Era of Mist

The men in suits weren’t Shi Tiexin’s men, or even from Da Xing. They were a local Tokyo yakuza group. Ah Fei had been dealing with them privately, an absolute taboo in any gang.

Ah Fei himself was terrified.

But Shi Tiexin didn’t ask about that. Instead, he stared at Ah Fei and said in a heavy voice, “Just for fun?”

“Yeah, Boss, it was just for fun, I swear!”

“So you assault a married woman in front of her own husband?!” Shi Tiexin’s voice grew louder and louder until it became a furious, thunderous roar. “You want to have fun? There are a million ways to have fun, why would you do something like this! This is just rape!”

Listening to the shouts and curses from before, Shi Tiexin had pieced together the gist of the story. The man being beaten was the master of the house. He was once the president of a trading company, earning a high income and living a comfortable life with a beautiful wife and a happy family. But in the grand tide of society, his company went bankrupt without so much as a struggle.

He wasn’t some big-shot tycoon, so he had no way to emigrate or flee the country. He could only continue living in Tokyo. Somehow, he had gotten on the wrong side of the Ma Tou Gang.

And then, it came to this.

“No, no, Boss, you’ve got it all wrong. I may mess around with women, but I never trick them or force them,” Ah Fei explained hurriedly. “It was that old Jap bastard. He was bankrupt but insisted on spending money like water. He borrowed money he couldn’t pay back, so it came to this. Trading his wife for cash—both of them agreed to it. I paid for it, too. It wasn’t rape.”

“Agreed?”

Shi Tiexin didn’t believe him for a second.

“Of course! Not only did she agree, the chick was thrilled!” Ah Fei said with a smirk. “At first, her mouth was saying ‘no, no,’ but afterward, she couldn’t get enough. She wouldn’t even let me leave when I was done~”

After that, Ah Fei began to explain his relationship with the Ma Tou Gang.

Shi Tiexin listened without a word, but his gaze toward Ah Fei became distant. He used to think this playboy was just fun and knew how to have a good time. But looking at him now, he could see that although Ah Fei was flustered, deep down, he was utterly nonchalant about what had just happened.

Shi Tiexin didn’t believe a word Ah Fei said.

‘What damned “couldn’t pay his debts”… The yakuza have countless ways to force someone into debt, force them to be unable to pay it back, and then force them to agree to all sorts of “repayment plans.”‘

‘In those cliché stories, every underling is super-capable, unfailingly loyal, completely selfless, and morally perfect, ready to sacrifice everything for their boss. But that’s all a lie. This underworld isn’t the least bit poetic.’

‘Wang Dafu was right. In chaotic times, power is king. Once you have power, you don’t have to go looking for things; they come looking for you. That includes benefits, but it also includes corruption.’

‘Ah Fei was one of those who’d been found. Maybe it started with just having fun, but what about later? It was hard to say.’

‘And there was another possibility—could the mastermind behind the Ma Tou Gang be Ah Fei himself? Just like how I went behind Wang Dafu’s back to stake my own claim, could Ah Fei be playing the same game? In the shadows behind those men in suits, could it be Ah Fei’s own cynical face lurking there?’

Shi Tiexin suddenly felt that being a gang boss was really damn hard.

‘Can I still trust an Ah Fei like this?’

In the end, Shi Tiexin said nothing more. He just sternly told Ah Fei to do his job and forbade him from making any private contact with other gangs. If there was business, it had to be discussed out in the open. No more shady moves.

“Things have been tense lately. Keep a close watch on everything!” After dressing Ah Fei down, Shi Tiexin then asked, “By the way, where’s Mai Ba? Why haven’t I seen him the last few days?”

“That degenerate gambler went off to gamble again. He’s been holed up in a casino for three days and three nights and still hasn’t come out.”

Shi Tiexin was speechless.

‘These are my men? These are my Four Heavenly Kings?’

‘Street life really is just street life, full of all sorts of flaws. I didn’t understand it deeply before, but today, I suddenly felt like I understood how Wang Dafu must have felt. If I had a subordinate just like myself, I’d be ecstatic.’

“Go do your work.”

Ah Fei scurried off.

Shi Tiexin rode his motorcycle back to their headquarters. All three floors of the old building had been bought out. Inside, underlings bustled back and forth amidst a cacophony of voices. When they saw Shi Tiexin arrive, they all greeted him one after another. Cries of “Brother Zun!” were endless, making him seem quite impressive.

But looking at these underlings, Shi Tiexin had no idea who among them was worthy of his reliance, worthy of his trust.

Surrounded by a crowd, he suddenly felt utterly alone and helpless.

“Boss, why the long face?” Ah D appeared. “Are you too tired? I can take you for a drive, or we can go have some fun!”

Shi Tiexin was about to refuse, but then he thought it might be a good idea.

‘Smiling Entertainment City. Miss Red Skirt. Her information seems to be very reliable. Although I can’t really discuss anything with her, in a time like this when it feels like no one can be trusted, that woman in the red skirt, whose name I don’t even know, actually seems a bit more dependable.’

“Let’s go. To the Smiling Entertainment City.”

This time, they took Ah D’s car. If anything were to happen, the big Hummer’s ability to break through a situation was far greater than a motorcycle’s.

But unfortunately, they came up empty. Miss Red Skirt wasn’t at the entertainment city. The proprietress said the girl was very willful—she came when she wanted to and stayed away when she didn’t. She just happened to not be in today, so Shi Tiexin’s trip was for nothing.

Shi Tiexin didn’t say anything, nor did he call for other girls to indulge in debauchery. What he needed right now wasn’t wildness, but calm.

On the way back, Ah D looked at Shi Tiexin, sensing that his boss had something on his mind. His mouth moved as if he wanted to say something, but being clumsy with words, he didn’t know what to say. Seeing his boss unhappy made Ah D even more anxious.

They were driving on an overpass when a car approached from the opposite direction. The car was old and beat-up, but from a great distance, it flashed its high beams at them.

Ah D suddenly let out a furious roar, “Fucking asshole with the high beams! You got a death wish?!”

Ah D yanked the steering wheel, turning the car sideways. He flipped open a side panel, revealing a light bar he had installed previously.

Shi Tiexin frowned. “Ah D, what are you doing?”

“Teaching this high-beam asshole a lesson!”

“Ah D, you…”

Before he could finish, Ah D had already pressed the switch.

CLICK. An intense blast of xenon light erupted, shining directly at the oncoming car. The old car shuddered violently, then swerved sideways with a sharp squeal of tires. There was a scream, and the car smashed through the guardrail with a loud BANG, plummeting off the overpass and crashing onto the road below with a deafening CRUNCH.

Shi Tiexin was stunned. He couldn’t help but yell at Ah D, “What the hell did you do?! They were just flashing their lights to say hi!”

He shot out of the car, ran to the edge of the overpass, and looked down. The car was a horrific wreck. Its chassis was facing up, the frame was twisted, glass was scattered everywhere, and the area around the driver’s seat was covered in blood.

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