Quantum Cultivation by Jace Kang (simple e reader TXT) 📕

His bad sense of direction brought him to a different temple with the words Honnoji emblazoned on its gate.

This was where he was supposed to close the portals!

He entered the grounds and searched for the well.

There was none. Just a large temple with sloping rooves. A monk, dressed in robes similar to the man murdered at Higashi Honganji, poked his head out.

“It’s dangerous out!” he said. “You should go home.”

If only the monk knew the whole story.

“I’m looking for a well,” Ryu said. “Do you have one on these premises?”

The man cocked his head. Of course, the translator. The monk didn’t have one. The fact that the assassin had understood Ryu’s words suggested he had some kind of translator built in.

“Well,” Ryu said, mimicking drinking from cupped hands. “Have one here?”

The man’s eyes widened. “Oh, you’re looking for a well. We don’t have one, but I can get you water.” He started to head back in.

“Wait.” Ryu shook his head. “Oda Nobunaga. Died here.”

“Oh, this is the new Honnoji, rebuilt by Hideyoshi. You’re looking for the old one. It’s a school now, about a twenty-minute walk from here. It was all in the news two weeks ago.”

At last, for the first time since arriving, someone was answering his question about where to find the temple.

“Say, you look like that missing man!”

“Thank you!” Ryu bowed several times as he backed out of the temple.  When he reached the gate, he turned to run.

He just about tripped over Teppin.

“Teppin!” A modicum of relief washed over Ryu. “What are you doing here?”

“Trying to find you,” it said. “You leave quite a beacon with your Qi in this world.”

“Where are the others?”

Teppin pointed back the way he’d come. “The Peacekeepers took them.”

“Was Ken-kun all right?”

“It looked like he was getting better. He might’ve Advanced, but I couldn’t tell.”

Good. If Kentaro had Advanced, in either Metal or Fire, it could’ve saved his life.  Of course, modern technology might, too. “Do you know where they took them?”

Teppin shook his head.

“Then we need to go back to the scene and see if we can track them. Do you remember the way back?”

It only took a few minutes. When they arrived, it was like a hive of bees, with dozens of Peacekeepers searching the area, so Ryu kept to the shadows.

A team of what looked to be scientists in white coats were studying the Nue corpse, while others walked around the Yin-Yang Symbol he’d drawn. In all, at least fifty security staff were there; then, a hovercraft landed and a team of five Peacekeepers in tactical suits jumped out.

“What is this?” a male Peacekeeper in an enhanced tactical suit said, kicking at the yokai remains.

He looked familiar—right, he was one who’d greeted Ryu on the first day.

A female knelt down by the body. “Ministry of Defense fiddling with genetics.”

That voice! It was Aya’s.  Or rather, Keiko’s. Ryu squinted to get a better look.

“I bet this is the monster that’s been killing people,” the man said.

Keiko huffed. “More blood on the MoD’s hands.”

Would she know where they’d taken Aya? Or had she arrived too late?

Ryu motioned for Teppin to stay, while he worked his way up one street and then back down another, closer to the Nue.

This vantage point cast Keiko’s face in the moonlight. Indeed, her and Aya’s facial structures were identical, only Keiko’s was fuller. Of course, she had brown hair instead of Aya’s Elestrae gold.

This was a bad idea, but Ryu could think of no faster way. He darted to behind Keiko and set the assassin’s blade to her throat.

Peacekeepers drew their weapons and took aim, but Ryu kept Keiko in between them.

“Ishihara!” one said.

“Ishihara?” Keiko raised her hands in surrender.

“Where did you take Aya?” he demanded.

“Aya? My sister? What are you talking about?” There was no tone of deception in her voice, only surprise, but these government types couldn’t be trusted.

Ryu gestured for Teppin to come out. The Kappa emerged from the alley, and looking among the Peacekeepers, tentatively picked his way forward. For their part, the Peacekeepers gawked.

“What is that?” a male Peacekeeper pointed.

“Another MoD experiment?” one answered.

“Teppin, didn’t you say the Peacekeepers took Aya, Siena, and Kentaro into custody?”

“Yes.” It nodded, sending the water in its bowl sloshing.

“Kentaro, the missing custodian?” Keiko asked, her tone incredulous.

Ryu didn’t know if he could believe her, and standing behind her, he couldn’t see her expression. “Who did you take into custody?”

“From what I heard, it was a witness to this creature’s attack: a Hiromi Johnson. Also, an unidentified human male she claimed was her boyfriend, and an Elestrae female.” Keiko’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Don’t tell me it was Kentaro?”

“And your sister, Aya,” Ryu said.

“What? No. Aya’s a good girl. And she’s so sick.”  She waved at her comrade who’d kicked at the Nue body. “Scott, show me the people of interest.”

The male, Scott, held out a projector.  An image of Aya, Kentaro, and Siena appeared, all in the clothes they’d been wearing earlier. Their forms rotated.

Keiko gasped. “What have you done with my janitor and my sister?”

Ryu leaned in, trying not to let the flowery scent of her hair distract him. “You’re going to take me to Peacekeeper Headquarters, and we can both find out.”

The Peacekeepers all looked among themselves.

He raised his voice, so they could all hear. “Isn’t that what you all want?  To bring me back to your headquarters before the Ministry of Defense strikes again?”

“Tactical team,” Keiko said, “let us escort Mister Ishihara back to headquarters.”

And with Aya on the inside already, all it would take would be getting her to a terminal.