death of hope

Chapter 1031 "Psionic Storm" (105) Ruthless Man and Wolf Annihilation
Sasagawa Koutarou cautiously got up, his gaze fixed on Nikolai and Paul sitting on the sofa.
The former is already terrifying enough, but the latter is even more frightening.
Pavel Korchagin's eyebrows were as sharp as a knife, and his azure eyes were reminiscent of a clear salt lake, or a wild wolf in the frozen wasteland; he was imposing and righteous... his calm and peaceful demeanor subtly revealed a fierceness like that of an ancient hero.

This man, so young and handsome, was completely different from those pretty-boy types.

He exuded a chilling aura, like a god of war on the battlefield. In his presence, even a gang leader like myself seemed as insignificant as an ant.

Hercules, Hector, Saint George, Paladin Roland—legendary figures of immense power exist only in mythology. But in today's physical universe, in the Terra Federation of humanity, a true hero exists: the alpha wolf of the Commune… whose name cannot be spoken…

(This kid... is no ordinary person...) 'Sitting Cannon' thought tremblingly.

As a gang leader, he was far more knowledgeable than the thugs, able to deduce their identities from subtle details.

He noticed that Paul was wearing a pure cotton blue and white striped vest (a sailor shirt) under his open shirt, with a small bat embroidered on the vest and the letter ГРУ (GRU) below the bat.

(The commune's special agents...and GRU...the elite of the elite...no wonder all my men were wiped out...)
·
Sasakawa Koutarou swallowed hard, too scared to meet Paul's gaze. He steadied himself, then turned to Nikolai with a grin and said...
"Old Lai! Hehe...Brother Lai!"
"I had no idea you were coming; I'm so sorry for not welcoming you properly. You're a customer at our restaurant... why didn't I let you know? I should have arranged a private room for you..."

"An honor, what an honor!" Nikolai grinned mischievously, feigning surprise. "The boss of the Shogunate Gang actually knows a nobody like me!"

"Uh... Brother Lai... you're too modest. Anyone who's been around in New Sapporo knows you. Back then, you and three guys wiped out an entire street and took down several gangs. That was ruthless... that was awesome!"

"Boss...who's this guy? I don't recognize him..." asked a gang member whose face was bruised and swollen, and who had lost several teeth.

"Shut up, you little brat! You have no right to speak!" Sasagawa Keitaro scolded, his face flushed.

·
Seeing that the gang leader was trembling with fear, Nikolai thought that the man had been intimidated and that the matter was settled for the day. He cleared his throat and pointed at the bald man on the ground.
"Ahem, I'm a very reasonable person. This whole thing wasn't started by us; it was your man, this bald-headed idiot, who's being unreasonable."
I got a minor scrape from a shard of glass, and they're already trying to extort 100,000 yuan from me for medical expenses. There are security cameras to prove it, and so many people were watching. You can check the surveillance footage or ask everyone involved.
"You be the judge, Sasakawa-sensei!"

·
"No, no, no! I wouldn't dare! What boss? I'm just a small shop owner... Brother Lai, you can just call me by my nickname, 'Sit-on-the-Ground Cannon'!"

Sasagawa Koutarou lowered his posture to the extreme, glaring at the bald man with a burning hatred in his teeth; (Chao Ni is a troublemaker! Instead of keeping things in check, he's always causing trouble... Of all people to mess with, he had to pick on these bastards...)
"I'm so sorry, brother! It's my fault for not disciplining my younger brother properly! Brother Lai, please forgive my mistake!"

"Here's the finance department, bring over a box of cash as a token of our appreciation. From now on, you'll enjoy VIP treatment whenever you shop here. We're clearing out the entire place for you today, how about we have the whole place to ourselves?!"

·
Nikolai waved his hands repeatedly; "No, no, no, the way you put it makes it sound like I come here to play all the time!"

"Don't pretend! You're a regular!" Ando Shuichi laughed loudly, "You old rascal!"

