Chapter 246: Black Eats Black

“Is this comfortable?” Naoko asked softly.

“Mm, a little harder down there.”

“Is it here?”

“Yes, right there.”

Seeing him lying on the couch with his eyes closed, seemingly enjoying the moment, Naoko let out a soft laugh and continued massaging his back with care and attention.

After about ten minutes, Lei Yin suddenly flipped over and, while holding her delicate hand and gently playing with it, he smiled at her.

“What’s wrong?” Naoko looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression.

“Nothing, just feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you,” Lei Yin said with a smile.

“Silly, didn’t we just have dinner together the day before yesterday?” Naoko gently nestled into his embrace.

Lei Yin didn’t say anything, simply holding her soft and alluring body tightly in his arms.

What Naoko didn’t know was that, although Lei Yin had only slept for about an hour the previous night, in the virtual world, over a month had passed. During that time, he experienced a cycle of reincarnation and clearly remembered his Ah Wei. Although this so-called reincarnation was just a script he subconsciously created in his mind, it still stirred up a lot of emotions in him.

The next day, things played out pretty much as Lei Yin had predicted. All the victims, including the other five women who had woken up later, testified that it was Messias’ people who had captured and forcibly imprisoned them. Some of the women had even suffered inhuman abuse under Messias’ supervision.

This revelation caused a huge uproar, drawing the attention of news reporters from around the world.

In today’s age, filled with TV evangelists, cults, and frequent crimes by church officials, the Andes Church, one of the fastest-growing religious organizations in terms of global wealth and influence in recent years, had always been a subject of suspicion and scrutiny.

However, since this emerging cult had never been caught in any substantial wrongdoing, there had been little in the way of scandals, apart from subjective suspicions and conjecture.

This incident at the Tokyo branch of the Andes Church, though, was a prime opportunity, and soon reporters from both Japan and abroad swarmed to gather firsthand information.

The private life of Messias, the leader of the incident, was also gradually exposed and became the subject of criticism.

Many even accused the Andes Church of being an extreme secretive organization or a brainwashing cult.

However, as the attacks mounted, the head of the Andes Church’s headquarters in France made a public statement, claiming to be unaware of Messias’ actions and announcing the expulsion of Messias and two other deacons from the church.

The spokesperson added that it was quite common and unfortunate for shadowy elements to exist within a large organization like the Andes Church.

Most reporters met these high-sounding statements with skepticism.

But no matter what, as long as it didn’t involve him or the people close to him, Lei Yin didn’t want to get involved. He considered this matter closed for the time being.

After a while, Naoko, lying on his chest, suddenly blushed and said, “Lei, would you stay here for dinner tonight? Aiko and some of her classmates are going to Mami’s place to play and will be staying there overnight.”

Lei Yin leaned toward her ear with a mischievous smile and whispered, “Is this an invitation?”

Upon hearing his words, Naoko’s skin flushed red as if it were about to bleed. Even her ears turned red, and she buried her head tightly in his chest, not daring to look at him.

Lei Yin laughed and hugged her tightly.

“You’re terrible,” Naoko muttered, biting into his shoulder. But she couldn’t bring herself to bite down hard.

※※※

“Hey, old man, how about lending us some money?” In a quiet and deserted alley, four delinquent youths holding baseball bats and metal pipes surrounded a man.

“Of course, no problem.” The man glanced at them and suddenly smiled.

Not long after, the alley was filled with screams and pleas for mercy.

“Hand over all your money.”

“This… this is all I have.”

“That gold chain around your neck is real, isn’t it? Take it off. And you, go check if they have any money on them.”

The two remaining delinquents who could barely move quickly followed the terrifying man’s orders.

“This is all we could find,” one of them said miserably, handing a few bills to the man.

“Damn it! No money, yet you dare to rob others? If I see you again, I’ll beat you every time. Now get lost!” The man shouted after pocketing the money.

The two delinquents, faces swollen like pig heads, scrambled away as if fleeing for their lives, completely forgetting about their two unconscious companions lying on the ground.

