Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

The answer from the cards was still so unexpected.

"Could it be that [Hao] will be in Bunkyo Ward today? Given his abilities, if he does appear, it will most likely be in the evening."

So, the choice that he won't regret is to let him save the ordinary people who will be affected?

"But Bunkyo Ward isn't small. It's also close to the city center."

The ability of the "Guide to the Way" card has significant limitations.

For example, the more details involved, the more vague and even difficult to understand the answers will become.

It's like he once asked, "How can I see the 'unknowable'? Should I work hard in reality or fight in the game?"

The card's response was "Still".

It might be understood that both the game and reality exist, but it's basically guesswork, which is almost the same as not asking at all.

“I remember there’s a cemetery in Bunkyo Ward. It’s quite large, but there aren’t many people there usually.”

"But if I hide, I'll lose my sources of information."

After some consideration, Nobi, disguised as a student of the school, walked out of the school gate, quickly hailed a taxi, first went to Toda City, a little further north, to drop off his save point, and then came to the vicinity of the cemetery in Bunkyo Ward.

The cemetery surrounds a primary school, but it's not particularly eerie because of the nearby Gokokuji Temple and shrine.

After finding a good spot, Nobita took out his cosmetics, mirror, and a piece of clothing he had never worn before. He took a deep breath and began practicing.

He planned to wander around outside in his disguised form at night to see if he could spot anything.

If there's still no movement by 7:30, his guidance and card-based equipment will respawn, allowing you to ask for the exact location and launch an attack.

But if the time is earlier than this, he can only use ordinary cards and the Righteous Partner to save the day.

"First came the eyebrows, then the beard and wig. The craftsmanship of these props is just too good. Could it be that Asano-senpai was really planning to go on the run?"

But since he's already been given the props, it must mean he's given up on the idea, right?

Chapter 130: Night of Revenge

Chunshanzhuang Hotel.

Toshitaka Iwasaki looked at the documents in his hand, his clothes soaked with sweat in the relatively cool room, and even breathing felt like drowning.

He knew that the Arakawa Dragon Claw Group had been almost completely wiped out some time ago.

But he felt no emotional fluctuation.

As the glove of the Iwasaki family, he was always concerned about whether he would be abandoned, so he was always as careful as possible whenever he got involved with gangs.

But no matter how careful you are, it doesn't mean you can be sure you haven't left any evidence.

Having cooperated for so long, these gangsters are no naive newbies, so it's not surprising that they'd keep some tricks up their sleeves.

So he still used some resources to obtain some information from the police to see if the things he had done through them had been exposed to the authorities.

But the more he read, the more terrified he became.

It would be better to leave some leverage over them!

The bizarre deaths of the Arakawa Ryuzaku group are not the problem, but why was the Utsu family also wiped out?!

He knew that the Utsu family also had dealings with this yakuza, as did the Sato family in Shinjuku, and he vaguely knew something about them as well.

And now these families are dying in the same tragic way.

The victim also had other families, and although he was unsure whether they were connected to the Arakawa Ryuzaku group, his intuition told him that it was highly likely.

Does this mean that the other party is deliberately eliminating families that cooperate with the Arakawa Ryuzaku group?

Will my family be next?

Damn it, what kind of trouble have they gotten themselves into?!

Toshitaka Iwasaki's first thought was whether or not to call the police for assistance.

"Why did this intelligence arrive so late?!" He suppressed his voice and dialed the phone with trembling hands.

"Don't order me around. We're just in a cooperative business relationship. This case is already under the jurisdiction of the Extraordinary Situations Department. I've already taken a huge risk to get these files for you!"

An even greater rage came from the other side.

Iwasaki Toshitaka regained his senses and barely managed to composure. He took a few deep breaths and said, "I'm sorry, I got too excited."

"It seems you have deep ties to the Arakawa Dragon Claw Gang, so those families who lost their lives were also related to this gang?"

"You do not know?"

