Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 104

Mino's words touched on many things that puzzled me, but I didn't have time to think about them all, because the car had already driven onto a small road. The car bumped gently, and I knew it was because the road was covered with small pebbles, which was probably the "Doran Society" that Mino had just mentioned.

The car stopped, and someone turned their head and looked down at my face at close range, their hot breath hitting my face.

“Sister Mino, he’s still unconscious. Can we leave him in the car?” Xiao Mei asked, then with a “clatter,” pulled out a cold, clinking handcuff and fastened it to my left wrist, the other end resting on my right ankle. This method of handcuffing gave me an idea—“Only secret police in Arab countries use this strange cross-handcuffing method. Considering their previous experience assassinating the commander of the US-British coalition forces, it’s consistent that the ‘Gemini Killers’ were indeed working for the Iraqis. Therefore, their master, the renowned Japanese businessman Watanabe Castle, must also have an inextricable close relationship with the Iraqi government.”

Part 3: Ghostly Villa

— Chapter 10 - A Scheme Within a Scheme —

The two people got out of the car, slammed the door shut, and quickly drove away.

Unlocking the handcuffs was no problem; in just fifteen seconds, I used the master key hidden in the heel of my shoe to open them. I then grabbed a small knife, barely an inch and a half long, and concealed it in my right sleeve. As long as I found Yelan, it was perfectly acceptable for the Gunslingers to torture the "Gemini Killers" however they pleased; I couldn't care less.

It was still pitch black all around until I peeked through the window and saw lights on in a two-story building about thirty paces away. The light was on in the easternmost room on the second floor. I got out of the car and ran quickly to the outside of the building, which was completely covered by withered ivy.

The ground beneath my feet was all dry grass, and each step made a snapping sound as the withered grass broke. Without time to observe the surrounding terrain, I used the drainpipe on the front of the building to climb directly to the roof. Then, I quietly walked to the roof of the room with lights on, lay down, and listened intently.

"Ah—" someone screamed. Without a doubt, it was Yelan's voice, mixed with his English with an African native accent.

A surge of joy swept through me; as long as Yelan was alive, it wasn't too late.

“Mr. Yelan, if you don’t tell me the spell to awaken Princess Tengjia now, you’ll never have another chance—” Xiaomei made a sound of gritting her teeth, like a monster grinding its teeth and sucking blood, preparing to eat.

"I...I already said it...I really already said it..." Yelan wailed helplessly.

"Well, it seems we have no choice but to—" A clang rang out, the sound of two sharp knives clashing together.

Mino's martial arts skills are stronger than Xiaomei's, so she is my primary target.

I used my "Pearl Curtain Rolling Up" technique, hooking my feet on the eaves and slowly leaning down to look through the top edge of the window. The room was large and empty, with three wooden stakes as thick as bowls standing in the middle, somewhat like a primitive slaughterhouse. The heavy smell of blood emanating from the room further fueled my imagination.

Yelan was tied to the central pillar, his neck craned as he nervously stared at the gleaming knife in Xiaomei's hand. His left arm was missing, and his gray suit jacket was stained with blood—I could vaguely recognize him from his fearful eyes, because I had seen that look in his eyes more than once during the excavation of the Turkic Khan Pyramid.

"Please spare me... I beg you, I have treasure... I have a treasure map in the Egyptian desert that I can offer you... Spare me... I have a treasure map of the Great Pyramid of Giza..." He struggled desperately on the pillar, waving his half-arm excitedly.

No one believed his "treasure map," but I've always had my doubts—"Under the coercion of the 'Gemini Killers,' he must have revealed the secret to reviving Fujika. But judging from Mino and Mimi's conversation, it seems Fujika wasn't awakened by the spell. What's going on?"

I observed the room again, and indeed only Xiaomei, Meinong, and Yelan were there; there were no other sinister ambushes. The ceiling, walls, and floor of the room were all intact, and the only paper sliding door was tightly closed.

"Is that possible? Given the 'Gemini Killers' qualities, they wouldn't strike here without any defenses—they've already detected the Sniper Gang following them..."

I want to save Yelan, but I don't want to unwittingly fall into someone else's trap and become the "gunhead" of the Gunners.

It was very quiet all around, and there were no vehicles following them within a radius of 500 meters.

“I hate Africans, you brainless black devils, daring to come to the sacred island of the Yamato people to take advantage of others…” Xiao Mei’s knife tip was pointed at Yelan’s heart, easily piercing through his suit and shirt, and in an instant, bright red blood dripped down the blade.

