Volume 3 Hello, Eri Chapter 267: The Man Returning from the Abyss (Part 2)
Yuan Zhinv took off her suit jacket and put it on the old man's shoulders. He could see that the old man was just asleep. This person was also one of the few important people in his life. They watched the sunrise together and shared Coke together. His life changed because of him, and he saw the dazzling light for the first time.
But time has passed, the child has grown up, the gang leader has also become old, the only thing that remains unchanged is that familiar smell, the dew mixed with the plainness of linen, Minamoto no Chitose knew at a glance that the old man was Tachibana Masamune.
The eternal lamp flickered, and the movements of Minamoto Chitose were very gentle, but it still woke Tachibana Masamune from his sleep. Feeling the heaviness on his shoulders, he turned his head slightly and met that calm face. Unlike the guards, Tachibana Masamune's eyes only slightly widened for a moment. Minamoto Chitose sat cross-legged beside him, as upright as a pine tree.
Although she had never seen how Minamoto Chisei and Tachibana Masamune got along, it was not difficult for Minamoto Chidome to imagine that it was true. When they were young, they had spent many unforgettable days with Tachibana Masamune. Later, Minamoto Chisei knew that Tachibana Masamune was a gangster, but he still went to Tokyo for his brother without hesitation, which meant that he accepted the invitation. Minamoto Chidome was very sure that the two of them would respect each other like a couple, and support each other, and maintain a close and light sense of distance between each other, similar to that of an adoptive father and his adopted son.
With Minamoto no Chisei's personality, he would definitely not give Tachibana Masamune a warm hug when he came back. What he was best at was silent warmth. Back then in the basement, he always put his coat on Minamoto no Chisei like this.
"Are you still staying in the mural hall so late?" said Yuan Zhinv.
"There are always places that make people feel quiet. It's not easy for me to find a place where I want to be alone. Sitting here and looking at the long history, I occasionally wonder what it means to still be able to breathe." Tachibana Masamune said softly, "I'm glad you're back. I guess a lot of things happened."
"Yes, sorry I couldn't get back in time."
"Is there anything you need to tell me?"
"I went to the territory of the fierce ghosts." Yuan Zhinu quickly went straight to the point. He wanted to launch the most fierce offensive in the identity of Yuan Zhisheng.
"Oh?" Tachibana Masamune was a little surprised.
"I knew you would continue the plan to wipe out the demon tribe as planned, so I went directly to Osaka. I was not able to contact my family members there in time, but I was fortunate enough to meet the Dragon King of the Demon Tribe." Minamoto Chitose stared into Tachibana Masamune's eyes, with a cold look in her eyes like a sword. "He has the same face as me, and his name is Minamoto Chitose."
"He should have died." Tachibana Masamune was still calm. The death of Minamoto no Chijo was a secret to most people. Minamoto no Chisei only told this to Tachibana Masamune, whom he trusted. No one else in the Snake Eight Families knew that the head of the Minamoto family was actually a twin, and his noble bloodline was not limited to that one. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, this secret was concealed by Tachibana Masamune and Minamoto no Chisei until now, and all the information on the murder in Kadori Town was completely lost in the Japanese Execution Bureau.
"Yes, he should have been buried in that basement, along with his artwork. I personally stabbed the knife into his heart and ignited the fire. I watched his face fall in blood and be devoured by the flames. How could such a person come back to life?" Minamoto Chitose spoke sternly, emphasizing each word, "Mr. Masamune!"
The secret has been revealed, but Masamune Tachibana remains calm. There are only two people in this world who know how Minamoto no Chitose survived under such circumstances. One is himself, and the other would only be the person who saved him. Minamoto no Chitose did not reveal all the information to Caesar's team. His target has always been Masamune Tachibana, because it was Masamune Tachibana's face that he saw in the trance of extreme blood loss that night, and it was Masamune Tachibana who took him away from the fire.
Genjiro thought he would go back to the Snake Eight Clan, the same place as his brother, to explain why things had turned out that way. But when he opened his eyes, there were groups of demons crawling under the throne, as pious as if they were welcoming an emperor to the throne. The king wearing a Noh mask bowed gracefully beside him and extended his hand to invite him, saying that from today on, this is your new home.
If Tachibana Masamune had no connection with the Demon Clan, how could Minamoto no Chijo appear next to the Demon Clan?
