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Chapter 341 The First Team Building Activity (Skipping Lines)
In Tokyo at night, neon lights flow like blood through the city's veins.
In the shadows unseen by mortals, another storm is brewing and taking shape at an alarming speed.
A liaison point for the jutsu world, located in Shinjuku Ward and disguised as an ordinary commercial office building, is brightly lit and filled with a tense atmosphere.
A dozen or so men and women dressed in black suits or traditional hunting attire, their expressions somber, stood silently in the hall. They were sorcerers directly under the Directorate of Spellcasting, the sharpest blades in the hands of the higher-ups.
Before them stood an elderly man dressed in a kimono, with two unusual eyebrows and eyes as sharp as an eagle, slowly sipping his sake.
He is the 26th head of the Zenin family, a special first-class sorcerer, and the Zenin Naohito. He is the holder of the "projection spell" known for its speed.
"Is everything ready?" He put down his wine glass, his voice tinged with a hint of drunken languor, but every word was like a cold steel needle.
"Yes, Master!" A man dressed in black with a scar on his face bowed and replied, "The entire Black Team has assembled. We have already pinpointed the approximate area of activity of our target, Zenin Maki, through the intelligence obtained from the window. It's in the Shibuya area."
“Very good.” Zenin Naohito nodded, a hint of disgust and coldness flashing in his eyes. “Remember, those two girls are a disgrace to the Zenin family. This is not only an order from the Executive Directorate, but also a matter within our own Zenin family. Be swift and bring their heads back. I want to personally prove to those old fogies that our Zenin family will never tolerate any stain.”
"Yes!"
"As for that so-called council..." Zenin Naohito curled his lip, a disdainful smile on his face, "A bunch of cowardly rats, daring to bewitch my Zenin family. Find them, kill those who can be killed on the spot, and if we encounter the troublesome 887, write down the information. When Gojo kid comes back, he will naturally handle it."
Clearly, in his view, Gojo Satoru's so-called "defeat" was just another exaggeration by that guy. The strongest? Even the strongest can make mistakes, but it's impossible for him to lose to some unknown woman.
"set off!"
At his command, more than a dozen figures instantly turned into afterimages and disappeared into the night.
……
Meanwhile, in Shibuya.
At the bustling crossroads, crowds surged.
Zenin Maki was standing at the entrance of a large bookstore. She had changed into a smart black tracksuit, and her top-grade spell weapon, [Yuyun], was wrapped in cloth and carried on her back, making her look like a girl carrying special sports equipment.
Beside her, Miko Yotsuya was holding a cup of bubble tea, sipping it slowly, her eyes darting around. Her face was a little pale, but her eyes held more curiosity and awe.
"Maki-nee... are we really going to... work here?" Miko asked softly.
"The chairman said this is the first lesson of the onboarding training, called 'Integrating into Society and Experiencing the Human World.'" Maki's expression was also a little unnatural. She was used to fighting in the barrier of the college or in remote cursed lands, and this feeling of mingling among ordinary people made her feel uncomfortable.
"But...but here..." Miko's voice trembled with tears, "The atmosphere here is just too lively!"
In her "spiritual vision," the entire Shibuya Crossing was nothing short of a monster's carnival. Countless low-level cursed spirits, with hideous faces and distorted forms, floated densely above, on the shoulders, and at the feet of the crowd, like plankton in water. They devoured the negative emotions that people inadvertently emitted, emitting silent, greedy roars.
If Zhou Ye hadn't placed a special "information shield" on them, preventing these low-level cursed spirits from "seeing" them, Jianzi would probably have screamed and run away long ago.
"You'll get used to it," Maki patted her shoulder, comforting her, even though she herself felt a chill run down her spine. This feeling of being able to see something but not be able to act freely made her hand holding [Yuyun] itch slightly.
Just then, Maki's body suddenly stiffened.
A familiar, yet physically repulsive, aura of cursed power rapidly approached from all directions.
There wasn't just one, but more than a dozen. Each one was filled with aggression and killing intent.
"Kiko, step back!" Maki shoved Kiko toward the bookstore entrance, while simultaneously drawing her [Yuyun] sword from her back.
The next second, more than a dozen dark figures burst forth from the surrounding crowd and the shadows of buildings, like a flock of hunting eagles, instantly surrounding the two of them.
The ordinary people around were terrified by this sudden turn of events and screamed and scattered, causing chaos at the scene.