"Please...please...I have gold...I have lots of gold..." Yelan had repeated these words hundreds and thousands of times, so he couldn't gain anyone's trust. If he had gold, he wouldn't be detained at the Crowne Plaza casino.

"Xiao Mei, hurry up and get to work, stop playing around, Master wants us to evacuate..." Mino had her back to me, and this was the perfect opportunity to strike. I flipped myself down and smashed the white window with a "bang." Amidst the flying shards of glass, the throwing knife was already aimed straight at the back of Mino's neck.

The act of throwing the knife and the disarming were almost simultaneous. By the time Xiaomei staggered back under my knee and elbow strikes, the two sharp knives in her hands were already in my grasp.

"Swoosh—" My throwing knife pierced through the paper door, and with a "snap," it seemed to have shot into a wooden pillar.

Mino tossed her long hair aside, narrowed her slender eyes, and looked me over with disdain. Her lips had been repainted, and under the fluorescent light above, they shone a blood-red color, which, combined with the thick makeup on her face, made her look eerie and sinister.

“You still couldn’t help but jump out. No wonder the master said you were amazing. But you won’t die here… unlike him…” Mino’s words seemed to be spat out from between her teeth, with a hissing sound at the end, like an enraged venomous snake.

Xiao Mei has a sharp eye, because I kicked her hard once when we were at Xunfuyuan.

I turned to the side and looked at Yelan's barely suppressed joy: "Yelan, are you alright?"

A man with a severed arm is unlikely to be in good condition, but he still answered loudly, "I'm fine, Mr. Feng. You saved me, so I'll give you that secret for free, without taking a single yen!"

I couldn't help but laugh at his snobbishness in my heart. Since he couldn't save Fujika, then this secret was worthless. What was the point of telling it?

"Haha, go ahead and say it. A lie repeated a thousand times will never become the truth. I can give you two a minute to talk... Mr. Feng, in a minute, the Egyptians will be on their way, and we should also head towards our next destination..." Mino said generously, crossing her arms.

She has always underestimated me. From deliberately letting her "soul-shifting technique" bewitch me in Xunfu Garden to just now deliberately giving her a chance to dodge with my throwing knife—I don't want to reveal my strength too early. After all, the "Twin Assassins" are just two ordinary people among Watanabe Castle's hundreds of subordinates, not worth me using my full strength for.

I couldn't hear anything behind the sliding door, nor could I sense any murderous intent, but I knew someone was behind it because I detected a prying gaze. Someone was watching me from somewhere hidden, without hostility, but certainly not with goodwill. Only a supreme master, whose essence is extremely restrained, can flawlessly conceal their likes and dislikes, leaving others unable to detect them.

The clash between the Sharpshooter Guild and Watanabe Castle today was undoubtedly a battle of wits, a showdown of schemes within schemes. I'm unsure which side my sudden involvement will tip in my favor.

"Yelan, don't speak, I'll take you away." I was confident I could take down the "Gemini Killer" in an instant, but I couldn't tell who was behind the sliding door.

Hashizu ninjas rarely appear around the world. For over a decade, only the "Twin Assassins" have made a public appearance, earning them a formidable reputation. No one should underestimate Hashizu ninjas, or even any other ninja school in Japan; otherwise, they will only suffer the consequences and lose their lives.

“Mr. Feng, I really do have a treasure map to the Great Pyramid of Giza… Really! When we were in the desert, I had a backup plan. I remember we discussed that I wanted to use the midpoint between Turkham and the Great Pyramid of Giza as the original entrance for hand-dug tunnels, which would lead north into the Great Pyramid of Giza… I really do have it, believe me…” Yelan was both anxious and excited, afraid that I would abandon him.

Xiao Mei covered her mouth and laughed: "Even on the verge of death, you're still having sweet dreams..."

I suddenly dodged forward and struck her neck with a light palm strike, but enough to dislocate her neck joints and render her unable to fight. In a battle between experts like this, not a single ounce of strength could be wasted, because the instant I landed my blow, Mino's five swords simultaneously slashed down at me.

How can a person with only two hands launch an attack using five knives at the same time?

When her katana missed its mark, and she suddenly realized that two sharp knives were stuck in her chest, she burst into laughter, her long hair trembling violently.

Overly arrogant people can never believe their own death. The stench of blood in the air intensified rapidly. Mino pulled the knife from her chest, and two jets of blood spurted out simultaneously.

"Mr. Feng, save me! Save me!" Yelan began to struggle again.

I remained standing still and asked in a low voice, "Is there anyone else in this house?"

