Yama Reborn-Chapter 411 - 408 [Disobey and I’ll Kill You]

Chapter 408: Disobey, and I’ll Kill You

Chen Nuo understood that his threat had been ignored.

Alright, although it was somewhat irritating... it was normal, too.

This life was not his past life.

In his previous life, as Yama, a prominent figure among the world’s top tycoons, he and his organization were indeed renowned.

But in this life, no such person or organization existed.

If I were the boss of the Octopus Monster and suddenly saw an unknown small organization emerge, threatening me... my first reaction would be: Who are you?

Well then, reputation.

It always had to be accumulated bit by bit. Sometimes, especially in the Underground World, such reputation needed to be built with lives and battle records.

As for lives, one or two were not enough; many, many more were needed.

Even ordinary lives wouldn’t suffice; the lives of people with sufficient influence were required.

That was how Chen Nuo understood it, and that was how he acted.

In his past life, he had also come up this way.

However, this life’s "show of strength" campaign had run into trouble from the very beginning, like a punch thrown into thin air.

「Three days. Three days passed.」

Based on his knowledge of the Octopus Monster’s internal situation from his past life, Chen Nuo attempted to find three elders he knew.

To his shock, all three were dead!

All had died within the past year, and their publicly announced causes of death varied.

One had a sudden illness, another a car accident, and the most absurd was one supposedly swept away by waves while surfing...

That was utter nonsense.

The elder said to have been swept away while surfing had once been a renowned water-type Ability User!

Chen Nuo clearly realized that a turmoil he was unaware of must have occurred within the Octopus Monster.

This turmoil must have been bloody and violent, like a raging storm, to have toppled so many members of the Elders’ Council, who stood at the apex of the Octopus Monster’s power pyramid.

And what was even more subtle...

After realizing this drastic change within the Octopus Monster, Chen Nuo became aware of something else...

The timeline of this life had significantly deviated from his past life.

Because the three elders Chen Nuo had sought, only to find them dead...

In his past life, at this point in 2002, they had all been alive and well, holding great power!

But now, at this point in 2002, all three were dead!

Furthermore, Chen Nuo understood that the recent upheaval within the Octopus Monster might not have claimed only these three elders—he had just happened to investigate these three.

Perhaps more had died.

In his past life, right up until his own death, no such upheaval had occurred within the Octopus Monster.

So... these significant changes within the Octopus Monster, this huge deviation in the timeline.

What was the reason?

Looking at the timeline, Chen Nuo discovered that the deaths of these three elders he investigated—at least their publicly announced times of death—all occurred after the failure of the Antarctica mission!

Chen Nuo was actually a bit conflicted.

Even though he had been Lord Yanluo in his past life, a top figure in the Underground World’s food chain and an honored guest of the Octopus Monster.

Chen Nuo didn’t know many of the Octopus Monster’s internal secrets.

Knowing the details of a few elders was information he had slowly gathered over many years of contact.

Most of the other elders, Chen Nuo couldn’t find and didn’t know about.

Oh, right...

Chen Nuo mused, Actually, there’s one more elder.

Alright, Chen Nuo did indeed know the identity and details of one more elder.

She was also the last elder whose background he knew.

However...

Chen Nuo sighed. Forget it. In my past life, when I dealt with her, she had already retired. That interaction was a personal favor, brokered by a friend. The Underground World has its rules. Since she’s retired, I shouldn’t go troubling a retired old lady.

He had always considered himself a man of principle, one who abided by the rules.

So, it was time to think of another way.

「In a rural area of Iceland.」

Behind a wooden manor.

On the original farmland, crops were growing vigorously.

After October, Iceland’s weather and temperature were generally unsuitable for most crop growth.

Yet, at this moment, such a strange scene was unfolding.

Most of the farmland lay barren and desolate, but near the wooden manor, a patch of purple cabbage and a field of corn were thriving with vibrant life.

There were no artificial greenhouses or protective coverings.

They were exposed directly to the elements.

But the surrounding cold seemed to be held back by an invisible, vibrant energy at the field’s edge.

Stepping into this field, one would immediately feel the air fill with a warmth that uplifted the spirit.

The burly Electric General, his trouser legs rolled up, wearing a pair of old shoes, walked through the field like an old farmer, occasionally bending down to inspect the purple cabbages at his feet.

A moment later, on his way back, his bag held two cabbages and several ears of corn he had picked.

Bai Jing, who appeared to have regained the looks of a woman in her thirties, stood by the edge of the field. Wrapped in a hand-knitted blanket, she smiled as she watched the Electric General return with his bounty.

