Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

Koji Aiba reacted very quickly; he was trained in martial arts and leaned back sharply at the last second.

The knife didn't slit his throat, but the dagger's cold light didn't miss its mark; it plunged deep into Koji Aiba's right shoulder!

The blade tip pierced through the thin coat and muscle, wedging deeply into the junction of the shoulder blade and collarbone, producing a sickeningly sharp cracking sound!

Koji Aiba let out a muffled groan as his entire right arm went numb and limp. Blood instantly soaked through the clothes on his shoulder.

Before Yuan Zhensheng could draw his knife, he gripped Yuan Zhensheng's wrist with his left hand like an iron clamp, preventing the dagger from moving further. At the same time, instead of retreating, he advanced, bending his knee like a cannonball, and fiercely thrust it towards Yuan Zhensheng's abdomen!

Yuan Zhensheng's wrist was grabbed, and he twisted his body to dissipate the force, using his hip to withstand the knee strike. The huge impact made him stagger half a step, and the dagger flew out of his hand with a clang during the struggle, landing on the nearby shelf with a trail of blood.

The two collided instantly, and Koji Aiba's right arm was crippled, but it did not diminish his ferocity in the slightest.

He brought his fingers together like a cone, and with a whooshing sound, stabbed straight into Yuan Zhensheng's eyes!

Damn, he's a trained fighter!

Hara Masaki was startled, realizing that the newcomer was not a good-for-nothing like Iguchi Shota. He immediately turned his head to dodge, his cheek stinging from the spittle.

We can't beat them!

Those who have practiced can tell the difference in skill as soon as they spar. Sometimes you can tell who is better just by their stance. This guy is better than me... But if you can't beat him, there are ways to fight him.

Hara Masaki countered with a backhand swipe, aiming specifically at Aiba Koji's injured right shoulder.

Koji Aiba couldn't dodge in time and took a punch, the dagger penetrating several inches deeper.

His body trembled violently, and his wounds throbbed with excruciating pain, yet he refused to retreat an inch. A beastly roar erupted from his throat as he swung his left leg fiercely toward Yuan Zhensheng's lower body!

Yuan Zhensheng raised his leg to block, and the shinbones collided, producing a dull thud.

Taking advantage of this moment of contact, Koji Aiba wrapped his left leg around Hara Masaki's supporting leg like a python, and twisted his waist sharply!

The two lost their balance at the same time and crashed into the shelf full of drinks behind them. The sound of glass bottles shattering and carbonated liquid spraying out exploded, and thick soda mixed with blood splattered everywhere!

Despite the excruciating pain from his wounds, Koji Aiba, relying on the terrifying will honed on the battlefield, used the momentum of his roll to pin Hara Masakatsu down amidst the mess of broken glass and sticky liquid!

His left fist, smeared with soda and blood, slammed into Yuan Zhensheng's face like a heavy hammer, with a ruthless intent to take him down with him!

Yuan Zhensheng crossed his arms to block, his forearm bones going numb from the impact.

Seeing that the suppression was effective, a fierce glint flashed in Aiba Koji's eyes, and his body suddenly leaned towards the holster at his waist—he was going to draw his gun with his left hand—but Hara Masao was waiting for this opening. He raised his foot and kicked Aiba Koji's right shoulder, and the dagger pierced through the shoulder with a thud, the tip of the blade protruding from his back.

Koji Aiba's breath hitched, and his action of drawing his gun was instantly interrupted.

Yuan Zhensheng seized this fleeting opportunity, his legs coiling around Aiba Koji's waist like a giant python, locking him in the core of his waist and abdomen!

Koji Aiba was forced to abandon drawing his gun. His only left hand shot out like lightning and gripped Hara Masaki's throat tightly. His knuckles turned pale from the force, and his nails almost dug into his flesh.

A feeling of suffocation surged up instantly. Hara Masaki's eyes bulged, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. With all his might, he suddenly lowered his head, and his forehead slammed into Aiba Koji's face like a warhammer.

