Chapter 142: The First Branch

On the Sunset Bridge shore, inside the cabin of that passenger boat, three people were locked in a heavy conversation.

Tian Wen still held resentment toward Xue Tinghai. Since Sister Qing’s death, thanks to one mission experience, he had already become something of a “veteran” among those present.

But the fact that Xue Tinghai had given the Sin Artifact to Tomiko remained a thorn in his heart.

What frustrated him most was that, because of the Fourth Branch’s special management system, he didn’t even have the standing to confront Xue Tinghai directly. Even if he had to swallow his anger whole, he could only grit his teeth in silence.

He glanced at Xue Tinghai, who sat alone in the shadows at the corner of the cabin, and dared not speak further.

The Fourth Branch was unique—not only in its Sin Artifact management system, but even in its leadership structure.

The title of Assisant Manager carried far more weight than it seemed.

In truth, the branch manager was little more than a figurehead. The real power of the Fourth Branch lay in Xue Tinghai’s hands.

The branch manager, Xue Tingtao, was in fact his younger brother—same mother, same blood.

Unfortunately, the younger brother’s abilities were worlds apart from his elder’s. Without Xue Tinghai’s careful plotting and guidance, the Fourth Branch would likely have long since collapsed under Xue Tingtao’s leadership.

Why Xue Tinghai had gone to such lengths to make his brother manager, while choosing to remain behind the curtain yet controlling everything—that, no one knew.

But the fact remained: Xue Tinghai was the true ruler of the Fourth Branch. More than a manager, though not in name.

Hu Li hesitated. He could sense the stifling air in the cabin. They had already received their mission at 8 p.m. on November 4th, yet until now they had made no move. Instead, Xue Tinghai had sent Tomiko ahead to carry out some plan.

Unsettled, Hu Li scratched his head, breaking the silence:

“Assisant Manager, are you sure Tomiko won’t slip up? You know as well as I do—we’ve seen the abilities of the Seventh Branch’s leaders. I fear she’s no match for them…”

He’d phrased it as delicately as possible. But in Hu Li’s mind, those two men from the Seventh Branch were no less capable than Xue Tinghai himself.

The fact that they had survived from such a desperate situation—and even forced one of their own to die—was chilling enough.

In the gloom, Xue Tinghai finally opened his eyes at the words. He smiled faintly, lips curling with hidden meaning.

“She will slip up. I want her to be exposed before the Seventh Branch. And after that…”

Just as confusion spread across the others’ faces, a phone rang in Xue Tinghai’s pocket.

He pulled it out, glanced at the number, grew serious. After a pause, he picked up.

His tone was unusually polite, testing: “Who is this?”

The voice on the other end was calm, magnetic, unhurried—like a spring breeze.

“First Branch. Lan Yu.”

The name, the branch—it told Xue Tinghai almost everything he needed to know.

“Mr. Lan, what instructions do you have?”

Lan Yu chuckled softly. Papers rustled faintly in the background before he spoke again:

“The Seventh Branch has just advanced to two stars. This is their first mission since.

Contrary to Tianhai usual rules, they still have no official manager. Their acting manager is a man named Ji Li.

Long hair to the waist, cold features, fond of trench coats—decisive in action, cunning and suspicious by nature.

This man has no age, no past, no future. I found no trace of his background across the entire Hujiang region.

Also on this mission is a man named Fang Shenyan—the only one in the Seventh Branch who possesses a Sin Artifact.

Though his cover is that of a teacher, that identity is false; his past has been erased.

His Sin Artifact is called Ghost Eye. It can unravel all forms of spiritual attacks—but it is not a threat.

Other than these two, the rest of your opponents are beneath consideration. I trust, Assisant Manager Xue, that with your ability, there will be no accidents.”

Xue Tinghai nodded to himself. As expected of the First Branch—such detailed intel spoke for their strength.

But one thing puzzled him. Until recently, the Seventh Branch had been dismissed as dissolved or nonexistent. How had they obtained this intelligence so quickly?

As if reading his thoughts, Lan Yu’s voice came again, calm and preemptive:

“There is one of ours inside the Seventh Branch.”

Xue Tinghai’s brow furrowed. Just how deep did the First Branch’s power run?

To think they had even placed an agent in the nameless Seventh Branch…

If they could do that, then surely the Fourth Branch was already riddled with their eyes as well. Perhaps even those beside him now were spies.

He swept his gaze over Tian Wen and Hu Li before speaking faintly:

“Thank you for your reminder, Mr. Lan. Send my regards to him.

Tell him that for next month’s manager mission, the Fourth Branch will still stand behind the First Branch.”

When the call ended, Xue Tinghai’s expression was foul. But there was nothing he could do.

The First Branch was simply too powerful. After generations of accumulation, their strength was unmatched.

In most cases, the true leader didn’t even need to act. His two assisant managers alone were enough to crush the managers of other branches.

“So… his name is Ji Li…”

“D-Assisant Manager, may I ask… how exactly are we supposed to complete our mission?” Hu Li pulled a card from his pocket.

On it was written in bold characters:

Within 78 hours, possess a standard puppet.

On the back was a note: (Excluding Bunraku Troupe puppets)

This was the mission given to the Fourth Branch. They also knew the Seventh Branch’s task.

Theirs was slightly different in wording: Within 78 hours, create a standard puppet.

One word apart, yet the meanings were entirely opposite.

The Seventh Branch had to make one, while the Fourth Branch only needed to possess one.

That made things very simple.

Though the hotel publicly declared there would be no competition, the missions given to the two branches were fundamentally different.

This confirmed Fang Shenyan’s suspicion: the hotel would hand the Fourth Branch a reason that forced them to kill!

And now, that reason had appeared.

Tian Wen slapped his thigh, shoved Hu Li back into his seat, leaned toward Xue Tinghai, and ground his teeth:

“Assisant Manager, Tomiko is bound to be exposed, bound to die at the hands of the Seventh Branch! That means we’ll lose our only eyes and ears in Kyoto!”

Xue Tinghai looked at him deeply, then smiled knowingly—full of confidence.

“This is my gift to Ji Li. He’ll accept it whether he wants to or not.

No matter how it ends, from the moment Akira led him into the Bunraku Theater, he was already trapped.”