Chapter 66 Three Similar People

"Me? What kind of abilities do I have? I am only slightly accomplished in the art of running for my life, which is why I fled here in such a sorry state all the way from the Northeast, isn't it?"

With that, Zhao Zhen cast an amused glance at Shobee.

"On the contrary, instead of staying put in the Northeast, what brings you to Shanghai City? Could it be that you specifically brought men here to assassinate me?"

"You jest, Zhao-kun. Although I am a member of the Biheshan Shinobi clan, you should know very well that my philosophy differs from theirs. If one wishes to be reborn and completely integrate into a new environment, one must undergo a total transformation. Those who cannot bring themselves to abandon anything can protect nothing."

"You remain as optimistic as ever, and your ideas are sound. If all your compatriots thought the way you do, we would gladly welcome you. It is just that those who share your perspective are, after all, a tiny minority..."

Scarcely had his voice faded when a flying needle suddenly darted out from a dark corner, aiming straight for Zhao Zhen. Simultaneously, two swordsmen wielding long blades burst out from the street, raising their weapons to slash at him.

Zhao Zhen sidestepped slightly, caught the flying needle between two fingers while channeling his Ghost Gate Needles technique, and then flicked his sleeve to hurl the needle back in the opposite direction.

Thud!

Accompanied by a muffled sound, the figure who had launched the needle from the shadows dropped dead instantly.

As soon as he finished this, Zhao Zhen's figure vanished from the spot once more.

Crack, crack!

Two more successive muffled sounds echoed. The two menacing swordsmen suddenly tilted their heads as their necks were severed by Zhao Zhen's blade-like hand strikes, killing them on the spot.

Clap, clap, clap...

Zhao Zhen raised his eyes to see Shobee walking toward him, clapping his hands.

"Zhao-kun's strikes are as crisp and decisive as ever, not falling behind even our well-trained Biheshan Shinobi."

"These men are hardly yours, I presume?"

"Naturally. Zhao-kun is my friend; how could I possibly send men to assassinate a friend?"

"A friend? Heh..."

Zhao Zhen smiled faintly, glancing at the Japanese troops rushing toward the commotion.

"Shall we find another place to talk?"

"With the greatest of pleasure."

A moment later, inside a teahouse on the streets of Shanghai.

Zhao Zhen sat across from Shobee, lifted the teahouse cup before him, and took a gentle sip.

"Tell me, why did you come here?"

"If I said I came here specifically for you, would you believe me, Zhao-kun?"

"Shobee, the time you and I have spent together is not short. You should know very well that I have no patience for idle talk."

"Heh, Zhao-kun, I am truly not joking with you this time. My coming to Shanghai was indeed upon the orders of my master to hunt you down."

Hearing this, not a trace of panic flickered across Zhao Zhen's face. Instead, he simply continued to sip his tea with an air of nonchalance.

"Oh? Is that so? In that case, you may make your move now."

"Zhao-kun, I said before, you are my friend, and I would never harm a friend."

"You and I can hardly be considered friends. It was merely by a twist of fate that you taught me some Japanese and I taught you some Chinese. You wished to understand this country through me, and I wished to understand my enemies through you. We simply exchanged and utilized one another, nothing more."

"Even so, I am still willing to regard you as my friend," Shobee replied with a serious expression. "I wish to seek a way for us to peacefully coexist, rather than resorting to force to fight to the death as we do now."

"Forget it. In times like these, the more confused a person is about their own stance, the more dangerous they become. And those who wield immense power yet maintain an ambiguous stance are even more dangerous."

Zhao Zhen set down his teahouse cup and cast a calm glance at Shobee.

"If the ones who came to assassinate me today were your fellow Biheshan Shinobi, your comrades, or even your master, could you still remain as indifferent as you were just now? Didn't you say yourself that you cannot stop them? When that day truly comes, will you choose to help me, or will you join them in killing me, your 'friend'?"

Upon hearing these words, the light in Shobee's eyes dimmed instantly.

Indeed, just as Zhao Zhen had stated, the majority of the Biheshan Shinobi shared the same attitude as the military. Those who thought like him were ultimately an extreme minority. Furthermore, his master, the current head of the Biheshan Shinobi, only wished to lead the clan on a rampage in this war. Under such circumstances, what significant role could his individual strength possibly play?

Just as Zhao Zhen could not prevent the Japanese troops from garrisoning Shanghai, individual will ultimately proved far too insignificant before the ideologies of nations and peoples.

Seeing Shobee lower his head in silence, Zhao Zhen smiled faintly, stood up, and tossed a few copper coins onto the table.

"Shobee, you and I are both intelligent men. From the moment we met in the Northeast, you must have been well aware of what I am thinking. You blocked the internal assassination attempts from your Biheshan clan on my behalf, and I appreciate the gesture. Yet from a hostile standpoint, you really didn't need to do so. Because if they don't kill me, sooner or later I will kill them—that is an inevitable outcome. Though there are few Japanese I find pleasing to the eye, you certainly count as one of them. However, I know all too well the ultimate end that individuals with ambiguous stances meet in times of chaos, and I truly do not wish to see you suffer that fate. If you genuinely wish to plant your roots in this land, it is simple: sever ties with the Biheshan Shinobi, wash your hands of worldly affairs, and live an anonymous life here. But if you cannot let go of your comrades in your heart, I advise you to abandon those foolish notions once and for all. Very well, guests coming from afar must be treated well, so this pot of tea is my treat. But as a guest, if you linger too long in your host's home, the host tends to become displeased..."

With that, Zhao Zhen waved his hand and gradually vanished from Shobee's sight.

Meanwhile, deep within Shobee's mind, a voice identical to his own spoke up: "Shobee, although I don't particularly care for this Zhao Zhen, I think he is right this time. If we wish to be reborn, we must abandon that pack of idiots!"

"Chubei, those people in the eyes of the world are indeed no different from evil ghosts, but without them, we might have perished when we were infants. Come to think of it, according to the intelligence gathered by the military, Zhao-kun's background is astonishingly similar to ours..."

"Misery loves company? Is that why you've been chasing after that man all this time?"

"Yes. Precisely because we are so similar, I wanted to try and find the answer through him."

"And so? It has been a year. Have you found the answer you were looking for?"

"Ah, how could it possibly be that easy..."