248: Chapter 248 Everyone is a Talent

Watanabe Jie's hands began to tremble involuntarily.

At this point in time, Kuroda Ryuji's appearance could absolutely not be a coincidence.

He looked at his assistant. "Is he alone?"

The assistant shook his head vigorously and held the tablet computer even closer.

On the screen, a corner of the surveillance footage was enlarged; four people were following beside Kuroda Ryuji.

One wore a baseball cap and a mask, making it impossible to see his face, but his posture was upright and tall.

The other three—two men and one woman—looked like assistants and a photographer for a press team, yet they couldn't hide a sharp, capable aura that was completely out of place with their surroundings.

"No, there are four others. Based on our observations, we can basically confirm they are Huaxia people."

The assistant's voice was trembling.

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Watanabe Jie's breathing instantly became heavy.

He stared fixedly at those few figures on the screen who were so out of place, as if trying to see through their identities through the screen.

Huaxia people!

They really came!

Not only did they capture Kuroda, but they also turned him into a shield and brought him here so brazenly!

What are they trying to do?

Perform a decapitation strike in front of the world's media?

Watanabe Jie felt as if the Reaper's scythe was already pressed against his neck.

He was very clear in his heart about Huaxia's strength.

His mind was a mess, and fear occupied everything.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister!"

The Security Supervisor suddenly took a step forward, his voice steady with a deliberately crafted calm.

"There is no need to panic."

"This is our home turf."

Watanabe Jie turned his head, looking at him like a man clutching at a straw.

"Do you have a plan?"

A cold smile appeared on the Security Supervisor's face.

"In Huaxia's military strategy, there is a move called 'inviting the target into the jar'."

Watanabe Jie's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"It means," the Security Supervisor's back straightened a bit, his tone carrying the conceit of someone who has everything under control.

"Since they've come to our door, we will 'invite' them in."

He pointed at Kuroda Ryuji on the screen.

"Since they've controlled Kuroda-kun, they want to use his identity to infiltrate."

"Then we'll go along with it and pretend we don't know anything."

"Send someone to 'happen upon' Kuroda-kun and say that you are very worried about his safety and want to meet him before the visit to understand the situation."

"Since the Huaxia people are following him, they will surely come along."

"As long as they enter the room we've prepared, that place... will be their grave."

This suggestion made Watanabe Jie's eyes light up for a moment, but then they dimmed again.

"But... but what if Kuroda has a bomb on him?"

"What if they're discovered during the security check and they force their way through and detonate it?"

This was his biggest concern.

Hearing this, the Security Supervisor let out a light chuckle, as if he had heard a joke.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, the security check only needs to be a formality."

He explained with full confidence.

"If it were only Kuroda-kun alone, we would indeed have to worry about that. But now, those Huaxia people are also there."

"Think about it, would they be willing to trade their own lives for ours?"

"Even if they really have bombs on them, as long as we 'invite' them all together, they will be within the blast radius themselves. Would they dare to detonate?"

"Huaxia people value their lives above all else."

These words carried a strange, twisted logic, but they unexpectedly convinced Watanabe Jie.

That's right.

As long as those Huaxia people were brought in together, they would be the best hostages.

Wary of hurting their own, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

When the time came, wouldn't their fate be entirely in his hands?

Watanabe Jie's tense nerves slowly relaxed, and a sense of being in control of the situation returned to him.

"Huaxia has an old saying—it is impolite not to return a favor."

He paced back and forth a couple of times before finally stopping, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.

"They sent us a 'bomb', so we'll give them back a... grand graveyard!"

He pointed at the Security Supervisor.

"You, personally go and arrange it. Find the cleverest person to contact Kuroda."

"Remember, don't alert the enemy; make it look natural."

"Hai!"

The Security Supervisor bowed deeply and turned to leave quickly, his face filled with irrepressible excitement.

Only Watanabe Jie and the still-panicked assistant remained in the room.

Watanabe Jie picked up the tablet again, looking at the figures on the screen.

Huaxia people...

You chose not to take the path to heaven, but instead barged through the gateless hell.

Today, I will let you know what the Empire's wrath feels like!

...

Amidst the boisterous crowd, Chen You and his group were unhurriedly moving with the flow of people toward the media gathering area.

He appeared to be observing the surroundings, but in reality, Gazing at Qi to See the Heart was already active.

