Chapter 293: Defense

On the dimly lit street, Nakano Yota carried a liquor bottle, staggering as he walked. His expression was dazed and stiff, his eyes dull and turbid, as if he were truly a drunkard on the verge of collapse.

Yet deep in his eyes, a sharp glint flickered. From time to time, he stole glances at a storefront not far away, marked with a rising sun sign.

The rolling shutter door of the store was already closed, but a few strands of light seeped through the gaps. Inside, they were clearly busy with tasks like settling accounts and stocking goods. What Nakano Yota had to do next was, while the store's security guards were caught off guard, shove the bomb inside his liquor bottle into the place.

Even if he failed, it didn't matter. As long as the bomb exploded in front of the store, he would still earn a handsome sum of gold shields.

A big bounty had just been released from Atlanta's underworld: blowing up a store of Rising Sun Electric Retail Company would earn 500,000 gold shields; exploding in front of the store was 200,000; and if he could cause a shooting incident with injuries, that was 50,000 gold shields.

Nakano Yota hadn't seen a mission with such generous pay in a long time. A month ago, when the Blood Hand Gang in the East District broke out in war with some force, there were quite a few well-paying employment contracts released from the Red Sparrow Club, requiring shooting at Blood Hand Gang stores without casualties, each paying 20,000 to 30,000 gold shields. Unfortunately, at that time, he dared not take them out of fear of the Blood Hand Gang's power.

But who could have known that the mighty Antonio, with his Blood Hand Gang of over a dozen branches, would collapse so thoroughly? Even Edwin Antonio himself was said to have been killed, leaving Nakano Yota full of regret.

But this time, he was sure. This Rising Sun Company was just a newly risen electrical appliance retailer in Atlanta, with no significant background.

Moreover, he knew the background of the big shot who had issued the employment contract to them—it was an intelligence broker exclusively used by the Cadivine Group in the underworld.

Clearly, this poor company had been targeted by a giant like the Cadivine Group. That Mr. Yves Cadivine was planning to send his competitor to hell.

As the distance grew closer, Nakano Yota's body became even more unsteady, as if he might fall to the ground at any moment.

Just as the rolling shutter door was within arm's reach, a necklace he wore around his chest suddenly began to heat up. Nakano Yota was momentarily stunned, then continued forward nonchalantly. When he passed in front of the store, he made no move. Only after he turned into an alley to the south, fifty meters away, did he frown and take out a mobile phone from a miniature spatial bracelet on his wrist.

"Nakano, a sniper just had you in his sights. Come back. We're aborting the mission. Something's not right."

"Sniper?"

Nakano Yota frowned, scanning his surroundings: "Do you know which direction? Can we take him out? A human life should still be worth some money, right?"

"Shit! Life is more important than money. I suggest you step out of the alley now and look to our east."

"Huh?"

"Cadivine's storage center has been completely burned down. A massive fire—now visible across the entire city."

The voice on the phone carried a hint of fear: "As of now, three of Cadivine's jewelry stores have been robbed, and the ones who acted before you are all dead. Either shot dead or beheaded. And most critically—"

By now, Nakano Yota's expression had gradually turned grave, but the next words from the phone still sent a storm raging in his heart.

"All members of the Fox Hunt Mercenary Corps are dead. Their bodies have already been seen in the north of the city. Also, the heads of 'Dark Snake' Macon and 'Poison Sword' Rashal have just been hung at the entrance of Sherwood Manor—Yves Cadivine seems to have provoked someone he shouldn't have."

"Is it Rising Sun Company?"

Nakano Yota felt a chill from head to toe.

"It's the big shot behind Rising Sun Company. I've just found out. The boss of this company is that lucky Andre."

"The fighting star?"

"Also the one who killed Antonio."

Nakano Yota immediately wrapped his trench coat tighter and turned to walk deeper into the alley.

...

At Sherwood Manor, Yves Cadivine was shouting angrily: "Bastards! Chief, you're all bastards, a bunch of shit, a bunch of cowards! I donate millions of gold shields to your police department's various foundations every year, not so you can just stand by and watch at a time like this!"

"Calm down, Mr. Cadivine."

The voice on the phone, though firm as stone, was calm and gentle: "We are already intervening. For your sake, the precinct has temporarily mobilized two hundred officers. Cadivine, you didn't notify me in advance before the incident, did you?"

"Hey! Is that all? Are you just brushing me off?"

"I'm sorry, that's the limit." The voice gave a bitter laugh: "Fenrir the Demon Wolf is the real headache for us. Van Dreeck, Howard, Van Pitt—all have direct blood descendants killed by that Demon Wolf. Or would you like to talk to them? Ask them to let us mobilize more officers?"

Cadivine paused for a moment, then forced himself to calm his anger: "Fine! I hope your officers can get into position as soon as possible to pursue those murderers and the criminals who destroyed my property."

"Of course, I will do that. But Mr. Cadivine, I also hope you can withdraw the contracts you placed in the underworld. That puts our department in a difficult position. Of course, I will say the same to Mr. Wilthenstein. From now on, I don't want any more shootings or bombings in Atlanta. That is the will of the Magic Tower Council."

"Sounds like favoritism." Cadivine frowned deeply: "He comes out unscathed, while our Cadivine Group has nearly two hundred dead and wounded, and I have one storage center and three jewelry stores robbed by them."

"No, this is precisely favoritism toward you. Mr. Cadivine, you were the one who struck first, weren't you? You were also the one who placed the contracts in the underworld."

The voice spoke emotionlessly: "Moreover, with all due respect, the balance of power between you and him is not in your favor. You are being crushed, Cadivine. Without the protection of the police and the Magic Tower Council, Yves Cadivine would meet his death within a day at most. Let me give you a piece of news—your subordinates may not have told you yet. 'All-Seeing Eye' Rod has been surrounded and killed. That was probably your strongest trump card, wasn't it? You might have leaked his information, leading to his whereabouts being found."

Yves Cadivine's pupils widened slightly, and the cigar in his mouth fell to the ground.

"—So, I hope that today's Cadivine storage center fire was caused by an accident, and your three jewelry stores were not robbed—the alarm was just a false alarm. Hmm, no one was disappointed tonight. So our department bears no responsibility, right?"

The man did not wait for Cadivine's agreement and hung up the phone directly. At that moment, Yves Cadivine wished he could smash the phone in his hand to pieces.

But just then, the glass window in front of him suddenly shimmered with light, and the figure of a middle-aged man appeared within the mirror's surface.