--boom!

The sound of his nasal bone shattering was clearly audible! Fresh blood instantly gushed from Aiba Koji's mouth and nose!

The two rolled and tore at each other amidst the mess of broken glass, sticky soda, and blood. Every elbow and knee strike was accompanied by a dull thud of bones colliding, and the shelf partitions twisted and deformed in the struggle.

Koji Aiba's crippled right arm became a burden, causing excruciating pain with every movement, resulting in continuous bleeding and a rapid loss of strength; while Masaki Hara's throat was locked, making each breath feel like a knife cutting, his cheeks swollen, leaving him in a similarly wretched state.

For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand.

When they finally rolled to the corner of the checkout counter, both of them were exhausted and a stalemate ensued—Koji Aiba had his left hand around Masao Hara's neck; Masao Hara had his right hand braced against the other's arm, leaving a gap to breathe, while his left hand gripped the dagger and continued to twist it with all his might.

How can this guy be so good at fighting!

The two fought in the blink of an eye, lasting no more than fifty seconds in total.

Tomohiro Kameda was dumbfounded, standing there not knowing what to do.

"Hey! Kameda!" Hara Masaki was the first to react. His throat was gripped, and his voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping. "Don't fucking stand there! Pull him away! Ten thousand yen! No, fifty thousand yen! Cash! Right now!"

"Don't listen to him!" Koji Aiba coughed up blood, enduring the excruciating pain in his shoulder from being twisted. "I'm a police officer, he's a serial killer! Hold him down! I'll give you 100,000 yen! A 100,000 yen reward!"

Tomohiro Kameda instinctively took a step back, his foot slamming into the broken glass with a piercing sound.

"He's the murderer!" Hara Masaki immediately retorted, increasing the pressure on his neck. Aiba Koji shuddered in pain, and the arm around Hara Masaki's neck loosened slightly involuntarily. "Look at him! He doesn't look like a policeman at all! I'm the policeman! My police ID number is 9527, my jurisdiction is in the port area, and my station chief is Nishio. You can check it out later if you don't believe me!"

"Bullshit! He's lying to you!" Aiba Koji's forehead veins bulged. "Look at him! Look at this face! He looks just like you! He's a master of disguise, a killer! Help me! Otherwise, we'll all die if he gets away! He'll definitely silence us!"

"I'm an undercover police officer, I'm disguised to stake out the location!" Yuan Zhensheng shouted.

Tomohiro Kameda stood at the intersection of light and shadow in the doorway, his body trembling even more violently, his heart pounding wildly.

Fifty thousand? One hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand?

This is money he couldn't earn even after working hard for several months!

But...who should we help?

After we helped them, which of their words were true and which were false?

Whichever one I help, will the other immediately turn on me and kill me? There are no phone booths nearby, so I can't call the police. There is a phone in the convenience store, but the phone line was broken when the two were fighting.

He was just an ordinary convenience store clerk; all he wanted was to live.

After a brief, heated exchange of words, Yuan Zhensheng struggled to release the dagger, wiped his face, pretended to apply makeup, and took the opportunity to revert to his original appearance. He then pulled out his police ID from his pocket and tossed it to Kameda Tomohiro.

"Look! I have a police ID! I'm not lying!" Yuan Zhensheng shouted.

Tomohiro Kameda bent down to pick up the document, glanced at it, and found that it matched what Hara Masaki had just said. He immediately made a judgment in his mind and also found a pillar of support.

The public has a natural trust in the police. Tomohiro Kameda hurriedly picked up a bottle from the ground and lightly smashed it on Koji Aiba's head; the latter glared at him angrily, his expression ferocious, and threatened, "You dare—"

"Push harder!" Yuan Zhensheng interrupted, urging loudly, "Don't be afraid! The police will protect you! Be brave and fight against criminals!"