Chapter Sixty-One: Inexplicably Absurd

Jack glared at the dozen or so members of the Rimukawa Syndicate, his right hand tightly gripping his handgun. He had originally planned to drive away as soon as Hayabusa Hiyoshi got out of the car. Just as he was about to start the engine, however, he noticed Hiyoshi being surrounded.

Recalling the personal background Hiyoshi had shared with him—an impoverished young man with extraordinary martial arts skills, presumably having inadvertently made enemies with powerful people and now being targeted by street thugs for revenge—Jack felt a surge of indignation. Although Rimukawa was far from peaceful and organized crime was legally tolerated, the police still existed; it wasn't a place where gangs could roam the streets committing daylight robberies in broad daylight.

Reflecting on the fact that he and Hiyoshi had crossed paths a few times, and that Hiyoshi had indirectly helped him recover money and drugs today, Jack decided to step out of his car. He intended to use his authority as a police officer to help Hiyoshi and warn the hoodlums off. But upon stepping out and taking a closer look, he unexpectedly recognized the gang leader: it was Tiger of the Rimukawa Syndicate.

Having just arrested several members of the Rimukawa Syndicate and sent them away, he was now witnessing another group of their thugs causing trouble. How could he not be furious?

On his very first day in office, members of the Rimukawa Syndicate had approached him with promises of lucrative bribes, and the police chief had also dropped hints to him. However, as an outsider directly parachuted into Rimukawa's police force, Jack was not obligated to fully obey the central precinct. Coupled with his incorruptible and upright character, he had flatly rejected their "kindness."

Consequently, he had locked horns with the Rimukawa Syndicate. The syndicate had tried various underhanded tactics to get rid of him for refusing to play ball, but Jack had effortlessly neutralized every single "hidden knife" they threw at him. Moreover, his parachuted status meant even the police chief had no authority to transfer or dismiss him.

It was precisely these petty machinations by the Rimukawa Syndicate that had completely enraged Jack, leading him to issue a public warning against them. The successful drug bust earlier today was the direct result of him closely monitoring the syndicate's movements.

"Jack, we were just looking for you, and you've delivered yourself right to our doorstep. Don't blame us for being ruthless. Brothers, get him! Take down this black guy and there's a hundred-thousand-yen reward."

Tiger reached for his waist, revealing the grip of a black handgun. He assumed the only police officer present was Jack, alongside Hiyoshi. With a dozen of his best fighters and his own firearm, even if someone called the police, by the time reinforcements arrived, everything would be over. A few threats to the citizens and a bribe paid off to higher-ups would make the whole incident vanish.

"Tiger, I am placing you under arrest for intimidation, unlawful assembly, intentional assault, illegal possession of firearms, and assaulting a police officer, among other charges."

Jack drew a pair of handcuffs with his left hand while keeping his gun trained on Tiger with his right.

"Brothers, get them!"

At the exact moment Jack drew his handcuffs, Tiger pulled out his gun and aimed it squarely at Jack.

"Kill him..."

With heavy rewards come brave men.

One large thug made the first move, and the rest followed suit, raising their steel pipes.

*Clang—crash!*

The doors of the six black moving vans parked along the roadside swung open simultaneously.

Nearly twenty tactical riot police officers, armed with submachine guns, leaped out of the vehicles. In less than thirty seconds, they completely surrounded the bewildered members of the Rimukawa Syndicate.

A sea of dark gun barrels pointed directly at them.

"Boss..."

Clatter.

The thugs dropped their jaws and widened their eyes. The steel pipes they had raised to strike Jack and Hiyoshi hit the ground in unison before the dark, menacing gun barrels. The pipes bounced off the pavement and struck their shins, causing sharp pain, but they were too terrified to move a muscle.

"Drop your weapons! Put your hands up!"

Tiger stared at the scene unfolding before him in utter disbelief. What was going on here? Had he walked into a trap? Did they mobilize such a massive force just to arrest him? Impossible. Didn't the Rimukawa Syndicate have solid connections with the upper echelons? If there was an operation of this scale, he should have received a tip-off. Thoughts raced through his mind, but he still laid his pistol on the ground, raised his hands, and placed them on his head. Facing nearly twenty guns, not a single shred of resistance remained in him.

