tell me what you're doing here?" Liu Xing asked, puzzled.
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