The second day of the conference had begun.
According to Seitenshi, what was discussed on the first day, the second day, or even a few days later, was merely the appetizer. It was all just a heap of trivial issues remaining due to the long-term lack of connection among the five regions of Japan, and had not yet touched upon actual vested interests.
Yesterday could only be considered a "show of peace." Once the discussion moved to strategic resources like Varanium, the politicians would absolutely shed their sheepskin, reveal the wolf inside, and devour everything, not even sparing the bones.
The second day of the conference ended in unhappiness. Seitenshi felt as though all three, perhaps even all four, of the other regions were targeting Tokyo. They were now even questioning whether Tokyo should still be considered the symbol of Japan.
To be honest, Seitenshi wanted to shout straight into the faces of those four old men: Why do you keep paying attention to such trivial matters? In a normal situation, it wouldn't matter if she indulged their nonsense a bit. But what time is it now?
Seitenshi thought about it: perhaps these old men considered her young, and were deliberately using this tactic to wear down her patience, forcing her to expose a flaw. They had played this tiresome, delaying game their entire lives, so it fundamentally caused them no discomfort whatsoever.
Seeing Seitenshi look exhausted and frustrated, Rentaro could only comfort her by her side.
In Rentaro's perception, Seitenshi had always seemed like a noble princess living inside a grand castle, never having to worry about other issues.
But only after becoming her personal guard did Rentaro see many sides of her he had never seen, as well as feel pressures he had never felt.
There was nothing wrong with this, just like an ordinary person desiring the luxurious, upper-class life of a millionaire or billionaire. They might know that those people also carry immense pressure on their shoulders, but they cannot imagine it, so they still look forward to that life.
After arranging a secure position for Seitenshi, Rentaro went down to the basement where Tina was being detained.
What surprised him, or perhaps should not have been surprising at all, was that the iron bars had been broken, bent and deformed to create a hole that a child could crawl through.
Clearly, Tina had escaped.
However, inside the cell was something else that caught Rentaro's attention.
It was a piece of the cardboard box torn from the pile of food Rentaro had bought for Tina yesterday. The piece had a name written on it.
Ayn Rand.
Rentaro felt the name was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard someone mention it before, but it was quite vague. So, he took it up to Seitenshi.
Facing Tina's escape, Seitenshi appeared very calm. After all, she had completely entrusted this matter to Rentaro, and everything followed his wishes. But the head of Tokyo showed extreme surprise at the name Ayn Rand.
"Ayn Rand... isn't he one of the Four Sages?"
The Four Sages were the four scientists who spearheaded the "New Humanity" project, leading the way in transforming humans into mechanical soldiers.
Rentaro finally remembered where he had heard the name.
Because Ms. Sumire was one of the Four Sages, just like this Ayn Rand. He also recalled that Ms. Sumire had mentioned this person as a traitor, someone who went against the agreement between the four of them, leading to the schism of the Four Sages.
"But... why would he send someone to assassinate you..."
Tina was Ayn Rand's "creation," that much was undeniable. Because only the Four Sages possessed the technology to biologically and mechanically modify bodies.
But he was a scientist; he wasn't a killer organization, was he?
Rentaro pondered the reason but couldn't figure it out. However, one thought suddenly occurred to him: perhaps the little girl Tina was in danger.
Because her master was clearly not a benevolent person.
With that concern in mind, Rentaro excused himself from Seitenshi, completed the security arrangements, and quickly grabbed his gear and ran outside.
Just as he predicted, Tina was being hunted, or more accurately, was being "purged."
In the darkness, Tina continuously ran across the rooftops of buildings. Even without a weapon or technological equipment, the physical conditioning of a mechanically-enhanced Cursed Child still provided her with tremendous momentum.
But surrounding Tina, four other shadows appeared, also moving at an un-slowed pace. These four shadows did not gather in one place but spread out in different directions, only gradually closing in, as if attempting to seal off Tina's escape routes.
Finally, Tina was cornered on the rooftop of a high-rise building. As she was thinking of a way to escape, the four shadows finally converged, surrounding her from four sides.
They revealed themselves to be four Cursed Children whose builds were not significantly different from Tina's. However, compared to the clear humanization on Tina's face, the expressions of these four only retained indifference, as if they had lost all emotion.
"Tina Sprout, you not only failed your mission but also betrayed Father's trust. Tell us, how do you wish to be disposed of?"
"You were supposed to receive the kill order this time, but Father gave you a chance to turn back..."
Tina shook her head vehemently. She didn't waste her breath explaining to her four "sisters." Because a few empty words would be useless.
They all reached a consensus in a split second. There was nothing more to say!
A melee ensued.
Tina was very strong, but her gene was that of an owl, and she needed to coordinate with gun-type weapons to be in her strongest state. However, without a weapon, Tina's fighting strength was greatly reduced.
Meanwhile, her four sisters were not only Cursed Children modified into mechanical warriors, but three of the four also belonged to the close-combat faction. They overwhelmed Tina almost immediately.
Tina was knocked flying near the edge of the building. She had several stab wounds on her body, and blood flowed heavily, giving her black dress an added sense of dark mystique. Tina's face was pale; she tried to stand up but was grabbed by the throat and lifted into the air.
"Farewell."
This person held Tina out over the open air, then released their hand.
If she fell from a height of over sixty meters, even with the mechanically-enhanced Cursed Child physique, the result could only be shattered bones and broken flesh.
Feeling the wind whistling past her ears, Tina felt her entire body become weightless. Memories flashed before her eyes, like waves of illusions.