Chapter 874: Reversal

Paper cannot wrap up fire.

Even with the Crown Prince's multiple news stories dominating the trending searches, the 100 billion USD embezzlement case still became the focus by evening.

The Crown Prince's engagement banquet was certainly important, but this 100 billion USD in emergency reserve funds was also a matter of their own vital interests.

Now that it had vanished into thin air, there had to be an explanation; otherwise, why would taxpayers pay taxes?

However, to the public's disappointment, the authorities were vague about the whereabouts of the money, and there was no plan for how to handle it, seemingly wanting to handle it coldly and let it fade into oblivion.

This was consistent with Japan's consistent approach.

Similar embezzlement had not happened for the first time, but this time the amount was too large, so it couldn't be suppressed.

Fortunately, there was the Crown Prince to help divert attention, otherwise the public's reaction would have been even more intense.

However, if there wasn't a sufficiently heavyweight figure to look after this case, it was estimated that the heat would fade before long.

And currently, Japan didn't seem to have such righteous people who weren't afraid of death.

Over the next two days, all of Tokyo was calm.

The foreign tourists who had just arrived traveled freely through this bustling city; Wen Xia, Miya, and the others were already tired of shopping and preferred to stay in the hotel to enjoy the air conditioning.

Miss Luo Quan had also been holed up in her room for these two days without going out, seizing the time to practice.

It wouldn't be long before she entered the secret realm, and before that, opening the fourth gate to raise her strength to a higher level would give her more certainty in the secret realm.

This time, transcendent beings from all countries and forces would come, and their strength was hard to estimate; there was no telling what kind of black technology they would pull out.

All she could do was to improve her own strength as much as possible to deal with all changes with an unchanging state.

And outside the hotel, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had almost run through the entire Meguro Ward.

Tsukikawa Kenta's former family address was right here.

Although he was an orphan, his parents had left him a house after they passed away, though the location wasn't particularly good.

The police who grasped this intelligence immediately found Tsukikawa Kenta's residence, but it had already been sold to others, and items related to Tsukikawa Kenta had long since been taken away.

Although they had come up empty-handed, the Minister of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department stubbornly believed that Tsukikawa Kenta might have a nostalgic sentiment for the Meguro Ward where he grew up.

Perhaps after returning to Japan, he had rented a room somewhere else in Meguro Ward to use as his criminal base.

So the police officers were immediately arranged to conduct a house-to-house search in Meguro Ward, but the efficiency was ridiculously low, and they were scolded quite a bit.

48 hours were almost up, but not even a shadow of Tsukikawa Kenta had been seen.

However, the police officers at least told everyone through this method that they were indeed working hard.

But whether it could have an effect was something that couldn't be guaranteed.

Of course, Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo hadn't really counted on them either.

The security work for the engagement banquet had been handled from beginning to end by the Imperial Guard and several of the country's largest security companies.

The engagement banquet was held at the Tokyo Shangri-La Hotel, which was luxuriously and magnificently decorated, with a standard absolutely sufficient to satisfy the status of both parties.

And this hotel was very close to the Imperial Palace, less than a ten-minute walk away.

In case of any emergency, more Imperial Palace guards could react immediately and provide support.

Moreover, the day before the engagement banquet, security personnel had already deployed manpower on the rooftops of all buildings near the hotel, occupying high ground to monitor all situations in the vicinity.

All roads leading to the Shangri-La Hotel were also controlled by surveillance cameras, with dedicated personnel watching them twenty-four hours a day.

It could be said that this engagement banquet had already been set up with a net of heaven and earth, just waiting for Tsukikawa Kenta to jump in himself.

On the day of the engagement banquet, media of all sizes in Tokyo were mobilized, with reporters carrying cameras and filming continuously, their excited expressions as if they were about to witness history.

Guests arrived one after another; Miss Luo Quan, Liang, and the others chartered a business van, arriving neither too early nor too late, dressed very simply in ordinary suits and evening gowns.

They weren't the protagonists today, and they didn't want to steal the spotlight.

Two days ago, there were quite a few netizens suggesting that Miss Luo Quan write two songs to perform at the engagement banquet.

However, they were scolded by fans, who said, "What do you take Miss Luo Quan for, performing up there? Do you really take her for a tool person?"

Besides, Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo probably didn't dare to bring this up to her at all.

