Rooftop.
The wind howled, blowing the plants on the rooftop of the luxury apartment building askew, their branches and leaves slapping against the glass railings.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh".
A night breeze blew by.
Kurosaki Kimyu sat in a wicker chair, his hands unconsciously tugging at the coat draped over his body.
His face appeared somewhat ashen under the gloomy sky.
The believer Jilong across the street caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye.
His fingers twirled the cigar in his hand, the orange flame leaping in the nozzle of the windproof lighter, evenly roasting the tobacco.
"This is what the believer Jilong said quietly."
"Kurosaki, you've gotten old."
"Back when I first joined Kowloon Group, I was just an unknown nobody carrying bags for my boss."
"Back then, you were so high and mighty in Toya's underworld, and many big shots had to bow down to you."
"When I saw your back, I made a vow in my heart that in this lifetime, I must reach your position, or even climb higher than you."
Upon hearing these words, Kurosaki Kimryu was not angry. Instead, he burst into laughter, his voice hearty and cheerful.
"Hahaha!"
"If I had known back then that some young upstart was trying to take my place and climb over my head to get to the top, I would have put him in an oil drum and sunk him into the bay that very night."
The believer paused for a moment while roasting the cigars, then smiled, a smile tinged with emotion.
He didn't take the joke that Kurosaki Jinryu was half-joking about, but instead handed over the freshly roasted cigar he was holding.
"Want one?"
"Top-grade Cohiba".
Kurosaki Kimyu waved his hand and pulled his hand back into his coat.
"You know, I quit smoking a long time ago."
The believer, Jilong, shrugged, took the cigar back, put it in his mouth, lit it again, took a deep drag, let the smoke swirl in his mouth, and then slowly exhaled.
The blue smoke was instantly dispersed by the wind.
"Why."
"You're just as annoying as that kid, you don't know how to enjoy life."
Kurosaki Kimryo raised an eyebrow.
"oh?"
"That kid Ryuzaki Mako also said that?"
The believer, Jilong, was holding a cigar.
"Of course not."
"That kid's words are even harsher than you described."
He said this thing is boring.
Kurosaki Kimryu nodded upon hearing this.
"That kid is targeting you."
"You're a person who doesn't follow the rules, which is really boring."
The words had barely left his mouth.
"Boom—"
A muffled clap of thunder exploded overhead.
The once gloomy clouds seemed to have been torn apart by the thunder.
The dark clouds churned violently, instantly obscuring the last glimmer of starlight.
The world was pitch black.
A blinding bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, striking the earth menacingly and briefly illuminating two faces, each lost in their own thoughts.
Large raindrops poured down.
The gale, mixed with rain, lashed wildly through the air, making a loud crackling sound.
The balcony railings were instantly soaked.
Kurosaki Kimiryu put his hands into his wide sleeves and stood up shakily.
He walked to the French windows and looked out at the white curtain of rain through the glass.
"This weather forecast is really inaccurate; it said there would be no rain today."
The believer, Jilong, remained seated in his chair, showing no intention of getting up.
He gazed unsteadily at the distant rain scene.
"Nothing in this world is ever certain."
"Just like life, many things don't just happen out of the blue, do they?"
The air seemed to freeze as soon as those words were spoken.
The sounds of wind, rain, and thunder became background noise at that moment.
Only the sound of two people breathing echoed in my ears.
The rain was torrential.
Kurosaki Kimyuu remained standing by the window, watching the raindrops patter against the glass, leaving streaks of water.
His voice was very low.
"Good believer, stop now."
Shanxin Jilong suddenly looked up and stared coldly at Kurosaki Junlong's back.
"What's the meaning?"
Kurosaki Kimryu turned around, sighed, and his back looked somewhat hunched in the lightning flashes.
"The True Dragon Society has gained momentum, and that kid Ryuzaki Shin is riding high."
"And we in Kowloon are now beset by internal and external troubles, and the people are not united."
"What we need to do now is to temporarily avoid the sharp edge and preserve our strength."
"Good believer, for the sake of the bigger picture..."
"Shut up!"
A roar interrupted Kurosaki Kimryu's persuasion.
The believer, Jilong, suddenly stood up and kicked the chair he was holding to the ground.
"Clang!"
The chair crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
"Kurosaki! Is this what you wanted to tell me after calling me here tonight?"
What does "considering the bigger picture" mean?
"Do you think that I, Shanxin Jilong, don't have Kowloon in my heart? Do you think I'm just a power-hungry madman?"
The believer, Jilong, crushed the still-burning cigar hard against the railing.
"You're wrong, Kurosaki!"
"The reason why our Kowloon Group was able to stand firm in that chaotic land is because of our fists, our fighting spirit, and the reputation we earned through countless battles!"
"Constant concessions will only make those hungry wolves think we are weak and easy to bully, and will only trample our last bit of dignity into the mud."
The believer, Jilong, tore open the collar of his shirt and pointed to the hideous scars on his chest.
