Chapter 29: Fighting Aliens for Territory?

Tokyo, Japan, Arakawa Ward.

Just like the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Gaoceng , the Yunhu screen shifted, showing Sakura Wenzhi and his group appearing on it.

For a moment, some were stunned, some bewildered, and others felt a strange unease.

“Aliens wearing kimono?”

Those who didn’t recognize Sakura Wenzhi stared in shock at the aliens’ attire on screen.

On the street where Sakura no Hana Zhushihuishe was located.

“I feel like I’ve seen these aliens somewhere before…”

Before the sentence ended.

The man spun around sharply, emotions surging, nearly wrenching his neck.

But he paid no mind, his gaze fixed entirely on the Sakura no Hana Zhushihuishe building beside the road.

As he looked, his eyes bulged, his face turned ashen with horror, and his voice nearly screamed in a groan.

“It’s Sakura-gumi! That’s Sakura-gumi!”

The shrill, altered cry rang out loudly, startling everyone on the street.

Everyone shuddered.

Sakura-gumi?!

That can’t be right…

The people on this street stared at the Yunhu screen; the longer they looked, the more dread crept in, and they kept rubbing their eyes, thinking they were hallucinating.

“My god, it really is Sakura-gumi! That’s Sakura Wenzhi!”

“It really is Sakura Wenzhi!! I’ve seen him before!”

As one of the three major Japanese yakuza groups in Arakawa Ward, how could anyone in Arakawa not know the name Sakura-gumi?

At the man’s reminder, others gradually recognized Mizuno Yuichi and Sakura Wenzhi.

Meanwhile, the employees of Yamazaki’s company recognized Yamazaki and Yamamura.

Instantly, everyone froze.

It really was Sakura-gumi—and their boss and top officers were all there.

There’s no mistake!

Yamazaki is here too—so these must be Sakura-gumi members.

Anyone connected with Sakura-gumi or Yamazaki knew Yamazaki had been getting close to Sakura-gumi lately.

Now, with Sakura-gumi and Yamazaki appearing together, it proved beyond doubt that the people on screen were Sakura-gumi and Yamazaki.

“Get me to Sakura’s place at the fastest speed—see if he’s still at Sakura no Hana!”

Hongwen Group’s boss in Arakawa Ward, Hongwen Yilang, stared in disbelief.

Clearly, he recognized who was in the Yunhu scene.

Isn’t that his old rival?

After giving the order, Hongwen Yilang lit a cigar, his hands trembling so badly he could barely hold it.

He had one thought.

A thought that made his scalp crawl.

What if the Yunhu scene above wasn’t just an image… but a real reflection?

In simple terms.

If the scene in the lake was a true reflection, then the Sakura Wenzhi in the lake was the real Sakura Wenzhi.

Click-click-click sounds kept coming.

Hongwen Yilang’s hands shook so violently he couldn’t even open the lighter’s lid.

Just then.

A subordinate rushed over, stumbling and panting, stammering loudly.

“B-Boss! I sent men to check—the big big big gate of Sakura no Hana is open.”

He gasped for air, then shouted.

“But… but the inside is empty, and the coffee on the table is still hot—still steaming!”

Bang.

Hongwen Yilang’s hand jerked, the lighter fell to the ground, and the cigar in his mouth dropped out as his mouth opened.

“Are you sure you didn’t misread it?!”

“Positive—I’ve got photos from my men.”

Hongwen Yilang was horrified.

I wasn’t wrong—my thought… was right!

The Sakura in the Yunhu sky really is that bastard Sakura.

By now, anyone with eyes could see how serious this was.

No one from Sakura-gumi could be found, Sakura no Hana’s gate was wide open, and the coffee was still hot—this proved something terrible had happened to Sakura-gumi.

Now, Sakura-gumi appears in the sky.

Undeniably, the Sakura-gumi in the sky is Sakura-gumi.

Hongwen Yilang shook violently, nearly unable to breathe; the other Hongwen Group officers were the same.

The Yunhu in the sky clearly used technology beyond today’s civilization—only alien tech could explain it.

And now, Sakura-gumi appears inside this alien-tech Yunhu…

Silence.

The entire scene fell into an eerie stillness.

Then, one after another, people swallowed hard.

“Could Sakura-gumi be aliens…?” the subordinate who’d sent men to investigate stammered, teeth chattering.

Hongwen Yilang and the others felt their brains explode, staring wide-eyed at the subordinate.

In fact, they’d all thought it too—only they dared not say it.

There was no way—they were too terrified to voice it.

At this moment, everyone, including Hongwen Yilang, turned pale, gripped by dread.

They had, unintentionally, stumbled upon a secret too enormous to bear.

Sakura-gumi are aliens…

Had aliens invaded Earth long ago?

Lurking on Earth for years?

“So… have we been fighting aliens all this time for territory?” the subordinate blurted out, oblivious to the furious stares from his boss and officers.

Can you just stop talking!

Please, don’t say that anymore.

Hongwen Yilang’s gaze was like a blade—he wanted to kill the subordinate on the spot and feed him to his Akita.

The last thing they dared to imagine was exactly what the subordinate had just said.

How could anyone not tremble at the thought that their rival of thirty years was an alien?

And worse—these aliens weren’t weak. They had hyper-advanced technology.

Hongwen Yilang’s scalp crawled—he suddenly felt he needed to buy a plane ticket and flee.

After all, you fear the one-in-a-million chance more than the one-in-ten-thousand.

What if the “alien Sakura” got tired of playing territory games and just wiped them out with some nest-tech?

“Maybe Sakura-gumi got kidnapped by aliens,” the subordinate finally sensed the mood and hurried to reassure.

Hongwen Yilang looked at him.

Without hesitation, he barked an order.

“Tape his mouth shut.”

What good is reassurance now?

I need certainty—not vague possibilities to soothe me.

Don’t you know the greater the hope, the deeper the despair?

At this moment.

Sunset, the majestic Tiangong.

In the distance, clouds swirled around the city like divine mist, adorning it as if it were a celestial palace.

A full moon, glowing like a silver plate, hung beside the ancient city.

Mizuno Yuichi and the others had reason to believe that if they stood atop the city’s highest point, they might actually touch the moon.

“Much prettier than Osaka Castle.”

Yamazaki’s voice trembled—whether from excitement or terror, no one could tell.

Far away.

The magnificent, ancient city rose in layered tiers, its architecture strikingly similar to ancient Japanese capital buildings.

If one had to find a reference, it might be the surviving Osaka Castle.

But.

“Are you kidding? ‘Much prettier’? Can Osaka Castle even compare to this city?”

Sakuda Fumiyuki's eyes sparkled with light.

Unlike his earlier conversation in the conference room, he spoke to President Yamazaki without restraint, his words sharp and scathing.

The ancient city in the distance was truly magnificent, its grandeur swallowing the heavens.

At the sight of it, every heart stirred with an inexplicable awe, an instinctive reverence that forbade any desecration of the ancient city.

For President Yamazaki to compare Osaka Castle to it was an act of desecration—a blatant insult to the ancient city, utterly unacceptable.

……

(Really, really please give me some recommendation votes; there are so few, sigh)