Lucky Mutual Aid Society (30)

Hongo's eyes were blinded by the white smoke. Coughing and rubbing them, he roared, "Bastard, what did you do to me?" He opened his eyes and was about to punch Qian Xiaoyi, but immediately froze, as though he had seen something terrifying.

"G-Ghosts!" Hongo said tremblingly.

"Alright, next. One at a time," Qian Xiaoyi said. By now, the area was filled with smoke from Qian Xiaoyi's cigarette, thin yet lingering. He walked up to another senior member and tapped the person on the forehead with the same technique. The man immediately became like Hongo, trembling as he stared toward Harada Taro.

When everyone saw Qian Xiaoyi approaching, they instinctively took a step back. Qian Xiaoyi shrugged and spread his hands. "Don't be scared. Don't you all want to know what the truth is? This is a good chance to learn the facts. It's just a tap."

"Let him tap all of you!" Hongo said through gritted teeth, forcing himself to be brave. He shouted fiercely at Matsui, "Don't you cause trouble! And don't even think about running. I'm watching you."

Matsui's expression shifted unpredictably, but in the end, he made no other move.

Hongo seemed to hold some authority among the senior members. Though they were frightened after hearing him, they still allowed Qian Xiaoyi to tap them with a finger. That single tap showed them a sight they had never seen before. Where Harada Taro was, he sat on the floor with both hands braced behind him, constantly scrambling backward. Before him, more than a dozen infants with horrifying faces and black veins crawling across them let out strange cries as they crawled toward him.

The senior members all felt an inexplicable connection between themselves and those infants. For a moment, their entire worldview collapsed.

"G-Ghosts?!" Mitarai, the hospital janitor, wailed. "So that's how it is!"

"The chairman... the chairman lied to me." Kuroda dropped to his knees in a daze.

Maria, the effeminate man, muttered with a complicated look in his eyes, "Is this the truth behind changing one's luck? These children?"

The senior members wore expressions of shock or fear—except for one person.

"What? What did you all see?" Miss Suzuki said incredulously. "Ghosts? Don't be ridiculous. Ghosts don't exist in this world! Hey, you're the one playing tricks, aren't you? You tapped everyone else just now, so why didn't you tap me?"

Qian Xiaoyi tossed the cigarette that was nearly burnt out from his mouth to the floor and stamped it out. Then he waved a hand. "This has nothing to do with you. Just assume they've all gone crazy." Miss Suzuki's ritual had never been completed, and she had only come here because of her mother's influence. Qian Xiaoyi did not want to drag this young girl into it and shatter her worldview too. It was better for her to know nothing.

"No. Tap me." Miss Suzuki adjusted her glasses and said firmly, "I want to see what kind of trick you're playing! I never expected you to be just like the Lucky Mutual Aid Society—nothing but a bunch of frauds! If you don't tap me, I'll report you later!"

Qian Xiaoyi made a pained grimace and said helplessly, "You asked for this..." He formed a hand seal with both hands and tapped Miss Suzuki on the forehead.

"..."

Miss Suzuki blinked and looked around. Confused, she asked, "Why can't I see anything either?"

Qian Xiaoyi raised an eyebrow, as though he had discovered something quite interesting. Staring at Miss Suzuki, he said, "Interesting... I'll explain it to you later, Miss Suzuki. Go on. You still have another task to complete, don't you?"

"I know that without you telling me." Miss Suzuki frowned and warned him, "Don't you run away before I get back."

With that, she ran toward the entrance and left the venue. Qian Xiaoyi, meanwhile, walked up to Matsui. Faced with this mysterious man, Matsui took a step back, but Qian Xiaoyi gave him no chance to dodge and tapped him on the forehead.

"Th-This..." Matsui was so frightened by the hideous little ghosts in the distance that he collapsed to the floor.

Qian Xiaoyi replied meaningfully, "This is the 'unique and precious talent' you spoke of. Quite a surprise, isn't it? Now you have it too, though only temporarily."

But Matsui was already too frightened to speak. He even felt a growing urge to urinate. Like Lord Ye from the tale of Lord Ye and the Dragon, the thing he had always dreamed of suddenly appeared before him, only to fill him with overwhelming terror.

"Mr. Qian!" Seeing Qian Xiaoyi arrive, Inuyama Heita said anxiously, "Harada is about to be killed!"

Over there, Harada had already been driven into a corner by the dozen or so little ghosts. Under the influence of the yin energy, his entire body shook uncontrollably, and he could not muster even a trace of strength. The little ghosts opened their mouths, baring sharp teeth, and bit into Harada Taro's body, making him scream. Despite such a horrific scene, not a single person dared to help. Everyone merely watched in silence, waiting for Harada's death to arrive.

"Mr. Qian, do something!" Inuyama Heita shouted.

Qian Xiaoyi remained unmoved. "It's dangerous to go over there like this. Those children might attack anyone. It's better not to get close."

"There must be a way, right?" Inuyama Heita looked around. When he saw the Law Ruler on the ground, broken into two pieces, his eyes lit up. He hurriedly picked it up and fitted the pieces together. A faint warmth slowly flowed into his palm.

"It still works!" Inuyama Heita said excitedly to Qian Xiaoyi. "This should be enough to save Harada!" With that, he was about to rush over and rescue Harada Taro.

"Wait." Qian Xiaoyi placed a hand on his shoulder and held him back. Then he whispered, "Listen, Heita, maybe we don't need to be in such a hurry."

Inuyama Heita turned to look at him and asked, "Mr. Qian... what do you mean?"

"Wouldn't it be better to let him be killed there?" Qian Xiaoyi continued whispering in his ear, lowering his voice even further. "Heita, there's no benefit to us if he survives. Besides, he brought all this upon himself. He can't blame anyone else... And if he dies, we can maximize our gains. He fought Matsui before his death. Even if we can't pin his death on Matsui, Matsui has already lost all credibility before the other members. And those senior members have all seen the truth. In other words, as long as this chairman dies, we can completely take his place and become the true controllers of the Lucky Mutual Aid Society. Then we won't have to be so poor that we shamelessly pack up buffet food to take home. Don't you want a better life?"

Qian Xiaoyi said seriously, "Let's take over this organization together, Heita-kun."