At night, Hu Yaliu stayed on the Chengdong Outer Ring Expressway.
More than a dozen black top-of-the-line cars were speeding on the empty road.
At the front of the convoy were two Rolls-Royce Silver Thors with sleek lines.
Following closely behind were a row of all-black Toyota Centuries, each polished to a shine and reflecting a cold light under the streetlights.
These luxurious cars, which are enough to represent the status of top consortiums in Toyaru, are now speeding towards their destination, the headquarters building of Jiacun Association.
Soon, the convoy arrived in front of the building.
This building is called "Longmei Building".
In front of the building, dozens of members of the village association in black suits were already standing neatly on both sides.
They all had expressionless faces and sharp eyes, as if they were waiting for the arrival of some important person.
The convoy stopped steadily.
First, two elderly men who looked quite old came out from the Toyota Century on the left and right sides.
One is Kawada, who has thinning hair and sinister eyes.
Kawada
The other one was Ishii, who had a face full of flesh and looked like a bandit.
Ishii
These two are two of the three top leaders of Jiacun Association.
However, these two big figures who are powerful enough to call the shots in their hometown club did not go directly into the building after getting off the car.
Instead, like ordinary younger brothers, they stood respectfully on both sides of the Rolls-Royce Silver Thor in the middle.
After the two men stood still, a younger brother quickly stepped forward and respectfully opened the back door with his white-gloved hands.
The moment the car door opened, everyone present, whether they were the senior executives standing on both sides or the ordinary subordinates, bent down and bowed 90 degrees.
A middle-aged man with a majestic air walked slowly down from the car.
This person is the last of the three top executives and the real person in charge of the Iemura Association - Iemura Ryumi!
Iemura Tatsumi
After he got off the car, he just glanced at Kawada and Ishii beside him.
The two men didn't dare to meet his gaze and subconsciously lowered their heads slightly.
Iemura Ryumi didn't say a word, but the innate and huge sense of oppression he exuded made the air around him seem to freeze.
He took a step forward and slowly walked through the wall of people in black and headed towards the brightly lit building.
Behind him, followed closely by a tall and thin man with a white scarf around his neck.
This person is Ryumi Iemura's confidant and a mid-level cadre of the Iemura Association - Nikaidou.
Nikaido
This is the family village association.
An important branch of the Kowloon Group, one of the underworld empires of Hu Yaliu.
The Kowloon Group controls the entire eastern region of Huyaliu City.
The sphere of influence of the Jiacun Association in the east of the city is called the Bay Coast District.
This area happens to be closely adjacent to the SWORD area.
Recently, the top management of Kowloon Group has been interested in further expanding its influence.
The heavy responsibility of completely annexing the SWORD region naturally fell on the neighboring Jiacun Association.
…
Longmei Building, top floor, conference room.
The entire conference room is decorated magnificently and luxuriously.
On the ceiling hangs a giant chandelier made up of countless crystal pendants, emitting dazzling light.
Under my feet, there is a Persian carpet so soft that it sinks into my ankles.
In the center of the room, there is an extra-long conference table made of a whole piece of golden nanmu wood. Twenty leather chairs are neatly placed on both sides of the table.
Iemura Ryumi sat high above the main seat.
On his left and right sat two other senior members of the Iemurai Association - Kawada and Ishii.
Ishii said slowly while smoking a cigarette leisurely:
"Recently, I sent people to investigate the so-called SWORD area. Those little bastards there are all very unruly. I don't think they will listen to us."
Nikaidou, who was sitting nearby, took over the conversation and said:
"But, it wouldn't be appropriate for our village to get serious with a bunch of little brats."
As a mid-level cadre, Nikaidou should not be qualified to interrupt in such a meeting of the three top leaders.
However, since he was Ryumi Iemura's confidant, he did not have so many concerns.
Nikaidou was not wrong when he said that the people in the SWORD area were a bunch of little brats.
Jiacunhui is a formal and well-known gang organization in Huyaru.
If word got out that he was fighting for territory with a group of guys who could only be considered bosozoku, it would be too degrading.
Of course, this is just one of the reasons.
What's more important is that everyone here has their own ulterior motives.
The Iehama Association is not just the Iehama Ryumi Association.
There are also various factional struggles here.
The three top leaders naturally each have their own power.
Now, the order has been issued from above that the Jiacun Association must take over the SWORD area.
So the question is, who should Jiacun send?
No matter which faction they belong to, they will inevitably have a brutal gunfight with the five desperate crazy gangs in the SWORD area.
By then, casualties are inevitable.
Once the strength of his faction is damaged, then the high-level position he currently holds may be replaced by others.
So, even though Jiacunhui looks very impressive on the surface, its strength is certainly not weak.
However, if everyone is not united, how much of this strength can be truly brought into play?
Ishii seemed to have long been accustomed to this kind of meeting atmosphere, and the expression on his face did not change much.
He exhaled a puff of thick smoke and continued:
"How about we dig out a few tough guys from Guixie High School? Let them fight on the front lines, and we'll reap the benefits."
Ishii didn't want to take on this difficult responsibility.
What he was thinking about was how to use outsiders to do things for himself.
After he said this, he turned his gaze to Kawada who was sitting opposite him.
Kawada cursed in his heart: This old fox!
Why do you say that?
Because Kawada's alma mater is Oniya High School.
The meaning of Ishii's words is self-evident.
However, the fact that Kawada was able to hold a high position in the Iemura-kai shows that he is extremely scheming and cunning.
The expression on his face remained unchanged.
"Oh, Guiye High School, that's my alma mater."
He said seemingly with emotion.
When Ryumi Iemura, who was sitting in the first seat, heard this idea, she thought it was a good one.
His frown also relaxed a little.
"The group of little ghosts with high ghost evil this year seem to be pretty good, according to the people below."
Oniya High School is the cradle for cultivating reserve members of the underworld in the entire Toaru area.
Every year, a group of part-time staff choose to join the Jiacun Association.
