Era of Mist

“What?!” Shi Tiexin’s eyes widened. “Are you saying you’re not going to raise her anymore?”

The couple stumbled back a step in fear, their lips trembling as they continued to chant, “Devotion to the Savior brings eternal life…”

Shi Tiexin straightened up, no longer bothering to keep himself at their level. His expression was no longer so friendly.

He’d seen his share of scoundrels; harsh living conditions could turn many people into them. He had even imagined this couple taking the money and then abandoning their daughter. That kind of behavior was worse than an animal’s, but at least he could understand the selfish motive behind it.

But that wasn’t what these two were.

He finally understood. These two had gotten involved in some bizarre, screwed-up religion and had gone completely insane. They didn’t care about themselves, and they didn’t care about their daughter. All that mattered to them was their Savior.

Shi Tiexin now believed what Ah Fei had said, and his eyes filled with disappointment.

He had nothing left to say to this couple.

He beckoned, and one of his underlings ran over.

Shi Tiexin took out a stack of Dragon Coins and stuffed it into the middle-aged man’s hand. Forcing his temper down, he said gently, “You two look exhausted. Why don’t you go get a proper meal…”

But before he could finish, the couple shrieked as if they’d been burned and threw the stack of Dragon Coins to the ground. The coins scattered and fluttered, drawing countless greedy stares. The couple, however, recoiled from the money as if it were a venomous snake, scrambling far away while muttering what sounded like scriptures.

Words like “unclean,” “sin,” and “forgiveness” were mixed with strange, meaningless sounds that were instantly grating. Moreover, the couple’s faces would occasionally twitch unnaturally. It was as if they had a tic disorder and couldn’t fully control their expressions, which made them look incredibly odd.

Only after chanting their scripture three times did they pause. They carefully avoided the Dragon Coins on the floor as if they were dodging a contagious disease, then shouted towards the hospital room from a distance, “Stop pretending to be asleep, you unfilial daughter! Get the money out here! Offerings to the Savior cannot be delayed! I don’t care how you do it, you have to come up with one million yen today!”

With that, the two fled in a panic and quickly disappeared.

Shi Tiexin was angry. Furious.

He had been wondering why a top student like Xiaowei couldn’t find any other job. Even if she couldn’t get a high-paying one, couldn’t she find one with a low income? With her skills and looks, she should have been able to find some opportunity no matter how chaotic the world got. At the very least, it would be better than being a hostess at an entertainment club.

Today, Shi Tiexin understood.

With parents like these, it was no wonder that things went wrong in her family.

He was an orphan, and because of that, he had spent his childhood fantasizing about what parents were like. He believed parents should be like Officer Gao—willing to face death to avenge their daughter, and able to endure anything to fulfill a vow for her. But this middle-aged couple before him had shattered every beautiful illusion he had about parenthood.

A nameless rage burned in his heart, leaving Shi Tiexin furious with no outlet for his anger.

“Savior?” Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but roar. “What fucking Savior! Is that more important than your own family?!”

His roar echoed down the hallway. The surroundings suddenly fell silent, and then all sorts of strange, unreadable gazes focused on him.

“Uh, Boss,” Ah Fei said, looking around before leaning in to whisper, “It’s fine to say that to yourself, but don’t say it out loud. The Savior Sect is already a huge power in Tokyo. It’s full of fanatics who are crazy as hell and a real pain to deal with.”

“An evil cult!” Shi Tiexin snarled, unafraid. He shot a fierce, menacing glare back at the onlookers, and their gazes immediately fell away.

“Hmph!” With an angry snort, Shi Tiexin entered the hospital room. Xiaowei was still unconscious, with Ah D still by her side.

“Boss…” Ah D looked up, his eyes red and swollen, his throat dry. He looked completely withered. “What should I do…?”

“What do you mean, what should you do? If you’re talking about those two, if they ever come back, don’t hesitate. Throw them out! If they weren’t Xiaowei’s parents, I’d have beaten them to a pulp! If you’re talking about Xiaowei, that’s for you to figure out. Just one thing: a real man takes responsibility for his actions!”

