Meanwhile, having relocated to a different spot, Li Ke began catching Misato up on the current situation.
"So you're saying World Fragments have scattered across various dimensions, and countless people are being summoned to help the worlds reclaim them? But because of the immense power within these fragments, world-devourer monsters are also fighting for them, polluting the worlds where they land?"
After listening to his explanation, Misato summarized the situation and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"This is getting to be quite a headache."
Li Ke, meanwhile, was busy gnawing on a piece of barbecue as he continued.
"The real headache comes later. These monsters grow at an absolutely unbelievable speed. That mountain-sized creature I mentioned earlier managed to grow to that size in a very short window of time. On top of that, their abilities are incredibly bizarre. Some can project cosmic radiation directly around themselves to terraform the planet. Others can rewrite genetic codes to alter the land to suit their needs. There are even those whose mere existence can alter a planet's gravitational parameters and atmospheric conditions. If we miss even one, the entire world gets corrupted. And most of the time, the local civilization stands no chance against them because these monsters can drive people insane or force them into submission."
He took a bite of a freshly served rib, then went right back to his barbecue.
It couldn't be helped. Once the police finally quieted down, he had immediately headed ashore to cause trouble for those gangsters, meaning he hadn't eaten a single bite all day.
"That sounds truly terrifying..."
"Of course it's terrifying. In the last world, the warriors chosen by the world couldn't even fight those monsters. Even I only managed to battle two of them because of my unique constitution. As for the third one, I had absolutely no idea how to even approach it. If someone hadn't intervened—at the cost of leaving that land plagued by continuous natural disasters for decades to come—I would have fled long ago."
Li Ke was absolutely certain about that.
"You can leave this world?"
Misato instantly perked up.
"Yeah. I can send people back too, but the prerequisite is that it has to be a female who has shared an intimate relationship with me. Don't look at me like that. I only care for mutually consensual things."
Li Ke laid out his terms directly.
"I can tell."
Misato arched an eyebrow. Given his power, if he wanted to do anything to her, he could just take her by force, and she wouldn't have any ability to resist. There was no reason for him to lie.
Therefore, what he said was very likely true.
"Too bad. If you were a bit younger and a bit more handsome, I might actually have considered sleeping with you," she teased, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at his face with a light laugh.
"Say whatever you want. But if you really want to go back, just giving me a handjob once will be enough to send you home... Anyway, that's how things stand. If you stay, you'll have to face countless terrifying monsters and trials. If you want to go back right now, I can send you. The choice is yours."
Taking a sip of his orange juice, Li Ke looked over at her.
"Going back now would be a waste. I might as well bring some useful things back with me... You probably don't know this, but my own world has plenty of its own messes to deal with."
Misato stared at him with burning intensity. Since he could send her back, and at such a low cost, she wanted to accomplish a bit more—like securing some of those miraculous powers he mentioned.
Not to mention the rewards he had spoken of.
"You want to get the world's rewards? I do have some, but the things I value most would be completely useless to you."
Li Ke scoffed and casually tossed his pocket watch over to Misato Katsuragi.
The moment she caught it, she instantly understood its function. Her eyes widened in astonishment. She immediately poured a glass of water onto her hand and activated its power.
Before Li Ke's very eyes, the spilled water instantly flowed back into the glass. Even the damp patch on her clothes vanished without a trace.
Misato was utterly stunned.
"Unbelievable..."
She toyed with the pocket watch in her hands and flipped open its compass. In the next moment, both she and Li Ke saw the dial spinning wildly at a frantic speed.
They both stared at it blankly for a second before Li Ke burst into laughter.
"Looks like this world doesn't have whatever it is you're looking for."
Misato blinked, then nodded slowly.
"Yeah. After all, it's not my own world."
She set the compass down, her expression unreadable as she let out a quiet sigh.
"Though even if I were in my own world, I doubt I'd find much of anything either. Probably just Angels... You know, when I first heard someone mention Tokyo-3 in this world, it gave me quite a scare."
It gave me a scare too, Li Ke grumbled inwardly. He really didn't want to cross paths with Evangelion. That universe was far too bizarre and unsettling.
His unique constitution made things complicated. While other transmigrators might not risk being assimilated by that world's Angels, if he went over there... with his current physical traits, he would likely be assimilated in a heartbeat.
