In fact, after learning Zhou Ziwei's true identity, Masao Mita had someone collect some photos related to Zhou Ziwei, so he didn't feel unfamiliar with Zhou Ziwei's face at all.
Moreover... the main reason that convinced Masao Mita that he hadn't mistaken Zhou Ziwei was Zhou Ziwei's sharp eyes. A person's appearance can change, but a person's eyes are hard to change much. Having suffered a heavy blow from Zhou Ziwei before, Masao Mita was all too familiar with Zhou Ziwei's eyes, which always seemed to be full of contempt and disdain for him. As soon as he saw Zhou Ziwei's eyes, he had no more doubts.
Master... it really is that devilish and terrifying master who has returned. Oh my god... so he really didn't die.
Masao Mita's vest was instantly soaked with sweat.
“Mr. Mita…” Zhou Zixu was shocked to see that Masao Mita was indeed standing at the bottom of the steps in front of the door with a long samurai sword in his hand and a strange expression. He had long heard that the Japanese always valued the samurai spirit and could not tolerate verbal insults. Once insulted, they would have to wash it off with blood, either the other party’s blood or their own blood. In short, they would not let the matter rest until someone died.
He had just heard Zhou Ziwei cursing Mita Masao as a dog on the phone. Without a doubt, this big shot, who was well-known in both the underworld and legitimate society of the island nation, had come to settle scores today. It seemed that he was determined to have a duel with Zhou Ziwei before he would stop. Wouldn't this cause a huge mess?
Zhou Zixu was worried that Masao Mita would stab him right away, so he quickly tried to rush forward and stop Masao Mita first.
But before he could take a step, Wang Xuewei grabbed him from the side.
"Zixu, don't be impulsive. Your brother will handle it. You don't need to worry about this."
Among these people, probably no one understands Zhou Ziwei better than Wang Xuewei. Back in the military base in Kashgar, she personally overheard Zhou Ziwei making a phone call to Mita Masao. Therefore, she naturally understands that the reason why the Mita family suddenly came to Dangyang, a small place, to cooperate with the Zhou family and Xinda Daily Chemicals was entirely because they had received instructions from Zhou Ziwei.
Therefore, Wang Xuewei believed that in front of Zhou Ziwei, Masao Mita was probably nothing more than a dog.
Moreover... with Zhou Ziwei's abilities, he wasn't afraid when facing thousands of troops in the pilot plane. Would he be afraid of a little Japanese soldier carrying a broken knife now?
Zhou Ziwei led everyone out of the gate, then stood at the top of the steps, coldly looking down at Mita Masao without saying a word, just quietly waiting to see how he would explain himself.
Masao Mita also remained silent. When he saw Zhou Ziwei looking at him from the steps, he did not hesitate to bend over and kneel down at the bottom of the steps.
"Boom—" Masao Mita's action immediately caused the crowd of onlookers, who had already gathered in layers, to erupt in shouts. Only a very few people recognized Masao Mita's identity, and these people were naturally the most shocked.
Masao Mita, the head of the Mita family, is even referred to by some as the island nation's underground emperor... Yet, this powerful figure who controls the island nation's economic and political lifeline actually knelt down in public in China. Although islanders are used to kneeling at home while eating, kneeling in ordinary times and kneeling in this kind of situation have completely different meanings.
This is impossible. This person must be a fake. How could the real Masao Mita do something so crazy?
The media reporters who recognized Masao Mita immediately began to doubt the identity of this man who so easily knelt before a group of Chinese people. But... so what if he was an imposter? If someone were really impersonating Masao Mita and kneeling before people here, that would still be explosive news...
Zhou Zixu was equally stunned and quickly covered his mouth with one hand to avoid making a rude scream.
Like the media reporters, he initially suspected that the man was an imposter, because he simply couldn't fathom how the usually aloof Mr. Mita Masao could possibly kneel before them.
