Chapter 943: Kamen Rider |
Two days ago, Shi Zixuan had entered Shima Takeshi's guest office through an unusual water passage and installed special pinhole cameras at several key locations.
Needless to say, these pinhole cameras were all equipped with Yis People technology.
At this moment, Shima Takeshi and Shima Mitsuhiro were walking out of the elevator with the three members of the Ii Family, which made Liu Xing feel that Shima Mitsuhiro was quite manly, daring to venture into the tiger's den alone.
It seemed that Shima Mitsuhiro must have something to rely on, otherwise, he wouldn't have the guts to do this... If Shima Mitsuhiro were truly brave, he would have taken action against Shima Takeshi from the very beginning.
So, what was Shima Mitsuhiro's trump card?
After the seating arrangements were made, Shima Takeshi spoke first, "Although our Shimazu Family and your Ii Family have maintained a hostile relationship for hundreds of years, it is now the 21st century, and some things have changed. I think it's time for us to put aside past prejudices and make the relationship between our two families more peaceful. What do you think?"
One of the Ii Trio, a bespectacled man, nodded and smiled, "Yes, some things have been going on for hundreds of years, and it's time to put an end to them."
After some more small talk, Shima Mitsuhiro finally got to the point.
"As things stand now, the entire Kagoshima City, except for the Shimazu Residence of the Shimazu Family, is open for your investigation. However, for your safety, we will assign several bodyguards to protect and assist you." Shima Mitsuhiro said seriously.
The Ii Trio, of course, understood that Shima Mitsuhiro and Shima Takeshi were trying to plant spies among their group, but they had no choice but to smile and agree while under their roof.
Then, Shima Takeshi and Shima Mitsuhiro began 'assigning' the number of bodyguards for the Ii Trio.
In the end, Shima Takeshi provided seven bodyguards for the Ii Trio, while Shima Mitsuhiro only provided three.
After that, the Ii Trio was dismissed by Shima Takeshi, and to Liu Xing's surprise, Shima Mitsuhiro remained in Shima Takeshi's office.
Looking at Shima Mitsuhiro's confident demeanor, Shima Takeshi curiously asked, "Aren't you afraid that I might order you to be thrown out of this building with a single command?"
Shima Mitsuhiro shook his head and said seriously, "You won't do that because if you intended to harm me, you would have done it already instead of sitting here threatening me."
"Interesting. Then, what do you want to talk about now? I don't think you're here to chat about trivial matters."
Shima Takeshi looked at Shima Mitsuhiro and continued, "I, Shima Takeshi, speak plainly. If you are willing to give up the position of the next head of the Shimazu Family, I am more than willing to provide you with funds to expand your business overseas. Moreover, the overseas branch you manage will be responsible for its own profits and losses, and our headquarters will never interfere in the slightest."
Shima Mitsuhiro sighed and shook his head, "I knew you would offer such a condition, but I didn't expect you to think that I would be so easily bought. You really underestimate me."
"Oh, is that so?"
Shima Takeshi sneered and shook his head, "Let's be honest. You, Shima Mitsuhiro, are a spoiled heir with high aspirations but low capabilities. Who knows what the Shimazu Family would become if it fell into your hands."
"So, is this your reason for wanting to rise above your station?" Shima Mitsuhiro countered, "Shima Takeshi, you should be clear about your own identity. You are merely the son-in-law of my uncle, not his adopted son! Even if my uncle truly treated you as an adopted son, you could only inherit that portion of his business, but you would never be able to inherit the position of the head of the Shimazu Family because our Shimazu Family is not a small family without heirs."
As mentioned before, many family businesses in Island Nation, when unable to find a capable heir within their family, would recruit talented individuals as adopted sons-in-law to ensure a smoother transition of power.
These adopted sons are what Shima Mitsuhiro referred to as 'adopted sons-in-law'.
Of course, there are also family leaders without daughters who directly adopt sons or engage in some unconventional practices, such as first adopting a daughter and then an adopted son-in-law.
In any case, according to the official data provided by Island Nation, adopted children only account for 2% of the total number, while the remaining 98% of adoptees are adult men over the age of 20.
So, Island Nation is currently the country with the most bizarre adoption situation in the world.
Interestingly, these adopted sons-in-law hold a relatively high status within their families, and it is rare for biological children to compete with them for the family business.
Back to the topic.
After being looked down upon by Shima Mitsuhiro, Shima Takeshi did not get angry as Liu Xing had expected. Instead, he looked at Shima Mitsuhiro with an expression that seemed to say, 'I knew you would say that.'
Seeing that Shima Takeshi was not provoked, Shima Mitsuhiro was also surprised, but he quickly continued, "So, I'm here to advise you to turn back before it's too late. If you can recognize your mistakes, I can also offer you the same condition I gave you earlier."
"Hehe."
Shima Takeshi smiled but remained silent, still looking at Shima Mitsuhiro with the same expression.
Now, Liu Xing was not only confused by Shima Mitsuhiro's actions but also had no idea what Shima Takeshi was trying to do.
What were these two guys up to?
Liu Xing was completely bewildered.
After a moment of 'deeply gazing' at each other, Shima Mitsuhiro suddenly stood up and left.
Shima Takeshi, however, showed no reaction to this uninvited guest who suddenly left, and simply watched silently.
Thus, Shima Mitsuhiro left the group's building.
Now, Liu Xing was truly at a loss, as this situation seemed quite absurd.
Although Shima Mitsuhiro had already left, Liu Xing had made up his mind to first track Shima Takeshi's movements, so he took out a business card and called Li Hanxing, asking them to follow Shima Mitsuhiro and the three members of the Ii Family.
Liu Xing believed that Shima Mitsuhiro would go to find the three members of the Ii Family because he needed their support.
