Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

Logically speaking, the Yamaguchi-gumi wouldn't dare offend members of the National Essence Conference. As the branch leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Kenkichi Kuwata shouldn't cause trouble for his superiors; but he felt it would be a loss not to take a bite of the meat that was offered to him.

He certainly wouldn't do anything to Shinomiya Rin, nor would he threaten or demand ransom. He just wanted a thank-you fee, or rather, a security fee—anything under any pretext, as long as he could get some reward money.

As a high-ranking member of the National Essence Association, he should be quite generous, right?

These days, the Japanese underworld couldn't get their hands on high-end equipment like miniature headsets, so Kenkichi Kuwata couldn't control it remotely, and he had to go along. The reason he brought Ichiro Nagashima along was just in case.

Yuan Zhensheng had no objection and changed his clothes as instructed. Just as he was about to leave, he learned that the "young lady" was missing.

He didn't know who the young lady was, he only knew that this guy was going to cause trouble—the team members began searching room by room, and if they pushed open the door of the Japanese-style room, they would definitely find the corpse of Kuwata Kenkichi and the unconscious Sugiyama Yuta.

"What does that guy look like? I'll help you look for him." Yuan Zhensheng tried to blend in with them.

"How can we trouble the team leader to do it himself? Leave it to us!" The team members were apprehensive and refused to let him take even a single step.

Yuan Zhensheng weighed the pros and cons in his mind and quickly devised a new assassination plan. He refused to let his team members follow him, ran downstairs alone, found the kitchen warehouse, took out oil and alcohol, and when no one was around, poured it on the fire escape and lit it with a lighter.

The flames shot up with a "whoosh," greedily licking the wooden walls and steps of the fire escape.

To create a sense of luxury, the interior of this red brick villa features extensive use of wood-grain wall panels, solid wood door frames, and tatami room partitions, while the corridors are covered with soft, deep red carpets.

The flames spread rapidly along the path of the alcohol and oil, quickly igniting the wall panels with a crackling sound, and thick smoke began to billow upwards along the passage.

The fire escape was already narrow, and the flames blocked the way out almost instantly, with thick smoke carrying a pungent smell quickly filling the villa.

The fire spread faster than Yuan Zhensheng had anticipated, and panicked shouts and chaotic footsteps came from upstairs.

He covered his mouth and nose, and as he walked down the corridor, he heard his team members shouting, "Protect the team leader!" "The team leader is over there!"...

Gensei used "The Face of the Fickle One" to replace Sugiyama Yuta's face. Since he had just changed his clothes, most of the team members did not know, so they could not recognize him in the thick smoke.

He went against the flow of people upstairs, stumbled into the office, and shouted, "Team leader! The fire can't be put out! Run!"

If the leader and the other thugs remained unmoved, they simply said "Understood," then picked up their pre-prepared belongings and escorted Kuwata Kenkichi out of the office.

"First the truck attack, now the arson..." Kenji Kuwata said grimly, "Do those guys want to start a war?!"

"Team leader, let's go first," Ruotou urged.

As the group left the office with their backs turned, Yuan Zhensheng took out Gou Buling, aimed at Kuwata Kenkichi's head, and planned to shoot him dead.

Unexpectedly, Ruotou suddenly turned around and caught sight of the dark muzzle of a gun. Without hesitation, he lunged to the side, pushing Kuwata Kenkichi away. The gunshot hit Ruotou in the chest.

The thugs quickly drew their pistols, providing cover for Kuwata Kenkichi's retreat down the corridor; Hara Masaki, having missed his first shot, turned back, aimed at the window, and shouted, "Sniper!"

The crowd believed it to be true and fired at the window, with one of the thugs even risking his life to pull the curtains shut.

"No, it's not..."

The fallen Ruotou stared wide-eyed, raised his hand and pointed at Yuan Zhensheng, wanting to reveal the culprit.

