Koji Takeda sat up straight, his sword resting beside his knee, when his phone vibrated.
He picked it up and checked the message.
The Military Affairs Bureau had replied quickly.
“The police officer’s identity has been verified. He belonged to a nearby police box. His death has been confirmed. The preliminary cause of death is a dislocated cervical vertebra.”
So the Japanese police officer who had just snatched Zhafu’s identification really was a Japanese police officer.
But he was already dead—he had fallen and dislocated his neck.
When Koji Takeda read the message, he abruptly turned toward Zhafu.
“That police officer is dead!”
“Oh? Is that so? Seems like it.”
Zhafu took a sip of ice water.
He remembered that ramen shops in Japan provided customers with ice water regardless of the season. Of course, if a customer specifically asked for hot water, they would provide that too.
Hearing Zhafu’s response, Koji Takeda’s brows drew together.
“How can you be so cold-blooded?”
“What did I do?”
“That was a human life.”
“He stole my identification.”
“He was a police officer.”
“So it’s reasonable for Japanese police officers to steal the identification of foreign tourists?”
Zhafu looked completely unconcerned.
“If he was a fake police officer, then your public security is a mess. If he was a real police officer, then your problems are even bigger. A real police officer stealing a tourist’s identification? How wonderful.”
Zhafu made no attempt to hide his words. He was practically slapping Japan in the face.
As he spoke, Zhafu raised his phone. It still contained the video he had just obtained from the high school student.
Koji Takeda suppressed his anger.
“He might have received orders to verify your identity.”
“Does verifying someone’s identity require riding a bicycle after them?”
Koji Takeda fell silent.
“You believe in bushido, don’t you?”
Koji Takeda did not answer.
Zhafu looked at him.
“Then tell me. What do you call taking someone else’s identification, refusing to return it, and then turning around and running away?”
Koji Takeda was unable to respond.
Zhafu continued drinking his water.
“Don’t rush to defend him. The fact that he’s dead doesn’t necessarily make him blameless. Besides, everyone saw that I never touched him.”
“But his death was too convenient.”
“The bicycles here are poorly made. What does that have to do with me?”
“You’re pretending not to understand.”
“Do you have any evidence?”
Koji Takeda’s hand pressed against the scabbard of his sword.
Zhafu glanced at it.
“You want to draw your sword?”
For a moment, Koji Takeda did not know what to say.
First of all, this man called Zhafu truly had not done anything. His code of bushido would not allow him to draw his sword against an innocent person.
The owner brought over the ramen.
“Soy sauce ramen. Please enjoy.”
Steam rose from the bowl.
It was chicken-stock soy sauce ramen.
The broth was light in color, with a layer of oil floating on the surface. There were five slices of char siu, half a soft-boiled egg, and a fairly generous sprinkling of scallions.
Zhafu picked up his chopsticks, stirred the noodles, and tasted the broth first.
Not bad.
Most of the soy sauce ramen in Edo followed the chicken-stock style. The umami was rich, and the salt was on the heavier side.
The tonkotsu ramen commonly found in Huaxia was more characteristic of the southern regions of Japan.
After eating a couple of mouthfuls, Zhafu’s mood improved somewhat.
Koji Takeda still had not received his food.
The next second, his phone rang again.
He picked it up and found another message.
“Zhafu is extremely dangerous. Ten minutes ago, four personnel stationed nearby were attacked. Two people died after being taken to the hospital, while the other two died on the spot. The deaths appear to have been caused by a method that requires no physical contact. According to the information retrieved, Zhafu is a mage from the Tibetan region of Huaxia. He is believed to possess a method of killing people silently.”
Koji Takeda’s eyes widened when he saw the message. He immediately turned to look at Zhafu.
Zhafu was still eating his noodles.
One bite of noodles, one sip of broth.
He paid no attention whatsoever to Koji Takeda’s murderous stare.
Glancing at the ramen shop’s owner and servers, Koji Takeda ultimately decided not to question Zhafu any further.
If he provoked Zhafu, this restaurant might be destroyed along with everyone in it.
Before long, Koji Takeda’s ramen arrived as well.
“Special White Jade Ramen. Please enjoy.”
By coincidence, Zhafu had just finished the last bite of his noodles and set down his chopsticks.
He took some money from his pocket and placed it on the table.
“The flavor’s decent.”
The owner nodded.
“Thank you for your patronage.”
Zhafu then stood up and walked away without even sparing a glance at Koji Takeda’s freshly served ramen.
Koji Takeda stared at the bowl.
The broth was still hot, and the noodles remained untouched.
Then he looked toward Zhafu’s retreating back.
“Hey!”
Zhafu pulled open the door.
“Take your time eating. I’m in a hurry.”
Koji Takeda gritted his teeth, placed some money on the table, and bowed to the owner.
“Sumimasen. Something suddenly came up. I’ll eat here next time.”
The owner frowned.
“What’s gotten into you today? You’re acting so jumpy. Why not finish your meal before leaving?”
“Sorry.”
Koji Takeda rushed outside and saw Zhafu standing on the embankment, gazing toward the Imperial Palace.
There were far fewer pedestrians on this stretch of road now.
Koji Takeda finally could not hold back any longer.
“Why did you kill those four people?!”
Zhafu turned around and looked down at him with disdain.
“Evidence.”
“The Military Affairs Bureau has already confirmed it.”
“Confirmed what? That your people died? What does that have to do with me?”
“They died at the places where you appeared.”
“People die all the time in Japan. Are you going to blame every single one of them on me?”
Koji Takeda took a step forward, gripping the sword case tightly.
“What exactly did you come to Edo for?”
“Tourism.”
“Do you have to kill people while sightseeing?”
“Who did I kill?”
“Those four people!”
Once again, the conversation had returned to where it began.
“Where’s the evidence? If you’re going to accuse me, bring evidence. I’m just an ordinary tourist.”
With that, Zhafu paid no attention to Koji Takeda’s expression and continued walking toward his destination.
Koji Takeda looked around and could not help complaining inwardly:
Where’s the backup?!
Why hadn’t the backup arrived yet?!
At that moment, a black van stopped at the intersection ahead.
The doors slid open.
Several men in suits stepped out. They had earpieces, gloves, and black bags—everything in place.
Zhafu saw them too.
He stopped and sighed.
Koji Takeda caught up with him and shouted:
“Don’t do anything reckless.”
Zhafu looked at the men in front of him, then glanced toward the Imperial Palace.
It did not seem to be very far away.
If he had to fight his way there, it was not impossible.
“Move aside. I’m in a hurry.”
The man in front pulled out an identification badge.
“Mr. Zhafu, please cooperate with our investigation.”
Zhafu simply opened his passport.
“Sorry, you’ve got the wrong guy. My name isn’t Zhafu. It’s Zha Your Mother.”
The name had been changed by Lin Mo. One had to admit, it was an excellent alteration, and deeply meaningful.
“Stop playing games, Mr. Zhafu. That sort of thing doesn’t work here—”
Before the suited man could finish, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach.
The agony was so intense that he immediately dropped to his knees, completely unable to struggle.
The instant Koji Takeda saw what had happened, he knew Zhafu had made his move.
Without hesitation, he drew his sword from its case.
“Stop!”
But every one of the men standing before Zhafu collapsed to the ground.
Zhafu merely turned his head toward Koji Takeda.
“I advise you to put your sword away.”
He glanced at the people on the ground.
“If you don’t want them to die.”
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