It couldn't be helped. A unique constitution came with great perks, but it naturally carried its own pitfalls. After all, to the inhabitants of the Evangelion universe, assimilation was considered a form of evolution in a sense.
If this really were that cursed world, he would have fled a long time ago. As for world missions and saving the universe? He wasn't interested.
"In that case, do you need me to help you dig up information in certain areas? There aren't many networks in this world that can block me."
Waving her phone and laptop, Misato looked supremely confident. By the standards of this era, the laptop she carried was a piece of technology that even a supercomputer couldn't hope to match. Overrunning this world's networks would be absolute child's play.
"Thanks. But as you probably know, we have to make a significant impact on this world. That's why I've been hunting down those monsters. But right now... with your help, I might actually be able to steal a nuclear warhead and detonate it somewhere like the West Coast of the United States. Do you know how to detonate a nuke?"
Li Ke stroked his chin, genuinely considering the plausibility of the plan. His bizarre idea, however, made Misato's mouth twitch.
"I'm sorry, but even though I have some field operative training, how could I possibly know how to modify a nuclear warhead?"
That being said...
She actually did know how. N2 mines were essentially a type of nuclear weapon. So while she couldn't build a nuke from scratch, if she actually had one in hand and could infiltrate a military base, she was fully capable of launching it.
There was just one catch.
She had absolutely no desire to do so.
"Besides, doing something like that would put you on every global wanted list, wouldn't it? Even if you're probably not afraid of standard firearms, you still wouldn't survive a direct hit from a battleship's main cannon, right?"
"Fair point. Then how about we go blow up a military base in Japan instead? Or sink a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier?"
Li Ke felt a bit disheartened. He really, truly wanted to drop a nuke.
"Can't you think of something simpler... something that won't trigger World War III?" Misato Katsuragi couldn't help but complain. Knowing the military's temper, if an entire aircraft carrier strike group got sunk, there was absolutely no way they wouldn't start a war over it.
"What a pain... I guess I'll just go assassinate the Governor of Hong Kong then," Li Ke muttered speechlessly. He knew perfectly well that his previous ideas would trigger World War III. But even after killing so many triad bosses, that monster still refused to show its face. Frankly, he was running out of ideas.
"How about we head to Japan instead?" Misato asked speculatively. She was incredibly interested in the Sailor Guardians—intensely, profoundly interested.
"Over there..." Li Ke stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.
Japan had Detective Conan, Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and potentially even Ranma ½. While he didn't know the exact plot lines of Sailor Moon, he was fairly familiar with Ranma, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Conan. Heading to Japan wouldn't be much of an issue.
As for the Hong Kong plot lines...
Li Ke glanced at a nearby television broadcasting news about the sudden deaths of various gang lords, then reached up to touch his face. The story in Hong Kong was completely derailed. The city had already declared a full state of emergency.
"Going to Japan works, but I want to take a trip to the mainland first."
He was still highly intrigued by the Joketsuzoku Amazon tribe, and even more fascinated by the Springs of Jusenkyo.
"Huh?" Misato looked at him in utter confusion. "What are you going there for?"
"Because it's said to hold some incredible treasures."
Li Ke explained the mystical properties of the Jusenkyo springs to her. Upon hearing about the magical water, she agreed without much hesitation.
"Alright, let's do it!"
With that settled, the two immediately began booking plane tickets, preparing to head to the mainland.
Misato's motivation stemmed entirely from the Jusenkyo springs. Li Ke, on the other hand, wanted to see what kind of storylines were unfolding on the mainland. Compared to Japan, he vastly preferred staying there. Even though the standard of luxury wouldn't match Japan or Hong Kong, living in a place with a shared culture, common sense, and familiar values was always the most comfortable.
In reality, whether he was staying with the Nakiri family or wandering through Arad, he had always felt a bit out of place. Many things and social etiquettes he took for granted were rare concepts in those worlds. Japan in particular, while seemingly polite on the surface, was actually incredibly cold and distant, making it very difficult for him to get used to.
Initially, Li Ke had wanted to keep a low profile while traveling to the mainland, but Misato bypassed all precautions and booked the tickets directly. She didn't display the slightest concern about their identity profiles causing any issues. It was only then that Li Ke truly witnessed just how rampant the local corruption was.
Remarkably, he had just slaughtered the gang bosses the previous day, yet by the very next day, he could board a commercial flight completely unhindered. Under the crushing pressure of various bureaucratic forces, the Hong Kong police were reduced to merely questioning people at the airport gates.
Li Ke was naturally pulled aside as well, but after examining his identification card, the security officers let him pass without a single issue.
He was left completely speechless by the display.
"See? I told you it would be fine," Misato Katsuragi teased, noticing his dumbfounded expression.
"I know, but no matter how you look at it, this is just absurd."
His status in this world was supposed to be a mass murderer! He had slaughtered over forty people and permanently turned more than a hundred others into human stumps. The Governor of Hong Kong had personally decreed that until he was captured, the entire city would remain under a permanent state of emergency.
Yet, with just a tiny bit of manipulation on her part, he could simply walk right out of the territory.
"There's nothing strange about it," Misato couldn't help but complain. "The higher-ups only care about lining their own pockets. They drastically slash employee benefits, and instead of rewarding their staff for getting things done, they cross-examine them on why they did it. To top it off, they have absolutely zero corruption management, and their social security enforcement is mediocre at best. When things get so bad that criminal syndicates run rampant and essentially become a structural part of society, chaos like this is perfectly normal."
Li Ke looked at her in surprise. It was rare to find anyone outside the mainland who understood politics, let alone someone with such sharp, incisive insights. It was rarer still to find a girl who understood politics—or rather, a girl who showed any interest in the subject at all.
"How are you so clear on this?"
"I'm a NERV commander... Besides, Japan is exactly the same. Public safety in Hong Kong might be bad, but do you honestly think Japan's security is any better? The triads are literally legal over there, Mr. Li Ke. How could public safety possibly be harmonious in a place where organized crime is legal? It's only because a much greater evil exists that..."
She trailed off and let out a sigh.
"...It's only because there's a greater evil that no matter how much the lesser evils are exposed, they just don't stand out anymore," Li Ke finished for her.
"Yeah..."
Misato fell silent as the plane's engines roared to life.
…..
While Li Ke and Misato were flying toward the mainland, back on the streets of Hong Kong, a young girl stared down at the young thugs collapsed on the ground and silently picked up their wallets.
"Arigatou."
The white-haired girl gave the unconscious bodies a polite, respectful bow. She then dashed toward a convenience store, planning to use the money to buy some bread.
Deep down, she was already close to a murderous rage.
Why on earth have I ended up in another bizarre world?
The girl, wrapped in an oversized trench coat, let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the retro streets, complaining bitterly in her mind.
The last time, she had been inexplicably thrown into ancient Japan. Ancient Japan would have been fine, but the local villagers had actually tried to boil her alive and eat her. If she hadn't been so agile, she would have been done for. In the end, she had only managed to resolve the crisis after successfully activating her equipment.
Later on, she had finally found a settlement and caught wind of an organization called the Demon Slayer Corps. She had fully intended to join them, only to be ambushed by a massive horde of bandits. It took considerable effort to deal with the bandits, and she had used their stolen money to solve her immediate food and shelter issues.
But then disaster struck again. Just as she finally gathered enough information and set out to find the Demon Slayer Corps, a massive black mountain blocked her path. She had seen the mountain's terrifying eyes of flesh and blood, and in her sheer horror, she immediately retraced her steps, planning to take a detour.
Yet, by the time she finally tracked down the town where the Demon Slayer Corps was stationed, she received word that they had already moved out...
Consequently, she was forced to take up part-time work to save up for travel expenses all over again. But right before her payday arrived, she was suddenly repatriated.
The most infuriating part was that the transmigration ended right after she finished a grueling day of labor, just as she was about to go eat! Her wages were literally supposed to be distributed the very next day!
She was sent back to her own world just like that. She had been so furious she wanted to punch someone.
She immediately reported the situation to her superiors, but the reception wasn't optimistic. She was locked up on the spot, waiting to be interrogated.
And now, things had turned out even worse. She had transmigrated yet again, and this time, she hadn't even brought her armor with her. It left her utterly speechless, desperately wanting to give whoever was pulling the strings behind the scenes a severe beating.
"And why does it always have to be me?"
The girl, named Origami Tobiichi, took a bite of her bread, unable to stop complaining.
While her physical skills were exceptional enough to secure adequate supplies by beating up local thugs, there was a major catch...
This place required identification cards just to secure a place to stay!
Why am I the only one who's this incredibly unlucky?!
Origami let out a furious, silent roar in her mind.