The Inheritance XV
Arise
Chapter 701
By that point, though Endo and Izumi had been prepared to die, they couldn’t help but breathe vigorously as beads of cold sweat drenched their foreheads when they realized that they were just inches away from death.
Regardless, after Takuya ran toward Richard, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that the two were still alive. After panting for a bit, Takuya eventually cleared his throat before saying, “They… can still be of use to us, Mr. Crawford… Let’s keep them alive for now…”
Nodding in response, Richard then closed his eyes for a while… and soon after, his immense murderous intent quickly dissipated. Now that he was calm, Richard was prompted to ask, “Fair enough. However… how did you even find out about all this…?”
“With how loud you all were, how couldn’t I have found out? Either way, the second I found out what was happening, I immediately rushed over to look!” replied Takuya as he patted his chest while shaking his head, a bitter smile on his face…
“… I apologize for that,” said Richard in a sheepish tone as he scratched the back of his head.
“No matter… Either way, since they had the balls to cause such a ruckus at my manor, I swear on my life that I’m getting information out of them! We won’t let you die that easily!” growled Takuya as he pointed at the duo who were still on the ground.
“I’ve already tried interrogating them, but they’re tough nuts to crack,” replied Richard as he shook his head.
“Oh, don’t you worry. I’ve met my fair share of stubborn people, so I know how to make them talk. I can guarantee you that with my tactics, they’ll be giving us honest answers before dawn!” declared Takuya as he gestured for his men who had earlier followed him over to carry Endo and Izumi up.
“Now that’s what I like to hear,” replied Richard with a smile.
Nodding in response, Takuya couldn’t help but frown when he saw all the blood on the ground. Shaking his head, he then turned to look at his men before ordering, “Bring them to the manor’s clinic and keep them alive!”
With that, Endo and Izumi were promptly brought away However, since Endo was still bleeding rather badly, his blood ended up dripping all the way to the clinic…
Now that that was dealt with, Takuya turned to face Richard before saying, “… There’s something I’d like to talk to you about…”
“What a coincidence. I have something to discuss as well,” replied Richard with a nod.
Realizing that Fujiko was still standing frozen in place, Richard couldn’t help but add, “Miss Futaba? The danger’s over…”
“… H-huh? O-oh! Yeah, it is… T-thank you…” muttered Fujiko after snapping out of it. As Richard and her father walked off, however, she couldn’t help but give Richard a curious gaze…
Regardless, after entering the main hall with Richard and Fujiko, Takuya made sure to properly lock the doors up before brewing a pot of tea… Following that, Takuya handed Richard a cigarette and even lit it for him. After all, he knew that it was thanks to Richard’s efforts and Vigilance today that he and Fujiko were able to live another day…
With that in mind, Takuya eventually bowed toward Richard before saying, “I truly appreciate your help today, Mr. Crawford… With so many consecutive incidents happening, I really don’t know how to thank you for every time you’ve helped!”
“There’s no need to be so cordial, patriarch… Honestly, I have a feeling that these two came for me today,” replied Richard as he immediately helped Takuya up.
“… Come again? Did you offend some bigshot here?” asked Takuya, understandably stunned.
“I can’t say for sure either… My guess is that those men are either from the Kanagawa family, or they’re Hanyus. While my money is on the Hanyus, I can’t exactly rule out that there may be other people who want me dead…” replied Richard as he puffed on his cigarette…
—
After hearing Richard’s reply, Takuya was momentarily at a loss for words. After all, he hadn’t considered the fact that Richard was the real target here. As he pondered about it, Takuya couldn’t help but mutter, “They came for you, you said… “
“It’s only a guess, to be quite honest,” replied Richard as he shook his head. After all, since he rarely ever came to Japan, he had almost no disputes with the forces and families here. He was only assuming that the duo were after him since he was their first target upon making themselves known.
“… Well, even if they were after your head, there’s no need to worry any longer since those two scoundrels are already locked up. Rest assured, I’ll definitely obtain more information from them by dawn! Also, in case you’re worried about affecting my family since you’re being targeted, don’t be. The Futabas owe you and we’ll always be by your side! While it’s true that my family isn’t as great as it used to be, know that nobody can freely take advantage of people I swear to protect!” declared Takuya as he clenched his fists.
Hearing that, Richard couldn’t help but smile as he cupped his hands together to pay Takuya respect before saying, “I really appreciate that, patriarch… As for the interrogation tonight, I’ll be thanking you in advance!”
It was around then that Richard realized that after helping the Futabas so much, he had completely earned that family’s trust. With that in mind, he felt that once the special forces competition began or possibly when it ended, depending on how things went it was high time he asked about Yearning Island. Hopefully, Takuya would no longer see any reason to hide anything from him…
Whatever the case was, after finishing his cup of tea, Takuya got to his feet before saying, “Alright, then… You and Fujiko should go get some rest first. I’ll be heading over to pay our two ‘guests’ a visit… “
With that, Takuya left the room, leaving Richard who promptly put his cigarette out and Fujiko inside…
Though Richard stayed there for the following half hour to enjoy his tea, Fujiko, on the other hand, remained in the room to stare admiringly at Richard, her hands cupping her cheeks the entire time…
Due to her ever growing feelings for Richard, Fujiko couldn’t help but say, “… I could sense how strong those two were… To think you’d be able to take them out so easily…”
“Strength is all I have. I don’t really have any other capabilities. Besides, I’m not that strong,” replied Richard with a smile.
Honestly, he hadn’t expected to expose that much of his strength earlier since Fujiko was there. However, had he not done so, he wouldn’t have been able to take those two men out in such a short amount of time. That, to Richard, would’ve been more worrying since trouble could’ve easily brewed in the manor had he not taken them out quickly. After all, who’s to say that there weren’t any other Kanagawas or Hanyu assassins waiting for a chance to strike the manor while Richard was preoccupied with Endo and Izumi? If that had been the case, then things would’ve become exceedingly difficult for Richard to resolve. All this explained why he used so much of his strength in the first place…
Regardless, upon hearing that, Fujiko couldn’t help but raise a slight brow as she asked, “… Really now?”
