In the darkness of night, Mu Lin had changed into the attire of a Japanese ninja and approached the old yakuza family Sasebo, which had been entrenched in Fukuoka for over two hundred years. Alongside another powerful clan, the Nakatsu family, they had divided most of the profits of Kyushu between them. Over decades of rivalry, neither family could completely dominate the other. About a century ago, the wise elders of both families realized that cooperation could benefit both, and through marriage alliances, a superficial peace was temporarily maintained. However, both families continued to plot secretly against each other.
Especially in modern times, the younger generations of both families were ambitious and eager to establish their own legacies, making the situation between them highly volatile.
The only remaining family, the Kumamoto clan, had risen over a century ago by adopting a strategy of encircling the cities from the countryside. Taking advantage of the ongoing conflict between the Sasebo and Nakatsu families, the Kumamoto family gradually expanded from rural areas beyond the two families’ control, eventually growing into a significant force. By the time Sasebo and Nakatsu realized the threat posed by Kumamoto, the opportunity to eliminate them had already passed. Neither family dared to strike first, fearing the other would seize the final advantage. In modern times, the Kumamoto family had grown even stronger and begun encroaching into cities controlled by the other two families.
When Mu Lin arrived in Little Japan, he had carefully considered his plan for revenge. He had not planted any informants or allies here. If he were to eliminate the local yakuza one by one, he would eventually expose his identity and provoke retaliation. Although no amount of scheming could stand against absolute power, even an elephant would find itself overwhelmed constantly dealing with a swarm of mice.
After several days of observation, Mu Lin decided to proceed with his current actions. Perhaps due to years of complacency, the Sasebo family had let their guard down, and security measures were practically non-existent. Mu Lin shook his head—indeed, the ancient saying, “Hardship breeds vigilance; ease brings downfall,” was spot on.
He had observed this place for a long time. During the day, he suspected it might be a ruse, but to his surprise, there was little difference between day and night. With his psychic senses, the night was as clear as daylight. He wasn’t here to kill anyone, so he paid no attention to which rooms were occupied by whom.
Avoiding the guards, Mu Lin reached the secret chamber of the Sasebo family. Every ancient family had its own hidden vaults for storing treasures and secret escape routes. Much of the yakuza’s wealth was obtained through illegal means, and such illicit gains, along with other valuable items, were stored in these secret rooms—just like in the Sasebo family.
The Sasebo family’s secret chamber was built three levels underground, surrounded by two-meter-thick reinforced concrete walls. Access required passing through three heavy steel doors, each twenty centimeters thick. The first and second doors were guarded by four fully armed guards each, with shifts changing every eight hours. Once inside, one could freely carry out whatever needed to be done.
The third door could only be opened by the family leader and two elders, who each held a key that needed to be turned simultaneously. This made things much easier for Mu Lin, who used earth dunshu to slip directly into the chamber.
Inside the chamber, Mu Lin began examining the surroundings. It was a spacious room covering over 300 square meters. The ceiling had many small holes about ten centimeters in diameter—upon closer inspection, they were ventilation shafts.
Mu Lin smiled. By the construction standards and security measures of a hundred years ago, this chamber was indeed advanced. But times had changed, and these families had failed to upgrade their defenses accordingly—clearly overconfident.
After thoroughly inspecting the chamber, Mu Lin began tossing everything on the shelves into his ring. Even the firearms, which occupied nearly a third of the chamber’s volume, were not spared. Anything stored in such a place was likely valuable. Before arriving, Mu Lin had moved all the contents of his ring to his old home in Boston, so the ring had plenty of space now.
Inside the vast chamber, Mu Lin placed dozens of timed explosives, determined to erase all traces of his presence. After synchronizing the timers with the local time in Sasebo, he slipped into the villa. Noticing a few lavishly decorated rooms, he placed another dozen timed explosives inside before quietly leaving.
Using his遁术, Mu Lin quickly appeared near the Nakatsu family’s villa. Although their security was tighter than the Sasebo family’s, Mu Lin still quickly located their secret chamber.
Surprisingly, the Nakatsu chamber had infrared alarm systems. However, due to years of complacency, the guards had neglected to activate them, saving Mu Lin considerable effort. After emptying the Nakatsu chamber just as he had done with Sasebo’s, he placed timed explosives in the most luxurious rooms before swiftly departing.
When Mu Lin returned to his hotel room, massive explosions roared from both ends of the city, followed by a series of detonations that completely woke the sleeping city. The high explosives Mu Lin used generated shockwaves that rippled across the entire district, followed by piercing alarm sirens that echoed throughout the city.
Since Nagasaki in Kyushu had once suffered an atomic bomb from the Americans during WWII, the Japanese in Kyushu annually sounded air-raid sirens in remembrance. Thus, the citizens had grown somewhat accustomed to such alarms. However, the sheer power of the explosions this time woke nearly everyone in the city. The subsequent alarms led many to believe an air raid was imminent. In fear, some residents rushed out without even grabbing their belongings, driving away with their families.
Tourists visiting the city were also gripped with terror at the massive explosions and the following alarms. People always fear the unknown. Seeing locals speeding through the streets in their cars, many tourists, clad only in whatever they had on, began sprinting out of their hotels and into the streets, soon joined by more and more fleeing citizens.
As more vehicles and pedestrians flooded the streets, the already congested roads became even more jammed. The police were overwhelmed by the chaos, and the entire city descended into panic.
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