Chapter 83
Gunshots, explosions, shouts, wails, flames, smoke, blood, and the smell of burning protein filled the air, and the flames rising from the Takase mansion illuminated half the sky.
This mansion, built entirely of wood, only needs a tiny flame to burn it out intensely and completely, like a brilliant firework falling to the ground.
For the first ten or so seconds after being woken up, the fifth generation was completely unaware of what had happened.
But then he concluded that the Takase residence had been subjected to a large-scale invasion—was it a united enemy, or a government raid?
"What's going on?!"
Dressed in a kimono, he flung open the paper door to his dormitory, holding an M1911 pistol for self-defense, ready to fire.
He was not a novice who had not experienced many storms. In the early days, there were no useful weapons like superhumans, and the organizational battles fought with knives and guns were much bloodier and more brutal than they are now.
Now that the great war is over and the situation on the surface has stabilized, they have shrewdly shifted to a more stable long-term operation and are no longer as flamboyant as the [Port Mafia].
As soon as the paper sliding door of the Japanese-style room was opened, a choking stench mixed with a fishy smell assaulted his face—the Fifth Generation was used to this. Just as he was about to take another half step forward, he cautiously leaned out to check the surroundings—
Cluck cluck.
"!!"
The sharp pain in his wrist made him instinctively loosen his grip, and the pistol fell into the air but was caught by even more nimble fingers and pressed against his temple.
This series of actions happened in the blink of an eye. Before the Fifth Generation could even catch a glimpse of the enemy, his life was already at the throat of death.
Good evening, Fifth Generation.
A gentle smile and a soft, low voice sounded in his ear, so familiar that it made the veins in his temples throb and he could barely suppress the dizziness that made his vision go black.
"It's you, you brat! So your goal was the entire Takase-kai!"
"That's not right."
Dazai Osamu stood next to Oda Sakunosuke, who was holding a gun and restraining the Fifth Hokage, with a faint smile on his lips and a slender figure draped in a black coat.
He seemed to have encountered enemies on his way here, his thumb slowly rubbing a bloodstain on his cheek, wiping it clean—it was enemy blood, not his own.
This handsome young man, who appeared to have no fighting skills, now appeared to the Fifth Generation as no different from the most cunning and treacherous demon.
“My goal is not just the Takase Club.”
Dazai Osamu sighed softly, “[Seventh Organization] – I'm sure you know about it.”
"How did you know...?"
The fifth generation leader exclaimed in surprise, staring at the pair of iris-colored eyes beneath the bangs that looked up at him indifferently, as if a cold, sharp knife had pierced his body and seen through his soul.
This is the image of a mind far superior to others, whose darkness even swallows the light, leaving only despair and death.
He felt a sudden, deep-seated fear, as if he were facing not a living person, but some kind of deeper, darker spirit of the dead.
"Let's talk about the Seventh Agency, Fifth Boss."
When Dazai Osamu spoke, his voice trailed off in a low tone, making even his threat sound understated, as if he were simply chatting with a close elder.
"Please don't say you knew nothing about it."
Fifth generation: "…………"
He was deeply entangled with the government and did know those things, but if they found out that he had leaked such information that involved the dark side of the government, it would be the end of his life.
"You...did you orchestrate this situation? Where did you gather these people to so easily breach our defenses? The Takase-kai hasn't suffered such a loss in a long time."
The fifth generation leader tried his best to maintain a calm tone in his voice, attempting to change the subject and try to negotiate and make a deal with the new executive in front of him.
"Whatever you want, the territory, weapons, and assets of the [Takase-kai] are all at your disposal..."
"【Takase-kai】? You'd better reconsider what I want."
At this point, the Fifth Generation looked at Dazai Osamu's still ambiguous smile, seemingly unmoved by his words, and suddenly remembered a crucial point.
The Port Mafia of that time was just like what we see now. At the height of its power, it suddenly and silently collapsed, falling into a grave built of bullet casings, swords, and pools of blood.
It wasn't until the incident was completely settled that they realized the death of a behemoth.
That time and that moment are just like this moment.
The forces capable of easily annihilating the Port Mafia can naturally also easily annihilate the Takase Society.
"You are the Rats of the House of the Dead...!"
The fifth generation leader's face finally turned to horror as he recalled this organization that had been discussed at a meeting not long ago.
Osamu Dazai: “…………”
He didn't join the "House of the Dead" gang, those idiots.
Oda Sakunosuke's eyes flickered slightly, and he also wanted to refute that he had already rejected Fyodor's invitation to join and had no intention of joining in the future.
As a result, it seems that as they continued working, they were all implicitly considered by outsiders to be members of the "House of the Dead"...
Seeing the obvious despair on the Fifth Generation's face, Dazai Osamu pondered for a moment.
"No,"
He lowered his voice to deny it, a slight smile curving at the corners of his eyes. He pointed his index finger upwards and then held it lightly to his lips.
"I was sent here to investigate. If you behave well, perhaps even the [Takase-kai] could be spared. Should I call the military police over to testify?"
"above……"
Inside this deepest courtyard, the Fifth Generation imagined all sorts of things, and finally gritted his teeth, "Fine, what do you want to know?"
"I want to know the current location of the most important person in the Seventh Agency."
Dazai Osamu asked the most watertight question.
He actually knew nothing about the Seventh Agency; he only guessed from the name that it was a special agency related to the government.
Since it is a government agency, it can justify the claim that "an investigation is necessary."