As the person in charge of the village association, Jiacun Longmei naturally paid attention to the situation this year.
Kawada laughed a few times, as if he had already made up his mind.
"I sent someone to contact that guy named Murayama Yoshiki a few days ago."
When Ishii heard this, he raised his eyes and looked at the old ghost Kawada calmly.
If we don't move, no one should move.
You Kawada, why are you so proactive?
Doesn't this make it seem like I, as a senior executive, have done nothing?
As expected, after hearing Kawada's words, Iemura Ryumi raised his eyes and looked at Ishii meaningfully.
An awkward smile flashed across Ishii's face, and then, as if to hide his embarrassment, he took the initiative to ask:
"Kawada, what was the result?"
Kawada slowly turned the shiny Buddhist beads in his hand.
"That guy named Murayama said he needs to think about it. I plan to send someone to ask him tomorrow."
At this moment, a low-level cadre who had been standing respectfully behind Kawada suddenly spoke.
"Can you leave this matter to me?"
In the conference room, everyone's eyes instantly focused on the person who had just spoken.
This person is none other than the low-level cadre of Jiacunhui who has been gaining popularity recently.
His name is Qilin'er.
Kirin
He felt everyone's gazes on him, and the expression on his face became even more ferocious, like a wild beast eager to prove itself.
"They're just a bunch of little brats. With a little more effort and some force, they can be made to shut up and kneel down and obey."
His voice was filled with disdain for the bad people in the SWORD region.
Just when everyone was pondering whether to entrust this seemingly simple but actually full of variables task to this fearless young man.
Iemura Ryumi, who had been sitting high in the main seat and remained silent, finally spoke slowly.
"I think we should leave this matter to the younger people."
After he finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Nikaidou who was standing beside him.
"Nikaidou, what do you think?"
After hearing the boss's question, Nikaidou raised the corners of his mouth slightly. He first took a deep look at Qilin'er who was still immersed in his arrogant speech, and shook his head secretly in his heart.
Nikaido
This person is brave but not wise, and his brain is not working well.
Let him rush to the front and take the lead, and he is quite good at it.
But when it comes to actually getting things done, he's still far from being competent enough.
When Qilin'er saw Nikaidou looking at him, he thought that the other party admired him and was ready to give him the task that would make him famous. There was even a hint of pride on his face.
However, Nikaidou slowly turned his gaze to the inconspicuous corner at the very end of the conference room.
Nikaido
"Arden, I'll leave this matter to you..."
Ardennes
…
The next day, at the repair shop on Sanno Street.
"Serizawa! Bring me that size 14 hexagonal wrench!"
Uncle Yuan was lying under the chassis of a Harley motorcycle, sweating profusely, and shouting loudly.
After hearing Uncle Gen's shout, Serizawa rummaged through a pile of messy repair parts, accurately found the wrench, and handed it to Uncle Gen.
Uncle Yuan took the wrench, tightened a screw expertly, and then slid out from under the car. While wiping the oil off his hands, he said with emotion:
"You know what? Moving to Sanwang Street is so much better than the crappy old location! It's been flooded with car repairs all day long. We're almost overwhelmed! I think it's time to hire a few more workers."
Serizawa grinned upon hearing this.
"Huh, what did I say? When the boss asked you to move in, you were very reluctant, saying things like, 'We've been there for so long, we have feelings for each other,' and 'What if there's no business after we move?'"
At the beginning, Ryuzaki Shin asked Uncle Gen to move the repair shop to Sanno Street. Although Uncle Gen did not refuse on the surface, he still complained to Serizawa in private.
He was afraid that moving to a new location would affect the business of his small shop.
However, the reality is just the opposite.
Today, after Ryuzaki Shin invested a lot of money in the initial renovation and planning of Sanno Street, the entire block has a brand new look.
This place has become one of the most prosperous and most popular commercial streets among young people in the south of Huyaliu City.
The huge flow of people naturally boosted the business of the repair shop.
I don't know how much better it is than before.
Just as the two of them were chatting casually.
Suddenly, there was a burst of uniform footsteps at the door of the repair shop.
Serizawa subconsciously raised his head and looked towards the door.
I saw a dozen men in neat black suits walking towards the repair shop with murderous intent.
At the door of the repair shop, there was a group of young people waiting in line to repair their cars. When they saw this scene, they were so scared that they ran away like birds and beasts.
Serizawa's brows furrowed instantly.
He put down the tools in his hands and walked towards the group of uninvited guests.
At the same time, some seemingly ordinary "passersby" slowly walked out on the street.
They slowly surrounded the dozen men in suits from all directions.
These people are the members of the True Dragon Society.
They usually disguise themselves as ordinary passers-by and are scattered in various corners of Sanwang Street.
However, as long as there is any sudden movement, they can rush to the scene at the first time.
Serizawa walked up to the group, looked up at the young man in the lead, and there was a hint of warning in his voice.
"Who are you? If you're here to fix your car, we're more than welcome to you. But if you're here to cause trouble, then... you're the ones who should be fixed."
The person who came was Arden.
Ardennes
Last night, Nikaidou gave him the task of "conquering" the SWORD region.
The first place he chose to go was Sanno Street.
After all, the main members of the Sanno Federation have close ties with him.
Arden looked at the people he brought with him, who were surrounded by a group of "passersby" who looked ordinary but had a hint of fierceness in their eyes, but there was no panic on his face.
He didn't even look at Serizawa, but just said lightly:
"You are not qualified to talk to me. Go and call out the people from Sanwang."
Serizawa felt extremely unhappy when he heard this.
Don't I have the right to talk to you?
Who the hell do you think you are?!
Moreover, Serizawa Tamao looked down upon the Sanno Federation.
Can the rabble of Shanwang be even a hair on the head of his True Dragon Society?
Now, this Sanwang Street, up and down, inside and out, is all the property of his True Dragon Society.
According to Serizawa himself, the name of this street should have been changed long ago.
It should be called, "Dragon King Street"!
