Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Fugitive Princess (Part Two)

Although Asuka Crossing was reduced to ashes by a great fire, a few ship berths still remained. At this moment, a merchant ship was docked by the shore. Several middle-aged men dressed as fishermen looked solemnly toward the lush, verdant Guandong Mountain not far away.

Though their attire was simple, they could not conceal the domineering and cold aura that radiated from them. Most notably, the merchant ship carried no cargo except for a few large wooden crates containing a dozen Thompson submachine guns, known as "Chicago Typewriters." Lavishly, a Type 92 heavy machine gun was concealed under a straw mat at the bow.

"Any news of Miss Sakurai?" a scarred middle-aged man spoke coldly.

"Major Yamaguchi, none for now. But according to the time we agreed with Mr. Kawakawa, she should arrive tomorrow," came the reply.

"Send a few men to observe along the designated route," Major Yamaguchi said with concern.

"But the head of the family instructed us not to go ashore, nor to have any contact with the Chinese," another protested.

"This is an emergency. Kawakawa hasn't sent us a telegram for a whole day. Miss Sakurai’s identity must not be compromised, or we must be prepared to take full responsibility," Major Yamaguchi warned.

"Kawakawa is the family's most trusted protector; there shouldn’t be any problem," came the reassurance.

"I'm not worried about the Chinese, but about the right-wing extremists. We’ve long awaited the war’s end; we cannot afford to ignite conflict again," Major Yamaguchi said. "There is an old Chinese saying: ‘When on a mission, one may disobey orders.’ Lord Toriyama, take a few men to provide support. Under the condition of not being detected, investigate without weapons."

"Understood!"

As the scouts prepared to depart, the black-clad woman behind Major Yamaguchi spoke softly, "It’s clear you’re deeply worried about Miss Sakurai."

"Yes," the major nodded firmly. "If it weren’t for this damn war, we wouldn’t be so anxious."

"Indeed, who would have thought that the former family head, for joining the anti-fascist alliance, would have his daughter marry a Chinese man and bear his child," the woman continued. "But given the Sakurai bloodline, finding another successor to lead the family shouldn’t be difficult."

"The Sakurai family is one of the oldest, tracing back to the Tokugawa shogunate. So far, only Miss Sakurai’s bloodline remains pure," Major Yamaguchi said softly. "With the current turmoil, right-wing extremists shouting for total sacrifice will certainly stir unrest. To maintain balance between the two countries, only by locating Miss Sakurai and having her return to succeed the old family head can we quell the warmongers within the clan."

The woman agreed, "The Sakurai family is the strongest among the eight major underworld families. Whichever side finds Miss Sakurai first will hold the final say."

"Exactly. The right-wing faction and some militants will seize this opportunity. If Miss Sakurai truly disappears from this land, the consequences..."

At this thought, Major Yamaguchi grew tense and didn’t respond to the woman’s question, muttering instead, "My princess, where are you?"

"Young master, we need to leave now."

"Uncle Kawakawa, let’s go together. Didn’t you say you’d take me to see the cherry blossoms?"

In the midst of a dream, explosions rang incessantly in her ears. Amidst a storm of bullets, Kawakawa tightly shielded Akira Sakurai behind him.

When a bouncing grenade pierced Kawakawa’s body, the spurting blood splattered onto Akira’s face.

Fear engulfed her whole being. She fell back, hitting the cold, hard stone wall, which instantly woke her.

Thinking of the past few days’ ordeals and her uncertain future, the deeply distressed Akira could no longer hold back her tears.

"Have some water," a sudden comfort soothed her sobbing.

Zhang Tiejun glanced at the sorrowful Akira and reassured her, "At this pace, we should reach Asuka Crossing by tomorrow afternoon."

Akira whispered between sobs, "Mr. Zhang, could you help me find Uncle Kawakawa? I’ll tell you everything."

After learning the whole story, Zhang suppressed his disbelief and calmly asked, "You mean you’re the head of the Japanese Sakurai family? And someone is trying to kill you, risking a new war?"

Akira nodded solemnly. "Yes, Mr. Zhang. Please forgive my caution at first. Uncle Kawakawa told me not to reveal my identity to anyone, but now the situation is urgent. Besides you, I have no one else to turn to."

"Don’t officials like you usually treat their subordinates’ lives with indifference? Why do you seem so concerned?" Zhang asked curiously.

Akira shook her head. "Uncle Kawakawa served my mother. Since she came here, he has cared for her. In my heart, he is as important as my father."

Seeing Zhang Tiejun remain motionless, Akira feared he might think ill of her intentions. She quietly reached toward the buttons of her clothing.

"Mr. Zhang, I’m counting on you," she said softly, biting her lip and closing her eyes tightly.

Zhang smiled slightly. "With that expression, you make it sound like I’m taking advantage of you. Alright, let’s get going."

Watching Zhang’s retreating figure, a strange ache stirred in Akira’s heart.

What nonsense—why did she feel she was almost looking forward to this?

"Are you sure you two parted ways here?" Zhang asked, lying on a small dirt mound and pointing.

"Yes. A group suddenly appeared, saying they wanted to rob us. Uncle Kawakawa told me to run first to protect me. When I got tired, I looked for a place to rest and unexpectedly encountered a wild boar," Akira recalled.

"How much time passed in between?" Zhang added, "Guandong Mountain is vast. If we wander aimlessly like headless flies, we’ll get lost quickly."

Akira hesitated briefly before confirming, "Three hours, at most three hours."

Hearing this, Zhang spread out a map. "This is Creek Slope, a three-way junction. You can go north, east, or west. Do you have any other clues? What did those people say? What guns did they carry?"

"I was panicked, but I remember them mentioning ‘interrogation’ and ‘flower barricades.’"