Chapter 384: Chapter 383 Let's Rule This Country Together Chapter 384: Chapter 383 Let's Rule This Country Together Time passed, day by day.
The impact of the legislation was gradually spreading, from society to public opinion, and even the media stopped mentioning the topic of the “Cursed Child”. Under Fang Zheng's near-frenzied monetary onslaught, people had been completely blinded by money, and would arrest those “criminals” at the slightest chance, not to mention that this behavior had even spread to schools–since the sensible adults had learned to keep their mouths shut outside, finding a “reward” wasn't so easy. But schools were different; those children were still full of youthful vigor, and with just a little instigation, they would immediately complain about the “Cursed Child”.
And then, these words would be recorded and submitted as evidence. The police would use this as an excuse to directly go to schools and arrest the “criminals”.
What was important was that Fang Zheng would also take it completely as evidence and… pay up.
That was the most important part.
Logically, there had already been signs of losing control, but neither the Holy Son nor the congress made a statement about it. The reason was simple–Taurus was coming soon.
If it was just about making judgments before, now, according to the satellite trajectory, it was almost certain that Taurus would make landfall from Kashima on the east side of Japan and then proceed to the Tokyo Special Zone. Once Taurus really entered the Tokyo Special Zone, the social order would collapse beyond speaking of, and it was feared that the entire Special Zone would be completely destroyed. This was why humanity was so terrified of the Zodiac Belt; they had almost no way to deal with these fearsome monsters, only able to wait desperately for death–or to pin their hopes on any chip they held in their hands. That was why those little troubles were temporarily ignored.
Of course, the Holy Son didn't place all his hopes on Heavenly Dao Palace alone. There was a linear super electromagnetic projectile launcher on the outskirts of Tokyo, which was the Tokyo Special Zone's last trump card. The problem was that the position of the electromagnetic cannon was on the west side of the Tokyo Special Zone, meaning that if they wanted to attack and eliminate “Taurus”, they would at least need to wait until Taurus entered the Special Zone to be within effective range.
And this in itself was a Pyrrhic victory, a last-ditch effort reserved for desperate times.
However, this had nothing to do with Fang Zheng. He was just watching with interest as the people of the entire Tokyo Special Zone walked silently toward their doom and collapse. But what Fang Zheng didn't expect was that he had not sought trouble, yet trouble came knocking on his door.
“Osaka Special Zone Chief, Qiwu Zongxuan?”
Looking at the business card in his hand, Fang Zheng frowned. He certainly knew that the ruler of Osaka had arrived in Tokyo these past few days; although the news only mentioned a “friendly visit between regions”, Fang Zheng, who had inside information, knew that this man had come here to confirm whether the Tokyo Special Zone was powerful enough to withstand Taurus–after all, the Osaka Region was right behind Tokyo. From the route Taurus was taking, if the Tokyo Special Zone fell, then Osaka would be the next target. The saying “When the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold” applies; even the leaders of the Osaka Region couldn't help coming to check out the situation now.
But what does that have to do with me… oh, it seems like it actually does relate somewhat.
“Let him in.”
Compared to the Holy Son, Fang Zheng rather liked this man–after all, the man had taken the trouble to come knocking at his door–no, that's not right, because when he came to the Holy Dwelling to freeload a meal out of boredom, the staff here informed him that “President Qiwu Zongxuan of the Osaka Special Zone wishes to meet with you”.
Regardless, the fact that it wasn't him going to meet the other, but rather the other coming personally to meet him, made Fang Zheng feel good.
“Click.”
Soon, the door opened, and then, a burly silhouette stepped in with big strides. He looked as strong as a bear, with hair and beard gathered around like a mane, his sharp eyes exuding an impressive aura. Although it was said that this elder was sixty-five years old, he didn't look it at all from the outside.
“Hello, President Qiwu.”
Fang Zheng stood up, nodded at the man, while Qiwu Zongxuan looked at Fang Zheng and cracked a slight smile.
“Hello, Mr. Fang Zheng from Heavenly Dao Palace, I've heard a lot about you.”
As he spoke, Qiwu Zongxuan waved his hand. Seeing his gesture, the subordinates following him turned and left the room, simultaneously closing the door.
“I never imagined the President of the Osaka Region would personally come to see me… Do you have anything to impart?”
Fang Zheng made a gesture for Qiwu Zongxuan to sit, and the latter took a seat on the nearby sofa without hesitation. Then Fang Zheng sat down and gazed at the old man before him.
“So, I won't beat around the bush.”