However, Zhou Zixu had dealt with Masao Mita more than once and knew him quite well. After taking a few more careful glances, he immediately concluded that this person was indeed the genuine head of the Mita family, Mr. Masao Mita.
Zhou Ziwei suddenly felt his mind going blank... This world is too crazy.
Seeing Masao Mita kneeling before him, Zhou Ziwei was not surprised at all. However, he remained silent and simply watched Masao Mita continue his performance. He believed that Masao Mita, who had come here with a Japanese sword, was not insane and wanted to assassinate him.
Sure enough, Masao Mita knelt there straight. After hesitating for a few seconds, his expressionless face immediately became resolute. Then, he suddenly raised his left hand and gently placed it on the thick stone slabs in front of him. Then, he slowly raised his right hand and lifted the sharp Japanese samurai sword.
With a "whoosh," the blade flashed and fell, and then, in full view of everyone, Masao Mita severed off the little finger of his left hand at the root.
"Ah—" Masao Mita let out a miserable cry, his left hand trembling, but he ignored the blood gushing out of his severed finger like a fountain, and slowly raised his head to look at Zhou Ziwei standing on the high place...
Zhou Ziwei remained standing there expressionless, coldly looking down at the Japanese soldier below who was mutilating himself, his gaze as if he were looking at a struggling ant.
A chill ran through Masao Mita's heart. He knew he had offended the devil's authority, and it seemed that losing just a finger would not be enough to get him forgiven.
Left with no other choice, Masao Mita placed his still-bleeding left hand back onto the flat stone slab, and then once again raised his chilling samurai sword.
With a "snap," Masao Mita once again raised his knife and brought it down, but this time he cut off not just a finger, but his entire left hand.
"Hmm..." This time the pain was obviously much stronger than the last time, but for some reason, Masao Mita did not scream in pain like last time. He just groaned softly and then looked up at Zhou Ziwei again.
Zhou Ziwei's face remained cold and gloomy, but the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, revealing a mocking expression.
Masao Mita's heart sank slowly as he realized he still hadn't gained Zhou Ziwei's forgiveness. Helpless, he could only raise his katana once more.
"Oh my god... what is he trying to do?"
The onlookers were already stunned by Masao Mita's series of crazy actions, and the media reporters, knowing Masao Mita's identity, were even more shocked and speechless. Some timid reporters even forgot to take pictures of these amazing news photos.
On the contrary, some onlookers kept snapping photos with their phones, capturing Masao Mita's self-harming actions and immediately uploading them to Weibo, transmitting valuable news information in real time as ordinary people.
"What happened... disperse... everyone disperse."
A group of police officers rushed over in their patrol cars. They had heard the news that Mr. Masao Mita, the president of Mita Corporation of Japan, had stormed into the front of the Zhou Group building with a samurai sword, and they immediately came over. However, they were obviously a step behind the reporters who were trying to get the first-hand news. It wasn't until Masao Mita had cut off one of his hands that they finally arrived at the scene.
They still thought that the head of the Mita family had really lost his mind and wanted to come here to duel. This scared the police chief half to death. This foreign friend was no ordinary person. If he lost a hair in a small place like Dangyang, he would be in big trouble.
The Zhou Group is also a towering giant, the leading enterprise in Dangyang City. Even the mayor and secretary have to nod and greet the president of the Zhou Group politely. Naturally, they are not people like us lowly police officers who can afford to offend them.
So this time, they could only hope they arrived in time and that there wouldn't be any bloodshed, otherwise...
What devastated Captain Zhao of the patrol team was that not only had bloodshed occurred, but the person involved was none other than that extremely distinguished foreign friend.
Captain Zhao was momentarily stunned. When he saw that Masao Mita had raised his katana again, seemingly about to slash at his own shoulder, he was terrified. He immediately shouted "Stop!" and led his men through the crowd to rush inside, hoping to save Masao Mita in time. Otherwise, if someone died... that would be a huge problem. Even if this foreign friend had lost his mind and committed suicide, the police officers would still bear inescapable responsibility for watching Masao Mita harm himself to death.