"We don't have much information on such a small organization, and you've been quite secretive. So we know even less than you do, and we have to investigate everything from scratch. But if you want to seek help, I suggest calling the Department of Extraordinary Situations. They should be happy to receive the intelligence you provide and use you as bait."

The voice had a mocking tone.

This is exactly what Toshitaka Iwasaki was worried about. If this matter is confirmed to be related to the supernatural, then his family will not even have the last bit of freedom left, and the situation will be even worse.

It might even become a bargaining chip for the government to offer tribute to the extraordinary.

"Tonight is the patriarch's birthday banquet, and I don't want any accidents to happen."

"It's all up to you to choose. Anyway, that guy doesn't pick and choose when to kill. He's dead."

Toshitaka Iwasaki hung up the phone and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He will report the matter truthfully, but this is not just a birthday banquet, but also a party that his family has been preparing for a long time to consolidate friendship and expand cooperation. The head of the family will not change the date because of his guess.

And even if it's rescheduled, what's meant to happen will happen eventually.

After thinking it over carefully, he took out his bag, found a pistol inside, carefully maintained it, and loaded the bullets.

With the pistol on my person, a sense of security arose, and the panic I had just felt gradually subsided.

"It'll be okay."

He retied his loosened tie, picked up the document, and walked out of the room toward the head of the family's room. If he wasn't mistaken, the key figures of the Iwasaki family were all there.

Inside the suite, Iwasaki Katsuro, the head of the Iwasaki family, was probably taking a nap.

The people sitting together in the living room drinking tea were the leaders of several factions within the Iwasaki family.

Although there are several, only two are truly influential.

The expansionist faction and the successor faction.

(Just get the gist, because we'll be done in a couple of chapters.)

The others have little say.

The leader of the expansionist faction was Iwasaki Ōtomo, whose goal was to increase investment in other industries and stop focusing solely on art collecting, in order to revive the family's glory.

The leader of the succession faction is Reiji Iwasaki, who believes that since he has finally made a name for himself in the world of collecting and his revenue is increasing year by year, there is no need to take risks to invest in real businesses or other industries.

Of course, this so-called fame was obtained by selling off the family's wealth.

However, the head of the family did not completely favor one side; he adopted a two-pronged approach, adjusting investments based on the economic situation and industry trends.

"Just say it, we're all family here." Iwasaki Reiji knew something was up just by looking at Iwasaki Toshitaka's expression.

“Okay, based on what I know,” Toshitaka Iwasaki replied truthfully.

After hearing Junxiao's words, the powerful figures of the Iwasaki family looked at each other, seemingly unable to believe that their family had provoked a potentially extraordinary being for such unknown reasons.

They're the kind of people who wouldn't be satisfied even if they died.

“Our Iwasaki family is not comparable to those useless families.”

Iwasaki Daitomo put down his teacup and was the first to speak.

"Hehe, the other party's target may not necessarily be the families that cooperate with the Arakawa Group. It could also be a family related to the Utsu family. Just think about it, the Arakawa Dragon Claw Group is just an ordinary organization. Even if they have offended someone they shouldn't have, they can just wipe them out. Why go through all the trouble of finding all the families they cooperate with and settling scores with them?"

"Even if they wanted to cause this much trouble, they didn't have the power to do so."

Iwasaki Reiji also came to his senses and found a suitable reason.

"That's right, that's right."

“Li Rensang is absolutely right.”

“What Otomo-san said is also correct.”

Toshitaka Iwasaki put on a more relaxed smile, but his inner worries remained.

As the family's glove, he knew that the things he worried about most were most likely to happen.

But given their current situation, it's impossible for them to apply for protection from the authorities, at least not today.

"By the way, speaking of which, what's his name, Kosuke Iwasaki? Did he come?" Reiji Iwasaki suddenly changed the subject to Kosuke Iwasaki, looking at Otomo Iwasaki with a smile.

