Feeling embarrassed by Ryuzaki's intense gaze, Zenshin Jilong felt a little ashamed.
The muscles on the believer Jilong's cheeks tensed as he abruptly turned his head to the other side, his gaze fixed on the wilderness gradually being swallowed by the night.
His tone was curt.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Ryuzaki leaned back in his leather seat, a faint smile playing on his lips, and gently shook his head.
"It's better not to know."
He held a cigarette between his fingers, the smoke curling upwards and changing shape under the ambient lighting on the car roof.
"In this world, the clear-headed people often suffer the most, while the muddle-headed people tend to live longer. It's good to be muddle-headed."
After those words were spoken, the cramped back seat fell into a deathly silence once again.
The only sounds were the two people's soft breathing and the extremely faint hissing of cigarettes burning.
The believer, Jilong, felt extremely uncomfortable. The leather seat beneath him seemed to have turned into a scorching hot iron, making him restless and unable to sit still.
He kept a watchful eye on Ryuzaki's every move, hoping that he would finish his cigarette quickly and that the other man would get lost.
The other party was currently acting casually and relaxed, seemingly not intending to do anything to him, which he couldn't understand.
Logically speaking, the car should have been a life-or-death situation by now.
Time stretched out endlessly in silence, and every second was torture for the believer, Jilong.
Ryuzaki took a deep drag, the last sparks igniting at the edge of the filter, almost burning his fingers.
He slowly opened his mouth, exhaling all the murky smoke from his lungs out the window, watching the wisp of white smoke disappear into the night.
Then, he gently snapped his thumb and middle finger together and flicked it lightly into the darkness outside the window.
"stop--"
The cigarette butt traced a dark red parabola before disappearing into the roadside bushes.
After doing all this, Ryuzaki Makoto withdrew his hand, leaned forward, and turned to look directly into the eyes of Shinshin Jiryu.
Let's set a time.
This sudden remark left the already tense believer, Jilong, momentarily stunned.
His brows furrowed even more, his eyes filled with doubt, even a hint of absurdity.
This kid speaks on a whim, his thoughts jump around so much that they're completely illogical.
How about we schedule a time?
What time would you like to meet?
Should we arrange a time to go to an izakaya together for a drink and turn hostility into friendship?
Or are we going to go have some fun in Kabukicho?
Ryuzaki Makoto chuckled and leaned back.
"What are you thinking about, Mr. Shanxin?"
"Don't you want to put an end to this?"
"Or are you afraid after witnessing my methods?"
Ryuzaki Makoto's voice struck the heart of the believer, Jilong, with a heavy thud.
"Since you just rejected my proposal and are unwilling to relinquish your power to live the leisurely life of those wealthy men, then stay and face the arrangements of fate."
At this point, Ryuzaki Makoto paused slightly.
"We're all in the same boat, living on the edge of a knife. You don't naively think I'm that magnanimous, do you?"
"You've brought fifty knife-wielding men here today to ambush me, trying to kill me. You've gone this far. Do you think we can just sit in the car, have a smoke, and chat about philosophy and that's it?"
It wasn't until this moment that the believer Jilong finally realized what was happening.
Damn it, that was supposed to be his line!
However, what Ryuzaki Makoto proposed was exactly what he wanted to do deep down at that moment.
His original plan for today was simple, yet also bold.
Taking advantage of Ryuzaki Makoto's relaxed vigilance and lack of companionship after just attending a bidding event, they set up an ambush on this deserted suburban avenue.
Take advantage of the chaos and hack Ryuzaki Makoto to death with a flurry of blows, thus solving the problem once and for all.
After all, although the True Dragon Society is powerful, it is clear to everyone that the absolute core and spiritual leader of that organization is only Ryuzaki Shin.
As soon as Shinichi Ryuzaki dies, the entire Shinryu Society will instantly fall apart and become a disorganized mess.
With the immense achievement of killing Ryuzaki Shin, his prestige as a believer will reach its peak, allowing him to openly challenge and force the emperor to abdicate at the highest meeting of the Kowloon Group.
After all, within the Kowloon Group, the most powerful faction is its own Shanxinhui.
Those old guys occupy positions but dare not do anything; they should have been kicked out long ago.
If he can seize this opportunity to take control of the Kowloon Group and integrate all its resources and connections, Shan Xin Ji Long is absolutely confident that, under his leadership, the Kowloon Group will definitely be able to swallow up the development project of Wuming Street and become the true underground emperor.
Even if Ryuzaki Makoto wasn't defeated on the spot today, in Zenshin Jilong's previous understanding, the opponent would inevitably be seriously injured due to the siege of fifty people, becoming a spent force.
He concealed a pistol, intending to finish off the enemy at a crucial moment.
Even if it's done dirty, as long as the result is good, no one cares about the process.
Therefore, the word "failure" simply did not exist in his mind, and he did not consider the consequences of being surrounded by one person from the other side.
