Raising his head, Shinohara Kenrei caught sight of his elder brother's expectant gaze. He froze again. Had he missed something? After pondering for a moment, a sudden realization dawned on him.
Although Japan and the United States currently had a relatively amicable relationship, it couldn't possibly be so good that the U.S. would tolerate Japanese yakuza openly operating on its turf. He might have been ignorant before, but now, with their organization's every move in the U.S. being closely monitored, and yet no adverse actions taken against them by their American contacts, what could this mean? It was impossible that all their people had been wiped out by the FBI. The only remaining possibility was...
"Big Brother, there's more to this, isn't there?" Shinohara Kenrei forced himself to remain calm and fixed his gaze on Shinohara Kenshi.
Kenshi smiled bitterly, lighting a cigarette. "You're right. This is what's been keeping me awake at night."
After reading the document that had robbed his elder brother of his peace, Kenrei was still skeptical. "This… this can't be true, can it?"
"Of course, it seems impossible. But it's happening. The U.S. FBI has reached out to us for help." Kenshi exhaled a frustrated puff of smoke. "And all they want is for us to eliminate a young man in China."
Kenrei closed the document and, as he thought it through, muttered, "It doesn't make sense. I can't believe the U.S. wouldn't already have agents in China. With their capabilities, how could they not make a single youth disappear…?"
Suddenly, Kenrei let out a cry of alarm and sprang up from the sofa. "They… they're trying to…"
"Use us as scapegoats!" Kenshi interrupted, his voice grim. "That's exactly what I'm worried about!"
"Who is this boy?" Kenrei, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, couldn't help but grow curious about the young man the FBI dared not touch directly.
"Do you think I called you back just for nothing? You're in charge of intelligence, and this is your responsibility. One thing is for certain—this young man must have an extraordinary background!"
Kenrei fell silent. He opened his mouth a few times, but no words came out. Finally, Kenshi, noticing his hesitation, sighed and asked, "What do you want to say? Speak freely—there's no one else here."
"Then I'll be frank, Big Brother. You've already said the target has a powerful background. So why should we provoke him? This is someone even the FBI doesn't dare to touch directly… Big Brother, I've got a bad feeling about this. If we take this job, our losses will be far greater than our investments in the U.S.!"
"Abandon our investments in the U.S.?" Kenshi let out another bitter laugh. It seemed he had been doing that a lot lately. "If it were that simple, I wouldn't have called you back. Hmph. That investment isn't what's keeping me up at night. By the way, you haven't been in contact with your wife these past few days, have you?"
Kenrei's face darkened. Without needing further prompting, he immediately dialed his wife's number. After a long pause, he spoke in a trembling voice, "Brother…"
"Go handle this," Kenshi said with a heavy nod. "The FBI won't dare touch us… but only if we succeed."
Kenrei sat frozen for a moment, his mind racing. Calm and rational when focused, Kenrei was nearly invincible—except to the one flaw that his elder brother knew all too well: an attachment to a love that a man in the underworld should not possess. Without that weakness, Kenrei would have few equals in the criminal world. Kenshi reached out and patted his brother's shoulder lightly. "Just do what you have to. Don't forget—I'll always have your back."
Name: Zhuifeng
Age: 19
Background: Former third young master of Changan Group, the leading corporation in Chongqing, China. For unknown reasons, he left home to live independently and now works as a taxi driver. On the surface, he has a wide array of hobbies—basketball, soccer, music, and racing—and is extraordinarily skilled in all of them. In the racing world, he is famously known as the "Wind God."
"This is impossible. Absolutely impossible!" Kenshi shook his head firmly, throwing the file onto the desk.
Kenrei rubbed his temples, letting out a weary sigh. "I agree. If this is all there is to his background, how could the FBI ask us to deal with him? His background must be far more complicated than this. The problem is, I can't find any other information about him!"
Kenshi's brows furrowed. "There's one place you haven't checked yet. The FBI headquarters in the U.S. would definitely have the answers you're looking for."
"But… my wife is still in their hands…"
Kenshi glanced at him but said nothing. He trusted that his brother would figure it out.
"Xiao San, gather a team and have them infiltrate the U.S.," Kenrei finally said after a long pause, making a phone call. He understood the FBI's motive—if they had any other choice, they wouldn't have asked the Yamaguchi-gumi for help. Since his leverage was in their hands, avoiding the task was impossible. Even if his actions tipped off the FBI, they'd likely turn a blind eye.
Three days later, Xiao San returned with the results of the investigation—not about Zhuifeng, but about the Oriental Group, a company ranked among the world's top 50 enterprises.
Kenrei was annoyed by the misdirection but kept reading. As he reached the last page, realization dawned on him.
"Zhuifeng's real name is Shangguan Zhuifeng, the only son of the chairman of Oriental Group, one of the top 50 global enterprises. He's only 18 years old… However, for reasons unknown, he seems unaware of his true identity."
After Kenshi read the report, his face turned ashen. Even a fool could tell this was big trouble.
"Additionally…" Xiao San hesitated before continuing cautiously, "it seems the Oriental Group is planning to move its headquarters back to China soon."
The two brothers were stunned. A moment later, dejection and bitter smiles appeared on their faces.
"It seems the Oriental Group isn't just an ordinary commercial enterprise. It's likely tied to the Chinese government," Kenshi said.
Kenrei nodded solemnly. He understood the implications of his brother's words. It was clear Kenshi wanted him to drop this mission. Kenrei himself knew that just the name "Oriental Group" was intimidating enough, and the potential government connections only made the situation more dangerous. The background was so deep that even the FBI wouldn't dare act. But when he thought of his wife and child, Kenrei couldn't help but look at Kenshi with pain in his eyes. "Brother, I…"
Kenshi sighed. "Go. After reviewing the data again, I noticed something interesting: although Zhuifeng has many talents, the only field where he's truly famous is racing."
Kenrei's eyes reddened. "Thank you, Brother." He knew Kenshi was deliberately pointing out a weakness, hinting at where he could strike. Given Zhuifeng's background, it was safe to assume he had protection, which was why the FBI hadn't acted themselves.
"Remember, try to capture him alive. This is a huge matter. If they retaliate later, having the target in our hands will give us leverage."
For several sleepless days, they worked tirelessly on what Kenrei called the "The Killing Array." But an unexpected slip allowed Zhuifeng to miraculously break through their plans, proving the old saying true: Man proposes, but heaven disposes.
Not only did capturing him alive become impossible, but even the chance to kill him outright was dwindling. This time, Kenrei's murderous intent was fully ignited.
"There's a path to heaven, yet you refuse to take it. But you insist on barging into hell… Fine, then. Go to hell!"