But to be on the safe side, he patiently asked another question.
"Who are you?"
Arden then slowly shifted his gaze to Serizawa.
Said lightly:
"Judging from your appearance, you must be low-level members of the Sanwang Federation. I might as well tell you that from today on, the entire SWORD region will be under the direct jurisdiction of the Jiulong Group and our village association. I came here today to inform you Sanwang people and let you make your choice as soon as possible."
When Serizawa heard this, his brows furrowed even more.
The boss had already warned us that people from the Jiacun Association would definitely come soon.
I didn't expect to meet you so soon.
At this time, Serizawa's brain was a little insufficient.
The boss never mentioned what to do if you run into someone from the Jiacun Society?!
Just beat them up?
Will it be...
Will it cause any bad consequences and affect the boss's overall plan?
But this kid in front of me looks too pretentious!
If I don't beat him up, I will feel really unhappy!
Just when Serizawa was in a dilemma and extremely conflicted.
A familiar roar was heard at the door of the repair shop.
Serizawa looked towards the door, and the expression on his face instantly changed from gloomy to happy.
Ha ha!
The boss is here!
Now, let's see how you die!
Today is the official opening day of Naomi's Western restaurant and Junko's "Pure Love" dessert shop.
As the major shareholder of these two stores, Long Qizhen naturally had to come and cut the ribbon in person.
Of course, when he saw the huge sign of "Pure Love", he was really shocked.
He had just finished his work when he heard his younger brother tell him that something seemed to have happened at the repair shop, so he rushed over immediately.
When Serizawa saw Ryuzaki Shin, he immediately shouted at the top of his voice:
"Boss! Someone's causing trouble here! They're saying that this place will be under the management of their village from now on! They've even scared away all our customers!"
boss?
Arden turned his head and thought it was Yamato, the real owner of the repair shop, who had arrived.
After all, according to the information he had investigated, this store was owned by Yamato.
But when he looked back, he found that it was not.
Leaning on that cool heavy motorcycle was a young man who was a little too handsome.
Ryuzaki Shin got off the motorcycle, lit a cigarette for himself, took a long puff, and then said slowly:
"Serizawa, have you forgotten what I told you? No matter what happens, we must not allow anyone to disrupt our normal business environment."
Arden was still wondering who the young man in front of him was.
Suddenly, there was a "bang"!
He was hit hard in the stomach...
No matter how stupid Serizawa Tamao is, he has followed Ryuzaki Shin for so long, and if he doesn't even have this little bit of common sense, then all this time has been in vain.
Don't you understand what the boss said?!
It's just two words - fuck him!
As for what serious consequences will there be after doing this?
Why think so much!
Anyway, what the boss said must be right!
Serizawa was already extremely annoyed with Arden, who was so pretentious.
At this moment, after receiving Long Qizhen's "hint", he no longer had any scruples!
Just when Arden was still wondering about the origin of the young man in front of him, Serizawa's fist, which contained terrifying power, had already hit his lower abdomen!
"Bang!"
Arden only felt that his stomach was hit hard. The severe pain made him bend over instantly and he couldn't even utter a complete sentence!
However, this is just the beginning!
Serizawa hits the target with one strike, showing no mercy!
He grabbed Arden's hair and pulled his head down hard!
Immediately afterwards, a powerful knee strike from bottom to top hit Arden's face!
"Crack!"
There was a crisp sound of bones breaking, accompanied by a painful groan!
Arden's nose bridge broke with a sound!
The whole person flew backwards!
Before he even landed, Serizawa had already followed him like a shadow!
He grabbed Arden's ankle and pulled him down from mid-air. Then, he swung his body and slammed it hard at the group of equally stunned members of the Jiacun Association behind him!
"Boom!"
Like a bowling ball hitting pins, Arden and the dozen or so men in black behind him instantly rolled into a ball!
It was at this time that the members of the True Dragon Society, who had been disguised as ordinary passers-by, finally stopped hiding anything!
They rushed from all directions towards the group of Jiacun Association members who had not yet recovered from the chaos!
Fifty or sixty members of the True Dragon Society, who are as fierce as wolves and tigers, are facing a dozen members of the Jiacun Society who have already lost their composure!
There was no suspense in this battle from the very beginning!
This is a one-sided massacre!
A member of the True Dragon Society punched his opponent so hard that his teeth flew everywhere, mixed with blood and foam!
The other one broke the opponent's shin bone with one kick, and the crisp sound of the broken bone could be heard clearly!
The entire entrance of the repair shop instantly turned into a hell on earth with blood and flesh flying everywhere!
The battle was over quickly.
A few minutes later, Serizawa looked at the members of the Iemura Association who were beaten black and blue and lying on the ground groaning in pain. He walked up to Arden, who was also no longer a human being, and spat fiercely on his face, which was swollen like a pig's head.
"Fuck it! Are you still pretending to be me now?! What the hell is this village association?! Ugh!"
Arden, lying on the ground, was in a very miserable state at this moment.
His consciousness was still a little fuzzy.
However, there was only one thought in his mind - these people, they are crazy!
Why did he dare to come to this place with more than a dozen people so confidently?
They rely on the fact that their village association is backed by the Kowloon Group!
Kowloon Group is a real behemoth!
Anyone who is involved in the underground society of Hu Yaliu, after hearing this name, must carefully consider whether they are heavy enough before trying to touch them!
However, he never expected that the other party would actually dare to deal such a heavy blow to them!
Just as Arden was struggling and trying to get up from the ground.
A foot stepped hard on his face, pressing his head firmly to the cold ground again.
Arden glanced at it out of the corner of his eye.
The person who stepped on him was the young man who was leaning on the motorcycle with a calm face.
After Ryuzaki Shin stepped on Arden, he looked at this man with disdain in his heart.
This Arden, Yamato, and Cobra are close friends who grew up together.
Arden has always been the best student and the one with the highest hopes among their group of uneducated and unlearned teenagers since childhood.
