"The last time I came back, Yangcheng didn't have such an exaggerated wall," Su Xiuyu muttered as he stood outside the towering structure. "Looks like things have changed a lot over the past few years."
It had been six years since his last visit—when he returned to check on his parents. Back then, Yangcheng had no such formidable defenses. Even in a modern society, constructing a wall encircling an entire city was a monumental task, requiring both time and immense resources. The fact that they'd actually done it... said a lot.
"The spatial coordinates should've placed us inside the city," Xiuyu said, glancing at the surroundings. "Forget it. Let's just enter through the south gate and assess the situation from there."
Truth be told, if he hadn't been concerned about drawing too much attention, he would've just flown in with Mito and Chisato. But they were trying to keep a low profile—for now.
Outside the city walls, the dense forest resembled something out of a mountain range: overgrown, wild, and teeming with life. It felt less like the outskirts of a modern city and more like the edge of a survival zone.
Soon, the three approached the main gate of Yangcheng.
The southern gate was broad, and traffic flowed steadily—both human and vehicular. But what truly caught Su Xiuyu's attention were the guards. Armored vehicles lined both sides of the road, flanked by tanks that didn't look ceremonial at all.
This wasn't just security. It was preparation for war.
Still, Xiuyu wasn't surprised. Ever since he first left for the Naruto world, space rift incidents had begun appearing across the real world. Mutations in animals and plants grew increasingly frequent. Now, two decades later, the situation had clearly escalated.
Six years ago, Yangcheng hadn't been like this. Something big must've happened recently.
"Excuse me, sir. Please present your identification," one of the armed guards at the gate said politely.
"Identification?" Su Xiuyu blinked. The request was simple enough—probably something akin to an ID card. But even if that were the case, there was a problem.
He didn't have one.
And Mito and Chisato? Definitely not.
"Yes, sir. Your ID, please."
"...Can I have an ID?" Xiuyu asked with a deadpan tone.
The guard immediately stiffened.
"Hands on your head! Now!" he barked. "I have reason to suspect you're an unidentified threat! Cooperate, or I'll sound the alarm!"
In an instant, nearby guards cocked their rifles and pointed them at the trio. Their movements were swift, trained. These weren't rookies.
"Tch. Troublesome." Xiuyu sighed.
"Naraku-ken Jutsu."
A wave of genjutsu rippled outward, instantly putting every soldier in the vicinity to sleep—except the one who had confronted him.
The guard's panic skyrocketed as he instinctively pulled the trigger, unloading a full magazine toward Su Xiuyu.
But the bullets never reached him.
They froze in midair, suspended like glittering beads in a frozen waterfall.
"What... what are you?!" the guard gasped, eyes wide. He'd seen his share of "gifted" people before, but this was beyond anything he'd encountered.
"I'm not a threat," Xiuyu said calmly. "I simply don't have an ID. But my old ID number is still valid—try this."
He recited a string of numbers. The guard, though visibly trembling, quickly input them into his terminal.
Moments later, his eyes widened.
"Su Xiuyu... You're listed as a former captain of the Secret Service's Special Ops Unit...?"
"That's me. Problem?"
"N-No, sir! It's just... If you know someone in the Secret Service who can vouch for you, we can update your records and issue a new ID card on the spot."
"Do you know Lei Gang?"
The name triggered an immediate reaction.
"You mean Director Lei Gang?!" The guard looked as if he'd just seen a ghost.
"Director?" Xiuyu raised a brow. "Last I saw, he was just the son of the old director. Looks like time really has passed."
"Here, please use this phone." The guard offered a secure line, no longer treating Xiuyu as a suspect but as someone whose clearance likely exceeded his own.
Xiuyu dialed the long-forgotten number. After a few rings, someone answered.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"It's me, Su Xiuyu. Still remember me, Lei Zi?"
On the other end, a chair screeched as someone stood up so fast it nearly toppled.
"Brother Xiuyu?! Is that really you?!"
In the background, Lei Gang's secretary stared at him like he'd gone mad. She'd seen him handle life-or-death emergencies with a poker face, but this—this excitement was unprecedented.
"You're really back?! Where are you? I'll come pick you up right now!"
"I do need a favor," Xiuyu said casually. "I'm at Yangcheng's south gate. No ID. Got my fiancées with me too. Think you could help?"
"Say no more! Stay put—I'll be there in ten!"
After the call ended, the guard looked even more overwhelmed. He'd heard every word and now felt like an ant standing next to a dragon.
"We'll wait for Lei Gang to arrive before we proceed," Xiuyu offered calmly.
The guard nodded so fast it looked painful. After a pause, he hesitantly asked, "Um... are the others you knocked out... okay?"
"They're fine," Xiuyu said with a smirk. "They're just asleep. Might have sore backsides when they wake up, but they'll be up in about two hours. Nothing permanent."
That seemed to ease the man's tension a bit.
Fifteen minutes later, an armored vehicle pulled up, and Lei Gang practically jumped out of it.
He spotted Xiuyu and ran over, enveloping him in a crushing hug.
"Brother Xiuyu! You have no idea how long I've waited to see you again!"
