Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 34: This Assassin Is a Bit Clueless

More than ten days had passed, and during that time, Lu Renjia had behaved like a total homebody, holed up in the hotel without setting foot outside. Just as Lu Renjia had anticipated, Xiao Bai—one of Asia’s top hackers—had long since hacked into the computer system of this five-star hotel, and the Fat Guy had also had his people install listening devices and pinhole cameras in Lu Renjia’s room. Despite being under surveillance, Lu Renjia didn’t mind in the least. The reason was simple: after taking the “Marrow-Cleansing Pill,” his cultivation speed had increased fiftyfold, making him eager to open up the Twelve Main Meridians. Finally, his hard work paid off, and Lu Renjia’s personal attributes improved once again. “Qualified Candidate’s Physical Attributes: Internal Energy (Late Second-Tier), Reflexes 20 (20 times above average), Strength 25 (25 times above average), Speed 20 (20 times above average), Comprehension 3 (3 times above average). Overall Rating: F+-level martial artist.” “Phew…” Exhaling a breath of stale air, Lu Renjia slowly opened his eyes. A confident smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he thought to himself, “I’ve finally opened all twelve main meridians…Who would’ve thought that the Nine Yang True Qi I cultivated on my own—though not as overwhelming as the one Fire Monk bestowed upon me during my enlightenment—is actually much easier to wield… If I keep progressing like this, as long as I haven’t lost my virginity, I’m sure to regain the level I once had in the world of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*…However, being rated an F+ martial artist by the ‘Evil God System’—which is likely due to the influence of that E+ Yitian Sword… compared to Feng Xifan, a top-tier martial artist who reached F+ solely through his own physical stats, my strength still falls a bit short…” Meanwhile, far away in the server room of the “Seeking the Way” internet café in Shendu, Xiao Bai stared at the monitor with sleepy eyes. He yawned, pursed his lips, and said disdainfully, “Damn… does he really think he’s some martial arts master? He’s been sitting there all day—except for eating and taking a dump, he hasn’t even left the room… Does this kid really think he’s invincible, that he can take out his opponent with a single move? Damn… He didn’t even go check out the location… Is he really that stupid, or is he just pretending?” The fat guy sitting next to him, however, furrowed his brow. Ever since Lu Renjia checked into the hotel, he’d even been ordering meals over the phone. If this had been the original “Ghost Shadow,” that guy—though a womanizer through and through—would’ve been meticulous to a fault when carrying out a mission. He would’ve definitely scouted the place several times beforehand. Judging by Lu Renjia’s unusual reaction, either this scapegoat truly believed himself to be a martial arts master, or he possessed boundless self-confidence. After much deliberation, Fei Lao subconsciously chose to believe the latter. “Could I have misjudged him? Maybe this Lu Renjia actually has what it takes to complete the mission?” Xiao Bai, who had been staring intently at the monitor, also turned his head. “No way. I’ve checked this guy’s family history going back three generations… he has absolutely no connections! Even if he possesses explosive power, endurance, and reflexes about three times that of an average person… his physical conditioning is really just on par with that of a special forces soldier… Plus, I found out that the bodyguards accompanying Kamben Ichiro to Hong Kong this time are all top-tier fighters from the Sumiyoshi-kai… including Jiro Onimaru, the Sumiyoshi-kai’s second-ranked fighter, who holds the title of ‘The Man Who Slaughtered a Hundred Men’…” As an assassin’s agent, how could Fatso not have heard the name Jiro Onimaru? After a moment’s stunned silence, he muttered, “If Jiro Onimaru is here, even if that ‘Ghost Shadow’ guy isn’t dead… I’d have at most a fifty-percent chance of winning…” “Exactly. ‘Ghost Shadow’ is at the late Dark Force stage, and his physical prowess is six times that of an ordinary person… And this Onimaru Jiro is also a master of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū; his