Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

October 30, 1983.

The sky over eastern longitude seemed to have been ripped open with a huge hole, and torrential rain poured down, blurring the neon lights of the entire city. A fierce wind, whipping up the icy rain, howled mournfully through Shibuya's concrete jungle, as if countless wronged souls had returned to the mortal realm that night.

In this torrential rain that washes away sins, the old order is slowly sinking into the abyss with the sound of breaking ribs.

……

At 2 a.m., an inconspicuous Toyota Crown taxi sped along the highway leading to Narita Airport.

In the back seat, Gao Yi was clutching the empty briefcase tightly, his face as pale as paper, but in his eyes, which were reddened by greed, a kind of almost frenzied hope was throbbing.

"Go...go as far away as possible," Gao Yi muttered nervously. "That idiot Gao Jin is still so soft-hearted. As long as I'm alive, as long as I still have the title of 'God of Gamblers' cousin,' I can always make a comeback, whether it's America, Malaysia, or Canada.

As long as Ko Chun remains the God of Gamblers, he can continue to leech off Ko Chun. Those old guys have plenty of money; they need an agent who understands Ko Chun's weaknesses…

He had even already pictured himself in his Vancouver mansion, surrounded by women on either side of him.

"Drive faster, sir! I'll give you an extra 10,000 yen! I'll reimburse you for any traffic violations!" Gao Yi patted the front seat.

"..."

However, the driver did not reply. This silence sent a chill down his spine.

Gao Yi looked up at the rearview mirror. In the mirror, the driver wearing a baseball cap had a pair of emotionless eyes. His gaze didn't seem to be looking at a living person, but rather at a corpse whose death date had already been marked.

"This...this isn't the way to the airport! Where are you taking me?"

Gao Yi lunged at the car door, only to find that the central locking system was already locked.

The taxi made a sharp turn and suddenly sped into a remote, almost abandoned auto repair shop on the edge of Shinagawa Ward.

The screeching sound of brakes echoed through the empty repair shop. The car door was violently pulled open, and Gao Yi was dragged like a dead dog and thrown onto the greasy, slippery cement floor by two men in black trench coats.

"Clang!"

The massive roller shutter slowly descended, shutting out the torrential rain and completely extinguishing Gao Yi's last hope.

In the center of this auto repair shop, filled with the smells of old tires, engine oil, and rust, a dim incandescent light flickers in the wind.

Tian Yangsheng was sitting on an iron stool piled with parts, holding a sharp knife in his hand, slowly peeling an apple.

"Brother Sheng... Brother Sheng!" Gao Yi scrambled to Tian Yangsheng's feet, kowtowing frantically. "I was wrong! I was really wrong! It was Sumiyoshi who forced me, it was that old fox Chen Jincheng who threatened me with loan sharks! Brother has already let me go, please, for my brother's sake, spare my life!"

Tian Yangsheng swallowed a bite of apple, his eyes cold and devoid of any warmth.

“Gao Jin is your brother, so he has the right to be soft-hearted,” Tian Yangsheng stood up, the scalpel twirling lightly between his fingers. “But I’m not your brother. I’m a knife in the boss’s hand. The knife’s purpose is to weed out those parasites who dare to touch the boss’s interests.”

As soon as Tian Yangsheng finished speaking, the scalpel in his hand drew an extremely thin silver line.

Gao Yi's screams abruptly ceased. Blood gushed from his neck, staining his prized bespoke suit. His eyes widened, staring intently at the swaying light until his consciousness was plunged into eternal darkness.

"Throw him into the furnace, and I want not even a bone fragment left."

Tian Yangsheng turned around expressionlessly and disappeared into the shadows.

……

At the very moment Gao Yi was executed, the entire underground world of Dongjing was experiencing a true tsunami.

Lu Chen stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the East China Sea, which had been washed clean by the torrential rain. He did not sleep that night.

The financial war is drawing to a close, and now it's time to clean up those flies that dare to show their claws while the lion is dozing.

"Initiating the 'Phase Two'."

At Lu Chen's command, Ishii Oren and Ruan Wen simultaneously pressed the "Clearance" button.

That night, the torrential rain became the best cover.

The Sumiyoshi-kai’s more than 30 core locations in Chiyoda, Shinjuku and Minato Ward were all devastated at almost the same time.

No warnings, no negotiations.

