But perhaps it was a coincidence, this place wasn't entirely unaffected by me, because it was the place I had left not long ago, and the starting point of my only remaining memory.
Here, I witnessed an unforgettable, intense act of lovemaking—yes, that exhilarating, intimate lovemaking that can only be described as pure pleasure.
That must be the "Jiang family."
Suddenly, I wanted to go back and see. After all… that woman stirred a feeling in me no less than Xue Tang's.
Perhaps, I could still get a hint of my memories.
…
Meanwhile, in the cherry blossom bushes.
Where the figure I longed for had disappeared, Yoshihara Tsubaki looked somewhat melancholy.
This time, returning to Shen City, she was fully "aware." Simon's threats were just a pretext. She believed that if Simon dared to use that giant whale to cause trouble, the General and the Fox wouldn't stand idly by.
As former partners, she had complete faith in the General and the Divine Child's abilities.
Furthermore, as a strategic figure, although she had submitted to Simon for the sake of Yoshihara Town's peace, it didn't mean she had completely lost any status.
To be precise, her situation is somewhat similar to the current relationship between Shikijima and the country across the ocean, both facing threats to their security.
However, as an individual, or rather, as one of the world's top superhumans, her agency undoubtedly surpasses that of a nation.
Just like the Seven Deadly Sins, although originating from across the ocean, they are not synonymous with the superhumans. On the contrary, the world's leading superhuman power across the ocean seems to be influenced by them.
It can be said that strategic-level superhumans, as a deterrent force akin to nuclear bombs, possess immense power concentrated within themselves, rendering most worldly constraints ineffective against them.
Only their own weaknesses, or rather, what they care about and cannot relinquish, can threaten and sway them.
This is true for Cui Yuanxuan, and it is also true for her.
However, besides responsibility, she has another, even more irreplaceable desire: the flesh and blood of her beloved. This is why she risked appearing here.
"If you really choose to stay here, there's a high probability you'll die." Suddenly, Cui Yuanxuan interrupted her bittersweet thoughts, his words, though cold, unexpectedly revealed a hint of concern.
Although both were fellow sufferers, Yoshiwara Tsubaki smiled calmly. She was different from the other woman.
The other woman couldn't sever her family and the people she once wholeheartedly protected, but had now lost them. She, however, besides being a protector, was still a woman.
Therefore, she placed those things second, even her own life. Otherwise, how could she have won over those two women?
After being invited, she had already made up her mind not to let this opportunity slip by.
"Even so, I will stay," the beautiful woman said firmly. "Although I don't know what agreement you and Zhao Zhiran have, since you've chosen to stay, my reasons are no less compelling."
"I'm just a homeless man who can't go home, and I don't cherish this life. As long as she can protect Xiaoya and the others as promised…"
Cui Yuanxuan didn't continue. Yoshihara Tsubaki, who knew a little about the situation, felt a pang of pity. As someone who wholeheartedly protected his country, he was resisted by the very conglomerate he was protecting, rejected by the nation, and manipulated by public opinion, seen as a hateful traitor.
Even his wife and daughters were no exception.
"This time, we can finally expose the greed, right?" Yoshihara Tsubaki sighed, changing the subject.
Cui Yuanxuan's eyes lit up, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I also want to see what Greed relied on to fall from its pedestal."
Of the Seven Deadly Sins, two are the most mysterious. The first is Sloth, seemingly due to its inherent characteristics; Sloth has never shown itself, and no one knows its true identity.
However, because of this, Sloth's influence is almost nonexistent.
Then there is Greed, but unlike the unseen Sloth, Greed has been active in the shadows, leaving traces of its activities from across the ocean to China. Its earliest traces can even be traced back to the First Strait Crisis, before the advent of the Extraordinary Era.
Li Zhiyu, who ushered in the Extraordinary Era, also had an inexplicable connection to Greed in his death.
Later, the "Martial God" who emerged during the Second Strait Crisis, severely injured and near death, fell from grace, and Greed's shadow loomed large behind this fall.
It could be said that the combined threat of the seven deadly sins—pride, envy, wrath, gluttony, lust, and sloth—is even less than that of greed.
And the only thing greed truly fears, or rather, dreads, is the "God of War."
If that sun-like power could be unleashed to its fullest extent, it might be possible to completely eradicate the seven deadly sins, which are, in a sense, "immortal."
Although the "root" cannot be severed, because the root of the Seven Deadly Sins lies within humanity itself, the power of the God of War can prevent it from coalescing for centuries…
Suddenly, Cui Yuanxuan's deep voice called out, "They're here…"
Yoshihara Tsubaki was startled at first, then looked in that direction. From within the dust and mist stirred up by the power of "Sakura Misty World," a figure slowly and heavily approached…
…
If we rewind a little, outside the encirclement, Lingxiu saw a black, windowless vehicle, even the windshield a thick iron plate, equipped only with radar and cameras—a vehicle resembling a moving steel coffin—slowly approaching, guided by high-class police cars.
As the three-layered alloy steel side slowly moved aside, a mechanical grinding sound rang out from what resembled an open, dark maw, followed by dull, mechanical footsteps.
Emerging from within was a towering figure, a monstrous hybrid of machine and severed limbs. Over ninety percent of its body was covered in intricate machinery; it possessed only one eye, gleaming with a deathly light, while the other eye emitted a red glow.
Its left arm and right leg were completely missing, replaced entirely by machinery—a half-human, half-machine "monster."
Yet, for some reason, the instant they saw him, every officer felt a jolt, a slight tingling sensation running through them. Despite the summer heat, goosebumps rose on their skin, and their hair stood on end.
A heavy weight pressed on their hearts, making it almost impossible to breathe.
The few officers in the force with martial arts skills felt their knees tremble slightly, their teeth clenched to maintain their composure, yet their darting eyes betrayed their inner turmoil and fear.
It was as if an invincible king had descended upon the clerk; the absolute disparity, the sense of impending doom, the feeling of certain death, sent chills down his spine, making him tremble uncontrollably…
Lingxiu bit her red lips, yet still stared directly at him, as if memorizing every detail.
Suddenly, several cold-looking men in black approached, forcibly confiscating the police officers' recording devices. The officers naturally resisted slightly, but seeing the high-ranking police officials behind them, they could only submit to their humiliation.
And in just a few seconds, the figure disappeared into the gray mist…
...
When that figure crossed the gray mist and entered the area of Sakura World, Yoshihara Tsubaki felt an immense pressure suddenly descend upon her, as if a giant elephant had stood on a small truck.
The cherry blossoms and grass instantly withered and fell, swirling into yellow sand.
Yellow sand spread, burying her delicate, pink feet. A trickle of blood escaped her beautiful, rosy lips, and her eyes widened.
In her perception, her mirror world seemed to contain a real dragon. Just containing it had exhausted all her power, let alone using her home-field advantage to bind or kill it.
This feeling, even the "God of War" at his peak four years ago, seemed slightly inferior!
"What...what is this monster?"
Compared to Yoshihara Tsubaki's disbelief, Cui Yuanxuan straightened his tall figure. His eyes, which seemed to constantly harbor rage, and were exceptionally bright and captivating, only showed a hint of surprise, which quickly turned into understanding.
However, the rage seemed to have intensified.
"I see," he said slowly in a deep voice, "The First Strategy has actually fallen to this state."
Yoshihara Tsubaki was deeply shaken, because no one who entered the extraordinary world was unaware of the significance of the "First Strategy."
That was the title given to the person who ushered in the extraordinary era with the annihilation of the US fleet.
And that person's name was Li Zhiyu.
He could also be called:
The previous generation's God of War.