cultivation is said to have reached the late Dark Force stage as well. I don’t think that Lu Renjia can take down Kanemoto Ichiro… He might get sliced to pieces by Onimaru Jiro before he even gets close…” Xiao Bai replied. The Fat Guy shrugged, wearing an indifferent expression, and waved his hand. “Whatever. Even though Lu Renjia is just the scapegoat we brought in, we might as well put on a good show, right?” With that, he opened a drawer, took out an anonymous SIM card, inserted it into his phone, and dialed Lu Renjia. Lu Renjia, who had already advanced to the late stage of a second-tier martial artist, was preparing to push through in one go and open the Yang Qiao Meridian—one of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians—when he was interrupted by the ringtone of the phone on his bedside table. Seeing the unknown number on the screen, Lu Renjia swiped his finger lightly, and Fatso’s voice came through on the other end. “Tomorrow is the 10th. The target will be at the Hong Yun Restaurant in Mong Kok at 3:00 p. m. … After you’ve made the kill, take the alley behind the Hong Yun Restaurant—I’ve got a motorcycle waiting for you there … I’ll send the escape route to your phone later …” “Got it…” Lu Renjia replied indifferently before hanging up. He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the dazzling neon lights outside. Lu Renjia thought to himself with a sigh, “If I hadn’t run into that demon envoy disguised as an old beggar and inadvertently become a ‘Qualified User’ of the ‘Evil God System,’ I might still be struggling to make ends meet. How could I ever have had the chance to see such a beautiful night view? Everything is predestined…Now I’m able to appreciate such a dazzling night view, yet in reality, I must set out on a different path… It seems that from the moment I became a Qualified User, I’ve already bid farewell to a life of comfort and ease…” The next day, Lu Renjia appeared on the streets of Mong Kok, though the ice cream he held in his hand stood in stark contrast to the expensive Armani casual suit he wore. Fortunately, thanks to the cover provided by his “entertainer’s mask,” the crowds of people passing by seemed oblivious to Lu Renjia’s out-of-place presence. Lu Renjia glanced at the time on his phone and thought to himself, “I arrived an hour early—that should be fine…” But when he arrived at Hong Yun Restaurant right on time, Lu Renjia was stunned. A sign hanging in front of the restaurant read, in eight large characters, “Undergoing interior renovations—no entry.” For a moment, Lu Renjia could only frown, pondering how to proceed. Unbeknownst to him—as he was merely being used as a scapegoat—if the real “social cleaners” were carrying out the mission, every step would have been meticulously planned, with some even going so far as to start by studying the target’s daily habits. How could they possibly be as careless as Lu Renjia, showing up at the last minute like this? Scratching his head, Lu Renjia grumbled, “Damn… I figured that since it’s a hotel, all I’d have to do is knock out a random waiter, swap clothes with him, and I’d be able to slip inside… Looks like that’s not going to work now… Sigh, movies really mess with your head…” Xiao Bai, who had hacked into all of Mong Kok’s surveillance feeds, saw Lu Renjia standing there blankly across from Hongyun Restaurant eating ice cream and began to complain, “Bro… even though we brought you here to be a scapegoat—to play a dead body—you should at least show some professionalism…There aren’t any bus stops or offices around here… It’s bad enough you’re dressed like that, but standing here eating ice cream… Aren’t you just telling everyone you’re here to cause trouble?” Fatso sighed as well. “Whatever. As long as he dies, we’ll just refund the money to the Inagawa-gumi and call it a day… Why are you getting so worked up over a dead guy? My only worry right now is that if Lu Renjia sees Kambon Kazuo and all those guys and doesn’t dare to make a move, things might get a little tricky…” Xiao Bai shrugged and grinned mischievously, “Don’t worry about that. I’ve already hacked into the Sumiyoshi-kai headquarters’ computer network and found the cell phone numbers for Ichio Kanemoto and Jiro Onimaru. If Lu Renjia doesn’t dare to make a move later, I’ll send