The armed squads under the "Breakfast Company," in conjunction with the elite Japanese Yakuza forces integrated by Ishii Oren, were like harvesters emerging from hell. They drove heavy off-road vehicles and smashed directly into the side doors of the brothels and buildings controlled by the Sumiyoshi-kai.

At the same time, in a quiet, old-fashioned teahouse in Akasaka.

Ruan Wen, dressed in a dark red fitted cheongsam, sat in the main seat, carefully arranging the tea set in front of her.

Sitting opposite her were two formidable figures who could make the entire Japanese underworld tremble – the Yamaguchi-gumi's second-in-command and the Inagawa-kai's highest advisor.

The two bigwigs looked at Ruan Wen's nonchalant demeanor with a deep sense of apprehension in their eyes.

"Miss Vermouth, isn't the commotion in Tokyo tonight a bit too much?" the Yamaguchi-gumi elder said in a deep voice. "Even if the Takamagahara family is powerful and influential, openly violating the rules of the Japanese underground council like this is inappropriate..."

Nguyen Van gracefully poured a cup of clear tea for the two of them, his tone as gentle as if he were chatting casually:

"Rules? Minegishi Shigeru of the Sumiyoshi-kai, in order to win money, actually sent people to try to kidnap our most distinguished guest in Takamagahara—the girlfriend of the God of Gamblers, Ko Chun—on the streets of Shibuya. In your eyes, is this what you call rules?"

Nguyen Van gently pushed a photograph to the center of the table. The photograph showed the gruesome scene of Dong Tang Zhuo's execution the previous night.

"This is a blatant provocation against the 'Takamagahara's' authority. Our meaning is very simple: tonight, we will reclaim the dignity that belongs to Takamagahara. If you two think that the Sumiyoshi-kai's 'shameless' behavior deserves support, then Takamagahara doesn't mind including your territories on tonight's 'purge list' as well."

A threat, a blatant threat.

The two leaders exchanged a glance, their eyelids twitching slightly. They knew, of course, that the Sumiyoshi-kai's actions this time were dishonorable, and that Takamagahara was now militarily strong; if war broke out, they might not necessarily gain any advantage. More importantly, Minegishi Shigeru was eccentric and domineering; even before Takamagahara, he had squeezed the living space of other organizations, already incurring widespread resentment.

"So that's how it is. Miss Ruan Wen, you flatter me," the advisor of the Inagawa-kai coughed and picked up his teacup. "Since it was the Sumiyoshi-kai that broke the rules first, that's their 'private matter.' Both of our families will keep our men in check tonight and ensure they don't get involved in the conflict between Shibuya and Shinjuku."

"Thank you both for your understanding," Ruan Wen smiled slightly. "After tonight, Takamagahara is willing to give half of the port trade shares that originally belonged to the Sumiyoshi Association to our friends to have a taste."

……

Meanwhile, the Sumiyoshi-kai's headquarters—the Minegishi Building in Shinjuku.

The battle has reached a fever pitch.

Ishii Oren, leading two hundred heavily armed elites, had breached the outer defenses. Those yakuza members who had initially hoped to resist through loyalty were utterly futile, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, under the precise tactical coordination and terrifying overwhelming power.

"Charge into the top floor! Capture Minegishi Shigeru alive!"

Ishii Oren's long sword was stained with blood, and her eyes burned with the flames of revenge.

However, just as the Takamagahara assault team rushed up the last step, ready to completely end the Sumiyoshi-kai, a huge shadow blocked the middle of the only corridor.

He was an East Slavic man who was so tall he was almost inhuman.

He was at least two meters tall, with shoulders as broad as a wall, and his muscles stretched his tight-fitting bodyguard uniform so much that it looked like it might burst at any moment. He had a clean-shaven buzz cut, and his eyes held a deathly stillness and coldness unique to the Siberian wilderness.

Taras Volkov.

This man was once a top special forces instructor in the Soviet Union, but later fled to Japan after committing a serious crime there. Minegishi Shigeru took him in by chance, but never considered him a core member, only putting him in charge of a small team responsible for the security of the outer perimeter of the headquarters.

But now, while everyone else is fleeing for their lives, this man stands like an iron tower, blocking the path of death.

"Get out of my way, you Soviet bastards." A member of the elite troops from Takamagahara sneered and fired his pistol.

However, Taras's movements were incredibly fast.

He suddenly dodged, and to the soldier's astonishment, a hand the size of a millstone had already gripped the man's throat.

"Snap!"