Originally, because of the previous scandals, it had already brought Miss Luo Quan quite a bit of trouble, and now he wanted her to perform at his wedding—how thick-skinned would one have to be to do such a thing?

So this matter ended up being just some netizens' YY (wishful thinking), without receiving recognition from any party.

The engagement banquet venue was on the open-air lawn behind the hotel, with pleasant scenery, and a white platform had been set up in the center, with staff running up and down from time to time to debug the equipment.

Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo and Iwasaki Aiko were probably preparing for the engagement process backstage; Miss Luo Quan and the others were seated, not seeing their figures, just sitting there drinking beverages, looking out of place.

Around them were either local Japanese dignitaries or members of foreign royal families.

Liang might have recognized a few, but Miss Luo Quan didn't recognize a single one.

The good news was that no one came up to strike up a conversation with them, which gave them some peace and quiet.

After sitting for half an hour, there was finally movement on the stage.

The host took the stage to thank all the guests present, followed by the elders of the groom and bride taking the stage to deliver speeches.

Because it was an engagement banquet, the entire process wasn't as grand as a formal wedding.

Including the two protagonists who were about to appear, the wedding attire was Western-style, not traditional Japanese wedding attire, i. e., *montsuki haori hakama* and *shiromuku*.

Miss Luo Quan and the others were seated relatively far forward, and they even saw Iwasaki Aiko waiting behind the platform.

Wearing a white wedding dress, she was indeed a rare beauty, and the joy that couldn't be covered up was on her pretty face, which was flushed with happiness.

This kind of joy couldn't be faked, which showed that she and Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo were truly in love.

"Luo Luo, do you think that Tsukikawa Kenta will really come?"

Wen Xia whispered to Miss Luo Quan: "Just now I went to the bathroom, and there were security personnel around and inside the bathroom; this level of intensity is too strict."

"Are there men in the bathroom?" Miss Luo Quan was taken aback; the point she was concerned about was slightly different from Wen Xia's.

"It must be women, otherwise what would happen?" Wen Xia sighed: "But seeing it so strict, I'm really afraid there are surveillance cameras in the hotel bathroom, so I just didn't go to the bathroom, waiting until after the engagement banquet ends."

"Can you hold it?" Miss Luo Quan couldn't help but laugh.

"It's okay, I didn't drink too much water this morning." Wen Xia nodded, smiling helplessly.

While the two were talking, Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo had already appeared on the stage.

And Iwasaki Aiko took a long detour around the lawn and arrived at the entrance of the engagement banquet venue.

Her father hooked her arm, and on the path covered with flowers, they slowly walked toward Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo at the end.

Guests lined up on both sides of the road and started clapping to celebrate.

"Miss Luo Quan's Wedding March" also started playing; she had written this when she was at her mother's wedding.

Afterward, she posted it online for newlyweds around the world to use for free.

Since then, many newlyweds in Europe and America had used this piece for their wedding entrance—sacred, beautiful, and solemn.

Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo was dressed in a sharp suit, gazing affectionately at his future wife, watching her walk toward him step by step.

The father-in-law handed his daughter's hand solemnly to Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo: "This is the greatest wealth of my life, and now I hand her over to you; please be sure to cherish and protect her."

Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo was incomparably serious: "Please rest assured, I will love her more than I love myself!"

And Iwasaki Aiko on the side didn't speak, but tears had already surged out uncontrollably.

Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo gently wiped the tears for his fiancée with a handkerchief, and the priest tidied his clothes and stood in front of the two.

Next was the Western engagement ritual, the "I do" segment.

According to the development of melodramatic romance dramas, usually at this time, the third party should appear.

Appearing at the critical moment before the bride said "I do," then through a series of flashbacks, stirring up the past feelings and beautiful memories between the two, and finally, amidst the stunned silence of all the friends and family, successfully taking her away from the wedding scene.

However, the third party appeared earlier than Miss Luo Quan had guessed.

Just as the priest opened his mouth, a roar came from outside the wedding scene: "Hold on!"

Everyone looked over and found it was a strange man in a suit.

Iwasaki Aiko looked at him and immediately said to her fiancé in surprise: "He is Tsukikawa Kenta!"

Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo had seen Tsukikawa Kenta's photos over the past few days and recognized him immediately: "You really came."

Tsukikawa Kenta seemed not to hear Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo's words, just walking toward Iwasaki Aiko step by step.

