"Pingtsi, pour Arata a cup as well," Quanxi said immediately, understanding the subtle hint. Even though she had lost in terms of combat strength, she won in having people by her side who understood her completely.
"No need to trouble your people. Reze, get me another cup of coffee," Arata said.
Prompted by Arata, Reze, who had been standing blankly at the counter, suddenly snapped back to reality. She had still been thinking about the dream. The immersion had probably been so intense that she couldn't get it out of her head.
"Right away, Arata-senpai."
Soon, a steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of Arata. Turning around, Reze walked over to Denji.
"Denji-kun, do you want to study?" To distract herself, Reze took the initiative to invite Denji to study together. Carrying some books, the two went to a table in the corner. Reze planned to start teaching him from the very basics—writing his own name.
On the other side, Arata and Quanxi were no longer in a standoff. It felt more like a conversation between friends.
"You said earlier that even if you beat me, you wouldn't take Denji's heart. I suspect you came to find me for something else, didn't you?"
"We received intel that Makima's recent behavior has been extremely abnormal. A few days ago, my people saw her dive into the adult industry."
"What!! Makima debuted in AV? Who's the male lead?" Arata gasped.
"After going to Hokkaido, Makima dove into the bottom of the ocean. No one has seen a trace of her recently," Quanxi said, her expression remaining entirely deadpan.
"Could you not speak in half-sentences? I thought Makima was going down Kobeni's route."
"Based on Makima's recent actions, our country is no longer preparing to join the operation to snatch Denji's heart," Quanxi explained.
"Not snatching Denji's heart? You probably have another motive, don't you?"
"You're right."
"Tell me, what kind of devil is giving even the Arrow Devil a headache?"
"A lot of bizarre incidents have been occurring frequently back home in China, and I don't have any clues regarding them."
"How bizarre could they be?" Arata asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
Quanxi leaned back and raised her hand. Pingtsi placed a file folder into Quanxi's palm. Quanxi then placed it on the table and slid it over to Arata. "Open it and take a look."
Arata unsealed the folder marked "Top Secret." Photos appeared before his eyes. The pictures were filled with Terracotta Warriors clad in armor and wielding bronze weapons. They looked like a resurrected army—holding their weapons high, roaring atop warhorses.
The only incongruous detail was that the backdrop for these Terracotta Warriors charging into battle was a modern city. This made Arata wonder if this was the work of the Photoshop Devil. After all, Photoshop was a terrifying concept when it came to online dating. You never knew if the person you met up with from the internet would turn out to be the next Qiaobiluo catfish streamer.
As Arata studied the photos, Quanxi explained the story behind them. "In the dead of night, the sound of ten thousand stampeding horses and shouting soldiers suddenly erupted in the center of City S. At the time, citizens claimed they saw densely packed soldiers charging downstairs. They thought they were dreaming, but the next day, we found numerous horseshoe prints covering the streets of the city center."
At this moment, Arata's eyes landed exactly on the photo of the horseshoe prints. An entire street was almost completely covered in them.
"Because there weren't many eyewitnesses and we had no leads, the case was shelved for a while. But a week later, this phenomenon occurred again. And unlike the last time, this group of Terracotta Warriors began frantically swarming into residential buildings, carrying out indiscriminate massacres."
"It's possible the first appearance was just a drill, and the second was actual combat." Arata was holding a photo taken by a civilian at the time.
"But since it's resurrected Terracotta Warriors, didn't you guys go to the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor to check the situation?" Arata tossed the photos onto the table and continued, "Maybe some devil is controlling the Terracotta Warriors."
"We checked. The stampeding Terracotta Warriors in the city have nothing to do with the artifacts at the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum."
"What happened to that group of Terracotta Warriors in the end?"
"I, along with other Public Safety devil hunters, destroyed a portion of them, but the majority of the Terracotta Warriors turned into barren soil."
Just as she finished speaking, Pingtsi handed over another file folder and carefully repacked the photos Arata had already looked at.
Arata opened the second folder. Inside were more photos. But there was no massive army in these. There was only a single, towering, mighty Terracotta Warrior wielding a Sky-Piercer Halberd.
The Sky-Piercer Halberd alone made Arata find it interesting. But the appearance of the Terracotta Warrior made him frown. The next photo, featuring the Red Hare horse, made Arata mentally exclaim 'badass'. Could it really be a Cosplay Devil?
"Is this a Lu Bu Terracotta Warrior?"
"According to our analysis, it does resemble Lu Bu. Even the Red Hare horse and the weapon look exactly like the legends."
"So what happened to this Terracotta Warrior in the end?" Arata was quite curious. Unlike the other Terracotta Warriors, the Lu Bu Terracotta Warrior looked more like a real human—albeit one with no pupils and a slightly stiff body.
"I was resting at home at the time, and he suddenly charged into my house. We fought. Because neither of us could kill the other, it became a war of attrition. But after a certain amount of time, he also turned into a pile of dirt and disappeared."
"That means the man called Lu Bu is also being controlled. He isn't the main body of the devil."
"That's why I want you to return to China with me to help investigate and handle this case," Quanxi said. "After all, your exploits here have been heard all the way back home. Other than you, I can't find a second suitable candidate."
"Does this happen frequently?"
"It appears basically once a week."
"How long until the next time?"
"Five days."
"Then we'll talk in five days. I want to see the resurrected Lu Bu with my own eyes."
"Once it's done, I'll give you the reward you deserve," Quanxi offered.
"The reward is negotiable, but let's agree beforehand: the devil's corpse belongs to me. Also, you must agree to one request of mine."
"What do you want the corpse for??"
"You don't need to know that. If you agree, then shake my hand. If you disagree, please find another expert."
Arata smiled and extended his hand toward Quanxi. Although Quanxi didn't understand Arata's methods, she had no reason to refuse the cooperation. As long as this operation was completed, her women would receive high-level education and recognized status. Everything Quanxi did was for her four beauties.
"Alright, I agree. As long as you can kill the devil manipulating everything from behind the scenes, I can grant you one request." Quanxi reached out and shook Arata's hand.
Then, sensing something wrong, she immediately let go and demanded, "What did you just do?"
"I'm just following protocol. I'll give you the result you want, but you must also give me what I want." Having said that, Arata stood up, ignoring her further.
"We're done talking about the Terracotta Warriors. Now it's time to fulfill what you promised me."
Seeing that Arata had begun demanding payment for his debt, Quanxi didn't change her expression. She had seemingly thought of a countermeasure long ago.
"Let my women go. I alone am enough to satisfy you."
"Lady Quanxi, no! The four of us would rather keep him company for a few more days than let you be with him!" The four beauties hurriedly knelt on either side of Quanxi.
"No need to persuade me. My mind is made up. Only I can touch my women. Besides, losing was the result of my own overconfidence."
"What are you guys doing? You're acting like this is a final parting," Arata said, bemused.
"You are not allowed to touch Lady Quanxi! I... I can accompany you for a month!" Pingtsi stood up and shouted.
"Accompany me for a month?" Arata finally caught on. "No need. When I said I wanted you to accompany me for a day, I didn't mean in a bedroom! I meant I want you guys to go shopping with us!"
"Huh?" The five of them froze on the spot. Clearly, things hadn't developed in the direction they had imagined.
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