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"Uh—so you're saying those Japanese guys are trying to sneak into China and cause trouble again? Heh—I've been itching to meet those punks! I want to avenge our Celestial Thunder Society seniors! I'll blast them to Aunt Amaterasu with heavenly thunder!" Jade Swann's eyes sparkled. Several top cultivators from the Celestial Thunder Society had heroically died fighting the Japanese Showa Special Task Force years ago.
Shawn Young was startled by this and quickly asked, puzzled, "Wait—really? Our country isn't like those warlord chaos days anymore. Even if the Japanese sneak in, there's no way they could pull off something that big, right? Could their plan actually work!?"
Dragon King stayed silent and nodded at Sherry Shawn, who explained, "Of course the Japanese can't pull off something huge, but as long as they reach their goals, they'll do it in secret! According to our intel, the Japanese 'Showa Imperial Project' was interrupted by the end of WWII, but it never really stopped. The plan is just too tempting, so even after half a century, Japan's military and government can't let it go. They've been secretly researching and revising it this whole time. In recent years, their activities have picked up!"
"Oh, so the Japanese are already making moves? Sherry, do you know what sneaky stuff they're up to?" Jade Swann asked excitedly.
Sherry Shawn said, "Based on what we know, the new version of the Japanese 'Showa Imperial Project' has changed a lot of tactics, but the main goal is still the same!"
"So how are the Japanese planning to pull off this new version of the 'Showa Imperial Project'?" Shawn Young pressed.
"They're after something they've always wanted. In recent years, China has opened up to foreign investment, and Japanese conglomerates have poured in huge amounts of money to set up businesses and factories. Most of these big companies have government backing, and while most are legit, a small number have other motives. These people enter China as businessmen, but under the guise of investment, they're actually gathering intelligence—basically spying. Among them are operatives preparing the groundwork for the 'Showa Imperial Project!'" Sherry Shawn explained.
"What's the Japanese endgame here?!" Shawn Young asked again.
"Good question—see, the Japanese have always had a strong sense of crisis, and they've viewed China as their biggest rival and threat! The purpose of their plan is obvious: not only to snatch China's treasures, but also to keep sabotaging China's ley lines! But because of history, they never found the location of the most important Leyline Core, so they had to retreat back to Japan. Now, they're trying to make a comeback!" Sherry Shawn explained.
"Treasures? China's Leyline Core? Do those things really exist in our country? I always thought they were just old legends," Jade Swann asked curiously.
Dragon King nodded and said, "Those old stories have always been a mix of truth and myth, but the treasures and ley lines are real! Rumor has it—the biggest stash the Japanese want is buried right in the Leyline Core they're trying to destroy! That treasure isn't just worth a fortune; it even contains a few items the Japanese are obsessed with! The problem is, the Japanese have more intel than we do—we're actually behind them!"
"Huh? How come the Japanese have more intel than us?" Shawn Young wondered aloud.
"Sigh—it’s because those two survivors from the old Showa Special Task Force, Grandmaster Simon Hattori and Masumi Nagakawa, took it back to Japan! That squad collected a ton of top-secret info during their time in China, all written in a little notebook. Hattori and Nagakawa fought their way out and smuggled the notebook back to Japan! That notebook is so valuable, the Japanese can't forget about restarting the Showa Imperial Project—they want to finish their so-called 'unfinished grand achievement!'" Dragon King explained with regret.
"Huh—so it's true what they say, 'If you don't finish off the tiger, you'll regret it later!' So now the Japanese have more intel than us, and if they sneak in under different identities and act in secret, we’ll never fully track them. So, what should we do about it?" Jade Swann cut straight to the point.
"Yeah, that's the real problem we're facing right now—but thanks to the Japanese ramping up their activities lately, we've managed to follow the clues and finally got our hands on some critical intel!" Dragon King said.
"Oh? What intel?" Jade Swann asked eagerly.
"This thing is way too complicated and has huge implications, so the Japanese won’t reach their goal anytime soon. Our strategy is to play the long game—let’s fish with a long line!" Dragon King said, then turned to Lean Tiger & Fat Dragon: "Why don’t you two share what you’ve found lately?"
Fat Dragon, Leo Bright, stood up, scratched his head, and said, "Here’s the deal—while we were on missions around the country, we found people using freshly dead bodies for cultivation, especially those who died in accidents! Then Gavin and I followed the trail and discovered it was the Nine Chrysanthemums Society's technique!!"
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Lean Tiger added, "That's right. Our brothers in Hong Kong found people absorbing evil spirits in cemeteries for cultivation. Turns out—it's linked to the escaped Andrew Qi!"
Shawn Young was shocked, flashes of that demonic eight-armed monster crossed his mind, and he blurted out, "Ah! Has 'Iron Monkey' Andrew Qi shown up again?!"
Fat Dragon, Leo Bright, nodded and said, "Yep, that guy's probably hiding out in Hong Kong. What's weird is, his cultivation technique even shows traces of the Heavenly Master Order's corpse-driving magic! Could he be practicing the Heavenly Master arts now?"
Just then, a powerful male voice boomed outside the tent: "That's impossible—I've already investigated. Besides Andrew Qi, the one using the Heavenly Master Order's corpse-driving magic is actually my fellow disciple, Master Wuxiang—the traitor!"
Everyone turned to look outside and saw a tall, imposing elder walking into the tent—it was none other than Howard Tiger, the number two of the National Paranormal Task Force!
Shawn Young was stunned. Seeing Dragon King and Howard Tiger, the two top leaders of the National Paranormal Task Force together, he could feel that whatever was about to happen would be earth-shattering!
"I just got back from Hong Kong. Here's the deal—according to what I found, these survivors, whether it's Andrew Qi or the traitor Master Wuxiang, have teamed up with the Japanese to achieve their own goals! On top of that, some criminal gangs have gotten involved too!" Howard Tiger announced.
"Whoa—so they've basically formed a League of Villains!!" Shawn Young couldn't help but exclaim.