NABC Page 323
Page 323
Shimoimaichi Station is located in the very center of Nikko City and is also the busiest station in the entire city. Most tourists who do not drive to Nikko City choose this station as the starting point of their journey.
At this time, due to the escalating legend of Tamamo-no-Mae, Shimo-Imaichi Station was already operating beyond its capacity. When Todo arrived, the area outside the station was packed with people, comparable to any subway station in downtown Tokyo.
Dou Tang hadn't been standing there long when he saw the person he was waiting for.
Not far away, Kotaro, wearing a jacket, was carrying a handbag, followed by Old Wolf, who was wearing a python-print suit.
When the old wolf saw Dou Tang, he quickly walked past Kotaro and came over.
Old Wolf, pulling a suitcase, looked extremely flamboyant in his python-print suit. He adjusted his sunglasses, approached Dou Tang, and said, "Yo! Long time no see!"
"It's only been less than a week since we last met, right?" Kotaro behind him remarked.
Dou Tang sized up Lao Lang and said, "To be honest, your outfit makes you look like one of those underlings who couldn't make it in the underworld."
Kotaro chimed in with a sarcastic remark: "And the next day he might be sold to a host club to pay off his debts."
Old Wolf choked up.
She raised her hand to cover her face: "I'm so heartbroken, Kiryu-kun. When did you start liking to make fun of people?"
"You used to be such a serious and dignified tough guy!"
Dou Tang rubbed his chin and looked up at the sky: "Maybe it's because I've been around comedians for so long that I've become comedian myself?"
"After all, Old Wolf, you are an unparalleled top-tier manga performer!"
Manzai, or stand-up comedy, is a type of comedy act performed by two people in Japanese comedy shows.
A Japanese stand-up comedian (seriously).
“That’s true.” Kotaro chimed in with a mischievous grin.
After the three finished catching up in their own way, Dou Tang said, "Let's find a nearby coffee shop and exchange some information."
Kotaro and the old wolf nodded.
The three of them found a coffee shop, sat down, ordered coffee, and then Dou Tang slowly recounted what was happening in Nikko City.
After listening, the old wolf pondered for a moment and asked, "Is that Tamamo-no-Mae pretty?"
Kotaro suddenly picked up his phone: "I'll tell Harui-san right now that her boyfriend tries to flirt with other women as soon as he goes out."
Old Wolf immediately leaned forward, his upper body slumped onto the table, and tried to snatch Kotaro's phone, yelling, "Stop! No!"
Dou Tang watched the two of them clown around and laughed for a long time.
After making a fuss for a while, Kotaro snatched the phone back and said, "So the problem now is that we need to find Tamamo-no-Mae, right?"
Dou Tang nodded and continued, "Huaiyin has the ability to detect Tamamo-no-Mae, but this ability may put her in danger. My suggestion is to only use it as a backup plan."
Old Wolf glanced out the window. At that moment, on the building opposite the coffee shop, a huge LED screen was scrolling through various peripheral information related to Tamamo-no-Mae.
"Miss Lu did all this advertising? That's impressive, you must have spent a lot of money on it."
Dou Tang took a sip of coffee without looking up: "This amount of money is nothing. The most important thing is to force Tamamo-no-Mae to come out."
"But that guy is extremely vigilant, as if he can sense my presence. I've been searching around Nikko City for three days and haven't found any trace of him."
"Although we were certain she was in Nikko City, we were always a step too late."
Old Wolf suggested, "Have you tried having the police conduct a search or something?"
Dou Tang shook his head: "Ordinary people are of no use to Tamamo-no-Mae, so we won't consider them."
"So my idea is that the three of us will search separately. Sunlight City has a long and narrow shape. If the three of us push forward and use our senses to the fullest, we should be able to cover the entire city on the plane."
“Searching from west to east, from high to low, is clumsy, but it is indeed a method.” Kotaro nodded.
Old Wolf scoffed dismissively, saying, "You two, I don't even know what to say. You're both so blunt and idiotic."
Dou Tang raised an eyebrow, while Kotaro scoffed, "If you're so good, why don't you do it yourself!"