When Zhou Ziwei saw so many police officers arrive, he frowned and turned to Liu Xiaofei beside him, saying, "Go... tell the security guards to stop these police officers for me."
Volume 2: The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 440: Frenzied Hype
Liu Xiaofei hesitated for a moment, then nodded and instructed the security captain to carry out the order immediately.
"Ah...you're telling us to block the police? They're police officers!" The security captain thought he'd misheard. What had the chairman and president gone mad with? Sending them, mere security guards, to block those police officers—law enforcement officers, armed with guns!
Liu Xiaofei's pretty face hardened, and she decisively ordered, "If you don't want to lose your job, then carry out this order immediately, or... you'll bear the consequences!"
"Ah...yes!" The security captain was stunned for a moment, then shivered and hurriedly agreed, forcing himself to speak.
The salary and benefits at Zhou's Group are among the best in the country. As the security captain, he earns as much as some senior managers in foreign companies every month. If he loses this job, he probably will never be able to find such a good job again.
People die for money, birds die for food; driven by profit, there's nothing they won't do. They're just police... we're not assaulting them, we'll just block them from coming, that's all. At most, we'll be charged with obstructing law enforcement, and detained for a few days. But as long as we keep our jobs, the boss probably won't let his subordinates suffer any injustice! The newly returned chairman was even more generous, giving everyone an extra month's salary upon their first meeting. He clearly wasn't the kind of boss who was stingy. So what did these lowly security guards who relied on their strength have to fear?
At the captain's command, more than thirty security guards rushed forward, two against one policeman, blocking their path with their bodies and preventing them from getting close to Masao Mita.
The shouts of Captain Zhao and the commotion at the scene made Masao Mita, who had just raised his katana, pause slightly. The strength he had been holding in his hand involuntarily loosened. Then, Masao Mita turned around and saw that Zhou Ziwei had actually ordered his security guards to stop the police officers who were trying to approach. His heart sank again. He knew that he had to make a quick decision in this matter. If he wanted to delay, it would only increase Zhou Ziwei's dislike for him, which would not do him any good.
Without pausing for even a few seconds, Masao Mita raised his katana once more, gritted his teeth, and with a swift motion, brought the sword down heavily on his shoulder…
"Ah..." This time, Masao Mita's sword failed to completely sever the left arm. He only managed to cut about three inches deep before his strength gave out. The entire left arm was covered in blood, but it still hung limply on his body, twitching incessantly.
Masao Mita was in so much pain that he was covered in cold sweat, as if all the strength in his body was being drained away by the constant flow of blood.
However, he dared not stop at this moment, because the terrible devil had not yet spoken.
If he fails to satisfy that devil, his only fate is death.
"Ah...heh...heh...heh..." Masao Mita gritted his teeth and raised his katana high once more, letting out a series of muffled roars. The sharp blade came down again and again, "crack, crack," repeatedly hitting his shoulder. He looked as if he were chopping up a piece of firewood, and it was impossible to tell that he was actually chopping his own body.
"Crack—" With a burst of effort, Masao Mita swung the Japanese sword more than ten times in a row, and finally succeeded in cutting off his entire left arm at the left shoulder.
Masao Mita held his breath and looked up at Zhou Ziwei again. When he saw Zhou Ziwei finally nod almost imperceptibly, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, he loosened his grip, threw away the Japanese sword, and fell straight backward with a thud onto the hard stone slab, losing consciousness.
"Alright... have someone carry that dog inside for me..." Zhou Ziwei casually gave the order, then turned and left expressionlessly.
"Wow, so cool!" Some of the girls mixed in with the crowd were initially terrified by the bloody scene, but when they saw Zhou Ziwei's cold and ruthless appearance, they were captivated. Someone in the crowd exclaimed with stars in their eyes.
