In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 229 Kyoto Gang

Pingkaibang, No. 332, Penglai Road.

In the midst of the bustling commercial street, turn into a narrow alley three meters wide, and you will see a Japanese-style mansion.

Horikita Tao approached from a distance with one of his henchmen.

White walls, black tiles, and a pure wooden gate.

Two bodyguards stood in front, both with shaved heads and massive, mountain-like builds, typical of Japanese appearances. Their arms were crossed in front of them, and pistols were prominently displayed at their waists without any attempt to conceal their presence.
Upon seeing Horikita Tao, the two bodyguards simultaneously bowed slightly and said in Japanese, "Horikitani-san, the chief and the other team leaders are inside."

Although the written language is universal within the Chinese cultural sphere, different regions still retain their own languages.

After the great catastrophe, half the world's peoples migrated to China, turning it into a melting pot of world cultures.

Some ethnic groups disintegrated and were absorbed and assimilated by other cultures. Other ethnic groups survived in the cracks, and in order to make a living, they could only adopt the refined language of China, while their own language and script were only passed down orally within families.

Others are from the same cultural sphere and have used the same script as China for a long time, so they don't have to worry about being assimilated.

'Has everyone else arrived?'

Horikita Tao couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Generally speaking, unless there's something major going on, all members won't be gathered together to avoid being wiped out in one fell swoop.

'It must be about the beauty salon.'

The only major event recently was Li Mufeng's arrest.

Li Mufeng is the owner of a beauty salon and one of Chen Wuhou's front men. He recently married the eldest daughter of the Chen family.

Now that he has been arrested, Horikita Tao can't help but suspect that it may involve a power struggle at the level of the Marquis of Wu.

As Chen Wuhou's black glove, the Kyoto Gang cannot escape being implicated; they may be the next target.

Horikita Tao remained expressionless, signaling his underlings to wait outside the door before going in alone.

Inside the gate is a spacious courtyard with a standard Japanese dry landscape pavilion layout, and you walk along a cobblestone path.

He entered the house amidst the bowing and scraping 'Horikita-san's' yakuza members, and came to the open hall covered with tatami mats.

An elderly man with a gaunt face, dressed in a kimono, knelt in the center at the far end of the room, with a long, narrow samurai sword displayed on the table behind him.

The old man's name was Naito Goichi, and he was a friend of Horikita Tao's father.

He participated in the rebellion years ago and was driven all the way to Nankaido. Seven years ago, he became a lackey of the Chen family, gradually gathering his old followers and conquering the Kyoto gang.

Horikita Tao joined the Kyoto Gang after graduating from high school because he was unable to take the college entrance exam due to legal reasons.

He eventually rose to become the second-in-command, or, in Japanese parlance, the "yokoto," the heir to the gang.

He originally wanted to take the civil service exam.

On either side are prominent group leaders from the Kyoto gang, responsible for managing specific districts and streets.

"Chief, I'm late."

Horikita bowed deeply.

Naito said in a deep nasal voice, "Please take a seat, Tao-kun."

Horikita Tao walked to the right of Naito Goichi and sat down in the first seat.

A moment of silence fell over the area, the atmosphere unusually heavy.

Before anything was even discussed, everyone already sensed that a storm was brewing.

Naito said, "Everyone should already know that Li-san was arrested. If nothing unexpected happens, the beauty salon will soon be targeted by the Federation."

"And I've received word that Li Sang probably can't be rescued."

These words immediately caused an uproar, and everyone's face showed a look of astonishment.

News of Li Mufeng's arrest has spread throughout the federal government and is being discussed even in the entire state.

The other party's TV series was airing with great popularity last month, but it was banned halfway through this week.

But they didn't expect that Li Mufeng wouldn't be able to get out.

This is the son-in-law of Marquis Wu. Is it possible that even Marquis Wu couldn't protect Li Mufeng?

Li Mufeng was used as a target by the other martial lords!

Some intelligent people immediately discerned the message, including Horikita Tao.

After the others quieted down, Chief Naito continued, "The reason I called everyone here is to prepare for the possible crackdown that may follow. All businesses should cease operations for now, and those who committed offenses should be sent to lay low for a while."

A team leader asked, "Brother, how long exactly will the shutdown last?"

"do not know."

"Brother, what if we can't move the laundry detergent factory?"

"If we can't move it, we'll smash it all."

"But……"

"There's no 'buts' about it. The direct supervisory team will go and supervise later. Make sure the laundry detergent factory is completely cleaned up."

"Hi!"

An hour later, the meeting ended.

The group leaders left, but Horikita Tao and Kosugi Ryuji, the direct staff group leader, were left behind.

The Direct Advisory Group is a group directly under the Chief, and is the front-line combat force of the gang, similar to the Red Sticks in the Divine Land Gang.

Chief Naito said, "Marquis Chen ordered me to kill Li Sang."

