Chapter 73: Chaotic Battle
The situation was changing so fast that even Tonegawa Yukio, the No. 2 of the Teiai Group, couldn't react in time. He stared blankly at what was unfolding before him.
What did he mean, "Sadakuni is going to take it by force"?
Tonegawa knew about Kakerou's rules. Was Sadakuni planning to break them?
Tonegawa wasn't a rookie office worker. He wasn't naive enough to believe that everyone in the world followed the rules.
But to break the rules, to take things by force, one needed "equivalent" or "greater" force!
Currently, the powers gathered on the Espoir included not only Kakerou and the Teiai Group, but also the Kengan Association and the Shinshinkai.
Sadakuni alone couldn't possibly flip the table here.
What "new faction" had Sadakuni joined that gave him the audacity to act so recklessly?
While Tonegawa pondered, Kei was already shuffling his feet, loosening up his body, preparing for battle.
"Hey... Hey!"
Tonegawa hurriedly tried to stop him.
Seeing the three mercenaries were heavily armed, he warned Kei in a low voice, "They came prepared. We should avoid them for now. I need to go ask Chairman Hyodo what's going on!"
"What is Sadakuni planning? Is Kakerou prepared? How does the Kengan Association see this? Let me think... let me think..."
...
The more Tonegawa spoke, the more wrong it felt. Countless possibilities flashed through his mind.
But just then, Kei threw a punch at the air—SWISH!
The sound of the punch cutting the air interrupted Tonegawa's thoughts.
Kei comforted him casually, "Victory is usually decided in a chaotic brawl. It's right in front of us, so just do it. Why do you need to figure everything out first?"
Tonegawa felt helpless. He didn't agree with this logic.
After all, he had climbed to his current position, becoming a recognized "successful man," through careful, step-by-step planning.
Recklessly joining a fight was the worst possible strategy for Tonegawa.
"I—"
Tonegawa wanted to say more, but a mercenary suddenly threw a dagger, grazing his face.
Swish...
A stinging pain, and blood trickled down.
In an instant, Tonegawa's expression changed. Not to panic, but to utter calm.
Tonegawa wasn't afraid of a chaotic fight; he just didn't want to participate.
But if he had to face it, this tough man who straddled the legal and illegal worlds wouldn't cry like a child!
"I'll try not to get in the way. Be careful."
Without wasting words, Tonegawa dodged decisively, hiding behind a fire hose cabinet.
"Nice. That's awesome!"
Kei rotated his wrists, observing the three mercenaries, his mind racing.
They looked foreign. Two held daggers in reverse grip, one held a military bayonet. Their movements screamed professional military training.
This was a ship corridor, a straight path only a few meters wide. The three mercenaries blocked the end.
Charging straight in would mean getting surrounded by all three.
So then—SWOOSH!
Kei suddenly stomped, leaning forward and sprinting at high speed.
But just a few steps away—just as the three mercenaries were about to encircle him—Kei kicked off the ground sideways, launching himself at the right wall.
THUD!
One foot planted on the wall, Kei pushed off again, bouncing like a spring toward the left wall.
SWOOSH!
In a flash, the mercenaries' eyes couldn't track Kei's movements. He forcibly closed the distance, appearing right beside them.
Kei stood his ground. There was a mercenary on his left and right, and one in front.
In such extreme close quarters, unless they had trained together for years, their movements would inevitably be hindered by worrying about their teammates. The advantage of "surrounding" him was gone!
"F... FUCK!"
The lead mercenary frowned, swinging his bayonet horizontally, but Kei jumped to dodge it.
Kei, still in the air, executed a split kick, knocking back the two on the sides. As he landed, he unleashed a flurry of hand chops forward.
[Zangief • Banishing Flat] (Machine Gun Chops)!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three chops rained down, nearly cutting into the mercenary's collarbone. He collapsed instantly, his head lolling, foaming at the mouth.
The other two mercenaries, knocked back, got up after a brief respite.
One slashed low from the left with a dagger, the other attacked from behind.
Swish!
Kei lifted his left leg high to avoid the low attack, crossing his arms to his right, blocking the forearm of the sneak attacker.
The sequence was clean and crisp. The two mercenaries couldn't even react.
They tried to retreat, but Kei had already turned to the left, wrapping his arms around that mercenary, arching backward, and slamming him down along with himself.
[Zangief • Back Drop]!
BOOM!
The two mercenaries smashed together, piled in the corner, bones crunching.
"Hoo..."
Having dealt with the immediate opponents, Kei had just exhaled when his eyes darted. He sensed something.
He suddenly stepped back and punched upward, knocking "something" away.
Tonegawa peeked out and saw a handle-less blade embedded in the ceiling above Kei's head.
Looking at Kei, the mercenary leader who had been knocked down first was holding a knife handle with a spring mechanism on the guard.
Although Kei had blocked in time, bare skin against a sharp blade meant his forearm was still cut, a shallow wound opening up.
Kei examined the mercenary leader's weapon, searching his memories.
"Ah, it's a 'Spetsnaz Knife'..."
Tonegawa, who read military books, recognized it immediately.
The "Spetsnaz Knife" (NRS-2) was a special "ballistic knife" used by Soviet special forces. It contained a charge and could fire the blade using a spring mechanism in the handle.
Ordinary desperadoes wouldn't have such complex gadgets. These mercenaries likely had military backgrounds, and possibly even smuggled military-grade weapons!
Tonegawa's mind raced, analyzing the situation. He noticed something—the mercenaries were wet!
The pier was guarded by Teiai men in black. Even if someone hid, they couldn't board the ship without being seen.
In other words, these mercenaries didn't board from the pier. They came from the sea!
"Could it be..."
Tonegawa had a hunch. After confirming the corridor was safe, he rushed to the other side.
He stepped on a pipe, sticking his head near a round porthole at the top, peering intently at the pitch-black sea.
Vaguely, something seemed to be lurking there.
At the same time, Kure Fusu on the observation deck also noticed an anomaly in the sound of the waves. She turned her scope to the sea.
In the ink-black darkness, Fusu focused her eyes, finally outlining a small cargo ship in her vision, loaded with "cargo" covered by tarps.
As the Kure Clan's firearms expert, Fusu easily recognized the true nature of that "cargo."
"Eh? People still smuggle 'missiles' these days?"