Tokyo people don't talk about Wude

Chapter 334 Gray Industry
It was the afternoon of the next day that Officer Takagi contacted them again.

[We have checked the phone number of the mysterious man. Unfortunately, it is a temporary number registered with a virtual identity.]

[However, we were able to locate the source of the signal when the man made the call and conduct a visit to the surrounding area to investigate and locate the main area of ​​his activities.]

Half an hour later, Kyushu Makoto and Yugami Ken drove to an old residential area in Adachi Ward.

Walking through the narrow old streets, with old houses lined up side by side, you can occasionally see a few small shops and private restaurants with a sense of age, which exude the smell of miso, curry and steam.

Most of the people living in this residential area are poor and elderly, as well as some single tenants looking for cheap housing, but it is not uncommon to see a few homeless people or unidentified people occasionally.

According to the investigation results of Officer Takagi, the person holding the number should be a middle-aged man who looks to be in his forties, and he should have set up a base in this residential area. Someone saw him wearing a wide coat that could cover his body shape when he went out, and he also wore a hood and a mask, so his face could not be seen clearly.

As for where this man lives exactly, no one knows, because there are too many rental houses in this area. It would probably take more than half a month to check each one, by which time the criminal would have already heard the news and fled.

Fortunately, Officer Takagi found an important clue, that is, local residents witnessed the man coming out of the "boxing gym".

There is a "boxing gym" in this residential area, but this is actually a false name to deceive people. In fact, many residents know that this is a gray industry that provides underground boxing matches and gambling services.

In such old and unregulated areas, there are always all kinds of gray industries, big and small. Generally speaking, as long as they don't go too far, the local police will turn a blind eye to them. What's more, the gray industry bosses will give some bribes to the police inspectors in the jurisdiction. Whether these civil servants can smoke a few more packs of good cigarettes every month depends on them.

"A murderer and a gray industry shop. This combination doesn't sound like a coincidence. Since the suspect has been out of the boxing gym, someone inside must know information about him." Jiuzhou Cheng held a note with the address of the boxing gym in his hand:
"If you ask me, it would be more efficient for Officer Takagi to lead the team in to search instead of letting us investigate, right?"

"He also wants to do this, but the interests involved in the gray industry are very deep." Xi Shenjian shrugged and said helplessly:

"If the police openly send someone to break in and investigate, it might be seen as [the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department officially declaring war on all local gray industries], and that is not a responsibility that Takagi can afford."

"So, let's stick with the old plan. We go in and clear the mines first, and then call him in for support when the time is right?" Jiuzhou Cheng rubbed his neck to loosen his muscles.

"Yes, Officer Takagi is on standby nearby. If a conflict occurs, he can justify breaking in and investigating with the excuse of [receiving a report of illegal intrusion]." Xi Shenjian also stretched his body, crackling:

"That's what we 'white gloves' are for. Of course, he will also be our official backer."

"What about our plan?" Jiuzhou Cheng asked, "It's called a gray industry, but it's actually run by the underworld, right? Mr. Xi Shen has connections in the underworld, can we get in touch with them?"

"I'm sorry, I wish I had it, but I don't." Xi Shenjian covered his forehead with his hands, and spoke with resentment: "Although I also want to be cautious, the murderer will not wait for us to dawdle, and I don't have much patience anymore. So let's use the old method, okay?"

"If we can't communicate directly, will we be more radical?" Jiuzhou Cheng confirmed.

"Yes, as long as we don't go too crazy, Gao Mu will take care of everything for us." Xi Shenjian nodded and asked for his opinion again: "Brother Jiuzhou, do you think it's okay?"

"I have no objection, let's do it this way." Jiuzhou Cheng pinched his fingers, looking impatient: "Compared to procrastinating and beating around the bush, I also prefer to be simple and direct."

As they were talking, the two had already arrived at the door of a gym with a sign that read "Hongtang Gym" - this gym was built on the first floor of an apartment building, and it seemed that those "gray activities" would be held in the basement.

Pushing open the glass door, there looks to be a small gym inside. The sports equipment is simple but complete. There is also a fighting ring and a sandbag. It looks quite professional and it is hard to find any problems.

