MEI Company reception room. Cocolia and Lucius sat around a tea table.
After making contact with Ryoma, Cocolia had been invited to MEI Company for a meeting.
When Ryoma revealed the news, Cocolia instinctively didn't believe it.
But given Ryoma's status, he had no reason to deceive her, so she couldn't help but believe it.
Looking at the steaming tea before her, Cocolia frowned slightly and said:
"Since entering politics, I've always been cautious and careful, never making enemies with anyone. I truly can't think of who would want to come after me..."
Of course, there were some things she didn't say aloud—that if she truly had made enemies, she would have wiped them out completely, leaving no leverage for her opponents.
Thinking back on her past experiences, she genuinely couldn't think of anyone who would want to kill her.
"Mr. Ryoma, do you know who wants to harm me?"
Looking at the confusion on Cocolia's face, Lucius picked up his teacup and took a light sip, saying calmly:
"I do. That assassin was hired by me to kill you."
"Clatter!"
Cocolia's hand trembled. The teacup along with its tea spilled across the table, and the smile on her face became extremely unnatural.
"Mr. Ryoma... this joke isn't funny."
Lucius set his teacup on the table and said leisurely:
"It's not a joke. The assassin who wants to kill you was indeed hired by me. A while back, you had someone kidnap me—I should find an opportunity to get back at you, shouldn't I?"
Hearing this, Cocolia's heart jolted, and cold sweat poured down.
Her peripheral vision swept around the reception room, trying to find a useful weapon.
But looking left and right, she found the stone table in front of her seemed most useful...
As if seeing the panic in Cocolia's heart, Lucius consoled her in a gentle tone:
"No need to get too agitated, Ms. Cocolia. I have no ill intentions right now. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to arrive here safely."
"Enemies and friends are inherently dynamic. Before this, we were indeed adversaries, but perhaps now we can become friends."
Seeing that Lucius didn't look like he was hosting a Hongmen Banquet and wasn't planning to smash his cup as a signal, Cocolia breathed a sigh of relief.
"I apologize. Although my previous actions were somewhat extreme, Mr. Ryoma, my true intention was indeed to become friends with you."
Since Ryoma already knew, Cocolia simply stopped concealing anything. With the enemy being strong and herself weak, speaking openly would actually gain more trust.
Seeing Cocolia being so sensible, Lucius nodded with satisfaction and said:
"As a latecomer to this city, I stand alone without support. But with your help, Ms. Cocolia, I might have a chance to completely outshine those old fossils."
Hearing this, Cocolia finally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. Since the two could exchange mutual benefits, her safety was no longer a concern.
So Cocolia showed a smile.
"Mr. Ryoma makes a good point. This world belongs to us young people. Those old fossils should have made way long ago!"
Seeing Cocolia fall into his plan, Lucius smiled inwardly. While freshening Cocolia's tea, he said:
"Since we've become friends, then what happened before was just a misunderstanding. I'll cancel this assignment with the Poison Pupa organization."
"But as you know, this takes time. These assassins often cut off communication when they take a job to ensure they're not exposed."
"During this time, you need to watch your safety. I don't want a partner I've finally found to die so dramatically."
Saying this, Lucius advised with apparent goodwill:
"My laboratory has recently developed a mech capable of quantum state concealment, very suitable for use as a bodyguard."
"If you need them, I can give you a few."
Cocolia looked at the goodwill on Lucius's face and decisively refused.
This might indeed be a form of protection, but it could equally be a form of surveillance. She did want to form a partnership with Ryoma, but she didn't want to lose the initiative and become his subordinate.
"Please don't worry, Mr. Ryoma. I grew up on the great snowfields of Siberia."
"You know how dangerous that place is. I grew up fighting hamsters and golden chinchillas there, so my combat skills are fairly decent."
More than decent—Cocolia was quite confident in her own abilities. Even one or two teams of ordinary special forces wouldn't be her match.
Therefore, she didn't think the hired assassin coming for her would be much of a problem.
Seeing Cocolia refuse his offer, Lucius didn't get angry. Instead, he raised his teacup in a toast with tea standing in for wine.
"Ms. Cocolia, from now on, we are bound by the same fate. I hope our friendship will last forever."
When Lucius's words came out, whether it was an illusion or not, Cocolia felt the air around her become heavier.
Ignoring the strange feeling in her heart, Cocolia looked at Lucius across from her.
She wasn't someone who hesitated or cowered. She had made her decision before coming, and she didn't retreat now.
So she nodded and said with a smile: "Our alliance will certainly be unbreakable."
For a moment, the atmosphere between the two no longer held any gravity, but rather became light and easy.
For Cocolia, now that the two had become allies, there were certain things she could speak openly about.
"Mr. Ryoma, there are some things I'm not sure I should say."
You've already said that much—how could I refuse?
Lucius complained internally, but kept his gentle smile and said: "Feel free to speak."
"Mr. Ryoma, you're just getting started. It's not yet time to fight head-on with the local forces of the Far East."
"There's an old saying in the East: the bird that sticks its head out gets shot first. You'd best build high walls, store grain widely, and be slow to claim kingship."
Cocolia's words were genuinely sincere. After reaching a partnership, their interests aligned in the short term, and she didn't want Ryoma to fail due to arrogance.
Lucius listened quietly. Everyone has their own area of expertise, and in matters of political infighting, it was Cocolia the professional who understood best.
"Well then, Ms. Cocolia, what are your thoughts?"
Cocolia smiled and said:
"The reason these local forces are so frenzied is because under your pressure, they see no hope."
