Chapter 62: Genji Weight

"The design and construction of this building was all handled by Maruyama Construction under the Tachibana family. In Japan's construction industry, no one would doubt Maruyama Construction's work — it has a five-hundred-year history, and its founder once built the keep of Edo Castle for Toyotomi Hideyoshi."

Yabuki Sakura Xu Xu explained, introducing the history of the Genji Weight building to the Kassel group: "The Tokyo Metropolitan Government trusts Maruyama Construction, which is why it allowed the vital elevated highway to pass through the interior of Genji Weight."

"In the nearly ten years since it was built, no earthquake or typhoon has ever affected traffic in that tunnel."

"Impressive, impressive." Lu Mingfei said with admiration. Although he had known this for a long time, he still had to play along when the moment called for it.

The very definition of atmosphere crew.

Ding.

"Hai hai."

"Honto ni, sumimasen."

The moment the elevator doors opened, office workers busy with operations in the office hall were answering phones while operating computers. Hundreds of cubicles were neatly arranged on this floor — this was the 24-hour hotline workplace of the Snake Eight Families, the so-called call center.

Lu Mingfei looked around. Chu Zihang glanced at Lu Mingfei, feeling that since he had come back from the restroom, his mood had changed somewhat.

Chu Zihang couldn't say what it was — confidence? Or excitement?

Passing through the call center and going up the stairs to the 29th floor, Lu Mingfei saw that enormous regional map, covered in darts. Yabuki Sakura continued her introduction — as far as the role of guide went, she was very qualified.

Lu Mingfei looked past the glass curtain wall at the modern metropolis outside — streams of traffic and Bingshan of skyscrapers. Tokyo.

Hopefully Su Lin can investigate something out, Lu Mingfei thought silently.

"Lu-kun," Sakura said, "the eight family heads are already waiting in the Seishin Temple. Please follow me."

"Coming." Lu Mingfei stopped overthinking and followed along.

Meanwhile, Su Lin was sitting on a public bus, quietly watching the street scenery along the way.

The coins for the fare were naturally paid with Historical Projection. Deceiving another country's public fiscal revenue — he really had no psychological burden over that.

Although it wasn't the same world, Su Lin still watched his surroundings with considerable interest. After all, this was his first time traveling abroad on Earth.

Fortunately, he had kept some reserves and hadn't gone all in.

Su Lin spent 30 points to redeem mastery of Earth's languages.

He had promised Lu Mingfei to help look for clues related to Herzog's true body, but with no leads in the short term, he might as well wander around a bit.

Just in case, he was still hiding in the shadows now, letting the Historical Projection show itself outside while his own consciousness controlled the Historical Projection's actions.

Picking a stop with heavy foot traffic at random, Su Lin got off the bus.

"Really just as they say… packed like sardines." Su Lin felt the crowding was even worse than Line 2 during rush hour in Rong City. "Alright, what kind of stir should I cause?"

"Giant Ball Rasengan?"

"Do a henshin? Speaking of which, I only brought the Decade suit — does Decade even exist at this point in time?"

Su Lin thought for a moment. After all, it was a tokusatsu drama he'd watched ages ago, and he'd forgotten most of the plot, let alone which year it aired.

*Pa. *

Su Lin clapped his hands, a gleam in his eyes. He'd thought of a good idea. "First, let's blow up their restroom."

"Art is explosion!"

With his cultivation at the late Foundation Establishment stage plus a little cheat, he tried to shape the explosion's flames into the form of Patrick Star.

"I don't object… but I'd still advise you to take it easy." A familiar voice came from behind. "At least take it easy for now. Wait a while before going."

Su Lin was stunned for a moment, then a smile spread across his face. "Hey, I knew it."

Su Lin turned around. A man holding a delicate-looking little boy stood at the center of the crowd. The passing pedestrians unconsciously avoided them, leaving them enough space.

The man ruffled his hair and waved his free arm at Su Lin.

"Want to go grab a drink together! My treat this time!"

"Sure." Su Lin gladly accepted the man's invitation and walked toward him.

There's no reason not to take a freebie.

Sakura led the three to a sliding door. She pulled it gently, and sunlight poured in. This was a hidden terrace, quite spacious, tucked away in a corner of the Genji Weight building, hard to spot from the ground or the sky. Only by opening this sliding door could one step into this hidden paradise.

Lu Mingfei sighed — these rich people really knew how to enjoy life, building a temple inside such a massive building.

This Seishin Temple was a temple in the Japanese Shendao Sect style.

At the entrance stood a small vermilion "torii." The surrounding granite walls were carved with the various ghosts and gods of Shendao Sect — the usual figures from local mythology and legend.

Not far off on the terrace was a flowing spring, surrounded by a rockery of white stones and green grass — a small artificial mountain landscape that, paired with these architectural styles, quietly exuded a Zen-like charm.

Lu Mingfei had seen similar scenes in some anime.

Black-and-white stone tables formed a circular taiji pattern. The six people waiting by the table all rose and bowed.

"This is the head of the Genji family, Mr. Yuan Zhisheng. You all met him last night." Yabuki Sakura introduced to the group.

Lu Mingfei wasn't surprised at all — he had known the plot before coming to Japan. He even knew this family head's life aspirations inside out.

Lu Mingfei thought to himself that maybe in the future he could team up with Elephant Tortoise.

He'd sell sunscreen on the beach, while Lu Mingfei would open a newsstand branch on the coastal road and sell some coconut water on the side.

The location just needed to be discussed. Elephant Tortoise thought Hawaii was nice, but Lu Mingfei felt Hainan suited him better.

Hui Liyi would probably…

*Pa! *

Lu Mingfei, ignoring the strange looks from everyone around, slapped himself across the face…

How strange — why had he started thinking about that man's little sister again.

Lu Mingfei felt a certain inexplicable oddness. He could tell fiction and reality apart. Although he felt moved and heartache for that girl he'd never met, the reality was that he had never seen her, didn't even know what she looked like — so why had his thoughts drifted there?

"Lu-kun, is something the matter?" Yuan Zhisheng asked. "The branch has doctors who specialize in serving hybrids. We can have them examine you."

"Thanks, but no need." Lu Mingfei forced out an awkward yet polite smile.

But suddenly a picture flashed through his mind — it was the appearance of a girl.

Red eyes, dark red hair, looking somewhat like Nono, a swan-like neck, distinct shoulder blades, and that delicate face, with an expression as cold and aloof as a Bingshan.

Sakura!

The girl held up a notebook, with something written on it…

"Lu-jun!" Yuan Zhisheng's voice rang out once more.

"Huh?!" Lu Mingfei came back to his senses and found that everyone's eyes were on him. "I'm… fine, I just didn't sleep well last night. Sorry."

"It is for us to apologize. Tonight we will arrange a better room for Lu-jun." Yuan Zhisheng put on the air of a host and said to the three of them, "Please, be seated first."