When the Electric General reached her, Bai Jing glanced at his harvest and nodded. "They seem to be growing well—your strength must have recovered significantly. You’re probably close to your peak again, aren’t you?"

The Electric General smiled, grunted an affirmation, and reached out to touch Bai Jing’s cheek.

His fingers were still dirty with soil, but Bai Jing didn’t seem to mind at all, allowing the dirt to smudge her clean face. Her gaze only softened further.

"I’ll have someone shuck the corn and tear off some cabbage leaves. We can make a vegetable salad for dinner, with dressing I made myself."

"Sounds good, but leave a few ears of corn for me." The Electric General looked up at the sky, tilted his head thoughtfully, and smiled. "Just husk them, wash them, and boil them in a pot of water. Eat them just like that when they’re cooked?"

"Hmm?"

"Yes, just like that. They’re very fragrant. Oh, and leave a few more. Husk them; I want to roast those too."

Bai Jing didn’t object, smiling. "Did you learn these ways of eating corn when you were in Mexico and South America?"

"No... I learned it from an Asian," the Electric General said, shaking his head with a smile.

The two of them walked back to the wooden house together.

The original nurse and housemaids in the wooden house had all been replaced.

The new staff, of course, would not know the former appearances or identities of the master and mistress of the house.

Nor would they know that this seemingly loving, middle-aged couple from different countries once had a relationship of an old woman and her adopted Asian son.

Back in the house, they washed their hands together. Bai Jing even personally took a towel to help the Electric General dry his face and hands.

Then, she suddenly said, "The company contacted me again."

"Hmm, who was it this time? Still that turncoat?"

"...That fellow is no longer a turncoat. He’s the BOSS’s number one lapdog now. I heard that during the recent purge, he personally executed several colleagues to demonstrate his loyalty to the BOSS."

"Will your BOSS believe him?"

"It doesn’t matter if he believes him or not. For the BOSS, what’s in one’s heart isn’t important, as long as one shows absolute obedience—even if it’s faked. If you can keep up the pretense for a lifetime, the BOSS finds that acceptable."

The Electric General nodded, then suddenly spoke in a language somewhat unfamiliar to Bai Jing.

"Judge by actions, not by heart; for if you judge by heart, you’ll find no good men."

Bai Jing raised an eyebrow. "Is that Huaxia language?"

"Yes, and it’s ancient Huaxia," the Electric General chuckled. "I also learned it from an old Huaxia friend—the same one who taught me how to eat corn."

"How come I’ve never heard you mention an old friend from Huaxia before?"

"Ah, it was a very, very long time ago, so long that I’d almost forgotten. It’s only recently, with the gardening, that I suddenly remembered him." Electric General waved his hand dismissively. "So," he continued, "what did the company say this time? Do they want you back? Did they offer better terms?"

Bai Jing’s expression was somewhat complicated. She looked at the Electric General quietly and slowly said,

"The BOSS wants to see me personally."

The Electric General then raised his eyebrows, glanced at Bai Jing, and then laughed. "Now... this is getting interesting."

「Chen Nuo had come up with a way to rescue Xicheng Xun.」

And this method was very simple, very direct.

He dialed a phone number he remembered.

The call connected after only three rings.

Yes, the old rule still applies. If no one answers after three rings, it’s a serious dereliction of duty... The Octopus Monster’s internal training is as reliable as ever.

After the connection, however, there was silence from the other end. Both sides remained quiet for a second.

Chen Nuo chuckled. Without bothering to hide his Huaxia accent, he slightly altered his voice and said directly in Huaxia, "Senior Consultant Code: X00...917."

Chen Nuo naturally had a senior consultant code in his previous life—but he wasn’t using his own now, as he wasn’t a senior consultant in this life. The number he reported was...

Well, it wasn’t Lu Xixi’s.

It belonged to that old bastard, the Son of the Sun!

Instantly, an enthusiastic voice came from the other end.

"We’re delighted to receive your call, esteemed Senior Consultant! The Senior Consultant Service Center is always eager to serve you. How may we assist you?"

The tone was impeccably respectful and polite. And because Chen Nuo had spoken in Huaxia, the respondent also used standard Huaxia Mandarin!

This was the service center that the Octopus Monster had invested heavily in creating, specifically for its "Senior Consultants."

In his past life, Chen Nuo had frequently dealt with these people.

