Chapter 74: Battlefield Combat Arts
The mercenary's "Spetsnaz Knife" had been specially modified.
In addition to the spring mechanism for firing the blade, gunpowder had been added to increase its short-range lethality.
Unfortunately for him, Kei's "focus" was superior, and the sneak attack failed.
...
The smell of burnt gunpowder wafted from the hollow handle, making Kei's nose itch.
His mind went into overdrive, his eyes darting as he easily analyzed the three mercenaries' fighting style.
It was Battlefield Combat Arts!
A practical martial art born from war, its core objective was rapid killing. It included techniques for bayonets, daggers, short sticks, and unarmed combat, emphasizing "using the environment" and "efficiently destroying the human body's vulnerable points."
Compared to Q-Taro's mercenaries, these three were clearly on a higher level.
The wound on his forearm had stopped bleeding, but it still stung slightly.
As Kei thought, a faint phantom appeared behind him. Tough, resolute, with incredibly muscular arms.
The phantom's hairstyle was particularly striking—a flat-top, trimmed into a wide, flat shape with hard, regular lines.
He pulled out a butterfly knife, flipping it casually, but a closer look revealed the "blade" was actually a comb.
After using the comb to tidy his hair, the phantom huffed, crossed his arms, and stood back-to-back with Kei, transmitting a profound will.
On the battlefield, never look away. The chance to counter exists for only an instant. You must calmly see that moment!
Kei looked back, but the phantom was gone.
The mercenary in front of him tried one last struggle. Kei imitated Suedo's move, delivering a vertical front kick, the blade of his foot shattering the man's jaw. The mercenary stopped moving.
"...Still not right."
Kei stood on his toes, exploring the will the phantom wanted to convey.
"To turn the extremities into 'blades,' high speed isn't enough. You need to calmly find that crucial 'instant'—"
Unable to figure it out immediately, another message came from Fusu.
"Shiraki-chin, an 'arms smuggling ship' is docking. They're carrying missiles."
"Hmm—even ATACMS Cluster IA types? The power behind this isn't small..."
"Some of them jumped into the sea early and swam to our ship. Seems they want to seize the Espoir."
Over.
Fusu was about to end the transmission when she noticed something else.
"? There's a 'master' on that smuggling ship. Seems he noticed my gaze. Got an afro, looks pretty fierce."
"But his eyes probably aren't as good as mine. Couldn't see my movements. Didn't react when I waved at him—"
Arms smuggling alone wouldn't scare a Kure. What really concerned Fusu was the "target" of the missiles.
"That guy Sadakuni... he's really planning a large-scale terrorist attack..."
Listening to Fusu's analysis, Kei matched it with his memories piece by piece.
Undoubtedly, the "new faction" behind Sadakuni was IDEAL!
Sadakuni planned to kill many people for his so-called "revolution," while IDEAL wanted to use the terrorist attack to manipulate stock prices and swallow up Kakerou.
The two hit it off, leading to tonight's "missile smuggling."
Furthermore, considering the three mercenaries' target was the "Kengan Membership Certificate," IDEAL seemed to have its eyes on the Kengan Association as well.
Kei didn't consider himself a superhero, and neither did his three masters—Ryu, Zangief, and Jamie.
But at the same time, they would never stand by and watch villains attack innocent people indiscriminately with missiles.
Just as in the past, Ryu and Zangief had fought alongside their partners to challenge the organization "Shadaloo" that threatened the world.
As a rising star, Jamie, influenced by the "Twin Dragons" Yun and Yang, took it upon himself to protect his city.
Some things weren't about profit or purpose. Like seeking "what is strength," it was simply about throwing a punch that satisfied oneself.
If he quit now, let alone facing his masters' fists, Kei feared he wouldn't be able to clench his own fist anymore.
...
Kei considered his next move.
The Kakerou gamble on the upper deck was still ongoing. Kakerou was maintaining order, and Kei didn't think Akagi would lose to Sadakuni, so there was no need to interfere there.
What he needed to consider was the lower deck.
The mercenaries had invaded from the lower deck windows. And according to Kei's deduction, Akagi's hinted "helpers"—Baku, and even Maruko—were also on the lower deck right now.