Horikita Tao and Kosugi Ryuji's eyes widened slightly.

The news came one after another, catching everyone off guard. The Marquis of Wu couldn't get his son-in-law out, and now he was going to kill him.

Kosugi Ryuji asked, "Isn't Li Sang Chen Wuhou's son-in-law? Why kill him?"

"He's just a son-in-law, not a son. The beauty salon thing will be exposed sooner or later, and he might have already confessed."

Chief Naito turned to Horikita Tao and asked, "Tao-kun, why do you think Wuhou did this?"

After pondering for a moment, Horikita Tao said, "Chen Wuhou wants to frame someone else. A celebrity dying in the police station will cause a huge public outcry."

Naito Tsuyoshi looked satisfied and asked, "There's a lot of public opinion now, so why is nothing happening?"

Without hesitation, Horikita replied, "Federal law does not prohibit the arrest of celebrities, but it does prohibit vigilante justice. If a suspect dies in custody, an investigation must be conducted into the relevant personnel."

He received federal compulsory education, and his courses in Chinese language, history, and politics all involved politics to some extent.

For example, the idiom "borrow a knife to kill someone" is just an idiom for Chinese people, but explaining its meaning requires hundreds of characters.

Many ordinary things seem like astronomical phenomena to many people.

The foundation of a civilization shapes the lower limits of its people, and the lower limits of Chinese civilization are beyond the reach of many smaller ethnic groups.

The biggest difference between the Chinese and other ethnic groups is that they have preserved a complete education system, and the vast majority of them are literate.

The people relied solely on religion and family education, with only a very small number receiving formal education.

Education also varies in quality. Horikita Tao had visited the Kyoto Gang's school, which was a school for Japanese people and was founded with funding from the Kyoto Gang.

Their history begins with Izanagi washing his eyes, and the eye boogers transformed into Amaterasu Omikami.

I attended school in the orphanage, and my history class covered Qin's unification of the six states, standardization of cart axles, and standardization of writing.

Horikita Tao couldn't help but ask...

"Tao Jun is right."

Naito Goichi was very satisfied, which was also the reason he chose Horikita Tao as his successor. He turned to the head of the direct staff and reprimanded him, saying, "You should listen to Tao-kun more in the future, or you won't even know how you died."

As the Chief of Staff, you can't just be good at fighting. No matter how good you are at fighting, can you defeat the Federation?

As a fourth-tier individual, I can defeat most of the Chinese elites, but the Federation still has at least four-figure numbers of fourth-tier elites.

Even at the fifth rank, the Federation has seventy or eighty Martial Marquises, and some Martial Marquises wield the Heavenly Gang Divine Power.

To survive in the federal government, you need to understand politics. Even if you're a black glove, you still need to be able to read the evening news.

Otherwise, the entire Wuhou Assembly had just voted to crack down on laundry detergent, and the Kyoto gang was still selling it on the streets.

Politics may seem distant to most people, but it is intimately connected to everyone; no one can escape the influence of policy.

Selling laundry detergent is profitable because the federal government's strict crackdown has increased the risk and profits. Outside of China, where there are no restrictions, laundry detergent is priced the same as high-end brands.

Instead of having Kyoto help sell them, he might as well smuggle federal industrial goods. In this day and age, any industrial product can double in value once it's shipped abroad.

The direct supervisor was a third-tier superhuman. He didn't get angry when he was scolded; he just nodded and kept saying "Yes, sir."

Horikita asked worriedly, "Chief, if you go to kill Li Mufeng, won't you be targeted?"

"That's why I asked you to stay."

Chief Naito sighed, "If I could, I wouldn't want to get involved in the struggle between Chen Wuhou and Chen, but in the Federation, not taking sides means certain death. The Kyoto Gang works under Chen Wuhou, and he ordered me not to refuse."

“This trip may be fraught with danger. If Tao Jun has become the chief of staff and there is anything he has done wrong, Long Zhi, you can replace him.”

He bent down towards Ryuji Kosugi, his head touching the ground.

Chief Naito's sudden and generous gift startled Ryuji Kosugi, who jumped up in surprise.

"Commander! What are you doing? How could I possibly replace Tao Jun? He is the rightful leader!"

He lunged forward and knelt on the ground, trying to help Naito Goichi up, but was pushed away by the other man with a clever force.

Naito Goichi's forehead remained pressed against the tatami mat as he earnestly said, "Ryuji! This is my last request. The Japanese cannot live without the Kyoto Gang. The Federation can have countless dogs, but the Japanese only have one Kyoto Gang."

Gangs are miniature governments, the support that various ethnic groups rely on in the state.

The presence of a people in a particular state or region depends on the local gangs.

Outside the door, two third-tier transcendent beings stood, peering inside.

