Huai Shi sighed, shrugging, "Forget about the young ones who can fight. He entrusted you, an old man, to me; did he ask me to send you to fight with others? Isn’t it just hoping you all can have a good conclusion? Originally, I planned to take things slow, gradually transition and clean up, but alas, time waits for no one... Go on, Takuma, what use is there for a bookkeeper to stay? Yamashita is waiting for you to hand over the work with him."
In the silence, Takuma stood motionless for a long time, slowly bent over, and received the ticket from Huai Shi’s hand with both hands.
"Thank you for looking after me all along."
In bidding farewell, unconsciously, tears already streaming down his aging face.
Huai Shi waved goodbye, watching him turn and leave, then for a long time, gazed again at the bustling crowds outside the window.
Time is still too short.
With all of his current ability, from last night until now, all he could do was secure a few smuggler boats, just enough to arrange a route for his gang to retreat, which is not easy already.
As for those outside, he is powerless to help.
Where can they go?
Those who made money, got a proper identity, and registered have long moved out of the Tanbo Inner Circle to cities with better security and more friendliness to outsiders.
And those in power, can directly fly on their private helicopters, hide in the best border hotels waiting for the storm to pass.
Yet those without registration and identification, where can they escape to?
It didn’t take long for his forecasts and predictions to be confirmed.
The hybrids who managed to escape the Tanbo Inner Circle barely caught a breath when they realized today’s police presence on Kyoto’s streets is astoundingly exaggerated, with inspections stricter than ever, especially those with obvious hybrid features, who are stopped by police after barely a few steps.
To live a few more years, far from the abyssal sediment, those who painstakingly smuggled from the border into Current Circumstances are already bankrupt, where is there more capacity to fix their identities?
As for those wanting to escape back to the border, they found out that even black accounts can’t get through customs, and Huangquan Slope has already sealed off, anyone without internal identification from Huangquan Slope can’t enter.
Under the shadow of the Order of Nothingness, all sides foresee the coming turmoil, in such times of self-preservation, where is there extra mercy to sprinkle on hybrids?
Those who gritted their teeth abandoning their homes to escape hit the brutal reality sooner rather than later, battered and in despair, nuanced reflections of past experiences led them to return dejected to their only refuge...
Left to fate.
"Woof?"
Just at the outer ring of Tanbo Inner Circle, at the entrance of the restaurant, the teenage girl starting her first day of work just lifted the front board, smelling unusual air from the street, gazing cluelessly toward the hurried crowds.
She couldn’t understand what was happening.
"Boss, boss, it seems like something’s happening out there." She curiously peered at the view outside.
Behind the counter, Lady Kinai put down the phone, dazed for a long time, sighed with melancholy.
"Sorry, Zhenxi, it’s your first day and you’re meeting this kind of situation, I’m afraid it’ll be unsafe here..."
"Ah? Am I fired?"
Zhenxi was dumbfounded, then promptly panicked: "Did I do something wrong? I can change it, if it’s about the wage being too high, it’s okay to be less, no wait, just meals are fine. I’m very hardworking!"
Lady Kinai upon hearing, glanced at the little horns revealed by Zhenxi’s hairline, unable to help sigh, reaching out to rub her hair:
"Let it be, since there’s nowhere else you can go, then stay here, you can keep company with Tomoko. But eat less, okay? The store’s food supply can’t handle your eating."
"For these days, try not to go out, just stay inside the shop." she instructed, "On the streets the gangs are about to fight, don’t get accidentally hurt."
"This I’m not afraid of, I’m very strong!" Zhenxi clenched her fists, earnestly assured, "If bad guys come, I’ll protect the boss and Tomoko!"
"Alright."
Seeing her naive yet serious look, Kinai couldn’t help but laugh, pinching her cheeks: "I’ll be counting on you then."