Go to the lower deck first!
Tonegawa, who had been hiding to avoid causing trouble, had the same plan.
He didn't know Sadakuni, but he knew "Hyodo Kazutaka."
"Chairman Hyodo predicted this situation, so he wants to abandon the lower deck and gather his guards to protect himself."
Tonegawa frowned deeply, walking quickly beside Kei.
Leaving aside the "trash" debtors, the men in black on the lower deck were Teiai employees, many of whom were Tonegawa's direct subordinates.
As a boss, Tonegawa wanted to ensure his people's safety as much as possible!
The two passed through the corridor and reached the lower deck hall.
Opening the door, the atmosphere was visibly oppressive.
After all, the hundred or so people in the lower hall were mostly debtors who had boarded with a "nothing left to lose" mentality. The mood was extremely negative.
Tonegawa didn't bother with them. He opened the main doors directly, announced an emergency, canceled the night's event, and told them to leave immediately.
Hearing this, the debtors were unhappy.
"Hey! Are you messing with us?"
"Don't joke! We've been waiting here forever!"
"Pay up! Compensation!"
...
Listening to the debtors' clamor, Tonegawa felt anger rising.
People who fell this low were mostly like this. Even if someone showed them kindness, they'd take a mile, wanting to take more advantage.
I don't have time to waste on trash!
He prioritized calling the men in black, ordering them to evacuate to the upper deck.
Then, Tonegawa took a deep breath, about to shout them down, when suddenly—BANG!
A gunshot echoed through the lower hall, silencing the shouting debtors.
Everyone turned to look. Several mercenaries had burst into the hall, armed with pistols or SMGs, their black muzzles aimed at the crowd.
"Ah, everyone. If you don't want to die, stop the party. I'm not familiar with the language of this country."
The lead mercenary held his gun up, smoke still drifting from the barrel.
"Now, who can tell me where the new Kengan member went?"
The debtors looked at each other, terrified, legs shaking. No one could speak.
Just as the lead mercenary lost patience and was about to shoot someone, Kei walked out from the side, holding a smoke grenade—the one Fusu had given him earlier.
Hiss—!
He threw the grenade. Thick white smoke instantly swallowed the mercenaries, and Kei himself.
?!
The mercenaries outside were startled, but with their vision obscured by the white smoke, no one dared to shoot blindly.
SWOOSH!
Kei strode forward, aiming for his target. A flying knee smashed into the lead mercenary's head. He grabbed the man's neck, using him as a shield as he charged forward.
The scene descended into chaos.
Tonegawa watched, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
One against many, and "unarmed" against "firearms"—
It was unthinkable.
But Tonegawa had to accept it. Because the "force" between the two sides wasn't balanced, the stronger side would often choose to break the rules and take what they wanted by force.
One of the mercenaries' goals was Kei's newly acquired Kengan Membership Certificate!
Of course, since Kei chose to act, Tonegawa didn't think he was just showing off.
Maybe he had an escape plan? Maybe he had other helpers?
Tonegawa retreated toward the exit while looking around.
Soon, he noticed something "wrong."
Inside the hall, a dozen or so men in black remained, not following Tonegawa's order to evacuate to the upper deck.
"You guys—"
Tonegawa was about to call out when he noticed that although they wore black suits and sunglasses, their "faces" were unfamiliar.
To distinguish between the identically dressed "men in black," Tonegawa had memorized the entire team roster. Theoretically, at least on this ship, there shouldn't be any men in black he didn't know.
So who were these "strangers"?
Rustle, rustle...
While Tonegawa hesitated, the strange men in black suddenly opened their jackets, pulled out portable SMGs from underneath, and aimed them at the mercenaries.
"...?!"
In an instant, Tonegawa realized.
Those strangers weren't Teiai employees. They were another group of "mercenaries," likely sent by Hyodo Kazutaka and planted on the cruise ship!
Teiai Chairman—Hyodo Kazutaka—might have anticipated this scene tonight and prepared in advance on his own turf.
And so—mercenaries against mercenaries, muzzle against muzzle. No one dared to move first, no one could shoot first. The chaotic scene fell into a stalemate.
"Force" was temporarily balanced.
Under this influence, orderly "rules" descended once again.