"My two guests, you are strangers." The man sitting at the front desk was a bald man in a black vest. He looked a bit fierce, but he tried his best to keep a business smile:

"Did you just move here recently and plan to sign up for a gym membership?"

"Sorry, no." Xi Shenjian walked quickly to the counter, rested his elbows on the counter, and leaned forward:
"I'm here to look for someone. You should have seen a middle-aged man here who was sneaky, liked to wear a hoodie, and always wore a mask? He was probably around 40 years old."

The man in the vest at the front desk was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said politely: "Sorry, I haven't heard of it. So you are not here to apply for membership?"

"Then would it be convenient for me to talk to your staff? Preferably someone at a manager level." Xi Shenjian obviously would not give up so easily.

Hearing this, the man in the vest gradually frowned, and said in a cold and indifferent tone: "Sir, this is not a missing person notice center, and we are also obliged to protect the privacy of our guests."

"You said he was a guest?" Xi Shenjian raised his eyebrows and threatened: "If I say that the guest you mentioned is a serial killer, will you still dare to continue protecting him?"

"What do you mean by that?" The man in the vest was speechless for a moment, then he immediately stood up and put on a tough attitude:

“Although I have no idea what you are talking about, if you want to come in to search and interrogate, please be sure to bring a search warrant. Otherwise, we have the right to refuse you.”

The man in the vest glanced at the two again and said nonchalantly, "And I think you two are not police officers, but private detectives or something like that, right?"

"As expected~ I can tell from the looks of it that you're a gangster. You're very good at distinguishing between cops and detectives~" Xi Shenjian smiled and teased.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" The man in the vest was a little angry, but he still retorted in a very formal business tone: "We are a legitimate fitness center. There is no such thing as [gangster brothers]. Don't slander us casually!"

"Gyms are legitimate industries, but are underground black boxing rings and gambling dens also legitimate industries?" Xi Shenjian smiled slightly and pointed downward at the floor.
"Well, even if you play dumb, there's no point. I have a lot of ways I want to find out about your illegal business."

"What on earth do you want to do?" Being provoked by a detective, the man in the vest gritted his teeth, his eyes became angry, and after hesitating for five or six seconds, he said, "Hey! Someone is here to mess things up!"

Before Xi Shenjian could say anything else, the sound of a rolling door being opened was heard behind everyone.

Jiuzhou Cheng looked back and saw five fierce-looking staff members coming out of the lounge next door. One of them pulled down the roller blind at the door. The man in the vest walked around the front desk and stood in front of Xi Shenjian. He tensed his muscles and puffed out his chest, threatening him like a brown bear standing upright with his arms outstretched. The other five also surrounded Jiuzhou Cheng and Xi Shenjian.

"I say, are you going to fight?" Although the situation had become so dangerous, Xi Shenjian showed no fear. He smiled and said, "I'm not here to mess things up. I just want to have a chat with your manager or someone like that. I'll leave right after we're done."

"I also want to know why you are here! Wait until you lie down and then explain!" The bald man stared at him with his eyes wide open, and then punched him in the face.

"!!" Xi Shenjian turned around to dodge, then punched back.

"Bastards! Kill you!" Several other staff members also revealed their hooligan nature and rushed up to beat up the two uninvited guests.

"So we have to fight." Jiuzhou Cheng held the umbrella, turned around and stabbed a staff member next to him in the lower abdomen.

"Guah!" The staff member felt a cramp in his abdomen before he could react. He covered his stomach and fell to the ground twitching.

Jiuzhou Cheng did not relax at all and continued to face the attacks from other staff members.

The battle did not last long, as the enemies were not very strong. After a brief confrontation, all six staff members, including the bald man, fell to the ground.

"Ahem. The gangsters in Adachi are so rude. They just start beating people up right away." Xi Shenjian wiped the bruises on his face with the back of his hand and took a breath. "Shinjuku is still better. At least we can communicate calmly first."

"Your communication style is too aggressive and scares them." Jiuzhou Cheng glanced at the people on the ground coldly and complained: "But there is no need to be too polite to gangsters."

"Then, can I talk to your manager?" Xi Shenjian grabbed the bald man by the collar and asked sternly, "I don't have much patience now."

