Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 381 - 344: The Invisible Death Knell

Chapter 381: Chapter 344: The Invisible Death Knell

The ritual site was at Zhonggui Town.

It was located on the narrow beach between Anjiu City and Shangjing, traditionally a quiet fishing village. As early as a week ago, all the residents were removed from the land where their families had lived for generations.

They were replaced by troops, with two security companies taking part in the protection of the entire Zhonggui Town, including Xisheng Defense Company and Intercontinental United Special Service Company, as well as an elite professional special forces unit, code-named "Thirty-Seven," also known as the 37th Legion.

This was the strongest defense money could buy.

Under their protection, Lady Honma Noriko boarded her flagship, the "Flower Crane," and set out at a steady pace from Xisheng Shrine, cruising at a safe speed to Zhonggui Town, where life and health support facilities had been prepared on the beach for her use.

She had lived in a sterile room with the highest medical care, and her frail 135-year-old body could not withstand any shocks; even the slightest disturbance could be fatal.

Because her body could not withstand neural surgery, she missed the opportunity to transcribe and upload her consciousness and had to stay in her decaying body, relying on spices, medical magic power, and intelligent life-sustaining methods to extend her life day by day.

Now, she no longer had to keep going like this.

Through the Ancient Witch’s ritual, she would either ascend and become a new witch or die of the epidemic.

At six o’clock on the morning of the winter solstice, Kanako arrived at Zhonggui Town by her other shuttle machine. The village houses had been completely flattened, and using prefabricated building technology, a massive resort center capable of accommodating 1,000 people was erected, allowing Xisheng’s children to attend the ceremony.

Most of them would be present—a family gathering not seen for a long time.

"Good morning, Auntie Kanako, why did you come in a battle shuttle machine?" Kamibayashi Kurou was smoking on the roof when he saw the hovering cannon pod mounted on Kanako’s shuttle machine.

"Coming to such a remote wilderness makes me a bit scared," Kanako said, not even believing her own words.

Six layers of defenses were deployed around, covered by countless intelligent auto-aim cannons, landmines, and anti-aircraft artillery. A main naval fleet composed of missile ships was stationed 15 nautical miles away, ready to arrive at any moment.

She brought weapons for self-protection.

Kanako had no idea what would happen, as Xu Yang and Farosa refused to reveal any information.

"Hah..." Kamibayashi Kurou laughed. He was here waiting for his mother, Kamibayashi Himei. "Lady Honma Noriko’s ritual, this scale... It’s the biggest I’ve ever seen in my life."

"Only the ancient witch came alone," Kanako murmured, looking toward the temporary hut on the beach.

She knew that Farosa was there, alone, with next to nothing—just a few belongings, a water bottle, a bag. She had the ritual utensils listed, requesting Xisheng Group to make the purchases.

No assistance, no weapons. Yanagawa Fumihiko was on site overseeing, ready to command a sniper to execute Farosa at any time.

"They say," Kamibayashi Kurou said, "that once the ritual is completed, Lady Honma Noriko might gain an extremely long life."

"Yes, to reign over Xisheng with endless prosperity," Kanako said with a vacant look towards her mother’s direction, "She has many great plans to implement."

"Ah, the Xisheng Mission Plan," Kamibayashi Kurou had heard of it, "Re-evaluating the value system of the Eastern Hemisphere."

The mission of Xisheng.

The term suddenly thumped in Kanako’s heart.

Her mother had once been disillusioned, but as the hope for extending her life drew nearer, she brought out her later years’ plans and shared them with her children during family meetings.

The mission of Xisheng was to achieve the highest degree of monopoly, annihilate all other companies’ trademarks, provide for every aspect of everyone’s life from birth to death, prohibit their reproduction, and let this generation of humans die in infinite care, to prevent any rebellion.

Then leave behind a very small number of people, namely the sons and daughters of Xisheng, to enjoy the resources of the entire globe.

It wasn’t just about conquering everything but controlling everything.

"Only Mother can accomplish such a mission," Kanako admitted, "No one else can."

"Right, when the time comes, we can measure everyone’s needs and creativity, more orderly than now by tens of millions of times, predict and design every element in the world, personally measure economic and social laws... I think there’s nothing better than that."

"And the issuance of Xisheng paper currency," Kanako sighed, "...Mother must have also told you, pull out the pillar from under the pot, abolish all cash flow, ban gold, disconnect civilian network connections, take over and destroy the financial systems of all people and companies, rebuild everything, reap every penny from everyone, making all people Xisheng people. People shouldn’t have such messy thoughts."

"I just can’t wait," Kamibayashi Kurou said excitedly, "Only Lady Honma Noriko has the ability to implement these great ideas, integrating every company under the Xisheng banner."

"So, I came," Kanako said with a sad smile, "I offered such a plan to Mother, so she can live to carry out her grand ideas."

The sky was overcast, the dawn like a veil, indistinct.

More and more shuttle machines arrived, carrying the sons and daughters of Xisheng, who rose in status with the increasing power of the family matriarch, especially concerned about the safety of Honma Noriko.

Kanako hid at the edge of the terrace like a phantom, silently noting how people came and went.

She saw the president of Xisheng Defense Company, Yuan Chaozong, and the chairman of Xisheng Industrial Group, Aoyagi Jiro, these two men providing military and industrial capacity for Xisheng’s expansion, both being third and fourth generation family members, mostly working abroad.

They clearly had agreed to meet beforehand, arriving one after the other, quickly bowed in greeting, showed friendliness to each other with a glance, and then left the terrace under the escort of security personnel, eagerly avoiding being noticed by others.

