Chainsaw Man, starting contract to cut down the Demon Line

"No...didn't I just send Hayakawa Aki to question him?"

"Why did you beat him up without even asking a question?"

Upon hearing this, both Denji and Pava were stunned.

Upon hearing this, Rina Takahashi, who was lying on the ground with her head beaten up, burst into tears and said in a pitiful voice:

"Waaaaah... Why didn't you ask me anything?! Just ask me! I'll tell you anything if you ask! Why did you have to hit me? Waaaaah..."

The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment.

Denji pointed to himself and stammered, "Captain... I... I saw you were standing there without moving, so..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Yan Liang said calmly. "I was just thinking about something, and I didn't expect you to start attacking me in a moment of distraction."

"Fine, since things have already come to this, let's just ask quickly."

"..."

Ji Ye rolled her eyes and couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "You're definitely doing this on purpose..."

Yan Liang ignored Ji Ye's sarcastic remarks, simply cleared his throat, and said to Hayakawa Aki:

"Hayakawa Aki, we can begin questioning you now. Try to be as calm as possible. We are legitimate public security officers, not yakuza."

Hayakawa Aki: "...Yes."

He sighed, walked up to Rina Takahashi, and coldly asked:

"Has Nakamura been to any strange places or met any strange people in the past few months?"

"I...I'll tell...I'll tell you everything..." Having endured a brutal beating, Takahashi Rina dared not hide anything now. She sobbed and began to confess haltingly:

"About three months ago... Nakamura took a week of annual leave, saying he wanted to go to the countryside to relax... but after he came back, he started acting a bit strange..."

“At the time, I thought he was just under a lot of work pressure, and besides, he was handing over all his wages to me... so I didn’t pay much attention to him…”

"I swear, that's all I really know! I've never even heard of this Shuijing Township! Please, please let me go!"

After listening to Rina Takahashi's testimony, Yan Liang fell into thought.

Three months ago.

It seems that the so-called "Suijing Village" is the source of all the problems. As for this Takahashi Rina, she is indeed just an ordinary woman who is both stupid and wicked, and most likely has nothing to do with the Tumor Demon.

"Hayakawa Aki." Composing himself, Yan Liang gave the final order, "Take some men and handle the scene. Hand this woman over to the local police; they can decide the charges themselves."

"Also, take that wooden sign back to the Public Security Headquarters and let the intelligence department investigate the specific situation of 'Shuijing Township'. Report back to me with the results."

"Understood." Hayakawa Qiu nodded and accepted the order.

Yan Liang turned around and, amidst the mess, his gaze fell on Dongshan Xiaohong, who had been hiding behind a lamppost, her legs trembling with fear.

"Little Red".

"Here!" Higashiyama Kokoro, whose name was suddenly called, quickly responded, "Yes, yes! Captain, what are your orders?"

"The matter has been taken care of, let's call it a day and go home..." Yan Liang said calmly, not caring what the others were thinking, and left the scene somewhat exhausted.

Thus, the fierce battle against the tumor demon finally came to an end.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Who is this visitor?

After giving a few brief instructions and handing over the remaining cleanup to Hayakawa Aki, Yan Liang had Higashiyama Kokoro drive him home to rest.

It was past noon.

The already dim sky was suddenly covered by a layer of dark clouds. The sky gradually darkened, and fine, hair-like rain began to fall outside the car window.

The air gradually became humid, making people feel irritable all over.

Inside the carriage, Higashiyama Kohong sat in the driver's seat, while Yan Liang sat in the back, leaning back and gazing at the street scene outside the window, blurred by the rain.

"call……"

Raising his hand to rub his slightly swollen temples, Yan Liang inexplicably felt—

tired.

I feel exhausted all over.

A feeling of exhaustion permeated his entire body, and the sweltering, humid weather made him feel even more uncomfortable.

This kind of tiredness is not only physical, but also mental.

Thinking about the tumor demon Nakamura and his wife, Yan Liang had to spend some time calming himself down.

After all, this kind of thing is a bit too far-fetched no matter how you look at it. Although Yan Liang's inner strength is strong enough, it's not like he's completely unaffected.

As a normal person, one would naturally feel uncomfortable in the face of such a thing. And the thought of continuing to stay in this world and possibly encountering even more bizarre things made Yan Liang feel a headache coming on.

It's simply because he doesn't like interacting with people, especially not a mentally ill person...

"I need to find a way to clear my head..." Yan Liang thought to himself.

Just then, his gaze inadvertently swept across a building on the side of the street.

It was a Japanese bathhouse located in the heart of a bustling city. The signboard bore the three large, gilded characters "Gokurakuyu" (Paradise Bath), and a noren (traditional Japanese curtain) hung at the entrance. In the chilly rain, the wisps of steam rising from the water seemed to exist in a different world from the noisy street outside.

With just one glance, Yan Liang felt a surge of emotion.

"Stop the car," Yan Liang suddenly said.

"squeak--!!!"

Dongshan Xiaohong was startled and quickly stepped on the brakes to stop the car on the side of the road.

"Team leader! What's wrong?!" Xiao Hong turned around and looked at the back seat, asking Yan Liang.

"No," Yan Liang explained, pushing open the car door and gesturing towards the bathhouse.

"I just felt like taking a break on a whim."

"Huh?"

Dongshan Xiaohong was stunned. She looked up at the rainy sky:

"But, Captain... it's only 2 PM... isn't it a bit... a bit... "

Yan Liang stopped and glanced at her with some displeasure before speaking:

"Captain Dongshan is right. I didn't consider your thoughts."

