156: Chapter 156 Battle of Wits

Along with the wild sparks ground out by the heavy-duty motorcycle amidst the ruins, PD followed Saber Alter at breakneck speed, finally shaking off that Nameless Giant Wolf that had fallen into a frenzy.

When the motorcycle came to a halt with a beautiful drift at a massive intersection, PD climbed off the back seat, still shaken, his legs feeling a bit weak.

"Phew... That was close, I almost got chewed up as a snack by that wolf."

PD patted his chest and looked up ahead. "Is this the meeting point that old man mentioned, Shinjuku Station?"

However, when he saw the scene before him clearly, he was instantly dumbfounded.

What appeared before him wasn't some ordinary subway entrance at all. It was a colossal three-dimensional transportation hub that looked like a giant steel beast, crisscrossing and extending upward for who knows how many floors, and downward into an abyss hundreds of meters deep!

Countless rusted tracks intertwined in mid-air like a spider's web, with various dilapidated signs pointing in dozens of different directions. There were over a hundred exits visible to the naked eye alone!

"Holy crap! This is a station? This is clearly a 3D labyrinth!"

PD looked at the dizzying architectural structure and couldn't help but curse in the livestream, "That old schemer with the coffin only said 'meet at Shinjuku Station.' Is he expecting me to wait for him on the first floor or the eighteenth level underground?!"

The viewers in the livestream who had traveled to Japan immediately started spamming "relatable" comments:

"Hahahaha! President P is totally lost!"

"Old Thief Gu's map recreation is too realistic! The real Shinjuku Station has over two hundred exits and a daily foot traffic of several million; it's known as the 'world's largest labyrinth.' Even locals need navigation to get through it!"

"That old man definitely did it on purpose! Finding someone in Shinjuku Station is harder than finding a needle in a desert!"

Saber Alter sat astride the motorcycle, one hand on the handlebar, a hint of impatience flashing in her golden eyes:

"That old geezer who talks nonsense is indeed unreliable. It's impossible to search such a vast area one by one..."

Just as the two were at their wits' end...

"Beep—Boop—!" A piercing red alarm suddenly blared from the corners of the dilapidated blocks around them!

Then, accompanied by the heavy sound of mechanical treads, dozens of Mechanized Hounds equipped with heavy machine guns, along with a group of Shinjuku Gang wielding rocket launchers, swarmed out from behind the rubble and cover from all directions, surrounding the two tightly!

The faint blue grid of the tactical map instantly spread out in PD's field of vision.

"Shit! These local thugs are like flies smelling something rotten. We just shook off the wolf, and now another wave of minions shows up!"

PD cursed as he opened the party formation interface. "Do you really think I'm a pushover? I couldn't beat the Wolf King earlier, but I can't handle you bunch of low-life thugs?"

With the dragging of Servant cards, an intense defensive battle erupted in front of the Shinjuku Station square.

Although they were just ordinary gangsters, under the enhancement of the 'Malignant Quarantined Realm: Shinjuku,' the firepower of these minions was exceptionally fierce. The sky full of rockets and machine-gun fire caused the health bars of the low-star Evil-aligned Servants on the defensive line to drop rapidly.

"The firepower is too strong! Saber Alter, fire!" PD shouted at the holographic command console.

Just as Saber Alter raised her pitch-black holy sword, preparing to release her Noble Phantasm to clear the field.

"Whew—Boom boom boom!!!" A sharp whistling sound of something cutting through the air suddenly came from the sky!

Dozens of miniature tracking missiles trailing blue flames poured down from high above like a meteor shower, accurately slamming into the positions of the gangsters and mechanical hounds!

The violent explosion kicked up a cloud of dust, directly blowing a massive hole in the enemy's encirclement.

And amidst the smoke and fire, a familiar slender figure leisurely appeared.

"My, my, it seems I've caught quite a wonderful show."

Archer of Shinjuku bowed elegantly, that signature composed smile hanging on the corners of his mouth. "Are you two unhurt?"

Seeing this old man who had abandoned his teammates and fled actually had the nerve to show up, PD was so angry his nose nearly went crooked.

"You sneaky bastard, you still dare to show up?! We agreed to meet at Shinjuku Station, but you didn't even give us a specific location. Were you trying to watch us wander in this labyrinth until we died?!" PD questioned bluntly.

"Oh? This is truly a huge misunderstanding."

Instead of being ashamed, the old man spread his hands righteously and explained with a smile, "Precisely because Shinjuku Station is too large, agreeing on a specific meeting point would actually make it easier to miss each other. But I used my brilliant brain to do a little reasoning—"

He tapped his cane on the ground. "With Miss Saber's explosive temper and your team's flamboyant way of doing things, as long as you got close to Shinjuku Station, there was a 100% chance you'd get into a fight with the local gangs."

"So, I didn't need to look for you at all. I just needed to stand on high ground, prick up my ears, and wherever the explosions were loudest and the fire was brightest, I'd just fire a missile over, and I'd naturally find you."

The old man bowed elegantly. "As it turns out, my tactics were perfect, weren't they?"

Hearing this shameless excuse that could be called 'logical genius,' the viewers in the livestream burst out laughing.

"What the hell kind of 'locating by sound' is that!"

"This old man is too sharp! He had President P and Saber Alter's behavior patterns figured out completely!"

"President P: So we're just the bait you used for fishing, huh?!"

PD was also left speechless for a long while, only able to give a massive eye-roll.

However, at this seemingly relaxed moment, like a reunion of old friends...

Saber Alter, who had been standing aside in silence, suddenly moved.

Without any warning, a cold killing intent suddenly erupted in her golden eyes. The heavy, pitch-black holy sword in her hand unsheathed instantly, carrying a violent gale that tore through the air, slashing straight toward PD's neck!

"Holy shit?!"

Facing this sudden lethal strike from his own camp, PD's mind went completely blank; he couldn't even react enough to raise his hand to block!

The bullet chat was filled with question marks, everyone thinking the system had a friendly-fire bug!

"Danger!"

At the critical moment just as the blade was about to slice off PD's head!

Archer of Shinjuku, who had been standing aside smiling, suddenly let out an exclamation.

As if by instinct, with a terrifying speed that completely defied his elderly body, he instantly shifted in front of PD, raising the cane in his hand and blocking the holy sword's path!

"Clang—!"

The collision of weapons made a soft clinking sound.

There was no overwhelming impact as imagined, nor any world-shattering magical surge.

The moment Saber Alter's blade touched the cane, it came to a light stop.

This seemingly thunderous strike hadn't used even a shred of force; it was entirely a feint!

The old man froze, maintaining his posture of blocking with both hands on the cane, a bead of cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

"Just as I thought."

Saber Alter slowly sheathed her holy sword, looking coldly at the bewildered old man in front of her. "If you were truly just a wandering soul who lost all his memories and didn't even know who he was in life, it would be absolutely impossible to have such precise tactical foresight."

"More importantly, how could a blank slate that remembers nothing produce that kind of tempered, instinctive 'guardian' reflex the moment he saw his Master being attacked?"

A sharp look that saw through everything gleamed in Saber Alter's golden eyes. "You've been lying from the very beginning. You haven't lost your memory at all, and you know exactly who you are. Just what is your objective?"