socalfunplaces Page 383
Page 383
"This name is way too long..."
Chapter 335 The Hunt and the Uninvited Guest
The top floor of the headquarters of Tianqiong International Holdings Group is the chairman's office.
The interior design here is less like an office and more like the bridge of a starship from a science fiction movie. Outside the huge, arched floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see the bustling night view of Tokyo. There are no superfluous decorations inside, only a desk that seems to float in mid-air and a few ergonomic, or rather, "divinely ergonomic" chairs.
Zhou Ye was reclining in the main seat, idly tossing a coin. The coin tumbled in the air but never fell, merely hovering there, repeating the motion of rising and falling repeatedly.
"Chairman."
Zenin Maki's voice came from the doorway. She had changed out of her tattered school uniform and into a black, tight-fitting combat suit that Jill had chosen for her. This suit not only offered incredible defense but also perfectly hugged her body's curves, allowing her every movement to be unimpeded. In her hand, she held a menacing black greatsword, its blade flowing with ominous magical power—clearly a top-grade cursed weapon.
This was one of her "welcome gifts".
In just half a day, her entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation. Her former arrogance was replaced by a more restrained sharpness, and her eyes were filled with a thirst for power and an anticipation for the future.
"Speak." Zhou Ye didn't even lift his eyelids.
“Based on the real-time distribution map of cursed spirits you provided, I have identified the three most valuable targets for recovery within the Tokyo area.” Maki handed over a tablet computer displaying three files.
"Target one, Sugisawa Third High School, suspected to be the site of Sukuna's finger seal, the curse power reaction is abnormally strong."
"Target Two, the Eighty-Eight Bridges, is inhabited by a top-tier cursed spirit, which has already caused multiple disappearances."
"Target three: Yingji Juvenile Academy, a level one cursed spirit, which has already formed a living domain inside."
She paused and added:
"Regarding the vocational college, three first-year students have been dispatched to the juvenile detention center to carry out the mission. The teacher leading the team is Kiyotaka Ijichi."
"Oh? You're pretty quick."
Zhou Ye finally opened his eyes, took the tablet, and glanced at it.
"A bunch of rookies trying to deal with a cursed spirit that has already established its domain? Is your college so short of funds that you can't afford to hire professionals, or do you simply want to send your students to their deaths?"
"...This is part of the practical teaching. And we really don't have enough manpower here; both students and teachers are extremely busy."
Maki explained somewhat awkwardly.
"A stupid teaching method."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice came from the side. She was sitting in a side chair, typing rapidly on a virtual keyboard, seemingly writing something.
"Putting untrained recruits directly into the most brutal battlefields is pointless except for increasing casualties and psychological trauma. It's an inhumane educational model."
"Okay, stop complaining."
Zhou Ye stood up and stretched.
“Since someone is paving the way for us, we won’t stand on ceremony. That finger called Su Nuo sounds like a nice collectible. Let’s start with it.”
He looked at the other people in the room.
"Gil, Utaha, Miko, get ready, we're going to the scene. Maki, you stay at headquarters and continue monitoring the city's situation. Also, familiarize yourself with your new equipment. Report to me immediately if there are any emergencies."
"Yes, Chairman!"
Maki nodded vigorously, a flame burning in her eyes. She knew she was no longer the loser abandoned by her family.
Outside the Eishū Juvenile Academy, Ijichi Kiyotaka put down his "~" sign and watched Itadori Yuujin, Fushiguro Megumi, and Kugizaki Nobara enter, his heart filled with unease. He had just received a notification from above that the target spirit of this mission might have reached the quasi-first level, or even higher.
"I hope they... can get out safely."
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and muttered to himself.
Just then, a lazy voice came from behind him.
"Expecting those little guys to emerge from an already mature birthplace? Are you hoping for a miracle?"
Ijichi whirled around and saw a young man in casual clothes standing behind him with three pretty girls of different styles. He swore that just a second ago, the area was completely empty.
"W-Who are you?!"
Ijichi was greatly alarmed and immediately adopted a defensive posture.
"A kind-hearted citizen who happened to be passing by."
Zhou Ye answered casually, his gaze piercing through the black "tent" and directly seeing the scene inside the domain.
"Tsk tsk, sure enough, they've already started fighting. That kid named Itadori got his hand chopped off, poor thing."
The scene he described sent a chill down Ichiji's spine. He couldn't see what was happening inside at all; how did the other person know?
"What exactly are you all...?"
"Don't be nervous, we're here to deal with this trouble," Zhou Ye said to the girls beside her, ignoring him completely.
"Alright, second lesson of the live demonstration. See that? This is what's called a domain? A space materialized from the inner world of a cursed spirit. Theoretically, within one's domain, a cursed spirit is invincible. Now, who can tell me how to break this theory?"
