The biggest challenge they faced was the language barrier, but Shouzou took the initiative to enroll in English classes and occasionally received help from Leo. Gradually, the barrier began to crumble, and it became less of an obstacle over time.

Currently, Shouzou is in the process of setting up burner houses. Ethylene Invasions had decreased significantly but hadn't vanished completely. With the precautions Shouzou had planned, he was about to establish his largest burner house yet—a spa resort.

The resort served as a meeting place for some of the most influential Yakuza families, functioning as neutral ground between rival factions. It was an ideal location for Shouzou's plans.

An additional advantage of the resort was its long history of being family-owned. It had been passed down through generations, and now it was time for renovations.

Koji Tanaka, the owner of the spa resort, had inherited it from his late father. Koji had his own family, and they were partly responsible for granting the prominent Yakuza families unrestricted access to the premises. Threats against Koji and his family had left him paranoid, knowing that they were surrounded by ruthless monsters disguised as ordinary people.

However, Koji was far from being a pushover. He was a tall man with broad shoulders, his small eyes possessing a piercing gaze. Angular features dominated his face, and his expressions often displayed anger or determination. His mildly long, slicked-back black hair added to his intense demeanor. Koji was well-acquainted with the ways of the Yakuza, or at least he used to be.

In his youth, Koji had been associated with a small Yakuza gang. From middle school to his mid-twenties, he learned the Yakuza world's intricacies. He understood that any hint of threat could result in the loss of his family business and his loved ones.

This was precisely where Shouzou and the Blokes came into the picture. Several months had passed since their initial alliance, and they had been diligently setting up cover upon cover.

The plan was simple yet complex. They couldn't act on it immediately due to Yuki's strict enforcement of her rules. However, there were moments when Yuki was willing to turn a blind eye. Shouzou only needed to wait for one of the prominent families to commit a heinous act, and then he could set his plan in motion.

As for the plan itself, it boiled down to one thing—blowing up the spa resort.

Knocking on an urban door, Shouzou and Jeremy stood outside Mr. Tanaka's house, waiting for him to answer. Koji's family was currently out of the house; his kids were at school, and his wife was shopping. This provided an opportunity for the Blokes to break in and present their proposition in style.

Koji opened the door, looking visibly exhausted, with red-tinted eyes and dark circles under them. However, his fatigue vanished in an instant when he caught sight of the two well-dressed men in black suits standing outside his house.

Koji instinctively moved to close the door, but Jeremy casually invited himself in, pushing Koji further into his home. Shouzou followed suit and closed the door behind them.

"What do you want?" Koji managed to utter, his voice trembling with panic as he was ushered into his living room.

"What do we want?" Jeremy replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Well, before I answer that, let me ask you, Mr. Tanaka, do you speak English?"

Koji nodded

, his gaze darting frantically between the two strangers who had invaded his home.

"Perfect, that will make things considerably easier. You see, Mr. Tanaka, we have a proposition for you," Jeremy explained, flashing Koji a smile, albeit in broken English.

"I want nothing to do with you, Yakuza!" Koji exclaimed. "You've taken enough from me!"

"But that's where you're mistaken, Mr. Tanaka. We don't want anything from you except your cooperation," Jeremy calmly stated, brushing off Koji's outburst.

"You're all parasites! All you do is take!" Koji's tone dripped with venom.

"Mhmm," Jeremy hummed, glancing at Shouzou before retrieving a radio. "Bring him in."

From within Koji's home, the door to his basement swung open, and Richard emerged, dragging a man with a bag over his head. Richard brought the man into the living room and forced him onto his knees.

"Do you recognize this man, Mr. Tanaka?" Jeremy asked, removing the stranger's mask.

Underneath the mask was a severely bruised individual with swollen eyes.

"Of course, you don't. You've never seen this man in your life, so let me introduce you to him," Jeremy continued.

As Jeremy reached into his jacket, Koji's heart skipped several beats. After a moment of fumbling, Jeremy finally retrieved a folder and tossed it onto Koji's coffee table.

"This man here is President Hirasawa's second cousin. You know Hirasawa, don't you, Leo?" Jeremy's tone carried a hint of menace.

Koji recognized the name Hirasawa, as it was impossible not to. Hirasawa was the man who had shattered his peace, his tranquil life. Glancing at the coffee table, Koji saw pictures of the bruised man with Hirasawa. Reluctantly, he had to consider the possibility that they might be real.

