Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 631 - 572: The Thief

Armed helicopters shuttled back and forth in the city’s night sky, the beams of their searchlights like giant fingers, sweeping through each dark alley.

The Security Police, Self-Defense Force, and US Army’s armored vehicles patrolled the streets. They set up checkpoints at intersections to inspect pedestrians’ identification documents—be it driver’s licenses, national health insurance cards, passports, or student IDs.

Li Ang, lacking any identification, observed the defensive strength at the intersection and immediately turned away.

He could have forced his way through the checkpoint, but that would have resulted in an immediate lock-on from low-orbit surveillance satellites, followed by the swift arrival of armed helicopters.

He needed to find a place to hide and recuperate first...

Li Ang observed the crowd through his sunglasses, and an idea quickly formed.

He turned onto a commercial pedestrian street. Despite the late hour, it was still bustling with fashionably dressed young men and women. They weren’t out by choice; traffic congestion had forced them to walk.

Li Ang stealthily approached three high school girls in plaid skirts and flicked a thin line from his hand, hooking the waist bag of one of them.

The thin line moved agilely, silently unzipping the waist bag and extracting the wallet from inside.

Aside from a little paper money and change, the wallet contained a student ID bearing the name Hagiwara Jin, along with her family photos.

"Miss, please wait a moment."

Li Ang closed the wallet and caught up to them. The three high school girls turned around, confused.

Li Ang stopped, pulled down his scarf, and offered the gentlest smile he could muster. "This wallet fell on the ground," he said to the girl in the middle. "I believe it’s yours, isn’t it?"

"Huh?" The pretty girl glanced at her open-zipped waist bag, took the wallet in surprise, and checked that the family photo inside hadn’t been lost. She immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank you so much! The photos in the wallet are very important to me." Holding the photo to her heart with both hands, she bowed sincerely. "I don’t know how I can ever thank you."

"How about treating me to a meal?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Ang regretted them. He had meant to ask, Could you lend me your phone to make a call? But perhaps because he was so hungry, he had blurted out, "treat me to a meal" instead.

"Huh?!" Not only did Hagiwara Jin step back in surprise, but her two companions also stared at him, astonished.

Though gratitude for finding a wallet was expected, asking for a reward so bluntly seemed a bit...

One misstep can lead to a lifetime of regret. To think that I, a so-called Superpower User, would sink so low as to leverage someone’s gratitude to get a young girl to buy me a meal.

Filled with regret, Li Ang quietly followed the three high school girls to a small izakaya by the roadside with a sign displaying the name "Kazutomo."

The izakaya wasn’t large, with only six tables. The liquor cabinet was stocked with sake, soju, beer, and plum wine.

The owner, a man with a somewhat fierce expression, was holding his car keys, apparently about to leave. Seeing someone lift the entrance curtain, he said reflexively, "Sorry, we’re closed..."

"I’m home!" Hagiwara Jin announced as she entered, casually hanging her waist bag on a wall hook. Her two friends greeted the owner with, "Hello, Uncle," and followed her inside.

"Why are you back so late?" the owner asked his daughter, his voice tinged with helplessness. "It’s chaotic out there. Your mother’s been worried sick."

"There’s traffic control, so we had to walk back. We stopped at the pharmacy on the way to get medicine for Mom. Sanae-chan and Liu Li’s homes are quite far, so they’ll be staying here tonight. Oh, and this is Mr. John Smith." Hagiwara Jin quickly explained Li Ang’s situation.

The shop owner looked at Li Ang with equal surprise, then nodded. "My daughter is much obliged for your help, sir. What would you like to eat?"

Li Ang, his face now sporting a beard fashioned from Elemental Material and using the alias John Smith, coughed awkwardly. "Oh, it was nothing... Just make something simple with whatever scraps you have left in the kitchen."

"I couldn’t possibly do that." The owner shook his head, insisting on giving Li Ang a menu. He only went to the kitchen to prepare the meal after Li Ang had ordered.

Hagiwara Jin and her two friends had gone upstairs, leaving Li Ang alone in the store.

He scratched his head, sat at the counter, and picked up the landline phone.

Who should I call? The embassy’s lines are definitely monitored. Calling them would get me located immediately...

After a moment’s thought, Li Ang first dialed 010 for the international prefix, then 86 for the country code, and finally the private phone number.

BEEP... BEEP...

A moment later, the call connected, and Li Leqing’s voice came through the receiver, "Hello?"

"Hello? Miss Li, it’s me, Li Ang."

Li Ang silently sighed in relief, glad he hadn’t dialed the wrong number.

"Mr. Li Ang, are you all right in Tokyo? I heard on TV that there’s been a terrorist attack there."

"I’m fine," Li Ang said with a wry smile. "I’m really sorry to bother you at this time, but Miss Li, you wouldn’t happen to know any high-ranking officials in the Yin City Government, would you?"

"Huh?" Li Leqing was taken aback by Li Ang’s question, pausing before responding. "Well... I wouldn’t say I know them personally, but my family has business dealings with the government. I can probably get in touch."

Large conglomerates paid substantial taxes annually and sometimes collaborated with local governments on projects, making it possible to contact relevant people when necessary.

"Here’s the thing," Li Ang began, taking a deep breath. He quickly recounted his experiences over the past few hours. "...Long story short, I’m currently wanted by the Self-Defense Force and the US Forces in Japan. Judging by the armed helicopters and armored vehicles patrolling the city, they wouldn’t hesitate to open fire in urban areas to capture me. Could you explain my situation to the officials? You’re the only one I can trust right now."

The line went silent for a moment. Li Leqing was clearly shocked by this story of meteorite parasites and a manhunt by the US Army.

"Okay, okay. I’ll ask my family and find a contact."

"Thank you. If you need proof, the meteorite on the shoe cabinet by my front door is it. A long international call might be monitored, so I’ll hang up now."

Li Ang hung up the phone. Just then, the store owner brought out the meal.

The meal started with appetizers: sea snails, edamame, and cold tofu. Then came salmon sashimi, grilled chicken wings and chicken meatball skewers, Guandong stew, and tea-infused rice (chazuke).

"I’m truly grateful." Li Ang pressed his palms together in a gesture of thanks, then picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

"Here, some home-brewed beer from my hometown." The owner, whose fierce appearance belied his surprisingly gentle and refined demeanor, brought over a chilled beer, placed it on Li Ang’s table, and began to chat idly.

"Are you also a fan of ’Death Sabbath’?"

"Huh?" Li Ang was momentarily nonplussed. He saw the owner point at the skull-patterned baseball cap he was wearing and then it clicked. "Oh, yeah, I am."

’Death Sabbath’? Is that a band?