“That child is physically unwell, and the back-and-forth trip would be too much of a hassle, so there’s no need for him to come.” Iwasaki Otomo’s expression stiffened slightly as he sipped his tea.

On the surface, Iwasaki Otomo treats Iwasaki Kosuke and Iwasaki Masashi, the children of his former subordinates, very well and takes good care of them.

But he did this simply to avoid disheartening his faction. He had long harbored hatred for the Iwasaki family, and he wouldn't have agreed to let them join the company if Iwasaki Miyabi hadn't still been somewhat useful.

Back then, he clearly had the upper hand and could get the successionists to make more concessions; he was on the verge of overwhelming them.

However, because Hao Fu's parents lost control at a crucial moment, the head of the family questioned his leadership and believed that he had crossed the line, causing the hard-won benefits to slip away.

If Iwasaki Yaken obediently acts as a mascot, he might be willing to treat her like his own daughter.

But none of these family members are easy to deal with.

Since they had secretly investigated the master's family and dared to disrupt the birthday banquet despite warnings, he had no choice but to be ruthless.

"Hehe, you're not doing a very good job as an elder. Just a few days ago, Junxiao told me that he hasn't been feeling well lately, and you don't even care." Iwasaki Reiji brought up the old matter again, simply to put pressure on Iwasaki Otomo to make some concessions.

"Yes, his health condition keeps fluctuating, and he might not make it through the summer." Iwasaki Otomo refused to accept the other party's pressure and chose to use Iwasaki Kosuke's life as a countermeasure.

Iwasaki Reihito's expression stiffened slightly, he chuckled a few times, and skipped over the topic.

Night gradually fell.

Tonight's birthday banquet will be held on the third floor, following a Western-style cocktail party followed by a Japanese-style banquet.

From 6:30 to 7:30, guests will arrive one after another, enjoy fine wine and snacks, congratulate Katsuro Iwasaki, and chat with each other.

Then from 7:30 to 8:30, it will be the official meal time, during which there will be a traditional Japanese performance on stage.

The hotel naturally had security, but Toshitaka Iwasaki still had to be extra vigilant, leading his men to patrol the reception hall to prevent any accidents from happening.

Even without any apparent supernatural threat, this was a task he had already planned.

I glanced at my watch; it was exactly seven o'clock. Almost all the guests had arrived. The hall was bustling with people: businessmen in suits, artists dressed in avant-garde attire, and waiters carrying drinks.

Seventy-year-old Katsuro Iwasaki was in good spirits, dressed quite young, and greeted his guests with a big smile.

It was 7:30, the banquet had been arranged, and everyone took their seats one after another.

"what happened?"

Someone put down their wine glass and was about to head to the banquet when they seemed to be drawn to something outside the window. Their companion asked curiously.

"It's nothing. I think I saw a few trucks driving this way. Haha, it should just be a reflection from the glass."

The man shook his head and gave an awkward smile.

"Hahaha, this is the third floor, how could a truck have crashed in here—"

His companion found the remark humorous and pointed out the window, saying a few words, when suddenly eight beams of bright light appeared, blinding him instantly, as if a large truck were really driving towards them.

But this is the third floor! Where did this car come from?!

His brain went blank.

Immediately, a piercing crash of breaking flesh rang out, and time seemed to freeze at that moment.

A red truck crashed into the floor-to-ceiling window, and the swirling shards of glass flying through the air reflected the bewildered and speechless expressions of the guests.

The blinding high beams remained on, enveloping the hosts and guests, lengthening their shadows, and illuminating the stage for the upcoming grand performance.

Time resumed its flow, and in the night sky, four differently painted trucks crashed through their respective windows, landing heavily on the floor of the reception hall, causing an earthquake-like tremor and violently shaking the crystal chandeliers overhead.

Like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, they are devoid of joy or sorrow, bringing doom and death to the mortals at the party.

Thank you to "Seventy-Seven Yi" for the donation.

It's not a heavy truck, it's just a regular medium-sized truck.