“Do I have a reason to lie? Besides, if you’re thinking l could secretly be rich, a good look at my attire is enough to debunk that!” replied Richard as he got to his feet and slowly twirled around, just to prove his point.
Fujiko, for one, knew her famous brands since she was a rich young lady from a prestigious family, so she had to agree with that.
“… While it’s true that you certainly don’t look like one, you can definitely live a much better life with how strong you are… Honestly, if you apply to become a personal bodyguard, you could earn over a million dollars per year…” muttered Fujiko as she brushed some dust off his clothes.
“Life as a personal bodyguard is way too restrictive for me. It’s also a tad too dangerous for my taste. Honestly, the way I’m living now is good enough,” replied Richard with a smile.
“… I-I know, right…?” muttered Fujiko as she blushed slightly, thinking that Richard was hinting that he enjoyed spending his time with her.
Realizing that, Richard who didn’t want to speak any further for fear that it would create more misunderstandings then cleared his throat before saying, “… Anyway, it’s getting quite late, so you should go get some rest. Hopefully, your father will have obtained some valuable information from those two men by morning…”
—
Still blushing slightly, Fujiko then nodded as she replied, “… R- right, right… You head to bed early too then…”
Though the night had been a dangerous one, she couldn’t help but feel pleased after hearing what Richard had said. Regardless, she was then promptly accompanied back to her room’s entrance before she finally parted ways with Richard…
Richard himself removed his coat and poured himself a glass of cold water the second he returned to his room. Once he was seated on a chair, he began thinking about the two assassins.
Since his trip to Japan had been highly confidential, he doubted that they had been sent by his old enemies. However, those two were able to address him by name. With that in mind, whoever it was who had sent them, they had definitely done their homework before setting the assassination plan into motion…
‘But who could it be…?’ Richard thought to himself as he puffed on his cigarette.
After thinking about it for a while, Richard managed to come up with a few individuals who lived in Japan who possibly had old grudges against him. Even so, no matter how much he stretched it, all of them didn’t really seem to have the balls to confront him. Besides, it’s not like they would even know that he had come to Japan.
With that in mind, the assassins must’ve been sent by individuals whom he had offended in his most recent trip here… From what he could gather, that included the special forces soldiers from Yanam, the Kanagawas, and the Hanyus…
Though he included the soldiers from Yanam into the equation, they were the most improbable of the bunch. After all, none of them had managed to find any evidence that he was the one responsible for Adler’s disappearance. Besides, he was pretty sure that the Yanam military had already been scared out of their wits by him.
Richard, for one, believed that Carter who had acted so cowardly before him back then wouldn’t dare to send assassins after him, unless, of course, that man didn’t wish to be the acting leader of the military anymore…
Regardless, that boiled down the list to the Kanagawas and the Hanyus. Though Richard’s money was on the Kanagawas…
Shaking his head, Richard decided not to think about it for the moment. After all, he believed in Takuya’s interrogation skills, so all he needed to do now was to wait till morning to finally find out who had sent those two assassins. With his mind made up, he then took a cold bath before hitting the hay…
When he got up at dawn, Richard quickly prepared himself for the day before heading out to see how Takuya’s interrogation had gone. Upon opening the door, however, Richard was startled to see two Futaba guards standing guard right outside his room.
“… What exactly is the meaning of this…?” asked Richard as he scratched his cheek.
“Ah, good morning, Mr. Crawford… Well, since those two men attempted to assassinate you yesterday, the patriarch ordered us to guard over your room. With that in mind, you don’t have to worry about any sneak attacks!” replied one of the men.
From how tired they both looked, it was obvious that they had been standing there for the longest time. With that in mind, Richard simply waved his hand before saying, “There’s no need to guard over me. Now hurry off and get some rest.”
Though he didn’t say it, Richard had a feeling that if he relied on these two to protect him, he could’ve easily been killed over ten times before they noticed a thing!
Either way, upon hearing that, the other man yawned as he replied, “Unfortunately, we can’t just disobey the patriarch’s orders!”
Understanding that they could’ve gotten a good night’s rest had it not been for Takuya’s orders, Richard simply shook his head while saying, “Look, just go. If the patriarch gets angry about you leaving, just tell him that I was the one who told you to leave.”
Since Richard believed that these two wouldn’t be able to protect him anyway, the fact that they were wasting all their energy here made him feel slightly bad for them.
Regardless, upon hearing that, the duo immediately bowed while declaring, “T-thank you, Mr. Crawford!”
Following that, they swiftly left for their bedrooms…
Chapter 702
Watching as the duo walked off, Richard then stretched before taking in a deep breath of fresh air…
A short while later, Richard began making his way to Takuya’s room. On his way the re, however, he bumped into one of Takuya’s most trusted subordinates. Seeing that, he figured that he may as well ask if Takuya was in his room before actually getting there. Upon being told that Takuya was still interrogating the duo from the night before, Richard asked for the interrogation room’s location before promptly walking off…
Making his way to the back of the manor, Richard eventually came across a stone entrance that led to an area that was clearly constructed differently from the rest of the main building.
While the front part of the manor including the villas there as well as the Futaba’s magnificent garden looked absolutely lavish, anything past the stone entrance honestly looked desolate. With some of the weeds here growing as tall as humans and a few easily missed single story houses further back, it felt like nobody had lived in or even taken care of the area for over a decade…
Regardless, while walking along a beaten path, Richard soon came across three of the Futaba family’s subordinates who immediately greeted, “Mr. Crawford!”
Peeking past them, Richard was prompted to ask, “Is the patriarch in one of those houses?”
“Indeed! He’s been interrogating the two assassins throughout the night… Regardless, have you eaten, Mr. Crawford? We were just about to get some breakfast for the patriarch!” said one of the guards.
