"Heh heh... Master Zhou, why haven't I seen you out hunting for food lately?" the burly man suddenly called out to Tony Zhou, his voice booming through the room.
'Uh... well... I've just been a bit busy lately, so I haven't really been out much. Sorry to make you laugh, Boss Tang, hehe...' Tony Zhou's cheeks flushed as he forced a sheepish grin.
"Really? I thought it was because you messed with that Inagawa Syndicate guy, Ryu Kuroda's woman last time and got chased by those Japanese. So you hid out on your own turf and didn't dare poke your head out, haha..." Ray Tang burst out with a hearty laugh.
"Uh... Boss Tang, maybe we should keep it professional and talk business!" Tony Zhou got flustered when Ray Tang brought up his troubles and quickly tried to steer the conversation away.
"Oh, business talk, huh? So tell me, Master Zhou, these two are your friends, right? Why not introduce them to me?" Ray Tang didn't make things difficult for him and switched topics, first glancing at Selina Shaw, but his gaze settled on Shawn Young.
"Haha, I'm Shawn Young, and this is my girlfriend, Lola... We're both good friends of Master Zhou, visiting from China." Shawn saw that Ray Tang's gaze wasn't hostile, so he smiled and introduced himself.
But to avoid attracting attention and unnecessary trouble, Shawn deliberately changed Selina Shaw's name to "Lola" during the introduction.
"Oh? So little brother Shawn is visiting from China?! Nice to meet you, nice to meet you... I'm Ray Tang, just call me Old Tang, haha..." Ray Tang grinned at Shawn and Selina Shaw.
"Haha, Old Tang, that's a pretty friendly way to put it." Shawn nodded, a relaxed smile on his face.
"Little brother Shawn, you've got some serious presence. Are you maybe the hall master of one of the Thirteen Enforcers?" Ray Tang suddenly asked, a sly smile playing at his lips.
Before Shawn could respond, Tony Zhou jumped in: "Oh, Shawn is my cousin. He's just here in Japan with his girlfriend for a little fun. I didn't plan to bring them along, but after we hung out in Kabukicho and got that call, we came straight over. It really was just a coincidence..."
"Oh, is that so? Well, the news I'm about to share... I don't think it's convenient for your friends to hear, is it?" Ray Tang narrowed his eyes, speaking in a low, conspiratorial tone.
"Uh... it's fine, they're all family. Boss Tang, you can trust them," Tony Zhou fumbled for an excuse, settling on 'family' to gloss things over.
"Family! Haha, that's true. It's not easy for us Chinese folks to have real family here in Japan, haha..." Ray Tang laughed heartily.
"Haha... that's right!" Tony Zhou nodded in agreement, echoing the sentiment.
"Since we're all family, I won't charge you for the intel, Tony. The info you want—just give me this much!" Ray Tang grinned, flashing two fingers.
"Uh... I get it, I get it. I'll wire you the money right away—twenty million, right..." Tony Zhou nodded quickly.
"No, no, Master Zhou, you misunderstood. I said twenty million!" Ray Tang said with a sly smile.
'What? Wait, wasn't it supposed to be two million? Why the sudden change, Boss Tang?...' Tony Zhou's face fell.
"Heh... Master Zhou, the deal was two million, but now it's twenty million. And I don't want yen—I want US dollars!" Ray Tang's expression turned serious.
"What?! Twenty million US dollars? Tang, are you out of your mind? For one piece of intel at that price—you think I'm some kind of sucker?!" Tony Zhou nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Tony... Watch your mouth with my boss! Or don't blame me for not showing you any respect!" Old Luo snapped, his voice cold.
"Damn it, Luo Tianning, we've been friends for years! I trusted you and your boss, and the Longqing Gang's reputation isn't bad. How could you jack up the price like this? You think I'm easy to fool?" Tony Zhou's temper flared.
"Master Zhou, calm down. Do you know what it took to get your intel? Five of my Longqing brothers were killed, and we couldn't even get their bodies back. The other side demanded ten million dollars before I could retrieve them. Now I'm asking for twenty million to cover their funerals!" Ray Tang said gravely.
"What? Just for scouting out Kanagawa, five people died? Boss Tang, you must be joking, right?" Tony Zhou looked shocked, clearly not buying it.
"Who's joking? Their bodies are right here!" Ray Tang said, shifting his weight and yanking the big sofa aside.
Instantly, five bodies were revealed under the sofa, lined up in eerie precision. What was truly bizarre—their limbs and faces were coated in a ghostly layer of frost, as if frozen solid. At the center of each chest, icy filaments spread out like spiderwebs, making the scene chillingly supernatural.
"Uh... What happened to them? Were they kept in a morgue freezer or something?" Tony Zhou gasped, unable to hide his shock.
"They've only been dead less than a day! I paid the Yamaguchi-gumi ten million dollars to get the bodies back. Damn, even ten million is one thing, but my brothers died for nothing..." Ray Tang looked utterly depressed.
"Uh... What killed them?" Tony Zhou frowned, never having seen such a bizarre death.
"I don't know. I asked the Yamaguchi-gumi, but they couldn't say. Everyone claims ignorance. This whole thing is freaky—I can't even find anyone to take revenge on!" Ray Tang's face was dark with frustration.
At that moment, Selina Shaw stepped forward, examining the five corpses closely before announcing, "They were killed by the Frostbane Needle of the Nine Chrysanthemums Society!"
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"Uh... Frostbane Needle? What's that supposed to be?" Ray Tang blurted out, looking puzzled.
Selina Shaw didn't answer. Instead, she reached out and probed one corpse's forehead, rooting around beneath the hair until she suddenly pulled out a silvery, two-inch-long needle.
"This is the Frostbane Needle. It's forged from resentment and ice, tempered in yin-fire for forty-nine days. Normally invisible, the user can launch it with intent and true energy, killing from a thousand steps away, leaving no trace. Victims rarely even notice until it's too late." Selina Shaw explained, placing the needle into a glass on the table.
The moment the silvery Frostbane Needle touched the liquor, it sizzled, sending up wisps of white smoke. A wave of icy chill swept through the room, making everyone shiver.
"Miss Lola, what exactly is going on here? How do you know about this stuff?" Ray Tang asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"Heh... Boss Tang, you took our twenty million dollars, so I'm afraid that's all I can say." Selina Shaw replied with a cold smile.
"Miss Lola, who are you, really? I may be a bit slow, but you're definitely not just a tourist here in Japan... Let's be upfront. For everyone's sake, you'd better reveal your true identity, so there's no unnecessary trouble." Ray Tang said, his tone icy. Though his eyes lingered on Selina Shaw, his attention was clearly on Shawn Young.
He'd noticed that ever since the bodies were revealed, Shawn Young hadn't flinched—his calm, steady demeanor was something ordinary people couldn't possibly pull off.