Over the years, Minamoto Chikō has been trying to solve this mystery, but the king is very cautious and he cannot get in touch with Tachibana Masamune at all. The relationship between the fierce demons and the Eight Snake Families is not as simple as it seems. Minamoto Chikō has been working on the front line for the Eight Snake Families. Every time Minamoto Chikō sees this, she can only feel anxious in her heart. Her brother is becoming a self-righteous messenger of justice, but he has no idea that the people behind him are silently watching him as if he were an ant.
"In fact, you have suspected me for a long time, right?" Tachibana Masamune smiled softly.
"I can't say I doubt it, but I know there are some things you have never told me. For example, there is a research institute on the ground floor of Genji Heavy Industries, and a giant reservoir for breeding Deadpool. It's very advanced, and you'll never forget it after seeing it once." Minamoto no Chitose was sitting with her hands on her knees, and Spider Cut was lying to his right. In front of Masamune Tachibana, he nailed this weapon that had killed countless evil spirits to the floor.
Tachibana Masamune took out a box of cigarettes from his arms and lit them slowly. The enchanting flame of the eternal lamp and the cigarette butts flickered and fluctuated. In Minamoto Chitose's impression, Tachibana Masamune seldom smoked, because he did not want his two brothers to be exposed to smoke from an early age, which was not a good thing.
"I often think that if one day I have to commit seppuku to atone for my sins, I hope you would be the kaishakunin," said Masamune Tachibana.
"A kaishakunin won't take on just any job of chopping off people's heads. Let me hear your reason before you do it." Genjiro pressed lightly on the spider cutter. With his attack, it would only take a moment from drawing the sword to the head falling to the ground.
"How old do you think I am this year?" asked Masamune Tachibana.
His real age has always been a mystery within the Snake Eight Families, because Tachibana Masamune rose from the bottom, and he didn't even have the real Tachibana bloodline, but he had a high dragon bloodline. The Snake Eight Families needed precious bloodlines to ensure internal inheritance at that time, and Tachibana Masamune appeared at the right time. Later, he brought in Minamoto Chisei, a real super hybrid, and he was able to officially ascend from a high position to the absolute top patriarch.
Now that those old people in high positions have passed away one after another, there are very few people who really know about this past. Even Fuma Kotaro, the oldest among the other current family heads, has never asked about this matter. Tachibana Masamune has shown his absolute loyalty to the family and sufficient ability. Now that the White King's bloodline is constantly weakening, the Snake Eight Families have also considered introducing outsiders to find a way to continue. They have no need to care about Tachibana Masamune's true origins.
"70?" Gen Chi-nome gave an answer that seemed reasonable. Japan is the country with the longest average life expectancy in the world. Many Japanese elderly people on the street do not necessarily have gray hair, but a lot of black hair. Tachibana Masamune's hair has been white for many years. In her childhood impression, Tachibana Masamune gave Gen Chi-nome the impression of a fun middle-aged uncle, whose face was always greasy after climbing a mountain.
"Actually, I'm only 49 years old this year." Tachibana Masamune smiled bitterly.
"I don't think it's a matter of looking old." Genji frowned. Some people can look like they are in their 40s or 50s in their 20s. Excluding genetic factors, their hair will not turn gray, but their faces will give people a bad impression. However, Tachibana Masamune has gone far beyond this category . Both his appearance and body show signs of aging.
"Yes, this is abnormal. It's the price I paid for my greed," said Masamune Tachibana in a low voice. "The story begins in faraway Siberia. My real name is Takatoshi Hijiyama, an ordinary post-war orphan. At the end of World War II, quite a number of Japanese expatriates did not evacuate from Northeast China. After the Soviet Union intervened, many of these people became prisoners or spoils of war and were not repatriated to Japan. My grandmother was one of them. She married a Soviet officer and gave birth to my mother. My mother married someone from my grandfather's family and gave birth to me. They told me that I was a child of Japanese descent, so I have two names. The Japanese name is Takatoshi Hijiyama, and the Soviet name is Alexander Nevsky, a great Russian national hero."
"But I'm actually an ordinary person with no real use. I don't even have the blood of the dragon clan. I got my position in the army through my mother's connections. During the physical fitness test, I was so weak that I couldn't even run. When the instructor came over with a frown and wanted to give me some special treatment, I vomited all my breakfast on his uniform." Tachibana Masamune said, "But after entering the army, I received formal training and gradually began to look like a young and proud Soviet soldier. My grades were good, and I successfully passed the navy exam and was assigned to the Lenin. Compared to the army, the navy's treatment is very good. Having a ship means I don't have to dig in the dirt every day. This is a good job, and my future is bright."