“I…”

Just then, Ah Fei’s phone rang. He picked it up, took one look, and his expression changed drastically. He grabbed Shi Tiexin’s sleeve and said nervously, “Boss, we’ve got trouble again! Quick, look!”

On the phone was a video file, which Ah Fei played.

In a dim, nondescript room, a single beam of light shone down from above. A man knelt in the spotlight, facing the camera. He was bound tightly, his face bruised and swollen, his body covered in wounds as if he had been beaten for a long time. Still, it was clear who he was: a famous street leader, the man who was once ranked second only to Fujiwara Jizhen.

A blade was held to his neck.

Someone spoke from the shadows, beyond the reach of the light. The voice was altered by a voice changer, making it sound sinister and strangely intimidating.

“Sakai Ryoji, you have the face of the Dahua people, the blood of the Dahua people, and the name of the Dahua people, but you are nothing but a homegrown—American. Dog. You possess an American mindset, you identify with American ideology, and even that nauseating American arrogance has seeped into your very bones.”

“You are a sinner who has betrayed his own people.”

“A traitor is more despicable than an invader. And you are not only a traitor but also the vanguard of the invaders.”

“In the name of the Dahua people, today we grant you divine punishment.”

“With your blood, we shall make an offering to our forever-unfallen Rising Sun Flag.”

“With your blood, let all traitors, invaders, and the wavering disloyal know that this is—your—fate!”

SWISH. The bright blade flashed, and Sakai Ryoji’s head fell. There was no time to struggle, no time to scream. His head simply hit the ground with a THUD.

From the darkness, a foot kicked over the blood-spurting corpse, and a shadowy figure walked out from behind into the lighted area.

It was a man in Japanese samurai armor. He wasn’t tall, but he was incredibly imposing. Black armor, a black scabbard, a gleaming blade, and a blood-red Celestial Dog Mask.

“I am the Black Warrior, an Anti-foreign Warrior.”

“All demons and ghouls will perish by my blade.”

He pointed his blade forward, at the camera, at everyone watching the video.

“You’re next.”

BEEP. The video ended.

New Rangyi. ‘So it really was those bastards. They just won’t die.’

“Where did this video come from?”

“Boss, it’s spreading everywhere! It’s gone viral!”

Just as he spoke, the sound of noisy chatter drifted in from the hallway. Shi Tiexin walked out and saw many people with their phones out, all playing the same video. A cacophony of voices, large and small, reached his ears, all repeating the same line.

You’re next… you’re next… next…

The storm was coming.

A fierce, cold wind blew through the hallway, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

“Boss!” Ah D chased after him. “I’ll go back with you and help!”

“No. You take care of Xiaowei. Don’t worry about anything else.”

Ah D was about to say more when, D-RING RING, Shi Tiexin’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw a very unexpected name.

Zhou Nan.

“What is it?”

“Brother Zun…” Zhou Nan’s anxious and hesitant voice came through the receiver. “I heard you’ve been asking around for information lately. I have something important to tell you.”

“Speak.”

“I can’t. I have to tell you in person.”

“Why in person?”

“Because… well…” Zhou Nan stammered, unable to get the words out. At that moment, the voice on the phone suddenly changed. It was Zhou Xiong.

Zhou Xiong’s voice was steady and resolute. “Brother Zun, we have to tell you this in person. We can’t trust anyone else. You saved us at the entertainment club and have taken good care of us brothers. Rest assured, we would never be ungrateful, and we would absolutely never trick or harm you! I, Zhou Xiong, swear on my life: if I’m lying in the slightest, may I be struck by lightning and cut into a thousand pieces! Brother Zun, this is really important. Please, let’s meet!”

Shi Tiexin thought for a moment before saying in a low voice, “Fine. We’ll meet. Today.”

On the other end of the line, Zhou Xiong immediately said, overjoyed, “Great, Brother Zun! I’ll treat you to dinner tonight!”

At that moment, Shi Tiexin had a familiar feeling.

‘It feels like I’m about to leave this timeline.’