Hayabusa Hiyoshi blinked, taking in the entire spectacle. He didn't know whether to smile, chuckle, or burst out laughing.

The moment he heard Jack shout the words "Rimukawa Syndicate," everything clicked into place—they were Matsutani Wild's men. When the incident near the theater had first occurred, it hadn't registered immediately; or rather, he had simply been looking for an outlet for his frustrations and hadn't thought much about who crossed his path.

Now that he knew they were Rimukawa Syndicate members who had come looking for trouble with him, the irony struck him. Though he no longer needed to vent his anger on them, the thought that the thugs Matsutani Wild had dispatched to deal with him had accidentally been rounded up by tactical police units returning from a completed mission felt inexplicably comical.

He wondered what expression Matsutani Wild would wear tomorrow morning. Hiyoshi couldn't help feeling a faint sense of anticipation.

At this moment, Hiyoshi didn't even realize that Matsutani Wild had transcended the role of a lawless, arrogant young master seeking to cause trouble; deep down, Hiyoshi had officially categorized him as a "rival."

"Kun-kun, this is my number. If you run into any trouble in the future, your first choice should be to call the police. Don't try to handle everything by yourself with brute force. You need to trust the police." After Tiger and his men were handcuffed, shoved into police cruisers, and driven away, Jack pulled out a pen and a memo pad, scribbled down his phone number, and handed it to Hiyoshi.

"Right, got it."

Hiyoshi accepted the slip of paper, glanced at the numbers, and instantly committed them to memory.

"I'll be heading out then. Call me if anything comes up."

With that, Jack turned, waved farewell, got into his vehicle, started the engine, and drove away.

Seeing that Jack and the police had completely departed, Hiyoshi tore the memo slip into pieces and tossed them into a roadside trash can. He had already memorized Jack's number, making the physical paper obsolete.

By the time he returned to the White Tiger Nightclub, it was already the dead of night. The venue was now a hub of song and dance; the nightlife had officially begun, with pulsating music, wine bottles, and piercing screams weaving together into a vibrant tapestry.

"Brother Bai, my apologies. I'm late."

Hiyoshi navigated the edges of the corridor, making a series of turns until he smoothly slipped behind the bar. He approached Brother Bai, who was already deep into the rush of his work, and spoke with an apologetic tone.

"Hiyoshi, you're back? Quick, help me take these two glasses of wine to the customers over there."

Brother Bai looked up, caught sight of Hiyoshi, and pointed to a pair of freshly mixed drinks on the counter.

"Right, got it."

"Wait, hold on—Li, come over here and take these two drinks to the table."

Brother Bai suddenly seemed to remember something, stopping Hiyoshi just as his hand reached for the glasses, and called someone else over to handle the task.

"What's wrong, Brother Bai? Is there something else you want me to do?"

Hiyoshi felt a pang of reluctance as he handed the task over to the waiter named Li. The chance to "atone for his sins" of being late had been snatched away by someone else, and he looked at Brother Bai with a sense of nervous apprehension.

"Nothing like that. Hiyoshi, go take a break."

Brother Bai said with a warm smile, his tone carrying an ambiguous undertone.

"Take a break?"

Hiyoshi's eyes widened. Was he about to be fired? *Oh no, this is bad,* he thought. *The woman from this afternoon definitely failed to put in a good word for me with Brother Bai! It's over, my high-paying job is about to vanish.*

"No, just go back to your usual duties."

Noticing Hiyoshi's dejected expression, Brother Bai instantly realized the young man had misunderstood and quickly clarified.

"Ah, alright."

Hearing this, Hiyoshi instantly regained his spirit. He let out a sigh of relief, nodded in agreement, and turned to resume his patrol, terrified that Brother Bai might change his mind and sack him on the spot. After all, being late on your very first day of work—and by quite a margin at that—truly meant he was lucky not to have been fired outright.