146: First Meeting with Chizuru Kagura

Seeing the solemn expression on Lu Daoxuan’s face, everyone knew he must have figured something out. Lu Daoxuan said, "Based on the information provided by this pair of glasses and that wretched man, we can deduce that another plane agent just like us has already invaded this world and gained control of the local dark force organization, NESTS."

Ah! Mutou was greatly shocked and asked, "What kind of person? That powerful?"

Lu Daoxuan glanced at him and said, "How would I know... I'm not an omniscient god." He then pondered for a moment and continued, "Hmm! Igniz, listening to you describe him, he sounds rather formidable. Since someone of his caliber could be subdued by the invading agent, it stands to reason that the opponent's strength is not to be underestimated. Therefore... let's leverage the local forces to create a little trouble for them!"

Mutou asked, "How do we create trouble? What do we need to do?"

"We don't need to do anything at all! Just leave these biochemical corpses right here and let the police or military of this world deal with them. I'm sure they'll find these cyborgs very interesting... Ah, someone is already coming, let's go!" Lu Daoxuan urged.

The explosion of the two heavy trucks had naturally attracted attention long ago. The problem was... Shiranui Mai was still unconscious, leaving Mutou with no choice but to bend down and pick her up in his arms. Gu Feng then cast a spatial teleportation spell, moving everyone to a nearby secluded spot.

It had to be admitted that Shiranui Mai was indeed an exceptionally stunning woman. Although she was wearing ordinary casual homewear, her wonderful figure, maintained through long-term martial arts training, could not be concealed. Looking at the expanse of snow-white, tender flesh exposed beneath her collar, it was truly breathtaking.

However, Mutou could not afford to have any improper thoughts about her at the moment, as he still needed her to introduce them to Chizuru Kagura. Thus, the first priority was naturally to find a way to wake her up. Anesthetics were quite peculiar, and Mutou had no idea what kind of antidote to use to counteract it. After pondering for a long time, he finally decided to summon Ya Xinyi out.

As the saying goes, leave professional work to the professionals. After listening to Mutou recount what had just happened, Ya Xinyi took the anesthetic syringe he brought back, sniffed it closely, and then pulled an exquisite porcelain bottle out of her spatial bracelet, holding it right under Shiranui Mai's nose.

Within just a short moment, Shiranui Mai let out a sneeze and slowly regained consciousness. The very first reaction of this awakened woman was to flip over and spring to her feet, instantly drawing a fan from who-knows-where, ready to strike with a swish without even assessing the situation. Mutou and the others hurriedly jumped backward, only to see Shiranui Mai halt her attack, clutching her forehead instead as she swayed as if about to faint.

Ya Xinyi said gently, "Miss, the effects of the anesthetic you were given have not completely worn off yet. It is temporarily unwise for you to exert your strength."

Only then did Shiranui Mai notice the beautiful woman standing before her, while Mutou and the others were watching her with gentle smiles. Taking another look, she saw that her clothes were neat and tidy, without the slightest sign of impropriety. Confused, she asked, "You saved me?!"

Mutou chuckled and said, "A minor matter. We have long admired Miss Mai and certainly couldn't just watch you fall into the hands of scoundrels."

A blush crept onto Shiranui Mai's face as she said, "Thank you all... but please don't call me Miss Mai. My family name is Shiranui, and my given name is Mai!"

Ah... Mutou felt deeply embarrassed and hastily apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of the naming customs in your country. Then... Miss Mai, may I ask if you can take us to see Miss Chizuru Kagura now?"

Shiranui Mai replied, "Of course I can!" Then, a puzzled look crossed her face as she asked, "Didn't that wretched old man just say you were ordinary people? How did you manage to rescue me? And who is this lady?" She said, looking toward Ya Xinyi.

Mutou chuckled and said, "Chinese martial arts emphasize internal cultivation; how could his tiny detector possibly measure our true strength? As for this lady, she is both my junior martial sister and my wife, named Ya Xinyi. She possesses unique medical skills, and it was she who just woke you up!"

Shiranui Mai hurriedly turned to thank Ya Xinyi. Young women always found it easy to hit it off; Ya Xinyi was gentle and well-mannered, while Shiranui Mai was lively and cheerful. Their personalities complemented each other perfectly, and within just a few words, they were warmly holding hands and whispering together.

This place was not far from the KOF tournament arena. Shiranui Mai first led the group back to the venue and instructed the security staff to arrange a vehicle. The entire group then boarded a stretched luxury sedan of a certain brand and headed toward the Kagura estate.

The KOF tournament was held in a very bustling area of Tokyo, but the Kagura family, acting as the hosts, resided in an estate on the outskirts of Tokyo, at least a half-hour drive away. According to Shiranui Mai, Chizuru Kagura loved tranquility and often sat quietly in meditation under an ancient tree in her courtyard, reportedly to comprehend the power of heaven and earth.

Hearing this, Mutou and the others exchanged glances, feeling a slight shock in their hearts. Since Chizuru Kagura had already learned to comprehend the Dao of nature, her cultivation realm was likely approaching the S-tier category.

Half an hour later, the car stopped outside an estate surrounded by ancient cypress trees. The sky was now completely dark, but the estate was brilliantly lit with bright lights. The sound of singing, drum-beating, and lively commotion could be heard—it looked like it was precisely dinner time.

Shiranui Mai frowned slightly and said, "Sister Kagura loves quiet, but these fighters have bold and unrestrained personalities, loving wine and martial sparring, which always disturbs Sister's quiet cultivation." As it turned out, most fighters from around the world stayed at the tournament-provided hotels near the arena, but some fighters who had close ties with the Kagura or Kusanagi families chose to stay directly within the homes of these two great martial arts clans, making it convenient to arrange sparring matches.