As the person spoke, I could clearly sense their restlessness.

Yelan shook his head, his face full of doubt: "No, I only saw these two women... there shouldn't be any..."

I shook my head too: "It's not 'shouldn't be,' it's 'should be,' I can feel it..."

With a thud, Xiaomei swayed and fell to the ground. With her neck fractured, she would certainly die without immediate medical attention, though she would be unconscious.

"Clang—" The sharp knife in Mino's hand fell to the ground, and a figure appeared in a flash, supporting her swaying body.

I trusted my intuition, and the person who appeared was exactly the one I sensed: a bald old man in a white kimono with a black samurai sword tucked into his black belt.

His expression as he looked at Mino was strange, almost one of "delight." After a few seconds, he released her, letting her body fall stiffly to the ground. Blood flowed freely along the wooden floor. The old man whirled around, asking in a hoarse voice, "Who are you? Are you 'Steel Nail' Hawke?"

His triangular eyes were dazzlingly bright, and paired with a sharp, hooked nose covered in freckles, he gave people a chilling feeling when they faced him.

"Steel Nail" Hawke is a famous figure in the American underworld. Not only does he have nothing to do with me, but we also look very different.

I shook my head: "No."

He patted his bald head in confusion: "So, which region of the Divine Gun Society are you in charge of? Sun Long summoned you all to Hokkaido for 'The Wrath of the Sun God,' is he planning a mass suicide?" As he arrogantly brandished the samurai sword on his belt, a silver eight-pointed star inlaid on the hilt shone brightly.

I am unaware of Sun Long's and the Divine Spear Society's further actions, but this knife clearly tells me that the person standing opposite me is a master of the Qiaojin School, and one of extremely high status and position.

The "General's Sword" is one of the "Ten Famous Swords" in the history of Japanese weaponry, and it is said to be the weapon used by Hashizu Mino to assassinate thirty-three generals of Edo on the orders of the Emperor. Within the Hashizu school, only those with the greatest martial arts skills and reputation were qualified to carry this sword.

I once read in a famous magazine about cold weapons that a enthusiast used a "General Star Sword" to cut through high-quality construction triangular iron, breaking it with ease while the blade remained completely undamaged—this is the true "slicing iron like mud" treasure sword.

“You killed Mino, and I didn’t understand your method of killing at all. Hmm… young man… who is your master? In Chinese martial arts, which school of techniques can escape my eyes? Hmm?” He was not in a hurry to draw his sword, but pinched his chin and looked at my hands with suspicion.

I certainly cannot reveal my lineage of teachers to outsiders, and I swore a solemn oath when I began learning my skills that I would never utter a single word to my friends in the martial arts world.

"Young man, I'm asking you a question, did you hear me?" The old man began to get angry, and his right hand slowly gripped the hilt of the knife.

Yelan remained silent. Although he did not understand martial arts, he knew how formidable the old man was.

I was merely a prelude to a major battle, completely unaware of the feud between the Gunnery Society and the Yamaguchi-gumi, and seemingly powerless against the old man when unarmed.

"Young man, I'll ask you one more time..."

"Hahahaha, Hashizumaru... What kind of hero takes his anger out on an outsider?" A tall young man dressed in black leather flew straight in through the window, his gray scarf draped around his neck fluttering stylishly.

The old man sneered arrogantly, "And who are you? Are you also one of Sun Long's henchmen?" Even as he was about to erupt in anger, he didn't display any palpable killing intent, a truly remarkable quality. The absence of murderous intent indicated that his mind remained perfectly calm, allowing him to unleash the full power of his swordsmanship at any time.

The tall man raised his right hand, revealing four one-inch-long silver steel nails between his fingers.

There is only one person in the world who can use this thing to make weapons, and that is "Steel Nail" Hawke, a transnational underworld expert who has given the FBI and police headquarters in the United States a lot of headaches.

"This time, it's the decisive battle between the Sharpshooter Gang and the Yamaguchi-gumi. Hashizumaru, are you fighting on behalf of the Hashizu-ha ninja? Or are you representing the Yamaguchi-gumi and standing up for Watanabe Castle? However, I can tell you without hesitation that no matter who you represent, you're doomed. The Americans have already put a lot of money on your lives—I may not be a formal bounty hunter, but it's always good to have money in the pocket, right?"

A person who uses only steel nails as weapons may not be the most terrifying in a world where guns are everywhere, but he certainly has his own unique skills.

