dmims Page 527
Page 527
"Thank you for your care. I'll take my leave now," Aso Makoto said goodbye to the two.
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
……
After saying goodbye to Aso Makoto, Su Xiaoqiang dragged Gu Ran around to play.
They went to Hell Valley, which is actually a volcanic valley. Because of the volcano, nothing grows around it, and hot springs often emit steam, so the whole valley is filled with white mist, which looks like hell.
However, the closer they got to the depths of the valley, the stronger the smell of sulfur became, even a bit pungent, so the two of them turned back after walking around for a while.
Another attraction in Noboribetsu town is a brown bear sanctuary, where several brown bears are kept.
This bear enclosure is located in the mountains and requires a cable car ride.
The cable car journey was about two kilometers. The two sat together, looking at the mountain scenery. When they arrived at their destination, they could no longer see the starting point from which they had come.
The view from the mountaintop is stunning, offering views of the distant sea and a volcanic lake.
The water in the volcanic lake is very clear. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake, and its water source depends entirely on rainwater and groundwater.
Although it had snowed, the surrounding greenery still retained some green, though the green was somewhat dull and carried a desolate chill.
"It's so beautiful!" Su Xiaoqiang pointed to the crater lake over there. "Take a picture of me."
Gu Ran took a picture of her, and then the two of them asked a tourist to take a picture of them holding hands.
There's a bear museum at the top of the mountain, and vending machines where you can buy bear feed.
The two bought two bags of feed and saw a large brown bear in the breeding farm.
“Speaking of which, I’ve never petted a bear before!” Su Xiaoqiang tugged at Gu Ran’s arm.
"Petting bears here is too ostentatious." Gu Ran smiled. "Let's go to Russia another day, and I'll take you to pet Siberian tigers and Russian bears."
"You've got to remember that!" Su Xiaoqiang happily tossed the feed in, and a brown bear went to pick it up and eat it.
As you can see, these brown bears are quite cute. They are fluffy and look a bit like dogs, but they are much larger than dogs and look adorable.
If you encounter them in the wild, you'd better be careful.
After feeding the bears, the two continued to explore the mountaintop. Su Xiaoqiang got a little tired, so she asked Gu Ran to carry her.
"Not going to lose weight anymore?" Gu Ran smiled. She was the one who said she wanted to walk more to lose weight, but now she doesn't like walking anymore.
"I'm tired, I don't have the energy to lose weight. Let me rest first!" Su Xiaoqiang said matter-of-factly.
So, she comfortably lay on Gu Ran's back, pointing at him as he went here and there.
As they walked, Su Xiaoqiang suddenly kissed his left cheek.
Gu Ran turned her head slightly: "Is this a reward for me carrying you on my back?"
"No, it's a reward for the good deed you did."
What good thing have I done?
"You saved Aso, didn't you? That's a good thing. Good deeds deserve a reward."
"Then why are you the one giving me the reward?"
"Because I know about the good thing you did, I'm here to reward you."
"Oh...what about the time I carried you on my back? Shouldn't I be rewarded?"
"Letting you carry me is already a reward!" Su Xiaoqiang wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
Gu Ran smiled and pinched the plump flesh on her thigh.
It feels really good.
The two of them got tired of playing on the mountain and then descended the mountain contentedly, buying some souvenirs to take back with them.
……
That evening, Gu Ran took Su Xiaoqiang to Sapporo Airport.
Tomorrow is Monday, and she has classes and needs to go back.
In order to spend more time with Gu Ran in the coming days, Su Xiaoqiang requested that all her classes be scheduled for Mondays and Tuesdays, so that she could relax and come to play with Gu Ran from Wednesday to Sunday.
"Call me after you get off the plane, okay?" Gu Ran patted Su Xiaoqiang's head.
"I know." Su Xiaoqiang stepped forward and hugged him.
"Also, in case of an emergency, you can press the transmitter I gave you; it's universally compatible."
"Yeah, I remember."
The two parted reluctantly.
After seeing Su Xiaoqiang off, Gu Ran walked out of the airport. A Ferrari was already parked outside, and his secretary, Nanazawa Yui, was waiting for him.
"President, our family wants to see you. We have a meeting at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Oh...I see." Gu Ran nodded. "Then let's go back too."
Ferrari drove Gu Ran to the port, and then they took a helicopter back to the Japanese mainland. After that, they sped all the way back to the apartment by Nanazawa Yui before midnight.
"I'll pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow," Nanazawa Yui said respectfully.
"I understand. You should get some rest too," Gu Ran said.
……
The next morning at 7:30, Nanazawa Yui was indeed waiting at the door, and had brought him a hot sandwich for breakfast.
Gu Ran's apartment is actually not far from Genji Heavy Industries, only a ten-minute drive away.
He walked into Genji Heavy Industries once again, and many employees bowed slightly when they saw him.
In the previous great battle, the Oni Clan stormed into the Genji Heavy Industries, leaving it in ruins. It took the main family more than a month to rebuild it.
