Chapter 606: Secret Military Base
[At the InagawKai sumo house]
Xiao Luo received the respect and treatment accorded to a VIP. The InagawKai members who had taken a beating earlier cowered at the sight of Xiao Luo. None dared to look the man in the eye, especially the two sumo wrestlers. They were close to 150 kg in weight, and yet Xiao Luo sent them flying like bags of meat. Just the thought of it made them quiver.
“Mr. Xiao Han, have some tea!” Suzuki Ikuo said as poured Xiao Luo a cup of tea and handed it to him respectfully.
“I don"t have time for that,” Xiao Luo said, “you told me you"ve found that black SUV? Where is it?”
“In a forest by the foot of Mount Fuji. I have done some checking and found out that about half a year ago, its owner had applied to the vehicle administrative office for the car to be sc.r.a.pped. But this one is still in use after somebody refurbished it and changed all the faulty parts,” Suzuki Ikuo said.
“Who"s the one using it now?” Xiao Luo asked. Inwardly, he admired how efficient the Yakuza were.
Suzuki Ikuo looked around, acting like he did not want to be overheard. “Looks like someone from the military,” he whispered.
Xiao Luo frowned. “The military?”
Suzuki Ikuo nodded. “Yes, there"s a secret military base two kilometers away from the black SUV, and the entrance is concealed by a villa,” he said.
“How do you know it"s a military base?” Xiao Luo asked.
Suzuki Ikuo laughed sheepishly. “About a year ago when we were fighting for territory, the InagawKai and other Yakuza opened fire on each other, and we accidentally discovered a villa there. Just the one, all by itself, surrounded by barren land. We wanted to barge in and see which rich person was staying there and rob them while we were there. But just as we were about to barge into the mansion, we saw several military vehicles driving over, and at least 30 to 40 soldiers stepped out. They went in and disappeared for a few days before they re-emerged. They came out in separate squads, one after the other. There were people from the Mei Nation as well. The villa was barely 1000 square meters, yet it seemed like there was a limitless volume of s.p.a.ce within it. The mansion could accommodate all the people and tools sent in, regardless of how many. So my guess is a military base located there, and that villa serves as the entrance to it.”
Mei Nation people?
Xiao Luo realized that this issue was now becoming increasingly perilous. To have the Mei Nation people involved in this as well? A military base? It was very likely that this was what he was looking for—the human experimentation lab designed to conduct research in the genetic modification of humans.
He looked at Suzuki Ikuo with an approving glance. “Why are you with the Yakuza? You should go join the police, for your resourcefulness and a.n.a.lytical skills are amazing!”
Suzuki Ikuo scratched the back of his head bashfully. “I sat for the test, but I didn"t pa.s.s,” he replied.
“Alright, since you"ve already found out so much information, why don"t you work a little harder and make the trip down with me? Let"s see if it"s actually a military base!” Xiao Luo said as his lips curled into a smirk.
“Huh?”
Suzuki Ikuo"s jaw dropped in shock, and then he shook his head repeatedly. “Mr. Xiao Han, I"m from a Yakuza. It"s one thing if I get in trouble with the police, but I"ll probably die in mysterious ways if I get blacklisted by the military.”
“Let me ask you this one thing: do you want to die with blood flowing out of all the orifices on your face?” Xiao Luo snarled, showing no concern about how the man felt.
“I…”
Suzuki Ikuo was shocked and stumped for words. He ingested the poison created by people from the Hua Nation and would bleed to death if he did not get the antidote within three days. It was a terrifying thought. The only one with the antidote was the person standing right in front of him, but he would probably die quicker if he forcibly attempted to s.n.a.t.c.h the antidote. This man was a monster with limitless power and terrifying skills.
“So you have chosen death. I"ll toss the antidote away if that"s the case, not like you have any need for it anyway,” Xiao Luo said and promptly got up.
“Wait a minute! I"ll go, okay?”
Suzuki Ikuo panicked and was almost on the brink of tears. He was the leader of the Inagawkai and someone who would not even blink when he took dozens of lives. And yet, here he was, submitting to the whims of a single man. But he had no choice—this man was not only undefeatable, but held his life in the palm of his hand.
“There we go,” Xiao Luo said. He was finding this man rather interesting.
Mount Fuji was about 80 kilometers southwest of Dongjing. Xiao Luo and Suzuki Ikuo took advantage of the cover of night and drove right toward the mountain.
In the interest of safety, Suzuki Ikuo brought two bodyguards along with him. It was his only request to Xiao Luo, who only agreed after much persuasion. Between these two bodyguards, one was deaf, and the other was mute, and they were both Suzuki Ikuo"s right and left-hand men. Putting aside their skills at fighting, the two of them had stuck by his side from the founding days of InagawKai and right until it dominated the whole of Dongjing. In Suzuki Ikuo"s mind, bringing them along gave him a sense of security.
“Mr. Xiao Han, we"re only going there to take a quick look, so there"s no need for us to go in, right?” Suzuki Ikuo probed. He was sitting with Xiao Luo in the back of the car.
Xiao Luo did not keep any secrets from the man. “You can choose not to, but I definitely will.”
“You… you"re not a spy sent by Hua Nation, are you? I might be from a Yakuza, but I"d rather die than sell out my country,” Suzuki Ikuo protested.
Xiao Luo laughed. “A Yakuza member who loves his country? Aren"t you afraid of being mocked by your colleagues if they learn of this?” he teased.
“Ah, ah…”
The mute person who was driving in the car made a sound to get their attention.
“You focus on driving the car! What are you doing trying to b.u.t.t into our conversation? We might be Yakuza members, but we"re Yakuza who love our country! Am I right?” Suzuki Ikuo scowled. He redirected Xiao Luo"s question to the deaf person in the pa.s.senger seat.
“Mmm, mmm?”
The person evidently had no idea what was going on, so he only flapped his hands.
“Look at that, he agrees with me! He"s much more aware than you are, you mute man,” Suzuki Ikuo said, patting the mute man"s shoulder.
Suzuki Ikuo"s actions amused Xiao Luo, who said, “I now realize that you"re also a great comedian. You understand whatever the mute man is saying, and you somehow understand what the f*ck the deaf man says as well.”
“The three of us know each other very well. I just need to look at the expression on their faces, and I know what they"re thinking,” Suzuki Ikuo explained.
“Nice, that"s amazing!”
Xiao Luo held both his thumbs up, and he had to hand it to this guy. So what if these guys were Yakuza? They were far happier and more harmonious than the Dragon Gang in Jiangcheng.
They reached the vicinity of Mount Fuji after about an hour. The sky was dark, and not a single star appeared in the night sky.
The town at the foot of Mount Fuji was lit up by countless homes. Looking from a distance, it looked as if it shone with the lamps of 10,000 households, and resembled a galaxy of stars. It was dazzling, and it hurt the eyes just looking at the town.
Xiao Luo could see that the apex of Mount Fuji was covered by a snowcap even in the dark of the night, and he thought perhaps the snow reflected light more efficiently. A lake and a dense forest stretched across the foot of the mountain. The air was exceedingly fresh, and a cool breeze drifted across the area.
“It"s quite a splendid view!” Xiao Luo exclaimed in awe.
“Of course, it is. It is a symbol and landmark of Ri Nation and enjoys international prestige. UNESCO even has on its World Heritage List,” Suzuki Ikuo said, thumping his chest with pride.