Frankly, Bai Qi felt that ever since he logged in and delivered his speech, things had been non-stop: seizing the Pan Ku Treasure Box, subduing legendary creatures, sweeping through the vampire's lair, leaving him no time to catch his breath.
After helping Harry reclaim the werewolf throne and enter a virtuous cycle, Bai Qi thought he could finally catch his breath and rest. Less than two hours later, the Mimic Master sent word that the mastermind behind the Syndicate had agreed to meet Bai Qi, with the meeting scheduled for three days later at a cannery on the outskirts of Tougen, Tokyo.
Bai Qi hadn't placed much importance on the Syndicate before; it was an organization heavily infiltrated by agents from various countries. Apart from Gin and Vodka, who were somewhat useful, the rest were all fake. However, for the sake of the mission, Bai Qi decided to go, and perhaps to see if the Syndicate's mastermind was indeed Karasuma Renya.
In stark contrast to Bai Qi's nonchalance, the Syndicate was extremely tense.
After all, the battle at the port had made Saint Lord's fame resound throughout the world. The Syndicate didn't want their boss to be gone by accident.
Thus, for three days, all Syndicate members throughout Tougen abandoned their tasks and gathered at the cannery for preparations. Among them were the renowned Gin and his team, and Vermouth, who was forced to work overtime during her vacation, all to prepare for Saint Lord's arrival.
The appointed time arrived quickly. Near the cannery, a white Mazda RX7 FD3S was parked by the roadside. A blond Tougenese man sat in the driver's seat, and a blond, blue-eyed foreign woman sat in the passenger seat.
If Bai Qi saw them, he would instantly recognize the foreign woman in the passenger seat as Vermouth, codenamed "Chiu," and the driver as Amuro Tooru, codenamed "Bourbon," who was also a mole planted in the Syndicate by Tougen Public Security Police.
Vermouth opened her phone, frowned, and said, "The boss says the Demon has arrived and we should be prepared."
Bourbon glanced at Vermouth's phone and teased, "The boss truly knows everything, even the Demon's whereabouts."
Vermouth put down her phone and looked at Bourbon, saying, "You, with that mouth, better be careful. Don't accidentally displease the Demon. Even the boss won't be able to save you then."
"Perhaps you're the one who should be careful."
"Forget it, I'm going to smoke a cigarette and relax. Don't want to pee yourself when you see the Demon."
"You can't smoke in my car. Go outside if you want to smoke."
"Got it."
Vermouth got out of the car and stood by the side, lighting a cigarette. Bourbon, who was sure of this, immediately took out his phone, quickly tapping on the screen a few times. An email was sent.
A short while later, Vermouth, who hadn't finished her cigarette, suddenly opened the car door, and the smell of smoke instantly filled the car.
"What's wrong?"
"The Demon went directly to the cannery."
Originally, Vermouth and Bourbon were arranged to pick up Bai Qi. However, to the Syndicate's surprise, Bai Qi didn't play by the rules and went directly to the cannery, bypassing them.
Tougen was unlike Zhonghua. It didn't have as many mage reserves, nor did it have the time, energy, and funds to set up protective barriers that could isolate dark energy like Zhonghua. The only things it could boast of were a very small number of Onmyoji and Shinto priests, many of whom were mediocre.
Under such circumstances, Bai Qi easily reached the agreed-upon location through the Shadow Realm.
Although it was the outskirts, Tougen was so small that every inch of land was precious. Even the outskirts were fully utilized. As far as the eye could see, this area was filled with factories and enterprises.
However, compared to the high-tech industries around it, the cannery before them seemed out of place.
Accompanying Bai Qi were Scream, Afu, Mimic Master, Kraven and Caitlyn, who were constantly together and showing affection, and two recently recruited mutants: one who could spray highly corrosive liquid, and the other with a pair of bird wings.
It could be said that Bai Qi had brought his elites, giving the Syndicate considerable face.
To avoid attracting too much attention, Bai Qi transformed himself into a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man. The others also underwent varying degrees of disguise with the help of Mimic Master.
From a vantage point at the cannery, Chianti, holding a sniper rifle, saw Bai Qi and his group enter. She couldn't sense the dark energy emanating from Bai Qi, as she was an ordinary person. Moreover, Bai Qi had intentionally reined in his aura, making it difficult even for mages to find him.
Chianti, not suspecting anything, mistook Bai Qi and his group for ordinary people who had wandered in and immediately reported to her superior, Gin.
"What the hell? Gin, there are some ordinary people who got in. Should I take care of them?"
"Ordinary people?"
Gin, in the room, raised an eyebrow at Chianti's report.
The Syndicate had spent a lot of manpower, resources, and effort to welcome the Demon. Logically, ordinary people within a two-kilometer radius of the cannery should have been evacuated, and only organization members should remain. Why were there...
"Brother, could they be a few stragglers?" Vodka said from the side.
"Impossible. I personally checked this matter. There won't be any problems," Gin replied to Chianti, "Don't act rashly for now."
After he finished speaking, he didn't receive a reply for a long time. Just as Gin felt something was about to go wrong, a voice came, "Your subordinate has been controlled by me."
While Chianti was observing Bai Qi and his group through her sniper scope, Bai Qi and his group had already discovered Chianti's presence. Never underestimate the instincts of an old hunter.
Having confirmed Chianti's location, two shadow ninjas quickly appeared behind her and knocked her unconscious with a hand chop, giving her no chance to resist.
Upon hearing that Chianti had been captured, Gin was a little surprised. He continued speaking into the communicator, "Don't hide anymore. I've already seen you."
Bai Qi's words were not a bluff; he had indeed discovered them.
After capturing Chianti, Bai Qi released his dark energy, sweeping through the entire cannery like radar. Every corner of the cannery was now within Bai Qi's sight. Gin and his deployed subordinates were nowhere to hide.
As Bai Qi had expected, after sweeping through the entire cannery, Bai Qi discovered that it was not as simple as it appeared. Or rather, the cannery was just a cover. Beneath the cannery, there was a sizable underground base. More importantly, he sensed an aura that did not belong to this world within it.
At this moment, a Mazda RX7 FD3S quickly drove into the cannery. Vermouth and Bourbon got out of the car and quickly walked up to Bai Qi, also spotting the unconscious Chianti.
"I apologize, esteemed Demon, we didn't expect you to appear in this manner."