The dense smoke from the explosion billowed throughout the laboratory space. From amidst the wreckage of the sturdy steel door, a deep, warm voice with a playful, sarcastic edge rang out:
— "Oh ho, looks like I went a bit overboard... Sorry for the heavy-handed greeting!"
The smoke gradually dissipated, revealing a young man with a rebellious, unruly air. Xie Xingchen, standing nearby, widened his eyes in sheer panic and blurted out:
— "Ryuzaki Renji?!"
Before Xingchen could even process what was happening, another tall figure stepped forward from behind, standing beside Renji with arms crossed. Seeing that familiar face, Xie Xingchen's lips trembled as he stammered:
— "V-Vincenzo Russo as well?!"
Xingchen took a step forward, shouting in confrontation:
— "What the hell are you two doing here?! Why did you smash my front door?! Did Lu Xie send you here to arrest us?!"
Hearing this, Renji burst out laughing, waving his hands in denial:
— "Hey, hey, don't overreact like that! I genuinely apologize for breaking your door. As for serving Lu Xie? Ha! To be honest, I was just curious to see what kind of god-like figure actually had the guts to grab his face and slam it into the dirt!"
Shin narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, his whole body tensing up as he assumed a combat stance with clenched fists. Sensing the atmosphere suddenly turning taut as a bowstring, Renji raised his hands with a friendly laugh, looking at Shin with warm admiration:
— "You look older than me, so allow me to call you 'big brother'! I'm only eighteen, after all!"
Seeing no killing intent from his opponent, Shin slowly relaxed his stance, the corner of his lips curling up as he replied:
— "Suit yourself then. Calling me Shin is fine."
Vincenzo Russo finally stepped forward slowly, speaking in a calm, composed voice:
— "We didn't come here to start a fight. Would you mind if the two of us sat down with you for a little chat?"
Shin glanced at the steaming hotpot ingredients on the table and laughed heartily:
— "Heh, we were just about to eat hotpot. If you don't mind, come sit down and eat with us, and we can discuss business while we're at it!"
Renji's eyes instantly lit up, breaking into a broad grin:
— "Sounds great! I'm starving to death anyway, so don't mind if I freeload a meal!"
Just a few minutes later, the tense atmosphere had completely vanished. Russo, Renji, and the entire Zero Horizon squad gathered around a piping-hot, super-spicy hotpot that was boiling furiously, releasing a rich, mouth-watering aroma of beef and savory spices.
SLURP…
Renji picked up a dipped slice of beef, popped it into his mouth, and his eyes widened in utter amazement!
— "Woww! Holy shit, this is insanely delicious! Who cooked this hotpot?!"
In the corner of the table, Tae-Joon awkwardly scratched his head with an embarrassed laugh:
— "Ah, well... that's my doing! Ling Mo and I prepped dinner for everyone together. Don't worry, there's plenty of food, so help yourselves!"
While the Mikami brothers were busy scarfing down plates of meat at the table, even squabbling over a juicy meatball, Shin took a sip of warm water and asked the true purpose of their two uninvited guests point-blank:
— "Now then, tell me your real reason for taking the trouble to come all the way here?"
Kento, Ling Mo, Seijuro, and Roxy all stopped their chopsticks simultaneously, directing sharp, focused gazes toward Renji and Russo.
Renji rested his chin on his hand, smiling faintly:
— "Honestly, it's nothing too major... That bastard Lu Xie has been abusing his family's power, acting arrogant and tyrannical across the Central District for so long, yet nobody ever dared to stand up to him. But at that recent banquet, Brother Shin here did something I must tip my hat to: grabbing his face and slamming him straight onto the ground!"
Renji's eyes gleamed with satisfaction:
— "I absolutely loved seeing that brat's head planted into the dirt like a handstand tree—it was thoroughly refreshing! And as you all know, your Zero Horizon squad currently has a massive bounty on your heads from the Central District. Countless bounty hunters will definitely come swarming to claim that reward money..."
At this point, Renji's eyes fixed seriously on Shin as he made his offer:
— "If you don't mind, Russo and I want to cooperate with you! Together, we'll overthrow and directly face Lu Xie and his ruthless old man!"
Shin looked deeply into Renji's eyes, sensing no deceit whatsoever. He let out a faint smile:
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— "Let me think it over first... Either way, thanks for the kind offer."
Renji laughed out loud, slapping his thigh with a sharp CLAP:
— "Fair enough! If Brother Shin says so, I won't push. But honestly speaking, I FREAKING LOVE YOUR ATTITUDE! Fighting decisively without fearing heaven or earth!"
Russo, sitting beside him, shook his head in exasperation at Renji's loud bluster. He glanced around the table and suddenly recognized a few faces:
— "If I'm not mistaken... that dog-eared girl is the famous Roxy Vance, and the two carrying Katana at their hips are Akai Kiriko and Kamishiro Seijuro, correct?"
