Chapter 348: Chapter 346 Where do you want to travel?_1
Washington State, Medina.
Kochou was exquisitely dressed, her jet-black hair arranged in an updo. She wore a gemstone necklace, bracelets, and a pair of sapphire earrings.
The effort a woman puts into her makeup reveals her attitude toward the person she is meeting.
She wore a light, bright red evening gown, like strawberry syrup drizzled over pristine white ice cream, exuding a tantalizing allure.
Her calves were covered in coffee-colored stockings, and she walked in bright red high heels.
As she moved, her waist swayed, the high heels tapping out a pleasant rhythm.
Kochou stepped out of the living room and onto the spacious second-floor balcony.
The deep blue night sky stretched overhead, devoid of stars, with only a lonely crescent moon hanging in the air.
The summer breeze swept across Lake Washington, teasing one’s cheeks.
Adel sat there. His white hair was neatly combed back and his beard trimmed. The wrinkles on his face didn’t make him look unattractive. Instead, cultivated by poetry and books, he appeared incredibly refined.
He was more like a renowned professor than a member of a cold-blooded military family.
"Uncle."
Kochou stepped forward slowly.
A bodyguard in black pulled out a chair for her, then retreated to the side to observe their surroundings.
On the spacious balcony, eight bodyguards wearing night-vision goggles kept watch to the left and right.
Some even set up sniper rifles, scanning the surroundings through their scopes, ready to counter any incoming sniper fire at a moment’s notice.
Drones circled the mansion.
"Kochou, congratulations on nearing the completion of your mission and your return to Tokyo."
Adel picked up his wine glass, a smile on his face.
Unlike the formality he had maintained earlier as an elder, Adel didn’t hesitate to show his congeniality when both parties had mutual needs.
"Everything was due to Uncle’s mediation. Without your introduction, how could I possibly have met with him at The White House?"
Kochou, maintaining a humble posture, said with a smile, "This glass of wine should rightfully be my toast to you."
"Haha, I merely offered you an opportunity. If not for your eloquence, it wouldn’t have been possible to reach an agreement so quickly."
Adel took a sip of wine and then discussed recent affairs with Kochou, concerning Russia, Britain, France, and other countries.
When it came to world affairs, Kochou was still able to respond fluently. Even while lobbying The White House, she hadn’t neglected to pay attention to external changes. Even domestic upheavals were under her control.
Kochou would never make the mistake of losing sight of the bigger picture because of a single obstruction. She would rather tire herself out than miss out on any information obtained through various channels.
In the world of business or politics, those who have first-hand information always fare better than others.
This was also why the monopolistic tycoons refused to share information about Dio with others, or even with their allies.
Access to important information is also a form of power.
"Your plan is excellent. The person at The White House saw it and wishes to further reduce the Pentagon Building’s staff and agencies. They want to get rid of the useless folks, replace them with capable people, and make it easier for us to direct funds into projects that require them."
Adel chatted for a while, then returned to domestic matters.
Kochou showed a hint of surprise. "I heard that The White House promoting capable professors to handle experiments has already caused some discontent. Now, they want to downsize agencies. Can the Pentagon Building agree to this?"
The Takamagahara project could be realized in Japan because Japan and the United States are vastly different; namely, those in lower positions do not truly control military power.
As long as the United States gave the nod, the six major consortia and the Phoenix Academy could jointly push for something, and it could usually be implemented without issue.
But the United States is different; the Pentagon Building has become an unwieldy behemoth.
Presidents who have opposed the military have rarely met good ends.
For The White House to eliminate a Pentagon Building department or shut down a project undoubtedly means cutting into someone’s power.
Even if the tycoons agreed, those below might not.
Adel leisurely sliced his steak with a knife and said, "Rebellion is inevitable. Plus, with KGB agents stirring the pot in the shadows, an internal conflict might very well erupt within the Pentagon."
"Uncle, what is your strategy to deal with this?"
Kochou asked earnestly for advice.
In business, she knew a lot, but politics sometimes felt like a blind spot to her, a field where she had much to learn.
Adel picked up a piece of steak with his fork and said with a smile, "It’s quite simple. Just rally those disgruntled by the dismissals around one person. Then, under the temptation of KGB influence, have them initiate a military remonstrance. The White House can then declare them rebels and eliminate them. That way, we can remove unstable elements and even save the funds that would have gone to their honorary retirement."
Simple, brutal.
A flash of surprise crossed Kochou’s eyes, but she had to admit that such an approach was indeed very American in style.
Just like when Mc Arthur suppressed the veterans who came to claim their pay by treating them as rebels.
Kochou was about to inquire further about the details when suddenly a fierce wind whipped up.
RUMBLE. The wind roared like thunder. It swept up leaves, twirling them in the air, almost like a miniature tornado.
"Why has it suddenly become so windy?"
Confronted by the small tornado that had suddenly appeared beside them, two bodyguards tried to immediately take Adel, who was dining, to safety, but their bodies were involuntarily sucked into the wind. Then, they flew from the second floor toward the nearby Lake Washington.