"Unfortunately, it was 1990 before I had even been a sailor for a year. There were already various signs of the Soviet Union's disintegration. The news on the warship was always lagging behind the outside world, and everyone was filled with worries. Suddenly one day our commander called everyone to the deck and told us that from today on we would no longer belong to the Soviet Union. The country had sold us out and treated us as property to be given away in exchange for money full of stench. We had to find another way out! Those who wanted to leave now could be discharged immediately and receive travel expenses to go home. Those who wanted to stay could continue to follow me."
"I cherish this hard-earned job very much. Besides, the country is almost ruined. If soldiers retire, there will be no place to find jobs. It will be difficult for them to make a living. So I chose to stay and hang out with the captain. After eliminating those who retired, a new group of crew members soon arrived on the warship. The captain said that from today on, the Lenin will be under the command of these people, and they are our financial sponsors."
"Who are those who bought this ship?" asked Minamoto Chitose.
"I don't know. They are very secretive. When they appear on the ship, they hardly show their faces. They come in Halo helicopters and hide in the cabin all day. Only the captain directly follows their instructions. No one on the ship wants to pry into their secrets. They are the ones who have the financial resources to buy a warship, and pack it with weapons, ammunition and soldiers. The power behind them is simply unimaginable. The duty of a soldier is to obey. Although we are no longer professional soldiers, we are still the captain's soldiers and we stick to our posts faithfully."
Tachibana Masamune continued, "The Lenin then filled up its reserves and left the harbor, sailing slowly across the Arctic Ocean. The first mission we were assigned was to go to an unnamed port in northeastern Siberia, where we needed to load some things. That unnamed port was surrounded by solid ice and could only be reached for a few months each year, and it would only be possible with an icebreaker like the Lenin. Everyone on the ship was very curious about what it could be, but we only saw a concrete fortress at the unnamed port, and all soldiers were strictly prohibited from disembarking unless ordered, so I only took a few glances from a distance."
"In the few days after arriving at Nameless Port, only a small number of people brought by the sponsors were allowed to disembark to do the handling work. They wore the same clothes as us, but they were obviously not Soviets. A violent explosion occurred in Nameless Port a few nights later. Before the explosion, the captain said that we successfully snatched the most important thing out of it. Now everyone knows what it is. Because it is too big, it can only be lifted by helicopter. We witnessed the skeleton of the dragon on the deck with our own eyes. There may be no more complete skeleton in the world. You will feel as if it is still alive. Some people even felt a sharp pain in their eyes just by looking at the skeleton for a while, and they covered their faces with tears."
Yuan Zhinv's face looked heavy, he probably had guessed what that thing was.
"From that night on, there was only one financier left on the ship. The others disappeared that night. The remaining guy was a Chinese who knew a little Russian. We all called him Mr. Chen. He was easy to talk to. Although he looked ordinary, he always had a sense of intimacy that made people trust him." Tachibana Masamune said, "The Lenin left the nameless port with the remains of the dragon clan and went on an ocean voyage. We bypassed the Bering Strait and headed straight for the Japan Trench. Just as we were approaching the coast of Japan, something strange happened on the ship."
"It all started in the cold storage. A sailor on the ship discovered that the supplies in the cold storage had been being stolen. Because the spare cold storage had not been used before, it had not been discovered. The bite marks were obviously not from greedy soldiers, but more like some kind of wild beast. Mr. Chen took some sailors to check the cold storage. A monster jumped out from the pile of supplies. It was bloodthirsty and violent, with a face distorted beyond human form and beast-like limbs. At that time, I didn't know what he was, but now it seems to be a highly dragonized Deadpool."
"This Deadpool was killing people in the Lenin. No one was his match. Mr. Chen was very strong, but he couldn't deal with him quickly. I was cut by his sharp blade. But I was lucky. It was only scratched in the abdomen. The training over the years has made me quite resistant. So I was fortunate to get the help of Mr. Chen. He asked me to help him carry a few incubators to the deck and protect them. When I was carrying them, I was curious and took a few more glances. There were embryos and babies inside."
