Era of Mist

Chapter 277: Chapter 276: The Rain Stops, the Mist Spreads (End of Part 3)

”It’s gone... it’s all gone...” Mai Ba gripped Shi Tiexin’s hand, his eyes suddenly widening. He squeezed out the last of his strength to say with all his might, ”My real name is... Chen Yuhao... Boss, I... I really regret it... I regret becoming a degenerate gambler... and I regret not listening to my dad back then... Why did I have to get mixed up in this... life...”

Tears suddenly streamed down Mai Ba’s face as he murmured his last words.

”Better to be a dog in times of peace... than a man in times of chaos... Not... a man... in...”

PLOP. Mai Ba’s hand slipped from Shi Tiexin’s grasp and fell into the heavy rain.

Shi Tiexin looked down at it all, his expression hidden from everyone.

After that day, the name Mai Ba was never heard again in the underworld, just like all the other names that had faded away so quickly.

Many things happened that night.

The New Rangyi were completely annihilated, and Da Xing won a decisive victory.

Black Venerable had ventured deep into enemy territory alone to save his brother, ultimately killing the Black Warrior, Fujiwara Jizhen. His righteousness, courage, and peerless bravery became the stuff of legend. Although Mai Ba didn’t make it out alive, Black Venerable’s heroic feat of facing the enemy alone was seared into the minds of many, not to be forgotten anytime soon.

As a result, Black Venerable’s reputation in the underworld soared to new heights.

At the same time, Da Xing’s leadership issued a disciplinary order. Sanfan and Ah Hui were declared traitors for the unprovoked and vicious murder of a fellow gang member—an unforgivable crime. Even though Black Venerable had already killed them on the spot, they were not exempt from posthumous accountability.

Sanfan’s and Ah Hui’s factions were purged. This included their mistresses, illegitimate children, and others. An enraged Wang Dafu ordered them all to be killed—to cut the weeds and pull up the roots, leaving no one behind.

In this matter, Wang Dafu displayed extraordinary decisiveness and ruthlessness, intimidating the entire gang. No one dared to question his decision.

Furthermore, for his merit in rescuing a comrade, Ah Cheng was promoted to the position of new Da Xing Incense Master.

Ostensibly, Ah Cheng and Black Venerable became Wang Dafu’s right and left hands in the Tokyo territory. In reality, the two were in completely different leagues, whether in terms of underworld reputation, personal strength, or influence.

Sanfan was dead, and a large portion of his business was taken over by Ah Fei. Lanzai Fei had become a boss in the adult entertainment industry, a perfect stage for him to make his mark.

Ah Hui was dead, and many of his businesses were taken over by Ah D. Ah D commanded more respect than Ah Hui ever did and was considered a formidable figure in the world of the yakuza.

Adding Guo Bing, who remained at the Flying Car Headquarters, the three of them successively reached the kind of status Shi Tiexin once held. They weren’t official Incense Masters, but they were far above common foot soldiers. Wherever they went, people called them ”big brother,” and they could truly rise to the top at any moment.

In the underworld, where you either die fast or rise fast, this kind of situation was all too common. With his subordinates’ influence spanning the automotive, yakuza, and adult entertainment sectors, Black Venerable’s faction had practically become a small, self-contained court, equivalent to a minor Da Xing Hall Master.

Logically, such a setup was bound to arouse suspicion from one’s superiors. Whether Wang Dafu was suspicious or not, no one could say for sure. All anyone knew was that Wang Dafu was very busy lately with a major opportunity. His initiative to divide up Sanfan’s and Ah Hui’s territories might have been a genuine move to elevate Black Venerable to the throne of Tokyo District’s Hall Master.

As for Wang Dafu himself, he was of course aiming for an even higher position.

Sanfan and Ah Hui had been the Squad Leader’s direct subordinates, yet they had openly attacked their own gang brothers. Wang Dafu leveraged this from the sidelines, causing a lot of trouble for the Squad Leader. Whether the accusations were true or fabricated, no one knew, but Wang Dafu successfully shifted the blame for the murders onto the Squad Leader, fanning the flames vigorously.

Not long after, the Big Dragon Head of Da Xing Headquarters summoned the Squad Leader back to headquarters for questioning. During the Squad Leader’s absence from Japan, Wang Dafu was to temporarily assume his duties. Although his actual area of control wouldn’t change overnight, Wang Dafu was riding a wave of momentum. His prestige soared, and he once again made waves in the underworld.

However, all of this was just the commotion on the surface.

Some things lay hidden deep beneath the turbulent waves, like a massive, dark shadow moving slowly through the abyss—imperceptible to ordinary people, yet undeniably real.

On the very night of the decisive battle in the downpour, two seemingly insignificant events took place.