He was admitted to the University of Tokyo as he wished, and became a true prodigy in the eyes of his group.
However, while in college, Arden intentionally injured someone for a woman and was eventually imprisoned.
Logically speaking, he committed a crime and was imprisoned, and it has nothing to do with Yamato, Cobra and the others.
Not to mention, after he was imprisoned, these two people went to visit him in prison every now and then.
But this Arden not only did not appreciate it, but instead became completely evil in prison.
Coincidentally, Nikaidou was also serving his sentence in the same prison for some reason.
He keenly noticed the darkness and unwillingness in Arden's heart, so he took the initiative to invite him to join the Jiacun Association after he was released from prison.
So, it was natural for Arden to be recruited by Nikaido.
If things had ended here, it would still be normal.
After all, Arden was just a college student with a ruined future at the time, so it was understandable that he wanted to avoid his former best friend.
However, after you joined the Iehamura Association, you turned against your former best friend and came here arrogantly demanding that Sanwang surrender!
I even want to exchange my best friend's dignity for your future in my hometown!
Is this something a human can do?
Long Qi really has no regard for this kind of treacherous trash who sells out his friends for personal gain.
Of course, what bad consequences would result from beating Arden?
Ryuzaki Shinya wasn't worried.
First of all, if he had not yet transformed Sanno Street into a thriving commercial street, it would be absolutely impossible for him to take the initiative to provoke the Iemura Association at this point in time.
But now this is his territory, a place where he has invested a lot of effort and money. How could he allow people from the Jiacun Association to come here and cause trouble?
On the other hand, if Arden is beaten, will it immediately lead to full-scale retaliation from the village association?
That's also a joke.
In a purely underworld organization like Jiacunhui, only those middle and senior-level cadres in high positions can be considered human beings.
To put it bluntly, the lowest-level cadres like Arden are just consumables that can be sacrificed at any time.
If the lower-level consumables are beaten up, the higher-ups in the village will just think that you are useless and throw you away like garbage, and then replace you with someone more capable to do the job.
It's absolutely impossible that they would go to such great lengths to seek revenge on the other party just for a small and insignificant person like you.
This is of course also the current situation of most underworld organizations.
Arden was stepped on hard by Ryuzaki Shin and felt unprecedented humiliation.
He squeezed out a word from between his teeth.
"You...you've provoked our village...I promise...you'll die...very ugly..."
Upon hearing this, Ryuzaki Shin sneered.
"Oh? Really? Then I'm really looking forward to it."
He was too lazy to say another word to this kind of trash.
He said to the brothers beside him who had already finished fighting:
"Guests have come from afar, so I'll treat them well! And then, I'll personally send them back!"
…
At night, in the top floor conference room of the Jiacunhui headquarters.
In the huge conference room, there were only Nikaidou and Iemura Ryumi at the moment.
Iemura Ryumi took a leisurely sip of the fine tea and said to Nikaidou beside her:
"Is that young man named Arden reliable? I haven't asked you yet why you chose him to do this."
Nikaidou showed a confident smile on his face and replied respectfully:
"That young man was discovered by me accidentally when I was in prison."
"It was only later that I found out that he actually had such a relationship with those people from Shanwang. This incident was an unexpected success. After all, it was most appropriate to let acquaintances like them handle the matter."
Upon hearing this, Iemura Ryumi shook her head without comment.
"Have you ever considered that if that young man named Arden, out of some old friendship, were to hinder our progress in annexing the SWORD region? You have to understand that our village council isn't the only faction targeting that area."
Jiacunhui was given this task by the top management of Kowloon Group mainly because of its geographical location close to the SWORD area.
However, Kowloon Group has given a deadline.
If they still haven't gotten their hands on this piece of fat meat by the deadline, the task will be taken over by other factions within the group.
Moreover, they may be held accountable.
However, Nikaidou seemed unconcerned about this.
In his opinion, it would be easy for the Iemura-kai, a purely underworld organization, to deal with those guys in the SWORD region who could only be considered biker gangs at best.
Since we are absolutely sure that we can take over that area, the natural thing to consider is how to minimize our losses.
That's why he always uses these seemingly unpresentable little tricks.
It is certainly a good thing if it can be accomplished.
If it doesn't work, then put all the blame on that young man named Arden and replace him with someone else.
Anyway, it will be impossible for the family and the village to unite until the very last moment.
This kind of thing is tacitly understood by everyone.
Nikaidou smiled.
"If this person doesn't work, just find another one. After all, there are many people who want to climb up by any means necessary."
At this moment, a younger brother cautiously pushed open the door of the conference room and walked in quickly.
He whispered something in Nikaidou's ear.
Nikaidou's expression changed drastically in an instant...
There was something wrong with Nikaidou's expression. He had just finished listening to the report from his subordinates, and a layer of gloom covered his handsome face.
He picked up the teacup and took a sip, trying to use the temperature of the tea to calm the waves in his heart, but the tea could not suppress the surging anger at all.
Ryumi Iemura didn't look at him, but just played with the cigar, as if she didn't care about the content of the report just now.
Nikaidou glanced at the calm and composed president, but ultimately he couldn't sit still.
He stood up and bowed slightly.
"President, I have some things to take care of."
Only then did Ryumi Iemura raise her eyelids and a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Go ahead."
After getting permission, Nikaidou turned around and left the meeting room without a moment's delay. His steps were steady, but his back revealed a solemn and murderous aura.
Watching Nikaidou's back disappear at the door, the smile on Iemura Ryumi's face slowly faded, her eyes gradually narrowed into slits, and her eyes became cold.
…
Outside the conference room, at a small table at the end of the corridor.
Nikaidou sat on one side with an expressionless face, and on the other side of the table sat Ishii.
Ishii had a cigarette in his mouth, with smoke curling around it, and there was a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Next to the table, a man stood with his head down. It was Arden with a bruised face and nose.
There was a bruise on his forehead, and he looked so miserable that even the way he stood was trembling.
