“Sueo! Get me a drink!” said a tall and burly man who sat down behind his dirty and cluttered desk with his feet on the tabletop.

“Coming right up, boss!”

Bunji joined his fingers behind his head and looked around the police station run by his underlings. Several months ago, he would’ve felt disgusted stepping into the place, but now he ran it like it was his house. The dogs who loved to meddle in his business, trying to put him behind bars for simply doing ‘legitimate’ business, were no longer part of the police force. The Renge Gang replaced them in the Bentetsu Street police station. It felt like a dream, but it was reality, and he absolutely loved it. He couldn’t be happier with where his life was. No more living in the dark, constantly looking over his shoulder in case the police busted him.

Now, he ran the territory like he owned it—in fact, he did.

​He wasn’t sure about the shinobi when they invaded the city and took over, but when the masked men offered power and influence, Bunji was more than happy to comply with the new powers-that-be. It wasn’t his choice; his gang was under the command of the much larger Goharu Family. When the Goharu Family was given power, the Renge Gang got a slice of it as well.

“Here you go, boss.” Sueo handed the glass of neat whiskey to Bunji.

Bunji smiled as he took the first sip of whiskey at eleven in the morning at a police station. It was as thrilling as it could be. As long as the Goharu Family continued to provide drugs to the shinobi and enforce their new laws, the Goharu Family and the Renge Family under them were part of the new court in the city.

If there was something he was dissatisfied with, it was that the Bentetsu Street police station no longer had any dogs—no one for them to make fun of or make their lives hell at the jobs they so much loved.

“Alright, boys!” Bunji addressed his people around the station. “It’s time for the weekly collection from our very willing citizens who need our protection from threats. I want the money on my desk before lunch!”

Bunji picked up his glass to bring it to his lips when he saw four figures dressed in white masks and full-length black hooded jackets enter the police station. They were covered from top to bottom, but from the overall shape of their bodies, he could tell there were three women and one man.

He reached for his sword and was about to get up when he saw the group drag two of his men into the building and dumped them on the floor. They were stationed at the front entrance as guards.​

“Hey, who the fuck—”

Before Bunji could complete his sentence, the man—who was at least two meters tall—walked to the nearest pillar, punched through the concrete, and ripped out the reinforced steel wire from the structure.

“Shut the fuck up and listen to what we say! A step out of the line and this will be your body” —he pointed to the broken pillar— “and this your bones” —he helped up the reinforced steel wire!” The man threw his fistful of wire toward Sueo, who stumbled while getting back into the room.

The wire bunch hit Sueo in the head, and he went down.

In mere seconds, the group of four had put the members of the Renge Gang on edge. They were still silent, but every muscle in their body was on the verge of a fight or flight response. The demonstration of power was enough for everyone to understand they were dealing with shinobi, and so none of them moved.

“Where’s your boss?” asked one of the women.

A few eyes went to Bunji, who cursed under his breath.

​She nodded to the taller man and the second woman who had started moving around, sticking what looked like paper tags on the walls and pillars around the building. The giant of a man who had punched through the pillar walked around the bullpen, staring everyone down like a hound ready to bite anyone who dared to move.

​“You’re Bunji, aren’t you?”

The masked woman pushed the junk off the table, sat down, and stared down at Bunji, who had his sheathed sword still in his grip; the woman, who looked to be the leader, didn’t seem to mind the weapon in his hands.

“The city isn’t very happy with your recent actions and choices, Bunji,” the woman said smoothly. “The citizens in this police station’s jurisdiction certainly aren’t happy with Renge Gang’s protection fund.. They feel like they shouldn’t have to pay for you to do your jobs—especially with the current economic situation—don’t you think it’s tough?”

“L-Listen, lady. You don’t want to do this. We are backed by the Goha—”

The leader slapped Bunji across the face, knocking the words from his mouth. He spun out of his chair and crashed into the metal cabinet in the corner. She jumped off the table, pulled Bunji up his hair, and dumped him into his chair.

Before he could gather his wits, or even get over the pain, she splashed his glass of whiskey in his face..​

Bunji was shocked into silence. He didn’t even see the slap coming, and before he realized it, he was on the ground, and his head had made a dent in the cabinet.

“I know who’s backing you, but they aren’t here right now.” The leader grabbed Bunji’s hair and softly moved his head around. “Let’s not start trying to intimidate using names. We’re the only ones who can do that here. You see that guy? He will punch through your chest if I tell him to,” she pointed to the giant who was still roaming the area aggressively as though he were waiting for someone to step out of line.

Bunji felt a phantom pressure in his chest and gulped when he saw the masked man staring right at him.​

“So, this is how it’s going to play out. The Renge Gang will stop collecting money from the citizens in the name of protection. I don’t care if you don’t do your job as proper police because even I know that’s expecting too much—but if I hear that you’re going door to door collecting money, there’ll be no one in this city who can protect you from me.​

“Nod if you understand,” she said.

​

Bunji stared at the woman. He was scared and knew he had no choice, but he couldn’t just fold so easily in front of his men. Even though his eyes were focused on the woman, he could feel their gaze. A surrounding pressure on the edges of his vision. He didn’t nod… at least, not immediately.

The woman sighed deeply.

She placed her gloved palm on his chest, and Benji flinched when he felt a pressure grow on his chest every passing moment. The dainty palm grew heavier by the second, and Bunji felt like someone had placed a metal block on his chest. His breathing grew labored, and his chest moved up and down. His panicked eyes jumped from the hand to the woman’s face.