The reporters from the news media also came to their senses and realized that this unfamiliar man was standing in front of the acting chairman and president of the Zhou Group, with everyone following him. Their sensitive nerves once again discovered a news clue worth digging into, so they all raised their cameras and captured the scene of Zhou Ziwei turning away indifferently.
Unexpectedly, this simple action, coupled with the previous scenes of Masao Mita wielding a knife to harm himself, made Zhou Ziwei famous overnight. His cold and dignified expression in the face of the Japanese devils captivated countless innocent girls, making him even more popular than those big stars.
Zhou Ziwei did indeed intend to kill Mita Masao. This was not only because Mita Masao wanted to move the Zhou Group to Japan and swallow it up, but mainly because... he overheard from Liu Xiaofei and Mita Masao's conversation that Mita Masao had the audacity to try and take advantage of Liu Xiaofei, which was something Zhou Ziwei absolutely could not tolerate.
However, Zhou Ziwei really hates trouble. If he really kills Mita Masao, others in the Mita family may not know who Zhou Ziwei is or how important he is. In that case, if he wants to bring the entire Mita family under his control, he will have to resort to bloody methods.
He wouldn't mind killing a few more Japanese devils when he had nothing else to do, but... he had a lot to do lately and didn't have time to deal with these things, so... he had no choice but to spare that old dog Mita's life for now.
After this incident, I reckon that old dog will never dare to harbor any disloyalty towards him again.
Several security guards hurriedly carried out a stretcher, threw the blood-covered Masao Mita onto it, and carried him into the building. Then, more security guards rushed out and blocked the entrance, completely ignoring Captain Zhao's commotion and refusing to allow a single policeman to enter.
The onlookers, who had just witnessed a good show, seemed to be on steroids and remained in front of the building, discussing with acquaintances and strangers alike, trying to figure out who the guy who was self-harming was and how he could be so brain-dead.
However, one thing that thrilled them the most was that the person was definitely a Japanese from an island nation. And the fact that a Japanese person would go to the Zhou Group to self-harm and apologize meant that all those rumors circulating online about the Zhou Group selling out their country to curry favor with the Japanese were just that—rumors.
Or perhaps the Zhou Group does have some connection with the Japanese company Mita Corporation, but it's just a cooperative relationship. Even the Japanese had to come to the Zhou Group's door and cut off their own arms to apologize, so how could the Zhou Group possibly be the kind of company that kowtows to the Japanese? Therefore, this rumor will surely be debunked in the blink of an eye, and the people of Dangyang will no longer have to carry the big label of a traitor.
Of course... to remove this label, we need to see what kind of person that Japanese soldier who self-harmed to apologize is. If he's just a small-time thug from an island nation... while it might be satisfying, it probably won't be very convincing.
Fortunately, the internet is a great thing. News censorship simply doesn't work in the 21st century where the internet is prevalent. Just now, someone posted the news on Weibo, which immediately caused a sensation online. Then countless bored guys started a manhunt, trying to find out who the Japanese guy who self-harmed at Zhou's Group 6 was.
The power of the masses is quite terrifying. In less than three minutes, someone had already discovered Masao Mita's true identity. Moreover, this true identity was not only the official identity of Masao Mita Corporation, but also his status as the head of the Mita family, the largest family in the island nation, and his rule over the Mita Group, the largest yakuza group in Asia. His powerful influence over the Japanese government was also exposed online without any restraint.
The incident caused an uproar among netizens across the country. Many people clearly did not believe that the self-harming man had such a terrifying and powerful background, and thought that it was just some people spreading rumors.
However, soon more people came forward, revealing various pieces of evidence and materials to prove that Masao Mita's identity and background were not fabricated.
Faced with so much evidence, the bewildered netizens finally had no choice but to believe it. As a result, those who had previously been cursing the Zhou Group and calling Dangyang City a traitorous city on the internet immediately shut up and began to highly praise the greatness of the Zhou Group.
