Chapter 52: Dinner at the Jiangjian Household Today

Long Yin sat alone in the empty reception room for a long time.

Only a silent maid had come by once to serve him tea.

Other than that, it was as if he had been completely forgotten by the young lady of the Jiang Family.

Long Yin didn’t dare just leave either—he had come to the School Gate to block someone for a discussion.

Time flowed slowly.

It wasn’t until the sunset stained the floor red through the floor-to-ceiling windows that Morita Aoya finally appeared and led him up to the fifth floor.

Seated at the dining table, Long Yin’s gaze was immediately drawn to the spread of dishes before him, his mouth opening slightly in surprise.

Guobaorou, chicken stewed with hazel mushrooms, crucian carp crossing the river, three earth treasures, flying dragon soup—

These authentic Northeastern flavors were instantly recognizable as the specialties of a Northeastern master chef.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Long Yin’s mind: treat, beheading, accepting someone as a lackey.

“Taste it.”

Jiang Jian Yue casually made a “please” gesture, already picking up a piece of guobaorou and putting it into her mouth.

The long-missed taste of home instantly awakened Long Yin’s taste buds.

No longer caring about her intentions, he decisively picked up some hazel mushrooms and started chewing.

“How is it?”

Long Yin nodded, saying nothing more, simply focusing on eating rice and dishes.

A bowl of rice quickly emptied.

This Northeasterner, whose temperament was far from that of an Iron Buddy, finally gave a heartfelt review:

“It’s crazy delicious, authentic! Especially these hazel mushrooms, wild, right? Haven’t had this taste in ages…”

A hint of loneliness flickered in Long Yin’s eyes.

He kept praising with his mouth, but his heart was a mix of emotions.

“Didn’t expect Miss Jiang Jian to understand our hometown dishes so well.”

Jiang Jian Yue nodded slightly—

The Jiang Family employed many chefs, especially those skilled in various Chinese cuisines.

Even the absent-minded Jiang Jian Yue had a particular fondness for authentic Chinese food.

She only occasionally used Japanese or Western cuisine to adjust her palate, so there were quite a few chefs adept at foreign dishes as well.

“How many years have you been in Japan?”

She didn’t go straight to the point, instead asking in fluent Mandarin as if chatting casually.

“Not many.”

Maybe the taste of hometown food had lowered his guard.

Long Yin scooped another bowl of rice, ignoring table etiquette as he ate and answered.

“Got tricked here by a fellow countryman. Online, he bragged so much that I thought following him couldn’t go wrong.”

“The result? He didn’t do so well himself. If I’d known, I might as well have stayed in…”

His torrent of words abruptly stopped.

Long Yin suddenly shut his mouth, clearly realizing he’d said too much.

“Drink?”

Jiang Jian Yue, noticing Long Yin’s wariness, waved for a maid and asked.

“No, no, no need…”

Long Yin hurriedly waved his hand.

He liked drinking, but… drinking with a Japanese JK felt a bit strange.

Minors are prohibited from drinking, you know.

“Miss Jiang Jian, have you ever stayed in Serys?”

Long Yin asked with some curiosity.

Her distinctly Wu-speaking Jiangsu-Zhejiang accent didn’t sound like something acquired later.

They had checked Jiang Jian Yue’s background—no overseas records—probably erased by powerful hands.

“Mm.”

Jiang Jian Yue nodded.

She’d stayed for more than twenty years, give or take.

“No wonder.”

Long Yin understood.

After the meal, it was finally time to discuss business.

“Miss Jiang Jian, forgive my intrusion today—I’m here to ask for a favor.”

Long Yin’s tone was solemn.

At this moment, he didn’t treat Jiang Jian Yue as an ordinary JK at all.

You want a request too? What am I, some hero? Why do tasks keep piling up at my doorstep!

“Speak.”

Jiang Jian Yue wiped her mouth with a napkin, deciding to hear him out first.

“To deliver something out of Japan.”

Long Yin’s face showed a hint of bitterness.

“Japanese customs have been strict lately, and we don’t have the manpower for smuggling right now, so we have no choice but to ask for your help.”

Strict customs?

How did my family’s arms pass through without issue then?

Jiang Jian Yue pondered for a while and reached a conclusion.

This meant the influence of the Lamp Extinguishers within the Japanese Government wasn’t very deep.

Their public assets in Japan probably weren’t abundant either.

It made sense.

Back when GPRI still existed, their doctrine would have prioritized attacking listed legal assets.

So, other organizations were forced into long-term secrecy—not because they didn’t want to go public, but because GPRI’s suppression left them no breathing room.

This was also one reason why Long Yin suspected their leader valued Jiang Jian Yue so much—because the Dawn Resources Group was still intact.

In Long Yin’s understanding, it was nearly impossible for a superpower holder to act solo before the fall of GPRI.

Due to energy leakage, they would inevitably be targeted and closely monitored by various organizations.

Next, whoever could gather power the fastest, most, and strongest in the area would control the fate of the superpower holder.

If GPRI won, there were three choices for superpower holders facing them: join GPRI, be monitored for life, or die.

If GPRI lost, the superpower holder could be sheltered by other organizations—but would still be relentlessly hunted by GPRI’s Clearing Squad until completing the Chantui, when energy leakage could no longer be detected.

Someone like Jiang Jian Yue, who held vast information, couldn’t possibly be alone, yet was clearly not part of GPRI.

So how had the Dawn Resources Group tied to her remained untouched by GPRI?

Such things could only be accomplished by those in North America or Serys.

Jiang Jian Yue had no idea Long Yin’s mind was spinning tales of a mysterious, powerful organization in Africa capable of rivaling GPRI.

If she knew, she’d say: Sorry, my family really just digs mines!

“What do you need delivered?”

She asked softly.

“Shock Core.”

Jiang Jian Yue raised an eyebrow slightly.

To her, the Shock Core was a divine item that could mass-produce superpower holders.

Of course, it also mass-produced risks.

If the Heart Worm was unstable, it could mutate into a Tunjiti.

Jiang Jian Yue suddenly recalled that Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu had now obtained the Heart Worm Ability System data—they should understand the risks of the Parasitic Larva Stage, right?

She felt a pang for the workers at Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu, who had just dealt with one crisis and now had to manage the future mutations of so many superpower holders.

Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu, I’ll never call you useless again.

“Such a valuable item—aren’t you afraid I’ll keep it for myself?”

Jiang Jian Yue replied by typing in her memo.

Recently, though her spoken words had become more fluent, she still stumbled over longer sentences.

When chatting with the team while playing 5E, if her sentences got longer, what came out would become “spaghetti mixed with No. 42 concrete.”

So this young lady also knew the uses of the Shock Core…

Long Yin’s thoughts raced.

But with her little boyfriend working so closely with Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu, it wasn’t strange for her to know some inside information.

“We believe, in the name of the Dawn Resources Group, you wouldn’t do such a thing.”

Long Yin smiled with sincere trust—a smile that was hard to read.

Honor?

Isn’t our family a colonial company?

This future successor of Dawn Resources evaluated her own family business like this—

After all, linking resource development and Africa, it was hard not to think of a colonial company.

What colonial company in history ever had a good reputation?

Blood debts were the norm.