Chapter 159: Hunt
Chapter 159: Hunt
Miss Linda came back this time to go with Sakaki Tetsuhei to their hometown in the U.S.—the couple’s love nest in Florida. When the couple met, they were deeply attached and showered everyone with their sweet affection, making all the disciples envious.
Sakaki Tetsuhei met Miss Linda while she was studying abroad in Japan. The two got married overseas, but because Sakaki’s Boxing Dojo was in the country and he had disciples, he never wanted to give up the dojo’s work.
However, this time, after going through such misfortune and with his eye illness getting worse, he had no choice but to let it go.
“Many years ago, I promised Linda I would go back with her to run the hotel in Florida. This time, I am just keeping that promise.”
Sakaki Tetsuhei loved his wife deeply. Unfortunately, because he had to manage the dojo, the two had been living apart, and he always felt that he owed Linda a lot.
“I may not come back from the U.S. in the future. The dojo’s acting manager will be that kid Xuan Zao. The work here is left to Akasaka and you. From now on, it’s up to you how you want to run things.”
Even after managing the dojo for many years, Sakaki Tetsuhei still found it hard to part with it.
“Ah! Everyone’s here!”
When the hot pot was brought to the table, Xuan Zao, who had been doing rehabilitation training at the club, also arrived. He had been badly injured last time, but thanks to Higashi Yuantai’s connections, he found an expensive, famous doctor for treatment. Plus, with his strong physique, he gradually recovered. This time, when the dojo members held a gathering, he naturally made a special trip to attend.
“Xuan Zao, you’re finally here!”
“Congratulations! You really left the hospital…”
“I saw your recent match. You fought really well. At this rate, it wouldn’t be impossible for you to win a championship.”
The dojo’s brothers started making noise again. It was hard to imagine that soon, Sakaki Tetsuhei would leave this place and the brothers would go their separate ways.
The small party ended after 9 p.m., and Fang Jing also chose to quietly leave the dojo.
He had to admit, he really liked the atmosphere in the dojo. He liked his fellow brothers and their teacher, Sakaki Tetsuhei.
But he also knew very well that he did not belong in such an environment.
Fang Jing knew he had stepped onto a path of no return. He also knew he had no other choice, and as time went on, he would only feel more lonely and isolated.
He walked slowly along the street. In the huge city, the daytime was crowded with people shoulder to shoulder and heavy traffic.
After night fell, neon lights flashed. He stood quietly, watching the lights brighten like stars. But those lights were just a background, separated from him as if by a foggy barrier.
That feeling of desolation and loneliness was like walking in a wasteland or sinking into the deep sea.
Before he knew it, he had returned to his home.
“Brother!”
Just as he took out his keys to open the door, the door opened on its own. His younger sister Satsuki stood timidly at the doorway and called out to him.
“Mm…”
He snapped out of his thoughts and responded.
“I’m back.”
For some reason, his tone carried a sense of exhaustion and heaviness.
“Welcome back!”
She raised her chin and gazed at Fang Jing. Her warm eyes looked at him and told him he was back in his own home.
…
It was rare for the whole family to have a meal together.
“Mom seems a little happy today.”
At the dinner table, Satsuki lowered her voice and whispered to him.
“It seems like she got promoted to store manager at the shop.”
“I see…”
Fang Jing lifted his head and adjusted his glasses.
It was very unusual for their mother Motoko to take the initiative to cook. She really must be in a good mood.
She used to work as a convenience store clerk, which was quite tough. Now that she was promoted to store manager, not only did her working conditions improve, but her salary also increased a lot.
Of course, Motoko probably never imagined that behind all this, Fang Jing was secretly pulling strings.
Without the influence of the Sunao-gumi’s power, this result would not have happened.
Besides that, Fang Jing was also quietly paying off the family’s debts. He even had the idea of buying back their old house.
But he did all this behind the scenes because he couldn’t really explain some things to his mother.
Paying off the debts was not too hard given his current wealth.
But he preferred to handle things discreetly and didn’t plan on letting Motoko or Satsuki find out.
He managed to repay many of the loans, aside from some bank debts.
To keep his mother from noticing, he made some creditors disappear or put in some effort to disband an illegal underground lending operation entirely.
This greatly reduced the financial pressure on Motoko.
With less financial stress, her mood improved a lot.
“Having ultimate power in this world means you have the right to hold money. With money, you can indirectly gain hidden rights. That’s the true face of the world…”
Understanding this wasn’t hard.
But only a few in this world could actually achieve that.
Fang Jing now realized that with his strength, obtaining money and influence was very simple.
Of course, this wasn’t what he was after. From the start, his goal was simple: to find a way to survive normally in this dangerous world.
“I still need to get stronger. Right now, although I have some right to survive, I’m still too weak against the unknowns of this world. Thinking I can enjoy a peaceful life now would just be seeking death.”
He reminded himself to always remember this.
Ding dong!
He picked up the remote and turned on the family’s TV.
Some news channel was reporting a story about a smuggling ship near Tsushima Port where a large amount of drugs was found. It was an overseas transnational crime organization trying to smuggle drugs into the country.
When Fang Jing saw this news, he knew it must be related to the Black Devourer Syndicate.
The Kyushu area already had some ties with the Black Devourer Syndicate. Maybe this crackdown had something to do with the two elders, Shishina and Funatsu. After all, they had strong connections with the authorities.