The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

Taras let out a beastly growl, snatched the other man's pistol, and instead of firing it, he used it as a rock and hurled it down!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The three warriors from Takamagahara were like kites with broken strings in the sky; their sternums collapsed, and they crashed directly into the stone walls of the corridor.

Taras's strength and speed reached an extremely unreasonable balance. He had no superfluous moves, only the purest killing techniques. Throat locks, neck snaps, and heavy punches—before him, even the most trained assassins couldn't get an inch closer.

"Get out of the way!"

With a cold shout, Ishii Oren wielded his katana, which transformed into a white streak as he aimed straight for Taras's throat.

Taras's eyes finally flickered with a hint of emotion. He drew a specially made katana from behind his back and actually managed to block Ishii Oren's blade, which was powerful enough to cut through steel plates!

"bite--!"

Mars burst forth in the dark corridor.

Ishii Oren felt a tingling sensation in her hand; the man's brute strength was terrifying.

The two engaged in a breathtaking battle in the narrow corridor. Ishii Oren moved with the agility of a snake, her blade leaving a few tiny cuts on Taras's skin; while Taras was like a tireless heavy tank, every punch and every slash carrying the momentum to destroy everything.

Five minutes later, despite having the advantage of agility, Ishii Oren was unable to secure the kill. Meanwhile, with the remaining Sumiyoshi-kai forces returning to reinforce, the opportunity was slipping away.

Ruan Wen learned everything over the walkie-talkie. She keenly sensed that if the stalemate continued, Takamagahara would also be in trouble once the Metropolitan Police Department's special investigation team intervened.

"Yu Lian, retreat. We've already achieved 90% of tonight's objective; there's no need to fight to the death here."

Ishii Oren gave Taras a cold look, then sheathed her sword and retreated.

"I'll remember you. Next time we meet, I'll take your head."

The man, expressionless, uttered a few words in broken Japanese: "I'm available anytime."

The tide has receded over Takamagahara.

What remained was the devastated headquarters of the Sumiyoshi-kai, and Minegishi Shigeru hiding in his office, nearly having a heart attack from fright.

After confirming that Ishii Oren had evacuated, Minegishi Shigeru trembled as he crawled out of the office. He looked at the corpses scattered on the floor, then at the man standing in the pool of blood, covered in wounds but still standing tall.

"Taras...Volkov." Minegishi Shigeru's voice trembled as he clutched at the last straw, frantically rushing forward. "You saved me! You saved the entire Sumiyoshi-kai!"

"I want to commend you!"

Minegishi Shigeru knew that the Sumiyoshi-kai's backbone had been broken by Lu Chen, and he now had no resources to fight against Takamagahara, except for the monster in front of him.

The next morning, even though the headquarters building of the Sumiyoshi-kai had not yet been repaired, Minegishi Shigeru hurriedly convened a meeting of all executives.

He wanted to announce to all of Japan that the Sumiyoshi-kai was still standing.

At the meeting, Minegishi Shigeru's expression was one of fanaticism. He stood up and personally pinned a gold badge, symbolizing the leader of the branch family, to Taras's chest.

"From today onwards, Taras Volkov is the leader of the newly formed 'Death Squad' of the Sumiyoshi-kai!"

Shigeru Minegishi's voice echoed in the empty auditorium: "He will have the authority to independently build an armed force, and his codename will be—Shiro Shinigami!"

"He will be our shield, and also Takamagahara's nightmare!"

Below the stage, the remaining core members of the Sumiyoshi-kai looked at the expressionless East Slavic giant with eyes filled with awe and hope. They believed that the Sumiyoshi-kai had found a guardian deity.

……

Shibuya, Takamagahara Headquarters.

"White Death?"

After listening to Ruan Wen's report, Lu Chen chuckled, a laugh that carried a sense of absurdity and all-knowing insight.

"That old fool Minegishi Shigeru is really grasping at straws in his desperation." Lu Chen tossed his cigar into the ashtray, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.

"He thought he had invited back a guardian angel, but little did he know that he had actually opened the gates of hell with his own hands, letting in a jackal that not only devours enemies but also its master."

In Lu Chen's plan, the complete collapse of the Sumiyoshi-kai was only a matter of time. And the appearance of someone like Taras would only make this funeral more spectacular.

"Keep a close eye on this 'White Death'," Lu Chen instructed Tian Yangsheng, who was shrouded in shadow. "When he has drained the remaining marrow of the Sumiyoshi-kai, that will be the time for us to completely reclaim the Eastern Capital."