This department was established by the Octopus Monster to curry favor with the world’s top Controllers, paying them at least ten million US Dollars each annually as consultant fees, and occasionally requesting their services for certain tasks.

More often, however, the service center’s function was simply to cater to these powerful individuals.

Not every major figure had their own vast organization and team.

In the Underground World, there were also powerful individuals who preferred to operate solo, without an organization.

And the service center’s motto was essentially one thing: serve the powerful.

To satisfy all their reasonable, and even unreasonable, minor lifestyle requests to the best of their ability.

For example, if you were trekking through a wild African desert and suddenly craved a bowl of deep-sea cod soup at night, what would you do?

Call the Senior Consultant Service Center, provide your coordinates, and they would airdrop a serving to you as quickly as possible!

And this service was free of charge.

No joke.

The Octopus Monster’s senior service center had a slogan:

Make it happen!

As far as Chen Nuo knew, the annual budget the Octopus Monster allocated to this department—to satisfy the various bizarre requests of its senior consultants—actually exceeded the official consultant fees paid out each year.

Moreover, Chen Nuo knew that many Controllers were individuals with peculiar tastes.

For instance, that old scoundrel, the Son of the Sun, often had the service center search for and purchase all sorts of local biscuits for him during his travels around the world.

Sometimes, they were even responsible for finding him women.

This, too, was no joke.

To satisfy the demands of the senior consultants, the service center operated with almost no bottom line, sometimes even inhumanely!

In its efforts to woo these human Controllers, the Octopus Monster seemed to disregard both cost and method.

Of course, the service center’s functions were limited to "lifestyle needs."

For example, if you wanted the service center to help you blow up that big, white house, that was out of the question.

Oh, right... there was also one complex function.

The one Chen Nuo needed right now.

"Highest priority communication," Chen Nuo said, his voice as indifferent as he could make it.

A second of silence, then the operator’s voice seemed to become a little tense. "...Please wait, I’ll connect you now... but I cannot guarantee it will go through, as you know..."

"I know," Chen Nuo replied quickly.

The line went through a brief connection sequence...

Chen Nuo waited patiently.

This time, the call took a good ten seconds or more to finally connect.

Chen Nuo smiled—his luck wasn’t bad.

This person’s line wasn’t always available; he often didn’t answer his calls.

In fact, the "highest priority communication" connected to the Octopus Monster itself.

No one knew who he was, or even if he was human (many powerful individuals privately suspected this).

But even during the years he lived in seclusion, not even managing the Octopus Monster’s internal affairs, he never severed communication channels with his senior consultants.

Even when members of the Elders’ Council couldn’t reach this BOSS, many senior consultants and prominent Controllers could call the Octopus Monster directly.

Furthermore, besides connecting through the service center, Chen Nuo knew that among the senior consultants, there were a select few, the VIPs among VIPs.

That is, a very small number of the most elite figures didn’t need to go through the service center; they had private numbers to directly call the Octopus Monster!

However, this privilege...

In his previous life, as far as Chen Nuo knew, only two senior consultants possessed it.

One was Lu Xixi.

The other... well, it wasn’t Chen Nuo himself.

Nor was it the Wizard.

Chen Nuo still didn’t know who the other person with this privilege was.

The moment the call connected, Chen Nuo cleared his throat.

Then, a voice, like an electronic synthesis, cold and monotonous, came from the other end:

"What is it, Mr. Son of the Sun."

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and decided not to bother imitating the Son of the Sun’s voice. He said with a smile, "I am not the Son of the Sun."

"It doesn’t matter who you are. Since you got through, you can state your business."

"Your company recently apprehended a girl named Xicheng Xun at Narita Airport in Japan. Release her. I owe her boss a favor."

After a few seconds of silence, the Octopus Monster’s monotonous voice replied, "I refuse. I will not easily interfere with the company’s normal operations—and you should not make such a request. Senior consultants receive the company’s highest privileges, but that does not include the authority to interfere in company affairs."

Chen Nuo listened and smiled silently.

However, the Octopus Monster’s next words surprised Chen Nuo.

"Especially you, Son of the Sun, or an agent of the Son of the Sun—whatever you are. You, of all people, should understand this rule. It’s part of the contract we signed. Your request crosses the line."

"She’s an insignificant little girl who was just curiously investigating your company. An intelligence breach," Chen Nuo said slowly.

"Rules are rules. I refuse."

Chen Nuo sighed. "Then... let’s make a deal."

"I know of a deep-sea octopus. I’ll catch it and give it to you. In exchange, you release the girl. And you must promise that from now on, no one in your organization, no department, will investigate or interfere with her or anything related to her. Completely cut off! Sealed! Do you understand what I mean?"