Meanwhile, Liu Xing continued to keep an eye on Shima Takeshi.
After Shima Mitsuhiro left, Shima Takeshi stood still, deep in thought.
Just as Liu Xing began to suspect that even Yis People's high-tech equipment could freeze, Shima Takeshi suddenly stood up and took a book from the bookshelf next to him.
Then, the bookshelf split open, revealing a safe embedded in the wall.
Seeing this, Liu Xing suddenly felt that his previous guess was correct - the real Shima Takeshi was the one who came to work on time, while the one at the Shimazu Residence was a fake.
After all, the real Shima Takeshi wouldn't let the fake Shima Takeshi know about the existence of this safe, let alone the password.
But what could be inside this safe?
Liu Xing zoomed in on the image using the remote control and clearly saw Shima Takeshi taking out a belt from the safe.
A belt?!
Liu Xing raised his eyebrows because the belt that Shima Takeshi took out was not an ordinary one but one with an exaggerated design like the ones in the Kamen Rider series.
Or, to put it another way, this belt was straight out of the Kamen Rider universe!
This raised a question: Was Shima Takeshi really a Kamen Rider fan? Did he like to imitate Kamen Rider when no one was around?
Liu Xing stroked his chin and continued to watch Shima Takeshi on the screen, walking around with the belt as if deep in thought.
After a while, Shima Takeshi suddenly fastened the belt around his waist and began gesturing and muttering to himself.
Just as Liu Xing thought Shima Takeshi was having a delusional episode, the belt suddenly emitted a bright light, and Shima Takeshi actually transformed into a Kamen Rider!
Then, Shima Takeshi drew a circle in the air with his left hand, and a portal appeared before him. Without hesitation, he stepped through it.
Wang Defa?!
Liu Xing was genuinely startled. He hadn't expected the belt in Shima Takeshi's hand to be the real deal!
It must be said that the Kamen Rider suit is one of the coolest in tokusatsu shows. The suits in the Super Sentai series are quite similar, with only color variations; as for Ultraman, the later designs are quite good, each with its own characteristics, while the earlier ones are mostly distinguished by their 'hairstyles'.
But getting back to the topic, Liu Xing knew that Shima Takeshi's belt was similar in nature to his own exoskeleton armor, both being types of individual combat equipment.
Of course, Shima Takeshi's belt seemed to be more on the magical side, as he had directly opened a portal, resembling a powerful wizard, while Shima Takeshi himself was definitely not a wizard.
This made Shima Takeshi a more formidable opponent.
Liu Xing thought that if he could join forces with Zhang Jingxu and the others to gang up on Shima Takeshi, they could film a Kamen Rider battle series.
Wait a minute, Liu Xing suddenly remembered that Toei, the rights holder of Kamen Rider, had indeed produced movies featuring Kamen Rider and Super Sentai characters fighting each other, and they had even done crossovers with Ultraman. Or, to put it another way, Toei loved making movies where a bunch of characters were thrown together to brawl.
But the most interesting thing was that there were actors who had played both Kamen Rider and Ultraman roles, and if they played a hero in one series, they were likely to play a villain in the other.
Wait, he was getting off-topic again.
Liu Xing shook his head, turned off the TV, and left the room.
After confirming Li Hanxing and Sun Huiwen's current locations, Liu Xing took a taxi to the northern district of Kagoshima City.
At this time, the three members of the Ii Family had already begun their search operation, while Shima Mitsuhiro, after leaving the Shimazu Group building, headed to another location with his men.
Since Li Hanxing and Sun Huiwen only had one car available, they followed the three members of the Ii Family as Liu Xing had instructed.
After all, as long as they followed these three members of the Ii Family, Liu Xing was confident that Shima Mitsuhiro would eventually show up.
However, Liu Xing was now even more curious about the whereabouts of Zhang Jingxu and the others.
So, Liu Xing and the others followed the three members of the Ii Family around the northern district of Kagoshima City, wandering through the streets and alleys... Eventually, Liu Xing decided to stay in the car and let Li Hanxing handle the tailing.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was already noon. Shima Mitsuhiro, who had been missing for a while, finally reappeared and had lunch with the three members of the Ii Family.
After some thought, Liu Xing decided to take Li Hanxing and Sun Huiwen into the restaurant where Shima Mitsuhiro and the others were, to see if there was an opportunity.
Fortunately, a table near Shima Mitsuhiro and the other three became available, and the three of them quickly sat down.
Liu Xing happened to be sitting behind Shima Mitsuhiro, so he didn't have to worry about his disguise being discovered... Although, with his current level of disguise, Liu Xing believed it was impossible for Shima Mitsuhiro to recognize him.
However, due to the distance, Liu Xing couldn't hear what Shima Mitsuhiro was discussing with the three members of the Ii Family, but he could tell from the bespectacled man's expression that they were having a pleasant conversation... at least on the surface.
But not long after, Liu Xing noticed that the bespectacled man's expression became serious, indicating that Shima Mitsuhiro was getting to the main point.
Then, Liu Xing saw the bespectacled man nodding and shaking his head, unable to tell if he was siding with Shima Mitsuhiro.
After more than twenty minutes, Shima Mitsuhiro and the three members of the Ii Family left the restaurant.
At this moment, Li Hanxing, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, "It seems like the internal problems within the Shimazu Family are quite serious. For a high-ranking member of the Shimazu Family to seek out members of the Ii Family to speak ill of another high-ranking member is quite concerning."
Liu Xing looked at Li Hanxing in surprise and asked, "Oh? Do you know lip-reading, Li Hanxing?"
"Of course. For mercenaries like us, aside from combat, the most common task is gathering intelligence, and lip-reading is one of the essential skills we possess."
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