“I see. Get some for me, then,” replied Richard with a nod before walking past them…
After walking among the tall grass for a while, Richard soon heard muffled screams coming from one of the houses. Easily figuring out where the noises were coming from, Richard then entered the house before saying, “Patriarch?”
“Hmm? What are you doing here, Mr. Crawford?” asked Takuya who had been sitting before a table with a cigarette in hand as he immediately got to his feet.
“I just wanted to see how the interrogation was progressing,” replied Richard who had noticed a cup of tea on Takuya’s table as he took a seat before looking around…
Though Takuya had said that he was doing an interrogation, the entire place honestly looked more like an execution room… The fact that there were instruments of torture everywhere and the two bloodied assassins had been tied to a cross only served to further contribute to that statement…
Frowning slightly, Richard couldn’t help but ask, “… Aren’t you afraid that you’ll end up killing them…?”
“Oh, I’ve taken precautionary measures. After curing them at my clinic last night, my family’s doctor has been checking their vital signs every half an hour. I’ve been intensifying and reducing the torture according to what the doctor reported to me throughout the night.
Don’t worry, I’m not letting them die until they tell us the crucial details,” replied Takuya with a faint smile while gesturing at a middle aged man who was wearing a white coat.
Figuring that that was the doctor, Richard chose to not say anything else. A brief silence later, Takuya slid a piece of paper before Richard…
Raising a slight brow, Richard began reading through it and quickly realized that it contained a log of all that the assassins had said that night. However, as it turned out, they had only revealed how they had managed to sneak into the manor as well as how long they had waited before striking. In other words, none of the extracted information was useful.
With that in mind, Richard couldn’t help but frown as he asked, “… Is this all?”
—
“Unfortunately, these two are more stubborn than I had initially anticipated. Since they’ve been unwilling to provide any useful information up till this point, I’ll be using more dire tactics from now on. Even if they do end up dying, I’ll make sure they die extremely slowly!” growled Takuya as he gritted his teeth.
Under normal circumstances, anyone he interrogated would break down in just a few hours. These two, however, had kept their lips sealed tight, even though he had interrogated them throughout the night and had exhausted most of his torture devices! He simply couldn’t believe it! Still, Takuya wasn’t discouraged.
After all, he hadn’t used his cruelest tactics yet. Once he used those, he was sure that they would finally talk.
Turning to look at the duo, Richard simply scoffed, “Just tell us the details already or you’ll surely die extremely painfully!”
“Dream on! You’ll never get anything from us so just kill us already!” snapped Endo as he gritted his teeth. While it was true that his wounds had been all stitched up, it had been done crudely with the intent of only allowing him to remain barely alive. After an entire night of getting tortured, the stitches had long been torn open again, causing Endo’s skin to inflame and be exposed to infection…
“There’s no use pitying them, Mr. Crawford. Either way, I believe that I’m close to cracking both of them. After all, nobody on this planet is truly unafraid of death. With that in mind, I just have to resort to more brutal psychological tactics to make them speak!” scowled Takuya as he slammed his fist onto the table.
“Hah! We’ll see about that!” scoffed Endo as he spat his blood at Takuya.
“… Give them the harshest treatment you can think of. I refuse to believe that we can’t get them to speak by the end of the day!” ordered Takuya as he walked up to Endo before glaring at him.
“Worry not, patriarch! We’ll use everything we’ve got to make them speak! “ replied Takuya’s men as
they nodded.
“Well said. Now then, let’s leave for now, Mr. Crawford I’m a little tired after interrogating them the entire night. Speaking of which, I’ve ordered my subordinates to prepare breakfast for us, so let’s get to that first,” said Takuya as he turned to look at Richard before starting to leave the interrogation room…
Naturally, Richard followed him, and soon enough, they found themselves walking into the front part of the manor again. As they walked on, Takuya lit a cigarette and began smoking on it.
After a while, he was prompted to say, “You know, I never expected those two to be so stubborn. To think that I’d fail to get any relevant information from them after torturing them for an entire night! Still, I have a pretty good hunch that they’re both Hanyus. After all, that’s the only family who even dares to go against the Futabas in the entirety of Japan! Besides, you already stated that they were a bit too strong to be ordinary assassins. Still, I can’t help but wonder why they went after you instead of my daughter…?”
‘Indeed… Had the Hanyus come for Fujiko, they could’ve just attacked her straight off the bat. What more, aside from the fact that they clearly went after me, they even called out my name, which seals the deal that I was their target the entire time,” replied Richard as he continued pondering the topic.
“So it would seem. But why on earth would they suddenly wish to go after you…? Could it be that they’ve learned that you were the one who had saved Fujiko that day? Even so, as much as I hate to say it, knowing that shouldn’t have caused them to target you instead of my daughter…” muttered Takuya with a frown.
“… Could it be that they’re not actually Hanyus…?” asked Richard.
“With how strong those two are? They’re most probably Hanyus. After all, there aren’t any other families or forces in Japan who would train such competent assassins. And again, nobody would dare to mess with the Futabas other than them. Then again, it may just be a biased assumption. Perhaps all this goes deeper… “ replied Takuya with a shrug, still slightly bummed out that he hadn’t managed to crack the code after an entire night of interrogating…
—
Shortly after, they arrived at the dining room. By that point, Tanaka’s men had already returned with breakfast, so after the two sat at opposite ends of the dining table, both of them began having their meals. Naturally, they continued discussing the matter in between bites…
While things had calmed down a little at the Futaba manor, the Hanyus were in complete disarray. Ryugu, for one, had been seated on his wooden chair in his room the entire night, constantly staring at his cell phone with his fist clenched.
The final message he had received from Endo was from last night, stating that he and Izumi had successfully managed to sneak into the manor and locate Richard. Though Ryugu had expected them to update him on their situation right before they made their move, the message never came.
