LightReader

Chapter 38 - "Borrowed Power."

-----

-----

"Yes, yes, sir, this is your territory. Today, some guys from the Sanki Gang got drunk and barged in here, causing trouble… they even killed someone…" The old man's voice trembled with a mix of fear and urgency.

"My territory? Why am I just now hearing about this? Since when do I have a territory?" A cold glint flashed in Hayato's eyes.

Apparently, someone had handed him control of a piece of land without even informing him. No one had told him a thing, and he sure as hell hadn't gotten any benefits from it. In simple terms, someone was using his name to gain power and profit.

"S-Sir, what… what are you saying?" The old man was completely stunned—and the middle-aged man beside him looked just as shocked.

Hayato's eyes grew even colder as the truth started to click. Around two months ago, a group of people had suddenly shown up, claiming to represent "the Green Demon."

They didn't actually know Hayato's real name, so they just used his title, and boldly took over control of a few blocks around where he lived.

They told everyone that they were helping the Green Demon manage the area, since he was too focused on "training" and couldn't be disturbed.

They even blocked off Hayato's usual haunts so no one could get close, all while spreading terrifying stories about the Green Demon to make his already scary reputation even worse.

Hayato hadn't expected these people to have such guts—to act in his name like this. That wasn't just impersonation, that was flat-out theft of identity and power.

As for how the old man and the middle-aged guy had made it to Hayato now? Well, even though the impostors had kept the area locked down, over time, they got careless.

After all, no one dared approach Hayato anyway, and his life looked like a boring repeat loop. Eventually, the guards let their guard down, and these two managed to sneak through.

Their reason? Their families—sons, wives—had been killed in a drunken rampage by the Sanki Gang. Desperate, they'd tried asking the so-called "managers" for help, but of course those people refused. Why would they risk exposing themselves just to help a couple of nobodies?

Left with no other choice, the two came straight to Hayato himself.

His eyes were ice cold, but burning with rage.

"Take me to the Green Demon's headquarters. Now." Hayato's voice was low and deadly.

"Y-Yes, yes, right away, sir!" The two men scrambled to respond. Their legs were shaking so badly they could barely stand. After a few awkward moments, they finally got up, heads down, not daring to even look at Hayato. But even without eye contact, they could see the fear in each other's eyes.

With the two leading the way, Hayato hadn't gone far before they ran into two drunk thugs who looked like wannabe gangsters. They reeked of alcohol and were leaning lazily against a wall.

"Huh? Who the hell are you guys? You think—you think you can just wander over there and—say—say—" One of the drunk idiots started slurring at them, clearly trying to sound tough. But the moment he saw Hayato behind the two men, his whole expression froze.

Like he'd been turned to stone.

His body stiffened, sweat poured from his forehead, and the alcohol might as well have evaporated from his system. His eyes were filled with nothing but panic and terror.

Yeah… these guys definitely knew who Hayato was. They weren't fooled by the fake Green Demon story—they knew.

Hayato snorted. Without a word, he stepped forward and shot out his right fist—twice, fast as lightning.

BAM! BAM!

Two dull cracks rang out. The thugs' heads burst open like watermelons smashed with a hammer.

Thud!

Four thuds followed—two from the thugs' bodies hitting the ground… and two from the old man and middle-aged guy collapsing in terror. They were so shaken they couldn't even stand anymore.

Hayato's reputation as the Green Demon was already terrifying, but after seeing him casually crush two heads like it was nothing? Their fear hit a whole new level.

"....."

More Chapters