It didn't taste good,
and I didn't know if it would cause diarrhea.
He Lǐ silently lit a cigarette and said, "Give me some instant noodles."
The old man smiled, first saying "Okay," then explaining, "It's ramen. Only Koreans eat instant noodles every day."
He Lǐ rolled his eyes. "You're the one saying that, boss, not me. Don't bring me into your regional prejudice."
Not long after,
the ramen arrived, a generous portion. He Lǐ picked out the seaweed and fish cakes and began to eat the noodles.
The boss sat on a long bench against the wall, with the window open, smiling as he watched He Lǐ eat, then lit a cigarette for himself.
"Tomorrow or the day after, this place will become a battlefield. Guest, aren't you returning to your own country?" the boss asked.
He Lǐ looked up at the boss and said, "I'll leave after I've sorted things out. What about you? Why are you still here?"
The old man smiled, his face creased with wrinkles. "This small shop is my life's asset. If I leave, I lose everything. I can't leave."
"Then you haven't considered that you might die here?" This time it was He Lǐ's turn to ask.
The old man shook his head. "I've worked for over 50 years and finally owned a small shop in Tokyo. Even if I leave and survive, what then?
No one to rely on, wandering towards death.
It's better to die in the place I've worked my whole life for."
He Lǐ didn't reply. This reminded him of an interesting post online about American superheroes. When chasing criminals and fighting monsters,
they threw cars, financed over three years, at the monsters. The monsters crashed into houses, bought with thirty-year mortgages, after being hit by the cars.
The monsters escaped, and the superheroes chased after them.
Hmm... they should get compensation, right?
He wasn't sure, because no one had ever mentioned it.
The monsters were eliminated, the superheroes enjoyed flowers and applause, and the pedestrians lived in shelters, still paying off their loans.
Behind every event, there are more unknown events.
He Lǐ thought for a moment and asked, "So, are you still charging for this meal?"
The boss was stunned, staring blankly at He Lǐ. Why would this person think that? He had just gotten emotional, and one sentence from He Lǐ pulled him back to reality.
The boss sighed deeply, his expression dejected. "Not one yen can be spared."
"Boring," He Lǐ pouted.
"Heh," the boss sneered.
After finishing the meal and paying,
He Lǐ walked to the door and stopped. He looked back at the boss who was clearing the table, hesitated, and said, "Good luck."
The boss smiled at He Lǐ. "Good luck to you too, sir."
He Lǐ left the small tavern and looked back again. It was indeed a bad tavern, but it was the entire asset an old man had worked 50 years to acquire.
At the same time,
Aresva stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at Tokyo. He raised his hand and gently smoothed his expensive suit, saying softly, "The Hunter group has gained three more combatants, stronger than the three at Tokyo Port, but still limited. They shouldn't be a match for Ricardo's three divine envoys."
"But why have you come to find me?"
Aresva turned around, looking at Praidana, who sat on the sofa with a smile. He frowned, "We shouldn't have any dealings, should we?"
"Praidana, I remember you've always been Sesosian's lackey. Are you here to cooperate with me to scheme against me and offer my divinity to Sesosian?"
Praidana didn't seem to mind the word "lackey." She looked at Aresva and smiled, "I've come to cooperate with you, of course, to obtain the divinity of more powerful gods. Their divinity is far stronger than Ricardo's, and you'll benefit much more."
"Oh? More powerful gods?"
Aresva looked at Praidana with confusion. She was a Sand Scorpion woman, deeply cunning. Compared to her, Nifita's petty schemes were like a kindergarten child playing house.
When Praidana came to find him today, his first instinct was to kill her. But he feared retaliation after Sesosian's awakening. With Sesosian around, he really didn't dare to kill this woman casually.
This was also why Praidana, despite being the weakest among the thirteen gods, could stand before others with impunity.
Because her "master" was powerful.
"Praidana, put away your petty schemes. After I kill Ricardo, I will seek out Annihilation. After killing Annihilation, I will naturally reincarnate. I don't want to participate in your battles.
I just need to accumulate slowly, climb upwards slowly. In tens of thousands of years, I will be a high-ranking god, and then it will be my time to leave. Tens of thousands of years is nothing; I can wait. I don't need your plans or cooperation."
Aresva's attitude was firm. He wanted to advance; he could snatch or kill, but he wouldn't touch things beyond his reach, like the mid-ranking gods Egfen and Xotou, or... Xapeus.
Lower-ranking gods had their own ways of fighting. Even if they used schemes to kill high-ranking gods and obtained their divinity, what then? In the next reincarnation, they would face their furious revenge. For Aresva, it wasn't worth it.
This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened. For example, Hors, who died first in the God Wars, or Nifita, who frantically sought allies like a mad dog.
One was dead, and the other lived in constant fear.
This was the price they paid for ganging up on Xapeus in the last God Wars.
Praidana ignored Aresva's firm stance and continued speaking on her own, "Xapeus is in Tokyo and plans to make a move during your battle with Ricardo, killing both of you.
Are you truly content with that?"
Aresva narrowed his eyes. He looked at Praidana, and surging divine power erupted from his body, enveloping the entire room like countless dense needles, pointing at Praidana.
"Praidana, I'll say it again: put away your petty schemes. Even if Xapeus is here, it's because you brought him.
If I'm not mistaken, you've said the same thing to Xapeus, haven't you?
Although I don't know how you managed to get that arrogant fellow to agree to cooperate,
don't forget, he is Xapeus, the god who governs spirit and will. How could he cooperate with a slut like you?
Don't think that just because Sesosian protects you, you can look down on all gods like Sesosian. You are just a dog.
Get out before I truly lose my temper!"
Praidana looked steadily at Aresva, then broke into a smile and said, "If you're unwilling to cooperate, then so be it. However, I still have to say one thing: be careful, be careful of Xapeus."
Aresva said coldly, "Get out! This time I'm giving Sesosian face, but remember this: the next time you appear before me, I will kill you."
Praidana pouted indifferently, stood up, and pushed the door open to leave.
Aresva retracted his divine power, slowly turned to look at Tokyo city, his brow furrowed.
Xapeus, back in Tokyo again.
...