Yuan Zhensheng slid to his knees, grasped Ruotou's hand, and said with tears in his eyes, "Big brother! Big brother, I'm here! Is there anything you want to say to me?"

"I—" Blood gushed from Ruotou's mouth; the bullet had ruptured his lung.

"Forget it! Don't say anything more, save your energy! There's still hope!" Yuan Zhensheng pressed down hard on his gunshot wound, "Hold on, brother! Don't die! I'll do CPR!"

Such genuine brotherhood moved everyone present.

When Kuwata Kenkichi recalled the way his friend laughed last night, and the promise they had made to live together until retirement, he felt as if his heart had been stabbed, the pain contorting his face and making him look ferocious.

These rats from the gutter!

He swore he would pay for this in blood!

One of the team members, who knew first aid, quickly said, "He'll die if you keep pressing like that!"

"Nonsense!" Yuan Zhensheng retorted angrily, "Are you just going to watch the blood flow out if you don't plug the wound?"

"His lungs are ruptured; the more blood accumulates, the faster he'll die!" a team member said.

"How...how could this happen?!" Yuan Zhensheng clutched his head, wailing, "No! What did I do?!"

If the head was still alive, he held his breath and tried to point at the real culprit, but his throat was full of pink blood and foam, and he could only make a hoarse sound.

"Big brother, what are you trying to say?"

Hara Masaki leaned down and listened intently, but in reality, he pressed down on Wakato's shoulder to prevent him from looking up and communicating with Kuwata Kenkichi through his eyes and expressions.

"You...cough cough...you...traitor..." Ruotou said with difficulty.

His eyes gradually became cloudy, his chest stopped rising and falling, and his breathing ceased.

Hara Masaki raised his head, tears welling in his eyes, and said to Kuwata Kenkichi, "Team Leader, my brother told me to protect you at the last moment..."

Kuwata Kenkichi had a thousand words in his heart, but he couldn't utter a single one. In the billowing smoke, he patted Hara Masao on the shoulder and whispered a word of comfort: "Don't blame yourself too much, it's not your fault."

"I will protect you with my life!" Yuan Zhensheng cried out, bowing his head. "Please leave here as soon as possible!"

"Walk."

With a gloomy face, Kuwata Kenkichi hurried away.

He thought the office had been attacked. Throwing Molotov cocktails is a common attack tactic used by gangsters, and there might be other attacks to come.

The group walked through the corridor, hurried downstairs, jogged to the parking lot, and opened the doors of several cars.

Logically, Kuwata Kenkichi should have at least three bodyguards, one driver, and two human shields when traveling by car. But now that his head is dead, he's one less bodyguard and has to find a replacement.

Yuan Zhensheng volunteered, his face filled with indignation, saying that he would carry on his elder brother's legacy and would never be a coward who lived a life of ignominy.

If it were an ordinary team leader, and a new member had just died, he would probably take him along; but Kuwata Kenkichi remained unmoved, only choosing a replacement from among his close team members, and letting Hara Masaki ride in the back car was already the biggest concession he could make.

The convoy consisted of five vehicles, escorted by cars on all sides. Kuwata Kenkichi's car was in the middle, blocking the road as it drove forward to another branch.

The convoy drove along the main road of Adachi Ward, with rows of low-rise apartment buildings and factory buildings visible outside the windows.

As the vehicle moved forward, the buildings on both sides of the street gradually thinned out, and large areas were shrouded in darkness, with only the empty wasteland and abandoned factories vaguely visible.

Yuan Zhensheng sat in the passenger seat of the back car. Once the situation was right for him to act, he turned to the driver and asked, "Brother, how many bullets do you have left? Enough to handle an attack?"

"Don't worry, there are two full spare magazines for the pistol, and two automatic rifles in the trunk," the driver said.

"That's good."

Yuan Zhensheng reached into his pocket, pulled the trigger through the driver's clothes, and shot him through the stomach with a "bang"; he reached over the driver, opened the car door, unbuckled the seatbelt, and kicked the driver out of the car.