Chapter 52: “Carpenter”
The black sedan glided through Duhuang City’s wide streets, past receding skyscrapers, faded neon, and sparse figures.
Exhausted from bickering, Dongfang Cheng stared out the window, lost in thought, while Lin Feng fiddled with his tablet. The car was silent save for the lazy jazz from the speakers, the saxophone’s sultry murmurs softening the air like a seductive whisper.
After about half an hour, Dongfang Cheng frowned at the increasingly desolate scenery. “Hey, rich dog, this isn’t the way to City Hall, is it?” City Hall was in the bustling center, but the streets were growing dim and remote.
Lin Feng looked up from his tablet, tapping to hide a financial report on the city government. He nodded, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. “You’re right. We’re not meeting the mayor. That old fox, steeped in politics, won’t spill a word of truth. Plus, with his Ouroboros ties, one wrong move and we’re toast if a monster shows up.”
He lowered his voice. “Our target is the mayor’s brother-in-law, Kiryu Goma, the real power in Duhuang’s underworld. Word is, the mayor’s a henpecked husband, doting on his young, gorgeous wife. And Kiryu, her brother, wields influence that sometimes outstrips the mayor’s.”
Dongfang Cheng listened silently, his furrowed brow showing he grasped the stakes.
Lin Feng, however, held back key details about Ouroboros.
In truth, both the mayor’s wife and Kiryu were Ouroboros plants in Duhuang’s elite. Kiryu Goma, a near-Ghost-class monster codenamed “Carpenter,” was a core member of the “Ten Precepts,” a secretive Ouroboros clique of lunatics obsessed with deranged art. Their leader, a formidable Dragon-class cadre, was known as the “Pointillist Master.”
Lin Feng’s plan was to leverage his status as the Queen’s favored rising star for a preemptive strike. He’d offer Kiryu a deal: a massive investment in the post-bankruptcy Hoshino Group, secretly controlled by Ouroboros. Kiryu, notorious for greed and cruelty, would likely bite. If Lin Feng could hook him, whether Kiryu lived or died, he’d have a shot to subvert Ouroboros’s plans and save Hoshino Group from its doomed fate.
The car wound through twists and turns, passing through a long, dimly lit tunnel that felt like a descent into hell.
Emerging, they faced a sprawling, heavily guarded mansion, nestled like a crouching beast among lush trees. Ornate pavilions and carved beams glowed in the sunset, exuding grandeur but also an oppressive, stay-away aura.
Stepping out, Dongfang Cheng trailed Lin Feng silently, warily scanning the unfamiliar surroundings and the black-suited bodyguards casting sharp glances from the shadows. Their steady steps and faint killing intent marked them as highly trained, likely ex-city wall guards.
“Stay close, don’t gawk,” Lin Feng whispered. “These guys aren’t like the punks you beat up behind school. Many are retired soldiers.”
Dongfang Cheng scoffed, reluctantly tearing his eyes away.
Ironically, if any typical magical girl with mana-sensing abilities were here, they’d instantly detect the pervasive Ouroboros evil energy, and their pure magic would alert the guards. But Dongfang Cheng, the unique physical-type magical girl with zero mana, gained an unexpected stealth advantage.
Following Lin Feng through a gate larger than their school’s, they entered a lavish, antique-styled reception room. There, they met the infamous Kiryu. Far from the greasy, potbellied thug Dongfang Cheng imagined, Kiryu was in his early forties, clad in a fine dark-gray suit, his short hair flecked with silver at the temples. The silver didn’t age him but added a mature, dangerous charm.
“Master Lin’s visit honors my humble abode!” Kiryu said.
Dongfang Cheng rolled his eyes. Humble? The toilets here are probably bigger than my apartment.
Lin Feng flashed a flawless business smile, lightly shaking Kiryu’s jade-ringed hand before letting go. “You’re too kind, Mr. Kiryu. Forgive my unannounced visit. I’m here to discuss a deal… one that’ll make everyone happy.”
Kiryu’s eyes glinted briefly, his smile warm but not reaching his eyes. He mused inwardly: This kid, barely grown, dares to negotiate on my turf just because he’s the Queen’s new favorite? But courtesy and Lin Feng’s “Technician” status forced him to usher them deeper into the room, offering rare wine while sizing up Lin Feng and the silent, cap-lowered attendant behind him.
“And this is…?” Kiryu gestured toward Dongfang Cheng.
“My attendant,” Lin Feng said with a smile, sidestepping. “I’m used to him; can’t bear to part ways.”
“Splendid. Bring out the Romanée-Conti I snagged at last year’s Super Asia auction. Let Master Lin taste real wine.”
Soon, a polished silver wine cart rolled in. A maid expertly uncorked and decanted the bottle, the rich aroma wafting like living mist.
But Dongfang Cheng noticed something odd—no side table or empty wine glasses were provided for them.
As he puzzled, Kiryu’s smile turned sly. He snapped his fingers crisply. Lin Feng’s eyelids lowered, as if bracing for what came next.
A hidden door, blending seamlessly with the wood-paneled wall, slid open. Two burly men in black suits emerged, each leading a young girl in a provocative bunny costume. Barely seventeen or eighteen, they were beautiful but hollow-eyed, like soulless dolls. Their hands were bound behind them with black silk, red marks biting into their pale skin. On their trembling arms, secured by cold metallic straps, were crystal trays, each holding a single empty wine glass.
The men roughly shoved them to the sofa where Lin Feng and Dongfang Cheng sat. The girls bent forward in a humiliating, furniture-like pose, leveling their trays so the seated guests could easily take the glasses. Their fishnet stockings and bound postures accentuated their figures, a perverse display for the guests’ “enjoyment.”
Dongfang Cheng’s pupils contracted, rage and nausea surging. He nearly leapt up to grab Kiryu, who was smugly admiring his “work.”
But a hand clamped his wrist, stopping his outburst. Dongfang Cheng’s glare met Lin Feng’s chestnut eyes, usually playful but now icy calm, devoid of humor.
“Quite the collection, Mr. Kiryu,” Lin Feng said, his smile impeccable, as if the grotesque scene were just a high-society appetizer.
“If you mean the wine, this Gallic vintage won’t disappoint,” Kiryu laughed, raising his glass. “If you mean these disobedient little ‘tools’… haha!” He toasted Lin Feng. “If you’re interested, after our talk, I’ll gift you their taming methods—and them—as a token of my goodwill.”
Lin Feng gracefully took a glass from the trembling girl’s tray, returning the toast. “I’ll thank you in advance, Mr. Kiryu. Have a drink, A-Cheng. Don’t waste his hospitality.”
Dongfang Cheng’s hidden fist clenched until his knuckles whitened. He knew an impulsive move could ruin Lin Feng’s carefully laid plan, costing their chance to save Hoshino Group. As the “attendant,” he had no choice but to obey his “master.”
His hand, heavy as lead, stiffly reached for the glass on the girl’s tray.
At that moment, his eyes accidentally met hers.
For the first time, Dongfang Cheng flinched, averting his gaze from a girl’s eyes. He couldn’t bear the shattered dignity in those once-bright eyes, now dulled by despair, nor the searing, all-consuming hatred he glimpsed in their fleeting connection.