"Now, I can guess what you're thinking," Jeremy interrupted Koji's thoughts. "These bastards just brought that bastard's family into my house and got my family killed, right?"

Koji gritted his teeth, glaring intensely at Jeremy.

Jeremy simply scoffed at Koji's glare. After all, his family wasn't in immediate danger, which meant Koji still had something left to lose.

"Well, don't worry your little head, Mr. Tanaka. This man here," Jeremy pulled the bruised man's hair, causing him to look up from the ground. "This man is going to die somewhere far away from your family."

Jeremy pulled out his radio again and, with a dark tone, inquired, "Isn't that right?"

Through the radio, a snapping sound reverberated, and the bruised man suddenly emitted steam from his entire body. He attempted to scream, but no sound emerged as he convulsed.

"You see, Mr. Tanaka, we believe people like Hirasawa deserve to be incinerated. They don't deserve a burial," Jeremy spoke casually, disregarding the agonizing spectacle before him. "Buried men are remembered, but ashes are forgotten."

Koji stared wide-eyed at the scene, Jeremy's callousness and the man's suffering.

"What do you mean?" Koji murmured, his voice barely audible.

"I'll keep it simple since your wife is due to arrive soon, but the gist of it is this: we want to rig your building with ethylene and make it explode," Jeremy explained, his tone almost conversational. "However, we won't detonate it randomly. We don't want to harm innocent people. Setting everything up will take time, allowing you to secure proper insurance so

you can rebuild. Imagine it, Leo's Spa and Resort, bigger and better than ever."

Jeremy smiled, presenting his sales pitch, while Koji contemplated the proposition, looking down pensively.

"Why?" Koji whispered. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Why?" Jeremy repeated, his smile fading. "Isn't it obvious?"

Koji shook his head as Jeremy approached him.

"We can do this with or without you, Mr. Tanaka, but we'd prefer to have you on board... Do you understand?" Jeremy inquired.

Koji swallowed the nervous lump in his throat and nodded, to which Jeremy smiled.

"Good," Jeremy said, stepping back and making his way to the door. "Our team will be at your resort next week to implement the necessary changes. Leave the minor details to us. Your focus should be on securing insurance, and we'll take care of the rest."

As Jeremy left the room, Richard picked up the unconscious bruised man and dragged him outside, with Shouzou following closely behind.

Koji let out a breath he had been holding, relieved to hear the door close. Running his hands through his hair, he desperately tried to calm himself down. However, his moment of respite was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening, followed by the heavy footsteps of several individuals entering his home.

Richard returned, exclaiming a simple "Ah," as he looked at Koji's coffee table. Approaching it, he picked up the folder Jeremy had left behind, while a few men trailed behind him and made their way to the basement with cleaning supplies.

Richard bid Koji farewell before leaving him alone in the living room. From downstairs, Koji could hear the sound of intense cleaning as the individuals in the basement ascended the stairs. He watched as they meticulously cleaned the floor and coffee table, eradicating any lingering traces of evidence. Slowly, they made their way toward the exit, leaving not a single footprint behind.

Koji stood there, his home now empty and devoid of any traces of the recent intrusion. A mixture of emotions swirled within him—fear, uncertainty, and a strange sense of relief. He couldn't deny the gravity of the situation or the weight of the decision he had just made. Collaborating with these mysterious individuals meant diving into a world of danger and uncertainty, but it also offered a chance for revenge and the possibility of protecting his family.

As the reality settled in, Koji couldn't help but feel a twinge of bitterness. The life he once knew was gone, replaced by a web of secrecy and treachery. His thoughts drifted to his family—his wife, his children. What would they think if they ever found out the truth? Would they understand the sacrifices he had made? Or would they see him as a pawn in a dangerous game?

In the coming days, Koji dedicated himself to the task at hand. He secured the insurance for the resort, navigating the bureaucratic hurdles with a newfound determination. The renovations began, orchestrated by the enigmatic team that had invaded his home. They worked swiftly and with utmost precision, leaving no room for mistakes. Koji observed their progress, a mix of apprehension and curiosity.

Meanwhile, Shouzou and the Blokes proved to be valuable allies. They guided Koji through the labyrinthine world of the Yakuza, offering him protection and teaching him the necessary skills to survive. Koji found himself immersed in a clandestine existence, caught between his past life and the dangerous path he had chosen.

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