SPLASH. The rain poured down in sheets. The wind was damp and bone-chillingly cold, making one feel utterly helpless.

A bizarrely styled religious building was drenched in the heavy rain. Specks of light shone through its glass windows, but they offered no sense of warmth or security.

Inside, a large number of people had gathered. They wore uniform clothing: long robes with hoods pulled over their heads, and faces completely covered by masks resembling those from Noh theater.

These masks were pale and grotesque, like real, expressionless, ghoulish faces, peering with malice at the material world.

With the same clothes, the same Noh-style masks, and the same chanted scriptures, the followers were completely indistinguishable from one another. According to the doctrine of the Savior Sect, only by eliminating the self could one draw closer to the Savior.

At the center of all these masked gazes was a raised platform, like an altar. A person in more ornate robes, but also wearing a Noh-style mask, danced strangely upon it like a priest performing a ritual. Their limbs moved like a string puppet’s, making bizarre gestures that defied normal human movement, while they shouted incomprehensible words.

And in the very center of the altar, a frail young woman was helplessly bound. It was Xiaowei.

The grotesque dance came to an end, and the priest stood before Xiaowei.

”My fellow believers! This lost and helpless woman before you is a victim of the invaders. She is paralyzed, she is blind, and she has nothing left for the rest of her life. But her greatest blessing is to have a warm family, with parents who love her and are incomparably devout in their service to the Savior!”

”Her parents had already earned enough merit to receive divine grace for themselves, yet they were willing to offer it up in exchange for a single act of salvation for her. What a testament to the greatness of a father’s and a mother’s love!”

”The Savior has answered this faith and now bestows His divine grace to heal this pitiful woman!”

”Now, bring forth the Holy Grail!”

With a loud cry from the priest, several attendants carried a large chest forward. When the chest was opened, a purple light swirled out, and all the masked figures stared fanatically at the ancient cup within.

The priest performed another series of ritualistic movements, then solemnly brought out the cup, which was glowing with purple light. He raised the ancient cup high with his right hand, and with his left—SNAP—he forcefully pried open Xiaowei’s mouth.

”Receive the blessing of the Savior!”

PSST! An attendant rushed forward and shoved a funnel into Xiaowei’s mouth, while the priest immediately upended the cup. GURGLE, GURGLE. A large amount of viscous, purplish-red liquid was forced down the funnel and into Xiaowei’s mouth. Vaguely visible within the fluid were dark, sinister, black chunks.

Xiaowei coughed in agony, trying with all her might to spit the substance out, but in the end, she was too weak to resist and it was all forced down into her stomach.

”My fellow believers!” The priest raised the ancient cup high. ”Together, let us witness the coming of a miracle!”

From beneath all the Noh-style masks erupted a unified, strange prayer. They panted eagerly, wanting to witness the so-called ”miracle” with their own eyes. The bizarre chanting converged into a wave of sound that surged toward the altar, a blasphemous hymn that warped the thoughts of any sane person.

”AHH—!” Xiaowei suddenly let out a piercing scream, and a violent CRACKING sound erupted from her spine.

In another secret office, a woman in a black and red leather suit was calmly and quickly hacking a computer. A moment later, she was in. The woman opened an interface. The computer screen in the darkness illuminated her face—a gentle face with bright, almond-shaped eyes that were hard to forget.

Just as she was about to download the information, a BEEP sounded. The data on the interface began to rapidly delete itself. Clearly, someone was operating the system remotely.

’I’ve been discovered!’

The woman’s expression changed. She didn’t retreat immediately, but instead tried to salvage what she could by taking a quick look.

”Compatible host...”

”Egg...”

BEEEEEP— As if in the flatline tone of a stopped heart, the information was completely erased. The woman straightened up, her expression grim.

She pondered for a moment, but not for long. She quickly got up and began to leave with agile movements.

Deep within the pitch-black building, some profound power seemed to abruptly open its eyes and begin searching for the recent intruder. The mere act of it awakening was enough to make one’s skin crawl and feel as if needles were pricking their back.

BOOM! A clap of thunder echoed from outside. It was the exact moment Shi Tiexin’s blade pierced Fujiwara Jizhen’s heart.

The sinister presence that had just swelled up suddenly faltered, as if it had been wounded. With an unwilling, silent roar, the profound power receded back into hiding, ultimately choosing not to reveal itself.

A long, long time later, the woman in the red and black leather suit struggled back to her safe house and collapsed onto the floor with a THUD. She had no strength to get up and no one to help her. She could only endure it all, alone.

”Is it morning?” the woman wondered, looking out the window, her eyes weak and hazy.

Outside, the clouds had parted and the rain had stopped. The many storms of the previous night seemed to have subsided along with the downpour.

But the passing of the rain did not bring a clear sky.

A white veil, like fine gauze, enveloped everything. The fog was spreading.