Lin Yichen smiled as he looked down at the fallen Li Wei. "This guy... I told him there was no reason to fight, but he still insisted on fulfilling his duty. Is he foolish or loyal?" Lin Yichen asked, glancing at Baki.
Baki chuckled. "Definitely foolish. But impressive nonetheless. Judging by your expression, I assume you know why I'm here?"
Lin Yichen smiled and handed Baki a tablet. "Of course."
Baki took the tablet and glanced at the bounty issuer's name—one he knew well. T Group. He handed the tablet back to Lin Yichen. "Won't giving me this information affect your business?"
Lin Yichen's smile turned wry. "Business? It's been on the verge of collapse ever since King was arrested. The only reason we still have this information is because the platform remains under our name. But that won't last long. The Mexican cartel has begun showing their ambitions for the position of King of the Underworld."
Baki nodded. "I see. My apologies. Can you help me find T Group's headquarters?"
Lin Yichen raised an eyebrow. "You don't know that? T Group is famous worldwide. Perhaps you could visit their public headquarters?"
Baki nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea." He turned to leave.
"You should be careful," Lin Yichen called after him. "Some really dangerous people are after you."
Baki glanced back. "Is that so? Good."
Lin Yichen shook his head and tossed a key to Baki, who caught it smoothly. "What's this?"
"There's transportation waiting for you outside."
Baki nodded and headed for the exit. As he reached the door, Lin Yichen called out once more. "Baki Hanma—when I need this favor returned, you'd better come through!"
Baki waved without turning back. He murmured to himself, "Mexican Cartel? I wonder if they're strong."
Outside, he found a motorcycle waiting. He smiled as he mounted it.
---
T Group Public Headquarters
The journey had been surprisingly uneventful. By now, most mercenaries knew who Baki was and what he was capable of, so few remained interested in collecting his bounty. After all, what was the point of chasing the impossible?
Baki stood before the massive building, one of the most magnificent structures he'd ever seen. He approached the entrance, observing the flow of office workers entering and leaving while security guards checked everyone at the door.
After watching for a while, Baki noted that entry required an employee ID card. "Well, that's simple enough," he mused.
He waited until a lone employee emerged, then quickly incapacitated him and took his ID card. There was one problem—the photo looked nothing like Baki. But he had a solution for that too.
Baki put on a face mask and walked straight to the entrance. The guards stopped him and requested his ID card.
He handed it over. One guard examined it, then held it up to Baki's face. "This doesn't look like you. Remove the mask."
Baki sighed and pulled down the mask.
The guard frowned. "What's this? Whose ID is this? This doesn't look like you at all."
Baki acted outraged. "What do you mean it doesn't look like me?! Just because I've gotten fit over the past few months, you're denying my identity?! Should I file a complaint?!"
The guard became nervous. "N-No, I just meant you look a bit more tan now—"
Baki grew even more indignant. "So you're denying my identity because of my skin color?! What, can't a man get tan from exercising in the sun?! Are you being racist?!"
The guard finally relented. "N-No, no. You can go through. It was my mistake."
Baki huffed, snatched back his ID card, and walked inside. Watching him leave, the junior guard murmured, "The ID clearly says five-foot-eight, but doesn't he look over six feet?"
The senior guard slapped him on the head. "Are you calling him short?! He probably just had a late growth spurt. What do young people say these days? Right—'disappear for three months and transform yourself.'"
The junior guard rubbed the back of his head. "Is that so? Should I take three months off too?"
---
Meanwhile, Baki stepped into an elevator. Just as the doors began to close, a woman stopped them with her foot. She carried a precarious stack of files, her hair disheveled. The files nearly tumbled, but Baki quickly steadied both her and the stack.
The woman looked up at him. "T-Thank you. Could you press twenty-six?"
Baki nodded and did so. Silence fell between them, growing increasingly awkward. Finally, the woman broke it. "A-Are you new here? Which department are you in?"
Baki didn't answer immediately. The silence stretched uncomfortably before he finally replied, "I'm new to the job."
The woman nodded. "Oh, I see. I'm Hana Yuri. Are you Japanese?"
Baki nodded. "Yes."
Hana's face lit up. "What a coincidence! I'm Japanese too! What's your name?"
Baki sighed and thrust the ID card hanging from his neck toward Hana's face. Flustered, she tried to read it before he quickly pulled it back.
"S-Sorry," Hana stammered. "I didn't mean to annoy you. It's just rare to meet someone from home."
Baki's expression softened slightly. "It's okay. You're not annoying."
The elevator arrived at the twenty-sixth floor. As the doors opened, Hana stepped out and turned back to bow slightly. "Thank you again for your help."
Baki nodded as the doors closed.
As Hana settled at her desk, a thought struck her. "Wait... why did his ID card say his nationality was Chinese? And the photo looked different too. Did I make a mistake?"
---
Baki continued to the twenty-ninth floor. The CEO's office was on the thirtieth, but the elevator only went to twenty-nine. From there, it was stairs.
As he climbed to the thirtieth floor, he was met by several guards.
One shouted, "Hey! Who are you?!"
Baki smiled. "I'm here to meet the CEO."
"Do you have an appointment?" the guard demanded. "If not, turn back. You can't be here without one."
Baki sighed. "Could you do me a favor and let me in? Or would you rather I beat you all unconscious?"