The Kagura family was also a renowned martial arts clan in Japan with an exalted social status, naturally employing various disciples and guards. Seeing the tournament's dedicated vehicle stop at the gates and a group of unfamiliar faces emerge, a guard was just about to step forward to inquire when he noticed that Shiranui Mai, the close friend of the current head of the Kagura family, Chizuru Kagura, had also arrived. He immediately bowed and saluted, "Miss Mai, aren't you on duty at the venue today?"

Shiranui Mai did not offer any explanation and instead countered with a question, "Where is Sister Kagura?"

The guard quickly replied, "The front yard is too noisy, so Miss Kagura is in the back courtyard practicing in seclusion!"

Shiranui Mai nodded and led Mutou directly inward. Perhaps because Shiranui Mai was so familiar with the Kagura household, seeing Mutou and the others calmly following her, not a single disciple or guard stepped forward to question the identities of Mutou's group.

...

Walking into the estate with Shiranui Mai, Mutou noticed that the architecture here was extremely simple, bearing the style of ancient Chinese Tang architecture. At the same time, Mutou could also feel that the buildings embodied an aura of solemnity, profoundness, elegance, and gentleness, yet this was merely the style of the front courtyard. The front and back courtyards were separated by a large pond, which surprisingly had no bridge spanning it, though two small boats at the shore could go straight into the back courtyard. Shiranui Mai untied the mooring ropes, invited Mutou and the others onto a boat, and skillfully rowed them across.

Landing on the other side, Mutou looked at the back courtyard before him, especially the massive ancient tree in the center that blocked out the moon and clouds, and couldn't help praising, "The architectural aesthetic here is truly unique. I seem to perceive a realm of stillness, void, and ethereal beauty. The designer must have attained an extremely high level of artistry!"

Shiranui Mai glanced at him and said, "I truly couldn't tell you were a martial artist; you actually understand architecture as well!"

Mutou smiled faintly and said, "I don't really know much about architecture, I was just suddenly struck by a moment of inspiration!"

Just as Shiranui Mai was about to speak, a silver-bell-like voice chimed in, "Thank you for the esteemed guest's praise. May I ask the purpose of your visit?"

Mutou was startled. Following the voice, he saw a pretty woman sitting quietly beneath the colossal ancient tree, dressed in white clothes and black trousers with flowing black hair—the quintessential appearance of Chizuru Kagura.

Mutou quickly cupped his fists in a salute and said, "So it is Miss Kagura, I am Chen Mutou." As he spoke, a sense of shock surged in his heart. The woman was barely thirty feet away from him, yet he hadn't sensed her presence at all just moments ago, which showed that her cultivation realm was still above his own.

"Sister Kagura!" Shiranui Mai ran over, throwing her arms around Chizuru Kagura, and before she could even speak, she burst into tears with a loud wail. This startled Mutou and the others, who wondered why on earth she was crying like that.

Chizuru was also greatly surprised and offered gentle words of comfort, though her gaze swept toward Mutou and the others with an unfriendly glint. Fortunately, Shiranui Mai did not cry for long; she soon began sobbing intermittently as she recounted what had happened earlier, detailing the news about the NESTS organization abducting martial artists in particular.

Mutou finally understood. It turned out that Shiranui Mai had been frightened earlier and had put on a brave front in front of them, but upon seeing an older sister figure she could rely on, she naturally let down her guard and poured out her grievances.

Of course, this didn't mean Shiranui Mai was a weak person. Perhaps she wouldn't fear facing even the strongest opponents, but the wretched man's lecherous demeanor—looking as though he wanted to violate her first and kill her later—was precisely what had terrified her.

Once Shiranui Mai calmed down and reintroduced Mutou and the others, hearing that they were martial artists from China and wished to participate in the upcoming tournament, Chizuru Kagura pondered for a moment and said, "That shouldn't be difficult. As long as you possess genuine strength and rescued Sister Mai, provided you pass the tournament's preliminary tests, I can recommend you for entry into the top thirty-two round."

Pausing for a moment, Chizuru Kagura asked, "However, what is the purpose of this NESTS organization abducting elite fighters?"

Mutou had long since received a hint from Lu Daoxuan to pull Chizuru Kagura's faction onto their side, so he spoke the absolute truth, specifically pointing out at the end, "In the early stages, the NESTS organization's abductions of elite fighters were merely for clone experiments. Their primary objective is to kidnap Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, and clone their elemental powers to create biochemical soldiers!"

Chizuru Kagura was greatly astounded, her eyes flashing with sharp brilliance as she stared fixedly at Mutou and asked, "How do you know so much, especially how do you know their main goal is to kidnap Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami?"

Mutou paused, thinking to himself: I certainly can't tell her that I saw this information in a video game's storyline introduction!

Moreover, Mutou had purposely brought up the NESTS organization's intent to kidnap Iori Yagami at the end, noting that in the KOF '97 world, after the trio jointly sealed Orochi, although Kyo Kusanagi was captured, Iori was rescued by Chizuru Kagura and left to recover from his injuries at her shrine. Judging by this incident, Chizuru Kagura seemed to harbor feelings for Iori Yagami, though hindered by their respective statuses and relationships...

Thoughts flashed through his mind at lightning speed, and Mutou found an excuse almost without hesitation: "Miss Shiranui Mai probably remembers those NESTS members who tried to capture her. We eliminated sixteen of them and captured that wretched man, subjecting him to eighteen rounds of brutal torture. That little fellow spilled everything completely, clearing out his belly like bamboo shoots dropping beans."