Victory: The Ambition of the Steel Ants

Chapter 12: A Bloody Battle

Chapter 11: A Bloody Battle No sooner had Tada finished his oath than Yun Liu, in an attempt to conceal the 15-centimeter-long ant, hurled the meteorite and the ant together. His aim was slightly off, making the throw seem half-hearted. The meteorite flew toward him slowly. Unlike a thrown dagger or hidden weapon, it didn’t streak through the air with force, which perfectly matched Yun Liu’s current state of mind—knowing that Toda Jinzo’s oath was unreliable yet feeling compelled to take a gamble. Toda didn’t think much of it. Seeing that what was being thrown wasn’t a round hand grenade, Mita felt considerably more at ease, though he didn’t completely let his guard down. As the meteorite neared, he used the short knife in his hand to gently deflect it to the side, intending to catch it with his bare hands once he’d confirmed it was safe. Unexpectedly, the moment his knife made contact with the meteorite, Tada sensed something was wrong. A dark shadow, riding the momentum of the throw, was hurtling straight toward his face. This was truly unforeseen. As the massive, ferocious ant flew closer and closer—a sight he’d never even heard of—he was utterly horrified. Tada immediately raised his right hand to shield his face while swinging the dagger at the ant with his left, then leaped backward. Unfortunately, for some reason, his right hand seemed injured, causing him to be a split-second too slow. The ant followed him like a shadow; the dagger struck its body with a clanging sound, only accelerating its advance. Muta had no choice but to try biting it, but the ant simply slid down his body. He was forced to drop the dagger, steady himself, and frantically search his body. Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his chest—the ant had already bitten through his skin and was burrowing deeper. It was too late to press it down with both hands. Terrified, he let out a bloodcurdling scream, a sound unlike any human voice. To prevent Tada from taking anyone down with him in his death throes,Yun Liu hurriedly supported Seiko, moving as far away from Tada Shinzo as possible. When the man realized he was beyond saving, he did indeed try to reach for the pistol on his person to kill Nakamichi Seiko, intending to make a final act of loyalty to the Emperor. Seeing their quick reflexes, he knew there was no chance left. Fighting against the excruciating pain within him, Tada Shinzo collapsed to the ground. As he pulled at the wound on his face, his smile resembled that of a demon. “Mr. Yun Liu, I truly underestimated you. If only I had met you sooner, we might have become very good friends.” “Liu Yunjun, I never once intended to kill you. But with the Emperor’s command upon me, there are many things beyond my control.” Tada glared fiercely at Kiyoko and laughed bitterly. “Beware of the woman by your side. It is this very group of hers that instigated the Sino-Japanese War. His Majesty the Emperor did not wish for war either.” Tada Shinzo paid no further attention to Yun Liujun. Lowering his head, he began to sing in the rural dialect of Shikoku, mumbling and humming. The AI translated: “A samurai’s life is as fleeting as the morning dew; in the end, like cherry blossoms, it blooms brilliantly before withering away.” His voice grew faint, then fell silent—he was dead. “Ding. Report, Commander: Target confirmed dead,” the AI sent a message to Yun Liu just then. “Additionally, the Ant Robot has absorbed the target’s intermediate bio-field and has reached Level 10. Please prepare for physical enhancement at an appropriate time.” Yun Liu had been thoroughly frightened by these skilled opponents; feigning death and setting traps were as common as daily routines, and a single lapse in attention could lead to a complete reversal of fortune. Only now did he truly breathe a sigh of relief. As he recalled the Ant Robot, he ordered the AI to scan the surroundings to check for any potential threats. By then, Qingzi had already woken up. Seeing that Dota was dead, she also breathed a sigh of relief. She asked Yun Liu to support her as they walked into a secret room in another part of the house. When she removed her clothes to treat her injuries, she didn’t deliberately avoid him; he understood the principle of making do with what was at hand, so he didn’t feel particularly self-conscious either. Seiko’s right shoulder was black and swollen—a truly shocking sight. It appeared the bone beneath had fractured. Perhaps because she’d encountered such situations frequently, she’d stockpiled a variety of medicinal supplies in the