Bai Xing's Threat, Takahashi Hitomi's Curiosity

"Miss Hitomi, Bai isn't a bad person."

Just moments ago, Takahashi Hitomi had instinctively cried for help after Bai Xing saw through her identity.

This drew Iketani Masahiro and the others inside.

Seeing that nothing bad had happened, Iketani Masahiro dismissed the underlings.

He then went before Takahashi Hitomi and explained Bai Xing's identity, as well as the conditions he had proposed earlier.

"Miss Hitomi, Bai is very strong. If he protects us, he'll definitely help us get through this crisis!"

In this short time, Takahashi Hitomi had suffered far too many shocks.

First, she had been shot and killed during the gunfight. Then she discovered she was an Ajin. After that, Tanaka Kouji's livestream had frightened her. Even now, she had yet to recover.

And now Iketani was saying they wanted to nominate her as the head of the Takahashi Syndicate.

"What kind of joke is that?! I definitely can't do it!"

Before all this, as the young lady of the Takahashi Syndicate, she might not have understood how dangerous that position was.

But now, her father had been killed, and she herself had nearly been killed as well.

How could she not understand that it was a hot potato?

If she encountered danger and exposed the fact that she was an Ajin—

She would very likely be taken to a laboratory and turned into an experimental guinea pig!

At the thought, cold sweat immediately drenched Takahashi Hitomi!

Iketani Masahiro had not expected Takahashi Hitomi's resistance to be so intense.

He looked at Bai Xing helplessly.

Bai Xing merely gave a slight wave, signaling for him to get up.

Under Iketani's puzzled gaze, Bai Xing walked up to Takahashi Hitomi.

Leaning down beside her ear, he whispered, "Miss Hitomi, you don't want everyone to know your true identity either, do you?"

Takahashi Hitomi's pupils abruptly widened, and her emotions immediately threatened to erupt.

"You—"

But Bai Xing stopped her. "Do as I say, and I can guarantee your safety."

As he spoke, a coin appeared in Bai Xing's palm before Takahashi Hitomi's astonished eyes.

What was even more astonishing was that the coin never touched Bai Xing's skin. It floated in midair, weaving nimbly back and forth between his five fingers.

"Th-This is magic?"

Bai Xing chuckled. "Then was Miss Hitomi coming back from the dead magic too?"

Takahashi Hitomi fell silent.

"I trust you can guess that I'm not an ordinary person. And don't you want to avenge your father?"

Though Takahashi Hitomi did not respond immediately, Bai Xing could still discern her decision from the faint emotions she conveyed.

Sure enough.

After only a moment, Takahashi Hitomi seemed to have made up her mind and solemnly nodded at Bai Xing.

"Fine. If you can really help me avenge my father, I'll agree to all your demands!"

Iketani stared blankly at the scene, unable to understand what had happened. How had a few whispered words made Takahashi Hitomi, who had been so resolute just moments ago, instantly change her mind?

Though he had been standing right beside them, it was as if he had heard and seen none of their exchange.

Just then, Harada Ken suddenly burst in.

His injuries were not too severe, but when he saw Bai Xing, a trace of fear still flashed through his eyes.

Then he shouted to Iketani Masahiro, "Boss! Someone's here!"

Iketani Masahiro's expression immediately turned grave.

He hurried toward the door, but stopped just as he reached it.

Turning to Bai Xing, he said, "Bai, we've agreed to your conditions. Please, you must protect Miss Hitomi!"

Bai Xing simply waved his hand casually.

Iketani Masahiro followed Harada Ken all the way to the surveillance room.

There, he saw a large group of yakuza members entering the bar outside.

They easily dealt with the underlings guarding the venue and violently broke through the passage leading to the underground casino.

The leader looked up at the camera above, then shot it and destroyed it.

Before long, most of the cameras had been damaged. Iketani Masahiro said grimly, "Prepare for battle. They've come with hostile intentions!"

There were roughly a hundred of them, though not every one of them carried a gun.

Most still wielded knives and clubs.

For one thing, there were not enough guns to arm every underling.

For another, this place was located in the city center. If a large-scale shootout broke out, it would quickly draw the police's attention, and dealing with the aftermath would be troublesome.

As the men in black poured in, the two sides soon clashed at close quarters.

Several gunshots mingled with screams and angry roars.

Listening to the commotion outside, Takahashi Hitomi's face gradually turned pale.

It seemed to have stirred up her earlier memories.

"Aren't you very strong? Please, help them!"

Frightened by the sounds drawing closer and closer, Takahashi Hitomi could not help asking Bai Xing for help.

Bai Xing also noticed that Iketani's men seemed to be losing ground.

It appeared the other side held an absolute advantage in both strength and numbers. No wonder Iketani had looked so troubled earlier.

Since they had already formed an alliance, he decided not to stand by any longer.

With a snap of his fingers, Little Black immediately appeared beside him.

It streaked out of the lounge in a black blur.

Soon after, the screams outside began to intensify.

Takahashi Hitomi, however, stared fixedly in the direction Little Black had left, her eyes wide with shock.

Because she realized she had seen it before!

Before Iketani found her, she had been pursued by gunmen in black.

At the time, everyone protecting Takahashi Hitomi had died. If Bai Xing's Little Black had not appeared in time, even if Takahashi Hitomi had not died, they would have discovered that she was an Ajin.

At this thought, a wave of relief rose within her.

At the same time, some of her earlier resistance toward Bai Xing faded.

"Th-Thank you..."

Bai Xing raised a brow, thinking she was thanking him for stepping in now.

So he paid her no attention.

With her resistance toward him somewhat diminished, Takahashi Hitomi's curiosity began to grow.

Watching Bai Xing sit there completely at ease, utterly unconcerned about the situation outside—

She seemed to have ten thousand questions she wanted to ask, but the words stalled on her lips.

For a time, an eerie silence settled over the lounge.

Bai Xing, however, did not notice the changes in the girl's state of mind. At the moment, he was trying out other methods with Little Black.

Rather than possess and control it, he was directing its movements through commands.

He even gave it vague commands to observe how it would make judgments.

Unfortunately, the results were not ideal.

Unlike Nagai Kei's Little Black, which could develop self-awareness, Bai Xing's Little Black was entirely like a puppet.

It would carry out commands one hundred percent, but once the commands became vague, it was difficult for it to perform perfectly.

To truly bring out Little Black's combat power, Bai Xing still had to devote part of his focus to possessing and controlling it.

That, in turn, required Bai Xing to be capable of multitasking.

Fortunately, his foundation was not bad. With more practice, he believed he would master it before long.

Not long after, Iketani Masahiro burst into the lounge with an expression as though he had seen a ghost.

He had not even had time to change out of his bloodstained clothes.

Only when he saw Takahashi Hitomi still sitting there safe and sound did he finally relax. "Thank goodness..."

"Iketani, you're not hurt, are you? How is it outside?" Seeing his bedraggled state, Takahashi Hitomi could not help asking with concern.

"I'm fine." Iketani shook his head, then a trace of fear rose in his eyes. "The people outside were slaughtered by an Invisible Monster!"