Chapter 35: Japan's

Director Takahashi, Chief Saito, and the others were bewildered, unable to understand why.

At this moment, an old man with white hair at the doorway spoke excitedly to himself while walking briskly toward the screen, studying the footage of the Yun Lake scene like a famous painting, looking back and forth.

"The Dai Nyudo is a type of giant yokai resembling a man. There are many varieties of Dai Nyudo, differing in size; the small ones stand about two meters tall, while the large ones can embrace an entire mountain in their arms.

The Japanese 'Kojiki' contains records of it, it was also circulated during the Edo period, and Mr. Mizuki Shigeru documented it in his 'Encyclopedia of Yokai' after collecting folk legends.

Furthermore, a story circulates near Mount Ibuki in Shiga Prefecture about a giant yokai that appears at night, especially on rainy days. If one day Mount Ibuki is drenched in torrential rain and the earth roars, it is not an earthquake, but the great yokai—the Dai Nyudo—striding past.

There are many legends about the Dai Nyudo, and some claim to have witnessed it. Legend says that in the mid-Edo period, a man named Zenemon reportedly saw a Dai Nyudo with his own eyes."

"Professor Gutian, are you saying that is a Dai Nyudo?"

Learning from his subordinate that the sixty-year-old man speaking of the Dai Nyudo was Gutian Shin'go, a renowned Japanese expert in folk yokai studies, Director Takahashi instinctively pointed at the screen toward the giant yokai standing behind the Sakura Flower Building.

Professor Gutian nodded excitedly, his eyes shining:

"Absolutely no mistake; this matches the recorded Dai Nyudo exactly. However, I cannot determine what variety of Dai Nyudo it is. Its size differs from the records; it is not the largest, yet it is not small either."

"This still doesn't count as the largest??"

Everyone's corners of the mouth twitched.

This has become like an Attack on Titan, or even an Armored Titan, and it's still not big? How big would the largest one have to be? Touching the sky with its head and stepping on the earth with its feet?

"Is the Dai Nyudo very powerful?" Chief Saito asked curiously.

Professor Gutian looked over and spoke bluntly.

"Does that need saying? Didn't I just say? Folk records state that under the Dai Nyudo's tread, earthquakes can occur, and large Dai Nyudo can easily embrace an entire mountain. This is sufficient to prove the Dai Nyudo's power; it is absolutely a great yokai among yokai."

At this moment.

The Sakura Flower Kabushiki Kaisha Building trembled; the giant yokai gripping the building with both hands had moved.

One saw its two hands clench.

A piercing sound exploded loudly.

The building's glass shattered instantly, crumbling into dust like crystal petals, raining down and smashing onto the street, causing the crowd to scream in terror.

At the same time, the reinforced concrete walls erupted with a dull, deafening cracking sound.

Cracks spread across the walls, and huge chunks of wall crashed down with a boom.

This scene shocked the world.

Chief Saito sucked in a sharp breath, his scalp going numb.

Countless people trembled.

This was not a toy, but an entire building; with just a gentle squeeze, the whole structure was crushed and twisted.

Unimaginable.

Just how much strength did this giant yokai possess?

"Get out of my way all of you; I want to be the first to feast on humans."

The giant yokai spoke.

Its voice was thunderous, deafening and stunning, like rolling thunder echoing in all directions, shattering the clouds in the sky, smashing every door and window glass within ten li, and even causing the earth to tremble.

Just as Mizuno Yuichi and the others were having their souls shaken and trembling in terror from the terrifying momentum caused by the giant yokai's roar,

suddenly, their pupils contracted.

Everyone was terrified.

"Aaaaaah!! Don't come over!"

An executive of the Sakurada Group screamed shrilly as the giant yokai reached out to grab him.

Bang-bang gunshots rang out.

This executive pulled a gun from his body and fired wildly at the giant yokai.

"Don't come over, get away from me!"

While firing, he screamed hoarsely, trying to stop the giant yokai's massive hand from grabbing him.

But.

No matter how the executive shouted, how he shot with his gun, or even fired an entire magazine of bullets in one breath,

it was all in vain.

The giant yokai's massive hand was not even scratched; not a single bit of skin was broken.

It didn't even pause the yokai's hand for a single second.

"Are you tickling me?"

The giant yokai grinned, revealing bloody teeth.

The mocking intent was unmistakable.

Seeing this, the executive was terrified beyond measure and ran, but he hadn't even taken a single step...

The giant yokai's massive hand descended in an instant, grabbing and holding him tightly.

"Ah!! Don't come over... let go of me, let go of me quickly... please let go of me!!"

The executive roared and screamed, his voice echoing to the heavens.

He struggled desperately to break free from the giant hand, using all his strength to pry and wrench, but he could not pry open the binding hand even a fraction; he could not break free.

He pulled out a dagger hidden on his person and frantically slashed, hacked, and stabbed at the yokai's massive hand.

Clang!

The dagger seemed to strike metal, producing a series of metallic scraping sounds and sending up sparks.

And that was all.

The giant yokai was not harmed in the slightest.

In contrast, the executive's hand was cracked at the base of the thumb by the force of his own slashing, and blood flowed out.

"Ahhh!! Save me, Boss, save me!!"

The officer, utterly desperate, could only stretch his helpless hands toward Sakada Wenzhijie and the others, hoping the Boss and his group would save him.

Yet, hope is often despair.

No one reached out to grab his hand and save him; all watched with open eyes as he was seized by the giant youkai.

However, though no one saved him, everyone nonetheless drew their guns.

"Fire! Fire quickly!!"

Sakada Wenzhijie roared, pulled the pistol hidden at his waist, and fired continuously at the giant youkai.

He did not intend to save the officer; rather, seeing the officer captured stirred a feeling of sorrow for oneself in the face of another's misfortune, making him feel that if he did nothing, the rest of them would meet the same fate.

Gunshots.

Rang out incessantly like firecrackers.

Flames erupted everywhere, and the streaks of bullets swept across like a meteor shower.

Everyone present carrying a gun fired repeatedly; some aimed at the giant youkai's head, others at its eyes.

Without exception, none could inflict any harm upon the giant youkai.

Seeing this, Mizuno Yuichi and the others felt their hearts briefly stop beating, their faces ashen and withered.

"Why, why won't it die?"

"Work, damn it!"

"Die for me!"

Terrified yet frantic, they screamed hysterically, emptying clip after clip of bullets.

In the end, some even drew daggers to attack the giant youkai.

Clearly... that officer had already proven that blades and bullets were useless against the giant youkai.

Yet they continued to shoot and slash without a care for the consequences.

The reason they did so was for nothing else, but for that faint, almost non-existent hope.

They felt that if they kept firing, perhaps it would work, perhaps there would be a sliver of a chance for survival.

However, as time passed, as shot after shot was fired.

Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom along with the falling gunshots.

At this very moment, they heard the surrounding youkai speaking, emitting mocking laughter.

"Are these humans Bai Chi? They actually want to injure my lord Da Nyudo with such things? It's hilarious."

"I can't take it, I'm about to burst from laughing; are humans performing as comedic geisha for us?"

"My lord Da Nyudo can pierce through mountains without sustaining a single scratch; with the things humans hold, they still think they can injure my lord Da Nyudo? You must be joking."