"Look carefully!"
"I have the blood of Kowloon flowing in my veins, and every scar on my body is a knife I took for Kowloon!"
"My dignity does not allow me to bow down and beg for mercy to a junior, and I will not take a single step back at such a critical moment."
"I'll show that brat Ryuzaki Makoto that our Kowloon Group isn't some pushover that anyone can bully!"
The voice of the believer, Jilong, roared in the rain, drowning out the thunder.
"I am fighting not for myself, but for the backbone of Kowloon!"
These words were almost shouted out.
At this moment, the believer Jilong released all the pent-up resentment and discontent he had accumulated over the years, as well as his anger towards this increasingly corrupt group.
Kurosaki Junryu looked at Shanxin Jilong with a pained expression on his face.
He slowly closed his eyes, as if powerless to refute, or as if his heart had turned to ashes.
The believer, Jilong, was breathing heavily.
After a while.
He calmed himself down, took a step, and walked over to Kurosaki Kimiryu's side.
The two stood side by side, looking at the blurry city lights in the distance through the rain.
The rain was getting heavier.
Shanxin Jilong reached out and put his arm around Kurosaki Junlong's somewhat thin shoulder.
"Kurosaki, back then I watched you from afar, wanting to stand in your position."
"I'm not doing this for any so-called rights."
"I want to follow in your footsteps and take Kowloon to unprecedented heights, to build a true empire."
"Unfortunately, too many things happened in between, and it's impossible to talk about them now."
"I no longer want to dwell on right and wrong."
Shanxin Jilong patted Kurosaki Junlong's shoulder.
"That mother and child are no good people. We must find a chance to get rid of them and we must not be soft on them."
After saying this, the believer Jilong released his hand and took two steps back.
He straightened his collar.
Then.
The devout believer Jilong bent his back, which had remained straight for most of his life, and bowed respectfully to Kurosaki Junlong.
This action was just like it was many years ago when the younger brother, Shanxin Jilong, first met the boss, Kurosaki Junlong.
"Chairman Kurosaki."
"If I don't come back, I'll leave Kowloon Group in your hands."
After saying this, the believer Jilong straightened up abruptly, his eyes showing no more hesitation.
He turned and strode away.
Only Kurosaki Kimiryu was left standing alone on the empty balcony.
His hands gripped the railing tightly, his knuckles turning white.
"Dear believer, take care..."
...
Two days later.
An unnamed street.
The midday sun was scorching, baking this abandoned land without any shade.
The nameless street was no longer as dilapidated and cramped as it once was.
The changes here in the past few days have been nothing short of earth-shattering.
Since Akutsu had promised Ryuzaki Makoto that he would help the Shinryu-kai with the demolition and reconstruction of the nameless street area, he really treated it as a top priority.
Dozens of heavy excavators painted yellow roared as their massive buckets soared high into the air before crashing down.
"Boom!"
The illegal buildings that were originally constructed from discarded shipping containers, rotten planks, and plastic sheets collapsed instantly in front of the steel behemoth, just like paper, kicking up clouds of dust.
Hundreds of heavy dump trucks lined up in a long queue, transporting the cleared construction waste to the reclamation area without stopping.
The roar of engines, the crisp sound of concrete breaking, and the piercing sound of metal colliding intertwine to create a rugged industrial symphony.
The entire ground was shaking.
Especially the central area of the nameless street.
Akutsu mobilized his most elite construction team, with several large bulldozers advancing in parallel, quickly clearing a large, flat area from the chaotic heart of the site.
All obstacles were cleared away, and even the gravel on the ground was crushed by the road roller.
This open space is extremely spacious and offers a good view.
This venue is large enough to accommodate two or three thousand people to fight freely here.
This is the burial place that Ryuzaki Shin chose for the believers.
Ryuzaki Makoto stood at the entrance of the nameless street, a freshly lit cigarette between his fingers, squinting at the bustling scene before him. He reached out and patted Akutsu's shoulder heavily.
"Brother, you did a really good job."
"I thought it would take some effort to clear the space, but I didn't expect you to be so quick."
This is the truth.
At this terrifying pace of progress, even if it takes less than half a month, at most ten days, the dilapidated buildings of Wuming Street will completely disappear from the map.
Akutsu took off his gloves, grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and his face showed the shrewdness of a businessman.
"My workers work in three shifts, with the machines running non-stop, 24 hours a day. It's definitely fast."
Akutsu knew what Ryuzaki really wanted to do with this empty lot.
He glanced at the excessively smooth ground behind him, his smile fading slightly, and then changed the subject.
"Are you here today to discuss everything with the believers?"
Ryuzaki Shin did not answer.
He raised his head and looked at the dazzling sun overhead.
The sunlight was dazzling, yet it filled him with immense excitement.
The blood in the body begins to warm up.
He took a deep drag of his cigarette, exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke, which quickly dissipated in the sunlight.
Ryuzaki glanced at the watch on his wrist.
"Time is almost up..."