Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 950 - 752: Waiting_2

The wind was calm, and the sea was still.

There were no attacks, and no unexpected events.

With Huai Shi’s escort, by 7 in the morning, they had already arrived outside of the General’s residence.

Their host was already waiting at the door and then led them into a lounge, offering refreshments.

"The General was overthinking things last night and only just went to sleep several hours ago. Your meeting may be slightly delayed, so please be patient, Mr. Tobio, and wait in peace."

After saying this, the host respectfully took their leave and closed the door behind them.

As time passed, hurried footsteps constantly sounded outside the door, yet no one ever entered; instead, they coldly passed by and went in another direction.

At first, Tobio would always sit up respectfully, but over time, his demeanor gradually darkened.

Huai Shi had once suspected this was some kind of ploy to lead him into the White Tiger Festival Hall, but after carefully scanning his surroundings and finding excuses to visit the bathroom four or five times, he discovered... this was just an ordinary lounge.

The entire residence was bustling, with attendants busily going about their daily cleaning and work.

Occasionally, somber Samurai and respectful officials were seen coming and going.

Other than the occasional servant bringing tea or water, it seemed as if no one cared about these two specks of dust that didn’t belong here.

If Tobio hadn’t insisted on waiting, Huai Shi would have been unable to resist urging them along, even if urging wouldn’t help.

With no choice left, they could only wait patiently.

And so, they waited the entire day...

.

.

At noon, the Tanbo Inner Circle’s dock area was bustling.

This was perhaps the busiest place in the Tanbo Circle for interaction with other regions, with one of Kyoto’s five ports located here.

Although limited by berth construction and unable to accommodate large ships, it attracted a great number of fishing vessels due to its location and fishing seasons.

Especially in the summer and autumn, which were the busiest times of the year.

The newly returned fishing boats were busy offloading cargo, and wholesalers from various fresh markets had long been ready. Trucks rolled over wet ground dotted with sea water and fish scales, while amid the pungent fishy smell, many restaurant buyers were waiting for their familiar merchants to deliver goods.

Reeking of the sea, fisherman Takahashi, who had returned less than an hour ago, wiped the sweat from his brow, clumsily completed the bookkeeping, and after confirming everything was correct, looked around and, seeing no one, shouted loudly in the noisy market: "Sakamoto! Sakamoto! Where the hell are you? Come over and move goods!!"

A clear response came from the boat behind him, but it wasn’t the hoarse reply of a middle-aged man. Instead, it was a bright voice of a teenage girl.

"Coming, coming, please wait a moment!"

A towering stack of crates, four to five meters high, seemed to grow legs as it wobbled down the ramp from the boat. The dull splashing sounds within made the buyers around Takahashi change expressions and involuntarily step back.

After all, these boxes were filled with seawater and seafood, and if they tipped over, his life might be at risk...

Even more astonishing was that this massive load, which usually required forklifts to transport, had been brought over step by step, supported by just a pair of hands, right in front of him.

Finally, with a thud, it was set down on the ground.

From behind appeared a youthful, pretty face adorned with a delicate ghost horn, who sheepishly smiled at Takahashi: "Mr. Sakamoto said he went to the bathroom and asked me to help out."

The buyer gasped, doubting his own eyes.

Is this person for real?

Meanwhile, Takahashi, who was rarely seen cheerful, grew even more sullen: "The bathroom? I bet he’s off hiring prostitutes! Zhenxi, don’t let that guy fool you into taking over again."

"It’s no big deal; I’m strong anyway."

The girl called Zhenxi chuckled heartily.

Takahashi withdrew his gaze and turned to the buyer: "Sorry for the spectacle, Mr. Ushijima. All the pre-ordered goods are here. Please have a look."

"It’s alright. Lady Kinai recommended you people, so we trust you."

The blond young man smiled politely, and after settling the bill and exchanging a few pleasantries, he immediately turned back to command the porters to load up the goods.

From the beginning to the end, Zhenxi watched curiously from the side. These strange people seemed to bear more or less tattoos, remained unsmiling, yet were straightforward and efficient, not even bothering to haggle.

They didn’t require any bookkeeping for monthly settlement but paid upfront.

Many fishermen turned down orders from other places, prioritized delivering goods to them, and even offered generous discounts...

"Is another big mall opening nearby?"

Zhenxi blinked eagerly: "Can’t wait to check it out next time!"

"Hmph, it’s all fake benevolence and righteousness."

Behind her, the boy scraping fish scales on the boat scoffed and muttered in a low voice: "Those Huaizhi Gang guys, who knows what they’re up to..."

His face bore a large birthmark, the scaly skin protruding like scales, and when mentioning that term, his expression was particularly disdainful.

Zhenxi paused, then hesitated, looked back, feeling she might have heard wrong, and didn’t react.

"Toshio, did you just say... Huaizhi Gang?"

"Hmm? Zhenxi, you didn’t know?" Toshio spat into the sea and disdainfully said: "They’re the new thugs in town, the Huai Zhisu people. Hah, they’re monopolizing the supply of water and vegetables in the Tanbo Inner Circle for their own trade, trying to hog everything."