Arden has just reported everything that happened today on the territory of the Sanno Federation.
As he spoke, Nikaidou's expression became increasingly gloomy, like the sky before a rainstorm.
After the report, there was a dead silence.
Beads of cold sweat appeared on Arden's forehead and slid down his cheeks. He could even hear the sound of his own heart beating violently.
His Adam's apple rolled up and down a few times. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a word.
After a moment's silence, Nikaidou finally spoke.
Nikaido
"You mean, you didn't even meet anyone from the Sanno Federation, and you were beaten into this state by a bunch of biker gangs that appeared out of nowhere, and then you ran back in disgrace."
This is not a question, but a statement.
He stated a fact that made Nikaidou lose face.
Arden's body shook even more violently. He didn't dare to look up and could only squeeze out a weak syllable from his throat.
"Um..."
Nikaidou smiled.
There was no warmth in that smile, only endless coldness and disappointment.
"When did our village become so miserable? The people we sent out couldn't even see the real boss before being beaten back by a bunch of little brats. Arden, you really made me proud."
His smile was particularly creepy, and his eyes cut into Arden like knives.
Arden is a loser who can't even handle some second-rate biker gangs. What happened today was clearly a slap in his face, making him lose face in front of the entire Jiacun Association's top management.
Because it was Nikaido's choice to promote Arden.
Arden didn't dare to respond, and he didn't expect things to develop to this point.
He was just following orders, who knew that a group of lunatics would show up halfway.
At this moment, Ishii, who had been smoking nearby, flicked the ash from his cigarette and spoke slowly in a nonchalant tone.
Ishii
"Hey Nikaidou, you're overestimating him. This kind of guy can only do the job of collecting bills and looking after the place, but you let him do such an important thing."
Ishii and Nikaido have never been of the same mind.
In recent years, Nikaido has been very popular. He is ruthless and skillful in his actions, and his reputation in the association is growing day by day.
If the senior positions hadn't been filled, he would have been promoted long ago.
If there really is a vacancy in the future, the person who will be replaced will be either Ishii or Kawada.
Therefore, Ishii will not miss any opportunity to undermine Nikaido's prestige.
Hearing the hidden meaning in Ishii's words, Nikaidou's murderous intent flashed away, and his smile became even brighter.
"Senior Ishii, you can't say that. Everyone makes mistakes. If we beat someone to death with a stick after they make a mistake, who would dare to work for our village in the future? What we need is loyalty that can make amends, not a machine that can't make mistakes."
After saying that, Nikaidou stood up, walked over to Arden, and patted him on the shoulder heavily.
The force was so great that Arden's body shook.
"Please don't let me down again. After all, not everyone has so many opportunities."
Nikaidou is a cruel and ruthless person. Since Arden failed this time, he had already regarded him as a discarded pawn in his heart.
But who can blame Ishii for being on the other side?
If we get rid of Ardern now, wouldn't we lose face and be publicly admitting that we made a mistake?
Arden didn't know yet that it was actually Ishii who saved his life this time.
He only felt the warmth of Nikaido's palm, and a feeling of relief for surviving the disaster surged in his heart. At the same time, he secretly encouraged himself, next time, next time he would definitely not fail again!
…
The next day at noon, Songfengtai.
Ryuzaki Shin, Asuka, and Nanako were eating around a low table.
The dishes on the table are simple, but they exude a sense of family warmth.
The most popular romantic idol drama was playing on TV, and the heroine was telling something with tears in her eyes.
Nanako was watching intently, with rice in her mouth and her eyes fixed on the screen without blinking.
The hour and minute hands of the clock on the wall quietly overlapped and just pointed to exactly twelve o'clock.
In an instant, the idol drama scene was cut off and the opening music of the Toaru City Daily News came from the TV.
Nanako turned around suddenly and found that it was Ryuzaki Makoto holding the remote control.
Her cute cheeks immediately puffed up like buns.
"Ryuzaki Makoto! What are you doing?! What's so interesting about a piece of broken news? The show is at its most crucial point!"
As soon as she finished speaking, before Ryuzaki Shin could say anything, Asuka picked up the chopsticks and tapped her on the head twice, neither too hard nor too light.
"Snap! Snap!"
"That TV show of yours isn't that good. If you really want to watch it, go back to your room and watch it. Don't be so disrespectful to Zhen at the dinner table."
Nanako was about to retort when she heard the host's voice on the news, her tone serious and solemn.
"...Officer Saeko's safety has become a matter of great concern to all citizens of Toaru City. Now, we have good news: Officer Saeko, who was seriously injured while fighting a criminal alone, has regained consciousness yesterday."
"Furthermore, she completed the discharge procedures as soon as she woke up. Our reporter was also very honored to interview Officer Saeko at the first opportunity."
The TV screen switched.
The reporter handed the microphone to Saeko. Her face was still a little pale, but her eyes were extremely firm.
Reporter: "Officer Saeko, first of all, congratulations on escaping danger. How are you feeling now?"
Saeko nodded slightly towards the camera, her voice weak but clear: "Thank you all for your concern, and thank you to Toaru Central Hospital for your full treatment. I feel fine now and can return to work at any time."
Reporter: "Regarding this vicious case, the police are still investigating. Do you have anything to say to the citizens?"
Saeko's eyes grew sharper. "Justice may be late, but it will never be absent. I assure the citizens of Toaru City that our police force will never let any criminal go free."
Reporter: "One last question, Officer Saeko, what are your plans next?"
Saeko answered without hesitation, "I'll recover from my injuries, then return to the team as quickly as possible and bring the criminals to justice. That's my duty."
After watching the interview, Ryuzaki Shin switched the TV channel back to the idol drama.
Asuka looked at the screen and sighed softly.
"Toaru City really needs good police officers like this."
Nanako raised her head, glanced at Ryuzaki Shin, and hummed softly.
"I guess it's a good thing the police in Toaru City aren't very effective, otherwise, hmph!"