"Hey, I'm actually pretty good!" Old Wolf smiled smugly.
"Aren't we looking for that demon Tamamo-no-Mae? Judging from the video Dou Tang mentioned, Tamamo-no-Mae definitely hates Jizo Pizza. Why don't we just hold some kind of Jizo Bodhisattva festival here, singing all the way up the mountain, claiming we're going to rebuild a thousand Jizo Bodhisattvas... Hey, why are you turning your heads?"
Before Dou Tang and Kotaro could even finish speaking, they began studying the map of Nikko City that Dou Tang had brought.
Old Wolf tapped the table with his fingertips: "Hey, hey, hey, I have another idea if you guys think this idea is bad."
"Didn't that Huaiyin say that the Tamamo-no-Mae she saw was sleeping? And look at her whereabouts, she always stays in high-end hotels every night. What does that mean? It means she values her quality of life!"
"Why don't we set up surveillance cameras or barriers in various high-end locations? When she wants to find a place to rest at night, we can find her, right?"
"It's true that she can hypnotize people, but she can't escape surveillance!"
"It's almost impossible to instantly develop counter-surveillance awareness in someone who has been sealed away for hundreds of years, so she probably won't care about cameras."
Old Wolf shrugged: "Anyway, it's just a matter of how much money to invest."
Dou Tang's gaze was somewhat strange: "I didn't realize you actually had a brain."
"I've heard that wolves have smaller brains than humans. Now it seems that you might be just like a human after you turn into one." Kotaro nodded.
The old wolf was furious: "I came up with an idea, and this is how you treat me?"
Dou Tang carefully considered the feasibility of the plan and pointed out a problem: "There aren't many high-end hotels in Nikko City, but wouldn't installing surveillance cameras be too ostentatious? Wouldn't it be easy to be discovered?"
Old Wolf snapped his fingers: "City surveillance."
"Let's cooperate with the authorities and obtain the rights to security surveillance cameras in the city. We only need the ones near high-end venues."
Dou Tang frowned and said, "I'm not sure if I can handle it, but it's worth a try."
“If that doesn’t work, we can have Huaiyin try her abilities again,” Kotaro suggested. “We just need to let her confirm her location and then come back quickly. We can stay by her side the whole time.”
Dou Tang immediately raised his head and looked at Kotaro.
Kotaro met his gaze, his eyes burning:
“If her abilities are truly useful, then you should at least let her play a role, instead of continuing to protect her.”
Chapter 231 Location Successful
Overprotection.
People who have already lost something tend to overprotect everything they have, even if they realize it's wrong, they find it difficult to change.
This is the dilemma that Dou Tang faces.
Yes, he did say that he would allow Huaiyin to become stronger, allow Huaiyin to become independent, and even hoped in his heart that she could live in this world without relying on herself at all, without having to fear anything.
However, when it really comes down to a time when Huaiyin is at risk, Doutang still can't bear it and will do everything he can to help her avoid danger.
Dou Tang himself understands this, but... who wouldn't worry?
Letting go is such a difficult thing.
For Dou Tang, he could not accept the feeling of losing his loved ones again; he would rather lose himself.
After hearing Kotaro's words, Dou Tang silently lowered his head.
“I know your concerns, but if her ability can truly pinpoint Tamamo-no-Mae, then it is exactly what we need.” Kotaro continued to persuade, “Kiryu-kun, perhaps you should trust her a little more.”
Old Wolf sighed and said, "I say, Kotaro, aren't you being a bit too presumptuous? Kiryu-kun values his sister so much, isn't that a bit..."
“No.” Dou Tang interrupted Lao Lang, “Kuang Taro is right, I should trust her more.”
“Let’s ask her. If she feels she can do it… then I would rather respect her choice than protect her.”
Old Wolf was somewhat surprised: "Oh my, has the siscon finally come to his senses?"
Dou Tang chuckled but didn't reply.
………………
night.
As expected, the authorities would not simply hand over city-level surveillance to Dou Tang and his group, and their plan to find Tamamo-no-Mae through the surveillance cameras failed.
