Chapter 212: Transformation

“Chang’an, has the master come out yet?” Upon entering, Lei Li asked while taking off his suit.

The middle-aged man in white casual clothes put down the newspaper and said, “Master is still in his room, meditating.”

Lei Li frowned in confusion. “Including the week I’ve been away, it’s almost been half a month. What on earth is master thinking about that it’s taking so long?”

“Master has his reasons for doing this. How is everything going?”

Lei Li yawned. “Almost done. Luckily, there’s a branch in Sweden; otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to accommodate so many people all at once. What about you?”

“Everything that needed to be handled is taken care of. The person they’re trying to catch is you, so it’s better for you to stay low for now.”

“I understand. It’s good to get that off my chest. Seeing them in such chaos is actually pretty satisfying,” Lei Li said with an excited expression.

“With the scale of the trouble we’ve caused, there will certainly be more problems in the future. We need to adjust our plans going forward and not act recklessly like before. At the very least, the arms business should be put on hold.”

Lei Li’s face fell at once. “But that’s our biggest source of income! This is such a huge loss.”

“Little Lei, while these under-the-table businesses are highly profitable, they’re also extremely dangerous. It’s better to stop early. With our current financial situation, we don’t need to rely on them to expand. Times have changed; the only businesses that can survive are those that offer substantial economic returns. That’s why, in recent years, I’ve avoided meddling in the underworld and focused on developing our legitimate companies.”

Lei Li thought for a moment before responding, “So, you mean you want to transform Black Dragon into a legitimate business?”

Chang’an nodded. “You could say that. In my view, territories and status in the underworld are meaningless. When a stronger force arises, these things are nothing more than fleeting smoke. The events from three years ago and what has happened recently are the most obvious examples.

But an industrial group or a company is different. As long as you hold the majority of shares, no one can take it away from you because that’s a universal business principle. Of course, we won’t give up the influence Black Dragon has accumulated over the years easily, as this power allows us to do things that legitimate companies can’t. The reason so many underworld organizations have eventually been wiped out is that their income sources were mostly illegal. This leads to trouble not just from law enforcement but also from other gangs eyeing the profits. If we can seal this gap and sustain Black Dragon with legitimate earnings, while using Black Dragon to support more legitimate businesses, we’ll be invincible.”

“Those who play by the rules are always more welcome than those who break them.” With that, Lei Yin, still disguised as a middle-aged man, walked out from inside.

“Master,” Chang’an immediately stood up.

“Master, you’re finally out,” Lei Li said in surprise.

“Thank you.” Taking the tea cup from Chang’an, Lei Yin sipped slowly and said, “Chang’an’s words make sense. This might be a good opportunity.”

Lei Li nodded seriously. “I understand. I’ll think this through carefully.”

Lei Yin asked, “Has everyone been settled?”

“Yes, except for the security personnel, everyone else has been arranged. Uncle Jian and Uncle Ming and the others went to Finland last week.”

“Master, this is the report on that matter from the past two weeks of your meditation,” Chang’an said, handing over a stack of newspapers.

Lei Yin flipped through a few pages casually, and after a moment, said, “It looks like our initial assessment was correct. They don’t dare reveal the truth about this. But they will come back for us, so we need to be prepared before then.”

“This is our turf, and with all the new Dark Group members here, we’re going to blow them up good.”

Lei Yin didn’t respond; he just tapped the armrest of his chair lightly with his fingers.

※※※

“Kazumi, would you come with me to buy a dress later? I saw a beautiful one at the mall last week, but it was a bit expensive, so I didn’t buy it. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and I finally decided to get it. It’s really pretty; you’ll see when you check it out.” Takeshima Shinobu said, pulling her friend, who was tidying up her textbooks, by the arm.

“I’m sorry, Shinobu, but I need to visit my brother and help him with some cleaning,” Kazumi said apologetically.

Seeing the look of regret on her friend’s face, Takeshima Shinobu patted her shoulder and said, “Then we can go next time. Do you want me to come with you?”

Kazumi smiled, “No, I’ll be back soon.”

As they walked outside, Takeshima Shinobu spoke with some worry, “Has your brother said when he’ll come back? It’s already been almost two months. If he doesn’t come back soon, he might be in danger of losing his credits.”

“He’s handling some things, so he should be back soon,” Kazumi replied, though her eyes were filled with concern.

In truth, she had no idea when he would return.

Ever since she overheard his conversation with Sasako, she realized that her brother was hiding far more than she had imagined. Though he had only mentioned needing to handle some matters, she had an intuition that what he was doing was extremely dangerous.

She was scared, terrified that he might disappear again, just like last time when he was gone for two years, or even worse…

As the thought crossed her mind, Kazumi felt a chill course through her, a cold that seemed to come from the deepest part of her being.

“Kazumi, Kazumi.”

Hearing her friend calling her name, Kazumi snapped out of her daze, “What did you say, Shinobu?”

Takeshima Shinobu looked at her worriedly, “Are you okay? You look really pale just now.”

