Chapter 208: Same Face, Different Fate

The night rain shrouding Tokyo did not just wash away the vanity on the Imperial Hotel’s red carpet; it also soaked the countless souls struggling within this massive metropolis.

Meanwhile, outside the VIP passage of Haneda Airport.

Several black business cars with diplomatic license plates had been waiting for a long time.

As the automatic doors slid open, a line of five people walked out.

There was no grand entourage, nor was there a barrage of camera flashes.

They looked like a group of ordinary tourists — if one ignored the sharp, spear-like posture they maintained even in casual clothes.

The four youths walking behind were all sporting buzz cuts and wearing identical dark tracksuits with tactical backpacks.

If one didn’t look at what was inside, the bags appeared no different from ordinary hiking packs.

Although their steps were intentionally relaxed, their eyes scanned the surroundings with vigilance.

Their muscles remained tensed at all times, as if ready to react to any sudden incident.

“I said… everyone, relax.”

The girl leading the group stopped and turned around with a helpless expression.

She had striking, long, silver-white hair tied loosely behind her head, the ends fluttering slightly in the night breeze.

Her pale gold eyes held a sense of composure and depth that surpassed her age under the cool white lights of the airport.

However, the four tower-like men stood before her as obediently as new recruits facing a drill instructor.

“Captain, this is a foreign country. It is a high-risk area,”

the most robust youth said in a low, muffled voice.

“Tokyo’s current public security is concerning, and the superpower crime rate remains high.”

“That’s right, Captain,”

another lean, red-eyed youth chimed in.

“We represent the face of our nation… we must maintain our peak condition at all times.”

The other two nodded in agreement.

The white-haired girl sighed and raised a hand to rub her temples.

“Didn’t you read the mission briefing?”

Her voice was soft but carried a faint authority.

“It’s a ‘friendly exchange.’ We are here as a specially invited exchange group for GSAC, not to perform a counter-terrorism mission or to challenge a dojo.”

She pointed at the nearby passersby who were glancing their way.

“Look at yourselves. You might as well have the words ‘I am a soldier’ written on your faces. How are you supposed to blend into the environment like this? How will we carry out our work? Slouch your backs a little, pull back your gaze, and stop looking at everyone like they’re a terrorist.”

The four youths looked at each other.

Finally, they awkwardly slumped their shoulders in an attempt to look ‘depleted.’

The girl shook her head helplessly.

“Forget it. Just adapt slowly.”

The group boarded the business cars.

The vehicles merged into the Tokyo night after the rain, heading toward the ‘Athletes’ Village’ arranged by the GSAC organizers.

Outside the window, Tokyo appeared exceptionally clear.

The neon lights reflected on the wet pavement, creating a vibrant flow of colors.

The girl leaned against the back of her seat, watching the street scenes fly by.

Her golden eyes were as calm as water, lost in thought.

Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to a scene in the distance.

It was in the direction of Shinjuku Ward.

A brilliant blue-white light tore through the dull night sky without warning.

It wasn’t natural lightning, as it flowed upward, surging from the ground into the clouds with a sense of absolute determination and violent energy fluctuations.

Even from such a distance, the girl seemed to feel a tingling sensation in the air.

“That is…?”

The youths in the car also noticed the phenomenon.

The girl narrowed her eyes slightly.

Within those originally calm, pale gold pupils, a strange light suddenly flared.

However, it lasted for only 2 seconds.

The bolt of lightning vanished into the depths of the clouds as if it had never existed.

The gold light in the girl’s eyes dimmed quickly, returning to its original pale hue.

She closed her eyes and exhaled softly, her eyebrows twitching upward.

‘Interesting…’

***

Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu, the underground training base, lowest floor.

This was the core training area reserved for Special Response HQ Unit 1, featuring the highest level of protective measures and soundproofing.

In the vast, empty space, one area was covered with thick, sound-absorbing rubber mats.

The morning wake-up light system simulated the color temperature of a sunrise, slowly illuminating the enclosed space.

In the center of the area, a figure was curled up on the ground.

Cuiyue slowly opened her eyes.

The cold metal ceiling above was the first thing she saw.

“Hiss…”

She tried to sit up, but her bones felt like they were rusting, letting out a protest of aching pain.

Though the hard rubber mats were better than concrete, they were basically zero in terms of comfort for a bed.

Last night, she had ‘run away from home’ due to that awkward family dinner, transforming into lightning and racing all the way here.

She wasn’t sure who she was angry at, but after venting her frustration, she had simply collapsed on the floor to sleep.

She looked down at herself — the training uniform that had been soaked by rain yesterday was now completely dry.

Cuiyue scratched her messy, ash-gray hair, feeling an inexplicable irritability.

‘Sigh! What’s done is done. I should eat first.’

Cuiyue stood up shakily and went to the locker room to change.

She walked toward the exit like a wandering ghost.

Swipe the card, open the door, take the elevator.

When she walked out of the underground base, it was the peak hour for the nearby SAD Building.

Staff members were rushing about, holding coffee and documents.

Cuiyue pulled up her mask and donned her hood, hiding most of her face as she hurried through the hall with her head down.

However, she quickly noticed something was wrong.

It was too quiet.

The originally noisy hall seemed to have been hit by a mute button the moment she appeared.

Following that was a burst of deliberately lowered whispers.

“Hey, look, is that…?”

“It’s her, right? Heavens, she’s actually here…”

“Her aura really is different…”

Cuiyue’s brow furrowed.

‘What is going on?’

She quickened her pace, practically fleeing the SAD Building.

The sunlight outside was somewhat piercing, and the puddles on the street hadn’t dried yet.

Cuiyue didn’t go far, slipping into an old-fashioned ramen shop near the base.

“Welcome!”

There weren’t many customers in the shop.

An old man with a full head of white hair was busy chopping green onions with his back to the door.

“Old man, I’ll have the extra-large chashu ramen.”

Cuiyue sat in the furthest corner of the bar.

She removed her mask and hood, letting out a long sigh.

“Coming right up, extra-large chashu…”

The owner turned around, holding a strainer, and looked over with a smile.

However, the moment his eyes landed on Cuiyue’s face, the strainer in his hand fell into the soup pot with a clatter, splashing a few drops of scalding broth.

“Ouch!”

The owner scrambled to fish out the strainer, but his eyes were still glued to Cuiyue, his mouth hanging wide open.

“S-sorry! Please wait a moment, it’ll be ready soon!”

The owner hurriedly turned back to cook the noodles, but his movements were noticeably stiffer than usual.

The confusion in Cuiyue’s heart grew.

She pulled her mobile phone out of her pocket.

Because of her flight and staying ‘logged in’ all night, the battery was under 10% and still in silent mode.

The moment the screen lit up, countless push notifications popped up like an explosion.

Headline news, top of the trending lists, social media trends… the entire digital world was covered with the same name.

[DRG Japan’s Top Executive makes her first public appearance! Who is the mysterious Missy of the Jiang Family?]

[Imperial Hotel banquet stuns the crowd! The “Black Swan” Jiang Jian Yue, who controls a billion-dollar empire!]

[More than just beauty! A deep dive into the power map and political maneuvers behind Jiang Jian Yue!]

[Genius? Monster? Or Savior? A direct look at the true mastermind behind GSAC!]

Cuiyue’s fingers trembled slightly as she clicked on one of the news reports.

What met her eyes was a set of high-definition photos from the scene.

They were clearly taken by a professional photographer and meticulously selected.

The girl in the photos wore a minimalist black dress.

Her ash-gray hair was pinned up, revealing her slender neck.

She was holding a boy’s arm as they walked the red carpet.

The boy’s face was cleverly blurred, or only shown from the side or back, without a clear shot of his face, but Cuiyue knew it was definitely Yuki Asahi.

Jiang Jian Yue’s blood-red eyes stared forward with indifference.

That innate nobility and arrogance practically overflowed from the screen.

Even Cuiyue herself felt a strange illusion while looking at the photo — ‘Is this really the same face?’

Why did the person in the photo look like a queen looking down on all living things, while she…

Cuiyue instinctively looked at her own reflection in the black screen of her phone.

Her hair was a mess, she was wearing a dusty hoodie, and there was a water stain on the corner of her mouth from a recent drink.

She looked like an internet-addict girl who had just finished an all-nighter.

“…Tsk.”

Cuiyue curled her lip in annoyance.

She continued scrolling down.

The content of the news was filled with excessive praise, describing Jiang Jian Yue as a brilliant, farsighted business leader with an iron fist.

The article detailed how she chatted and laughed with dignitaries at the banquet and how elegantly she handled the probes from various factions.

Even that cold gaze of hers was interpreted as the ‘loneliness of the strong at the summit.’

It was obviously a paid press release.

“Noodles are here! Extra-large chashu!”

The owner brought over a steaming, massive bowl of ramen.

The rich aroma interrupted Cuiyue’s thoughts.

Cuiyue put her phone down and looked at the mountain of chashu and green onions.

She finally understood why everyone was looking at her that way today.

Jiang Jian Yue had stepped fully into the spotlight.

From today on, this face no longer belonged to just a beautiful girl.

It represented DRG, it represented GSAC, and it represented a formidable symbol of power.

And for her, the one wearing this face…

In the future, even if she just went to a convenience store to buy an onigiri, she would probably be mistaken for a Missy on a “private inspection,” wouldn’t she?

Cuiyue picked up a piece of chashu and bit into it fiercely, as if the meat were Jiang Jian Yue herself.

As she slurped the noodles in large gulps, she felt indignant.

Envy? Jealousy?

Or… longing?

‘If I could be like her, would I stop worrying about monthly rent and the way others look at me?’

Cuiyue shook her head, tossing the absurd thought out of her mind.

No matter what, she was the Copy.

She finished the last of the soup and pulled out a paper towel to wipe her mouth.

“Mister, the check!”

Cuiyue slapped down a 1,000-yen note, put her hood and mask back on, and walked out of the ramen shop.

The sunlight was still piercing, but she straightened her back.