Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 321: Ghost of Black Swan Bay (6)

Dragon Raja 3

The wooden door collapsed before Chisei, and he stepped into the room at the end of the hallway, Kumogiri in hand. The room was empty.

The wisps of white smoke still lingered, the light fragrance of Japanese tobacco filling the air. In the center of the room stood a Chinese-style dressing table with a brass-edged round mirror on top and a clothing rack beside it, holding a blood-red garment. The evening breeze blew in from the window, making the garment flutter as if a slender figure were dancing inside it, singing a sorrowful, ancient melody.

The person had already left, but their presence remained everywhere in the room.

On the tatami lay an iPad, displaying a photo of two boys around thirteen or fourteen years old, leaning against a light helicopter, with the setting sun behind them. One boy wore a proud expression, while the other looked shy.

Chisei stood in front of the crimson garment, silently contemplating for a long time.

Crow and Sakura followed him into the room, scanning the surroundings for any threats. They had only received the news a few minutes earlier, and when Chisei saw the online article, his face changed. Without saying a word, he rushed to the rooftop and took off in a helicopter belonging to the Yamata no Orochi clan. Sakura had to drive, bringing Crow along to follow on the ground. At this moment, Yasha, driving a Hummer, was still stuck in traffic on the way. They didn’t yet understand why that news article had rattled Chisei so much. The only reason the article had been submitted for Chisei’s attention was that the stage featured the Oni Clan’s emblem, suggesting a connection to the Oni Clan.

“No suspicious people found nearby. After the performance, all the audience members have left. The theater manager said the venue was rented by a company that paid a high fee, and they claim to know nothing. After the show ended, the crew immediately left by bus,” Sakura reported. “In about fifteen minutes, we can completely surround the area and conduct a full search.”

“No need to search. He wouldn’t give me that chance. He’s always been smarter than me. He was the one meant to inherit this family,” Chisei said softly.

Sakura and Crow were both stunned.

“His name is Gen Chime, my biological younger brother. He’s returned from hell to find me,” Chisei said, swinging his sword horizontally, slicing the crimson garment in half as it floated to the ground.

Black clouds had gathered in the sky all day long, and at midnight, the rain finally began to pour down.

The streets were flooded, murky water surging up to calf level. Few streetlights illuminated the long road, while signs from capsule hotels and love hotels flickered, reflecting off one another.

Caesar lay on the bed, munching on a seaweed rice ball, while Chu Zihang used binoculars to scope out the love hotel across the street. Thanks to the Range Rover Ruri had provided, they had managed to escape the Kabuki Theater with little effort. Not long after they left, the Yamata no Orochi clan’s convoy arrived, surrounding the theater. Ruri’s timing had been precise—if they had left just a few minutes later, they would have been caught inside, with no way out. This also proved that this ghost-like younger brother was far more dangerous than his brother, the emperor. While Chisei’s bloodline was excellent, he wasn’t exactly the type of long-sighted leader who wouldn’t make mistakes. In contrast, Chime had made no errors since revealing himself. Caesar couldn’t shake the feeling of being outwitted by this delicate, seemingly harmless guy with a face as gentle as a girl’s.

Shortly after they returned to Takamagahara, Lu Mingfei called them. The call came from Disneyland, where Lu Mingfei had just accompanied Uesugi Erii to the evening parade, even dancing on a float with Mickey Mouse.

Lu Mingfei had called because he was out of money. The tens of thousands of yen that Chu Zihang had given him earlier in the day were already gone. He wanted Caesar and Chu Zihang to help him out with more funds. Erii had run away from home for the purpose of having fun, and having fun required money. Afraid that the yakuza princess would destroy the world if she wasn’t happy, Lu Mingfei made sure everything they ate, wore, and used was of the highest standard. At this rate, he was spending hundreds of thousands of yen a day, with shopping expenses pouring out like water. Normally, neither Gattuso nor Chu Zihang would have had trouble solving such problems, but now both of them were scraping by on alcohol sales commissions. Desperate, Caesar came up with the idea to sell the Range Rover they had received from Ruri to Whale, who generously paid a decent sum, temporarily solving their financial woes.

They were on their way to meet Lu Mingfei and hand over the money.

Currently, they were blacklisted without any identification and were wanted by the police. Without IDs, they couldn’t buy phones, which meant they had no way of contacting Lu Mingfei except to wait in the capsule hotel.

“Do you trust Ruri?” Chu Zihang asked.

“I’ve reviewed the materials he gave us, and they seem legitimate. His analysis is reasonable. Tachibana is highly suspicious, and Osho is even more so,” Caesar replied. “But the most suspicious of all is Ruri himself.”

“Exactly. Everything he’s given us seems credible, except for the man himself,” Chu Zihang agreed. “But given the situation, if we can’t form an alliance with Chisei, we’ll have to work with Ruri. We can’t contact the college, and we’re fighting alone in Japan. We need allies.”

“Aligning with him would drag us into a yakuza feud.”

“According to college regulations, we can only use force against dragons, Death Servitors, or Hybrids guilty of murder. Ruri must provide us with more evidence to prove Osho’s crimes. As long as we adhere to this principle, we won’t get caught up in yakuza feuds.”

“What are you thinking?” Caesar shrugged. “I meant that getting involved in a yakuza feud actually sounds pretty interesting!”

“The Gattuso family really is a family of lunatics.”

“A month ago, I would have been furious if I heard you say that,” Caesar tossed a can of beer to Chu Zihang, “but now, it kind of sounds like you’re complimenting me. Maybe I should invite you to be my best man.”

“Are you inviting Lu Mingfei to be your bridesmaid?” Chu Zihang casually said as he opened a can of beer.

“Congratulations, your sense of humor is improving.”

Chu Zihang glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s already past midnight. They’re staying out quite late.”

“Come on, you’re not his parents. Taking a girl out means running wild in the big city, playing until you’re utterly exhausted,” Caesar said, lighting a cigar and leisurely exhaling a puff of smoke. “At some point, when you’re both worn out, you stop by the lake or the sea, gazing at the floating lights on the water. You think to yourself how beautiful it is, and you’re grateful to have a girl by your side to share the moment. That memory belongs to both of you. Even if things don’t work out later, that moment is eternal.”

“Was it the same when you were with Nono?”

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