Chapter 156: Inquiry

Du Bin carried her to the side of a lake and set her down beside a tree, panting heavily. "Are you alright? Your injuries—are they okay?"

"I'm fine." Sakura Oda pulled out a pair of handcuffs and locked them directly around his wrists.

He immediately protested, "Hey, hey, hey! I just saved your life. Is this how you treat your savior?"

"I am very grateful that you saved me, but you still broke the law."

Du Bin looked down at the cuffs on his wrists and leaned helplessly against a tree. The handcuffs were made of metal with a built-in electronic system designed to suppress the powers of supernatural beings. However, such a device had little effect on Du Bin, whose power was lightning itself. Still, he was utterly speechless at her relentless persistence. She had chased him for three solid days. Why was her personality so much like Li Ning's? Remembering that he hadn't told her about the vaccine yet, and that she still had no idea he was even alive, he figured he would have to properly thank her in the future.

Enduring her pain, Sakura Oda unbuckled her armor, revealing the athletic wear underneath. Du Bin couldn't help noticing that she had a fantastic figure, well-proportioned in the front and back, clearly maintained through regular exercise. Noticing his gaze, Sakura Oda blushed and said, "What are you staring at me like that for? Turn around."

"Pardon me. Carry on, I'll go have a look over there." Seeing her reaction, Du Bin realized his mistake and tactfully turned away. With the handcuffs on, Sakura Oda wasn't as frantic as before; with his powers sealed, even if he wanted to run, he wouldn't get far.

She quickly tended to her wounds and took out her phone. A virtual holographic screen materialized, and her fingers moved nimbly across it as she transmitted the mission completion report back to her unit. Having finished wandering around out of sheer boredom, Du Bin walked back and looked at the novel device with intense curiosity. "Oh? Is this a new model of phone in this world? What brand is it? Apple? Samsung? Nokia? Wait, this is the Eastern region—could it be Sony Ericsson?"

Sakura Oda shot him a sidelong glance. *Ignorance is truly terrifying.* "This is not a civilian phone. It's restricted to authorized personnel."

"Let's put that aside for a moment. Aren't you with the military? Why were those people trying to kill you?"

"Do you really not know?" She looked at him suspiciously. This guy had dared to barge into a military zone—was he really as clueless as he pretended to be, or was it an act?

"Of course I don't know. I'm not from this country."

"Actually, ever since the Oda clan seized the realm by force during the Warring States period, quite a few opposition factions have continued to operate in secret. They formed an underground alliance, always plotting to overthrow the Oda Shogunate. It's only because of the deterrent presence of the Oda clan's guardian deity that peace has been preserved for centuries. Now that the shogunate is gradually declining, they've started acting more frequently."

"A guardian deity? The Naraku clan."

"That's right. Rumor has it that the guardian beast of the Naraku clan is the Yamata no Orochi."

Du Bin was left speechless. Le'er's Nakajima family had the Nine-Tailed Fox as their guardian, whereas here it was the Yamata no Orochi. It seemed the two worlds truly had diverged into different outcomes. He wondered what kind of storyline was playing out in his own country.

"Then can you tell me about yourself?" For some reason, Sakura Oda was somewhat curious about him. Though he acted as if he were entirely a stranger to this place, at times he seemed strangely familiar with it.

"My story? How should I put it..." Could he possibly tell her that he wasn't from this world? Besides, many of the things he was familiar with simply didn't exist here. How was he supposed to explain that? Seeing his expression, she felt a trace of displeasure. "If you don't wish to talk about it, then fine. But where did you learn your supernatural powers? They're so formidable."

Even if he told her about China, she wouldn't understand. "It's nothing much. I just picked up a few superficial tricks from a hunting family."

"What did you say? A hunting family?!" Hearing this, she immediately lost her composure, seized by a sudden surge of excitement as she grabbed his arm.

Du Bin was a bit baffled by her reaction, though the sensation coming through his arm made him feel slightly unsettled. A hunting family was merely a fallen lineage; why was her reaction so intense? Logically speaking, the Eastern region shouldn't even know of its existence.

"Why are you reacting like that? It's just a hunting family. Haven't they already declined? There's no need to get this worked up!"

"What are you talking about? The hunting family is among the top ten supernatural clans in the entire world! They consistently produce numerous powerful ability users every year. Don't talk nonsense!" Sakura Oda gave him a fierce rap on the head. This guy really had a screw loose.

Du Bin was shocked, his own heart stirring with excitement as well. If the hunting family in this world was truly as she described, then he genuinely needed to return. Given Ye Tang's personality, she must hold deep affection for that place—though considering her identity as a vampire, a wave of anxiety washed over him shortly after.

"Xiao Ying, have you ever heard of vampires?"

The sudden, intimate use of her nickname startled her for a moment. Recovering her composure, she replied, "Vampires exist. Since they aren't recognized by humans, they're considered a different race, so to speak. However, because they tend to congregate, they established the Dark Night Empire in Australia. Those in power are all descendants of the bloodline. Just recently, they sparked quite a few conflicts with India."

That being the case, Xiao Tang was likely in the Dark Night Empire since they were of the same kind. Still, he chose to visit the hunting family first to confirm things. "Could you do me a favor?"

"What favor?" As long as it wasn't too outrageous, she would help him—after all, he had just saved her life.

"I don't have an ID card, and I want to return to my country," Du Bin said resolutely. Seeing the furrow in her brow, he hastily explained further, "It really was just a misunderstanding. I accidentally touched a teleportation array inside an ancient tomb and ended up here, landing right in your military zone. I didn't mean to. I hope you can understand."

"I believe you. If you were part of the opposition faction, you wouldn't have saved me. And it's not impossible for you to go back. There are smuggling boats at the port; I'll take you there." She reached out and unlocked the handcuffs for Du Bin.

Just as they were talking, a powerful ability user appeared in the sky above them, clad in crimson samurai armor. He dropped heavily to the ground, generating a massive shockwave of pressure.

"Oh no, it's Akaya." Sakura Oda's expression turned grave as she stared at the formidable man before her. Rumored to be the God of Death under the command of the Four Heavenly Kings, Akaya was a war god whose hands were stained with the blood of countless supernatural beings. For such a figure, feared even by the shogunate, to appear here— "His target is me. You need to leave, quickly!"

Sakura Oda turned and shoved him away. Du Bin wanted to leave as well, but standing by and watching such a beauty get killed wasn't his style. Seeing him remain completely unfazed, Sakura Oda was so anxious she felt like cursing.

Du Bin offered her a faint smile and said, "With me here, you don't need to worry. I'll protect you."

Sakura Oda blushed. This was the first time a boy had ever said something like *I'll protect you* to her, and her heart fluttered with nervous anticipation.

"Hmph, brat, you certainly talk big," Akaya sneered, looking at the two of them as if they were clowns. No matter what they tried, the outcome today would be singular: death.

Du Bin stepped forward slowly, arcs of electricity beginning to crackle across his body. As his supernatural energy surged, the overcast sky spontaneously began to shed flashes of lightning. This oppressive aura made Akaya's expression turn solemn. "It seems my trip here today won't be wasted. This might actually be a little fun."