Ding ling ling—
In the hotel room, Baishi's phone rang.
Glancing at the caller's name, Baishi's lips curled into a sly smirk…
"Hello, Mr. Washinuma, remembered some more details?" Baishi had previously given Noboru Washinuma his contact number.
"Y-Yes… I… I have something important. Can you come to the parking garage on the north side, first floor?" Washinuma's tone was noticeably nervous.
"Sure, I'll be right there," Baishi replied calmly.
This was the hotel arranged by the airline, where all the passengers were staying. Why not ask him to come to his room but instead to the garage?
That sounded suspicious, but…
Baishi pretended not to notice!
He didn't even put on a jacket or tie, heading out in just a white dress shirt toward the elevator.
It was 4 a.m., and the hallway was completely empty.
Without a jacket, Baishi's muscular upper body was even more pronounced!
Before entering the elevator, he carefully listened at the door—yep, no sound of a timed bomb. The local gangs were still playing fair.
Arriving at the garage, Baishi glanced up at a surveillance camera as he passed…
As expected, his keen senses caught the reflection— the camera wasn't working!
In the quiet garage, Baishi spotted "Noboru Washinuma's" silhouette from afar…
Using his Level 7 [Memory], Baishi confirmed—the height was about right, and the clothes matched, but… it wasn't him!
"Mr. Washinuma, remembered something?" Baishi approached, acting oblivious.
And at that moment…
Swish—
The figure spun around, a sharp blade slashing toward Baishi's chest.
Prepared, Baishi grabbed the attacker's wrist in an instant, twisted it to disarm them, and pinned their arm behind their back, eliciting a cry of pain.
Clang—
"Let go of me, you bastard!"
"August 19, 4:15 a.m., suspect arrested for assaulting an officer!"
Before Baishi finished speaking, he heard the sound of dozens of car doors opening and closing. Turning, he saw a group of menacing men armed with weapons stepping out of the vehicles…
Clank clank—
Swish—
Some dragged iron pipes, scraping them against the ground; others wielded switchblades. At a glance, there were about thirty of them surrounding him!
"Police. Those with clubs, please show your IDs for a routine check. Those with knives are already violating the Blade Control Act—squat over there and put your hands on your heads," Baishi said with little sincerity, knocking out the pinned suspect with a hand chop.
Of course, no one listened, but…
Protocol had to be followed!
"Jie jie jie… Police? Who's to say… A dumb cop from the Metropolitan Police getting killed by a drunk at night—nothing we can do about it, right?" a mohawked thug leader sneered.
Clearly, they'd already lined up a scapegoat…
Whoosh—
An iron pipe swung at him, but Baishi dodged with a slight step back, then spun around…
Someone behind him thrust a knife, but Baishi reacted faster—deflecting the strike with a mid-level block, redirecting the force, and pulling the attacker's arm into a shoulder charge!
As he yanked the wrist, the attacker's switchblade stabbed into the mohawked leader's shoulder…
"Ah!"
The scream sparked a full-on brawl—30+ against one!
The guy hit by the shoulder charge was already down…
After dealing with the first two, Baishi dropped the pretense, shifting into a fighting stance!
Facing incoming iron clubs, he weaved and ducked, landing liver punches and knee strikes to the abdomen… Each strike knocked an opponent unconscious!
"Get out of the way!"
Frustrated by the cannon fodder dropping like flies, a burly man with a tattooed face and three-section nunchucks stepped forward…
Baishi, having investigated Yokohama's yakuza, recognized him—the second-in-command of the Ooe Group, a direct affiliate of the Ryumaru Syndicate, a broad-reaching crime organization.
The man twirled his nunchucks, performing a flashy backflip routine before lunging with a "White Horse Crossing the River" strike, aiming the lead stick at Baishi!
But against the nunchucks, Baishi blocked with his forearm, his thick muscles absorbing the blow without flinching. Seizing the moment as the man lost balance, Baishi thrust a spear-hand strike at his face, forcing a dodge. He then sealed the man's attack with a block and landed a hammer fist to his face!
Blood, saliva, and teeth flew as the man collapsed, unconscious…
Baishi's [Physique] and [Mental Fortitude] were both Level 10, and he hadn't neglected his skills, boosting [Martial Arts] and [Combat] to Level 8!
Spear-hand and hammer fist were basic Jeet Kune Do moves.
Spear-hand: a strike like a thrown spear. Hammer: a side-swing with elbow force, striking with the back of the fist.
For base attributes, Level 1 costs 3 points, Level 2 costs 10, then 30, 100, 300… up to 100,000 points for Level 10!
For technical skills, Level 1 costs 1 point, Level 2 costs 3, a tier lower than base attributes.
Related skills or base attributes provide "discounts" when upgrading. For example, high [Physique] reduces the cost for [Martial Arts], and [Mental Fortitude] lowers the cost for [Combat].
