T Group Headquarters
A fat man licked his lips as he approached a young woman. "This batch looks quite promising. Just what I need to soothe my wounded heart."
The woman was visibly nervous but said nothing. He grabbed her chin and turned her face toward his. Then something crossed his mind and his expression darkened. He seized her hair and yanked it hard. "Tch! Why did my only daughter have to fall for that penniless bastard? I gave him the duty to protect her, not seduce her." He looked back at the woman. "You've ruined my mood. I've already seen you once, so you won't excite me the same way again. You should die."
The woman burst into tears and begged. He ignored her.
Someone knocked at the door.
He draped a robe over himself. "Enter."
A middle-aged man came in and knelt immediately. "President. The man you placed a bounty on has been confirmed in Shanghai. Should we send our men?"
The fat man was Wang Wei, president of T Group. He stroked his chin. "When did I issue a bounty? And on whom?"
The middle-aged man had clearly expected this. "Baki Hanma. Japanese origin, raised in South Korea. White Tiger Job Centre. Last month he destroyed one of our shipments. You issued the bounty in anger."
Wang Wei considered it. "I suppose I must have been quite angry."
"Should we remove it, President?"
Wang Wei waved his hand. "Why would we do that? Increase it fivefold and send our men. I was hasty back then. Now I have a clear head." He gestured toward the woman. "Take her away."
---
Black Market, Shanghai Branch
Lin Yichen studied the tablet in his hand. A burly man stood behind him.
"Is that the Ogre?" the burly man asked.
Lin Yichen nodded. "Baki Hanma. The one who defeated the boss."
Li Wei smiled at the screen. "I'd like to face him. A man that strong, I can't help but feel excited."
Lin Yichen chuckled. "Your wish might come true soon. His bounty just increased. If the rumors hold, he'll come here himself to find out who issued it."
---
The bounty spread fast. It replaced the previous highest in China and kept climbing. Ten million dollars, not yuan. The number reached mercenaries across the country and then beyond it, moving through every network that tracked such things.
---
Los Angeles, United States. White Barrel Gang.
A group of men sat in a garage. One of them ran his tongue along the flat of his knife. "That bounty. Should we visit China?"
The room came alive.
"Easy money!"
"Those Asians won't know what hit them!"
A bulky man told them to be quiet. "Let the boss decide."
A man in a green jacket with long hair turned around. "Leave it."
The room groaned.
Zombie White had earned his name by surviving everything that should have killed him. But today he held up a hand and his voice came out flat. "That single Asian man killed two of the Nine Masters of China in a few hours. And before that he defeated King. King. The man who united the entire underworld. Do you understand what that means?" He looked around the room. "White Barrel is not taking this bounty. That's final."
---
Siberia, Russia. Bear Cave, headquarters of Barefoot.
Dimitri Medvedev looked at his screen and turned to the man sitting across from him. Beluga Kozlov was opening a bottle of wine.
"New bounty," Dimitri said, sliding the tablet across the desk. "Shall we go to China?"
Beluga took the tablet and his expression changed the moment he saw the photo. "No." He set it down and poured his wine. "This is the Ogre. Baki Hanma. He defeated King from the Black Market. Our own leader warned us never to touch the Black Market. Whatever is happening in China right now, we should stay out of it."
Dimitri frowned. "Ogre. As in demon?"
Beluga took a slow sip. "Yeah."
---
The name spread through every channel. Mercenaries who had never heard it before rushed into China chasing the money. Mercenaries who recognized it kept their distance. A smaller group fell somewhere in between. They knew exactly who Baki Hanma was and what he was capable of, and they went anyway. Not out of greed. Not out of ignorance.
They simply didn't care.
Red Dragon was the strongest mercenary organization in China. China had seven Continental Masters and nine Top Masters, and Red Dragon stood alongside all of them for one reason. Their leader, Long Tianho, called the Dragon of the Heavens, was said to be strong enough to have become the eighth Continental Master. He chose to build Red Dragon instead.
Now Red Dragon had one target.
The Dragon had begun hunting the Ogre.