secret chamber. However, as a humanities major,Yun Liu had no idea how to apply the ointments or treat the injury. Qingzi first took a medicine for internal injuries, then used her left hand to massage the area around the wound. While applying some antiseptic ointment, she smiled sweetly and motioned for Yun Liu to come closer, telling him to place his arm near her mouth. Without a second thought, he did as she asked. She bit down on his arm with a sharp “crack.” With her left hand, Qingzi had already set the fractured bones in his right shoulder. The pain made her tremble all over; her face turned pale, her eyes bulged, and cold sweat streamed down her face. It took her a long while to catch her breath. Her arm was now marked with a row of teeth marks, and a trickle of blood oozed from them. Seeing Qingzi’s pained expression,Yun Liu didn’t blame her. He took out the prepared medicine and handed it to her. After bandaging the wound, Qingzi put her clothes back on, gently touched the teeth marks on her arm, and asked tenderly, “Does it hurt?” Yun Liu put on a grimace and cried out, “It hurts so much!” Qingzi smiled faintly. Though she knew he was faking it, she still applied some ointment to the wound and bandaged it. Yun Liu suddenly remembered the pile of dead bodies outside the secret room. If anyone stumbled upon them, it wouldn’t be a laughing matter. Once surrounded, they wouldn’t be able to escape. Perhaps they should take refuge at the Liu Mansion. Qingzi seemed completely unconcerned. She explained that this was the residence of a Japanese noble; ordinary people wouldn’t dare enter. Even if more villains broke in, hiding in the secret room would be the safest option. By dawn, her servants would clean up all traces and dispose of the bodies. It had truly been a night of constant terror, with several narrow escapes from death. The two were completely exhausted. They didn’t talk for long before falling asleep fully clothed. When Yun Liu woke up, Seiko was already gone. He looked at the ant—it was still spotless—but it wasn’t on his finger anymore; instead, it had formed a uniquely designed wristwatch on his wrist. Yun Liu stepped out of the secret room to find the sun nearing noon. The room’s furnishings had been restored to their original state; were it not for the window Captain Kanda had kicked in—which would take time to repair—there would be no trace of last night’s life-and-death struggle. Even the bloodstain had been treated with special methods; only upon close inspection could one detect a faint, metallic scent. Stepping out onto the lawn, breathing in the scent of trees and flowers,Yun Liu truly appreciated what it meant to be alive. Nakajo Kiyoko had already changed into a new dress, somewhat resembling a naval uniform. She was smiling sweetly at Yun Liu, looking nothing like someone who had suffered serious injuries. Beside her stood a young, beautiful maid, holding a basin of water for washing her face and a cup of mouthwash, gesturing for him to wash up. Yun Liu wasn’t surprised. Whether it was the adopted daughter of a Japanese Imperial Princess or the noble daughter of a Marquis, wherever they went, they were always surrounded by a large entourage of attendants, samurai, and maids. If it hadn’t been for Seiko’s overconfidence last night, things wouldn’t have ended up so chaotic. Kiyoko spoke and laughed naturally, moving with ease, as if she had fully regained her strength. Were it not for the occasional slight spasm caused by the tugging of her wounds,Yun Liu would almost have thought that last night’s bloody battle was merely a drunken dream he’d had after drinking too much sake. Lunch—which also served as breakfast—consisted of fish soup with vermicelli noodles. Kiyoko had personally supervised the preparation, which was carried out by a maid, and the dish tasted truly excellent. Perhaps knowing that Yun Liu had a hearty appetite and fearing the portion might not be enough, she had even fried two eggs to go with it. Seeing the soup noodles,Yun Liu couldn’t help but think of Shimabara Seiichi. “Seiko, should I call you Shimabara Seiko, or—” Nakajo-no-miya Seiko turned around, facing away from Yun Liu, and said softly, “What do you think you should call me?” “Is Shimabara Seiichi your brother?” Yun Liu decided it would be best to ask for clarification. “Silly,” Nakagomiya Seiko turned to face him, locked eyes with Yun Liu, and said slowly, “Haven’t you figured out yet that I am Shimabara Seiichi?” Yun Liu looked closely. When Kiyoko had long hair, he hadn’t noticed, but now that her hair was short, aside from her slightly fairer skin, taller stature, and