Ryuzaki didn't care about Nanako's words. He drank the last mouthful of soup in the bowl, put down his chopsticks, stood up and walked towards the door.
"Asuka, I have to go out to work."
Asuka quickly stood up, a hint of worry in her eyes.
"Really, will you come back tonight?"
Ryuzaki really thought about it.
It is not a suitable day to look for Saeko. She is in the center of the storm right now, and I don't know how many eyes are secretly watching her.
If I go there now, I will only bring her unnecessary trouble.
"I'm coming back, but I don't know what time I'll be there. When you get back, just eat first. You don't have to wait for me."
After saying that, Ryuzaki Shin turned around and opened the door, and his figure quickly disappeared outside.
…
Guiye High, training room on the third floor.
Yoshiki Murayama just finished today's training.
Sweat soaked his vest and kept running down his cheeks and arms.
The training room was filled with the smell of sweat and the dull thud of leather being struck.
He gasped and wiped his face with a towel.
At this moment, the door of the training room was pushed open with a creaky sound.
A figure stood at the door against the light, and its appearance could not be seen clearly.
The visitor's voice was calm.
"Murayama Yoshiki, it's time to give your response."
When Murayama Yoshiki heard the voice, his movements paused for a moment. He slowly turned his head and looked towards the door calmly.
He didn't recognize the man standing at the door, but he did recognize the black suit he was wearing and the Jiacun Association badge on his chest.
The person who came was none other than Arden, who was looking very dirty at the headquarters of the Home Village Association yesterday.
Today he changed into a clean suit and treated the wounds on his face with ointment, but the deliberately pretended aura could not hide his inner weakness.
Aden took a step forward and adjusted his collar, trying to make himself look more stylish.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Arden from the Home Village Association."
Murayama looked him up and down without saying anything.
He just continued to wipe the sweat off his body with the towel, as if the person in front of him didn't exist at all.
Arden felt a little unhappy when he saw this, but he still kept a formal smile on his face and continued to talk to himself.
"Our village has contacted you some time ago. Now, I think you should give us a clear answer."
Murayama Yoshiki didn't answer. He put the towel on his shoulders, slowly picked up a clean T-shirt, and put it on unhurriedly.
During the whole process, he didn't even look at Arden.
He spoke lazily only after he had put his clothes in order.
"It's not a bad idea to join your village association."
Hearing this, Arden's eyes lit up instantly.
He didn't expect things to go so smoothly.
If he had known that the leader of Guiye Gao was so easy to talk to, he should have come here first instead of going to the Sanno Federation's territory and getting beaten up for nothing.
It seems that I have made the right bet this time.
However, Murayama Yoshiki immediately said something that froze the smile on Arden's face.
"One hundred million."
One hundred million?
Arden didn't understand what Murayama Yoshiki wanted to say. The number sounded a bit absurd coming out of Murayama's mouth.
"One hundred million? What do you mean?"
Murayama Yoshiki smiled, and there was a hint of boyish cunning in that smile.
"You know, if we, Gui Xie Gao, join you, it's obvious that we'll be going to war with the other major forces. We don't want to be on the front lines, fighting to the death, and end up with nothing to gain. One hundred million is your resettlement allowance, and it's also the price we're paying."
Only then did Arden finally understand that this Murayama Yoshiki wanted to take advantage of the situation and bargain with him.
And it's impossible to even think about it.
The senior executives of Jiacunhui are all ruthless people. Asking them to take money out of their own pockets is even more difficult than taking their lives.
"Murayama, your vision is too narrow." Arden put away his smile and adopted a didactic tone. "This area will sooner or later belong to our village council. The sooner you surrender, the greater the benefits you will gain in the future. By then, not only will you be in charge of one street, but even the entire Guixie Gao territory will be handed over to you. You will become the youngest cadre in our village council..."
Yoshiki Murayama didn't want to listen to Arden's nonsense, so he waved his hand to interrupt him.
"Don't try to fool me with empty promises. It's simple. If you have the money, everything is easy. If you don't have the money, forget it!"
A little brother following behind Arden was beaten up for nothing on Sanwang's territory yesterday, and he was already full of anger.
Now seeing his boss being rejected so ruthlessly by a little kid, he could no longer control his temper. He stepped forward and pointed at Murayama Yoshiki's nose and cursed.
"Murayama, don't be so shameless..."
Before he could finish his words, Murayama Yoshiki's eyes changed instantly.
It was an extremely dangerous look.
Murayama Yoshiki's figure flashed, and his right leg kicked out like a whip!
"Bang!"
A dull thud!
The little brother had no time to react at all, and he flew backwards like a kite with a broken string, hitting the wall of the training room heavily!
"Crack!"
The sound of bones breaking could be clearly heard.
The younger brother's body slid down the wall, blood spurted out of his mouth, and after struggling for a few times, he fainted.
At the same time, the door of the training room was pushed open again.
Guan Hu and Gu Wu came in with a large group of students from Gui Xie High School. They all had unfriendly faces and stared fiercely at Arden and his remaining men, surrounding them.
Arden thought of the bad memories of being besieged on Sanwang's territory yesterday and swallowed unconsciously.
However, Murayama Yoshiki did not order them all to be beaten like Ryuzaki Shin did.
He just glanced at Arden lightly and spoke in a flat tone.
"Everyone, come back after you've thought it over."
…
"Did you really say that? You asked for 100 million right out of the gate and then sent them away?"
"Yes, Master."
Ryuzaki Shin and Murayama Yoshiki were standing in their usual place, next to the vending machine.
Murayama Yoshiki reported everything that had just happened in the training room to Ryuzaki Shin.
After hearing this, Ryuzaki Shin couldn't help but smile.
"One hundred million, you really dare to ask for it."
Murayama Yoshiki scratched his head a little embarrassedly.
"Didn't the master say he was going to open a shop nearby? I thought if I could get a little more money, I could help him share some of the pressure."
Long Qi really didn't expect that this kid was thinking about this matter.
