Era of Mist

Shi Tiexin looked at the wounds on both sides, his gaze serious and cautious. Under those circumstances, Tokyo Wolf must have been in immense pain, flailing his arms wildly or struggling to escape. But a closer look revealed that the cross-sections of the wounds on both sides were nearly identical.

Looking at the skin elsewhere, besides the incisions, there were scrapes and bruises, but no other knife wounds.

What did this mean?

It meant that all of Tokyo Wolf’s flailing and dodging had been useless. The attacker struck, the blade fell, and with unerring accuracy, they had sliced Tokyo Wolf’s other arm in two, without a single wasted motion.

Tokyo Wolf suddenly screamed hysterically, “One person! It was only one person! Just one guy! So many people were killed!”

After shouting, he began muttering incomprehensibly, as if the ordeal had driven him to a nervous breakdown.

Shi Tiexin then went to check on Tokyo Wolf’s other injured men. Nearly all of them had been taken down by a single, decisive cut; second strikes were rare. As for the fatalities, there was no point in looking. The morgues weren’t accepting bodies now—they were all being sent directly for cremation.

‘What terrifying blade work!’

Even with an ambush, even with the element of surprise, even attacking an unprepared target, for one person to annihilate Tokyo Wolf’s entire little gang was still terrifying to an abnormal degree. This assailant was no common “weakling,” but a true master of killing.

Just as he was thinking this, a commotion echoed down the hallway. It was the sound of the men he had stationed there.

“Hm?”

‘Did Ah D get into a conflict with someone again?’

Shi Tiexin’s brow furrowed, and he led his men over. Rounding the corner, he saw a group of people crowded around the door to Xiaowei’s hospital room. The vast majority of them were his own men, and they were surrounding a middle-aged couple.

But despite their numbers and intimidating appearances, his men seemed to be having trouble handling the situation. The couple, for their part, were heedlessly trying to force their way in.

An idea struck Shi Tiexin. He cautiously stopped at a distance and gave Ah Fei a meaningful look. Ah Fei, understanding immediately, made a call to one of the men over there. The man ducked into a corner to report, and after hanging up, Ah Fei came over. “Boss, those two are the little girl’s parents.”

“Oh…”

‘I figured as much.’

‘Of course Xiaowei’s parents would come.’

Shi Tiexin immediately grew confused. “Why are they blocking them at the door?” The victim’s parents were here. Instead of receiving them properly and apologizing, his men were blocking them from entering the hospital room. ‘What sense does that make?’

“They’re here for money.”

“Demanding compensation is perfectly reasonable, what’s there to argue about?” ‘They crippled the girl. Would it even be human not to compensate her?’ The more Shi Tiexin thought about it, the angrier he became. “Tell Ah D to pay whatever compensation is required. If he doesn’t have enough, I’ll lend it to him. Don’t let this get ugly!”

“No, no, Boss, you’ve misunderstood. They’re not here to demand compensation from us.” Ah Fei’s words were met with disbelief from everyone listening. “They’re here to get money from the little girl!”

“What??”

A few minutes later, Shi Tiexin finally understood the situation, and it left him utterly astonished.

The middle-aged couple were indeed Xiaowei’s parents, but after arriving at the hospital, they hadn’t demanded any compensation from Ah D. When they saw Ah D, they were meek and terrified, so scared they could barely speak coherently. Even when Ah D clearly admitted his fault and was willing to get on his knees and apologize, the couple remained timid and cautious.

Forget about making exorbitant demands; they didn’t even mention compensation, as if they didn’t need it at all.

But when facing Xiaowei, the couple’s demeanor changed completely. Not only did they demand that Xiaowei immediately give them one million yen, but they also seemed completely indifferent to their daughter’s pain and suffering.

“Something like that could actually happen?” Shi Tiexin found it utterly unbelievable.

“It’s the absolute truth! If those two weren’t upsetting the little girl so much that she can’t even rest properly, why would we be blocking them outside the door?”

“You guys wait here. I’ll go take a look myself.”

Shi Tiexin didn’t take anyone with him, walking over alone. After recent events, he no longer fully trusted his men. On one side, you had a street gang; on the other, an ordinary couple whose daughter was disabled. People like Ah Fei had too many ways of twisting the narrative to make them out to be “troublemakers.”

So, Shi Tiexin decided to confirm things for himself.

Before he even got close, he could hear the couple muttering, their speech illogical and disjointed, as if they were mentally unstable.

Shi Tiexin started to frown.

“Boss!” “Good to see you, Boss!”

The men at the door all greeted him in unison, which made the couple start trembling. Shi Tiexin waved his hand, dismissing them all to avoid giving the impression that he was “using his power to bully them.” He then bent his body slightly to prevent his tall, strong frame from causing them any additional psychological pressure.

He carefully chose an angle where the light hit his face, then put on his kindest possible smile.

After carefully composing his thoughts, Shi Tiexin spoke in the local language, a rare occurrence for him. “Sir, Ma’am, what happened to Xiaowei was caused by the improper actions of my subordinate, and we take full responsibility. From her treatment to her follow-up care, we will bear all the costs. If you have any other requests, you can tell me. I have the authority to provide compensation within a certain range.”

Shi Tiexin had shown his utmost sincerity and goodwill. As the saying goes, the King of Hell is easier to deal with than his minor demons. With him, the “King Yama” himself, personally handling the matter, it should have theoretically been enough to dispel most of their wariness.

But unexpectedly, the couple in front of him didn’t mention compensation at all. Standing before Shi Tiexin, they were like a pair of quails, so frightened they were on the verge of trembling.

The middle-aged man forced himself to speak, stammering meekly, “N-No need for compensation. This is a test from the Savior!”

‘Hm?’

Shi Tiexin found this strange.

Their fear was a bit excessive. Even if they had run into a deranged serial killer, let alone a gangster, their level of terror would have been about the same.

Moreover, the middle-aged man seemed to genuinely believe it.

“Xiaowei’s injuries are severe. It’s very likely she’ll be paralyzed from the waist down,” Shi Tiexin said, his tone more forceful. “I suggest you take some compensation. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for Xiaowei to get by.”

The woman’s tone was sharp and filled with disgust. “No, no, no, we don’t need compensation! This is all her own fault!”

‘Her own fault?’

Shi Tiexin found this absurd. ‘Why is it Xiaowei’s own fault? Xiaowei is the victim here!’

“Your family must be struggling financially, right? Aren’t you worried about her future?”

“Life or death, it is all the Savior’s choice. To turn away from the Savior is to be doomed beyond recovery. This is all the Savior’s punishment for her.”

‘Savior?’

Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but feel a surge of irritation. “Without money, how are you going to support your daughter?”

“With a heart toward the Savior, one will naturally attain eternal life.”