Now the situation has reversed, and I am in a completely disadvantageous and passive position.
However, having been a formidable figure for decades, Shanxin Jilong no longer showed any stage fright.
Ryuzaki's relentless pursuit of revenge suited his intentions perfectly.
His original plan included a grand battle against the True Dragon Society, where he would gather all his forces and engage in a real, decisive war.
Since a sneak attack won't work, let's crush them head-on.
The believer Jilong took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, and his aura became gloomy and heavy, regaining some of the demeanor of a big shot.
He looked at Ryuzaki Makoto and said in a deep voice:
"Did you know that in traditional underworld rules, if two organizations reach a point of no return, one side needs to formally submit a 'war declaration' to the other, and then choose an auspicious day and place to agree on a meeting..."
Ryuzaki Makoto raised his hand without any politeness and waved it impatiently, directly interrupting the other party's long speech.
"Alright, stop spouting those outdated, antiquated ideas."
"Those are just fig leaves that you old guys use to cover up violence."
"In my opinion, nothing is more solemn than a face-to-face promise between men. Why bother with all the formalities?"
The believer Jilong was taken aback. He stared at Ryuzaki's disdainful gaze for a few seconds before suddenly bursting into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The laughter carried a hint of self-deprecation, as well as a surge of exhilarating pride.
He suddenly felt ridiculous. He had talked about rules his whole life, but in the end, he felt more pedantic and less authentic than a young man who had just started out.
In a life-or-death struggle, why bother with so many formalities?
The believer, Jilong, stopped laughing, his expression turned serious, and he no longer mentioned those so-called traditional procedures.
"Alright! Then so be it."
He stared at Ryuzaki Makoto and announced the time.
"The time is set for three days from now."
Three days is enough for him to gather all his men.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ryuzaki Shin replied directly.
"Where is the location?"
"I am a believer," said Jilong, emphasizing each word.
"Let things end where they began, right here on Nameless Street."
That is the headquarters of the True Dragon Society, the source of all disputes, and the gathering place of future wealth.
To fight there would mean uprooting the very foundation of the True Dragon Society.
Ryuzaki nodded, having expected this.
"Okay, I'll help you choose a good burial plot."
His gaze was icy as he added the final rule.
"In this battle, life and death are irrelevant; only those who stand have the right to speak."
After saying this, Ryuzaki Makoto slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers spread out and hovering in mid-air.
This is an invitation, and also a vow.
When the believer Jilong saw the hand, he did not hesitate and raised his right hand to meet it.
"Smack!"
Two large hands clasped tightly together in mid-air.
The pressure of their hands made their joints crack slightly, but no one backed down.
Shanxin Jilong stared intently at Longqi Zhen, gritting his back teeth.
"Kid, make sure you're cleaned up in the next three days, and make sure your neck is shiny, so that when I cut it off, it won't feel too dull."
Upon hearing this, Ryuzaki Makoto didn't get angry but laughed instead.
He suddenly increased the pressure on his hand for a moment, then released the hand of the believer, Jilong.
Ryuzaki leaned back in his seat, glanced at the driver, and said something to the believer beside him.
"Alright, that's all I have to say, and the matter is settled. Get out of the car."
The believer Jilong was taken aback upon hearing this.
"What did you say?"
He pointed to the floorboards beneath his feet, then to the steering wheel in front of him, staring at Ryuzaki Makoto in disbelief.
"This is my car."
Ryuzaki Makoto, however, looked completely at ease and pointed to the dark wilderness outside the window.
"I know this is your car."
"But look at what time it is now? This is the middle of nowhere. If I call my people to come and pick me up, it will take at least an hour to go back and forth."
"Furthermore, President Shanxin, you need to broaden your perspective."
Ryuzaki Makoto reached out and affectionately straightened the collar of Shinshin Jiryu's collar, although the gesture looked more like a threat.
"Anyway, you'll be gone in a few days. All these cars, houses, and money will be just possessions you can't take with you."
He patted the believer Jilong on the shoulder, his tone so sincere it made one want to vomit blood.
"Don't worry, since we've reached a gentleman's agreement, I'm not a petty person. If you really like this Mercedes, after I kill you, I'll have someone make a few paper replicas and burn a few for you, the kind with air conditioning and a sound system, so you can drive comfortably even down there."
...
Three minutes later.
The cool night breeze swirled the fallen leaves on the ground.
The believer Jilong stood alone on the dark side of the suburban avenue, while his gang of crippled henchmen, with severed arms and legs, were still groaning and waiting for rescue in the shadows a few hundred meters away.
The roar of the engine faded into the night; it was his Mercedes, now carrying his mortal enemy as it sped away.
As the two red taillights gradually disappeared into the distance, the believer Jilong's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
He subconsciously raised his right hand and swung it a few times in the night wind.
A tingling, painful sensation came from the web of my hand.
"Damn, this kid has a really strong grip..."