Chapter 57: The Little Princess of the Police Force

Takeda Tetsuichi remained motionless, as if he had anticipated such an outcome long ago. With the sunset at his back, his shoulders slightly hunched, a sense of defeat and bleakness emanated from him.

“Is there anyone else?” Xiao Kaitian asked with certainty. He was a man with an obsession for cleanliness and a life imbued with ritual; he carefully straightened his scar-riddled suit, striving to maintain his dignity.

Takeda Tetsu slowly shook his head. Kosaka Nikaido was the strongest force he could mobilize without the martial arts system, and the failure in battle meant the collapse of his entire plan. He could already imagine the mocking expressions of his rivals back home.

“You’ve won. According to our agreement, the person will be handed over to you once we return,” Takeda Tetsu said, unafraid that Xiao Kaitian would attack him. He was a martial cultivator, and since Xiao Kaitian had already killed members of the island nation’s martial arts community, one more wouldn’t matter much.

Yet Xiao Kaitian felt no urge to act; in his eyes, Takeda Tetsu’s machinations amounted to a petty scheme, insignificant and incapable of threatening him. As long as the other party did not court death, he had no interest.

Otherwise, with so many people harboring malice toward him in this world, would he have to kill them all? How long would that take?

Both men sat down together on the deck. Xiao Kaitian gazed at the distant sunset, while Takeda Tetsu assumed a meditative posture. The ship, following orders, let out a deep horn and began its return journey.

When Xiao Kaitian boarded the ship alongside Takeda Tetsu, Hattori Hideo hid in the shadows on shore, his heart bursting with excitement. At last, he would witness Xiao Kaitian’s demise; things were finally reaching a beautiful conclusion.

He had connections with Xiao Zhenglu, who had given him a billion island nation’s currency to deal with Xiao Kaitian. However, years of gambling had left him deeply in debt, and a substantial portion of the funds had gone toward settling those debts.

The bounty on the deep web for Xiao Kaitian had been posted by him. In his view, Xiao Kaitian was a fool, an ordinary man, powerless; offering a hundred million for the bounty was more than sufficient for someone of his stature.

Meanwhile, the Zhao family of Han and Tang had also reached out to him. Since Xiao Kaitian was Zhao’s son-in-law, they couldn’t afford to lose face, so he casually dispatched Harui Sakura, both to monitor and “protect” Xiao Kaitian.

In his eyes, Xiao Kaitian was already a dead man.

Yet as events unfolded, chaos ensued within the island nation’s bounty hunter guild, and even he—the issuer of the bounty—received severe warnings.

These people were truly ruthless; he had no desire to die young.

When he was at his wit’s end, the unexpected occurred: the Takeda family approached him.

Xiao Zhenglu was no fool; he wouldn’t place all his bets on one person. Besides Hattori, he had also contacted the Takeda family.

The Takeda family’s intentions were not hard to guess—they sought to extend their influence into Dongjing, making Hattori a natural ally. Both sides, fully aware of each other's motives, quickly agreed on a joint action against Xiao Kaitian.

Thus, the subsequent twists and turns unfolded, and Hattori Hideo’s mood was now exceedingly cheerful.

If he killed Xiao Kaitian, he could answer to both Xiao Zhenglu and the Takeda family, and by attaching himself to the Takeda family, he would benefit when they sought to dominate Dongjing.

Gazing at Harui Sakura, imprisoned in a shipping container, he couldn’t help but smile in triumph. She was a serious girl, attractive too; since she was destined to die soon, he might as well...

Harui Sakura hung her head, her expression hidden in the darkness, but the pain of betrayal by a trusted superior was surely intense—perhaps enough to overturn her view of the police.

But what did that matter to him? A wave of heat surged in Hattori Hideo’s heart, prompting him to unbutton his collar.

Surrounded by members of the Takeda family, who had assumed other identities to avoid suspicion since this was not their territory, Hattori pondered whether to act, when he saw a man in a black suit running toward him, waving his arms.

Still some distance away, Hattori Hideo frowned, trying to discern the runner’s expression. But after a few more steps, the man suddenly staggered and collapsed to the ground.

Trouble! That was his first thought, but before he could react, he noticed the dispersed black-suited men quickly retreating inward.

“Idiots! Hold—” He hadn’t finished his curse when a sudden mechanical roar sounded overhead. Looking up, he saw seven or eight police helicopters circling above.

He was stunned. What was happening? Before he could close his gaping mouth, the entrance to the port erupted with sirens as dozens of police cars surged in, sealing the exit completely.

After the vehicles came to a halt, a uniformed squad of special operations troops emerged, fully armored and wielding sniper rifles with laser sights, aiming directly at them.

Feeling dozens of red dots sweep over his body, Hattori Hideo panicked and hurriedly sought cover.

But this was only the beginning. Next came dozens of mechas bearing the “Dongjing Police Headquarters” insignia, crashing forward with heavy armor and wielding anti-tank machine guns—enough to destroy more than just shipping containers.

Among the Takeda family’s men were martial cultivators of the profound realm, but faced with so many mechas, their legs gave way. Was this a police operation? Even the prime minister’s security detail wasn’t this formidable!

Hattori Hideo’s legs trembled uncontrollably, nearly causing him to lose control of his bladder. He fumbled toward the coast, hoping to escape by water, only to find the sea swarming with speedboats, each packed with armed commandos, sealing the nearby waters in a tight net.

In the air, besides helicopters, dozens of drones hovered and circled. With land, sea, and air mobilized, not even a fly could escape.

What was going on?

As Hattori Hideo struggled to comprehend, an armored vehicle slowly stopped in front of the line of mechas. Two men alighted; one looked like a traffic officer, the other wore a suit. The suited man produced a loudspeaker, cleared his throat, and shouted: “You have one minute to surrender and ensure the safety of the hostage. Otherwise, I will order a clearance. I am Harui Ichiro, Director-General of Dongjing Police Headquarters!”

Director-General Harui Ichiro! Hattori Hideo’s mind exploded, his body began to tremble. Harui... Harui... the Harui family!

The legendary clan in the island nation’s police world, nine directors in one family—was this the Harui family?

He was close to tears. Glancing at the still-downcast Harui Sakura, as if grasping something, he quivered and muttered in terror, “The little princess of the police... Harui Sakura...?”