Now that ten hours had passed since their last message, Ryugu was understandably getting more and more worried. Even so, he refused to believe that the two capable team leaders had failed. After all, he of all people, knew how strong they were, especially when they paired up. If they were able to secretly assassinate the leader of a terrorist organization, finishing off
Richard should naturally be a piece of cake for them! Hell, just sending one of them should’ve sufficed! However, Ryugu wanted everything to be perfect, so he had sent both of them together.
Still, now that so much time had passed without any news from them, Ryugu couldn’t help but fear the worst. At this moment, he would’ve very much preferred receiving a message from them, stating that they had failed, rather than continue going through this agonizing wait…
At that moment, his door suddenly burst open, prompting Ryugu to leap from his seat and yell, “Any news from them?!”
“… U-unfortunately not, team leader…” replied Kanagawa Takeshi, one of the other team leaders.
Frowning slightly, Ryugu then gripped his phone tightly while muttering, “… It’s impossible… Isn’t there any way to find out what’s happened to them?”
“Trust me when I say we’ve been doing our best, team leader… Regardless, according to our men keeping an eye on the manor, nobody’s entered the Futaba residence ever since Endo and Izumi went in. As for the only person who had left throughout the past ten hours, he had apparently only gone out to get breakfast, and returned shortly after… If you ‘re wondering why we haven’t done any internal investigations, we’re simply worried that we may unnecessarily increase our chances of being found out by the Futabas…” replied Takeshi in a resigned tone.
Though Takeshi really wanted to enter and find out what had happened to Endo and Izumi as well, his better judgment made him refrain from doing so. After all, if the duo had gotten into trouble, then there was a high chance that he’d get caught as well. Should that happen, then everything would surely begin to crumble.
…
Understanding where Takeshi was coming from, Ryugu then asked in resignation, “… Well, then did any of the men hear any peculiar sounds after Endo and Izumi got in…?”
“Not at all. After all, you told us to keep an eye out on the entrance. Since Izumi and Endo entered from the side, we weren’t even aware when they had made their move. With that in mind, it was pretty much improbable for us to have heard anything…” replied Takeshi as he shook his head.
“God f*cking d*mn it…! How the hell did two of our family’s best assassins just vanish into thin air after attempting to assassinate Richard?! Even if they got found out or had to deal with the fighters of the Futaba family, they should’ve reported back by now!” roared Ryugu who was now so infuriated that his entire body was trembling. Unable to hold back his rage, he then tossed his phone to the floor with so much force that the phone smashed into a million pieces…!
Seeing that, the shocked Takeshi immediately took a few steps back before lowering his head, not daring to say a word…
After breathing heavily for a short while, the enraged Ryugu couldn’t help but laugh coldly before sneering, “How… How absolutely weird… How the hell had such mighty assassins just disappeared upon entering the Futaba manor…?!”
Chapter 703
Once Ryugu calmed down a bit, Takeshi gulped before replying, “… Do… you think the Futabas have other powerful men…?”
“… Negative. Even if there were powerful people within their family, our two assassins should’ve still been able to report back. Besides, we’ve already done a thorough background check on their family before we attempted to assassinate Fujiko. With that in mind, we know that there are only a few trained fighters in their family, though none of them should be able to handle Endo and Izumi,” said Ryugu as he shook his head.
Though he said that, he knew that there was a high possibility that the two were already dead. However, that posed a question. Where the hell had the Futabas suddenly found such powerful men? No matter how much Ryugu racked his brain, he simply couldn’t figure it out.
“Indeed… How truly odd… With how strong Endo and Izumi are, this mission should’ve been a cinch for them. I wonder if there are any underlying issues involved…” muttered Takeshi.
“I can’t say for sure, but whatever the case is, we can’t slack off for even a second! I can’t just allow two of our family’s top assassins to disappear off the grid like this! With that said, we’re forced to head to their manor to investigate! Even if Endo and Izumi are truly dead, I have to see their corpses to believe it!” declared Ryugu after taking in a deep breath.
The now trembling Ryugu had honestly been keeping Endo and Izumi’s lack of response a secret from most of the other Hanyus. After all, Endo and Izumi were two of the biggest powerhouses within the family, and if the patriarch found out that something had possibly happened to them, there would surely be hell to pay. It certainly didn’t help that it would be extremely difficult to train more of their men to get to the duo’s level…
Whatever the case was, Takeshi then asked, “So… Should we still keep an eye on their entrance…?”
“… In the meantime, yes. I’ll be sending over another small team to take over that task in a bit. Once they arrive, try your best to locate Endo and Izumi. If you manage to rescue them, I’ll allow you to be the assistant team leader of the main assassination team!” replied Ryugu after a brief pause.
“G-got it!” exclaimed Takeshi as he immediately smiled.
“Good. Now leave. I wish to be left alone…!” grumbled Ryugu as he sat on his chair again while looking blankly at the ceiling…
Moving back to Richard, after having his breakfast, he went looking for Fujiko. Once he entered her room and they greeted each other good morning, Fujiko took the chance to say, “You know, the military just notified me that the special forces competition is a week away. With that in mind, they wish for me to head there.”
“I agree with them there. Seven days isn’t all that long,” replied Richard with a nod.
“Indeed… Still, I can’t help but worry that if we leave the mansion, more assassins will try coming after your head… I really don’t wish to burden you any more than I should… Call it a gut feeling, but I believe that the Kanagawas and the Hanyus will come after you at the same time…” muttered Fujiko as she grabbed onto the hem of her clothes.
“Don’t worry about me. Regardless, I’ll be sure to protect you,” replied Richard in a casual tone.
Understanding that Richard was trying to avoid talking about her burdening him, Fujiko then said, “I know you will, but I-”
“So, when are we heading over?” interrupted Richard.
“… According to the military notice, we’ll have to be there by this afternoon to register ourselves… Once we’ve done that, they’ll tell us more about the event as well as when the competition will be held… Also, we won’t be allowed to leave till the competition ends, so keep that in mind,” replied Fujiko with a serious tone.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get packing and hit the road!” said Richard without the slightest hesitation.
Simply nodding in response, Fujiko knew that Richard was right. She needed to focus on the competition. After all, not only was she the youngest daughter of the Futaba family, but she also had to live up to her title of the ‘Queen of Soldiers’. With that in mind, she definitely had to score high in the competition…!
—
After having their lunch, Richard and Fujiko left the mansion together in an SUV.
Earlier before they set off, Takuya had advised both of them, especially Richard, to pay attention to their surroundings no matter where they went. After all, there was a high possibility that both the Kanagawas and Hanyus were actually working together. With that in mind, Takuya knew that his daughter was now in much more danger than she had ever been in. Richard, of course, agreed with this, and he swore to protect Fujiko as best as he could.
Regardless, as the duo sped off to the location that the Japanese military had designated for them to get registered, the Hanyus who were keeping watch over the manor’s entrance whom Ryugu had stationed there immediately reported what they saw to their team leader…
“What? Richard and Fujiko left at the same time?!” yelled the wide eyed Ryugu as he leaped off his chair, dropping his cigarette in the process.
“Apparently so. My subordinates informed me that they were driving southeast,” replied Takeshi
instantaneously, not daring to sound slack.
“Well, then what are you waiting for? Get your men to tail them! I’m warning you, if you lose them, you’ll have hell to pay!” roared Ryugu as he slammed his fist onto the table.
“D-don’t worry about that, team leader! My subordinates have already been doing that! We’d never let our targets escape! “ declared Takeshi as he patted his chest.
Seconds later, however, Takeshi then added, “… However… Are we simply stalking them…? Should we take action or something…?”
“Did the obvious really need to be stated? Get your men’s coordinates right this instant! We’re joining them immediately! That Richard Crawford… I don’t care how, but we’re definitely getting our hands on him, and once we do, we’ll eventually learn about what happened to Endo and Izumi! There’s just no way we could lose two of our family’s top assassins that easily…!” growled Ryugu as he stomped out of his room, Takeshi swiftly following after him…
Moving back to the SUV, Richard could be seen steering with one hand and holding a cigarette in his other. With his cigarette hand leaned against the open car window, both of them were swiftly approaching the competition venue…
On their way, however, Fujiko who wasn’t called the Queen of Soldiers for nothing couldn’t help but say, “… Is it just me, or are the two cars behind the SUV tailing us…?”
Fujiko, for one, had noticed the cars from the moment they entered the highway. It was pretty hard to miss them since no matter how fast or slow the SUV went, the two cars simply maintained a constant distance from them…
Regardless, upon hearing that, Richard couldn’t help but smile as he peeked at the rear-view mirror while replying, “What, did you just notice them?”
“I do know they’ve been tailing us for about ten minutes I just wanted to check with you,” said Fujiko as she shook her head.
“Well, the truth is, those two cars have been following us ever since we left the manor,” replied Richard as he tossed the cigarette out the window… before stepping on the gas!
With that, the SUV lurched forward, prompting the two cars behind them to speed up as well!
“… What? Are you telling me that the people in those cars have been keeping watch over our manor this entire time?!” exclaimed Fujiko, stunned. After all, the idea of them being tailed from the moment they left the manor was something she had never even considered!
“I’m assuming so. After all, before we headed off earlier, I could already sense the presence of at least ten people lurking in the shadows. However, they weren’t very strong, so I just remained silent about it. If it helps to know, they’re weak enough that your father’s men could easily take care of them.”
—
Though the SUV was already speeding at a hundred and sixty, Richard looked as cool as a cucumber as he casually drummed his fingers on the steering wheel…
Fujiko, on the other hand, couldn’t help but stare wide eyed at Richard before eventually asking, “… Who the hell are you…?”
“I’m just an ordinary man. I’ve told you that many times before, haven’t I?” replied Richard with a smile.
“No ordinary man would be able to say they ‘sensed the presence of at least ten weak men lurking in the shadows’… How do you even gauge a person’s strength without seeing them first?” muttered Fujiko.
“… It was just a gut feeling,” replied Richard, now realizing that he may have said a bit too much.
Naturally, there was no way he could tell her that he had sensed those men and how strong they were through the use of his Herculean Primordial Spirit. With the Herculean Primordial Spirit inside him, there was simply no hiding from Richard, regardless of how stealthy one was or how good they were at acting…
Whatever the case was, Fujiko naturally didn’t buy it, prompting her to say, “… The truth, please.”
“… Again, it was just a gut feeling… Regardless, I feel we should focus on getting rid of those people first… After all, you wouldn’t want to lead them all the way to the competition venue, right?” replied Richard, clearly trying to change the topic.
“ …Of course, I wouldn’t. Those people will surely cause chaos if we lead them there! Should that happen, not only will I get punished, but the Japanese military will be humiliated as well!” declared Fujiko in a determined tone as she shook her head. She, for one, didn’t want to bring her family’s troubles to the military…
“Well said. Next question, do you want to lose them or just kill them?” asked Richard as he placed his hand on the gear shift.
“End them!” exclaimed Fujiko without the slightest hesitation. After all, if they failed to lose them, then they’d surely make it to the competition venue, causing her reputation to plummet. Killing them right off the bat was the only way to prevent that!
“Kill them it is,” replied Richard with a slight nod.
“If it helps, there’s a deserted, extinct volcano nearby that used to be active. In case you’re worried, extinct volcanoes aren’t expected to ever erupt again. Regardless, why don’t we do the deed there?” asked Fujiko as she fished out a map of Japan from the storage area in the SUV before eventually pointing at a spot to Richard.
After glancing at the map and looking at the mountain that was quite a distance away, Richard couldn’t
help but ask, “Is that it?”
Following Richard’s line of vision, Fujiko then nodded as she replied, “Yep, that’s the one.”
