Chapter 54: At Last, It Has Arrived

Waving as he watched Jiang Churan and Uncle Zhong pass through customs and vanish into the dense crowd, the gentle smile on Xiao Kaitian’s lips slowly faded. In its place was a chill like the calm before a blizzard; his lips pressed into a straight line, jaw clenched tight, as he pulled out his phone once more.

The images sent to him were jarring—sent through Harusaki Sakura’s chat app, with nothing besides the photos, time, and location. In his mind, he could picture Harusaki Sakura’s earnest face: a young woman, a traffic officer, a little silly—or rather, a bit scatterbrained. From what he could surmise, her family had always protected her well.

Yet now, such a person had fallen into danger, her life hanging by a thread, all because of him. Once, he had dwelled in higher dimensions, looking down on lower beings as nothing more than ants. But now, having become a “lower-dimensional existence” himself, forced to contemplate and resolve issues as one of them, he realized his thinking had changed, almost without his noticing.

He finally understood why, in the past, whenever he threatened to destroy a universe, that old man would always admonish him gravely, insisting that every existence had its own meaning. Perhaps it was this very feeling he now experienced. His connection with Harusaki Sakura was shallow—they were, at best, passing acquaintances, and though she had provided information on Takeda Hojo, their relationship never went beyond that. Yet, for reasons he couldn’t explain, a fire of anger burned within his heart.

This was a trap set by the Takeda family. He saw through it, yet had no choice but to walk right in. Decisions he would never have made in his former life, he now made over and over in this world—and each time, it felt only natural.

Sitting behind the wheel, his thoughts remained tangled, but instinct overruled reason. Guided by the location on his phone, he pressed down on the accelerator.

The cold wind funneled into the car, clearing his head a little. Here, in this island nation, his influence was limited; for certain matters, he would need the strength of others. With that in mind, he sent a message to Rin Ogiwara—he would need the Ogiwara family’s power once again.

Less than five minutes later, Rin Ogiwara called him back. “The Takeda family has gone too far this time. Taking a police officer hostage—what a disgrace for a noble house.”

“But that only means they’ve reached a dead end. They have no other options left against you now.” Rin’s voice, coming through the receiver, carried a hint of satisfaction.

“Takeda Tetsu will have arranged someone strong to deal with me. I’m worried about her safety,” Xiao Kaitian replied, unconcerned with Ogiwara Rin’s mood; he needed solutions.

“Just follow Takeda Tetsu’s instructions. As for the girl, she’ll surprise you,” Rin responded. “You don’t need to worry about her.”

“What do you mean?” Xiao Kaitian disliked this sense of uncertainty.

“You’ll see when the time comes. Just in case, I’ll stir up some public opinion on my end. But once you’ve resolved the issue, if you don’t want to be exposed, don’t show up at the scene again.”

“All right, I trust you this time.” Xiao Kaitian was decisive. He had always thought highly of Rin Ogiwara, and this wasn’t their first collaboration. If she said so, she must have her reasons. “I’m hanging up.”

He floored the accelerator. The drive from the international airport would take time, but Xiao Kaitian was not one to delay.

By around five in the afternoon, his Toyota Corolla finally reached its destination. The Takeda family’s agents, assigned to monitor him, immediately relayed a live update.

“So he’s finally here,” Takeda Tetsu rose to his feet. “All units, lockdown!”

The area around the port had long since been secured. Takeda family operatives lurked everywhere, and even the surrounding areas and airspace had been thoroughly cleared to ensure that no evidence would be left behind.

Xiao Kaitian’s car rolled to a halt. The door swung open, and he stepped out, dressed in a deep blue tailored suit, sunglasses perched on his nose. He took them off slowly, tucking them into his breast pocket, his gaze cool and detached as he looked toward Takeda Tetsu standing not far away.

“Well!” he called out first, utterly ignoring the circle of guns trained on him. As if greeting an old friend, he remarked, “I’m here, just as you invited.”

“Xiao Kaitian,” Takeda Tetsu’s gloom deepened as he regarded the imposing newcomer. Tugging at the lapel of his pale grey coat, he said, “Churan is gone.”

He knew he could never hide Jiang Churan’s return home.

“Yes, but in my view,” Xiao Kaitian lit a red Marlboro, exhaling a cloud of smoke, “you’re not right for Churan. Of course, since you didn’t lay a hand on her, I promise you—I won’t kill you today.”

A bitter smile twisted Takeda Tetsu’s lips. “Thank you, then. I would never harm Churan.”

“But that’s no excuse for what you’ve done to Harusaki Sakura. She’s just someone I know,” Xiao Kaitian flicked away his ash. “I don’t want anything to happen to her, either.”

“You’re so generous with your affections,” Takeda Tetsu’s gaze dropped. “Do you really believe you can protect every woman you meet?”

“Do you not understand the purpose of power?” Xiao Kaitian’s smile was cold, devoid of emotion. “Or is it that, in your eyes, power exists solely to serve your own desires?”

“I didn’t expect you to be such a humanitarian,” Takeda Tetsu sneered. “Let’s see how far your philanthropy takes you.”

Xiao Kaitian shook his head. He wasn’t moved by universal love. Strictly speaking, his feelings were more like those of an archaeologist discovering ancient DNA capable of being cloned—a simple wish for life to continue.

But clearly, neither this dimension nor Takeda Tetsu in front of him could understand that.

“State your terms,” Xiao Kaitian had no intention of wasting more time. Discussing life and peaceful coexistence here was pointless.

Now it was Takeda Tetsu’s turn to fall silent. In truth, he felt a certain admiration for Xiao Kaitian’s arrival; in his position, he could never have done the same. The thought made his fists clench involuntarily.

In his youth, after his father took a new lover, his mother had wept daily but endured, for one reason alone. On her deathbed, she had spoken her wish: “A-Tetsu, you must become the next head of the Takeda family.”

That single sentence had become the guiding principle of Takeda Tetsu’s life.

Yet looking at Xiao Kaitian, he couldn’t shake a strange feeling—a sense of ice meeting sunlight.

Suppressing his emotions, he said, “Come with me. We’ll go out to sea. If you return, I’ll let her go.”