a few subtle differences in her facial features, she was indeed virtually identical to Shimabara Kiyokazu. However, what Yun Liu hadn’t anticipated was that Japan possessed a time-honored, unique art—Ninja Disguise Technique. Moreover, Seiko’s martial arts skills were no slouch; she was only slightly inferior to Tada Shinzo, and even Captain Kanda was no match for her in a single sword strike. No one would believe she didn’t know ninjutsu, so it was hardly surprising that she knew a bit of disguise technique. Besides, as Tada Shinzo had mentioned, he’d been pursuing Kiyoko for quite some time. It made perfect sense that she’d disguised herself as Shimabara Kiyokazu and was hiding aboard the steamship. Yun Liu let out a wry laugh. He suddenly recalled what Tada Shinzo had said before his death: that it was Seiko’s group that had instigated the Sino-Japanese War. Thinking about it now, he did have some doubts. His image of Nakajimamiya Seiko had also become blurred. Hmm, it would be best to keep a little distance from Seiko. When Yun Liu made an excuse to return to the Liu Mansion, Nakajimamiya Seiko didn’t try to keep him. She casually summoned a samurai—a man with piercing eyes and agile movements, clearly a skilled fighter, likely even stronger than the Japanese soldier Kanda. The samurai delivered a large box, one that looked big enough to hold a violin. Yun Liu opened it to find a German-made sniper rifle, currently disassembled. The parts gleamed menacingly, and there were over a hundred rounds of ammunition. He liked what he saw, so he didn’t refuse it. According to Seiko, this was left behind by the dead Japanese soldier, Shinzō Toda. She was merely passing it on. Yun Liu suddenly recalled the sniper at Hongkou Park and quickly asked the AI if the two were the same person. Just as Yun Liu had suspected, that Japanese bastard, Shinzō Toda, was indeed the mysterious sniper who had been wounded by Jiren Jinzu. No wonder he’d always felt that the man’s right hand was injured—everything he did seemed a beat slower. To dare come out and kill people while wounded—he truly deserved to die. But on second thought, that bastard had killed so many people, and both she and Seiko had been hanging by a thread. Killing him was pure luck. The Bronze Samurai truly lived up to his reputation. The mere thought that there were over 200 others just like him made Yun Liu’s scalp crawl. On second thought, Toda was nothing but a scoundrel—even going so far as to plot the assassination of a literary figure like Lu Xun. And to claim that the Emperor loved peace, or that Seiko had sparked a major war... such a transparent ploy of incitement, and yet Yun Liu had actually believed it. He found the whole thing rather absurd. But no matter how admirable Kiyoko might be, she was, after all, part of Japan’s aristocratic class. In today’s terms, she had “her own class sentiments and class interests.” Hmm, keeping some distance was better safe than sorry. Yun Liu hurriedly picked up his pace to leave. Watching Yun Liu’s receding figure, an indescribable sensation spread through Nakajo-no-miya Kiyoko’s mouth. She was already in tears. She clutched the meteorite Yun Liu had left behind; it had become crystal clear, looking nothing like steel at all, but rather like some kind of jade. No sooner had he returned to the Liu Mansion than Yun Liu spotted three uninvited guests. The one with the dark expression was Liu Yuangeng. Needless to say, he was furious, convinced that Yun Liu had spent the night in the red-light district. Upon seeing him return safely, though still huffing and puffing, his expression visibly softened. The dim-witted Jilen Jinzu remained as carefree as ever, munching on sunflower seeds and peanuts with a crunching sound. To him,Yun Liu’s return was worth less than a single sunflower seed; he glanced up at him in a half-hearted greeting before returning to his battle with the seeds. The stranger was an official, in his forties, wearing a crisp woolen Zhongshan suit with a Kuomintang badge pinned to his left lapel. His refined glasses lent him an air of scholarly elegance mixed with shrewdness; his sharp eyes, which had seen countless faces, seemed to be trying to figure out who Yun Liu was. Uncle Si was, after all, Uncle Si. In front of outsiders, he had to uphold Yun Liu’s image. Like a Sichuan opera face-changing act, his demeanor softened instantly. He first introduced the visitor to Yun Liu: “This is Section Chief Zhang from the Shanghai Transportation Bureau.” Then he turned to Section Chief Zhang and introduced Yun Liu: “This is Yun Liu, the nephew whom Marshal Liu values most.”