After another three seconds of silence, the Octopus Monster began, "I refu—"

"That octopus is over a hundred meters in diameter, as big as a stadium!"

「Xicheng Xun and Nolan sat face to face at the dining table, eating.」

Steak, served with...

Well, it was still damn Coke.

Xicheng Xun listlessly picked at her food with her knife and fork, an unhappy expression on her face.

"What’s wrong? Don’t like your new hairstyle?" Nolan smiled, cut a piece of beef, and put it in his mouth. After chewing thoroughly, he said, "You know, your Japanese Wagyu beef, for all its hype, is just so-so."

"That’s because you can have it whenever you want. No matter how good something is, if you can get it easily, there’s no joy in obtaining it," Xicheng Xun said coolly.

Nolan listened, nodded thoughtfully. "That’s very true... No wonder I’ve been increasingly unhappy this past year. I can get anything I want now, do things I couldn’t even imagine before. But I find it more and more meaningless."

He glanced at the girl’s expression. "Do you really dislike the new hairstyle, or is it the food here? If you don’t like it, we can change it. You can have anything you want to eat, just ask."

Xicheng Xun sneered. "I know. Even if I said I wanted to eat what the President of M Country is having for lunch today, you could make a call and have the White House kitchen prepare an identical meal for me and send it over, right?"

"Correct. And if they unfortunately only made one serving and didn’t have enough ingredients, I could make that fellow go hungry and eat something else, then let you enjoy his lunch. How about that? Isn’t it interesting?"

Nolan seemed to be smiling quite happily.

Xicheng Xun was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "Fine. Then I want to eat the rice cake soup my father used to make."

"...That’s simple. I’ll send someone to bring your father here right now." Nolan casually picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. "Give me the address. Within an hour at most..."

"My father passed away several years ago."

"..." Nolan slowly put down his knife and fork.

He looked at Xicheng Xun quietly, then coughed lightly. "Well then, where are your father’s remains, or where is he buried? You know, we possess the latest, most advanced cloning technology, as well as genetically accelerated rapid growth techniques. If you’re willing, in three years at most, we can create someone exactly identical to your father..."

"Damn it!!!"

Xicheng Xun’s eyebrows shot up in anger. She screamed, and the knife and fork in her hand flew towards Nolan’s face. Nolan quickly raised his hand to block them and sat up straight at the table.

Xicheng Xun’s chest heaved, her face ashen. After a few deep breaths, she took another forceful breath and slowly sat back down.

"...If you try to provoke me with such disgusting and rude words again, to anger me..."

Nolan sighed. "Such a clever girl. Your reactions are a bit too quick. However... very clever children often don’t live to grow up."

"I don’t care."

"So, still nothing to say today?" Nolan smiled. "For example, about that accomplice of yours who publicly threatened me? The one who single-handedly dismantled Japan’s asset management center and demolished a building with his bare hands. What level of Ability User is he? According to on-site records, he could easily crush sixteen load-bearing structures of a staircase with Telekinesis. Such sensing power and destructive force."

"He must be a Destroyer, and a top-tier one at that, right?"

"Usually, such Destroyers, especially those of the Spiritual type, are considered potential Controller Seeds for the future."

"Spiritual-type Ability Users are known to break through cultivation barriers more easily than other types of Ability Users; this is widely acknowledged."

"Such a promising accomplice... surely you don’t want to see him stubbornly oppose the Octopus Monster with you, only to... die prematurely before he can become an even more outstanding top figure in the future?"

Xicheng Xun sneered and said nothing.

"Alright." Nolan smiled. "Then, that’s all for today. See you at lunch tomorrow."

Xicheng Xun remained silent, her eyes and mouth closed.

"Little girl, my patience isn’t actually very good. Although I speak to you politely, I have a strong murderous intent, and... I can be a bit sadistic when I kill. This tendency has been getting worse over the past year."

Nolan said coolly, "Once my patience runs out, I won’t speak to you so politely. I’ll resort to crueler methods, you know."

Xicheng Xun still said nothing.

"You don’t need to fantasize about your companion saving you. I’m the one calling the shots in the Octopus Monster right now... To forcibly rescue someone from the Octopus Monster... unless you gather several of the world’s current top Controllers and have them attack together."

"Is my secret so important to you?" Xicheng Xun suddenly spoke. "You’re in a high position with great power. According to you, you can do whatever you want within the Octopus Monster, even disregarding the Elders’ Council."