After combining the money from his pocket and what he had taken, the man muttered angrily, “Damn it, after all this trouble, I’ve barely made anything. What, do I have to rob a bank to get by? Why is everything in this damn place so expensive?”

This man was none other than Kuang Dao, who was roaming around in search of Lei Yin.

Since arriving in Tokyo, he had nearly spent all the money he’d stolen. Tokyo’s notoriously high cost of living didn’t help, and though Kuang Dao didn’t have many vices, his love for fine liquor quickly drained his funds. Soon, he couldn’t even afford rent, forcing him to sleep like a vagrant in parks.

Refusing to work for the “Wokou” (a derogatory term for Japanese people), he never considered getting a job. Having spent over a decade in juvenile detention centers, he had lived by strict rules of conduct and found the idea of burglary or robbery distasteful. Besides, most households in Japan kept their money in banks, so even if he stole a bankbook, it would be useless without the password.

Eventually, his bandit-like mentality led him to a solution: robbing other criminals. He would pose as a wealthy target and frequent areas where robbers were likely to strike, turning their schemes against them.

However, criminals typically didn’t carry much cash, so despite pulling off several “deals,” his earnings remained modest.

As he passed by a community park one day, he felt a bit tired and decided to sit down for a while. Looking around, he found a stone bench nearby and took a seat.

Just as he was about to doze off, he was startled awake by voices. Opening his eyes, he saw a woman in her thirties and a little girl, about seven or eight years old, talking.

The woman turned to the girl and said, “Missy, let’s go play somewhere else.”

“Why? Isn’t this place fine? We come here all the time,” the little girl asked curiously.

“It’s not that… Just, let’s go somewhere else,” the woman said, glancing uneasily at Kuang Dao sitting on a bench in the distance. She wanted to leave because the man looked intimidating, and in today’s world full of dangerous individuals, she didn’t want to take any risks.

Unfortunately, the little girl was too young to understand her concerns. She firmly replied, “No, I want to play here.”

The nanny had no choice but to stay, though she kept casting nervous glances at Kuang Dao.

Kuang Dao noticed it was just a little girl playing and didn’t bother with them, closing his eyes to continue sleeping.

“Rie, will Mommy be back today?” After playing in the sand for a while, the little girl asked the nanny.

“She should be. Madam called yesterday and said she’d be back today. She even bought a gift for you.”

The little girl excitedly said, “Really? That’s great! But honestly, I don’t want any gifts. I just want Mommy to spend more time with me.” Her expression turned a bit somber as she finished speaking.

“Missy, Madam is working so hard for your sake,” the nanny comforted her.

The little girl turned slightly and said, “I know Mommy works hard for me, but I still wish she could spend more time with me.”

The nanny didn’t know how to respond.

While the little girl was playing house with the nanny, a car suddenly stopped at the park entrance. Three men got out and began walking toward them.

Before they realized it, the three men had already approached them. The nanny froze, fear flashing in her eyes as she looked at the men.

The man on the left pointed at the little girl and asked, “Is this the woman’s daughter?”

“Yes, it’s her,” the man in the suit standing in the middle confirmed with a nod.

“What… what do you want?” The nanny asked in a trembling voice, sensing danger.

“It’s none of your business. We just want to invite Miss Tani’s precious daughter to our place to play,” said the man on the left as he grabbed the little girl and turned to leave.

“Let me go! Who are you?” The little girl shouted loudly.

“You can’t do this! If you don’t let her go, I’ll call the police!” The nanny quickly stepped forward to block the man.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, stay out of this,” said another man, shoving her roughly to the ground.

The man in the suit smiled and said, “Hey, take it easy. We wouldn’t want to scare anyone now, would we? Go back and tell your employer to contact us immediately. Oh, and one more thing—I’m her cousin, which makes me this little girl’s uncle. We’re just taking her to play, so don’t foolishly call the police. We won’t admit anything if you do.”