In his vision, the auras of the surrounding crowd were mixed and chaotic.

Only in a few specific directions did clear, unabashed malice rise up like searchlights in the night.

Two of those anomalous auras were rapidly approaching.

"They're here," Chen You's voice was very light, transmitted through the tactical headsets to the ears of the three Dragon Scale members.

Lin Miao and the other two's bodies tensed imperceptibly, their hands gripping the "photographic equipment" instinctively.

They were elites, but this kind of operation—deep into the enemy's nest almost empty-handed—was, after all, a first.

Especially since they clearly saw bulges at the waists of the two approaching men, obviously carrying guns.

However, Chen You's tone was as relaxed as if he were saying "the food is served."

This calmness allowed Lin Miao and the others' tense nerves to relax slightly.

The group pretended to have noticed nothing, while in their minds they were envisioning various possibilities.

While they were thinking, two security personnel in plain clothes had already quietly pushed through the crowd and arrived beside Kuroda Ryuji.

Their movements were professional and didn't attract anyone's attention.

One of them patted Kuroda Ryuji's shoulder and lowered his voice, saying a code phrase in Japanese.

"When the cherry blossoms fall, the samurai shall return."

Kuroda Ryuji, who had been physically brainwashed by Mind Slap, slowly turned around.

His eyes were hollow and his expression wooden, as if his mind had been completely destroyed by extreme torture.

Seeing him like this, a flash of understanding and sympathy appeared in the eyes of the two security personnel.

Just as they were preparing to say the scripted line "The Prime Minister is worried about you," Kuroda Ryuji's eyes suddenly came to life.

The hollowness faded, replaced by the dazed look of a survivor.

This was immediately followed by the excitement of seeing "his own people," and tears instantly welled up in his eyes.

"Yamano-kun! Kobayashi-kun!"

He grabbed one of their arms, his voice trembling, filled with grievances and lingering fear.

"I... I was on a mission for the Empire, a narrow escape from death! I'm back! I'm finally back!"

This sudden, Oscar-worthy performance left both security personnel stunned.

This transition... was it always this smooth?

Yamano and Kobayashi exchanged a look, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes.

But this seemed like a good thing.

Yamano cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "Kuroda-kun, we know you have suffered."

"His Excellency Prime Minister is very worried about your safety. He is waiting for you inside and wants to meet you personally."

"His Excellency Prime Minister..."

Kuroda Ryuji's whole body shook, excited beyond measure.

He suddenly snapped to attention, wanting to salute, but then seemed to remember something, his expression becoming a bit conflicted and grateful.

He turned around, pointed at Chen You and the others, and said sincerely:

"Being able to return alive this time is all thanks to the righteous help of these media friends from Huaxia."

"They are my lifesavers and friends of the Empire!"

"I think I should bring them along to pay respects to His Excellency Prime Minister, so that His Excellency can thank them personally."

These words were spoken so naturally, so full of emotion.

Chen You, listening from the side, almost couldn't hold it together.

After being hit by Mind Slap, did he max out his acting talent?

Lin Miao and the other two were also looking on in wonder at Kuroda Ryuji's face, which was written all over with "loyalty" and "excitement."

Recalling his stubborn, unyielding appearance in the secret room earlier, they felt momentarily dazed.

The effects of this physical brainwashing were simply too magical.

The two security personnel secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the script was indeed going this way.

They would beat them at their own game, lure these Huaxia people before the Prime Minister, and then take them down in one fell swoop!

Having realized this, the expression on Yamano's face immediately became warm.

He looked at Chen You and the others, bowed slightly, and said in stiff Chinese, "So you are the honored guests who helped Kuroda-kun. My apologies for the lack of manners."

"Since you are friends of Kuroda-kun, then naturally you are our friends as well."

"Please, His Excellency Prime Minister has been waiting for quite some time."

He made a "please" gesture, his posture extremely low, as if he were truly inviting VIPs.

Chen You's heart felt no ripples; he even felt like laughing.

Act.

Everyone can act.

I just love seeing you all so full of confidence, walking into the pit step by step.

He nodded to Kuroda Ryuji and said in an appreciative tone:

"Mr. Kuroda is indeed a man of great sentiment and righteousness. Since that's the case, we shall accept your kind offer."