"You should report directly to your big BOSS."

"Perhaps you’re even your big BOSS’s agent."

"So, me, a nobody who investigated some minor secrets of the Octopus Monster, without even uncovering anything truly significant—am I worth your personal attention, to the point of pursuing me relentlessly?"

"In my understanding, people like you shouldn’t care about such minor cases."

"Or even if you did get personally involved, with a stubborn little character like me, you wouldn’t have so much patience. If you couldn’t get answers, you’d immediately resort to harsh interrogation."

"Even killing me wouldn’t be much of a loss to you."

"Just an insignificant person from a small, insignificant organization."

Nolan smiled. "That’s my business. I do as I please and don’t need to explain it to you. You should think about what smarter attitude to adopt when you face me tomorrow."

Nolan smiled smugly, but the next second, his phone rang.

He took it out, looked at the caller ID, and his expression immediately turned serious. He answered quickly.

"Hello, Mr. Kamisou Ichiro."

"Hello, Mr. Nolan."

"May I ask why you’re calling..."

"You’ve captured a Japanese girl named Xicheng Xun," Kamisou Ichiro said, his tone very gentle.

Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Yes, it’s a case, and the situation is..."

"Not important," Kamisou Ichiro interrupted.

Nolan immediately fell silent, abandoning any thought of reporting.

Information about investigating the company, even dismantling the Asia Asset Management Center in Japan... none of it matters anymore.

Since this boss said "not important," then it was not important!

Kamisou Ichiro said slowly, "All materials, all files related to her... I mean all of them. Destroy them immediately. Also, prohibit anyone in the company, any department, from further investigating anything related to her. This matter, from this moment on, is to be completely sealed, severed. Do you understand my meaning?"

"..."

"Treat her well. Give her the highest level of courtesy. In five days, I will call you. Then I will tell you what to do."

"..."

Nolan took a deep breath and said slowly, "When you say ’anyone, any department,’ does that include me?"

"Are you a member of the company?" Kamisou Ichiro asked gently in return.

"...I understand your meaning," Nolan said slowly. "But what if I have an objection?"

On the other end of the line, Kamisou Ichiro suddenly laughed.

He sounded extremely pleased.

"Mr. Nolan, in my memory, you are not the first tool to be used in the role you are currently playing."

"I have used other tools before. But I regret not telling you an unfortunate truth when we first spoke."

"That is, after sitting in such a position for too long, the inherent weaknesses of human nature lead people to develop a ridiculous and subtle delusion."

"They begin to feel as if they are truly omnipotent, or that they are exceptionally important."

"But they forget that all that great power, the power to give and take, is bestowed by others."

"This delusion makes them think that the power is in their own hands."

"Believe me, you are not the first to harbor such a delusion."

"I have used many ’tools’ before, and regrettably, most of them eventually developed this delusion."

"And those from the Elders’ Council who died—they were all exceptionally capable individuals in their lifetime."

"Their only mistake was sitting in those positions for far too long, growing accustomed to wielding such power. Then, day by day, they developed similar delusions."

"So, you are not the first to show me such tendencies, and you certainly won’t be the last."

"But I sincerely hope that this is the first time you have shown such a tendency towards me."

"And also the last."

"I personally quite enjoy working with you. You are more interesting than the other tools. The things you’ve done recently have been very imaginative."

"So, I truly do not wish to see you end up like your predecessors... and those elders from the Elders’ Council."

"Out of our acquaintance, and my admiration for you, I am making an exception to say these things."

"Well, have I made myself clear enough?"

Indeed, the tone was gentle, even carrying the peacefulness of a discussion between friends.

But the message was very direct:

Disobey, and you’re dead.

After silently hanging up, Nolan turned and frowningly scrutinized Xicheng Xun from head to toe.

"What is it?" Xicheng Xun frowned.

"Both Japanese... You wouldn’t happen to be that fellow’s illegitimate daughter, would you?"

[Another night of burning the midnight oil to write and update.

I’ve been working hard to maintain stable updates these past few days, which has meant staying up late.

I’m a bit embarrassed to say this: I’m taking tomorrow off.

I have work during the day tomorrow, and a very important social engagement in the evening. It will likely run late, and there will be drinking (unavoidable at year’s end), so I really won’t have time to write tomorrow.

I genuinely can’t save up a backlog. For example, I wrote eight thousand characters today and posted all of it, instead of posting six thousand and saving two thousand. Being like this, it’s really hard for me to have any Chapters in reserve.]