“I said nod if you understand.”

​Bunji took a deep breath and forced himself not to nod quickly like a pigeon.

“That’s nice,” the leader said. She then turned to face her team, who had regrouped in the bullpen.​

“It’s done,” said the man.

“Alright, gentlemen! We’re going to exit the building now, so form a line. Let’s hurry on this and not be stupid, or you’ll die. Come on, let’s get it moving!” the woman spoke.

Bunji’s men looked at him for direction. He nodded to them, got up, and walked to the middle of the bullpen. Some men immediately fell into line behind him, others hesitated out of fear, but seeing the masked group staring at them, they too quickly joined the queue.

“Boss, what’s happening?”

“Shut up! Just do what they say, or do you want to die here?” Bunji whisper-yelled at the man behind him.​

In less than thirty seconds, fifteen men of the Renge Gang had formed a line like a bunch of elementary school kids.

“We’re going to give all of you a little makeover, so stand still and close your eyes!” the leader announced.

The masked group took out spray canisters and started to spray down the gang members in a metallic blue color. In less than a minute, everyone was fully covered in blue paint, and were left coughing because of the smell and fumes from the colors and canisters.

“We don’t have much time, so move out.”

​The Bentetsu Street police station was built on a spacious lot a little distance off the main road. There weren’t any other buildings next to the road—but there was an empty lot behind it and a short road between the station and the main road. The masked group led the gang outside the police station onto the short road that joined to the main road and made them lay down on their stomachs with their arms flat by their sides. All of them except Bunji.

He was in front of his man and watched as the masked men stuck the paper tags; he had seen them sticking around the building onto everyone’s napes.

“W-What is that?” he asked as the leader stuck one on his neck.

They were also putting blue posters on their backs, but they slipped out of his mind because of the words he heard next.

The leader grabbed his collar and pulled him down to whisper in his ear: “These are bombs.” Bunji flinched, and his heart started to race once again. “I can detonate them at any moment, and if you don’t want it to happen, you will do as I say? Nod if you understand.”​

Bunji promptly nodded.

“I want you to keep standing here and your men to continue lying down there. If any of you moves, or tries to escape, these bombs will go off and your necks will explode… Boom,” she huffed out sharply, making Bunji’s knees buckle. “So, it’s in your best interest to follow my orders. Nod if you understand.”​

Bunji nodded again. While he managed to hold back his tears, he couldn’t stop his body from trembling. It didn’t matter if his men could see him anymore. He didn’t know if the woman spoke the truth, but he had no choice but to believe her.

 A slip of paper in the hand of a shinobi could be a bomb.

“Before we bid you farewell, I have one more thing to tell you,” the leader said to Bunji.

The next words she said were an address that Bunji recognized instantly. His eyes turned into saucers as he stared at the woman. It was the address of a shop he owned in an area very far away from the nearest main road. The shop itself wasn’t that important, but the things inside were very important to him and the Renge Gang.

“We also don’t like your main business, so we’ll go and clean up your inventory.”

“N-No, you can’t do that. Please don’t do that,” Bunji begged.

He was lucky to hit it off with a group of shinobi to whom he had once sold drugs to. They had found him again in a few days and bought more than the last time, and then it turned into a weekly affair. It seemed that the group of shinobi had become drug providers to their entire shinobi army, and in turn, the Renge Gang had turned into their suppliers.

There were lots of drugs and loose cash in that shop, and even though there were seven people protecting and working in that shop, it wouldn’t matter against one shinobi let alone four.

The Renge Gang couldn’t afford to lose their inventory and cash.

If he lost his inventory, he would be unable to fulfill his client’s demands, and they would turn to someone else, which would shatter his business. He also wouldn’t be able to buy more because he had already taken a line of credit from the Goharu Family, which they would put pressure on him to pay back.

He was fucked.

“I suggest going into hiding,” she whispered into his ear. “Now, keep standing here and watch what will happen if your gang goes against anything I said today… You can leave when you get the signal; don’t worry about not getting it; you’ll know what it is.”

Bunji wanted to beg them to leave his inventory and money alone, but the masked group left him alone with his men, who called to him, asking if they could get up. He stared at them, wondering what he should say to them.

​“… Keep lying down,” he said.

He had to run. He had some money at his home; he could bribe the guards and get out of the city. As long as he got out of the city, the Goharu Family wouldn’t be able to get to him because of the city’s lockdown imposed by the shinobi.

“Just keep lying—”

BOOM!

The ground rumbled as the sound of explosions ripped through the air. The force hit Bunji’s back, pushing him forward. It wasn’t enough to make him fall, but he still did because he felt weak after what he had heard. His men were trembling on the ground in fetal positions as explosions continued to happen. They yelled and screamed in fear.

BOOM!

He turned back to see an explosion rip through the police station, and a jet of fire roared into the sky. Smoke rose from the building as more and more explosions tore the building apart brick by brick. It quickly started to crumble on itself and he flinched when a large piece of debris flew into the air. For a moment, he thought it would reach them, but the group was far enough that they were out of the splash zone

He sat there numbly and watched the remains of the destroyed building as a massive smoke could blot out the sky.

The same tags that made short work of the building were attached to his neck.

It terrified him so much he stopped thinking about running away.​

BOOM!

 

 

 

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