Kurokawa Kana from Xisheng Investment arrived, closely followed by Kamibayashi Himei from Xisheng Real Estate. They got there two hours before the ceremony, and upon seeing his mother Kamibayashi Kurou quickly went over to greet her.

"It’s been a long time since the children of Xisheng have been together like this," Kurokawa Kana looked towards Kanako in the corner, "It’s all thanks to you."

"Yes, normally it’s online meetings, and now that everyone can see each other in person, it feels strangely unfamiliar," Kanako smiled.

"You look really pale," Kurokawa Kana said and turned to leave.

Her attire was also pitch-black, escorted by numerous mechanical soldiers. They used scanners to repeatedly check Kanako, causing warning alerts to pop up continuously on her micro panel, but Kanako was indifferent.

A rotorcraft marked with Xisheng’s logo arrived.

"Kanako sister!" Honma Shaojun leaped off of it, left the butler’s embrace, and ran joyously toward Kojima Kanako, smiling and greeting her.

Shaojun was Lady Honma Noriko’s youngest child, just 13 years old, born from her eggs that had been frozen in her earlier years, and the only boy to bear the "Honma" surname.

When Kanako had run away from home, Shaojun was still illiterate, a mere simpleton, but now he seemed exceptionally elegant and proper, dressed in a well-tailored formal outfit.

"Shaojun..." Kanako crouched down to caress her little brother, who at 13 looked much braver than she, and like she had in their childhood, she lifted him up and turned him towards the dawn-covered damp beach.

"The ritual is about to begin," Shaojun pointed out curiously.

That was Farosa, guarded by so many soldiers, under the close watch of the sons and daughters of Xisheng.

Kanako held her breath.

Farosa was to perform a ritual on Lady Honma Noriko, right in front of everyone, all by herself.

This was why Kanako so eagerly desired for Farosa to perform normally, to carry out the ritual safely, because if Farosa made even the slightest misstep, she would be instantly killed, utterly annihilated, obliterated down to the atomic level.

Not just her, Kanako would also face execution.

Kanako looked up at the high architecture where several modified snipers were on standby, their guns loaded with rare anti-magic bullets that, once hit a witch, would instantly block the magic circuit, rendering her no different from an ordinary person.

Around the perimeter of the village stood a Reality Manipulator hired by her mother, a woman named Nilu with three types of magic power. With her presence, no external force could penetrate, and the ritual on the beach could not possibly be threatened.

Cameras and drones abound, capable of forming an electronic front line, hovering in the air, sweeping and locking down every detail of the venue, broadcasting it back to the villa for the sons and daughters of Xisheng to monitor.

"Tomorrow, no, today the whole world is going to change," whispered Kanako.

"Do you know what’s going to happen, sister?" Shaojun asked.

"I don’t know, that’s why I look so anxious," sighed Kanako.

Farosa had closed off her mind, unwilling to reveal anything.

What Kanako had to do was to bring Du Qianqian, or to be precise, a small cat Du Qianqian had transformed into, to the scene. Kanako didn’t know why, but she was told it was necessary.

She knew she had become another puppet in Farosa’s plan, but she was helpless.

Because this matter was of great importance.

"Shaojun, go play," Kanako put Shaojun down, threw him to the lower floors, where the servants surrounded him and took him to other more luxurious and entertaining places in the village.

Then, Kanako too left the balcony.

At 7:10 in the morning, she arrived near Zhonggui Town, where a witch suddenly appeared in front of her, set down a cat, and then disappeared on the spot.

"Meow." The silver-graduated cat lifted its head and meowed cheerfully at Kanako.

Was this the cat Du Qianqian had become? Kanako thought to herself. What did Farosa want her to do?

Well, all she had to do was to bring the cat to the site, and her part in the task would be done. Kanako picked up the silver-graduated cat and walked towards Zhonggui Town, intending to carry it openly and calmly through the streets.

"The area ahead is off-limits," a soldier from the 37th Legion said, blocking her way with a heavy-duty sniper rifle in hand.

"I am Kojima Kanako."

"I know who you are."

"Take this cat to the site," said Kanako. "Deliver it directly into the hands of the witch, and to no one else."

"We will report it." The soldier took a photo of the cat and sent it to Yanagawa Fumihiko.

"That’s an important person, send her respectfully to the beach," Fumihiko Kawa had been informed yesterday via satellite phone that the scam artist Mack was due at this time.

The soldier took the adorable little cat toward the beach.

"You wait here," another soldier told Kanako.

"Alright," Kanako remained composed.

It would be delivered, Kanako thought to herself.

Soon, she turned to see two soldiers in black riot armor, armed with main battle rifles, appear and continually scan her. Then, more soldiers surfaced from all directions as if they too had magical powers.

They were coming for Kanako.

"Come with us," a member of the 37th Legion in armor appeared, roughly pushing Kanako, "Go over there, kneel down!"

"No—don’t!" Kanako retreated in terror, "Why?"

"Quiet down—" Fumihiko Kawa suddenly appeared, lunging forward and grabbing Kanako’s shoulders with a death grip, "The cat you sent to the beach is just a normal cat. Where have you hidden Mack?"

"Stay away from her!" Senzoune appeared from the shadows, and after several gunshots, she was riddled with bullets.

"Senzoune—" Kanako turned to see the ninja shot dead, a soldier grabbed her arm, and injected a sedative into her hand.

Kanako’s eyes widened, and the world spun around her.