his photo over…” Time ticked by second by second. Just as Lu Renjia was figuring out how to sneak into the Hongyun Restaurant across the street—which had a “Under Renovation” sign hanging outside—five black Mercedes-Benzes drove up from the street and slowly pulled up in front of the restaurant. About ten burly men also emerged from the Hongyun Restaurant, which still bore the “Under Renovation” sign. Inside one of the cars, Jiro Onimaru, sitting next to Kazuo Kangben, glanced warily around through the tinted glass. Although he spotted Lu Renjia across the street, his face—as ordinary as could be—didn’t arouse any suspicion in Onimaru, the second-ranked fighter of the Sumiyoshi-kai. “Acting Chairman… we’ve arrived…” Onimaru Jiro said in a low voice. Kangben Yifu, who had been pretending to doze with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. The current president of the Sumiyoshi-kai, Shigeo Nishiguchi, was nearing seventy. In fact, he was set to step down in a few years, and within the entire Sumiyoshi-kai, Kangben Yifu—the third-ranking figure—was only forty-five, still in the prime of his life, making him one of the frontrunners to become the next president. On this occasion, Kambon Kazuo had come to Hong Kong on behalf of the Sumiyoshi-kai to negotiate a deal involving a new type of drug with the Ho Sing Wo, a Hong Kong triad. This new drug was a special serum developed during World War II by the Japanese biological warfare unit to enhance the physical condition of Japanese soldiers. With Japan’s defeat, the development of this experimental serum was abandoned before it could be completed. A year ago, while the Sumiyoshi-kai was constructing a reservoir, they stumbled upon a laboratory at the bottom of a lake where this special agent had been developed. After obtaining the incomplete data, the Sumiyoshi-kai dispatched a large number of researchers to try to redevelop this special agent capable of enhancing human physical functions. Little did they know,instead of the intended special agent, they accidentally created a substance that, when ingested, rapidly enhances various bodily functions—and is far more addictive than any drug currently on the market. This presented the Sumiyoshi-kai’s top brass with boundless business opportunities. However, this new drug had one drawback: since it was originally developed by the Japanese Imperial Army’s biological warfare unit during World War II, it differed from any other drug in that it was cultivated by injecting a variety of bacteria into the human body. Therefore, mass production required a sufficient number of hosts. As for why the Sumiyoshi-kai approached He Shenghe, it was because He Shenghe controlled approximately 30 percent of the human smuggling trade across all of Southeast Asia. If Kōmoto Kazuo could seal this deal, the future profits would be incalculable. With this achievement under his belt, the position of the next Sumiyoshi-kai President would be a foregone conclusion. Daydreaming of leading the Sumiyoshi-kai to surpass the Yamaguchi-gumi and become Japan’s largest yakuza organization—and even the world’s number one—Kangben Yifu suppressed his inner joy and said to Onimaru Jiro, “Onimaru… if this deal goes through, you and I will both be immortal heroes of the Sumiyoshi-kai… You’re still young; I’m sure it won’t be long before you take the seat I currently occupy…” Faced with this veiled promise, even Jiro Onimaru—despite his reputation as the Sumiyoshi-kai’s second-best fighter—couldn’t help but reveal his excitement. “Thank you for your guidance, sir… Onimaru will follow you to the death…” Jiro Onimaru hastened to pledge his loyalty. That said, although Onimaru Jiro had a fearsome reputation in the Japanese underworld, to the true upper echelons, he was nothing more than a high-ranking bodyguard. He had neither a territory nor subordinates—so what good was his strength, no matter how great? Moreover, he was overshadowed by Ryuichi Fujikawa, the Sumiyoshi-kai’s top fighter. Onimaru Jiro had long grown tired of being called the “perennial number two.” If he could board the ship that Kambon Kazuo was about to set sail on, with Onimaru Jiro’s abilities, he might even be able to establish his own faction someday. Seeing Onimaru Jiro pledge his loyalty, Kanemoto Kazuo smiled knowingly.