Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 1035: Adapting to a New Identity

Fujita Ying was breathing heavily, sweating all over. His mind was in a mess, and his eyes were staring blankly ahead, like a body without a soul.

After a long while, he found his voice and asked hoarsely, "Those young people outside...are they also your people?"

Yamamoto Satoshi shrugged lightly, with a meaningful smile on his face: "No, they are just a group of innocent students, just like the protesters, they are just supporting roles in this game."

He flicked the ash off his cigarette gracefully. “We are just… following the trend. People need a spiritual sustenance and a hero who can represent them. And we are just helping you wear the hero’s crown.”

A trace of pain flashed in Fujita Ying's eyes: "You crazy people..."

"Mr. Fujita," Yamamoto Satoshi's voice suddenly became unusually serious, "I think you are very clear about your current situation. The unpolished jade will not let you go, and your family is ready to abandon you. Instead of waiting to die, it is better to accept this identity of a 'hero'."

He gave Fujita Ying a meaningful look and said, "Perhaps, this is an opportunity to change your fate. After all, a hero is always more valuable than a pawn, isn't it?"

After saying that, Yamamoto Satoshi took out a box of cigarettes and matches from his arms and gently placed them on the table next to Fujita Ying.

“Think about it carefully, Mr. Fujita.” His manner remained polite. “You still have time.”

The door was closed gently, and the footsteps of Yamamoto Satoshi gradually faded away.

Fujita Ying sat there blankly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the pack of cigarettes. The moonlight shone through the window lattice on his face, reflecting a paleness.

He suddenly remembered what Kobayashi Tanaka said before leaving: "This is your only way to survive..."

It turned out that from the very beginning, he had been pushed onto this path of no return.

All night long, Fujita Ying struggled with endless thoughts.

There were dozens of cigarette butts scattered on the floor, some of which were still emitting a faint smoke. The thick smell of cigarettes filled the entire room, but he no longer felt any discomfort. His red eyes stared straight at the ceiling, as if he wanted to stare a hole in it.

"Mr. Fujita?" A crisp voice interrupted his thoughts, "Breakfast is ready."

The door was gently pushed open, and a female student with a ponytail poked her head in. Her name was Nako, and she was the prettiest of the group of students, and at the moment she was looking at Fujita Ying with admiration.

"Oh, okay..." Fujita Ying forced a smile.

In the cafeteria, other students had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Fujita Ying coming in, everyone immediately stood up as if to welcome some distinguished guest.

"Mr. Fujita, please sit here!"

“We prepared this specially…”

“You must eat more!”

The table was filled with a carefully prepared breakfast, far beyond the living standards of ordinary students.

"Mr. Fujita," a boy wearing glasses asked cautiously, "was your previous dandy image... deliberately pretended? To cover up your true identity?"

"Yes, yes," Nako came over and picked up some food for Fujita Ying while saying with expectation, "You must be secretly investigating the truth, right?"

Fujita Ying's hands trembled slightly, and his chopsticks almost fell to the ground. These sincere gazes and expressions of admiration made him feel ashamed.

"I..." He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to answer.

At the other end of the table, Yamamoto Satoshi was leisurely drinking coffee, looking at Fujita Ying meaningfully behind his glasses. His eyes seemed to say: See? This is your new identity. You'd better get used to it as soon as possible.

Fujita Ying lowered his head and mechanically stuffed food into his mouth. But every bite was like chewing wax, and he almost suffocated.

“Mr. Fujita is amazing!”

"To reveal the truth, I am willing to endure so much..."

“You are our hero!”

The students' praises came one after another, and every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting Fujita Ying's heart hard. He knew that he had to adapt to this role, this false heroic image, as soon as possible.

"Oh no! Oh no!"

The door of the restaurant was suddenly pushed open, and a sweaty student stumbled in.

"Oda, what's wrong?" Nako was startled by his appearance.

"Last night..." Oda supported his knees with his hands, gasping for breath, "After we left last night, the people from Pu Yu...they, they started the massacre!"

"What?" Everyone's face changed.

"They are shooting at the crowd with machine guns!" Oda's voice was filled with tears. "The streets are full of blood... and corpses are everywhere! Now, the people of Pu Yu are searching the city like mad dogs, and they will execute anyone who participates in the march!"

The restaurant fell into deathly silence in an instant.

"It's over, it's over..." A girl began to sob, "Will they find this place?"

“What should we do?”

“Would you like to change places?”

“But there are unsophisticated people everywhere out there…”

The students' voices were filled with fear, some began to tremble, and some cried bitterly. The joy of victory last night was gone, replaced by naked fear.

Fujita Ying's face turned pale. He knew that all these deaths were caused by him. Those innocent lives were sacrificed to rescue him.

"calm."

Yamamoto Satoshi's voice suddenly sounded, clear and steady. He pushed his glasses up, without any panic on his face: "This is the safest place."

"But......"

"The location of this house is extremely secret," Yamamoto Satoshi interrupted their doubts, "and we also have a basement. As long as everyone goes out less during this period and does not reveal any flaws, it will be impossible for Pu Yu's people to find this place."

He looked around, his eyes sweeping across everyone's face: "Remember, the more times like this, the more we need to stay calm. Panic will only expose us."

The students gradually quieted down. Although they were still very scared, Yamamoto's words obviously had a calming effect.

Fujita Ying heard something strange in Yamamoto Satoshi's calm tone. He suddenly realized that all this might have been expected by the other party.

Those deaths, those massacres, were all calculated costs in this grand game of chess.

"Next, we must strictly implement the following arrangements." Yamamoto Satoshi's voice remained steady, as if he was presiding over an ordinary student meeting.

"First of all, everyone's going out must be strictly controlled. From today on, only I and two other classmates will be responsible for going out to purchase and gather information. No one else is allowed to leave the house."

"You must disguise yourself when you go out." He took out a few wigs and some makeup from his briefcase, "I have prepared these things."

The students looked at each other in surprise, obviously not expecting Yamamoto Satoshi to be so well prepared.

“Secondly,” he continued, “the daily shopping list should be prepared in advance. People who go out to buy should be dispersed at different times and places to avoid attracting attention.”

“Third, no one should use any communication tools.”

“Fourth, the basement has been stockpiled with enough food and water for a month. If the situation is urgent, we can move to the basement immediately.”

Yamamoto spoke slowly, making sure everyone heard him clearly. His arrangements were meticulous and clearly the result of careful planning.

"Finally," he suddenly turned to Fujita, his eyes behind the glasses meaningful, "Mr. Fujita, do you have any opinion on these arrangements?"

Fujita Ying looked at him blankly. He knew that this was a disguised question, and Yamamoto Satoshi was reminding him that it was time to start playing the role of "leader".

"No." He answered mechanically, his voice dry, "Just do as you say."

Yamamoto Satoshi nodded with satisfaction, a barely perceptible smile on his face.

The students, however, had a completely different understanding of this scene. In their eyes, this was the hero's trust and authorization to his subordinates. They looked at Fujita Ying with even more respect.

Fujita Ying lowered his head, not daring to look directly into those burning eyes. He felt like a lousy actor pushed onto the stage, while the audience below was completely immersed in this absurd drama.

And he knew that the show had just begun.