This is the first time I see Mr. Xi Shen so anxious. He really wants to find the murderer as soon as possible. Jiuzhou Cheng stood behind him and thought.

But Xi Shenjian's approach was not wrong. Gangsters are best at intimidation and threats, so when dealing with them, you have to be tougher than them and make them afraid.

"That's enough, put my people down!"

At this moment, five or six people came out of the office next door. Five of them were big and strong, with fierce looks, and looked like gangsters; while the one standing in the middle was wearing a suit and looked the most senior.

One of the thugs was actually holding a long-barreled shotgun, with the deep muzzle pointing directly at Xi Shenjian's head.

Xi Shenjian was stunned for a moment, then he let go of the bald man's collar, slowly raised his hands, and turned his body towards these people.

The moment he saw the gun, Kyushu Makoto immediately kicked over the table and hid behind it, and sent a rescue text message to Officer Takagi on his mobile phone, signaling him to prepare for a break-in.

After finishing everything, he scanned the surroundings again, looking for the best escape point and cover. If the enemy opened fire, he would immediately prepare to delay time and escape.

Xi Shenjian was not surprised by this. They had made an agreement when they were in the nursing home that if one of them got into trouble during the mission, the other would decisively abandon his teammates and escape, and then come back to save them after finding reinforcements.

After a brief stalemate, Xi Shenjian looked at the man in the suit and took the initiative to speak: "You are the 'manager' here, right?"

"If you mean 'the person in charge here', that's me." The manager nodded slightly, his eyes cold and arrogant:
"I originally thought they were the police or some other gang, but it turned out to be just two detectives causing trouble. Even though it's hard to get involved in the underworld these days, it's not like you'll get stepped on and shit on by cats and dogs, right?"

"I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm here to ask a few questions." Xi Shenjian forced himself to remain calm and pointed at the gun aimed at him: "Before that, shouldn't you put your gun away? Even if you have some connections with the police, once you shoot and kill someone, it's not something that can be solved by bribery.

"Humph, since you know everything, why don't you give it a try?" The manager laughed disdainfully, "Let's see if your corpse can send us to jail?"

Jiuzhou Cheng and Xi Shenjian knew that the other party had the capital to be so arrogant. After all, they had taken care of the police in the entire nearby area. Even if they shot and killed people, even if the police could not help them completely cover up the crime, they would be able to provide enough cover for them to escape and find a scapegoat.

"But do you think I'm not prepared at all?" Xi Shenjian smiled crookedly, remaining calm in the face of danger:

"Perhaps there is a team of detectives passing by on the next street right now. They are not affiliated with Adachi Ward, so they probably don't know you and won't give you face. How about assuming that once they hear the gunshots, they will rush in and arrest you on the spot?"

“So that’s how it is.” The manager understood the other party’s hint. After a few seconds of silence, he glanced to the side and said, “Put down the gun.”

The thug at the side nodded, pointed the gun downward, and retreated behind the manager.

The manager looked at him and asked slowly, "Tell me, what do you want to know?"

"I want to find a man who has been to your place." Xi Shenjian told all the information that matched the characteristics of the murderer: "He is now involved in a series of serial murders. We are investigating him."

The manager seemed uncooperative again: "Let's not talk about whether he has been here or not, but why would I tell this to a private investigator who came to my place to cause trouble?"

"A serial killer who is the focus of police attention walks out of a secret base that runs a gray industry. Normal people would think that there is an unspeakable relationship between the two, right?" Xi Shenjian shrugged, then pointed his finger at the air and deliberately exaggerated to intimidate:
"If the detectives here are from the special case team, they will definitely seal off this place and conduct a strict investigation on you guys. They will not stop until they find out some unspeakable secrets from you. But before they can do that, they will definitely spend a lot of time to go through the formalities. This will delay things too much."

"What the police lack most right now is time, and you certainly don't want to get into trouble. After all, it's not easy to get involved in the underworld in this country right now. So isn't it the best solution for both of us to have a private detective like me to get the information?"

"You are really good at talking. Forget it, as long as it doesn't cause us any trouble, I am happy to help." The manager nodded slightly, thought for a moment and said:

"As you said, this man did come here and lived here for a period of time."

(End of this chapter)