The duel inside the empty house eventually escalated into a massive battlefield of hundreds on the lawn outside. Brilliant lights illuminated every room in the building, bathing the dry lawn in a blinding glow. The Sharpshooter's men, who were stealthily advancing from the lawn, were instantly exposed to the light.

The terrifying click of the bolt being pulled echoed from every corner of the house—"Mr. Hawke, serving the Americans, serving the Sharpshooters, isn't it a pleasant thing? At least this time, at least several hundred people will die here... Sometimes, I really want to ask your faction's leader, Mr. Sun Long, what benefits the Americans have given him that make him risk his life to be an enemy of the Arab world..."

I won't go into the lengthy political exchanges between Hashizumaru and Hawke. At this moment, the situation outside the building has changed again. The lights that had been turned on went out one by one, and a dull "thud" sound of a sharp blade piercing a human body came from the corner.

In the end, darkness returned to the lawn. Clearly, it wasn't just Wang Jiangnan's group that had followed them; there was another group responsible for the sneak attack and killing.

I untied Yelan and helped him out of the room, where we met Xiao Keleng who was rushing over.

This battle of wits ended with the Hashizu ninja losing by a single move, and they also failed to gain any advantage in their confrontation with Hawke.

Xiao Keleng's face was filled with joy, she almost pressed her hand to her forehead in relief: "Mr. Feng, it's so good that you're alright, so good!"

Of course I'm fine, and I felt no guilt or remorse when I killed Xiaomei and Minong. In Xunfu Garden, they killed first, and without any reason—I was just avenging the people of the Divine Gun Society, standing on the side of justice, so of course I have no reason to feel guilty.

I took Yelan into the car that Xiao Keleng had driven. Yelan was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes. After all, escaping from the clutches of death was no easy feat. If I had acted two seconds later, he would have been thrown into the sea to feed the fish right now.

"Mr. Feng, to express my gratitude, I will definitely..." he began to make a solemn vow.

I waved my hand to stop him: "Yelan, I just want to know if Miss Tengjia still has any hope of waking up?"

The car sped north. On Xiao Keleng's map, the Duolan Society was located southeast of Xunfu Garden, nearly fifty kilometers away. While unconscious, she had been brought here by the "Twin Assassins" who were constantly circling the area, which conveniently resolved the most vulnerable link in Xiao Keleng's plan. She believed that with Wang Jiangnan's skills, he might not be able to subdue Xiao Mei and Mei Nong with his bare hands.

“Of course there is—Mr. Feng, the spell that the dragon told me had an additional condition, which is… which is…” He hesitated again.

His need for money and his deliberate secrecy are blatantly obvious.

Xiao Ke sneered and pointed in the direction of the Duolan Society in the rearview mirror: "Mr. Yelan, if you want to go back to the Yamaguchi-gumi, I can help you for free!"

I glanced into the rearview mirror following her gesture and was suddenly struck by a powerful shock: "Xiao Xiao, have the Sharpshooter Society completely taken control of the situation?"

Xiao Ke gave me a strange look: "Yes, is there a problem?"

I had a premonition that something strange was about to happen—because ever since I woke up in the Gemini Killers' car, I knew that the Japanese wouldn't be so foolish as to let the Sharpshooters follow them without any means of retaliation.

Xiao Keleng asked again, "Mr. Feng, is there an ambush on Watanabe Castle's side?"

I couldn't answer. The car sped north along the highway, maintaining a speed of over 150 kilometers per hour. That strange feeling lingered with me; it was definitely an ominous sign.

"Mr. Feng, you received a call from Egypt this afternoon. The caller left the name 'Tina.' Please call back."

My heart skipped a beat, and the image of Tina in her heroic military uniform suddenly popped into my mind.

Yelan, oblivious to the awkwardness, exclaimed, "Is that General Tina? She's recently been promoted to the top military commander, second only to the Minister of Defense. Mr. Feng is quite the ladies' man; General Tina is beautiful and powerful..."

I gave him a disgusted look. "Yelan, think about it. Do you want to become a Yamaguchi-gumi criminal again, or tell the truth and get your reward?" I didn't want anyone to know about my secret feelings for Tina. Xiao Keleng was Su Lun's loyal informant; if she knew, Su Lun would definitely know.

I never expected Tina to call me—a touch of male vanity welled up within me; it's always a matter of pride to have a pretty girl thinking of you.

Yelan fell silent for a long time before finally stammering, "Mr. Feng, to be honest, I'm starting to lose faith in that spell myself, because during their interrogation, I couldn't hold back and blurted it out. But... but it doesn't seem to have worked..."