Stepping out of the Golden Jade Pavilion, the morning sun was a little dazzling.
Lucci let out a long breath, put his arm around Tatsuya's shoulder, and whispered, barely concealing his excitement: "Damn it, five million! The first step is finally taken! Let's go, I'll show you the company account and the follow-up plan when we get back!"
Tatsuya, with Lucci's arm around him, felt the heavy weight on his shoulder and his friend's genuine joy. The corners of his usually tight lips relaxed slightly.
"Lucci," he said, his voice a little hoarse, "Thanks."
"Get lost, don't say that to me!" Lucci punched him, "Hurry up, there's still a lot to do back home! You're having it easy as a rich man, I'm doing all the work!"
"No rush..." Tatsuya calmed himself, his tone returning to normal.
"Help me with one more thing."
"Go on, why be polite with me."
Lucci was still immersed in the excitement of the smooth transaction just now. He pulled out his car key and pressed unlock, and the black SUV by the road flashed its lights.
"Help me find a place, a bit remote, a detached house, and the key is..."
Tatsuya opened the car door and sat in, feeling the sun-warmed leather seat: "It needs a sturdy basement."
Lucci's hand, which was about to start the car, paused. He turned his head, his face showing confusion: "Basement? What do you want to do? Stockpile? You just got five million and you're already thinking of becoming a landlord?"
He tried to make a joke, but seeing no smile on Tatsuya's face, he became serious.
"Alright, I'll ask around."
As he merged the car into traffic, he started making calls.
Several calls went out, his tone shifting from polite greetings to asking for details, with astonishing efficiency.
Tatsuya leaned against the car window, watching the city flow by. In his mind, he was repeatedly rehearsing the Chakra circulation route for the Lightning Release Armor, his fingertips unconsciously trembling ever so slightly along his pant seam, simulating the jolt of electricity.
"Got it."
Lucci hung up the last call, turned the steering wheel, and headed out of the city, "There's a villa area in the north. The concept was heavily promoted during development, but it's too remote, so not many people live there."
"There's one house, the original owner was eccentric. He bought it to do some high-end ornamental fish farming, spent a fortune converting the basement into what looks like a damn air-raid shelter, but before he even bought the fish, he went to jail due to financial problems. The house was auctioned off, it's empty now, and the property management has the keys, worried they can't rent it out."
"That one then, let's go." Tatsuya nodded.
Forty minutes later, the car drove into a rather deserted community with overly lush greenery.
The property manager was already waiting at the entrance, enthusiastically leading them to view the house.
The interior of the villa was well-decorated, but it felt empty and lacked warmth.
Tatsuya's focus was not on the above-ground part at all; he immediately asked to see the basement.
The basement entrance was behind the study on the first floor, a heavy soundproof door.
Pushing it open, the space inside was larger than Tatsuya had imagined, with ample ceiling height. The walls and floor had obvious reinforcement and waterproofing. The air carried a mixed scent of cement and dehumidifier.
Some discarded pipe connections and empty large fish tank frames were left in the corner.
"This place was originally planned for a circulating water system, so the structure is particularly solid, and the soundproofing is the best..." The property manager introduced enthusiastically.
Tatsuya didn't speak. He walked to the center of the basement, stomped his foot on the ground, then raised his hand to knock on the wall, producing a dull, solid sound.
He closed his eyes, slightly releasing a sliver of his perception. The emptiness and enclosed nature of the basement seemed to make the energy within him even more active.
"This is it." He opened his eyes and said to Lucci.
Although puzzled, Lucci still efficiently went with the property manager to discuss rent and contracts, bargaining, signing agreements, and getting the keys, all in one go.
When the property manager drove away and his taillights disappeared at the end of the road, only the two of them were left in the villa. The empty house was so quiet they could hear each other's breathing.
Lucci finally couldn't hold back. He followed Tatsuya down to the basement again, looking at the cold, sturdy concrete room, and rubbed his arms.
"Buddy, can you tell me now? What exactly do you need this place for? Training? You've been so mysterious lately, with the gold and now a basement, it's making my skin crawl."
Tatsuya turned around, facing him.
The cold white lights of the basement shone down from above him, casting clear shadows on his face, making his eyes appear deeper than usual.
"Something like that," Tatsuya said.
"Something like what? Really training? Training what? Boxing? Or..."
