Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 192 - 169 White Smoke

Chapter 192: Chapter 169 White Smoke

The news spread like wildfire.

Kojima Kanako was following the events in her boudoir, lying on her bed with her legs curled up, wearing only a light pink nightgown with a deep V cut that revealed nothing beneath, the black crisscross straps resting on her shoulders, as she held a smart screen in her hands.

Kanako watched a video circulating on Aizu City’s local forum while conversing with a gentle female voice.

"Are your friends in battle?" the other party asked.

"Yes," Kanako replied, "They fought fiercely and won!"

"What kind of people are they?"

"Good people," was all Kanako could say.

She continued to scroll through, as comments swarmed beneath the video, people marveling at how ruthless and quick the Katsuragi Gang’s methods were. After an hour of intense gunfire, they had completely crushed the Suzuki Group and their mysterious allies, proving their status in Aizu City. There were also many post-battle scenes captured, streets were quickly cleaned up, even the entrance to Suzuki Springs was as polished as new, as if it had never been touched by the flames of war, an astonishing speed of reconstruction that further impressed the citizens of Aizu City, making the Katsuragi Gang a fearsome force!

Not just Kanako, but almost everyone in Aizu City, including Anjiu City, who had a good source of information, had shifted their focus to the decisive battle between the Suzuki Group and Katsuragi Gang. The Katsuragi Gang’s definitive victory had instantly sparked intense interest from countless businesses.

The Suzuki Group and Toshiaki Family Group were both well-known, but now both gangs had met their ends.

Thus, the notable gangs of Aizu City were narrowed down to just the Chainsaw Angel Gang and the Katsuragi Gang, with the addition of the Bamboo Gang, ancient and ensconced in Number 26 Highland, though far less powerful than the other two.

Both companies and civilians were pleased to see the rise of the Katsuragi Gang. Under the strict yet fair control of Asa Katsuragi, they conducted business in an upright and commendable fashion.

In Aizu City, people’s safety entirely depended on the conscience of the local gangs. As such, everyone secretly hoped the Katsuragi Gang would win to avoid a return to the violence and chaos of the past. Now that the Katsuragi Gang had emerged unscathed, many people sighed in relief in private. Companies also began to consider the possibility of investing in Aizu City.

"It seems like it ended very cleanly; I didn’t even need to help," Kanako continued, "I would have been a little sad if they had died."

"Personal feelings are a double-edged sword," came the reply.

"I know... Mom."

The other end of the communication was Honma Noriko, and Kanako was her thirteenth daughter.

Talking with her mother always put a great deal of pressure on her, and even though the "Think Tank" AI kept providing dialogue guidance in her mind, sometimes she still couldn’t decide how to respond.

"Alright, I am going to communicate with Kurokawa now, go ahead, Kanako."

"Yes, Mother," Kanako ended the call.

The detestable Kurokawa Kana had captured her mother’s attention. Kanako sighed inwardly. Kurokawa Kana was tenth in the sibling pecking order — with her older siblings either dead or incompetent — and was now a strong contender for the future inheritance of Xisheng; compared to her, Kanako was as insignificant as duckweed.

But she had plans. One scheme after another was taking shape in her mind. To gain as much value and information as possible, she was a child of Xisheng, and that title came with responsibilities and dangers. Once her mother died, her siblings, nieces, and nephews certainly wouldn’t even maintain a facade of kindness.

"Senzoune," Kanako called for her ninja.

"Rinrin," Senzoune replied, carrying ninja tools, dressed in dark purple tight-fitting clothes, and leapt in through the window on standby.

"Infiltrate Suzuki Springs..." Kanako found herself doubly smart, wanting to know everything clearly, "No, there’s no need to infiltrate. Just go in pretending to be a regular customer. I’ll send a message to the leader of the Katsuragi Gang, and she’ll understand. I’ll send you the plans in document form afterward, follow them."

"Can’t I reveal my true identity to ’our friends’?" Senzoune asked.

"Now’s not the time," Kojima Kanako had other plans.

"Rin," with a leap like a fish jumping, Senzoune vanished in front of Kanako.

Kanako sent a message to Asa Katsuragi, requesting her cooperation in maintaining secrecy. Then she started preparing for the next phase of her plans.

She wanted to contact Xu Yang directly in one go, but Xu Yang was completely elusive, and she didn’t know his current status or whether he had been devoured by Farosa. She had to play a longer game and approach indirectly.

She looked at herself in the mirror, practicing a professional smile.

The only certainty was...

They were qualified to become weapons.

Meanwhile, at Suzuki Springs.

Among the collected spoils of war were high-value products, the most standout being the "Silverfish"-class white shuttle brought over by the Mireya Detachment, now being overhauled in the yard of Suzuki Springs.

With no distractions, Xu Yang could focus entirely on hacking into the shuttle, successfully bypassing the network module firewall, the positioning device, and the backdoor programs, restoring all the software to factory settings. It was practically a brand-new machine entering service. While it still required some time for repairs and adjustments, it already counted as a formidable force.

