T Group Headquarters
A corpulent man licked his lips as he approached a young woman. "Hehe~ This batch's product looks quite promising. Just what I need to soothe my wounded heart."
The woman appeared nervous but didn't dare speak. The fat man grabbed her chin and forced her face toward his, lust practically oozing from his eyes. Suddenly, as if recalling something unpleasant, he seized her hair and yanked it hard. "Tch! Why did my only daughter have to fall in love with that penniless bastard? But no matter. Hehe~ I'll kill him. I gave him the duty to protect my daughter, not seduce her."
He turned back to the woman. "But... what should I do with you? My mood is ruined. Since I've already seen you once, you won't excite me the same way again, will you? Right. You should die. Hehe~"
The woman's eyes widened in shock, tears streaming down her face as she begged repeatedly for mercy. Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Just then, someone knocked on the door.
The fat man draped a robe over himself and called out, "Enter."
A middle-aged man entered and immediately knelt. "President, the person you placed a bounty on has been confirmed to be in Shanghai. Should we send our men as well?"
The fat man was none other than Wang Wei, president of T Group. Wang Wei stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm? When did I issue a bounty? And on whom?"
The middle-aged man seemed to have expected this. "Baki Hanma. Japanese origin, but raised in South Korea. A member of the White Tiger Job Centre. Last month he destroyed one of our shipments. In a fit of rage, you issued a bounty on him."
Wang Wei pondered for a moment. "Is that so? I suppose I must have been quite angry then."
The middle-aged man asked, "Should we remove the bounty then?"
Wang Wei waved his hand dismissively. "What? Why would you do that? Increase the bounty fivefold and send in our men too. I may have been hasty in my anger back then. This time, I have a clear head."
The middle-aged man nodded. "Yes, President!"
Wang Wei gestured toward the woman. "Take this bitch away."
---
Black Market, Shanghai Branch
A man with brown hair, black eyes, and an anchor beard studied the tablet in his hand. A burly man stood behind him.
"Is that him? The Ogre?" the burly man asked.
Lin Yichen nodded. "That's right. Baki Hanma. He's the one who defeated the boss."
Li Wei smiled. "I'd like to face him once. Seeing such a strong man, I can't help but feel excited."
Lin Yichen chuckled. "Your wish might come true sooner than you expect. His bounty just increased. If the rumors are true, he'll definitely come here to find out who issued it."
---
Meanwhile, mercenaries and mercenary groups throughout China watched as a new bounty replaced the previous highest. Ten million dollars—not yuan. That was Baki's current bounty. The information spread beyond China, reaching mercenaries throughout the world.
---
Los Angeles, United States
LA 18th Street, White Barrel Gang
A group of men sat around in a garage. One of them licked his knife with his tongue. "That bounty... should we visit China?"
Several men around him chimed in.
"Yes!"
"We should go! Those Asians are nothing but headless chickens."
"It's easy money!"
A bulky man ordered, "Quiet. Let the boss decide."
A man in a green jacket with long hair turned around. "This bounty... let it go."
The members complained.
"Huh?"
"It's easy money, boss!"
"It's just one Asian man!"
Zombie White—his nickname derived from his seemingly immortal body—always survived every fight, no matter what. But today, for the first time, he exercised caution.
He sighed. "That single Asian man... killed two of the Nine Masters of China... in just a few hours. And that's not even the end of it. He defeated King from the Black Market. Do you understand what that means?! That's King! The guy who united the entire underworld! And he was defeated by that single Asian man! White Barrel won't take this bounty. That's final!"
---
Siberia, Russia
In a village on the snowy plains of Siberia stood a large building—the Bear Cave, headquarters of Barefoot, the strongest mercenary organization in Russia.
A man with a buzz cut sat at a desk. Dimitri Medvedev looked at the bounty displayed on his screen. "Shall we visit China?"
Before him sat a man with long hair, Beluga Kozlov, opening a wine bottle. "New bounty? Who is it? Let me see."
Dimitri handed the tablet to Beluga. Seeing the photo, Beluga's eyes widened. "Dimitri, there's no way we can take this bounty. Not unless we find the leader."
Dimitri looked surprised. "Why not?"
Beluga took a sip of wine. "This guy is a legend in the underworld. Anyone foolish enough to rush in won't live to see tomorrow. He's the Ogre—Baki Hanma."
Dimitri frowned. "Ogre? As in demon?"
Beluga smiled grimly. "Yeah. He defeated the number one fighter in the Black Market—King. Even our leader warned us never to mess with the Black Market. I wonder what bloodbath is unfolding in China right now."
---
The name "The Ogre, Baki Hanma" resounded throughout the world at that moment. Mercenaries from every corner of the globe learned of him. Those new to the game rushed blindly into China. Those who didn't know who Baki Hanma was or what he was capable of also rushed in. But those who understood what the title "Ogre" represented kept their distance. Those smart enough to connect the dots maintained their distance as well.
Yet there existed another group. They knew perfectly well who the Ogre was and what he could do—but they rushed into the battlefield anyway. Why? Because they didn't care.
Red Dragon, the strongest mercenary organization in China. China had seven Continental Masters and nine Top Masters, so why was Red Dragon considered the strongest? Because of one man: Long Tianho, the leader of Red Dragon, called the Dragon of the Heavens.
Rumor had it that Long Tianho could have become the eighth Continental Master, but he chose to create a mercenary organization instead.
Now, Red Dragon was after a single target: the Ogre, Baki Hanma.
The Dragon had begun hunting the Demon.