Lucci's words got stuck in his throat before he could finish.
He saw Tatsuya move without warning.
It wasn't a stance from a gym; he simply took half a step forward, twisted his waist, and swung his right fist out with the momentum.
The movement was so fast that he only saw an afterimage.
Bang!
A dull, almost un-fist-like explosive sound erupted in the enclosed basement, as if a heavy tire had been flattened with a punch.
But that wasn't what made Lucci's scalp tingle the most.
He clearly felt a gust of strong wind rush towards him, blowing his hair back, and his eyes instinctively narrowed.
In the air, there was even a very brief, subtle hiss, like tearing cloth.
Tatsuya retracted his fist, stood still, his breathing not at all disturbed, and simply looked at Lucci.
Lucci's mouth was open, his eyes wide and round, staring intently at Tatsuya's fist, which looked no different from usual, then at the ripples in the air that seemed not yet fully settled.
He stood frozen, as if struck by lightning.
After a full ten seconds, he suddenly gasped, as if he had just been pulled out of water, his voice changing pitch: "I... Holy crap! Tatsuya... you... are you still human?!"
He suddenly took a step back, almost hitting the cold wall with his back. The color drained from his face, and cold sweat instantly broke out, streaming down his temples.
"You... you disappeared recently... to... to do this?!"
He was incoherent, countless Hollywood blockbusters and web novel plots flashing through his mind. He felt his worldview shattering with a crackling sound.
Seeing his reaction, Tatsuya felt even more at ease.
Fear meant he truly understood the unconventional nature of this power.
"You could say that."
Tatsuya's tone remained calm. He walked over and patted Lucci's stiff shoulder.
"Don't be nervous, I'm still me."
Lucci swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, his voice trembling: "No... this... what exactly is going on? Did you... did you join some secret organization? Or were you... possessed by something?"
The more he thought about it, the more scared he became, his eyes filled with uncertainty and alarm.
"It's not that exaggerated."
Tatsuya carefully chose his words.
"You can understand it as me accidentally encountering something... beyond current scientific explanation, and learning a bit of a life-saving skill. Those gold, they came from that too."
He paused, looking into Lucci's eyes, his tone growing heavier: "The source is absolutely clean, but the process... is a bit out of the ordinary. The specific details, I can't really say; knowing them now wouldn't do you any good."
Lucci leaned against the cold wall, gasping for breath, trying to digest this explosive information.
Beyond science?
Life-saving skills?
And that terrifying punch... He remembered Tatsuya's previous mention of "closed training," his suddenly excellent spirits and efficiency, and that box of unknown but extremely pure ancient Japanese gold coins... All the scattered clues seemed to be forcibly connected by that one punch, pointing to a strange and colorful direction he had never imagined.
Cold sweat once again drenched his back.
He looked at Tatsuya, his best friend's eyes calm, yet possessing a profound confidence he had never seen before.
It was the kind of composure one could only have after possessing absolute power.
After nearly a minute of silence, the basement was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Lucci finally slowly straightened up, wiped the sweat from his face with force, the panic in his eyes gradually replaced by an extreme seriousness and determination.
He took a deep breath, his voice still a little dry, but exceptionally solemn: "Tatsu-bro... I understand."
He paused, almost gritting his teeth as he swore: "What I saw and heard today, I'll bury it deep inside! I won't say a word, even if it kills me! You can trust me!"
Tatsuya nodded: "I believe you."
Lucci seemed to think of something else, his eyes suddenly lighting up, but then he quickly suppressed it, becoming incredibly serious: "Then... will future 'goods' also..."
"Yes." Tatsuya confirmed his guess, "Not just gold, there might be other, more... rare things. So, your channels need to be more stable, and your methods cleaner."
Lucci felt a rush of blood to his head. Half of his earlier fear was replaced by an indescribable excitement and thrill.
He knew what this meant; this was no longer ordinary help. This was having one foot in a completely new realm he couldn't imagine.
And his brother trusted him, needed his abilities.
"I understand!"
Lucci nodded heavily, the shrewdness and competence of a businessman reappearing in his eyes, even more so than before. "Leave it to me! I'll make the company framework more solid, and I'll find ways to expand and filter the channels! I guarantee no mistakes!"
He knew that from this moment on, his path and his brother's path were completely different.
...
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