Tokyo was the capital of Japan.
Although it was only 1997, the city was already beginning to show the early shape of a metropolis that never slept.
So even though it was already past eleven at night, the wide roads were still lined with neon lights of every color, competing for attention and dyeing the entire street in a somewhat fantastical glow.
But that prosperity belonged to the city center.
Once one reached the boundary separating it from the suburbs, it was as though the whole world lost its color, suddenly turning black and white.
Su Tang was standing right on that dividing line.
Less than fifty meters ahead was his destination for the night.
That distance was not the farthest range at which the Shadowkhan could be maintained, but at present, it was the most suitable distance.
It allowed him to receive reconnaissance information quickly while also avoiding being discovered too soon.
As he thought this, Su Tang saw the shadow beneath the streetlamp ahead suddenly ripple like water.
He raised his hand and checked his watch.
Twenty seconds.
That speed was still acceptable.
A shadow ninja emerged from the darkness, walked up to Su Tang, and knelt on one knee before him.
“About the situation inside that factory.
I ask, you answer.”
Su Tang stood with his hands behind his back and spoke calmly.
He did not think the local gang could pull off anything too elaborate.
In the end, this was only about a fake license.
Still, he had never been the sort to judge petty men by a gentleman’s standards.
When caution was needed, he would be careful.
In any case, it would not take long.
One or two minutes would be enough.
Considering the intelligence issue with his lite-version Shadowkhan, Su Tang decided to simplify the questions as much as possible.
He said, “I will only ask yes-or-no questions.
If yes, nod.
If no, shake your head.”
The ninja knelt there motionlessly.
Su Tang took that as confirmation.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Are there people inside the factory?”
The ninja moved.
But Su Tang could not understand the answer.
Why did it nod, then shake its head?
What was that supposed to mean?
There were people, but also no people?
Schrödinger’s people, was it?
Frowning, Su Tang had not expected a problem to arise from the very first question.
He was not sure whether his question had been insufficiently clear, or whether the shadow ninja had simply bugged out.
He asked again, “Then are there Devils inside the factory?”
This time, things went smoothly.
The ninja nodded directly.
Resting his chin on his hand, Su Tang rubbed his temple.
He had originally asked casually, but unexpectedly, he had actually dug out something big.
How had a transaction with a gang gotten tangled up with a Devil?
People and not people…
Could it be that the gang members had all been killed by the Devil?
Or had they been possessed and turned into Fiends?
Waving for the shadow ninja to withdraw, Su Tang paced in place for two seconds and decided to let the professionals handle this.
He remembered Aki Hayakawa saying that he was on duty today.
Taking out his phone, Su Tang found the number labeled “Aki Hayakawa” under the faint white glow of the screen and called it using another number.
Beep, beep, beep…
The phone rang three times before it was answered.
Aki Hayakawa’s slightly tired voice came through the receiver.
“Hello, this is Aki Hayakawa of Public Safety Devil Extermination Special Division 4.
May I ask—”
Clearly, he was used to working late.
Su Tang glanced at the time on his phone.
There were still six minutes before midnight.
Thinking to himself that he really could not keep staying up late in the future, he said, “There are signs of Devil activity at the abandoned factory in West City.”
“Understood.
We will depart immediately.
Please keep your distance from the scene…”
Hurried footsteps came from the other end of the line.
As expected of a male-mom type.
He really did make people feel secure.
Su Tang sighed inwardly and was just about to hang up when a rush of wind suddenly sounded beside his ear.
It came so suddenly, so violently!
Like a thunderclap exploding without warning.
Su Tang’s expression hardened.
Before he could do anything, he saw something like a blood-red intestine wrap around his waist in an instant.
Then it yanked hard.
He was lifted high into the air.
Like a long whip, like a white snake flicking its tongue, it rose and fell through the air.
In that single motion, Su Tang found himself dragged into an obviously abandoned, dilapidated factory building.
The entire process took less than a second.
It had crossed nearly fifty meters.
And what disgusted him even more was the familiar voice that rang out beside him.
“Heh heh.
Mr.
Su Tang, why did you come so late this time?
I had to search all over before I finally found you.”
The old thing with white hair and a white beard slowly walked up to Su Tang.
His movements were unsteady and halting.
Clearly, the injuries he had suffered that afternoon were still taking effect.
“This is how you welcome me?” Su Tang asked, pointing at the blood-red intestine currently loosening from his waist.
“Please don’t take offense.
I truly could not wait any longer, so I had it pick you up ahead of time.”
“It?”
Su Tang raised an eyebrow.
Before he could say anything, the gang boss continued, “Mr.
Su Tang, I would like to ask you something.