“Seems like the perfect place to murder someone,” muttered Richard as he slowed down the car… before swerving it off the highway and into a path that led to a village! Once he was on the path, he immediately sped up again, causing the SUV to disappear amongst the single story houses that were all over the place…
Meanwhile, the assassins that had been tailing the duo instantly noticed Richard’s sudden route change, prompting them to immediately change course as well. Naturally, they also reported this to Takeshi who was currently in Ryugu’s car. However, since each of the Hanyu family’s cars had a tracking system installed, Ryugu already knew where the assassins that were
Tailing Richard were, even before they reported back.
What Ryugu found shocking, however, was the fact that Richard was actually going off course. Immediately clicking on the car’s central control panel twice prompting a map of the area to appear, Ryugu then grumbled, “This isn’t right. Where the hell are they going?”
Chapter 704
Watching as the two assassin groups continued pursuing Richard and Fujiko on-screen, Ryugu couldn’t help but wonder why the duo had suddenly chosen to deviate off the highway.
Due to all the research the Hanyus had done while planning their initial assassination of Fujiko, Ryugu knew for a fact that Fujiko was supposed to be heading to the location where the special forces competition was going to be held. After all, where else could they be going? With that in mind, why were they suddenly going off path…?
Sitting at the back, Takeshi realized that he wasn’t the only one who found this odd since shortly after, one of the subordinates who was on loudspeaker asked, “Could we have made a wrong guess as to
where they were headed to…?”
After a brief pause, Ryugu simply laughed coldly before replying, “I don’t even care anymore! Just follow them till the end of hell!”
Who cared if they were heading to the special forces competition, some outing, or even someplace to pay respect to their ancestors? The location wasn’t what mattered. No, what mattered was that Ryugu killed Richard while he could!
Ryugu knew that it was going to be much more difficult to pull off the assassination once the duo returned to the Futaba manor, so this was the prime opportunity to get the job done…! This could very well be his only chance of rescuing Endo and Izumi as well…!
Whatever the case was, upon hearing Ryugu’s order, Takeshi cleared his throat before yelling, “Didn’t you hear what the team leader said? Keep your eyes peeled and don’t you dare lose sight of that SUV! If you fail to do something simple like that, don’t return to the family!”
“U-understood!” replied the subordinates who were still hot on Richard’s heels…
Moving back to Richard, once he was about six miles from the dead volcano, he made sure to slow down a little. After all, he couldn’t kill them if they lost him.
As Richard drove on, he couldn’t help but ask, “So… What kind of disputes did the Futabas have with the Hanyus in recent years?”
“I’m… not too sure about that, actually… After all, I’ve mostly spent my time in the military in the past few years… It certainly didn’t help that during the rare occasions I returned home, dad refused to tell me a single thing regarding our family’s affairs. However, I do remember him saying that our family had barely contacted the Hanyus ever since he became the patriarch… I, for one, see no reason why he would lie,” replied Fujiko as she shook her head, realizing just how out of touch she was with her family’s affairs. It seemed that she had been too focused on surviving and fighting for honor in the
military this entire time…
“I see… Do you think he refrained from saying anything due to some concerns of his?” asked Richard who had witnessed other families doing the same things in the past. In the other family’s situation, the party involved didn’t detail the entire situation to him, which resulted in them facing even more trouble than necessary…
Regardless, Fujiko then shook her head while saying, “I don’t think so…”
Fujiko, for one, knew her father’s personality well. Takuya simply wasn’t the kind of person who held grudges against other families. Even if a dispute came up, he would simply tolerate it for the sake of protecting everyone’s interest…
“I wonder about that…” muttered Richard to himself.
While Richard was well aware of the family feud between the Futabas and the Hanyus, he didn’t believe that the Hanyus would just send assassins over to kill Fujiko without good reason. The problem was, he couldn’t tell what their motive was. Still, he was sure the Hanyus had their reasons. After all, why else would they be so persistent in causing trouble for both him and Fujiko?
“… Though you say that, I don’t really see my dad having any reason to be in conflict with the Hanyus…” replied Fujiko who had heard Richard’s mutter.
“While that may be true, you haven’t put the rest of the Futabas into consideration. Who knows whether any of them have any conflicts or exchanges of interests with the Hanyus?” said Richard with a wry smile.
Upon hearing that, Fujiko instantly frowned as she asked, “… Could you perhaps be referring to Grandpa Masura and Suke…?”
Though Fujiko hadn’t been home for the longest, she was still aware enough about things like these. The fact that Masura had told her father to step down from his post right in front of her that night certainly made him a prime suspect..
—
“Just to make it clear, I didn’t say any names,” replied Richard as he shook his head. He, for one, knew better than to just casually point fingers at any of the Futabas. However, from his previous experiences, there was a pretty high probability that Fujiko’s guess was right.
“… Whatever the case is, I really don’t even dare to imagine such incidents taking place within my family…” muttered Fujiko as her expression darkened.
Even from when she was a child, Fujiko had been well taken care of by all the members of her family. With that in mind, it made it all the more difficult for her to imagine any of her kind family members standing against her father and doing harmful things to their family…
Richard himself remained silent after hearing that, and simply concentrated on driving, making sure to keep a close eye on the two cars through his rear view mirror behind them at the same time…
In less than twenty minutes, the duo found themselves getting increasingly close to their destination. By this point, there were hardly any villages down the path. Hell, there weren’t even any wild dogs around, and to a country with such little land like Japan, this was nothing short of unnatural…
Regardless, upon realizing that Richard kept looking around, Fujiko was prompted to ask, “Do you know why this area is so sparsely populated…?”
Shrugging in response, Richard simply replied, “Beats me.”
“Well… This is the territory of the Yamashita family. With that in mind, apart from their family members, nobody else dares to live here…” explained Fujiko.
