---o---
After Aventurine accepted the check and made his "disgraceful" exit, Fu Zhu turned his gaze to the group of Hound Family members who were still standing in place.
"What? Do you all need to verify my identity again?"
The Hounds tensed up in alarm. A Tunemaster of The Family had already verified him, and even [Harmony] itself had judged the man before them to be the genuine Head of Family Sunday. How could a few lowly Hounds dare to defy the judgment of [Harmony]?
"Our sincerest apologies, Head of Family Sunday! It was a lapse in our work. We will go write our self-criticisms immediately!"
"Hmph!"
The Hound members practically fled the scene, scrambling away at a speed that nearly surpassed the passing cars.
After the Hounds had left, Fu Zhu casually loosened the collar of his shirt, revealing the autograph board tucked inside. Then, in full view of the crowd, he brazenly left the scene and headed for the alley where he had arranged to meet Aventurine.
Inside the deserted alley, Aventurine was already waiting. When he saw Fu Zhu approaching in Sunday's guise, he immediately came forward, looking him up and down with some hesitation.
"Are you truly Mr. Fu Zhu, or are you the Head of Family Sunday?"
Fu Zhu rolled his eyes speechlessly and, right in front of him, deactivated his transformation, returning to his original appearance.
"You tell me. Am I Sunday or Fu Zhu?"
Only when Aventurine saw Fu Zhu return to his normal appearance did he have a moment of realization. He "ashamedly" slapped his forehead and explained with some embarrassment, "My apologies, Mr. Fu Zhu. Your disguise is so flawless, I couldn't find any openings. For a moment there, I really wasn't sure."
Seeing his exaggerated expression, Fu Zhu knew he wasn't being sincere. He was just complimenting his transformation ability. And while the performance was over the top, he had to admit, the flattery felt pretty damn good.
At least, Fu Zhu found the ass-kissing quite enjoyable.
Although being flattered was a pleasant experience, Fu Zhu hadn't forgotten the more important reason he'd come to meet Aventurine.
"By having me shatter your Aventurine Stone in Sunday's identity, the Company should be able to use that as a breakthrough point to bring The Family to the negotiating table, right?"
"Of course."
Thinking back on Fu Zhu's performance and all the embarrassing things he had done in Sunday's guise, Aventurine couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up.
"It was a rare pleasure, Mr. Fu Zhu. You've set everything up perfectly for us. Just leave the rest to me. Topaz and the others will provide support from the outside."
With Fu Zhu's antics, Sunday's reputation within The Family was sure to plummet. On top of that, "Sunday" had wantonly destroyed a Cornerstone belonging to one of the Ten Stonehearts in public. This was undoubtedly a provocation against the Strategic Investment Department and the Company as a whole.
The Strategic Investment Department could absolutely use this incident to make a big issue out of it. The only prerequisite was that Sunday himself didn't try to resolve these matters.
With the power of [Harmony], Aventurine had no doubt that Sunday could alter everyone's memories in the next second, or make them all change their attitudes.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, you've really taken care of Sunday himself, right?"
"Of course."
Fu Zhu took out his phone and showed Aventurine a message he had received from Gallagher a short while ago. "See? My friend has already taken care of it. You can rest easy."
Aventurine glanced at the phone. A contact named Gallagher had indeed sent Fu Zhu a message confirming that Sunday had been dealt with. Although he didn't know this person named Gallagher, he trusted Fu Zhu's judgment.
"Excellent. Then the rest can be left to the Company. Mr. Fu Zhu, is there anything else you need to instruct me on?"
Fu Zhu thought for a moment. He had already done everything he needed to do. Now, he just wanted to regroup with his companions.
"Nope. Just remember to have those reporters of yours blow the other incidents out of proportion. I am very much looking forward to seeing the look on Sunday's face when he sees what 'he' did in the Golden Hour."
"Of course, no problem."
After finalizing the next steps, the two parted ways to attend to their respective tasks.
---o---
Meanwhile, the Astral Express welcomed a guest.
Pom-Pom was currently humming a cheerful tune, happily sweeping the floors of each car with a broom. Just as it finished cleaning one car and was about to move to the next, it heard the doorbell ring. Someone was at the Express's main door.
Curious, Pom-Pom carried its broom over to the door. As it raised a hand and opened it, the dark muzzle of a gun was pressed against its forehead.
"Hey there, fluffy fella. Don't be nervous. This ol' fella ain't no bad guy."
Pom-Pom slowly raised its head while the gun remained pressed against it, only to see a cyborg cowboy standing at the door. One hand was on his hip, the other held a revolver to its forehead. The corner of his mouth was pulled back in a wild grin.
Pom-Pom gulped and cautiously backed away into the car. The cyborg, Boothill, followed naturally, closing the door behind him, but the revolver never left Pom-Pom's forehead.
"Who... who are you-pom!"
"Heck, my dear, a fluffy fella like you can talk? I'll tell you straight. The name's Boothill. Don't get tense, I'm just here to ask the Astral Express for a favor. Can you get someone who can make decisions to talk to me?"
Pom-Pom trembled for a long moment before immediately turning and running toward another car. Boothill, seeing this, didn't immediately open fire. He just chuckled and followed at a brisk pace.
By the time he followed Pom-Pom into the next car, it was already hiding behind Dan Heng. Dan Heng was instantly ready to summon Cloud-Piercer, but Boothill was faster, pointing his gun directly at Dan Heng, who had just begun to move.
"Hey there, partner, cool it. I'm just here looking for some help from the Astral Express. No need to pull out weapons, right?"
Dan Heng's face was cold as he stared at the revolver in Boothill's hand. "Then what's that in your hand?"
"This thing?"
Boothill glanced at the precious revolver in his hand and grinned. "I only pulled this thing out to say howdy!"
Dan Heng ignored his jest. He calmly crossed his arms, glanced behind Boothill, and then said, "Since you know what you're doing, I feel it's necessary to remind you of the risks. I will ask you once: state your purpose, uninvited guest."
Even though Dan Heng had issued a warning, Boothill still wore a grin. "Heh? You're pretty calm, partner. The way you're actin', it's like I'm the one surrounded, not the one holdin' the gun."
Pom-Pom gathered its courage and peeked its head out from behind Dan Heng, muttering, "But you are surrounded! This is the Astral Express!"
"What do you mean?" Boothill felt something wasn't quite right. He had scanned the train carefully before boarding. There were only two life signs, the two right in front of him.
Dan Heng kept his arms crossed, looked behind Boothill, and said faintly.
"Then why don't you take another look behind you?"
Boothill spun around abruptly, swinging his revolver with him. Just as he was about to fire, a giant metal fist slammed viciously into his chin.
Before Boothill could even react, his entire body was sent flying, crashing hard against the train's ceiling. The force was so great that half his head smashed right through it.
Seeing this, Pom-Pom's eyes went wide in shock. It frantically rushed over to the Iron Golem, which was still holding its uppercut pose, and complained loudly.
"Big guy, you used too much force!!!"