Chapter 77: The Imperial Organization from the United States

Bai Tangjing followed the burly man with a side-parted hairstyle, Wang Senzhengdao, down to the lower levels of the Death Arena.

Upon arrival, the young man couldn't help but feel that the way Yuan Mie Tang treated the imprisonment of Masamasa Hayasui was reminiscent of the phrase "the law does not punish the nobility." Despite having incited a rebellion within the Kengan Association, causing real harm and even killing many staff members, Hayasui still enjoyed fine food and drink, basking in the privileges of the elite even within this prison.

The elderly man, half his face melted and scarred from burns, stood in the cell. With his upper body swallowed by shadow, he appeared even more terrifying, exuding a dark and brooding aura. He stepped slowly from the darkness, his voice full and low.

“To think, the first to arrive would be just a litt—”

Bang!

Before the sinister old man could finish, Bai Tangjing, standing outside the iron-barred door, grabbed his collar and slammed him against the metal gate.

“Ugh! You brat!” Hayasui's monstrous visage, combined with his identity as president of Tokyo Electric, could easily intimidate most. Yet Bai Tangjing had already discerned during the rebellion that this man possessed nothing more than ordinary intelligence. His capacity and resolve were equally unimpressive.

The oppressive fear others felt from him, his indifference to the presence of fighters, was entirely due to his identity as “President of Tokyo Electric”—the very pinnacle of power in Japan, with access to vast and terrifying social resources. That was why people feared his wrath, and why he cared nothing for their presence. After all, a tiger locked in an exhibit for entertainment is quite different from one with its claws poised at your throat.

If even a mere beast commands such respect, how much more so the president of Tokyo Electric, the living embodiment of “power” in Japan?

But to Bai Tangjing, those who wield authority solely through their outward status, lacking any qualities befitting true strength, deserve no respect at all.

“Aaaaaaaah!” The boy pressed his strong palm against Hayasui’s head, forcing it against the iron door. Cold, hard steel crushed his skull, and Hayasui, never before subjected to such agony, screamed.

When Bai Tangjing eased his grip, Hayasui’s cries ceased, replaced by an uncontrollable blaze of fury swelling in his chest.

“You filthy mongrel... Ah! Let go! Let go, damn you!”

“Have you grasped the situation now?” Bai Tangjing’s expression was cold as he tightened his hold, then relaxed again. “President?”

He stared at the single unscathed eye on Hayasui’s burned face, seeing the anger fade and reason dawn. Bai Tangjing nodded in satisfaction.

“Now, we have grounds for a conversation.” The youth dragged over a chair, sat before the iron gate, his glasses reflecting a chilling gleam. “Let’s hope our exchange will be pleasant.”

~~~~~~

Clang—

The door to Hayasui’s cell swung open. Bai Tangjing emerged, brows furrowed, tossing the key to Wang Senzhengdao waiting outside.

“Please inform Chairman Yuan that the audio has been destroyed.”

“Understood.”

Without breaking stride, Bai Tangjing pulled out his phone as he walked.

Beep—beep.

The ringtone droned on, and Bai Tangjing’s brows knitted even tighter as he waited for the call to be answered. Nearly half a minute passed before the line finally connected.

“Hello, this is Yagami.”

The voice on the other end was calm as ever, but Bai Tangjing’s frown did not ease.

“Are you... safe right now, Yagami?”

“…Huh? Why ask? I’m with Mr. Brody and Haiteng, so far nothing dangerous.”

The brief pause before his friend answered made Bai Tangjing uneasy, but he shook his head, chalking it up to his own paranoia.

“As long as you’re safe. Listen, evacuate Fukushima immediately! Not a second’s delay!”

“Eh? Is it really that urgent?”

Hearing the hesitance in the reply, Bai Tangjing spoke sharply.

“Listen, Yagami! The ‘Imperial Organization’ isn’t some business alliance snatching a piece from Tokyo Electric’s mouth! It’s not even a Japanese organization—it’s an American one!”

“What?” The voice on the phone grew chaotic, clearly shaken by the revelation.

“We should have realized it sooner! For a facility as vital to Tokyo Electric’s core interests as the Fukushima nuclear plant, there's no way a domestic business alliance could completely take it over! Only intervention from America's military and political circles could make it possible!”

“And you know what those organizations, which have been twisted into mere tools and have no regard for human life, will do to cover up the truth, don’t you?”

Yagami certainly knew what America's military and political circles were capable of: biological weapon experiments on unwilling citizens, nuclear radiation tests on unsuspecting people… During his time as a lawyer and later as a detective, he’d witnessed plenty of such revolting cases.

Thus, Bai Tangjing was sure that after revealing “American military and political involvement,” Yagami Ryuji, even if he wanted to make the truth about Fukushima public for the sake of the county’s people, would grasp the gravity of the situation.

“I understand. We’ll leave immediately.”

Bai Tangjing felt a hint of discord at Yagami’s ready compliance. With his stubborn streak, he ought to risk everything for the truth, not retreat so quickly.

He agreed so easily this time.

But the youth shook his head. No matter his usual stubbornness, this timely evacuation was all that mattered. He relaxed and hung up.

~~~~~~

Fukushima Prefecture, underground within the Fukushima nuclear plant.

In a space crowded with faces of all colors, state-of-the-art technology scattered about, Yagami Ryuji sat handcuffed to a table.

An aging hand pressed the “hang up” button on Yagami’s phone, then picked it up and sealed it in an evidence bag. With a wave, he signaled the pale-skinned soldier behind Yagami—whose gun was trained on his head—to lower his weapon.

“Now, let’s talk, Mr. Yagami Ryuji.” A man, his hairline receding, dressed like a Japanese scholar, put on a pair of reading glasses and peered at the business card taken from Yagami.

He bowed his head, eyes peering over the rim of his glasses at Yagami.

“What intelligence have you obtained, and how did you find your way here?”