But official power wasn’t very effective in the Inner World. Higashi Yuantai also reminded him that Yakuza and other underground organizations had their own set of rules—a special kind of operating logic.
Official forces were inevitably limited by their own laws and policies, so it was hard for them to penetrate deeply inside.
“Still, a frontal strike like this would at least curb the Black Devourer Syndicate’s growth in the country. And facing official pursuit, they probably couldn’t act easily for a while. This period would be a buffer, but it’s just the calm before the storm…”
Fang Jing was also making plans in secret. The Black Devourer Syndicate was a huge international organization. After taking such a big loss locally, they would definitely try to get revenge.
“If you don’t kill the tiger, you’ll suffer later. But right now, I don’t have the power to completely uproot this cancer. I need to find a way to use other forces.”
“Right, Higashi Yuantai is a clever man, and what’s more interesting is that he’s ambitious and persistent. Someone like him will climb to a high position sooner or later.”
“The Murakami Group is a big force. If it weren’t for their internal conflicts, they wouldn’t be inferior to the Black Devourer Syndicate, especially since they have the home advantage.”
Maybe he could talk with Higashi Yuantai properly. If they could reorganize the Murakami Group’s power, they could completely crush and take over the Black Devourer Syndicate in Kyushu.
Fang Jing wasn’t very interested in fighting for power, and he didn’t have a good opinion of gang forces. But he hated getting into trouble. Letting the Black Devourer Syndicate grow would inevitably affect him.
But if he took care of this trouble himself, it would take too much time and effort, and it would be full of complications.
He thought he should come up with a better method to solve the problem once and for all.
————————
In the early hours of the morning.
After taking a transport vehicle directly to the designated location.
The members of Squad C realized they had entered another tense work period.
Everyone was prepared, wearing combat gear, Kevlar vests, and helmets, scanning the darkness with infrared night vision devices.
With Exorcism Blades strapped to their belts, dressed like a mix of ninjas and soldiers, even if outsiders saw them, they couldn’t tell which group they belonged to.
They might wrongly assume it was just a gathering of weirdos.
If that were really the case, the intelligence and cleanup squads would probably be very grateful.
Using the “Barrier” set up with “suggestion induction” methods and the outer personnel distributed around the hunting ground, they could temporarily seal off the entire building.
However, this wasn’t completely safe—no one could guarantee that no accidents would happen.
“Now we begin the second-floor cleanup operation. Everyone get ready and move out.”
The command leader relayed the order via Radio, and the cleanup operation officially began. It was a secret hunting mission targeting several Corpse Hounds that had taken over the apartment area.
They operated in family units and had carried out multiple serial acts of cannibalism.
To stop them from killing and hunting further, the Fang Hunters infiltrated the apartment building, determined to eliminate all the Corpse Hounds.
The building’s power was cut off, plunging everything into darkness.
“Thump!”
After kicking the door open, a smoke grenade was thrown inside.
The next moment, Fang Hunters wearing gas masks and night vision goggles rushed in with guns raised.
“No one…”
After scanning the room, they didn’t find the Corpse Hounds they were targeting. Instead, they noticed several patches of charred ashes on the floor.
The hall, furnished with Advanced Level sofas, was empty. There were traces of ash and signs of struggle on the floor, walls, and sofas—clear evidence that the Corpse Hounds had been struck by Exorcism Blades.
Sssslash!
Someone heard a sound, and they turned to see a strange man in a trench coat in a bedroom leading to the balcony, holding a long sword and pinning a man in a regular shirt against the wall.
The horseshoe-shaped balcony was wide open, and a cold, deadly night breeze swept in.
The man in the shirt let out a beast-like howl, his face rapidly transforming into that of a canine.
But the trench coat man said nothing; he simply withdrew his blade abruptly. The next second, the wolf-faced man’s body burst into flames.
“…An Exorcism Blade?”
The Fang Hunters were quite surprised. None of them expected a lone-wolf Fang Hunter to arrive ahead of them and steal their mission.
“Who are you… Why did you come here without authorization?”
All Fang Hunter missions were authorized by the Agency. This hunting ground was Squad B’s assignment, so the team leader was naturally very confused.
The squad members were furious too, but seeing that the Corpse Hound had already been killed, they lowered their guns.
The next instant, a blade flash seemed to slice through a gap in the void, splitting the team leader’s head in two.
Blood spurted out with a “splat.”
What… The team leader was killed?
By a Fang Hunter?
Why would one of our own kill another?
Questions filled everyone’s eyes. Trained and experienced, they raised their guns, but the trench coat man was faster. With a flick and a sweep of his blade, several were struck down—heads severed, throats slit, or bodies gutted.
At such close range, sword skills had the advantage over guns, and combined with the element of surprise, he took out several people in an instant. The last remaining squad member roared, drew his Exorcism Blade, and swung the demon-slaying weapon at another human just like himself.
Yes, Corpse Hounds couldn’t use Exorcism Blades—this attacker had to be a Fang Hunter.
“Why? Why would you—”
Before his words finished, his hand was cut off.
His mind seemed to slow down, and in that brief moment, both his legs were severed too, and he slumped to the ground.
Why? Why are we humans killing each other!
“Listen well,” the trench coat man said, exhaling, his voice that of a young man—no, even more boyish and youthful.
“You can call me—Fang Hunter Killer.”