So he lied and claimed that he was under the command of the highest level of the power center and was an intelligence agent sent to conduct a covert investigation.
The idea was very successful; the other party easily believed his excuse. However, Dazai obviously couldn't ask stupid questions like what the "Seventh Organization" was, so he took a roundabout approach.
This "most important person" could be the head of the Seventh Agency, a core member, or even the person who makes decisions externally; while "position" could be either a location or a job title—it all depends on how the other party interprets it.
“…”
Under duress and immense psychological pressure, the Fifth Generation, after a long silence, finally revealed an address.
"...You'll find what you're looking for there."
He said wearily, "Let's make this clear first: we're only fit to do the dirty work of cleaning up messes for the agents. We know nothing about the truly core intelligence."
The Seventh Agency is an extremely mysterious government criminal organization with unknown personnel, size, and methods. Its main function is to erase criminal acts committed by the government.
In the process of erasing influence in society, they sometimes use local thugs like the "Takase-kai," but their attitude is always tough and ruthless, and even the names of their agents are very likely to be fake.
However, compared to the vast majority of government insiders who were completely kept in the dark, the Fifth Generation Boss might very well be the one who knew the most relevant information.
After all, no matter how mysterious an organization is, it will inevitably leave some traces in society as long as it takes action.
That's why Dazai Osamu discovered the name from the classified information he had obtained.
Because very few people knew of the organization's existence, when Dazai Osamu mentioned the "Seventh Agency," the Fifth Generation immediately believed his fabricated identity.
"Thank you for your generosity, Fifth Generation."
Dazai Osamu blinked, and Oda Sakunosuke cooperated by putting the gun away and taking two steps back, showing no intention of returning the gun to the Fifth Boss.
Seeing that they were about to leave, the Fifth Boss quickly spoke up, "As per your promised conditions, please let the [Takase-kai] go...!"
"sure."
Dazai Osamu stopped in his tracks, turned his head toward him, and even gave a sly smile.
"Once your two successors have finished their infighting, they can meet in prison together—well, if they're still alive."
Seeing the Fifth Generation's ashen and despairing face, Dazai Osamu turned around and left with Oda Sakunosuke without pausing.
The "Takase-kai" who is in prison, isn't that still the "Takase-kai"?
Did he keep his promise? Of course, he kept it 100%.
"Phew, everything went smoothly."
Carried over the wall by Oda Sakunosuke, who possessed exceptional physical abilities, Dazai Osamu stretched as soon as he landed, his previous cold demeanor vanishing instantly.
For him, manipulating the enemy's mind was no challenge; he could extract the information he wanted with just a few words.
Zhong was waiting on this side of the wall to meet them, yawning from exhaustion.
"go back?"
It's been a long time since I've stayed up this late.
"No rush,"
Despite Oda Sakunosuke's disapproving gaze, Dazai explained, "If the people of the Seventh Agency were to hear that the Takase-kai had been arrested by the police, they would hide immediately and erase any trace of their presence."
"Therefore, we must act quickly and get to the address that old man gave me immediately... Chuuya, this intelligence gathering mission is yours! See you at the small building."
Dazai Chaozhong also made a gesture that said, "I believe in you."
Chuuya: "…………You're treating me like a gofer again!"
"Well, well, Chuuya's [gravity] ability is perfect for traveling and fighting, and he's super fast at walking in a straight line in the air..."
"………whispering sound."
After a moment of silence, the hard concrete road surface suddenly burst open with large-area radial cracks, and the orange-haired, blue-eyed boy disappeared without a trace.
Despite his dissatisfaction, Chuuya still accepted the task.
...Hmph, I'll let it slide this time since that bandaged bastard praised his abilities.
"Alright, let's go back too."
Dazai Osamu, who could easily make Chuuya bristle and easily coax him to run errands, said with a smile, "I really miss Fitch's crab dishes."
Oda remained silent.
Even he knew that Feyja's left hand was injured and that she couldn't cook right now...
Dazai is also a typical example of someone who says one thing but means another.
…………
However, when Dazai Osamu and the others returned, Ye Yihe had already gone to bed, leaving only a lamp on for them in the living room as usual.
Just as Dazai Osamu was about to protest, he lay down on the sofa and was about to fall asleep when Oda Sakunosuke grabbed him by the back of his collar and lifted him up to put him back in the bedroom. Then he heard a heavy thud from the yard outside.
It landed directly using gravity, and the commotion upon its return was enormous.
Ye Yihe was also awakened by the loud noise—or rather, Fyodor was awakened and then switched control of the body to him.
"Something interesting seems to be happening outside."
Back in the Palace of Consciousness, Fyodor gently nudged Ye Yihe, who was sleeping on the large bed, to wake him. "Would you like to go and take a look?"
"What's so interesting..."
Ye Yihe, who was recovering his mental strength through slumber and was forced to open his eyes, was not yet fully awake. His words were slurred, and he subconsciously grabbed the outstretched hand to stop it from moving.
Compared to Ye Yihe's body, which was warm, the wrist he was holding was icy cold, like a piece of pale, delicate marble, yet very soft.
Ye Yihe finally woke up completely and focused his gaze on Fyodor's face.
Fyodor, whose wrist was being held, did not struggle. His purplish-red eyes were quietly watching him—in the light of the countless flickering candlelight, they seemed to reveal a hint of gentleness and intimacy.
"…………"
Ye Yihe suddenly felt his heart skip a beat again, and that subtle, indescribable emotion resurfaced.
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