Morning in Tokyo and Beijing have very different atmospheres.
Tokyo in the morning feels like a giant machine turning on orderly. At stations like Shinjuku or Shibuya, thousands of workers and students line up neatly on platforms, waiting for trains that arrive on time. The sound of synchronized footsteps, rows of vending machines lined up, and the aroma of coffee from small cafes create a city atmosphere that is efficient yet calm. People tend to keep their distance, speak in low voices, and avoid eye contact.
Beijing in the morning is the opposite. On streets near hutongs or shopping centers, everything feels more fluid and boisterous. Street vendors with push carts sell jianbing, steamed baozi, and fried youtiao; buyers queue impatiently, pushing ahead with their elbows. The sound of motorcycle and car horns mixes with loud haggling. People talk loudly, crowding without hesitation.
In contrast to orderly and cold Tokyo, Beijing feels like a giant wok boiling with raw and unfiltered energy.
Within that dense crowd, Naoki stood with investigative and unfriendly gazes directed at him from various directions.
His identity as a Japanese person was easily recognized and couldn't be hidden. Wherever he went in China, the treatment he received wasn't very good. Not explosive open hatred, but more of a cold distance, suspicious looks, and sometimes whispers that were clearly unfriendly.
Ignoring all that, Naoki focused on his goal. After wandering briefly among the lined-up street vendors, he decided to buy breakfast: sweet youtiao that was still warm and crispy, soy milk in a plastic cup, and meat-filled baozi.
He sat on a somewhat quiet park bench, began eating his breakfast while thinking. The youtiao was dipped in soy milk, then bitten. Its savory-sweet taste filled his mouth.
"Last night's failure confirms that security at Zhongnanhai has now been tightened many times over to anticipate the arrival of the same intruder."
"In the end, Spatial Refraction works on the principle of refracting light by bending space around me. Although I'm invisible to human eyes, I'm not immune to infrared technology, dog scents, and other types of sensory detection."
Last night's failure, though embarrassing, was a valuable lesson. Naoki became more determined to develop an advanced concealment ability from Spatial Manipulation—Spatial Displacement.
"Gulp... Gulp..." He downed the rest of the soy milk, then wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "Infiltrating the Su Family residence inside Zhongnanhai isn't a wise choice. Too many security layers and too many variables I can't control."
"The smarter choice is ambushing the target outside. In an environment that isn't sterile, where security protocols aren't as high as inside headquarters."
Naoki recalled the data on the flash drive.
"Su Ling'er is a university student, right? She must be studying at some top university in Beijing. But..."
"Damn. Right now it's still Lunar New Year holiday. Universities are still closed."
The plan to ambush Su Ling'er on campus completely failed even before it started. The Lunar New Year holiday in China lasted for nine consecutive days—a time window that was too long. Naoki only requested three days off from school!
He sighed in frustration, but then his eyes lit up again.
"But... it's impossible for Su Ling'er to stay home for the full nine days, right? Even a hikikomori needs to leave the house. Especially a girl her age, she must get bored!"
He stood up, throwing his breakfast trash into the nearest bin.
"It's decided! I'll monitor her from outside."
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With the inverted golden-blackish cross pattern active in his pupils—a sign that «Pandemonium» was activated—Naoki took position one hundred meters from the main gate of the Zhongnanhai area.
In an invisible state thanks to Spatial Refraction, he lay prone on the roof of a not-too-tall building. A cheap but functional pair of binoculars was in front of his eyes. His focus was on every vehicle exiting that heavy gate.
He had mentally prepared to wait for hours, perhaps until evening. However, unexpectedly, in just 45 minutes, a black sedan with special license plates and dark tinted windows slid out from the complex.
Through the dark glass, Naoki could vaguely see the figure of a young woman in the back seat. Long flowing hair, graceful posture—couldn't be wrong.
"Hooray! Luck is on my side!"
"It seems the young lady of the Su Family isn't an introvert who stays home all day!"
Naoki immediately dashed off, leaving his position. His figure moved in the blink of an eye with teleportation.
Every time he opened a black portal with golden edges, a few shimmering feathers fell around him before disappearing.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Half an hour later.
Naoki had canceled Spatial Refraction. Now, he only relied on conventional disguise: jacket hood pulled to cover half his face, sunglasses covering his red eyes.
He walked into a luxurious shopping mall in Beijing's commercial district. Ahead, about twenty meters away, Su Ling'er walked leisurely in a long skirt and thin sweater, accompanied by three women in neat suits.
Naoki observed them carefully from behind his sunglasses. Those three women—all with upright postures, alert eyes, and hands ready to move at any time. They wore communication devices in their ears, and although dressed in civilian clothes, their walking style was that of professional bodyguards.
"Without a doubt, they're not ordinary guards. They've eaten Peaches."
That made sense. Su Ling'er was considered a national treasure because of her Peach Blessing, «Decimal Point», which could amplify other Peach Blessings up to tenfold.
Her strategic value was equivalent to several military divisions. The nation wouldn't entrust her escort to ordinary people.
"To be able to guard someone that important, those three women's Peach Blessings must not be weak. They probably have a combination of defensive, offensive, and mobility abilities." He observed their positions. "If open confrontation occurs, I'm worried one of them will take Su Ling'er away with teleportation ability or super speed. I must stop them before they can act."
However, Naoki smiled thinly behind his hood. "But all that is useless in the face of Time Stop."
"«Pandemonium»!"
His pupils hidden behind the sunglasses changed. That golden-blackish inverted cross pattern appeared again.
And not only that, behind Naoki's back, a visual diagram of the Qliphoth Tree manifested.
Usually, he accessed the Thaumiel slot to use Izumo Tenka's Peach Blessing «Ame-no-Mitori». However, this situation demanded a different need.
This time, Naoki shifted his access to the Chaigidel slot—the place where he copied Azuma Yachiho's Peach Blessing «Golden Hour».
That slot shone brightly.
The next second, the Qliphoth Tree diagram faded and disappeared, replaced by an entirely new phenomenon.
In an instant, the Qliphoth Tree projection vanished, replaced by a motif of a giant glowing golden clock. Large gears rotated clockwise behind his body, giving an appearance that resembled Kurumi Tokisaki's Zafkiel manifestation.
This magical phenomenon couldn't be hidden.
Instantly, the atmosphere of the bustling shopping mall turned into a great commotion. People screamed, pointing toward Naoki. Cell phones were raised to record. A small child cried in fear. And most importantly: Su Ling'er and her three bodyguards saw him.
"An ability user! Young miss, leave quickly!"
One of the bodyguards swiftly pulled Su Ling'er's arm, positioning her body between the target and the threat, while the other two charged toward Naoki at superhuman speed.
"Too late."
Naoki grinned widely, his eyes glinting behind the sunglasses.
"Time Stop!"
At that very second, time stopped.