"Stop fooling around~" Nikolai coughed twice, quickly changing the subject; "Ahem, anyway, the fight's over, I don't care, but my Spirit Island is here today,"

Nikolai looked at Paul; "He's the one who calls the shots."

·
“Well… let me say a few words…” Paul Korchagin stood up abruptly, his tall, muscular frame and wolf-like eyes staring directly at the gang leader, exuding a powerful and suffocating aura of oppression;
First, I don't want your money; I won't accept a reward without having done anything right.

Secondly, my men went too far and injured many of your brothers. But I'm penniless and can't afford the medical bills. Your business is doing so well and you're not short of money, so you should take them to the hospital yourself.

Third, I don't need any VIP or special treatment, nor do I want the whole place to myself. We just come to your store to relax and have some fun. We'll just do our own thing. I just hope you can keep your staff in check and prevent them from causing trouble again, okay?

·
Paul spoke calmly, yet with an air of authority. He had successfully overcome his ordeal and gave a thumbs-up in satisfaction.

"You're quite the connoisseur! May I ask your name?" "I suggest you don't ask," Nikolai replied.

"There are some things that are better left unknown," he said, making a throat-slitting gesture at the gang leader.

·
"I understand...I understand! I won't ask anymore! I won't bother you anymore!"

The "sit-and-cannon" was startled and quickly ordered his men to help the wounded soldiers up and take them to the hospital.

He clapped his hands and shouted to the front desk supervisor, "Send the highest grade of wine to VIP room number 8! And a fruit platter too! Call a few of the prettiest girls..."

Before she could even utter the word "sister," Nikolai interrupted her.

"Alright, alright, we appreciate Sasakawa's kindness, but you should take your men to the hospital as soon as possible. Several of them have broken bones, so don't delay their treatment."

·
Seeing more good wine being served, Sergei and Dmitry, the two heavy drinkers, were overjoyed; "Yay! We can drink again!"

"Then everyone, please... have some fun..."

I... shall not keep you company for now, but I'll definitely treat you to a few tables another time!"

Sasagawa Koutarou clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, grinning foolishly, and kept backing away. Then, he turned around and fled the hall as if running away.

After escaping all the way to the fire escape, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. His subordinate, puzzled, asked him:

"Boss, why are you backing down? This is such a loss of face!"
Even if they're incredibly skilled, they only have less than ten men. You can summon hundreds with just one phone call, and the 'Katana Gang' from the next block can provide reinforcements of about a hundred. They could drown them with a single spit from each of them.

·
"Shut up! You're so annoying!" the gang leader spat and cursed at his underling;

"What the hell do you think you're talking about?! Do you even know how many people are here?! Do you even know what those living devils do?!"

"Uh... I don't know..." The younger brother chuckled sheepishly, touching his hair.

"All I know is that our 'Shogunate Gang' is powerful; nobody in the surrounding streets dares to mess with us..."

·
"Silly boy... what we did was just small-scale... those guys dared to go toe-to-toe with the Federation army, corporate militias, colony landowners, pirates, and warlords, do you dare...?"

As he spoke, Sasagawa Koutarou took out a nitroglycerin pill, unscrewed the bottle, swallowed a few, and pressed his chest as he spoke.

"Phew... We're all in this business, whether we run a brothel, collect protection money, or lend money, it's all about profit. But they're different. Those guys could wipe us out in the blink of an eye... They just don't bother..."

"Is it that scary..." The gang member, who had dropped out of school at a young age and whose thinking was limited to knife fights, thought for a moment and then said dully, "Are all those guys double-crown criminals? Are they all desperados?"

“Uh… outlaws… you could say that… but it’s not the same. Those people are more terrifying than outlaws…” Sasagawa Koutarou sighed and said.
"You're still too young and inexperienced, you don't understand."
Did you see that guy's sailor shirt? He wasn't wearing his own uniform; he definitely had a wool coat and a bearskin hat with a vermilion five-pointed star badge on it…

Those people...fight for their beliefs, their power...is on a completely different level from ours..."