"Oh, isn't this Maki? How pathetic, to have fallen so low as to hang out with ordinary people who don't even have any magic power." A flippant and sarcastic voice rang out.
Zenin Naoya, son of Zenin Naobi, head of the Zenin family "Hyou," a man whose family's corrupt ideology is ingrained in his very being, is looking at her with a mocking expression.
Behind him was the Zen family's elite "Black Team," each member looking at him as if he were a piece of trash waiting to be disposed of.
“Naoya… and the Black Team…” Maki’s face darkened. She held [Yuuki] horizontally in front of her chest, assuming a fighting stance. “What do you want?”
"What for? Of course, it's an order from the Executive Directorate, and we're also cleaning house while we're at it." Naoya picked at his ear, looking at her with the eyes of someone looking at a dead person. "Betraying the family and associating with curse masters of unknown origin, Maki, you and your good-for-nothing sister have really disgraced the Zenin family. But it doesn't matter, after today, no one will remember you anymore."
"Do it!" He didn't bother with any more words and gave the order directly.
The members of the "Black Team" launched an attack instantly, unleashing several different spells and magical artifacts at Maki from various tricky angles.
Maki roared, unleashing the powerful physical abilities granted by the Heavenly Curse. She wielded [Wandering Clouds], creating an impenetrable array of staff shadows that blocked the first wave of attacks.
However, the opposing side outnumbered her and coordinated perfectly. One sorcerer used a spell to create sticky shadows to bind her movements, another threw darts imbued with magical power, and still others attacked her head-on with magical artifacts.
Although Maki's strength had greatly increased, she was still in grave danger under this siege and could only passively defend herself.
“It’s no use, Maki.” Naoya stood on the outside, leisurely enjoying her struggle. “Without your magical power, you are nothing more than a stronger monkey in front of the sorcerers of our Zenin family!”
Just as he finished speaking, an incredibly fast figure, moving at a speed he couldn't react to at all, suddenly entered the predicted range of his proud "projection spell".
Snapped!
A crisp slap rang out.
Zenji Naoya spun around 720 degrees like a top before collapsing to the ground. His cheek swelled up visibly, revealing a clear five-finger mark.
The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.
All the members of the "Black Team" stopped attacking and stared in disbelief at the figure that had suddenly appeared.
It was a white-haired man wearing an eye patch. He was waving his hand and said with a look of disgust:
"Ugh, this feels awful, like hitting a lump of oiled mud. And speaking of which, making loud noises in public and engaging in family bullying—did none of you Zen family members receive compulsory education?"
Gojo Satoru, we've arrived.
Behind him, Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugizaki also arrived at the scene, both with expressions of anticipation for a good show.
“Go...Gojo Satoru?!” Zenji Naoya covered his face, struggling to get up, looking at him with a mixture of shock and anger. “You...why are you here? Shouldn’t you be…”
"Where should I be? Drinking tea in the office, waiting for you bunch of useless idiots to mess things up, and then coming out to clean up your mess?" Gojo Satoru tilted his head, a dangerously dangerous smile spreading across his face. "Sorry, I recently changed jobs."
He held up a finger and shook it at the group of "Black Team" members who looked like they were facing a formidable enemy.
"Let me introduce myself. I am currently the senior construction team leader of the Earth Environment Modification and System Optimization Project Department under the Sky Council."
"Today is our construction team's first team building activity."
His gaze swept over every Zen monk present, and his six eyes, hidden by an eye patch, seemed to have seen through all their spells and the flow of their incantations.
"As for the activities... let's start by demolishing all these illegal buildings!"
Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished instantly.
The next moment, screams and the sound of weapons hitting the ground rose and fell.
The members of the "Black Team" didn't even see Gojo Satoru's movements before they were struck in joints or vital points, instantly losing their fighting ability and collapsing to the ground groaning in pain. The entire process took no more than three seconds.
Gojo Satoru strolled leisurely to the last remaining Zenji Naoya.
"You...you...are you going to make an enemy of the entire world of sorcery?!" Naoya was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly, shouting in a fierce but cowardly tone.
"No, no, no, you've got it wrong." Gojo Satoru extended his index finger and gently pressed it against Naoya's forehead. "I'm not trying to fight the world."
His smile was as radiant as a devil's.
"I just want to make this world the way I like it."
"Now, take your trash and go back to those old oranges."