“… Hmm? What kind of people are the Yamashitas?” asked Richard, his interest slightly piqued. Though he didn’t know much about Japan, he was informed when it came to the more influential and powerful families. With that said, he found it odd that he hadn’t heard of the Yamashitas before. After all, in order to obtain such a large piece of land, the Yamashita had to undoubtedly be powerful…
Seeing how curious Richard looked, Fujiko quickly explained, “Well, they’re quite an obscure family in Japan… Their abilities simply aren’t good enough to obtain a ranking in Japan.”
“Then how did they buy such a massive piece of land?”
“Well… though the commoners see them as a regular family, to the insiders, we know that they have a rather ‘unique’ profession… They’re secretly a family of ninjas,” replied Fujiko in a lowered voice.
Similar to cultivators, ninjas weren’t individuals whom people from the secular world could learn about all willy-nilly. After all, exposing that such a profession actually existed could easily stir up a never ending storm!
“… Ninjas, you say?” said Richard with a slight frown.
“Indeed. I’m sure you’ve heard of them before…” replied Fujiko with a nod.
“The way the media depicts them? Yes, though I had honestly no idea they really existed… After all, I’ve never encountered one before!” said Richard as he shook his head.
“Well, they’re very real, and it’s an unspoken rule for those who know that ninjas are real that their existence should be kept a secret. I believe it’s similar to how Westoners keep the existence of cultivators a secret,” replied Fujiko while nodding.
“… Oh? You know about cultivators?” asked Richard as he turned to look at her.
“Of course I do! I’m the young mistress of the Futaba family, after all. Besides, our family is—”
—
Though Fujiko’s initial tone had been gleeful, halfway through her sentence, she seemed to realize that she had said something she shouldn’t have, prompting her to shut up.
While Richard found that suspicious, he maintained a calm façade as he asked, “What about your family?”
“I… Well, of course my family would know such things. The Futabas are quite powerful, after all,” replied Fujiko before covering her mouth slightly.
“Makes sense,” said Richard as he went along with her. Still, after all this time they had spent together, Richard had a feeling that Fujiko had accidentally just confirmed that her family was part of the Seadom tribe.
Feeling thankful that Richard wasn’t pressuring her to continue, after breathing a sigh of relief, Fujiko then added, “…Regardless, though I know there are ninjas in that family, I’ve never personally met any. After all, the other powerful families, ours included, don’t really have a reason to contact them. With that in mind, they’ve just been living here, left mostly secluded from regular citizens.”
After thinking about it for a while, Richard further slowed the SUV down to ensure that the other two cars would be able to catch up before looking out the windows while asking, “… Speaking of which, now that we’ve entered their territory, do you think they’ll come looking for trouble with us?”
“There’s a low chance of that… After all, as far as I know, the Yamashitas don’t really have any conflicts with other families. With that in mind, as long as we don’t disturb or accidentally threaten them, we should be able to pass through their territory just fine,” replied Fujiko.
“That’s good to know. Regardless, Endo and Izumi are probably with them. Since we’ve caught those two, once we take care of those people who’ve been tailing us, we may finally find out whether it’s the Kanagawas or Hanyus who are behind the assassination attempts,” sneered Richard with a wry smile.
“Regardless of which family they belong to, we can’t let them off easily after all that they’ve done!” growled Fujiko who now cared about her family’s safety more than anything else.
Nodding in response, Richard finally hit the brakes once they got to a flat, barren area…
Following that, he was prompted to ask, “Do you still remember what I told you?”
Confused, Fujiko replied, “… Um… Perhaps be a bit more specific…?”
Lighting a cigarette, Richard then glanced at the rear view mirror and watched as the cars behind them got closer and closer… Pushing the car door open, he then stretched before saying, “I promised to protect you and your family… And I always keep my promises.”
Upon hearing that, Fujiko paused for a moment before asking, “… Why are you doing all this for us…?”
She really couldn’t imagine why Richard was helping her and her family so much. Even if there was something from her family that he wanted which she had no idea what it could possibly be, with how strong he was, he could’ve easily gotten what he desired through brute force.
By this point, Fujiko was pretty sure that he wasn’t doing all this for her either. After all, back when they were still pretending to be a couple, Richard had actively made it clear that it was just pretend. He wasn’t interested in her at all!
As she thought about it, she couldn’t help but smile. After all, to others, she and Richard were still a couple. Though they were faking their relationship now, who was to say that it wouldn’t end up turning into a real one? The thought of it alone greatly improved Fujiko’s mood.
Either way, after Richard stepped out of the SUV, the other two cars came to a halt not too far off. Even so, nobody stepped out. Instead, the men opted to update Ryugu about their current situation…
“… What? They’ve entered the Yamashita family’s territory?!” yelled Ryugu as he slammed the steering wheel before hitting the brakes, causing the car to come to a screeching halt by the roadside…
Chapter 705
“Get the physical map out! “ ordered Ryugu the second he hung up.
Immediately doing as Ryugu ordered, Takeshi then retrieved the map and unrolled it before him…
Alternating his gaze between the car navigation screen and the physical map, Ryugu traced the route that Richard had taken… before his finger finally stopped atop the barren mountain. According to the GPS, the two cars truly had entered the Yamashita family’s territory!
“D*mn it! What the hell is Richard doing in the Yamashita family’s territory?! What kind of relationship does he have with them?!” grumbled Ryugu as he slammed his fist into his seat.
“… Leader… Do you think… that the man who thwarted Saburo’s assassination plan could be a ninja from the Yamashita family…?” speculated Takeshi.
“… A possibility certainly exists… However, I’ve never really met any of the ninjas from that family… Hell, I’ve never even heard of any connections between the Futabas and the Yamashitas! “ replied Ryugu as he scratched the back of his head, wondering how things had suddenly gotten so complicated…
Pretty much every powerful family in Japan knew about the Yamashita’s ninjas. However, since nobody had ever seen any of their ninjas, there were rumors that the ninjas were only the stuff of legends and weren’t actually real…
Regardless, after a brief pause, Takeshi then added, “So should we continue with our mission…? Or should I order our men to retreat…?”