A warm feeling flashed through his heart, and he immediately raised his foot and lightly kicked Murayama Yoshiki.
"Stinky boy, I'm not at the point where I need you to save money for me yet."
However, Ryuzaki really felt that it was not clear whether Murayama Yoshiki's behavior was a good thing or a bad thing.
The guy named Arden first suffered a setback at Sanno, and now he was thwarted again at Guiyegao.
I guess after Jiacun gets the news, this Arden will be completely abandoned.
A discarded pawn...
How can we squeeze out all the value from this person?
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through Ryuzaki's mind.
Things seem to be starting to get interesting.
Thinking of this, Ryuzaki Shin decided to start making arrangements.
He waved his hand and sent Murayama Yoshiki away.
"Murayama, go ahead and do your work. I have some things to take care of here."
Murayama Yoshiki nodded, turned around and left the rooftop without asking any further questions.
Watching Murayama Yoshiki's back disappear at the stairs, Ryuzaki Shin took out his cell phone from his pocket and called Kirisawa Jin.
The phone rang twice and was quickly connected.
"Hey, Boss, go ahead."
Ryuzaki didn't waste any time and gave orders directly.
"Send someone to monitor a guy named Arden, a member of the Jiacun Society. I need to know his location at all times. Who he meets and what he does must be reported to me."
A calm response from Jin Kirisawa immediately came from the other end of the phone.
"Yes, Boss."
"Boss, is there anything else?"
Ryuzaki thought for a moment and continued.
"Use an anonymous phone today to notify Saeko and tell her to go to the White Devil bar tomorrow night to check for drugs. Also, call those reporters you contacted over to make a bigger splash. You should understand what I mean."
Jin Kirisawa understood immediately.
The boss wants to continue to build momentum for the female police officer and make her a symbol of justice in Toalu City.
"clear."
"Go ahead and do it."
Ryuzaki Shin hung up the phone.
In this way, among the five major forces of SWORD, namely, Guiye Gao, Sanwang, and Bai Mo, three of them are already under his control, either openly or secretly.
It's time to wrap up for the remaining Dharma family and RUDE BOYS.
My goal has never been a small SWORD area.
…
Night, Jiacunhui headquarters, conference room.
All the cadres were present, and the atmosphere became even more solemn.
Iemura Ryumi was still sitting in the main seat. He swept his eyes over everyone present, finally stopping on Nikaidou, and slowly asked.
"Well, a few days have passed, how are things going?"
After saying this, Iemura Ryumi raised her eyelids and glanced at Aden who was standing behind Nikaidou.
Arden immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet the president's gaze.
Nikaidou stood up slowly and bowed in reply.
"President, I've tried to contact the White Demons, but they were adamant and unyielding. They ignored us completely."
"I did get some information from the people in the Sanwang Federation."
"Their leader, the guy called Cobra, seems to have been seriously injured and is in the hospital. However, it seems that a new force has recently injected capital into their neighborhood, and reconstruction is underway. I'm still investigating the specific situation."
Nikaidou avoided the main point and did not directly answer Ryumi Iemura's question, nor did he mention what was happening on the side of Kitsugao.
However, everyone present understood the implicit meaning of his words.
There is no achievement at all.
Qilin'er didn't dare to confront Nikaidou directly. After listening to Nikaidou's report, he directly pointed the finger at Arden.
Kirin
"I was just saying, this burden seems too heavy for him."
Kawada naturally would not miss the opportunity to ridicule Nikaidou.
Kawada
He turned his head and looked at Qilin'er, with a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Oh? If it were you who was in charge, what would you do?"
When Qilin'er heard that Kawada, one of the senior executives, had noticed him, he immediately realized that this was a great opportunity to show himself.
He straightened his back and spoke loudly.
"The solution is simple. Why should we go to such great lengths to win them over? Wouldn't it be better to let them fight among themselves while we sit back and reap the benefits?"
"As far as I know, Hinata, the leader of the Daruma family, is still in jail. We just need to use some connections to get him out early. That mad dog will definitely turn the entire SWORD region upside down. When the time comes, we can clean up the mess later. Wouldn't that be twice the result with half the effort?"
Nikaidou noticed Qilin'er's remarks, and in fact, he also thought that this method was indeed a good one.
However, if I admit here that Qilin'er is right, wouldn't it be tantamount to implicitly admitting that I had made a mistake and hired the wrong person before?
This is very detrimental to his status in the village.
Arden saw what was on Nikaidou's mind and immediately stood up to refute him.
"We can't do this! If we do, it will be like detonating this area prematurely, and then we won't be able to negotiate properly!"
"If they continue to fight internally, how long will it last? How much damage will it cause? These are all unknowns, and it will waste too much time."
Just when Qilin'er wanted to refute again.
Iemura Ryumi stretched out her fingers and tapped the table lightly.
"Boom! Boom!"
Everyone in the conference room fell silent instantly.
He could clearly see the game between these people.
As a boss, the most important thing is not who is right or wrong, but the art of managing people.
It doesn't matter whose method is better.
Nikaidou, after all, needs to be closer to him.
So, Ryumi Iemura's gaze finally fell on Arden.
Long Mei
"Aden, you have to work harder. You're also a member of our village council. I have high hopes for you."
However, Ryumi Iemura changed the subject and her voice suddenly became cold.
"But you must also remember. Even though you are one of us, I will never allow betrayal or failure. Do you understand?"
The chill in that voice made Arden's body tremble uncontrollably...
The next day, at night, at the White Devil Bar.
Loki sat on his white throne on the high platform, looking down at everything below with calm eyes.
The scene in the bar was no different from a few days ago, still full of lights, wine and people.
The only difference is himself.
He was wrapped in thick bandages and his right leg was in a heavy cast. He was carefully placed on a soft stool with a black cane standing beside him.
The beating that Ryuzaki Shin received a few days ago was really severe.
The doctor ordered him to be hospitalized for observation, but he refused.
He is the soul of this bar and the protector of these women struggling in the darkness.