Kiriko paused her chopsticks, raising an eyebrow:
— "You recognize me? I only just joined the Four Extremes of Order and am currently working as a spy inside, you know."
Russo turned to Roxy, his expression complex:
— "And you, Roxy... Why would a notorious Revolutionary Army leader like you decide to join Zero Horizon?"
The mood at the table suddenly grew heavy. Roxy set down her chopsticks, her eyes drifting far away as she recalled her painful past. She let out a long sigh, speaking slowly:
— "Leader Shin already knows my background, but a few in the squad might not. I used to be a leader of the Revolutionary Army... but unfortunately, my leadership skills were far too lacking, causing every path to lead to a dead end until we gradually fell apart. I commanded the final battle of my life there, but the result was still a total disaster... Now, all I can do is stand up to fight the corrupt regime of the new generation under the Galactic Alliance."
Kento smacked his lips, taking a sip of water:
— "Sounds pretty tragic and heavy..."
Tae-Joon quickly waved his hands:
— "Alright, alright, I'm completely clueless about world politics, so hearing about it just gives me a headache!"
Noticing the solemn mood settling over the table, Renji quickly changed the subject, pointing at Seijuro:
— "That's right! What about this swordsman friend here, Seijuro? I've heard of your reputation since a long time ago!"
Seijuro lightly touched the hilt of the Katana at his hip, a cold glint flashing in his eyes:
— "I previously studied at a Gen-Primal generation Kendo dojo. But times changed, and everything related to the dojo was leveled to the ground. Back then, I was only fifteen years old... forced to hide and live in the shadows, even fighting with rats in the underground sewers over scraps of leftover food just to survive day by day. At that time, I told myself that if I couldn't live a decent life, I might as well carry my sword to challenge dojos everywhere to earn some meal money through duels!"
Seijuro drew his blade slightly (SCHWING), the cold steel reflecting the overhead light:
— "This Katana is a treasure passed down by my master before his death. I roamed with it through countless lands, only to finally stop here in the Central District..."
Shin looked at Seijuro in surprise, slapping his shoulder with a laugh:
— "Turns out your past was that intense? I'm only finding out now, Seijuro!"
Loona pouted, crossing her arms in complaint:
— "Hey, hey, stop telling sad stories, everyone! We're having a fun hotpot meal, bringing up tragic stuff completely ruins the mood!"
Renji laughed out loud in immediate agreement:
— "Exactly! Exactly! I'm here as a guest today, everyone raise a glass! Whoever doesn't drink loses face!"
The lively atmosphere quickly returned. Ling Mo, who had been quietly eating the whole time, placed more food into his bowl. Renji began egging Seijuro on into a drinking duel. The two heavy drinkers downed glass after glass until Seijuro's face turned bright red and he became dead drunk, while Renji tried to maintain a sober face as if nothing had happened.
Russo, sitting beside him, immediately exposed his teammate:
— "Don't act like you're undefeated, Renji. As if I don't know your habits... Once, you got so drunk you collapsed right onto the dining table, face planted straight into a plate of food. At one point you got up to use the bathroom, turned into a puddle of mush, and passed out flat in the middle of the hallway!"
Renji turned bright red, so furious his blood nearly boiled, jumping up to argue:
— "Hey! Hey! You made that story up, didn't you, Vincenzo Russo?! How could I have such an embarrassing sleeping habit, do you hear me?!"
Russo shrugged nonchalantly:
— "I'm just speaking the harsh truth."
— "Truth my ass! That's embarrassing me to death!"
Watching the Japanese Yakuza and Italian Mafia duo bicker like children, the entire table burst into laughter. Kento, feeling his hands itch, picked up a liquor bottle and stood up to provoke him:
— "Hey Renji, heard your alcohol tolerance is sky-high? Dare to duel me to see who falls first?"
Renji accepted enthusiastically:
— "Oh ho? Kento, you really want to play for real? Fair warning, don't cry when you're dead drunk!"
Xie Xingchen, sitting nearby, panicked:
— "Stop it, Kento... Shin, stop Kento! If Kento gets drunk, the house will be completely wrecked..."
Xingchen turned to ask Shin to intervene, but Shin was holding his stomach, laughing hysterically and cheering Kento on:
— "Go for it, Kento! Defeat Renji for me! Show him what the booze tolerance of Zero Horizon is made of!"
Russo facepalmed, letting out a heavy sigh:
— "Sigh... either way, in the end, it's going to be me dragging this living liability back home again..."
In stark contrast to the chaotic, noisy scene of the men downing glass after glass, the three women—Loona, Kiriko, and Roxy—gathered in a cozy corner like close sisters. They leisurely enjoyed their food, completely ignoring the boys whose faces were bright red from drinking.
