The Beginning of Hitachi's Tribulation

"Black Cat, Old Man and the others were wiped out."

Shadow appeared from who-knew-where and said softly as he walked behind Black Cat.

They were currently in a hotel room in Lion-Man Country.

"Hm?"

Black Cat turned back from the floor-to-ceiling window, poured a glass of red wine for Shadow, and then poured one for himself. "Tell me."

"During this period, they've been constantly deploying attack helicopters and various fighter jets. They've practically scoured certain areas clean."

Shadow picked up his red wine and took a large gulp before continuing with a shudder, "I heard that all Nine Great Mercenary Groups were annihilated, not a single one escaped. So, some people analyzed that the attack helicopters and fighter jets they deployed were used to bomb the invading mercenary groups. The problem is, they still can't figure out how they located the mercenaries! It's impossible the mercenaries didn't know they were being approached, right!"

"This isn't right, this behavior isn't like the usual Rabbit!" Black Cat frowned upon hearing Shadow's words. "Area bombing without any targeting... Aren't they afraid of friendly fire?"

"I can't find any concrete details, not even rumors," Shadow took a sharp breath. "It seems their officially equipped Exoskeleton Armor is very problematic. That Exoskeleton Armor might truly be mature Exoskeleton Armor! It can enhance individual combat capabilities. Oh, right. That deal in the underground world has already reached 5 billion."

"Did you have people check the battlefield afterward?"

"Sigh~ I did," Shadow suddenly sighed and said mournfully, "Not even a single fragment could be found. There were traces of the battlefield being cleaned up. They must have had people clean it after the bombing."

"Then no one will dare to go there," Black Cat shook his head. "They're playing so big, so violently. No one will dare to provoke them for a while. They even bombed their own people, not even leaving a single fragment of Exoskeleton Armor for anyone to find. If anyone believes there's no foul play here, they're a fool. But no one dares to provoke a corrupted Rabbit... especially one that's gone berserk, even attacking their own people. Are they insane..."

"So, should we continue? Is it worth it?"

"...It doesn't matter if it's worth it or not, we're all going to die anyway."

Black Cat was silent for a moment, then said casually as if he didn't value his life at all, "I'm tired of this world anyway. Seeing the scenery of hell wouldn't be bad."

He paused, then Black Cat's expression returned to its usual calm. "What's the target?"

"Inside this hotel," Shadow took out two maps and pointed to one of them. "In three days, they will pass through this city. The target is inside this hotel. I've already bribed some people. There will be two one-minute patrol gaps. One for entry, one for exit. That should be enough for us to silently clear their surveillance and then leave."

"The specific room?"

"We don't know yet. They'll be assigned when they check in. The inside contact will notify us then."

"Mm."

The moon was dark and the stars were few, perfect weather for clandestine activities.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

At this time, Black Cat, Hell Butterfly, and Scorpion, along with their subordinates, directly raided a civilian house and entered it. Not far from them was a brightly lit hotel.

"The target is on the fifth floor, the innermost room," Black Cat narrowed his eyes and ordered Hell Butterfly and Scorpion, "Remember, don't alert the guards!"

"Yes!"

"Let's move!"

Inside the hotel, Scorpion, along with two others, pushed three large boxes to the front desk.

"Hello, I have a room reservation. Please, we'd like to check in now."

The receptionist carefully examined his appearance before looking down to check. Meanwhile, some guards in the lobby glanced at them before continuing to nonchalantly watch their surroundings: small Asian travelers.

"Hello, I've found it. Your rooms are 404, 405, and 406."

"But you were scheduled to check in at 10 PM, why are you only checking in now?" the receptionist asked curiously as she handed over the room key.

Scorpion, taking the room key, raised the camera on his chest and smiled calmly, "The scenery along the way delayed us a bit. The scenery here is too captivating."

"I hope you have a pleasant journey."

"Yes, we will."

Inside the elevator, Scorpion quietly put on a headset, and Black Cat's voice came through: "The surveillance has been cleared. You have 10 minutes to act."

Then, on the fourth floor, Scorpion opened the case.

Three women dressed in traditional Dog Tycoon attire emerged.

"8 minutes to act."

Hell Butterfly nodded, then casually ordered the other two women, "You two take the elevator, I'll take the emergency stairs. Let's move."

"Who?"

At the elevator exit on the fifth floor, two guards holding guns looked at the two women emerging from the elevator and asked coldly.

"Ah~ Religious Army~"

One of the women trembled all over, as if her legs had gone weak from fear of the guards, and collapsed to the ground.

"Women? Get lost immediately."

Seeing such timid women, the guards put away their guns and impatiently stepped forward to drive them away.

However, when the guards got within about a meter of the two women.

The two women attacked simultaneously, a dagger appearing in one hand while the other covered the guard's mouth.

With a flash of cold light, the daggers in their hands instantly plunged into the guards' necks.

Then, the women simultaneously let go, allowing the daggers to meld with the guards' necks, and quickly supported the guards' bodies as they slowly fell, to prevent any noise.

"The watchdogs have been dealt with."

Following that, the two women reported softly through their earpieces.

After they finished reporting, Hell Butterfly emerged from the emergency stairs, tidying her clothes and pushing a large case.

The slowly closing door offered a glimpse of two guards lying on the ground with daggers in their necks, bleeding slowly.

"Open the door."

"Click~"

With a soft click, the door to a room on that floor gently opened.

Then, one of the women lightly stepped forward and administered an injection to Hitachi, who was sleeping in bed.

"N~"

The sharp pain woke Hitachi, but the anesthetic injected into his body had already taken effect. Unable to utter a complete word, Hitachi fell unconscious again.

The three then lifted Hitachi into the case.

They went through the security door to the fourth floor and handed the case to Scorpion.

Scorpion then pushed the case through the elevator, across the lobby, and lifted it into the SUV.

The others pried open a room on the second floor, climbed down from there, and disappeared into the darkness.

In the room, two naked bodies were left lying on the bed, facing away.

During their escape, they had encountered patrolling guards.

But the guards saw they were outsiders and paid them no mind, assuming they were travelers: after all, in Dog Tycoon, no woman would dare to walk around in a very short skirt, black stockings, and high heels.

And they certainly wouldn't dare to do so in front of the Religious Army!

Thus, Black Cat and the others completed the mission without alerting anyone.

And Hitachi was spirited away from the hotel without anyone noticing.

It wasn't until the patrol change that the Dog Tycoon personnel discovered Hitachi was missing.

However, by the time the Dog Tycoon security team was in a frenzy, Black Cat and the others had already driven out of the city, disappearing into the night.

Thanks to "Ting Yu Shuo oO" for the reward!

Thanks to "Book Friend 140508123438179" for the reward!