Bai Qi wasn't short on money; what he needed was stability. While he didn't believe the Cobra cultists had much combat capability, the presence of Chenlong overhead meant that too much commotion could attract him.
Having received their payment, the Cobra cultists didn't linger and left contentedly.
With the outsiders gone, it was time to deal with internal affairs.
The gang leader's gaze fell upon Dan, his expression hostile as he said, "You'd best explain the matter of the Kyoto Octopus to me, or I won't hesitate to turn you into an octopus yourself."
Dan knew this gang leader's character all too well. He quickly replied, "Brother, rest assured, how could I dare to hoard such a thing behind your back? We'll split the profits fifty-fifty."
The gang leader scoffed and whispered into Dan's ear, "I want it all."
Upon hearing this, Dan not only didn't get angry but appeared nonchalant, saying, "Yes, yes, all yours, all yours."
Seeing Dan's complete cooperation, the gang leader's demeanor instantly changed, his greedy face breaking into a wide smile.
However, as the satisfied gang leader turned to leave, expecting Dan to bring him the money, a dagger plunged directly into his back.
"You!"
The gang leader turned, looking at Dan who had ambushed him. His eyes widened in disbelief, unable to speak for a long moment before he collapsed to the ground. Su Dan Novel Network.
Dan crouched beside the gang leader's corpse and gently patted his face, saying, "Why were you so greedy?"
The gang leader's two henchmen, seeing their boss killed, were stunned for a moment before decisively drawing their weapons to avenge him. Unfortunately for them, Dan had anticipated this. Except for these two loyalists, all the other members had been bribed beforehand. Seeing their actions, four other gang members surged forward and, in a flash, subdued them.
Dan looked at the two men on the ground and then at the others, saying, "Daniel was insatiably greedy and embezzled a large sum of money. I was ordered by Jin Bing to eliminate him today. Someone, dispose of the body."
After the body was disposed of, Dan noticed the noise from above showed no signs of abating, and his brow furrowed.
"What's going on? A bunch of useless fools, can't even handle a small matter."
"You two, come with me and check it out."
Saying this, Dan gestured for two nearby gang members to follow him upstairs.
As Dan and the two left, Afu, transformed into the异类王蛇 (Yi Lei Wang She - Alien King Snake), emerged from the darkness.
Under Bai Qi's careful guidance, Afu had shed many of his bad habits. Upon appearing, he didn't say a word and immediately attacked.
By the time the gang members reacted, two of them had already been knocked to the ground by Afu.
Seeing this, the rest felt a pang of fear and considered fleeing. But remembering their boss, they instantly extinguished the thought of escape and drew their weapons, ready to fight this monster.
The weapons of these gang members were a motley assortment: some wielded nunchucks, others tiger claws, and some used extendable batons. It was truly embarrassing that a group of American gangsters didn't have a single gun among them.
Alas, they never got the chance to strike. The Hunter Claw Ninja emerged from the shadows behind them, subduing them with a few swift blows.
Afu snatched a box containing a disc from a gang member. After confirming its contents, he handed it over to a Hunter Claw Ninja and instructed them to leave with it first.
"Dispose of these useless wastes. Make it clean."
Afu, too lazy to toy with these weaklings any further, gave his orders to the nearby ninjas and then turned, disappearing into a mirror.
The scene shifted. Instead of obeying Afu's orders, the ninjas stood frozen in place, as did the one holding the disc.
Just then, a voice echoed in all the ninjas' ears, "Bring the items and the people to the Empire State Building."
This voice, like a divine summons, caused the dazed ninjas to spring into action, their crimson eyes glinting in the darkness.
Upstairs, Chenlong and Tōru were in a cloud of smoke, having the Yokohoma Thugs pinned to the ground.
Just as they were about to finish off these insignificant pests, Dan arrived.
As if foreseeing this, Dan and two members had donned gas masks beforehand. The moment the elevator doors opened, they threw a real hypnotic gas into the venue.
After inhaling the potent gas, Chenlong and Tōru predictably fell unconscious. However, when Dan turned to retrieve the Kyoto Octopus from the display stand, he found the showcase empty. Not a single octopus, not even a leg, was present.
Enraged, Dan naturally vented his fury on the two who had obstructed him from claiming the octopus.
"You useless wretches, take them and let's go!"
In the exhibition hall, Xiao Yu hid alone in a corner, trembling. Clutched in her arms was Dan's target, the Kyoto Octopus.
The hypnotic gas gradually spread, filling the entire hall. Xiao Yu wet a handkerchief and held it to her mouth and nose, trying to minimize her inhalation.
Even so, a small amount of gas still entered her body. Seeing Long Shu and Tōru being dragged away nearby, Xiao Yu wanted to rescue them. But after only a couple of steps, her body went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, her eyelids heavy.
Just then, a familiar figure appeared before Xiao Yu.
"Bai... Bai Qi?"
Xiao Yu used her remaining strength to recognize the person as Bai Qi.
"Oh dear, a man who can even defeat demons is defeated by some third-rate characters. How embarrassing."
Chenlong's strength was sometimes more puzzling than Captain America's.
"Never mind, let's focus on how to deal with this Saint Seiya before me," Bai Qi murmured, looking at the unconscious Xiao Yu.
Through extensive investigation, it had been confirmed that Xiao Yu was the reincarnation of a Saint Seiya, not Chenlong. Chenlong's role was akin to protecting the nascent Saint Seiya and guiding them.
Saint Seiyas were not unique. In this era where righteousness held the advantage, even if he eliminated the current Saint Seiya, righteousness would cause them to be reborn or choose another person. However, regardless of the outcome, eliminating the worldly representative of righteousness would undoubtedly inflict a severe blow to righteousness itself.
It was even possible to flip the scales between righteousness and dark energy.
Even if a Saint Seiya were reborn or a new one chosen, it would take time, during which he could accomplish many things.
With this thought, Bai Qi raised his right hand, a massive wave of psychic energy converging in his palm.
With a mere flick of his finger, Bai Qi could pulverize this yet-to-grow Saint Seiya into dust.
Gritting his teeth and stamping his foot, Bai Qi threw the compressed psychic energy ball in his hand.
However, the psychic energy ball did not strike the unconscious Xiao Yu. Instead, it flew over her head and landed in a dark corner behind her.
BOOM!
With a violent tremor, Xiao Yu, who should have been unconscious, instantly opened her eyes. Rolling away, she put some distance between herself and Bai Qi, noticing he was holding a dried pufferfish he had somehow acquired.
"Just as I suspected."