“Let me go, you bad people!” The little girl struggled fiercely.

“You’re so disobedient, not even recognizing your own uncle. It seems your mother didn’t teach you well. Don’t worry, I’ll educate you on her behalf. Let’s go.” The man gestured to the others, heading toward the car parked at the entrance.

The nanny watched in panic, unsure whether she should call the police.

“Hey, stop right there,” a rough male voice suddenly boomed from behind them.

The nanny and the three men turned to see a scruffy, rugged man walking toward them step by step.

The man in the suit frowned and said coldly, “Who are you? Don’t meddle in other people’s business, or you’ll regret it.”

Kuang Dao yawned and said, “I wasn’t planning to meddle, but you disturbed my nap. That’s very annoying. You might not know this, but people who wake me up for no reason don’t end up well either.”

“What do you want?”

Kuang Dao glanced at him and replied, “Take off your pants and get lost immediately.”

Hearing this, the man in the suit’s face twisted with anger. He gestured to one of his companions, who cracked his knuckles menacingly as he walked toward Kuang Dao.

Seeing this, Kuang Dao suddenly started laughing.

※※※

In the silent hallway, the sound of hurried high heels clicking against the floor suddenly echoed.

When Tani Akiko reached the entrance, she didn’t even pause to catch her breath before anxiously fumbling with her keys to unlock the door.

The moment the door opened, she rushed inside without even bothering to take off her shoes.

In the hallway leading to the living room, she spotted Rie, the nanny who usually took care of her beloved daughter, passing by. Akiko immediately grabbed her and asked urgently, “How’s my baby? Is she hurt?”

The nanny quickly reassured her, “Please don’t worry, ma’am. The young miss is perfectly fine, not a scratch on her.”

Hearing this, Akiko let out a long sigh of relief.

“Where is she now?”

“The young miss is in the dining room, and…” Before Rie could finish, Akiko had already dashed in.

In the dining room, Akiko finally saw her daughter. She rushed over and hugged her tightly.

“Mommy, you’re back!” the little girl exclaimed happily.

“Baby, are you okay? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?” Akiko carefully examined her daughter’s body.

“I’m perfectly fine, Mommy,” the girl replied with a bright smile. “Oh, Mommy, guess what? A few bad guys tried to grab me earlier. They were so awful! But luckily, Kuang Dao-ojisan was there. He scared them off in no time! He’s amazing!” Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she recalled the scene of Kuang Dao defeating the bad guys.

“Kuang Dao-ojisan? Who’s that?” Akiko asked, puzzled.

“That’s him!” The little girl excitedly pointed toward Kuang Dao, who was walking out of the kitchen holding a large bowl of soup.

Turning to look, Akiko saw a rugged-looking man with an unbuttoned collar striding in from the kitchen.

Realizing this man had saved her daughter, Akiko was about to thank him but suddenly found him very familiar. As she took a closer look, she finally remembered—it was the drunken troublemaker who had caused chaos in the bar that night. She was so startled she immediately stood up.

Oblivious to her reaction, the little girl continued enthusiastically, “Mommy, you know what? Kuang Dao-ojisan eats a lot! Rie already cooked two pots of rice, but he’s still not full. Now Rie is getting ready to make noodles for him.”

“Hey, little rascal, are you talking bad about me again?” Kuang Dao glanced at the little girl before shifting his gaze to Akiko. “Who’s this woman? Your mom?”

“Don’t call her ‘mom,’ that’s so weird! Kuang Dao-ojisan, this is my mommy!” the girl said with a pout.

“Oh, hello,” Kuang Dao casually greeted Akiko before sitting down like he owned the place. He began devouring the freshly cooked noodles Rie had prepared, completely forgetting this was the woman he had berated mercilessly at the bar.

Watching him eat ravenously, as though he’d been starved for days, Akiko suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Note: We’ll use Kuang Dao for Crazy Blade from now on.

Also tried using uncle for ojisan, but I think the latter sounds more affectionate so I’ll stick to that.