Loona rested her chin on her hand, turning to discuss tomorrow's menu:
— "Hey, you two, should we ask Tae-Joon to cook something delicious to recharge tomorrow?"
Roxy thought for a moment, her eyes lighting up:
— "I think making a rich plate of Spaghetti Carbonara would be amazing!"
Kiriko shook her head with a smile:
— "Come on, I think a warm bowl of French Onion Soup is just as good."
Loona blinked curiously, turning to look at Tae-Joon, who was busy cleaning up the nearby table:
— "Hey Kwon Tae-Joon, how are you so insanely good at cooking?"
Tae-Joon laughed heartily, wiping his hands on his apron:
— "Haha, actually, when I was young, I had a burning passion for culinary arts. But life pushed me into learning Muay Thai instead, so I had to grit my teeth training at high intensity while taking time to learn cooking to balance my life. Back in the day, I even regularly cooked meals for my master!"
Loona cheered:
— "Oh, amazing! Kiriko and Roxy are arguing over what to request for tomorrow, what do you think?"
Tae-Joon chuckled, thumping his chest proudly:
— "Hold on! Why bother stressing over choosing? Tomorrow... I'll cook it all!"
Hearing that, Loona, Kiriko, and Roxy all gave a simultaneous, enthusiastic thumbs-up to praise the master chef Tae-Joon.
Outside, the Central District night was shrouded in cold neon lights and dark plots waiting to explode. But inside this underground base, the warm flame of the hotpot and the jovial laughter kept lighting up the bond of a real family.
When the party ended, the alcohol-laden, laughter-filled atmosphere suddenly cooled down as the men hit their limit. Ryuzaki Renji—who had bragged about being undefeated at the drinking table—was now dead drunk, his mind hazy, continuously letting out loud hiccups:
Hic...! Hic...!
Although Vincenzo Russo retained some degree of sobriety, his face was flushed red. Letting out a helpless sigh, he bent down to hoist Renji onto his back, then turned to bow in farewell to everyone.
Shin walked behind them all the way to the destroyed main door area. Looking at the swaying figures of the mafia-yakuza duo, Shin asked out of curiosity:
— "Russo and Renji, did you two really come here alone? Didn't bring anyone else?"
Russo adjusted the drunk deadweight on his back, answering in a deep, steady voice:
— "That's right. Renji and I came alone to avoid making a grand scene that attracts attention from the Central District side. Besides... I hope you won't blame us for quietly investigating your squad's whereabouts to find this place!"
Shin waved his hand dismissively, laughing heartily:
— "Hey now, what's there to blame? Scouting carefully beforehand is better anyway, I understand!"
Right at that moment, Renji, who was slumping on Russo's shoulder, suddenly stirred. He snapped his heavy head up, eyes half-lidded, slurring his words between hiccups:
— "Brother... Shin... when... when you're free... remember to... come to my manor... to hang out...! Hic!"
Shin smiled and nodded:
— "Alright, alright! Got it, I'll drop by when I have time."
Renji pointed a wobbly index finger forward:
— "I'll... come... pick... pick you up, okay?! Word of honor...! Hic!"
Russo grew so annoyed his eyes widened, slapping Renji's thigh with a loud SMACK as he grumbled:
— "Cut out that slurred jabber and focus on sleeping! If you dare vomit on this designer suit of mine, I'm going to beat you black and blue, do you hear me, you brat!"
With that, Russo turned around to leave, preparing to carry his partner out of the base. But after taking a few steps, he froze as if suddenly remembering something important.
Russo reached inside his coat, pulling out a sleek, pitch-black matrix data chip and holding it out toward Shin:
— "Almost forgot... This chip contains all secret documents regarding Lu Xie and the corrupt dealings of his father—Lu Quanlin. Even though you haven't given a formal answer on whether you agree to cooperate, I hope this will be of some help to your squad!"
Shin reached out and took the small chip from Russo's hand. The cold metal sensation transferred to his skin, but his eyes turned exceptionally sharp and profound.
Shin looked up, staring straight at Russo:
— "Thanks, Russo! This gift is very valuable."
Russo smirked faintly, securing his grip on Renji:
— "Don't mention it! Goodbye then, I have to hurry and carry this drunk liability who's heavy as a pig back home before he drools on my suit!"
With those final words, Russo strode off into the quiet night of the Central District, the backs of the two figures gradually disappearing into the hazy mist.
Shin stood silently at the entrance, looking down at the data chip resting in the palm of his hand. His heart was weighed down by countless thoughts; the chessboard between Zero Horizon and the Lu family enterprise had now officially entered a whole new, fiercely dangerous turning point.
Clenching the chip tightly in his hand, Shin took a deep breath and turned back inside, where the warm yellow light and his teammates were waiting…
(To be continued)