"Why not show them some goodwill? First give them a little insignificant benefit to shut their mouths. Once everything is accomplished, make them give it all back with interest."
Cocolia tapped her fingers together, her lips carrying a smile that was somewhere between self-mockery and sarcasm.
"People are such contradictory creatures. When they fall into desperate straits, just giving a little hope can keep them tightly hooked."
Hearing this, Lucius nodded in agreement.
"You make a valid point. Although I don't really care what these guys do, it's still annoying when they cause me trouble."
"In that case, let's..."
[After Raiden Ryoma is imprisoned for financial fraud, his daughter Raiden Mei, implicated by the incident, experiences cold violence at school.]
[Mission: Witness the Fall of the Raiden Queen, Reward: A-rank Stigmata Selection Box x1, Crystals 300]
[Mission Status: Completed, Rewards Distributed]
Cocolia noticed that the smile on 'Ryoma's' face gradually faded.
In its place was a gloomy expression, and she even faintly sensed a killing intent in his gaze.
But the next moment, the approachable smile returned to his face, as if everything just now had been an illusion.
"Ms. Cocolia, we'll discuss the specific details of our cooperation in a moment. Please rest here for now, or feel free to tour MEI Company's facilities at your leisure."
"I need to go handle something concerning my daughter. I'll be back shortly."
Watching Ryoma suddenly stand up, a flash of surprise passed through Cocolia's eyes, but she didn't ask any questions.
Although leaving a guest behind like this was indeed impolite, she could tell Ryoma wasn't someone who was constrained by social conventions.
So she nodded with a light smile and said: "Please go ahead, Mr. Ryoma."
After Ryoma left, Cocolia stood up and toured MEI Company under the guidance of staff that Lucius had arranged in advance.
Until a subordinate sent her a message.
Cocolia's eyes swept across it, and she discovered it was actually related to Raiden Ryoma.
[Shocking! MEI Company President Does This for His Daughter?!]
Cocolia clicked on it with curiosity, and right at the top were photos of Ryoma and Mei.
In the photos, Ryoma was punching and kicking someone lying on the ground.
Not far away, his daughter with long purple hair, who usually had an air of bookishness about her, was now wearing a ferocious grin, swinging a baseball bat and chasing down a group of people.
Thud!
After seeing the scene in the photo, Cocolia missed her step and instantly fell to the ground.
But Cocolia paid no attention to the pain, feeling only that her vision was going black.
"Ryoma, what on earth have you done..."
Because she recognized them—the person Ryoma had pinned under his foot and was punching and kicking was the current mayor of Nagazora City!
And among the group of students Mei was chasing and beating, she even saw the daughter of Yamazaki Heavy Industries, the biggest industrial giant in Nagazora City!
In that moment, Cocolia suddenly had doubts about whether partnering with Ryoma was the right choice.
...
So how did things develop to this point?
Time needs to go back a little further.
Qianyu Academy.
Today was the day of the upcoming parent-teacher conference, but it wasn't any different from usual.
Students in the classroom had gathered in small clusters of twos and threes, which still had nothing to do with Mei.
At other times, there would still be Kiana to talk with her, but after learning there was a parent-teacher conference, Kiana had suddenly taken leave for some unknown reason.
So today, once again, there was only her alone here.
Mei remained in her exclusive spot in the back row by the window, flipping through a thick book with a metal cover and corner guards.
It was the collector's edition of High Energy Physics that Lucius had given her.
As for why it needed a metal cover and corner guards, Lucius had said this was called "reasoning with people"—since physics was also a kind of reason, after all.
Mei didn't understand Lucius's joke, but that didn't stop her from loving this book.
However, just as Mei was swimming in the ocean of knowledge, some extremely discordant voices reached her ears.
"Have you noticed? The dolphins near Nagazora Bay haven't been seen lately."
"My father told me it's all because MEI Company is doing construction in the offshore waters, which scared away the dolphins that should have come."
"Ugh... MEI Company is so terrible!"
Hearing this, Mei swept her gaze over and found a few girls gathered nearby, loudly condemning MEI Company's evil deeds.
Mei recognized them. The leader of this little clique was a girl named Ayane, the daughter of Yamazaki Heavy Industries. The rest were yes-people who orbited around her.
Scheming loudly at such close proximity to her was obviously intentional.
However, Mei only glanced at them once before ignoring them.
As for their incessant chatter, Mei treated it as nothing but air.
After all, she was already a mature grown-up. How could she possibly bother with these creatures whose intellectual development was even inferior to that of paramecia?
After Mei once again immersed herself in the ocean of knowledge, the little clique surrounding her, finding that their cold mockery had no effect on Mei, became even more irritated.
Their words grew increasingly aggressive, their insults increasingly vicious, and naturally they extended to Mei's family.
Until the girl named Ayane instinctively said one sentence.
"Ryoma is just a bastard..."
"Swish!"
This time, before they could even finish their words, they felt a terrifying gaze fall upon them.
The group turned around and found that Mei was staring at them intently, her gaze as if it could devour people alive.
Under Mei's stare, the girls felt like lab mice being examined, their fate no longer in their own hands.
"You..."
Ayane, standing at the front, felt ashamed of her own fear and was just about to say something threatening to boost her courage.
But she saw Mei shoot to her feet with a sharp sound, her expression twisting into something ferocious, her usually beautiful violet eyes now seeming to blaze with fire.
Immediately after, she picked up the thick High Energy Physics book with its metal cover and corner guards, and without any hesitation hurled it straight at her face.
"Don't you dare insult my dad!!!"
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