Kosugi Ryuji was sweating profusely with anxiety. He said, "Commander-in-Chief, even if Tao-kun is worse than me, he is still better than me. I will assist him no matter what!"

After some refusals, Naito Goichi reluctantly got up.

He instructed Horikita Tao, "If you have any problems in the future, you should ask Ryuji for advice."

"Hi!"

Horikita Tao nodded solemnly.

After Kosugi Ryuji left, Naito Goichi introduced Horikita Tou to three guest retainers of the Kyoto Gang, all of whom were samurai who had participated in the rebellion.

He looked like he was making his final arrangements.

Horikita looked at Naito Goichi's gaunt face, his nose stinging slightly, and asked, "Commander-in-Chief, if you can't win, can't you just run away?"

Naito shook his head and said, "If we can't complete the Wuhou mission, then we can only die. Tao Jun, you must remember, we have no right to bargain with the Federation, not even at the fifth rank."

"why?"

Horikita clenched his fists and said angrily, "Why are they considered superior to us?"

Naito said, "Because we lost, the general is right. To preserve Japan, we need autonomy."

National autonomy—this was a promise once made by the Chief of the Federal Army to all ethnic groups outside of Shenzhou. As long as they joined Shenzhou and fought alongside it against the ancient gods, all ethnic groups would be granted autonomy.

Later, as the situation continued to change and resources became increasingly scarce, the Federation split into two factions: the Sikong and the Gongyang.

The situation was chaotic at the time, and the interference of radio from the ancient god circle made communication between different places intermittent, which exacerbated the sensitive nerves of all parties.

It's unclear who struck first or where the conflict started. All Naito remembers is that it was raining heavily that night, and the general suddenly killed a Chinese officer during a meeting, launching a military coup.

It lasted for a month, and then it was suppressed by a federal major general surnamed Lin.

The two Martial Marquises of the Lin family were appointed to lead the South China Sea Legion northward to both resist the invasion of the ancient god beasts and quell the rebellion.

Ultimately, the faction led by the Rams successfully came to power.
-
April 15th, heavy rain.

The rain slightly suppressed the factory exhaust fumes in the South Rail District.

Inside the Public Security Bureau, Li Mufeng sat in the interrogation room, shivering from the cold.

Lu Zhao and Zhou Wanhua interrogated him for seven hours, extracting a lot of information, but it was all irrelevant.

They need to have substantial evidence to prove Li Mufeng wrong so that he can confess and receive leniency.

Otherwise, it's unlikely that you'll make much progress by simply scaring people.

"That's it for today."

Lu Zhao suddenly suggested stopping the interrogation, and Zhou Wanhua glanced at the time; it was only six o'clock.

The interrogation was suspended, and Li Mufeng was taken away and ordered to be imprisoned separately by Lu Zhao.

These actions caught Zhou Wanhua's attention.

He asked, "Brother Lu, is there anything going on today?"

Lu Zhao shook his head and said, "It's nothing, you should go home and rest early today."

"It's raining heavily outside, so I plan to just stay at the station for the night."

As soon as Zhou Wanhua finished speaking, he sensed the implied meaning and a look of seriousness flashed in his eyes.

Cameras in federal police stations and detention centers are most prone to breaking down, and each time one breaks down, it's highly likely that something bad has happened.

11 p.m., in solitary confinement.

Li Mufeng was fast asleep on the bed when suddenly two tentacles emerged from the shadows and strangled his neck, hands, feet, and waist.

He was instantly jolted awake, his mouth agape, only able to utter "uh uh uh" sounds, completely unable to move.

This state lasted for ten seconds, then a flash of golden light illuminated the entire room.

Ding Shoujin appeared out of thin air, flicking out a golden light from his right hand, severing the tentacles extending from the shadows.

She is part of the Five Ghosts Transporting Sequence of Earthly Fiends, a key characteristic of which is her mastery of the Five Elements, allowing her to use their power for rapid travel.

The focus is on escape techniques, and the power of the five elements that he has mastered is not considered strong among those of the same level.

A thick shadow swept outwards.

Ding Shoujin slipped out of the detention room.

In another room, Lu Zhao heard a noise. He went to the window and looked out at the factory area in the night.

Three indistinct figures could be vaguely sensed rapidly moving through the rain.

boom!
The ground trembled slightly, and a huge sound came from afar, like a mountain collapsing.

Lu Zhao used his mental power to penetrate the rain and saw Tu Bin and Ding Shoujin. The former raised his hand and pointed, and the chimney, which was more than ten meters high, instantly collapsed.

The two were chasing something. Ding Shoujin and Tu Bin kept teleporting, and in less than half a minute they exceeded the limit of Lu Zhao's mental detection range.

Half an hour later, there was absolutely no movement.

Instead, the police station became noisy, and the police on duty discovered that all the detainees inside the station had been poisoned.

Someone is poisoning the food given to detainees.

(End of this chapter)