Back at the hotel suite, everyone was waiting, and when Luo Zheng returned, they all stood to greet him. The sight of Xinzi following behind him elicited looks of surprise and doubt. They turned to look at Luo Zheng, who gestured for everyone to sit down and recounted the events, leaving everyone sighing in amazent. As they pondered, Ghost Hand curiously asked, "Boss, I didn't expect ninjas to have so many disputes. Interesting. But the Iga ninjas are nurous and strong, not easy to deal with." He said, looking at Xinzi with curiosity in his eyes.
"Are you trying to find out how strong we are?" Xinzi smiled lightly.
"Of course, cooperation requires mutual understanding," Ghost Hand laughed.
"Unfortunately, it's a core secret of our Kaga ninja. Except for my father and uncle, no one knows, not even ," Xinzi explained.
Ghost Hand seed to want to ask more, but when Luo Zheng shot him a stopping glance, he understood and smiled without saying more. Beside him, Snow Leopard nonchalantly said, "No matter how many people there are, even without the participation of the Kaga ninjas, we'll carry on as we should. So, what do we do next?" He asked, looking at Luo Zheng.
"The benefits of cooperation outweigh the disadvantages for us, so cooperation is necessary. We need to adjust our plan. I have an idea, and I'd like everyone to help deliberate. First, we need to tarnish the image and reputation of the ninjas, I an the Iga ninjas," Luo Zheng said, turning to look at Xinzi.
"No problem, go ahead. I understand. Besides, our Kaga ninja have been secluded for many years, the common people outside don't know much about us, and can't differentiate between us. The governnt high-ups, politicians, and aristocratic families know us, but they only care about their interests and won't speak out," Xinzi smiled.
Luo Zheng noticed that Xinzi understood reason well and sighed in relief before continuing, "Ninjas are the spiritual leaders of Japan, the core support of the Samurai Path. The public can't distinguish between Iga and Kaga but know ninjas and admire them. If we tarnish the ninjas' image, it will pressure the governnt, significantly impacting the Shijing family and Chrysanthemum Group."
"Right." Everyone wasn't foolish and imdiately understood the benefits, agreeing unanimously.
"Step two isn't decided yet; it depends on the execution of step one. Xinzi, do you know who the Shijing family's enemies are? I need a list," Luo Zheng asked Xinzi.
Xinzi was exceptionally smart and imdiately grasped Luo Zheng's plan, her eyes brightening as she smiled, "Of course, your idea is just like my father's, but for various reasons it wasn't implented. The list is ready; I can write it for you now, even with detailed information on these enemies. Would you like that too?"
"That would be best," Luo Zheng smiled.
"If it's about assassinating these people, we can take the lead since we're familiar with the situation. But there's one thing: only assassinate core personnel, never won, children, or the elderly. That's the difference between us Kaga and the Iga. They do anything for fa and fortune, whereas we also pursue these but have limits. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been marginalized and forced into seclusion years ago," Xinzi said earnestly.
Luo Zheng stared into Xinzi's eyes, noticing her calm gaze, not seeming to lie, and couldn't help but smile. "Who said we're going to assassinate?"
"Then what do you plan?" Xinzi asked Luo Zheng in surprise.
"Defeat the Iga family, reclaim your past glory. This requires extensive funding to develop and stabilize your position. In other words, you need a lot of money, and the Iga family's enemies surely aren't lacking in funds. We execute a large-scale abduction, capturing the core descendants of these families. You would know better where to detain them," Luo Zheng chuckled.
Xinzi was montarily stunned, then her eyes brightened, looking at Luo Zheng with increased gratitude, sincerely saying, "Ninjas focus on slaughter, preferring to resolve issues with force. Your thod opens my eyes. I think it works—fras the Shijing family, extorts funds, and deepens their hostility with the Shijing family. What about the hostages afterward?"
"We aren't real terrorists or kidnappers; we're just completing a task. Afterwards, the hostages will all be released," Luo Zheng said seriously with a stern face.
"Alright, we accept the task. Give us one night; I guarantee all of the Shijing family's opponents' core descendants will disappear overnight without a trace. What do we do after the kidnappings succeed?" Xinzi eagerly asked, looking like she was ready to take action.
Luo Zheng saw that this woman was not one to sit still either, thought for a mont, and said, "Leave a ransom note, using gold for ransom. Each person will have different ransom requirents; decide that yourselves. Consider this my gift to you. After it's done, I'll tell you what step two will be. Act tonight and go make arrangents."
"Okay." Xinzi understood the logic of speedy action and hurriedly left.
Once Xinzi was gone, Lan Xue looked at Luo Zheng in surprise and asked, "What's your intention in doing this? Now it's just us brothers here; tell us so we can have so clarity."
"Twofold intentions. First, to test. I need to know how sincere Yuanfei Zuo and his people really are. If he dares to abduct, it ans we have leverage against them and won't fear them turning on us in the future. We'll also see their sincerity and determination. Second, I indeed need to attack the Shijing family this way, tarnishing the ninjas," Luo Zheng explained seriously, pondering deeply.
"What's your second step?" Lan Xue asked.
Everyone couldn't guess Luo Zheng's overall plan and perked up their ears.
"The second step is to assassinate mbers of the Shijing family, making them think their opponents have started to retaliate. This step must wait until Xinzi's group gets the ransom and releases the hostages; with the hostages safely returned, retaliation from those who were kidnapped would make sense. What do you think?" Luo Zheng explained.
"It's nasty, but effective. I like it," Ghost Hand chuckled.
Everyone else joined in a good-natured laugh; as soldiers, they weren't concerned with the process as long as the mission was completed. Luo Zheng hadn't hard the innocent, which was already quite decent, and they had no objections, agreeing collectively.
Mountain Eagle curiously asked, "What's your third step?"
"Haven't thought of it yet," Luo Zheng straightforwardly laughed, then activated the earpiece signal and said, "Lan Xing, imdiately release information on Japan's major portal sites that the Shijing family is facing an economic crisis and may go bankrupt at any ti. You know how best to do it; ensure broad coverage. Whether anyone believes it isn't important."
"Understood," Lan Xing replied, inexplicably trusting Luo Zheng, agreeing wholeheartedly without asking why.
"This way, ransom kidnappings will seem reasonable. By the ti the Shijing family tries to argue, it'll be too late. I think it's feasible," Lan Xue delightedly agreed.
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