For a powerful figure known as the "Underground Emperor of the Island Nation" to actually come to the Zhou Group's doorstep and self-harm as an apology—what an honor that is! Back in the day... after World War II, none of the defeated Japanese came to China to apologize to the Chinese people, did they? But now the Zhou Group has done just that. This is a huge boost to national prestige and a great achievement... Anyone who dares to call the Zhou Group traitors and sell out their country for personal gain will be drowned in public spittle.
Excited netizens spread the word far and wide, and soon the story was not only being told online, but also being discussed everywhere in the real world.
At such times, the most popular places are the retail franchise stores of the Zhou Group scattered in every city across the country.
Because the public has a sincere respect for the Zhou Group's great efforts to enhance national prestige, and couldn't think of a way to express their joy and support, someone started an online campaign encouraging everyone to drink an extra bottle of Life Spring health sports drink every day.
"Whether you are male, female, old, or young, in order to support our national heroes, to support our national enterprises, and to support the Zhou Group, if you usually drink one bottle of Life Spring Health Sports Drink every day, drink two bottles today. If you don't usually buy Life Spring Health Sports Drink, you must buy one bottle and try it today... As long as you are Chinese, then support our national heroes and support our Chinese Zhou Group with practical actions!"
This is the original text from the internet, and it was quickly reposted to every corner of the internet through various channels: game guild chat rooms, fantasy voice channels, QQ groups, forum homepages... In short, wherever there are people, this text will be reposted.
In an instant, there was a huge response, and Zhou's retail chain stores across the country experienced an unprecedented buying frenzy.
Zhou's Group's Life Spring health sports drink comes in several packaging options, with the simple canned version selling the best. Each can costs 8.8 yuan, which is significantly more expensive than ordinary beverages. However, because of its intoxicating aroma and noticeable energizing effect, it still has countless loyal customers despite its higher price.
Most high-income earners have a habit of drinking a can of Fountain of Life every day, especially those who need to work overtime at night, for whom this beverage has become a source of sustenance.
However, the relatively high price makes it unaffordable for the vast majority of low-income consumers. But today... whether they drink a bottle of Life Spring Health Sports Drink every day or have never tried it before, a large majority of people who saw the post responded to the call and bought a bottle of Life Spring Health Sports Drink to show their respect and support for the Zhou Group and for Zhou Ziwei, the chairman of the Zhou Group who was rumored to have turned away indifferently online.
As a result, within just one day, hundreds of the thousands of Zhou's Life Spring retail chain stores across the country simultaneously experienced stockouts due to insufficient response, and tens of thousands of Life Spring health and sports drink vending machines set up on major streets in major cities were completely empty.
It was only after statistics were compiled that it was discovered that in less than a day, the sales of this Life Spring beverage reached an astonishing figure nationwide, with a total of 120 million cans sold, and the single-day sales in the domestic market exceeded 10 billion yuan.
Because Life Spring Health Sports Drink adopts a retail franchise chain store economic model in the domestic market, without any intermediaries, it has a larger profit margin than other manufacturers. For every can of Life Spring Health Sports Drink sold, Zhou's Group can obtain at least 50% gross profit.
This means that... on that day alone, the Zhou Group earned a staggering 5 billion yuan in the domestic market. Even Zhou Ziwei, who was somewhat numb to money, was involuntarily shocked.
At this point, Zhou Ziwei had to admit that the power of netizens was indeed very good and very strong... But what Zhou Ziwei admired even more was Liu Xiaofei's sharp reaction and mind.
The post that went viral online, urging every Chinese person to support the Zhou Group with a can of Life Spring health and sports drink, was drafted by Liu Xiaofei.
Furthermore, she personally ordered all Zhou's employees to temporarily put aside all other work for the day, and each person had only one task: to do their best to frantically repost this post online, and to put it in every corner of the internet where anyone could see it.
To be honest, when Zhou Ziwei heard Liu Xiaofei's brilliant idea, he was quite dismissive of it. He didn't think it would have much effect, and even if the hype was successful, it would only increase sales a little on that one day. There was really no need to make such a big fuss and trouble the entire group's employees.