Kochou pressed her hand to her chest and quickly retreated, trying to escape the dangerous place.
This was almost an instinctive reaction. In the face of life and death, Kochou undoubtedly valued her own life the most.
As for Uncle Adel, well, his fate was left to the heavens.
"What is this?"
Adel suddenly turned around, showing a hint of surprise at this abnormal phenomenon. Before he could collect his thoughts, a hand extended from the swirling leaves and rested on his shoulder.
The sound of the wind ceased instantly. Leaves, like snow from branches, RUSTLED to the ground, revealing the man standing in the wind.
Young, tall, and well-built, his skin was even fairer than a woman’s. His eyes exuded an eerie coldness, and his deeply magnetic voice sounded, "If you were to travel, where would you like to go?"
"Dio?!"
Kochou’s pupils dilated, her delicate face showing an uncharacteristic shock for the first time. She had not expected to see Dio in Washington State.
Adel’s heart skipped a beat. Seeing the hand on his shoulder was like seeing Death wielding a scythe.
He nearly had a heart attack.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. His hand tightened around the dining knife as he suppressed the panic in his heart, trying to speak calmly, "What do you want?"
"Hey, let go of General Adel right now!"
The nearby bodyguards, after a brief moment of shock, quickly pointed their guns at the man who had suddenly appeared.
More bodyguards, hearing the commotion, came pounding up the stairs—about twenty in all—their weapons ranging from submachine guns to shotguns, and even a Rocket Launcher.
They burst out from the living room, surrounding the balcony area.
Seeing the situation deteriorating, Kochou hurriedly backed away, shouting, "Nobody move! He’s not someone you can handle!"
"Wrong answer. Then I will decide your journey."
Aozawa used the Global Travel Ability on Adel.
The next moment, Adel vanished from his seat.
RUMBLING. The loud sound of wind echoed again in Adel’s ears. He looked around in astonishment to find himself unexpectedly above the clouds. He was so high that tilting his head allowed him to see the stars unobstructed, and the moon, which looked exceptionally large.
Clouds illuminated by moonlight undulated like the sea beneath him.
Such a magnificent view failed to elicit any appreciation from Adel; his mind was completely seized by deep fear.
What happens when you fall from such a high altitude without a parachute?
"No, don’t do this!"
Adel’s aged face showed terror. His limbs flailed frantically, but he couldn’t fly like a bird and only continued to plummet.
The wind howled in his ears, and he was enveloped in profound despair.
He didn’t understand why he was meeting such a fate.
Forget immortality; he couldn’t even live out a normal lifespan.
"Damn you, Dio! This isn’t a tourist spot!"
「On the second floor, the balcony.」
The bodyguards watched as Adel suddenly disappeared, collectively wearing expressions as if they were seeing things.
Some considered the possibility of the enemy using optical camouflage.
After a moment, one of them snapped out of it and shouted, "Bastard, where did you take General Adel?"
"I don’t need to explain anything to you. You just need to know that if you move recklessly, you’ll die."
Aozawa turned his head, delivering his counsel in an unhurried tone.
He had come to Washington State to see who Maggie’s mother was meeting.
The family that could meet with the Phoenix Academy must be a very prominent and wealthy household in the United States, perfect for testing his new Ability.
"FARK!"
"Don’t make a move!" Kochou urgently tried to stop them, but in the tense atmosphere, the bodyguards trusted their own judgment more than Kochou’s.
RATATAT! One of them pulled the trigger, and bullets poured out as thick and fast as a torrential downpour. The resulting chain reaction was the other bodyguards opening fire along with him.
Shotguns, sniper rifles, and Rocket Launchers—all aimed at Aozawa in an instant.
A Defense Barrier swiftly expanded from his body, forming a ring five meters in front of him. Bullets and rockets touched the surface of the Defense Barrier, and a diamond-shaped, multicolored Light Shield appeared.
BOOM! The Rocket Launcher exploded prematurely, flames and smoke bursting on the surface of the Light Shield. A hail of bullets stuck to its surface, and then both the impact force and the bullets were repelled.
WHIZZ! The bullets whistled through the air, creating a sharp Death God’s Melody. Streams of blood rapidly spurted from the bodies of the bodyguards standing there.
One by one, they fell backward onto the ground. Even more bullets shattered the bulletproof glass behind them, riddling vases, paintings, and walls in the living room with bullet holes.
A bodyguard who was about to come upstairs for reinforcement was grazed on the lip by a bullet. Seeing the bullet holes on the wall, the burning pain on his lip nearly scared him into peeing himself.
"Hold on, the enemy’s firepower is strong! Quick, call for backup!"
The bodyguard yelled, trying to observe the balcony situation with a mirror.
CRACK! The mirror shattered. Then, an invisible force surged from the front, pushing him down the staircase.
THUD, THUD, THUD. A series of noises reached Kochou’s ears, making her heartbeat accelerate and her fingertips turn ice-cold. She stared blankly at the man in front of her, unsure what expression to show.