They quickly reached the twentieth floor. Shawn Young and Luna Xiao, under Ray Tang’s lead, entered a room designed like an office—except it had a hidden door.
The secret door was already open, revealing a deep, shadowy passage. Outside the entrance, dozens of corpses lay scattered—at least a hundred, all riddled with bullet holes, the air thick with the stench of blood.
“This is the Inagawa Syndicate’s secret tunnel. Kojiro Kuroda escaped inside. My men have already chased after him. Let’s go in too, but be careful.” Ray Tang turned to warn them, then darted into the passage first.
Shawn Young and Luna Xiao exchanged glances and followed him into the tunnel.
As soon as they entered, Shawn Young realized the tunnel was much wider than he’d expected. Steps led straight down, and the walls were lined with lights.
They charged downward for a while, when suddenly a scream echoed from ahead. Shawn Young tensed up—he heard a sharp whistling sound, unmistakably the hiss of a blade slicing through air.
Without hesitation, Shawn Young sprinted down the tunnel. Up ahead was a spacious basement with its door wide open. Over a dozen Dragon Clear Brotherhood members, armed with submachine guns, were hastily retreating.
On the floor in front, several Dragon Clear Brotherhood members lay dead, their bodies sprawled in all directions. Though lifeless, fresh blood still oozed from their necks. Shawn Young was shocked—he could tell they’d all been killed by a razor-sharp blade!
“Swish! Swish! Swish!” Suddenly, several streaks of gleaming blades flashed from inside the basement. The slower Dragon Clear Brotherhood members were caught off guard—their throats slashed, blood spurting out in jets. They clutched their necks, unable to scream, convulsed, legs stiffened, and died on the spot.
“Fall back, now! Let us handle him!” Ray Tang had already appeared at the basement entrance. Seeing the carnage, he barked orders to his men.
Ray Tang stopped and turned to Shawn Young and Luna Xiao. “Be careful—Kojiro Kuroda is in there. Word is, he’s a master of dual-blade swordsmanship!”
“The legendary dual-blade style of Musashi Miyamoto from the Sengoku era? That’s supposed to be insane…” Shawn Young was stunned.
(Note: Musashi Miyamoto, the Sword Saint, is a household name in Japan. His legendary life was devoted to the pursuit of ‘unity of sword and Zen.’ As a child, he was called the ‘Demon’s Child’ and ‘Evilzo,’ notorious for his mischief—villagers avoided him, and by age seventeen, he was already steeped in bloodshed. He left his village to join the chaos of the era, fought in the famous Battle of Sekigahara, survived against all odds, was tied to a thousand-year-old cedar by Monk Takuan, and imprisoned in a castle tower for three years. Through hardship and confusion, he learned to rein in his killing intent, calm his restless heart, and finally understood the true meaning of being peerless.)
He became a wandering warrior, relying on sheer willpower and determination, living off hardship and adversity, challenging over sixty masters and winning every fight. His most famous duel was against the renowned swordsman Sasaki Kojiro on Ganryu Island, which shook the world. Eventually, he achieved ‘unity of sword and Zen’ and founded the legendary ‘Niten Ichi-ryu’ dual-blade style, which has been passed down to this day.)
“They say this dual-blade technique is relentless, every move deadly, and brutally fierce. We really need to watch ourselves!” Luna Xiao frowned, clearly worried.
“I want to see just how much Musashi Miyamoto skill Kojiro Kuroda really has! Is he supposed to be tougher than my box cannon?” Ray Tang scoffed, charging toward the basement.
As Ray Tang neared the basement door, his body suddenly lunged forward in a swift dive—a ninety-degree sideways flip, hugging the doorway as he leapt inside, firing both box cannons in rapid succession.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Gunfire erupted—Ray Tang emptied dozens of rounds in seconds.
Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of metal clashing rang out.
Another flash of steel—then, with a squelch, blood spurted. A figure retreated from inside—it was Ray Tang, and a katana was now stuck straight through his right shoulder.
“Damn you, Kojiro Kuroda… Screw your mother…” Ray Tang gritted his teeth, yanked out the tachi, tossed it onto the floor, and clutched his wound with his left hand. Blood seeped between his fingers—gruesome and shocking.
“Boss Tang, are you okay?” Shawn Young asked anxiously.
“I’ll survive. I didn’t expect Kojiro Kuroda to be this skilled—no wonder he’s the head of the Tokyo branch of the Inagawa Syndicate… Damn, I really underestimated him…” Ray Tang muttered, clearly frustrated.
“Is that so? Let me have a go at him!” Shawn Young said suddenly, picking up the bloodstained tachi from the ground.
“Uh… Shawn, you—you want to duel Kojiro?” Ray Tang exclaimed in surprise.
“Yeah, I want to see just how good he really is!” Shawn Young replied, striding toward the basement.
“Shawn… be careful!” Luna Xiao suddenly called out to him.
“Don’t worry!” Shawn Young turned back, gave her a reassuring smile, then slipped into the basement.
Inside, a middle-aged man in black, dressed in traditional Japanese samurai gear, stood before him. In his hand was a classic Japanese tachi.
On the floor lay countless metal fragments. Shawn Young looked closely—they were all split bullet heads, the cuts impossibly clean. Clearly, the middle-aged man was the one who sliced them.
"You must be Kojiro Kuroda? Your swordsmanship isn’t bad—almost on par with Hayato Falcon from the Iga Shinobi Clan!" Shawn Young squinted at the middle-aged man.
“That’s right. You… know Hayato Falcon!?” The middle-aged man—Kojiro Kuroda—looked stunned and asked in clumsy Mandarin.
“Heh… Of course I know him!” Shawn Young replied with a cold laugh.
“Oh? And what’s your relationship with Hayato Falcon?” Kojiro Kuroda pressed.
“Heh… We’re mortal enemies!” Shawn Young deliberately emphasized the words.
“Uh… How could you possibly be Hayato Falcon’s rival?” Kojiro Kuroda was clearly skeptical—after all, Shawn Young looked so young.
“Heh… Not only was I his rival, I killed him!” Shawn Young sneered.
“Baka! Hayato Falcon would never be killed by you. Don’t try to fool me! I’ll kill you….” Kojiro Kuroda flew into a rage, gripping his tachi and charging at Shawn Young.
Shawn Young squinted, waiting for this moment. He could sense Kojiro Kuroda’s anger—his previously steady aura now chaotic. The opportunity had arrived!
Kojiro Kuroda struck first—his blade was fierce, swinging straight down at Shawn Young.
At that moment, Shawn Young moved too—he swung the tachi, and the air seemed to explode. A dazzling arc of light sliced through the basement, overshadowing everything else. The savage, violent blade aura swept over Kojiro Kuroda like a giant net.
Squelch! The two figures crossed paths. Silence fell. The outcome was decided!
Kojiro Kuroda slowly sank to the ground, his tachi stuck at an angle beside him. His face was ghostly pale, and a line of blood trickled down his forehead, dripping onto his cheek…
Shawn Young let out a breath, glancing at the torn edge of his own shirt, sliced by the blade’s energy. He thought to himself, ‘That was close,’ then turned and walked out of the basement.
Just as Shawn Young left, Kojiro Kuroda, sitting on the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood, suddenly collapsed backward, and a jet of blood sprayed from his body—he was dead!
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