"Yamazaki-kun." His voice remained steady, but the warning it carried made Yamazaki freeze mid-motion. "I suggest you think carefully. Mr. Cloud here is... my current boss."
"Boss?!"
The wild grin on Yamazaki's face froze. His snake-like eyes went round as saucers, as if he'd heard something utterly fantastical.
He looked at Mr. Big, then at Cloud, his brain CPU practically smoking.
Who was Mr. Big? A top-tier underground godfather! His power and status were legendary throughout the entire underworld.
And such a major figure was calling this kid who looked underage "boss"?
This plot was more ridiculous than those late-night soap operas!
Yamazaki wasn't stupid—he was crazy, not brain-dead.
He could read the weight of those words in Mr. Big's utterly serious expression.
The madness and contempt on his face rapidly faded, replaced by scrutiny and gravity.
Cloud, hearing this, was somewhat speechless.
He suddenly felt a bit tired. He discovered that dealing with these underworld "social people," flexing muscles and flashing titles was far less effective than just talking business.
So he decided to switch communication styles.
"Fine, let's skip the fluff and talk substance." Cloud walked to an empty table and sat down boldly, then beckoned to Yamazaki. "Come here, sit down and chat. I've got a project worth hundreds of billions—I'm looking for a partner."
Yamazaki was stunned, completely thrown off by Cloud's sudden "domineering CEO" vibe.
But somehow, he walked over and sat across from Cloud. Mr. Big stood quietly behind Cloud like the most dutiful secretary.
"Project? Partner?" Yamazaki's face was full of suspicion. "I, Ryuji Yamazaki, only do two kinds of business: collecting protection money, or... collecting lives. Which one is your billion-dollar project?"
"Too small-minded." Cloud wagged his finger, his face showing an unfathomable smile. "Let me ask you—what's your current life goal? Or rather, what's your dream?"
This sudden "soul interrogation" left Yamazaki dumbfounded again.
Dream? Me, a yakuza madman—you're talking to me about dreams? My biggest dream is just making money, causing trouble, and beating up anyone who pisses me off!
"Don't give me that useless crap!" Yamazaki grew impatient. "Spit it out! I've got pachinko to get back to!"
"Fine, I'll be direct." Cloud leaned forward, eyes locked on Yamazaki's, and spoke word by word: "Your companions—Yashiro, Chris, and the others—are definitely searching everywhere for you right now, wanting to pull you in to resurrect Orochi and cleanse the world, right?"
Yamazaki's eyes sharpened. He said nothing, which was as good as confirmation.
"So what about you? Are you interested in this world destruction plan?" Cloud asked.
"World destruction?" Yamazaki laughed as if he'd heard the joke of the century. "Hahahaha! If the world's destroyed, who am I going to collect protection money from? If everyone's dead, who's going to watch me be the boss?!"
"Those Divine Tribe idiots have mush for brains! Zero business sense! Always going on about purifying humanity—at this rate, they won't even have anyone left to pay their social security!"
This declaration—worthy of being called "the mudslide of villain discourse"—was exactly what Cloud wanted to hear.
He'd known that Yamazaki, this extreme egoist, couldn't possibly have any loyalty to Orochi's ethereal ideals.
To him, tangible money and power were ten thousand times more important than any "god's will."
"Excellent." Cloud snapped his fingers. "Since you're not interested in Orochi, I'm relieved. Now, I'm officially extending an invitation, Mr. Ryuji Yamazaki."
He paused, then continued in a voice dripping with temptation: "Abandon your current small-time operation of collecting protection money and running fight clubs. Join my team—I'll help you upgrade your industry."
"Our first goal is to consolidate all of Japan's underground forces, making you the true emperor of Japan's underworld. Just nod your head, and startup capital, manpower, weapons... Mr. Big can provide it all."
Yamazaki's breathing instantly grew heavy.
He stared at Cloud, his eyes filled with suspicion, greed, and a trace of shock at having his innermost desires exposed.
Unify all of Japan's underworld? This... this was something he'd never dared dream so specifically!
Cloud seemed to read his thoughts and continued upping the stakes, "painting a big picture."
"That's just step one. Once you've secured Japan, we can advance into Europe—swallow Krauser's territory. By then, you and Mr. Big united—South Town, Europe, the Americas—the entire world's underworld will be your empire. And you, Ryuji Yamazaki, will be the emperor of this underground empire!"
"When that day comes, will you still need to personally fight in pits? You'll just sit on your golden throne while the world's wealth and power surge toward you like tides!"
Cloud's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck Yamazaki's heart like a hammer.
Yamazaki's eyes grew brighter and brighter—frighteningly bright.
He seemed to already see himself in a fur coat, draped in gold chains, women on each arm, sitting atop the throne of his underworld empire.
Wasn't this... way better than resurrecting Orochi?!
What could Orochi give me? Ruins after world destruction? Could I open a convenience store chain in ruins?
And this man before him—though his "pie" sounded like fantasy—looking at Mr. Big standing respectfully behind him, Yamazaki knew this "pie"... might actually be edible!
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