Did the Black Hand grow step by step because it contracted with Devils?”
You’re asking me that?
Go to San Francisco and discuss your grand gangster enterprise with Valmont!
Su Tang was speechless.
He looked at the rusted bricks on the ground and frowned slightly.
That thick, blood-red liquid…
That was blood, wasn’t it?!
And definitely a lethal amount of blood, spilled not long ago.
There were also drag marks.
Following the traces all the way, the endpoint was a trash bin full of junk.
Seeing that Su Tang did not answer, the gang boss did not mind.
He merely continued speaking to himself.
“Yes.
Who doesn’t want to take another step forward?
So we also chose to make a contract with a Devil…”
“It is a very powerful Devil.
And I also went to great lengths to obtain 0.06 kilograms of the Gun Devil’s flesh.
Oh… that’s what you Devil Hunters call it, isn’t it?
So now, it has become even stronger…”
After saying those two sentences, the gang boss’s desire to show off seemed to come to an end.
A mysterious smile appeared on his face.
“Guess what our contract was.
Here’s a hint: the Zombie Devil hates Devil Hunters the most—ah!”
That final “ah” was not an interjection.
It was simply the gang boss’s last word before death.
“Dumbass.
I already told you I’m not a Devil Hunter.”
Watching the shadow ninja holding a shuriken pass through the old thing’s chest, Su Tang narrowed his eyes and said softly,
“Fire—Barrier.”
Scorching.
Violent.
Brilliant.
Endless flames surged up from the ground, spreading behind Su Tang in an instant like a man-eating beast and raising a wall of fire two meters high.
Boom!
The familiar sound of wind drove the familiar blood-red intestine forward, and only then did it crash into the fire wall.
Light illuminated the entire factory in an instant.
The blast wave lifted Su Tang’s loose hair.
He turned around, raised his arm, and thrust his entire right hand into the wall of fire.
The flames spread upward along his sleeve, covering his right arm in an instant.
The corner of Su Tang’s mouth split into a grin.
He licked his dry lips and let out a soft laugh.
“Found you.”
Boom!
An intestine wreathed in flames and struggling wildly was forcibly dragged out by Su Tang.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught “Equilibrium”?
l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I’m a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh!
— Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220)
“Is this chat group even serious?” (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal!
(Chapter250)
Can Playing Games Save the World?
65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
I’m Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
“I’m just a Valkyrie passing through.” 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi – Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon?
55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime?
80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero?
75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 80
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 70
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai’s Otherworld?
Wait—Who Are You People?!
80
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 57
The Uma Musume Who Became 55
I’m Definitely Not the King of 60
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
Naruto: I’m Konoha’s Local Men 35
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 34
I, the Elden Sword Saint 27
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 24
No One Knows Pokémon Better 18
I, Sakazuki, Won’t Go Down Tha 20
From Trilobites to Titans 10
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 17
Arknights: Starting Out as a S 27
DanMachi:
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught “Equilibrium”?
l (Chapter 80) Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178) Zenless Zone Zero: I’m a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 ) TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110) Yu-Gi-Oh!
— Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220) “Is this chat group even serious?” (Chapter125) I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal!
(Chapter250) Can Playing Games Save the World?
65 Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77 From Junkman to Wasteland 66 Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31 I’m Grinding Proficiency Like 46 From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220 Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42 Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65 Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185 From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20 The Way the Umamusume Look at 68 Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248 Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65 Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76 Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66 My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65 Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230 Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154 I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40 The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125 Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67 Uma Musume: From Beginner 145 Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85 Uma Musume: I Want All 120 I Can Copy Unique Skills 115 Summoning an Evil God, but the 75 Supernatural Multiverse 110 My Harem Is Indescribable 100 Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105 “I’m just a Valkyrie passing through.” 67 Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105 Still playing traditional Honk 80 The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85 What Should I Do After Switchi – Volume2/3 Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78 Hell-Difficulty Dungeon?
55 Transmigrated as Sukuna 80 Checking In in Demon Slayer 85 The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100 I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85 My Best Friend Into a Slime?
80 A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90 What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero?
75 Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 80 Why did they assign me to Uma 75 MYGO Beauties 70 DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 70 The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80 Honkai’s Otherworld?
Wait—Who Are You People?!
80 Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 57 The Uma Musume Who Became 55 I’m Definitely Not the King of 60 After Maxing Out Every Class 45 Naruto: I’m Konoha’s Local Men 35 Honkai: World Modulation Mode 34 I, the Elden Sword Saint 27 Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 24 No One Knows Pokémon Better 18 I, Sakazuki, Won’t Go Down Tha 20 From Trilobites to Titans 10 Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 17 Arknights: Starting Out as a S 27 DanMachi: