Chapter 80 Renlong: Did Someone Call Me? (6)

Tokyo District.

Finding Renlong was no easy task. Unlike other monsters on Earth, Renlong generally did not possess a physical form; simply put, the Dragon Vein itself was Renlong. Unless absolutely necessary, Renlong would not manifest corporeally—yet now, in Tokyo, strange phenomena had begun to emerge.

The Earth Dragon had issued a warning to humanity.

Unfortunately, this was no longer ancient times; in the modern day, few people understood the art of feng shui. The warnings delivered by Renlong went unnoticed, for no one could interpret them.

Even though the Earth was being invaded by the forces of destruction, leading to all manner of bizarre occurrences, the modern mind, trained by habit, insisted that everything must be explained scientifically. If water or power was suddenly cut off in some area, and no monster appeared, the logical conclusion was that maintenance workers had failed to make timely repairs. Who would ever suspect that it was the Earth Dragon issuing a warning?

While Jojo dealt with ancient bio-monsters, Fujimiya and Gamu spent half the day searching Tokyo with their detectors, yet found nothing. They had nearly scoured the entire city, but could not detect any energy signature from a monster beneath the ground. Fortunately, they were searching by car—otherwise, they would have been exhausted to the bone.

As for Kyoko Inamori, she went to contact Tokyo TV to arrange the upcoming interview. However, Meizawa, Reiko Yoshii, and Fumiya Renbun were still at the police station giving their statements, along with Tabata, who had also been summoned.

Thankfully, Reiko Yoshii and her companion had not interfered with law enforcement, so they could leave once their statements were complete. Tabata and Meizawa were old classmates; Meizawa happened to be seeking a scoop that day, so Tabata, wanting to help a fellow alumnus, entrusted the interview to Meizawa. He never imagined that Meizawa would act so recklessly.

After this incident, Tabata likely would never again be inclined to help a schoolmate—especially one in the same profession.

Unable to reach Reiko Yoshii and the others, Tokyo TV recommended replacements to Inamori. She refused outright. Though she didn’t understand why Fujimiya cared so much about Reiko Yoshii, she would not arbitrarily change the plan. Even if she felt a twinge of jealousy, Inamori knew how to prioritize.

In truth, Fujimiya felt nothing personal toward Reiko Yoshii. After returning from Oilfield Town, he had happened to see a TV report saying the Blue Ultraman would join Jojo and Gaia in defending humanity. It was Reiko Yoshii who delivered the news. The mere mention of Jojo had triggered him, and since he had already sought out Yoshii before, he remembered her.

At the time, Fujimiya thought Reiko Yoshii was speaking nonsense and intended to set her straight at the first opportunity. Now that his misunderstanding with Jojo was cleared up, he found Reiko Yoshii tolerable and had no interest in seeking another reporter.

Now, Inamori put down her phone, touched her cheek, and gazed at Reiko Yoshii’s photograph on her computer screen.

“I’d like to see what you’re capable of.”

When it came to Fujimiya, she was not about to yield so easily. Perhaps her relationship with Fujimiya would deepen, or perhaps Reiko Yoshii was destined to fall from the heavens. Either way, the seeds of a love triangle were being sown.

On the other side, Fujimiya remained oblivious to the drama about to unfold. At that moment, he was rejoining Gamu.

The two arrived once more at Marunouchi City, now standing in a small town whose buildings, constructed from ancient timber, resembled temples. A water truck was parked nearby, with people periodically lining up to collect water.

Fujimiya, holding his detector, looked around in search. “Strange, there’s not even the slightest reaction.”

They had searched all of Tokyo, yet still could not locate Renlong.

Gamu, observing the people queuing for water, began to form a hypothesis. He walked over to the water truck and addressed a worker, “Hello, I’m Gamu Takayama from XIG.”

After a brief introduction, Gamu inquired, “Excuse me, has the water supply been cut off here?”

“That’s right,” the worker replied, noticing Gamu’s XIG uniform as he continued his duties. “It’s been out for a while now. No one knows the cause yet.”

“When did it start?” Gamu pressed.

The worker paused to think. “A few days ago, I suppose. I’ve also heard that the Marunouchi City construction site often loses power, and they can’t figure out why.”

Gamu’s expression grew serious as his suspicion was confirmed.

Fujimiya, noticing Gamu’s line of questioning, walked over. “What are you doing?”

“Wait a moment,” Gamu said, glancing at Fujimiya, then turned back to the worker. “Sorry to trouble you, and thank you.”

“It’s nothing. You’re investigating, right?” The worker smiled warmly. “I hope this information helps.”

“Thank you very much!” Gamu thanked him again, then signaled to Fujimiya with his eyes that it was time to leave.

Fujimiya was slightly surprised—Gamu had made a discovery before he did. But since they finally had a lead, he said nothing and followed.

Once they were away from the crowd, Fujimiya asked, “Did you find something?”

“I know where Renlong is!” Gamu turned to Fujimiya, stamping his foot on the ground. “She’s right beneath our feet.”

“Be more specific,” Fujimiya said with a furrowed brow—where had Gamu learned to be so cryptic?

Gamu glanced at him with satisfaction, his earlier frustration at Fujimiya’s riddles now dispelled.

“So this is how it feels, watching someone else squirm. Serves you right for acting mysterious with me before.”

But Gamu wasn’t one for long teasings. He quickly grew serious. “Did you see those people collecting water? The supply here has been cut off for several days. Over at the Marunouchi City project, the power goes out so often they can’t work. No one can find the reason. I believe it’s the earth beneath us—no, more accurately, it’s a warning.”

“Human activity is harming the Dragon Vein, even threatening to sever it. Though people are unaware, Renlong will certainly respond. I think the water and power outages are her way of warning humanity.”

“I see,” Fujimiya understood at once.

He gazed down at the earth beneath his feet, struck by Renlong’s gentleness. “Even now, she’s still giving humans a chance?”

Behind them, high above, the transparent shadow of a black dragon’s head appeared.

Renlong: Was someone talking about me?

(End of this chapter)