“Use stronger forces or more advanced rules to cover it up.”
Jill answered succinctly, a technologically advanced heavy rifle already appearing in her hand.
"Use incomprehensible phenomena to shake the very foundation of its existence, causing it to collapse on its own."
Kasumigaoka Utaha adjusted her glasses and analyzed like a scholar.
Yotsuya saw the child and whispered:
"Find... what it fears most, and scare it to death? The original form of the cursed spirit was indeed a human, so what kind of cursed spirit could scare it to death?"
Zhou Ye laughed and said, "They're all right, but they're all too troublesome."
He extended a finger and pointed it at the huge black "tent".
"The simplest way to deal with this kind of low-level spatial law is to directly format it and everything in it from the root."
A barely perceptible stream of purple data flashed past the fingertip.
Boom——!
The next second, that huge "tent" that isolated the inside from the outside, along with the entire living space inside, collapsed and vanished instantly like a soap bubble that had been popped, with a dull thud.
The space that was originally covered by the domain was once again exposed to the moonlight.
On the open ground of the juvenile academy, Itadori Yuujin, Fushiguro Megumi, and Kugizaki Nobara stood, covered in wounds, staring in shock at what lay before them. The special-grade cursed spirit that had driven them to their doom remained in an attacking stance, its body crumbling like weathered rock, turning to ashes.
Kiyotaka Ijichi was completely dumbfounded. He stared at the mind-blowing scene before him, unable to utter a single word.
The domain... just like that... is gone?
"Alright, the trash has been cleaned up."
Zhou Ye clapped his hands and led the girls over leisurely, as if he had only done a trivial thing.
Fu Hei Hui was the first to react. He looked at Zhou Ye and his group warily and asked in a deep voice, "Did you do this? Who are you people?"
"Sky Dome International, here to retrieve a top-grade cursed artifact." Kasumigaoka Utaha answered on her behalf, her gaze falling on a withered, ugly finger that had fallen to the ground after the cursed spirit dissipated.
Yuujin Itadori looked at his arm, which had just been severed by the cursed spirit but was now completely unharmed, and then at the group of mysterious figures in front of him, his mind a little blank.
"Wait, you're the ones who saved us?"
He scratched his head and asked.
Just then, Sukuna within Itadori Yuujin's body seemed to sense something that greatly displeased him. A mouth suddenly split open on Itadori's cheek, speaking in an ancient and evil tone: "Oh? Where did this trash come from, daring to play with space in front of me?"
However, before he could finish speaking, Zhou Ye's gaze swept over him.
What kind of look is that?
There was no anger, no murderous intent, only pure, condescending indifference. Like a programmer looking at a piece of buggy code.
"Noisy."
Zhou Ye simply uttered two words.
The mouth on Itajō's face vanished without a trace, as if a mute button had been pressed or an invisible force had forcibly sewn it shut. No matter how much Sukuna roared within him, he could no longer utter a sound, and even his consciousness was suppressed back to its deepest depths by an irresistible force.
"!!!"
This move, even more terrifying than the instant destruction of the domain just now, sent chills down Fushiguro Megumi's spine.
Suppressing... Two-Faced Sukuna?!
Are you kidding me! That's the King of Curses! Even Gojo-sensei could only temporarily suppress him when Itadori had control of his body. And this person, with just a glance...
Zhou Ye ignored their shock, walked up to the finger, bent down and picked it up.
He examined this so-called "top-grade cursed object" as if it were an interesting antique.
"A small fragment of the soul is attached to the adipocere biological tissue, maintaining its own activity by absorbing negative energy... Hmm, the structure is quite stable, but the energy conversion efficiency is too low, and there is a design flaw."
His casual remark made Fushiguro Megumi and Ijichi feel like they're listening to gibberish.
"Hey! Give that thing back to us!"
Kugizaki Nobara finally couldn't hold back any longer; she raised her hammer and nails.
"That's not something you should touch!"
Zhou Ye glanced at her and smiled.
“Little girl, don’t point your toys at me. Also, from now on, all these dangerous cursed objects will be kept in custody by our Sky Dome International Global Anomalous Assets Management Council. You, as experts in cursed arts, have neither the ability nor the qualification to possess them.”
He tossed his fingers around casually, then put them in his pocket.
"Go back and tell your supervisor that times have changed."
"Oh my, you've got quite the big mouth."
A flippant yet oppressive voice suddenly rang out in the room.
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
Suddenly, a white-haired man wearing a black eye patch appeared in front of Zhou Ye, as if he had been standing there all along.
He had his hands in his pockets, a playful smile on his lips, but his eyes, hidden behind the blindfold, seemed to see right through everything.
It was none other than Gojo Satoru, the strongest in the world of sorcery.
His appearance relieved both Fushiguro Megumi and Kugizaki Nobara.
"Teacher Gojo!"