As expected by Dou Tang and others, the Japanese government has always adopted a lazy policy of delaying when dealing with emergencies. Before Tamamo-no-Mae caused a huge impact, none of them wanted to take responsibility and give the exorcists the green light.
Therefore, we can only rely on Huaiyin's abilities now.
In the hotel, everyone was in the same room, surrounding Huaiyin who was lying on the bed.
Huaiyin looked at her companions standing around the bed with a strange expression.
Lu Zizhen, who was standing nearby, complained, "It feels like a funeral."
Dou Tang tapped Lu Zizhen on the head.
Lu Zizhen chuckled and said nothing more.
Dou Tang looked at Huai Yin and said, "If anything goes wrong, come back immediately, okay?"
Crown's abilities are diverse, and Dou Tang and Lu Zizhen are unsure whether barriers or similar things will work on her. They can only remind Huaiyin to be careful.
Huaiyin nodded and said with a smile, "Don't worry, brother, I'm confident, no problem!"
Although Dou Tang was very worried, he still nodded.
Huaiyin closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually calmed down.
Old Wolf whispered, "Has she already started?"
"Shh!" Kotaro tugged at his arm.
The four fell silent, staring at Huaiyin in quiet contemplation.
After a while, Huaiyin opened her eyes.
Dou Tang quickly asked, "Are you alright? Did you find anything?"
Huaiyin gave a somewhat embarrassed smile: "Brother... your gazes are so strange. I... I can't sleep at all when you're staring at me."
Lu Zizhen chuckled and pushed Dou Tang's shoulder, saying, "Alright, alright, all three of you men get out of here. I'll stay here and keep watch!"
"Three men watching a girl sleep, that's just too weird!"
Dou Tang glanced sideways at Lao Lang and Guang Taro, but stood still in place.
Old Wolf understood immediately, put his arm around Kotaro, and started walking out, muttering, "Let's go, let's go, let's go now!"
Dou Tang nodded in satisfaction and continued to look at Huai Yin.
Lu Zizhen pushed his shoulder and said, "You get out too! You don't know anything about barriers or anything, go outside and wait!"
“Eh, no, I…” Dou Tang was speechless.
"Even if you're the older brother, watching your own sister sleep is a bit too perverted! Get out, get out!" Lu Zizhen waved her hand, "Don't worry about me here!"
Dou Tang walked out somewhat helplessly.
Lu Zizhen sat down by the bed, took Huaiyin's hand, and said, "Your brother is just worried and confused. I believe in your abilities, so just do your best."
Huaiyin nodded and closed her eyes.
………………
Fall asleep, then open your eyes.
Sure enough, he reappeared above the city.
Huaiyin was finally certain that she could use this ability skillfully.
Throughout the city, besides the countless dazzling lights, there are also countless flickering points of light, each with its own unique shape, some shining brightly, others slightly dim.
The dim light belonged to those who were awake; Huaiyin's current power was insufficient to touch that light.
The shimmering points of light are the people who have already fallen asleep. As long as Huaiyin reaches out and touches them, he can pull out the lines formed by consciousness and construct a dream.
Huaiyin searched for it throughout the city.
Compared to yesterday, there are significantly more large-sized points of light in Nikko City today; these points of light are abnormal.
All living beings, whether evil spirits, monsters, exorcists, or superpowered individuals, possess a far greater radiance than ordinary people.
Could it be that the size of the light spot is related to the strength of these people's strange powers?
What exactly are these points of light? Are they souls?
Huaiyin couldn't figure out the answer, but after wandering around most of the city, she finally found the spot of light that belonged to Tamamo-no-Mae.
At this moment, Tamamo-no-Mae was not asleep. Instead, she was in a hotel, standing on the balcony of a high-floor suite, holding a glass of red wine and drinking it by herself, enjoying the night view of the city in front of her.
Now with more comparisons, Huaiyin can more intuitively compare the power of Tamamo-no-Mae. The light spots residing in her body are worlds apart from those of ordinary people.