"So, in your opinion, what should we do next?"

"what?!"

"Captain, Captain, that's not what I meant!"

Upon hearing this, Dongshan Xiaohong was so frightened that she jumped out of the driver's seat, bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, and repeatedly apologized:

"Sorry, Captain! I was too talkative! You can wash whenever you want!"

Yan Liang ignored her and walked towards the bathhouse after Xiao Hong parked the car in the parking lot. Dongshan Xiao Hong didn't dare to say anything and followed behind in silence the whole time.

Lifting the curtain, Yan Liang entered the bathhouse.

The bathhouse lobby is paved with expensive bluestone slabs, flanked by miniature dry landscape gardens with flowing water, and adorned with elegant ukiyo-e prints on the walls. Just from this environment, it's clear that this is not a place that ordinary staff members can afford.

Because it was Saturday, even at 2 p.m., there were still a few guests sitting in the lobby lounge area, talking quietly.

Hearing footsteps, the owner, dressed in a traditional kimono, greeted them with a professional smile: "Welcome! Are you two...? May I ask..."

The boss's words were abruptly cut off before he could finish speaking.

Yan Liang had no intention of responding. He glanced at the guests in the hall, his brows furrowing slightly.

Since he came here to relax, he didn't want to hear other people chattering beside him while he was taking a bath.

If you have money, of course you can do whatever makes you comfortable.

Yan Liang pulled out the black card and tossed it onto the counter. He spoke calmly:

"I want to book the whole place."

"Rent...the whole place?" The owner thought he had misheard. "Sir, you mean...you want to book the entire bathhouse? But there are other customers already here..."

"Do you need me to repeat it a second time?" Yan Liang pointed to the black card. "Swipe it. No matter how much money you could have earned this afternoon, I'll pay three times that."

"The premise is that we first ask the people inside to leave. Furthermore, after I go in, we don't let anyone else in."

hiss--!

The shopkeeper gasped. He had intended to refuse the unreasonable request, but when his gaze fell on the black card on the counter, he changed his mind.

As the owner of a bathhouse in this area, he was quite knowledgeable. He had seen this black card once before in the hands of a powerful figure, and he knew it was something only high-ranking officials within the Public Security Bureau could possess!

We can't afford to mess with them! The person with this card can not only book the entire place, but even if you were to tear down their shop, they would still have to hand over the hammer.

Dongshan Xiaohong, who was standing behind Yan Liang, was also speechless at this moment.

"Rent...the whole place?! Triple the price?!"

Xiao Hong thought to herself in shock. To book the entire bathhouse for half a day and charge three times the price—how much would that cost?! Even if she worked for another two years without eating or drinking, she probably wouldn't even be able to scrape together half that amount.

Is this the world of the rich?!

Thinking of this, Xiao Hong couldn't help but shed tears of envy.

Seeing the boss's sudden change to a respectful expression, Yan Liang knocked on the counter and continued to remind him:

"Can you do it? If you can't, I'm leaving."

"Yes, yes! Absolutely!" The boss took the black card with trembling hands, his smile obsequious. "I'll process it for you right away! I'll go and put up the sign right now! I guarantee that within ten minutes, not a single fly will be left in the shop except for the two of you!"

The boss was very efficient. Out of respect for Yan Liang and with the money he offered, he not only quickly cleared out the existing customers, but also hung up a "Temporarily Closed" sign at the entrance.

"You should go to a bar too." Yan Liang turned to look at Xiao Hong, who was still in a daze. "Go to the women's bathhouse. Do whatever you want, it's on me."

"Huh? Me, I can do it too?!"

"Of course, consider it your reward for today." Yan Liang raised an eyebrow.

Today, Xiao Hong fought hard against the tumor demon. Although the battle didn't last long, it was a good start for Dongshan Xiao Hong.

As long as she was obedient, Yan Liang never hesitated to reward her.

"Thank you, Captain! Long live the Captain!" Overjoyed to receive permission, Xiao Hong followed the female attendant to the other side of the bath.

A moment later.

After changing into a yukata, Yan Liang went inside the men's bath.

Opening the wooden door reveals a spacious indoor-outdoor hot spring.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows is a meticulously manicured Japanese garden. At this moment, the rain outside has intensified, and the raindrops are hitting the branches and leaves of the garden, making a pleasant sound.

Inside the bath, a thick white mist rose from the surface of the water, and the water temperature was just right.

"Whoosh—"

Yan Liang took off his bathrobe, stepped onto the stone steps, and slowly immersed his body in the warm spring water.

The moment the warm pool water enveloped his entire body, Yan Liang couldn't help but let out a long, comfortable sigh.

"call……"

In that instant, the fatigue that had been building up inside Yan Liang melted away in the warm spring water. Every muscle relaxed, and all his worries were expelled from his body with the rising steam.

"Indeed, no matter what world you're in, the old saying 'money makes the world go round' is always true."

Yan Liang put the towel on his head, leaned against the smooth stone, and closed his eyes.

You don't have to worry about anything else. You can just enjoy the huge bath all to yourself, listening to the white noise outside the window. It's simply irresistible.

This is the life he should have.

However—

Just as Yan Liang's mind was gradually clearing up, and he was immersed in this enjoyment, preparing to lie down for a while...

"Thud... thud..."

Through the thick white fog, the sound of bare feet stepping on the slippery bluestone slabs reached Yan Liang's ears.