Qiwu Zongxuan clearly wasn't one to waste time; he straightened up and fixed his eyes on Fang Zheng.
“Mr. Fang Zheng, I'll get straight to the point… Would you be willing to rule this country with me?”
“…Huh?”
At this point, Fang Zheng was stunned.
“…Talking about ruling at a time like this… Mr. President, you must be still half-asleep?”
“That's right, this is indeed a nightmare.”
Qiwu Zongxuan nodded earnestly.
“Humanity has been trapped in this nightmare for nearly ten years, but today, I saw the first light of dawn awakening us from this nightmare… Mr. Fang Zheng, you should understand why this is. From you and your 'Cursed Children,' I have seen a new possibility! The possibility of completely eradicating the Intestinal Creatures, liberating mankind, and reclaiming our rule over the world!”
So that was it.
Hearing this, Fang Zheng finally understood. The President of the Osaka Region had personally come to inspect the situation in the Tokyo Special Zone corresponding to Taurus, and to settle his mind, the Holy Son naturally would have presented the data from his and Fumie Busei's previous battles. Obviously, the President gleaned much of what he needed from it.
“Intestinal Creatures will someday be eradicated by humanity, and your Heavenly Dao Palace, Mr. Fang Zheng, has given us hope! Once the Intestinal Creatures are destroyed, mankind will retake control of this planet. Therefore, we must be prepared for this eventuality. To begin with, this country… the current situation is highly abnormal. After banishing and eliminating the Intestinal Creatures, I will reunify the five special zones, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Sendai, and restore their proper place!”
As he spoke, Qiwu Zongxuan raised his right hand, clenching it tightly.
“Well said.”
Fang Zheng raised his hand and clapped lightly.
“Yet, my heart did not stir in the slightest, and I think you know why that is, President Qiwu.”
“Of course.”
Qiwu Zongxuan reached out, took a piece of paper from his chest pocket, and laid it down in front of Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng took the paper, glanced at its contents, raised his eyebrows slightly, and whistled softly.
“… This is really interesting.”
For what Fang Zheng held was not something else, but the Hua Stone resource mining agreement that Qiwu Zongxuan had reached with other countries.
The world's metal distribution is uneven, and in this world plagued by the Intestinal Creatures, Hua Stone, which can suppress the Intestinal Creatures, naturally becomes as valuable as rare earth metals in the eyes of various countries. Volcanic Japan naturally is the prime area for Hua Stone mining. In fact, for a small Island Nation like this, the situation isn't too bad, as the amount of Hua Stone needed isn't too great because of the small area. But it's a different story elsewhere. Fang Zheng had visited other places when he went to rescue the Cursed Children and had seen the demand, especially in the lands of the Rabbit and the Russian Bear, where the vast territories and large populations make for a high demand for Hua Stone.
And the Island Nation kept tight control over Hua Stone exports for various reasons.
However, the situation was changing now.
“I've already reached an agreement with the western mainland government.”
Qiwu Zongxuan stared intently at Fang Zheng, word by word he said.
“They will provide me with weapons and equipment, assisting me in unifying this country, and in return, I will allow them into our national Hua Stone mining market, giving them one-fifth of the mining reserves…”
Wow, a foreign guide for the revolution, I like this.
This time, Fang Zheng was genuinely interested. He hadn't expected to meet a foreign comprador class. Was this guy planning to create a Japanese version of the puppet Manchukuo government?
Could he even score an “after you, my lord” achievement for himself?
The wheel of fortune turns indeed.
“But I fail to see what good this does for me.”
“Of course, I understand that this is just to show my sincerity…”
As he said this, Qiwu Zongxuan took back the agreement, again fixing his gaze on Fang Zheng.
“Mr. Fang Zheng, you've seen my sincerity. Rule this country with me. Money, power, women, anything you desire is at your fingertips. And moreover… I can promise you, you may choose any one of Hokkaido, Kyushu, or Shikoku as the territory for your Heavenly Dao Palace! Not only that, but I will also order the mobilization of the entire nation's people to send all the 'Cursed Children' to the Heavenly Dao Palace!”
“Hmm…”
Listening to this, Fang Zheng furrowed his brow for the first time. Truth be told, he'd always looked down on Traitors of Han, but if it was a Japanese Traitor, especially one willing to cede territory in exchange for power and strength, that was a different matter. This person might be despised by their own people, but to Fang Zheng… what did it have to do with him?
No, on the contrary, it might just be perfect.
So, should he sign a new age Treaty of Shimonoseki with this guy?
After pondering for a moment, Fang Zheng made a decision.
“Let me think about it.”
Chapter end
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