Kazumi forced a smile and said, “I’m fine. Let’s go.” She then walked out of the classroom holding her books.

Takeshima Shinobu watched her, then bit her lip and asked, “Kazumi, are you worried about your brother?” Her friend’s expression reminded her of the time in Kagoshima.

Kazumi was about to deny it, but when she saw the concern in her friend’s eyes, her resolve softened, and she nodded faintly.

“Do you think your brother will be in danger?” Takeshima Shinobu asked, relying on her intuition.

Kazumi tightened her hold on the books in her arms and whispered, “I don’t know.” With that, she began walking forward at a slow pace.

Takeshima Shinobu glanced at her back, then stepped up quietly and walked alongside her.

As they reached the outside of the teaching building, a man who had been standing by the roadside approached Kazumi.

Kazumi, lost in thought as she walked, noticed someone in front of her and looked up. When she saw the man standing in front of her, her brows furrowed.

“Hello, Kazumi,” Ogata Yasuda said with a smile.

Kazumi looked at Yasuda’s handsome face, and Takeshima Shinobu’s expression became tense and unnatural.

Kazumi said nothing and pulled Takeshima Shinobu’s hand to walk past him.

Ogata Yasuda caught up and stood in front of her. “Kazumi, I want to talk to you properly.”

“I have nothing to talk to you about. If you can still understand human language, please step aside,” Kazumi said coldly.

“Kazumi, I really want to talk to you. Please give me a chance, will you?” Yasuda said earnestly.

Kazumi scoffed, “Is this game really so fun? Honestly, I find it boring.”

Yasuda became agitated. “This isn’t a game! I’ll be waiting for you at eight tonight at the restaurant we went to last time. I’ll be there until you come to see me.” With that, he turned and walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, Kazumi’s eyes were filled with a mocking expression.

At that moment, Takeshima Shinobu quietly asked, “Kazumi, … are you going to see him?”

A cold smile appeared on Kazumi’s lips, and she turned to Shinobu. “Shinobu, forget that playboy. You’ll find a guy who truly likes you.”

Takeshima Shinobu fell silent for a moment before speaking. “Actually, from the start, I knew by the look in his eyes that he didn’t really like me. I just foolishly thought that if I worked hard enough, he would one day truly like me. Am I that silly?”

Seeing her friend’s forced smile and the tears welling up in her eyes, Kazumi could only silently squeeze her hand.

The two girls walked down a small path near the school gate. Three girls suddenly got out of an expensive car that was parked by the roadside and walked up to them. A few meters away, two tall men, who looked like bodyguards, stood nearby.

Miyu Himeko studied the girl in front of her, who wore glasses. She still couldn’t understand why Yasuda was interested in such an ordinary woman, enough to visit her part-time job almost every day.

At first, she thought Yasuda was just playing around as usual, but two months had passed, and Yasuda’s behavior had not changed. He still visited her every day and hadn’t been seen with other beautiful girls like before. These unusual actions had made Miyu Himeko wary.

One day, she happened to see Yasuda’s expression while watching the woman in class. The look in his eyes made her uneasy, because she often saw that kind of look in the eyes of the boys who surrounded her. In her mind, Ogata Yasuda was the best future husband, perfect in every way—his family background, looks, and demeanor. Only he was worthy of her. She didn’t mind if he mingled with other beautiful girls because she knew it was just a game to him. But this time felt different. Women were sensitive to such things, and from that day on, she felt she needed to take some precautions.

“What do you want?” Kazumi asked, looking at the three girls, who, despite their beauty, did not seem friendly.

“Come with me; I need to talk to you,” Miyu Himeko said to Kazumi.

“I don’t have time. If you have something to say, say it here,” Kazumi replied coldly.

Miyu Himeko’s eyes flashed with anger. This vile woman!

She took a moment to compose herself before responding coldly, “I don’t care what methods you used on Yasuda, but you’re not to see him again. Do you understand? Give her the check.”

A girl standing beside her stepped forward and handed Kazumi a check.

Kazumi’s lips twitched, and she grabbed her slightly anxious friend’s hand and walked past the girl.

Miyu Himeko couldn’t hold back anymore and charged in front of her, shouting, “How much do you want? Name your price.”

Kazumi looked at her and said indifferently, “Don’t you think you look ugly like this? Is it really worth it for a playboy like him?”

Seeing Kazumi ignore her and walk away, Miyu Himeko’s face turned red with embarrassment and fury. She shouted to the two bodyguards, “Go teach this bitch a lesson.”

The two bodyguards exchanged awkward looks, unsure of what to do.

“Didn’t you hear me clearly? I told you to go teach that bitch a lesson,” Miyu Himeko glared at the two bodyguards.

The bodyguards had no choice but to step forward, blocking Kazumi’s path and preventing her from leaving.

“Himeko, what are you trying to do? Just let it go,” one of the girls, who was afraid of making things worse even though there were no passersby nearby, spoke up in caution.