“From today onwards, this new property management company is under my protection. Anyone who has objections, let them come and talk to me in person. Oh, and remember to bring your medical insurance.”
After he finished speaking, he slightly tightened his fingers.
Zenji Naoya's eyes rolled back, and he promptly fainted.
After doing all this, Gojo Satoru turned around and looked at the shocked Zenin Maki and the trembling Yotsuya Miko hiding behind her.
He scratched his head and gave a hearty smile that was also a little embarrassed.
"Yo, Maki. Long time no see."
"Um... is your council still hiring? I saw the email and I'm very interested in the Law Weapon and Static Time Domain projects. If I join, could I participate in the core research and development?"
Chapter 342 Job Application and Family
The night breeze in Shibuya carried a hint of gunpowder smoke from the battle and the lingering panic of ordinary people fleeing.
Gojo Satoru's earth-shattering question, "Are you still hiring?" plunged everyone present into an eerie silence.
Zenin Maki's hand, holding [Yuyun], froze in mid-air. She stared blankly at the man before her. Was this still the Gojo Satoru she knew? The strongest sorcerer who always wore a "I am the only one worthy of respect" smile and manipulated the entire sorcery world at will?
Losing to Kasumigaoka Utaha did not make him despondent; on the contrary, it was as if his meridians had been opened, and even the arrogance rooted in his bones returned in a new and more dangerous way.
"Are you... serious?" Maki's voice was a little dry. For a moment, she didn't know what expression to use to face this former teacher.
"Of course I'm serious." Gojo Satoru's smile remained bright, but beneath his azure "six eyes" surged an unprecedented thirst for knowledge and excitement. "Maki, just now, I truly understood what it means to be outmatched. That Kasumigaoka-san is already as strong as a bug, so what kind of existence is your Chairman Zhou Ye? Have you thought about it?"
Zenin Maki subconsciously shook her head. She dared not think about it, nor could she imagine it. In her view, the power displayed by Kasumigaoka Utaha was already close to the realm of "god".
"Yeah, it's unimaginable, which is why it's so interesting." Gojo Satoru stretched, loosening his muscles from the beating he'd just done. "That's why I absolutely have to take this job. Those Law Weapons and Static Time Domains, just hearing the names makes my blood boil."
Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugizaki stood aside, silently processing the subversive scene unfolding before them. Their teacher, the "ceiling" of the jutsu world, was now like a child who had found a favorite toy, eager to join a brand new game.
“Ms. Gojo…” Maki looked troubled. “I don’t have the authority to decide this. I have to report it to the chairman and wait for further instructions. And…”
She glanced at the "Black Team" members lying sprawled on the ground, groaning incessantly, and at Zenin Naoya, who had been slapped unconscious, and frowned.
“These people… you’ve utterly humiliated the Zen family. They are one of the three great families of the sorcery world. By doing this, you are essentially declaring war on the entire sorcery world.”
"Them?" Gojo Satoru curled his lip in disdain, his tone full of undisguised contempt. "A bunch of old relics clinging to their ancestral tablets, who should have been swept into the dustbin of history long ago. If it weren't for the existence of Fushiguro Jinji, that is, Megumi's father, that bug that broke their ridiculous rule of bloodline supremacy, the Zenin family would have been eliminated by the times long ago."
He kicked the unconscious Zenin Naoya lightly with his toe, as if kicking away a pebble on the roadside.
"Get out of here, don't get in my way."
The members of the "black team" felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They no longer cared about the head of the family's son and, supporting each other, tried to escape this menacing figure in a disheveled state.
"You all just wait!" Zenin Naoya, who was being carried away by two clansmen, couldn't help but utter a harsh threat before leaving. However, his swollen cheeks and trembling voice made the threat seem particularly comical.
Just then, an indescribable wave, seemingly distorting space itself, emanated from it.
The crowds at Shibuya Crossing seemed to be wiped away by an invisible brush, the noisy background noise vanishing instantly. Several figures appeared out of thin air, as if emerging from a data stream, silently appearing before everyone.
Leading the group was Zhou Ye. His expression was calm, as if he had just gone out for a walk.
Behind him, Kasumigaoka Utaha gracefully closed a thick book, the light on the pages gradually fading. On her other side stood a blond, red-eyed man clad in magnificent armor, exuding an aura of royalty. His gaze was disdainful, as if even glancing at his surroundings would be beneath his dignity.
"Chairman!" Maki immediately bowed.