The difference? [Martial Arts] focuses on fighting techniques, while [Combat] emphasizes real-world fighting instincts.
With high [Martial Arts], Baishi could quickly master any fighting style's techniques—made easy in the internet age.
High [Combat] enhanced his "fight sense" or battle instincts…
He hadn't maxed either because, at Level 7 with [Physique] boosting, [Martial Arts] performed at Level 7 (+3). At Level 8, it was Level 8 (+2). Baishi figured the cap was likely Level 10, so he hadn't pushed further.
As for [Combat], it benefited from [Mental Fortitude]. [Mental Fortitude] wasn't a superpower but rather a measure of resilience and focus.
Baishi's [Mental Fortitude] at Level 10 was as crucial as [Physique], a foundational attribute that "discounted" many other attributes and skills when maxed.
…
It wasn't just Jeet Kune Do…
Mid-level front roundhouse kick! Enemy down +1.
Spinning side flip…
Backhand whip punch! Enemy down +1.
Clapping block…
Lunging straight punch! Enemy down +1.
Forearm block…
Tiger claw jaw strike!
Padded-step side kick!
Jeet Kune Do, Taekwondo, Karate, Muay Thai…
Enemy down +1, +1, +1…
Thud—
Baishi took a club to the back of his head, but…
What's Level 10 [Physique]?
His skull's hardness and brain's impact resistance were also Level 10!
Tilting his head forward slightly, before the attacker could celebrate…
Spinning elbow!
The elbow strike, already a powerful move, combined with the spin's force, produced the sound of cracking bones.
But…
Baishi shook his head, looked around, and realized… the number of enemies hadn't decreased!
Many were down—most couldn't stand after one hit, three at most—but the standing ones didn't seem fewer. Clearly, there were more than the initial thirty.
"Die, haha!" A leader with a samurai sword assumed an iaido stance.
"Take this!"
"Ah!"
Baishi launched a flying kick, snapping both the sword and the man's bones. The guy flew back as if hit by a truck, crashing into a car…
But as Baishi landed, he stumbled slightly, taking two simultaneous pipe hits to his back. With a slight hunch, he unleashed double rear elbow strikes, knocking both attackers out…
The brawl continued…
…
Huff huff huff… Baishi was panting, his face bloodied. His white shirt was in tatters, so he ripped it off. For comfort, he kicked off his dress shoes, fighting barefoot.
His exaggerated musculature was now fully exposed…
[Physique: Level 10 (-1)], [Mental Fortitude: Level 10 (-1)]…
Due to fatigue and accumulated injuries, Baishi's [Physique] and [Mental Fortitude] effects had temporarily dropped.
This was a scientific world, after all. Even at the human limit, Baishi couldn't fight a hundred men effortlessly!
Though he felled enemies with each strike—most down after one hit, three at most—the sheer numbers meant he spent most of his time blocking and dodging. He could only counterattack after evading or enduring three to five hits.
In such a lopsided fight, going all-out without defense was unsustainable…
And not all opponents were small fry; a few leaders could hold their own for a moment.
"Don't be scared! He… he's done for!"
"Here comes Killer Shark!"
"Haha, Shark Bro was an underground boxing champ…"
…
"Confirm point allocation…"
[Martial Arts], Level 9!
[Combat], Level 9!
Baishi decisively upgraded both skills.
With his [Physique] and [Mental Fortitude] effects reduced, his combat ability had dropped to [Level 8 (+1)]. Now, boosting the skills brought him back to [Level 9 (+1)]!
Thankfully, Baishi had kept some points in reserve…
These were points he'd saved for his planned promotion to the National Police Agency within a year or two, shifting to desk work—points he might've already used if he hadn't been fixated on taking down the Minister of Justice.
"I'll crush you!"
"Underground boxing champ? Hmph…"
"Huh? What's that? Did I hit you where it hurts? Haha…"
Baishi, who moments ago looked tired, shifted from his fighting stance to a "peculiar" pose—the small-frame opening of Seven Star Fist!
As "Killer Shark" swung with knuckle dusters, Baishi dodged, the iron knuckles smashing a small crater into a concrete pillar.
Undeterred, Killer Shark spun and swung again, but Baishi evaded nimbly—despite being a 226 cm, 159 kg giant, he moved with uncanny agility…
Killer Shark's punches left dents in walls and holes in cars!
In his relentless assault, he even accidentally hit his own men, causing them to scatter…
As his momentum waned, Baishi switched to offense. With a "left-right shuttle" move, he disrupted Shark's stance, and as the man's guard dropped, Baishi executed a head-down, feet-up "sacrificial kick"!
The kick snapped Shark's neck with a crack, and he collapsed, possibly never to rise again…
Early on, Baishi had held back, only disabling foes, but as his stamina waned, his strikes grew heavier!
But at that moment…
Bang—
A gunshot rang out!
Baishi instinctively pulled a thug to use as a shield, realizing—they were done playing fair!
(End of Chapter)