The police and security personnel who were lying in ambush nearby all surrounded him, wrapping the entire engagement banquet scene tightly.

Today, even if Tsukikawa Kenta grew wings, it would be impossible for him to escape from here.

However, he didn't seem to have thought about escaping at all; when he walked to within five meters of Iwasaki Aiko, Tsukikawa Kenta raised his head:

"Aiko, you are so beautiful today; I once thought that through hard work, one day I could let you wear such beautiful clothes and stand by my side."

Iwasaki Aiko looked at him with worry: "Tsukikawa-kun, I have always had feelings of friendship for you, and I have never had any intention of taking it a step further; please don't be stubborn anymore."

"I know, actually I have always known."

Tsukikawa Kenta looked at Iwasaki Aiko and whispered: "From the beginning, we were not people of the same world.

The cost of you attending a social event is something I have to save for half a month to scrape together.

I thought that getting into the University of Tokyo could narrow the gap, but later I discovered that the gap between me and you was even larger than I had imagined.

Although I am very unwilling, I know that the class gap between us cannot be changed.

However, coming here, I still have one question I want to ask you: if my status were no worse than Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo's, would you have accepted my confession back then?"

Hearing this question, Iwasaki Aiko fell into a brief silence, then shook her head: "No."

"Sure enough, that's how it is."

Tsukikawa Kenta smiled softly, then looked at Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo: "I really envy you, possessing the girl I couldn't get even if I risked my life.

But just now you said you would love her more than your own life; I am very curious if this is really true, so please prove it to me, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

After speaking, Tsukikawa Kenta ripped open his overcoat with a *swish*, revealing a liquid bomb wrapped around his entire upper body.

On his chest and back was a conspicuous countdown digital screen:

"5, 4, 3..."

The guests suddenly erupted into terrified screams, immediately hugging their heads and lying on the ground.

Although his target was Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo on the stage, the ones closest to him were Miss Luo Quan and the others in the front row.

If the countdown had been 10 seconds, she would have had plenty of time to kick this damn Tsukikawa Kenta dozens of meters into the air with a kick that could kill an elephant.

Unfortunately, there were only 5 seconds; by the time she reacted, it was too late to kick.

With her body and arms, she couldn't protect the others behind her.

A bomb was different from a grenade; its lethality covered everything within the blast range and didn't rely on shrapnel for lethality.

The only operation Miss Luo Quan could perform to protect the people around her at this time was to press Tsukikawa Kenta into the dirt and use her own body to block most of the explosion's energy.

Although this idea was bold, the system didn't issue a warning, and her intuition didn't tell her that a crisis was imminent, so Miss Luo Quan knew that she would likely be fine.

So she went for it, pressing Tsukikawa Kenta directly onto the ground.

Just as she was about to lie on top, the system suddenly spoke: "Don't be nervous, this is a fake bomb."

As soon as the words fell, the countdown ended.

Nothing happened; Miss Luo Quan pinched the back of Tsukikawa Kenta's neck with a dark face, pulling him out of the dirt like pulling a radish.

And the others, after discovering there was no movement, all finally raised their heads.

Jingong Jinggong Ya Zuo was facing away from everyone at this time, because he had shielded Iwasaki Aiko in his arms, intending to use his own spine to block the explosion.

"Another one using a fake bomb to prank; if you have no life left, go bite a lighter—at least that would make some noise!"

Miss Luo Quan cursed as she let go, her mood very unpleasant.

In just half a month, she had been teased twice by the same method; there was a sense of humiliation that her intelligence had been toyed with.

Wait a minute, the same method.

A thought suddenly flashed through Miss Luo Quan's mind: could it be that this Tsukikawa Kenta and the Reiwa Phantom Thief were the same person!

Thinking of this, Miss Luo Quan reached out and grabbed the face of the already unconscious Tsukikawa Kenta, pulling hard.

Sure enough, she really tore off a piece of human skin.

"What's the situation?"

A group of police officers surrounded them to inquire, thinking that Miss Luo Quan had violently peeled off the suspect's face.

"This person is not Tsukikawa Kenta; someone deliberately made a Tsukikawa Kenta mask and disguised themselves as him!"

Miss Luo Quan stood up, waving the mask made of unknown material in her hand.

Just at this moment, the large electronic screen on the stage showed movement.