If he falls, this place will fall apart.
So, he has to be here.
The bar's dance floor was bustling with people, not at all affected by the bloody fight a few days ago.
The powerful disco music hit everyone's eardrums, and the colorful spotlights cut through the dim space frantically, illuminating faces that were either excited or numb.
This is the truest portrayal of this bubble economy era.
Everyone lives in a huge dream.
The news reports every day about soaring land prices and stock prices, as if gold is everywhere and everyone can become rich overnight.
The men wore expensive designer suits, unbuttoned their collars, and roughly stuffed stacks of ten-thousand-yuan bills into the dancers' bras, using money to buy a moment of vanity and a sense of conquest.
The women put on heavy and exquisite makeup, wore sequined miniskirts, and used professional smiles and twisted waists to exchange for money that could keep them alive.
No one thinks about tomorrow because tomorrow is too empty.
All they knew was that they had to enjoy themselves tonight, numb their nerves with alcohol, fill the emptiness with music, and use the most primitive desires to prove that they were still alive.
In this neighborhood filled with desire and despair, the White Devil Bar is the only source of light and the only black hole.
It attracts all the moths that have nowhere else to go and then devours them.
So even though Long Qi Zhen came to cause trouble some time ago, it did not have any impact on the bar's business.
But tonight, the atmosphere in the bar was a little different.
The security in the entire place was much tighter.
The members of the White Demons no longer stood at fixed positions as usual, but instead formed groups of three or five, constantly patrolling among the crowd.
Their eyes were sharp, their hands were always in their jacket pockets, and they warily scanned every customer who entered the bar.
Just then, there was an unusual commotion outside the heavy oak door of the bar.
The music seemed to be drowned out.
Loki's eyes narrowed, and he tightened his grip on the cane.
A White Mage's subordinate rushed in from outside, his face full of panic.
He made his way through the crowd and stumbled down to the stage.
"Boss!"
Seeing this, Loki used his cane to support himself on the ground and forced himself to stand up.
There was a sharp pain in his chest, but he paid it no mind.
Is someone here to cause trouble again?
Butler Koo also walked up quickly from below, his face, which always wore a gentle smile, was now full of panic.
"Boss, something bad has happened..."
Before he could finish his words, Loki knew what was happening.
The door of the bar was violently pushed open from the outside, and a group of uniformed policemen rushed in, their batons reflecting a cold light under the lights.
"Everyone, squat down with your hands on your head! The police are investigating!"
…
The bar was already surrounded by police cars.
The red and blue police lights rotated silently, casting an eerie light on the surrounding night.
Saeko was wearing a neat police uniform and standing at the door of the bar with a serious expression.
In front of her, a reporter from the Toaru City Daily News was holding a microphone, and behind her, the photographer's flash kept flashing.
The reporter put the microphone to Saeko's lips and asked excitedly, "Officer Saeko, are the police carrying out any special operations here tonight?"
Saeko faced the camera and replied calmly, "We received a report from the public that this place was involved in illegal drug trafficking activities. The Toarume Police Station took this matter seriously and came here to conduct a routine inspection."
The reporter then asked, "You just recovered from your injuries and were discharged from the hospital, and you immediately threw yourself into such dangerous frontline work. What was your consideration?"
Saeko's eyes were firm. "Fighting crime and protecting citizens is the duty of every police officer. My health is fine now, and I cannot let personal reasons delay the police operation."
The reporter wanted to ask more questions.
At this moment, police officer Ono walked out of the bar quickly with an excited look on his face. He came to Saeko and spoke in a low voice, but could not hide his excitement.
"Boss, there's a major discovery!"
Saeko nodded to the reporter. "We will hold a press conference to explain the details to the public after the operation. For now, please do not interfere with our police investigation."
After saying that, she turned around and followed Ono and walked quickly into the bar.
Inside the bar, everyone had already squatted on the ground with their hands behind their heads as ordered by the police.
The men and women on the dance floor, the bartenders at the bar, and even the White Devils members who were just patrolling around, were now as obedient as quails.
Are you kidding? No matter how powerful they are in this neighborhood, they dare not openly confront the police.
Saeko took a transparent evidence bag from Ono's hand.
Inside the bag was a small packet of red powdery crystals.
Ono's face was lit up with excitement and he pointed at the bag of powder.
"Boss, the lab team has done preliminary testing and it turns out this is the new drug called 'Red Rum'!"
No wonder Ono is so excited.
Seizing drugs, especially new types of drugs at a time like this when so much attention is focused, is a major accomplishment.
In addition, word has already spread within the police station that Saeko's performance this time will earn her at least a promotion of two levels.
If she gets promoted, it is possible that her confidant will follow suit.
Saeko nodded and handed the evidence bag back to Ono.
"Have the relevant personnel been captured?"
Ono immediately pointed to the side of the bar, where several men were handcuffed and looking dejected.
Saeko seemed to remember something again, and her eyes swept over the figure on the platform who was leaning on a cane and had a gloomy face.
"The bar's management were all taken away for questioning. After all, the drugs were found in their place, so there might be some connection."
Ono nodded immediately, turned around and went to follow Saeko's instructions.
In his eyes, Saeko is now a god.
She said that wherever there is something, she will definitely find it.
With a leader like this, there are achievements everywhere.
At this moment, Saeko caught a glimpse of a familiar figure flashing in an aisle at the end of the bar out of the corner of her eye.
She had an idea and immediately followed.
Saeko walked quickly to the corridor and looked around. The corridor was empty, with only a few private rooms whose doors were tightly closed.
She frowned. Could it be that she saw it wrong?
Suddenly, the door of a private room next to her was suddenly opened, and a strong arm stretched out from inside and pulled her in!
Saeko was startled and subconsciously reached for her gun.
But before she could see who was coming, a familiar smell entered her nostrils.
It smells like tobacco mixed with a light cologne.
It's his smell.
The next second, Saeko was pressed hard against the cold wall, and her mouth was blocked...