Lei Gang had changed—gone was the skinny youth of years past. Now he was a solid, broad-shouldered man, clearly hardened by years of service.
"All right, all right," Xiuyu chuckled. "My fiancées are watching. Hugging me that tight's gonna give them the wrong idea."
He flashed a teasing grin. Even after all these years, it seemed Lei Gang's sincerity hadn't changed.
-----------------------------
"Brother Xiuyu, the two behind you... they aren't your fiancées, are they?"
"Why are you pretending? You've seen them before," Su Xiuyu teased with a smirk.
Lei Gang scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I have, but it's been so many years. Look at me now, all grown up—but you, Brother Xiuyu, you haven't aged a day."
"Alright, enough flattery. Let's take care of this ID card issue."
"Of course, Brother Xiuyu."
With Lei Gang personally vouching for him, the guards quickly backed down, treating Xiuyu like royalty. One of them looked ready to salute on the spot.
Once they were inside the vehicle, Lei Gang insisted on driving himself—a rare occurrence these days. As the director of the Secret Service, he usually had a driver. But this was different. Xiuyu was back.
Uchiha Chisato and Uzumaki Mito sat quietly in the back seat, listening to the two old friends catch up.
"The current ID card system was introduced five years ago. The old ones have been phased out. Now it also functions as a bank card and can be used for all kinds of economic activities—transfers, transactions, access control."
"All because of the rise in superpowers?"
"Exactly," Lei Gang nodded. "There's been a surge in unpredictable abilities. Some of them are incredibly destructive. Identity checks at city gates are tight to prevent any potential disasters."
Xiuyu glanced at Lei Gang's arm. "Speaking of disasters, what happened to your arm?"
Lei Gang smiled bitterly. "Bitten off by a mutant tiger. That was a few years ago. I almost didn't make it."
He spoke with a calm that only came from brushing against death more than once.
"And the wall? It must've cost a fortune."
"You're not wrong. Several years of tax revenue and generous support from local businesses. But we had no choice. Mutated animals and plants are a constant threat. Rats, snakes, lizards—they attack in waves. Without the wall, we'd be overrun."
"Has it come to that?" Xiuyu muttered.
"It has. Most cities across the country are doing the same. The countryside? Practically extinct. Too dangerous. People have migrated en masse into walled cities."
"Sounds like we've reverted to feudal times."
"In some ways, yes. Only a few major cities have the resources to maintain open defense perimeters. Others rely on walls. It's expensive, but it's effective."
"And Yangcheng is under semi-military rule now?"
"Yes. Supply chains, logistics—all under strict regulation. It's the only way to maintain order."
Xiuyu nodded, digesting the dramatic changes that had occurred over the years.
"How's Uncle Lei doing?"
"Still well. Enjoying retirement with your parents. But they can't travel anymore. Intercity movement is difficult and costly. Road travel is a nightmare—mutants everywhere. Convoys need armored vehicles and armed escorts."
"What about food production?"
"We were lucky. Scientists recently developed perennial rice—grows tall like a small tree, yields a lot. We're stable for now. Meat, though, is scarce. Hunting mutants is expensive and dangerous."
"So you hunt them as a unit?"
"Yes, large-scale missions. Secret Service leads the operations—machine guns, rockets, armored convoys. We burn through ammunition fast, but it's the only way. The meat is nutrient-dense, and helps enhance superpowers, but... it's costly."
Xiuyu silently listened, observing how drastically the world had changed.
"Mutations come from both space rifts and local evolution," he muttered.
"Exactly. It's been a double assault. Animals, plants, even insects. Everything's changed."
"How bad is it abroad?"
Lei Gang sighed. "Worse. The U.S. devolved into corporate-controlled city-states. Only cities backed by big capital can stay safe."
"Japan—Sakura Country—is worse. Marine mutants devastate their coasts. Most cities are gone. Only Greater Tokyo and Osaka Defense City remain."
The mood in the car dimmed.
"Brother Xiuyu," Lei Gang said suddenly, his voice heavy, "How long do you think this will last?"
Xiuyu looked out the window at the unfamiliar streets. The Yangcheng he knew was gone.
"I don't know," he replied honestly.
As they drove, he noticed the absence of private cars.
"Wondering why there are no private vehicles?" Lei Gang asked, picking up on his thoughts. "Fuel's too expensive. Gasoline is rationed. Electricity is unstable—cables get damaged often. Most people rely on public transport."
Xiuyu observed the streets: buses, armored transports, military supply vehicles. Civilians on foot. Not a single personal vehicle in sight.
"We also face city sieges," Lei Gang added. "That's what we call it when mutant creatures organize large-scale attacks. They're not very coordinated, but they're relentless. Losses are unavoidable."
"Ever considered nuclear weapons?" Xiuyu asked.
"Not us. But Japan did. Wiped out a mutant swarm cleanly—but the radiation rendered the area useless. Made the mutation problem worse in the long term."
"So you're stuck using conventional arms."
"Exactly. Less effective, but sustainable. In emergencies, we fall back on white phosphorus bombs. It's brutal, but necessary."
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Check my Pâtreon for (40) advanced chapters
Pâtreon .com/Fanficlord03
Change (â) to (a)
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9