After being chosen by the Ice Queen

Before meeting Chiba, Kito Go was like a snake, swimming in a sea full of fish.

Thick darkness, like ink that cannot be dissolved, settled in the deepest part of the Chiba Gumi headquarters' tea room. Only a solitary paper lantern cast a dim, flickering glow, barely illuminating the small space.

Kito Gou knelt on the edge of the shadows, his face, usually bearing a rough, gruff smile, now devoid of expression. Only the light reflected from the lantern flame flickered in his eyes, like a giant serpent that had lurked in the deep sea for too long, finally smelling blood and beginning to stretch its cold body.

On the tatami mat in front of him lay an old man quietly. That was Chiba Souichirou, the current leader of the Chiba Group, and also Chiba Rin's father.

The old man's face was calm, except for a very thin red line that slowly spread across his white collar.

"Big brother..." Gui Touhao said in a low voice, his voice hoarse, "This path was your choice. No, we chose it together, but you got scared halfway through, you got tired, and you wanted to stop."

His memory was pulled back more than twenty years. Back then, he was just a reckless brute who fought on the streets. It was Chiba, an equally ambitious young leader, who discovered him and gave him important responsibilities. They bled and sweated together, fighting in the underworld jungles of Kansai, transforming the Chiba Family, which was originally just a third-rate group, into the formidable Chiba Group. At that time, Soichiro's eyes burned with the same flame, the same desire—a desire for power, a desire for territory, a desire to trample everything underfoot.

"You said this world is the sea, and we are the sharks; if we stop, we'll be eaten." Kito Gou reached out and gently stroked Souichirou's increasingly cold hand. "But look what happened later… you changed. You married that troublesome woman, had a daughter, and started talking about 'rules,' 'balance,' 'long-term stability'… Ha, bullshit!"

His eyes suddenly turned ferocious. The organization had become weak and stagnant, clinging to its old businesses and territories. The expansionist ambitions that had once ignited their passion seemed to have been extinguished by a bucket of cold water. In Kito Go's eyes, all of this was the result of this increasingly conservative, family-softened coward. Especially after that woman's death, Souichirou was like a spineless dog. Immersed in grief and the so-called investigation, he hesitated to strike the true suspect—himself, Kito Go. Weak! Incompetent!

"Now, those opportunistic bastards dare to clamor for a callow youth who's spent years abroad to inherit the group?" A cruel smile spread across Kito Go's lips. "Chiba Rin... she's got some skills, and she's ruthless enough. But like her mother, she's just a stumbling block!"

So he laid a trap. He deliberately feigned weakness, sending his ever-smiling, yet increasingly uncontrollable, old partner, "Smiling Buddha" Horita Masazō, as a token of sincerity to Chiba Rin's blade. He wanted to lower the guard of that self-righteous girl, making her believe that he, the greatest threat, had wisely retreated.

"Smiling Buddha, you died a worthy death, laying the final brick for my great cause," Gui Touhao chuckled softly. He had long seen that the old fox's loyalty to Chiba Souichirou was mixed with his fear and dissatisfaction with Gui Touhao's growing power, and that keeping him around would only bring trouble sooner or later.

Now, the time has come. Chiba Rin has just consolidated a small force and eliminated the weakest leader, Matsumoto Masaru. He seems to be gaining momentum, but in reality, his foundation is the weakest. The other two leaders, Nishio and Nakamura, have already secretly formed an alliance under his coercion and enticement.

Most importantly, he finally held the most crucial trump card—the Crows, a secret force of the Chiba Group, passed down through generations, independent of its various branches, and directly loyal to the group leader. They were a group of true assassins, masters of various assassination techniques, and the Chiba Group's trump card that had allowed them to survive numerous crises. And tonight, with the group leader's secret orders and swift action, he eliminated a few die-hard old fogies loyal to Soichiro, completely seizing control of this terrifying force.

He slowly stood up and drew a short sword from his robes. The blade was long and narrow with a beautiful curve, and in the dim light, it flowed with a dark, blood-red hue. This was a gift from Soichiro when he and Soichiro became sworn brothers.

"Brother, if you refuse to finish this journey, I... will walk it for you." He bent down, and with a flash of light, he did not strike the corpse, but instead cut off the ancient silver ring engraved with chrysanthemums and sword patterns on the pinky finger of Soichiro's left hand, which represented the authority of the group leader.

He wiped the blood-stained ring clean on the corner of his clothes, put it on his finger, and the fire in his heart burned even more fiercely.

"Pass down the order," he said in a low voice to the darkness outside the door, "Team leader Chiba Souichirou has unfortunately suffered a relapse of his old illness and passed away suddenly. Before his death, he entrusted the position of team leader to 'Hidden Crow' to me, Kito Go, ordering me to reorganize the team and eliminate the traitors."

"Yes!" came a completely emotionless reply from the shadows.

"Also, notify Nakamura and Nishio that the 'hunt' has begun. Target: Chiba Rin and all his associates. Leave no survivors."

"yes!"

The footsteps faded into the corridor. Kito Gou glanced one last time at his former master and sworn brother, now cold and lifeless on the tatami mat, his face expressionless, before turning and striding into the deeper darkness. The snake had fully awakened, baring its fangs; this sea area needed to be redefined.