“Shut up!” Miyu Himeko yelled at her, then walked up to Kazumi and said, “I’ll ask you one more time—are you planning to keep clinging to Yasuda?”

Kazumi sneered, “It looks like you need to go back and study middle school again because your logic is seriously flawed. If you could make that playboy stop showing up in front of me, I would really appreciate it.”

Miyu Himeko felt humiliated, her face flushed with rage, “You venomous bitch. Teach her a lesson so she knows the consequences of speaking recklessly. I’ll take full responsibility.”

The two bodyguards exchanged a glance and took a step toward Kazumi. In their view, this bespectacled girl was just an ordinary person, and as long as no one was killed or severely injured, with the Miyu family’s connections to the police, there would be no chance of her suing.

As the two tall men moved closer, Takeshima Shinobu, standing next to Kazumi, began to feel afraid. “W-what do you want?” she stammered.

“Kazumi, wait for my signal, and then run back as fast as you can,” Kazumi whispered, pulling her friend’s hand as they started to move backward.

“You were so arrogant just now. Why are you silent now? Are you scared? If you beg me, I might consider letting you go,” Miyu Himeko said with a smug look.

“Living in a rich family’s house too long turns people into their dogs. Seems that saying is more true than ever,” Kazumi sneered at the bodyguards.

Hearing this, the two bodyguards’ eyes flashed with anger.

Seizing the moment they were distracted, Kazumi suddenly spun around and pulled Takeshima Shinobu away, running.

The bodyguards were stunned for a moment but quickly pursued them.

Although the girls ran as fast as they could, women are inherently less physically capable than men. Soon, the two bodyguards were only five meters behind, closing in fast.

At that moment, hurried footsteps came from behind. Four men in casual clothes and T-shirts ran up at high speed.

When these men ran past Miyu Himeko, she was completely unaware of what was happening. But she soon witnessed a shocking scene.

One of the four men suddenly delivered a powerful kick to the waist of the bodyguard closest to Kazumi, knocking him to the ground. Then, the man grabbed the bodyguard’s right arm and twisted it forcefully. There was a loud snap, and the bodyguard let out a deafening scream.

In comparison, the other bodyguard fared even worse. He was being attacked by three men at once. Within five seconds, two of the men had him pinned to the ground, kicking him mercilessly. The fourth man walked over toward Miyu Himeko and the others.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The three girls, pale with fear, kept retreating.

After carefully observing the three girls for a moment, the man turned to the other three men who were “working hard” and said, “That’s enough, let’s go.”

The three men then released the two bodyguards and walked over to stand beside the man.

The man cast one last glance at the three girls before walking away with the others. The whole process was simple, as if they were just passersby in the area.

Miyu Himeko and the other two girls stood in shock, their minds blank as they watched the two bodyguards on the ground screaming in agony.

Takeshima Shinobu, who was standing a few dozen meters away with Kazumi, trembled and asked, “Kazumi, what just happened?” Thankfully, since her back had been turned to them, she didn’t see the men breaking the bodyguards’ joints so casually; otherwise, she would have been haunted by nightmares that night.

Kazumi, like her, only turned around when she realized no one was chasing them. All she could see was the two bodyguards being beaten on the ground by several men. But after the experience with Sasako’s kidnapping, she quickly understood that the men were sent by her brother to protect her. Once she realized that, a warm, indescribable feeling welled up inside her.

“I don’t know either. Let’s leave quickly,” Kazumi said, pulling her friend away before she could ask any more questions.

“Himeko, who were those people?” one of the girls finally asked after a moment.

“How should I know? A bunch of useless idiots.” Miyu Himeko muttered angrily and walked briskly towards the RV. She just wanted to leave this terrifying place as soon as possible.

“Himeko, wait for me!” The other two girls quickly followed her.

Kazumi opened all the windows and then began to carefully clean the living room.

Although she had been coming here nearly every day recently, making it nearly impossible for the apartment to be dusty, she still cleaned meticulously. She wanted her brother to come home to a clean house.

Looking at the glass windows she had polished to a shine, Kazumi smiled with a touch of pride.

She opened the fridge and saw some drinks and beer inside. Checking the dates, she found one bottle of juice had expired. There wasn’t much beer left either, so she needed to go to the supermarket tomorrow to buy more. While thinking this, Kazumi poured out the expired juice.

Feeling that there was no more cleaning to be done outside, she opened Lei Yin’s room and walked in.

The books that used to be scattered everywhere in the room had been neatly organized weeks ago. The sheets and blankets were folded perfectly. Any dirty laundry had already been washed and put away in the wardrobe.

It seemed there was really nothing left to do, and Kazumi sat down on the edge of the bed with a hint of disappointment.

Almost unconsciously, she unfolded the neatly folded blanket on the bed, folded it in half, and then in half again, slowly folding it up.

When the blanket was folded to a perfect degree, she hugged it close and pressed her cheek to it.

“Brother, please come back soon. Mom and Rumi miss you. So do I. Please, please, don’t let anything happen to you,” the girl whispered softly, holding the blanket to her.