After the attack by the Oni Clan, Princess Kaguya redesigned the security system of Genji Heavy Industries, sealing off some of the secret passages. Now, intrusion is not as easy as it was for Caesar and Chu Zihang.
The elevator brought Gu Ran and Nanazawa Yui to the Awakening Temple. When the two entered the Japanese-style room, there were already four people sitting inside.
They are Sakurai Nanami, the current head of the Snake-Headed Eight Families; Fuma Kotaro, the head of the Fuma family; Inuyama He, the head of the Inuyama family; and Crow, the director of the Executive Bureau.
The crow actually represents the Minamoto family, the only family among the Eight Serpent Clan with royal blood, holding a high status. However, the only family head who knows that Minamoto no Chisei is still alive is Sakurai Nanami.
When Gu Ran entered the Japanese-style room, everyone bowed slightly to him, and no one dared to put on airs or act arrogantly.
Chapter 615 Neo the Boar
Although Nanazawa Yui already knew Gu Ran's status and position, she was still slightly shaken when she saw this scene.
You must understand that those are the patriarchs and heads of various families, the highest-ranking people in their respective families.
But they all greeted the junior president with respect.
It's easy to imagine how important the president is in the family head's heart.
Gu Ran nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then sat down without putting on airs or saying anything unpleasant.
Having experienced the sinking of Tokyo, they were, after all, comrades-in-arms who had fought together, so it wouldn't be appropriate for them to say anything sarcastic or cynical.
After sending Gu Ran to Xingshen Temple, Nanazawa Yui left.
She was not qualified to attend such a high-level meeting; she was only qualified to stand guard outside and prevent unauthorized personnel from getting close.
Also on guard outside were the attendants of the various family heads, who all bowed slightly in greeting when they saw Nanazawa Yui.
When Nanazawa Yui saw these followers, she realized they were all highly respected seniors in the family, while she was just a young secretary. To be able to sit on equal footing with these seniors was undoubtedly thanks to the chairman's influence.
Her former friends, knowing that she served the president, were all very envious.
……
In the conference room, Crow was brewing tea for the heads of the families. Gu Ran held the most superior position in the room, while Crow held the lowest position, so it was natural for him to brew the tea.
Logically speaking, a retainer like him should have gone with his master after his death, or guarded his tomb, and would not have been given important responsibilities again.
However, given the current special circumstances, the Japanese Executive Bureau is severely understaffed, and given Crow's special status, he naturally continues to be highly valued.
It can be said that, apart from the head of the household, the crow held the highest status.
The tea leaves had already been prepared by the other servants; all the crow had to do was pour hot water into the teapot, let it steep, and then distribute the tea to everyone once it had brewed.
Everyone picked up their teacups, took a sip of tea, and then the head of the family, Sakurai Nanami, said some polite words and began the agenda for today's meeting.
The raven took out several documents and distributed them to everyone: "We have found out Herzog's human trafficking route. The people he bought from Southeast Asia were just ordinary people, while those he bought from South America were wild hybrids."
“South America?” Inuyama He frowned slightly. “We should be more aware of this kind of long-distance human smuggling.”
“He used the Ghost Clan’s channels,” the crow replied.
Inuyama He nodded, signaling the crow to continue.
“Herzog doesn’t use cash for transactions; instead, he uses drugs and hallucinogens as payment. Besides South America, he also purchases people and serums all over the world. His complete trading network is not yet traceable,” Raven concluded.
"As for the person who discovered Herzog's dealings in South America, it's a man named Neo the Boar, and coincidentally, Neo the Boar is also a student at Kassel College..."
Gu Ran looked at the information in the crow's hand. The information was very detailed. More than ten years ago, Neo the pig was a student at the academy. Later, he was brainwashed and expelled from the academy for violating school rules. After that, he joined a gang in South America and has been doing so ever since.
Neo the boar has a very close relationship with Herzog. He has visited Japan at least four times in the past eight years and enjoys toying with young Japanese girls. However, he prefers mixed-race girls with brown skin and is very generous with tips.
Princess Kaguya also intercepted an email Herzog sent to South America before the Tokyo incident, in which Herzog invited a guy named 'Hercules' to join the war.
Hercules is a powerful god in Greek mythology. Using this name as a code name proves that this person was also incredibly strong.
"That's the latest information we've found about Herzog." Raven looked at Gu Ran.
Gu Ran now represents the academy's position.
"Just hand this matter over to the Secret Service and let them investigate," Gu Ran said calmly.
The crow was taken aback, thinking he would personally go to South America to resolve the matter.
Gu Ran said, "It is expected that this matter will still be handled by me or Lu Mingfei. After all, there are not many people in the academy who really know about Herzog, but I can't go in private, or I will be easily targeted."
Everyone present understood what Gu Ran meant.
Since the mysterious death of Zhao Xuzhen of the Solomon Temple Society, many forces have become very wary of Gu Ran. The most important thing is not to offend him, because his methods are unpredictable.