Kapitel 304: The United States Army

The night grew darker, and the time was 8:06 pm. Inside the convenience store, Nino sat in a corner, stacking manga books beside her.

She had no choice but to read manga to pass the time and avoid boredom. Her phone couldn't connect to the internet because her SIM card wasn't from this world.

On the other hand, Eiji stood near the door, monitoring any movement or sound outside. With Six Eyes, he could detect the movement of Cursed Energy from afar. For the past few hours, he had successfully eradicated several Cursed Spirits that came because they smelled the presence of humans.

"Hm? That..."

Their tranquility was disturbed when heavy footsteps were heard from outside. Eiji immediately noticed a group of men in full military uniform approaching the convenience store. They carried automatic rifles and other tactical equipment.

Nino hearing the sound, stood up and looked outside through a cracked window.

"They're JSDF soldiers, right? Finally, help has arrived!"

She stepped towards the door, ready to go out and greet them. However, Eiji's hand quickly pulled her back.

"Don't go out."

"But they're soldiers! Aren't they here to help?"

"They're not the JSDF. Look closer. Their physique is different, and their uniforms show the emblem of the United States."

Following Eiji's instructions, Nino peeked again, this time more carefully. She saw that the armed men had skin and faces different from Asian people. Besides that, they spoke a foreign language that she didn't understand.

"What are American soldiers doing here?" Nino was confused.

"This is Kenjaku's doing."

In a short time, Eiji examined Lin's memories and learned why there were United States soldiers in the Culling Game.

A few months ago, in September, Kenjaku met with various governments around the world. He revealed the existence of Cursed Energy, Cursed Spirits, and Jujutsu Sorcerers in Japan.

Kenjaku wanted to persuade the governments of developed countries to send a large number of troops to several Culling Game colonies. He presented Cursed Energy as a new source of clean energy. He even showed video footage taken by Mechamaru, which showed the power of Jujutsu Sorcerers and the amount of raw energy they managed to produce.

This absurd level of energy could easily be used to power entire countries. So Kenjaku proposed an outrageous plan to this confused group of people. He urged them to kidnap dozens of Jujutsu Sorcerers and forcibly exploit their Cursed Energy.

However, everything changed when Kenjaku gave a little demonstration of how powerful Cursed Energy really was. He subdued every Secret Service and military and security personnel active in and around the White House without using anything but his Cursed Energy. Then Kenjaku's proposal was accepted.

'Now Jujutsu is no longer a secret in the eyes of the top officials of various major countries. Sigh... I can already imagine the endless problems in the future.' Eiji hated Kenjaku even more.

*BANG!*

Suddenly, one of the American soldiers raised his rifle and fired towards the convenience store without warning.

"Kyaaaa!!!"

Nino screamed in fear and closed her eyes, thinking the bullet would hit her. However, when she slowly opened her eyes, she saw Eiji standing in front of her, his right hand outstretched. In his hand, a bullet was caught, unable to penetrate his skin.

"Calm down. It's not a real bullet, just a tranquilizer." Eiji said as he dropped the bullet to the floor.

Nino looked at him with wide eyes.

"You caught that bullet?!"

It seemed she still underestimated her boyfriend's strength.

"Thermal weapons can't hurt me." Eiji replied casually.

His eyes looked coldly at the soldiers across from him. He pondered methods of dealing with them without making Nino see a bloody scene.

"Why are they attacking us?" Nino whispered, hiding behind Eiji's back.

"They were sent by the US government to capture Jujutsu Sorcerers." Eiji replied while continuing to monitor the soldiers' movements.

"And it's not just America. Other major countries like Russia, China, and European countries are also sending their troops to Culling Game colonies."

Frowning, Nino was confused by the actions of these countries.

"What are they capturing Jujutsu Sorcerers for? What do they want?"

Sighing at Nino's lack of knowledge about the dark side of the world, Eiji continued.

"Kenjaku has given information about Jujutsu to the top officials of major countries. They are interested in using Jujutsu Sorcerers as experimental subjects to study Cursed Energy. The goal is to develop Cursed Energy into a renewable energy source."

"...!!!"

Nino was stunned by Eiji's explanation. In her mind, the idea sounded cruel. Sacrificing humans for such experiments was unacceptable.

"That... that's like making humans into tools. It's so inhumane!"

"From their point of view, Jujutsu Sorcerers are not ordinary humans. They see us as resources, not individuals." Eiji nodded.

"..."

Meanwhile, the American troop commander noticed something unusual. The young man in front of him had caught a bullet with his bare hands, an ability far beyond the Jujutsu Sorcerers they had captured before.

"He's much stronger. Use live ammunition, but avoid vital areas. We need to capture him alive if possible. Avoid damaging his brain. The brain is the most important part for Jujutsu Sorcerers." The commander said in English to his men.

"Yes, sir!" xx

With a brief command, the soldiers changed their ammunition to lethal mode. Rifles were raised, and barrels were pointed at Eiji, who was still standing in front of the convenience store.

Eiji felt the killing intent growing stronger from the soldiers. He knew they had changed their strategy and would shoot to disable him. But he didn't want to kill humans in front of Nino.

"This should be enough." He muttered softly.

The next moment, Eiji activated Haoshoku Haki.

*BZZZZZTT!*

Instantly, a powerful mental pressure radiated from him, like an invisible wave crashing against the soldiers.

*THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!*

In a flash, the American soldiers stopped moving, their eyes widened before they fell unconscious one by one, some foaming at the mouth.

"Eiji! What are you doing?" Nino exclaimed, panicking at the sight of the soldiers collapsing on the ground.

"Calm down. They're just unconscious. The mental pressure from my Haoshoku Haki was enough to give them a mild concussion. I deliberately restrained myself so they wouldn't be killed." Eiji said in a gentle tone.

Though relieved to hear that, Nino was still shocked by what she had just witnessed.

"Whew~ You're really amazing…"

Seeing her not showing fear even though he had demonstrated power beyond common sense, Eiji was relieved.

Humans often fear and hate things that are different from them. Just like Mutants who were persecuted by ordinary weak people in the Marvel universe.

"We have to go. Help me take food and drinks that we can carry from this store."

Eiji realized that this place was no longer safe. The sound of gunfire and the energy he emitted would attract the attention of Cursed Spirits or other groups in this colony. Not wanting to attract Kenjaku's attention, he still wanted to hide in the darkness.

"Okay." Nino nodded.

Without wasting time, they gathered the available supplies: several bottles of water, instant food, and basic equipment. After that, Eiji took Nino out through the back door, making sure they weren't seen by anyone else who might come.