Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

Gensei first retrieved his rifle from the storage locker, and then walked to Adachi Ward—nowadays, there are checkpoints everywhere in Tokyo to check passing vehicles, so driving would be too risky to expose him, and he couldn't carry a rifle on the train either.

Upon arriving at his destination, he did not approach the Sumiyoshi apartment building rashly.

Yuan Zhensheng went up to the roof of an abandoned two-story shop across from the apartment. The view from there was excellent, offering a panoramic view of the apartment's main entrance, side entrance, and the ramp leading to the basement level, as well as a view of most of the street in front of the apartment.

Yuan Zhensheng remained patient and observed for nearly an hour without moving.

He always knew that the more money he was withdrawing, the more cautious he had to be.

The night wind blew through the empty streets, swirling up a few scraps of paper.

The apartment building was deathly silent; there were no lights and no human activity in sight.

He scanned the possible ambush points repeatedly—under the awning at the apartment entrance, behind the trash cans in the side alley, several cars parked on the roadside… everything seemed normal.

Let's do a thorough check first.

Yuan Zhensheng slid down from the edge of the roof and landed in the shadows of the back alley of the shops.

He walked with a stooped back, checking all the ambush sites, including all the parked vehicles on the roadside, carefully examining the windows to see if anyone was hiding inside.

It seems fine; there's not a soul in sight.

……

On the other hand, Koji Aiba did not choose those obvious ambush points.

His gray Crown sedan was still parked fifty meters away at the edge of the parking lot, but he was no longer in the car.

While he was observing the front of the apartment building, he quietly sneaked into an equally old and vacant office building next to the Sumiyoshi apartment building.

The second-floor windows of this building face the alleyway to the side of the apartment building and the area below the iron ladder under maintenance.

He witnessed the entire process of Yuan Zhensheng inspecting the streets, but did not fire rashly because the angle and distance were not optimal, and Yuan Zhensheng's movement trajectory was always concealed by various buildings.

He was waiting for that decisive moment—the moment when the target's attention was fully focused on the warehouse entrance, and their mind showed the slightest relaxation.

This window of opportunity is extremely short, possibly only one or two seconds.

"Hurry up, stop wandering around..."

Koji Aiba aimed his gun and muttered softly.

However, after the man finished his check, he still didn't go into the apartment building, but instead went into the convenience store across the street.

A few minutes later, the convenience store clerk came out and walked straight to the apartment building entrance.

Koji Aiba paused for a moment.

His first thought was that the Swamp Man had bribed the shop assistant to get the money; then, he remembered the rumors about the Swamp Man having a face swap and began to suspect that the shop assistant was actually the Swamp Man in disguise...

If he fires, hitting a shop assistant will undoubtedly expose his presence; but if he doesn't fire, he won't have such a good opportunity to launch another sneak attack.

Hmm, is it really that guy?

Koji Aiba had no choice but to put away his gun, go downstairs, and walk around to the side of the convenience store to see if the clerk was still inside.

Through the glass window of the convenience store, he saw a man in a store clerk uniform arranging goods in front of the shelves.

This man looks exactly like the shop assistant who just walked into the apartment, from his facial features to his face shape.

Fuck!

Which one is true?

Koji Aiba couldn't tell them apart by height because when Numa came over, he was hunched over, his whole body was hunched over, and his steps were uneven, probably because he was deliberately hiding his physical characteristics.

There was no other way but to distinguish them up close.

Koji Aiba took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing and expression, and pushed open the door of the convenience store to go inside.

The wind chimes on the door made a crisp sound.

The shop assistant looked up at the sound of the voice and gave a professional smile: "Welcome."

Koji Aiba didn't immediately look at the merchandise. Instead, he walked to the vicinity of the cashier, casually picked up a pack of cigarettes, but his gaze quickly and discreetly swept over the faces of the shop assistants.

The facial features and face shape are exactly the same as the one who just entered the apartment.

He noticed that the name tag on the shop assistant's uniform read "Tomohiro Kameda".

"A pack of Mild Seven Stars, please." Koji Aiba placed the cigarettes on the counter and asked in a casual, conversational tone, "I think I just saw someone who looks a lot like you go into the apartment across the street. Is he your brother? What a coincidence."

He kept a close eye on the shop assistant's reaction.

Tomohiro Kameda paused for a moment, then looked confused and scratched his head: "Huh? Looks like me? I'm an only child, I don't have any siblings... Maybe it's just a resemblance."

His reaction was natural, with a hint of bewilderment, and didn't seem fake.

Koji Aiba's doubts deepened.

He paid, took the cigarette, and continued probing, "Really? Maybe I'm seeing things, but it really does look like it... By the way, what did that customer who just came in buy?"

He slowed his speech and carefully observed the changes in the other person's facial muscles.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhensheng, disguised as a convenience store clerk, immediately realized that the visitor was up to no good and was most likely coming for him.

Thank goodness he was vigilant enough. He paid a high price to have the convenience store clerk retrieve his items, while he stayed inside disguised as a clerk and even stole someone else's uniform and name tag to wear...

How long has that rascal been squatting there? Where was he hiding just now? He didn't see him at all!

Never mind, none of that matters anymore.

Hara Masaki remained outwardly calm, maintaining his convenience store clerk persona: "That guy's weird. He said he wanted to recycle our old convenience store uniforms, and he spent two thousand yen to buy one... Are you acquainted with him?"

"Well, I guess so." Koji Aiba had his answer.

"Oh, right, he also left me a note..."

As he spoke, Yuan Zhensheng bent down, pretending to rummage through the lower cabinets, but actually using the blind spot, he reached into his waistband and gripped the hilt of a dagger.

As expected, Koji Aiba's attention was drawn, and he asked curiously, "What is it?"

"Wait a minute, let me look... Hey, I remember putting it here, where did it go...?"

Yuan Zhensheng straightened up, scratched his head, pulled open the partition, and said, "Excuse me, I guess it's in the staff break room..."

Koji Aiba, unsuspecting, slightly stepped aside to let them pass.

Yuan Zhensheng walked towards him, and just as the two were about to pass each other, the convenience store door suddenly rang with a jingling sound.

The real Tomohiro Kameda is back.

He was panting, holding a black duffel bag, and said excitedly, "I got it back for you. Will you really pay me 10,000 yen...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Koji Aiba's pupils suddenly contracted.

Almost at the same instant, Gensei also moved.

He straightened up abruptly, drew a dagger from his waist with his right hand, and stabbed at Aiba Koji's neck with lightning speed!