The four Hovering Cannons were particularly exceptional. He operated them from the control console. These Hovering Cannons, model "Revenge-7", could move freely around the shuttle within a range of 500 meters, discharging high-energy beams with a destructive force of 60,000 to 80,000 energy readings per shot, a firing rate of 30 rounds per minute. Just two shots could destroy a medium-sized energy shield, and one could tear an entire human body to pieces.

When it came to naming the shuttle, Xu Yang surveyed the shuttle machine and instantly thought of the scene where it launched decoy projectiles and intercepted missiles. Million-dollar missiles turned into a smokescreen with an explosion, and Xu Yang christened it "White Smoke."

Now, the company’s assets included the stealth shuttle "Anonymous," the large shuttle "Innovation," and the medium-sized military shuttle "White Smoke." Their military lineup was quite impressive, as many companies could only rely on a single shuttle to support their entire security department.

All were good ships, with advanced machinery, and there was no need to worry. After finishing work, Xu Yang stayed in the courtyard of Suzuki Springs, lying on the foredeck of White Smoke, with 102 bringing a few cargo boxes and stacking them in front of him.

"What should we do with these?" she asked. "The personal armors you mentioned have been boxed up and stacked neatly—as if they’re holding a meeting alongside the cleaned-up chunks of flesh and bodies."

"Not easy to handle," Xu Yang said. "The captured Pale Legion armors are all equipped with biometric recognition modules, binding them to a soldier’s personal biological information. They can only ever follow that one soldier, adapting as they grow. I can’t modify them."

"Then taking them was pointless."

"There’s still a chance," Xu Yang observed the boxes. "Monetization might be troublesome, but with the high-tech nature of these items, we can find buyers on the black market in the deep anonymous network."

"Buyers? Who has that kind of money?"

"Agents from other companies in the black market, they will pass these armors to their technical departments, making it convenient for them to study the technology behind the armors, exploring ways to crack the personal armor codes."

"If they fall into the wrong hands, then it’s a disaster." 102 immediately thought of Black Fire Innovation potentially sending someone to buy these on the black market.

"So that’s the trouble." Realizing this, Xu Yang indeed felt hassled. "Even delivering the goods is inconvenient."

"No matter, I’m off to play." 102 turned and ran off.

"Come find me later with 101," said Xu Yang. "I have something important to tell you both."

"Oh." Even for 102, her sister was always elusive, often disappearing without a trace, and 101 needed to train her sense of distance. Getting trapped in a wall during teleportation could cause a catastrophic explosion due to the instant aggregation of molecules, meaning an end to everything.

The evening bells of the Canopy rang the first toll, and Xu Yang was informed by Asa Katsuragi that a guest had come to visit. They arranged to meet in a private booth, and the guest only requested to see Asa Katsuragi, but she insisted that Xu Yang must be there to observe.

"Why do you need me to watch when you talk with others?" Xu Yang was puzzled.

"It involves a situation where only you can make the decision," Asa Katsuragi said. "She told me as soon as we met that she was certain I wasn’t the ultimate boss... which made me ashamed, but indeed, that is the case."

"Hm?" Xu Yang felt a hint of threat. "Maybe she found out something."

"Or it could be because I genuinely don’t have the demeanor of the ultimate boss," Asa Katsuragi sighed.

"Just be cooler," he said.

"In any case, I will handle the negotiations, and you don’t need to show up in person. You just need to make the final decision."

"Is there something you can’t tell me?"

"I can’t tell you, I was asked to keep it secret," Asa Katsuragi said with a tense expression, her mind completely occupied with other matters. Kanako had sent her a text message, but she wasn’t really concerned. The biggest problem was reviving Nakano Osamu. Farosa was willing to help but had raised a difficult demand.

"What an oddity," said Xu Yang as he carefully observed the private booth through a camera.

Inside was a girl dressed in a cherry blossom yukata with a pretty face and her hair done up in an old Archipelago custom bun, adorned with a jade hairpin. Next to her was a large metal box, incongruent with her casual yukata attire.

She might be a cute girl, but with so many wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing types out there, Xu Yang had to be cautious. He scanned the box next to the girl, finding no significant data feedback related to electronic devices and no weapons such as guns or blades. It seemed as though it might simply be filled with clothes or other miscellaneous items.

"Go ahead," Xu Yang said. "There’s no threat."

Asa Katsuragi opened the door and entered the booth, sitting across from the girl.

"Sorry for being late. I’m the owner of Suzuki Springs, Asa Katsuragi."

"Rinrin," said the girl. "Ninja."

"Did I say something wrong?" Asa Katsuragi asked tentatively.

"Not at all. I’m trying to hold back on delivering a typical self-introduction. If I were to say it here, my career would be over, wouldn’t it?"

"You are a ninja," Asa Katsuragi realized.

"I can’t say," she stood up and bowed to Asa Katsuragi. "Having learned that the Katsuragi Gang is engaged with enemies related to the Lighthouse Core, the master of our main household considered the possibility of you capturing single combat armors from the Pale Legion. To show goodwill for future cooperation, on this preliminary contact and to convey enough sincerity, the master of the main household is willing to purchase 3 suits, to spare you the hassle of finding a trade partner."

"Will you pay with a cash card?" Asa Katsuragi asked.

"With this." The girl entered a password and opened the large box beside her.