“… We’ve already cornered them well. We shouldn’t let an opportunity like this go to waste! Besides, it’s not like we’re targeting the Yamashitas. If we bump into them, we’ll just make sure to explain things properly. With the Hanyu family’s status in mind, the Yamashitas should be willing to give us face…” retorted Ryugu as he glared at Takeshi.
With that said, Ryugu then continued driving to where Richard was. While he would’ve surely postponed the mission for fear of offending the Yamashitas in the past, the current Ryugu was in a desperate situation. After all, two of the Hanyu family’s top assassins had gone missing while attempting to assassinate Richard! With that in mind, he had to interrogate Richard as soon as possible to learn about Endo and Izumi’s situation. Otherwise, he’d be unable to explain himself to the patriarch…
Ryugu, for one, knew that if he failed to get any information out of Richard, losing his position as leader was a small price to pay… After all, there was a much higher chance that he would have to pay with his life instead…!
Moving back to Fujiko, she could be seen obediently waiting in the car as Richard who was standing right next to the SUV stared at the two cars that still hadn’t budged.
After puffing most of the cigarette away, Richard tossed the butt away before saying in a cold voice, “You know, with how long you’ve been tailing us, don’t you find it to be a bit impolite to not even get out of your cars to talk?”
The second Richard said that, eight men each wielding either a dagger or a steel pipe got out of the cars. However, they didn’t rush forward. Instead, they simply glared at Richard from afar…
Though they hadn’t fought him before, they had all heard rumors that Richard had defeated Endo and Izumi. With that in mind, they all knew there was a high possibility that they would die if they simply charged forward!
Adding that to the fact that Ryugu had only ordered them to tail Richard rather than assassinate him, none of the eight men planned to make a move.
Seeing that they weren’t budging from their spots, Richard then added, “Since we’re all already here, why don’t you tell me which family you come from already!”
—
Despite hearing Richard’s question, none of them replied.
Realizing that they weren’t keen on saying anything or even moving from their spots, Richard who was already losing his patience got ready to make a move a she said, “Since you’re so unwilling to talk, I’ll make sure you never talk again!”
This wasn’t Richard’s first time dealing with individuals like this. With that in mind, he knew that brute force was the only way to get them to talk! After all, most people were usually willing to talk when they were inches away from death. With that said, Richard then bolted toward them!
Before any of Ryugu’s men knew it, Richard had already bolted past them and karate chopped their necks! In less than a few seconds, only one of them remained alive and standing…!
Quivering when he saw that all his allies had died from broken necks, the last man standing then heard Richard growl, “Again, who do you work for?”
“W-who the hell are you…?!” stuttered the frightened Hanyu who still couldn’t believe what he had witnessed just seconds earlier. What level of strength did Richard even have…?!
“Didn’t you send two of your men over to assassinate me? What more, all of you had been stationed right outside the Futaba manor to keep an eye on me, no? Shouldn’t you know who I am by now?” replied Richard with a laugh.
“P-please…! I don’ t know anything…!” pleaded the fearful man Whose mind had gone completely blank
“Either way, I’m asking one final time. Which family do you belong to? “ asked Richard as he puffed on another cigarette while shaking his head.
Naturally, the man was hesitant to reply. After all, while he was terrified that Richard would kill him if he remained silent, he knew that he would still end up dead once Ryugu found out that he had told Richard that he was a Hanyu.
As the terrified man continued pondering his options, another car suddenly came to a screeching halt not too far off. Upon noticing the vehicle, Richard immediately walked past the quivering man. It was obvious that the people who had just arrived had higher statuses.
Shortly after, Ryugu stepped out and pointed at Richard before yelling, “Richard Crawford…!”
Upon seeing Ryugu, Fujiko quickly got out of the SUV and whispered, “Richard…! Get back here… !”
Hearing that, Richard simply nodded and walked over to stand by Fujiko’s side.
Leaning closer to him, Fujiko then whispered, “That man who just got out… he’s the leader of the Hanyu family’s assassination department…! He’s also one of the Hanyu’s top assassins…! Regardless, since he’s here, the two men we detained last night are most probably Hanyus as well!”
Though Fujiko didn’t recognize the other small fries, she definitely knew who Ryugu was. After all, he was quite famous in Japan.
“Oh? The Hanyus you say…?” replied Richard as he narrowed his eyes at Ryugu…
—
Just by looking at the man, Richard could already tell that Ryugu was slightly stronger than the duo from last night…
Whatever the case was, Fujiko then replied, “Indeed. It’s just as you had predicted… At the start, I wasn’t too sure if the Hanyus were really the ones responsible for all this. Now that I think about it, however, with how strong Endo and Izumi were, I should’ve known better. Either way, since the two were clearly stronger than the men you just killed, I’m assuming that they’re team leaders for some of the more minor assassination teams.”
“I see… If that’s the case, then I guess there’s no need for further interrogation. I’ll just finish these people off and be done for the day. After losing two team leaders and a department leader, I’m sure the Hanyus will lay low for a while,” replied Richard as his hand reached out to get another cigarette… only to realize that the box was empty.
Watching as Richard tossed the empty box of cigarettes to the ground, Fujiko who hardly ever saw Richard without a cigarette in his mouth couldn’t help but frown as she said, “…You know, smoking this much is going to affect your health one day…”
Fujiko, for one, didn’t really mind the smell of cigarette smoke. After all, many of the men in the army smoked just as much as Richard did. She was simply genuinely worried about Richard’s health.
“…I’ll keep that in mind,” replied Richard who was momentarily startled to hear that. After all, aside from Mila, Fujiko had been the only other person who cared about his smoking addiction.
The truth was, Richard had only started smoking again after Mila went missing. It was the only way he could keep himself sedated enough to not think about her all the time.
Shaking his head, Richard then slid his hands into his pockets before stepping forward and asking, “