The Fujiwara Family’s Predicament

Her words held no hint of concealment; instead, they were strikingly ostentatious, as if deliberately broadcast to every passerby.

This was the Association headquarters, and most people passing by were members. Some individuals, their faces etched with indignation, moved to confront her, only to be restrained by their companions.

“No need to invite trouble. Didn’t you recognize her? That’s Fujiwara Yūkawa’s only daughter, the famous young lady of the Fujiwara family.”

“Her grandfather, Fujiwara Tachima, is our top leader. If you provoke her, how will we ever get by? What if Councilor Fujiwara sends our entire team on a suicide mission?”

“Let’s go, quickly. We should try to steer clear of this trouble…”

While naive newcomers lingered to gawk, the seasoned onlookers quickly distanced themselves, wary of getting entangled in any messy affair that could jeopardize their futures.

Ming Yu slowed her steps, her gaze sweeping past the two clashing groups. She surveyed the training grounds, seeking an empty spot to check her physical data.

Spotting an unoccupied testing platform nearby, she made her way directly towards it. Just as she prepared to complete the necessary procedures, two young men guarding the entrance blocked her path.

“This spot is taken,” one of them declared. “Go away, find somewhere else.”

“Taken?”

Ming Yu arched a brow, her gaze briefly flicking to Fujiwara Yūka in the distance before settling back on the two men obstructing her path.

“Are you certain?” Ming Yu inquired.

Ming Yu let out a soft chuckle.

At her words, Yoshida’s eyes sharpened, and he stepped forward, demanding:

“What do you mean by that?”

“Yoshida, be careful,” his colleague warned. “This woman has a knife.”

His colleague, trailing close behind, also scrutinized the white-haired woman with a wary gaze.

Though her face was concealed by a mask, her eyes and brows alone hinted at a woman of considerable beauty. Her figure, too, seemed quite appealing.

The two men exchanged a knowing glance, a silent understanding passing between them.

Unfortunately for them, Ming Yu understood that look perfectly well.

She casually produced a gene stimulant injection, holding it between her fingers. A faint, knowing smile played on her lips as she watched the two men’s expressions abruptly shift, then she spoke calmly:

“Recognize this?”

“What are you trying to do?” Yoshida exclaimed, recoiling two steps. “This is the inner city!”

A sea beast hunter who had taken a gene stimulant was certainly not someone he could hope to contend with.

While enforcers held the high ground of rules, sea beast hunters wielded a terrifying, extreme violence.

“Forget it,” Ming Yu murmured. “No need for this.”

She muttered to herself, retracting the gene stimulant. In the next instant, her figure vanished from where she stood.

Before Yoshida and his colleague could even react, a tremendous force erupted from behind their heads.

With a resounding ‘thud,’ the two young men’s heads were slammed against the floor.

“Oooohhh! Aaaargh!”

The agonizing screams echoed, reverberating across the entire three-hundred-meter radius.

Yun Mo, Fujiwara Yūka, and their respective groups, who had been locked in confrontation, abruptly ceased their arguments, their gazes collectively drawn toward Ming Yu.

Upon catching sight of that silver-white figure, Yun Mo, Yun Yao, and their colleagues alike instinctively faltered, their minds momentarily stunned.

‘Instructor Silver Kite?’

At the thought of that particular individual, Yun Mo’s legs trembled. The months of hellish training had left her with deep psychological scars, her nightmares haunted by that terrifying metal mask.

Upon seeing the two men writhing and wailing on the ground, Fujiwara Yūka’s eyes turned frigid.

She cast a disdainful glance at the stunned Yun Mo and her companions, then let out a cold snort. Turning on her heel, she led her followers directly towards the source of the screams.

The gathering crowd of onlookers and hunters began to murmur amongst themselves.

“Oh ho? A fight broke out? Aren’t those two sprawled on the ground from the Enforcers? This is going to be a good show.”

“It’s truly satisfying to watch, though I wonder how that white-haired young lady plans to resolve this.”

“Ah, young people are simply too impetuous. Is the Fujiwara family truly someone you can provoke? She’s still too young.”

“…”

****

Inside the Vice-President’s office.

Having finished reviewing the documents on his desk, Fujiwara Tachima took a sip from his thermos, clearing his throat. Then, he turned his gaze to his eldest son, who had been waiting patiently for some time.

He twitched a facial muscle, a faint curve gracing his lips.

“Just tell me directly, Yūkawa,” he said. “What has happened?”

No one understood the Deputy Chief of the Law Enforcement Bureau better than he.

If there were no urgent matter, Fujiwara Yūkawa would not have sought him out personally.

The middle-aged man, his face shadowed with gloom, wiped his glasses and settled them back on his nose. Then, he sighed, turning to Fujiwara Tachima.

“Father, it’s about Igawa,” Fujiwara Yūkawa began. “More precisely, it’s Igawa’s son, Shōta. He’s caused some trouble at the church school.”

“Oh?” Fujiwara Tachima murmured. “What kind of trouble warrants your personal intervention?”

“Shōta accidentally killed someone,” Fujiwara Yūkawa stated. “He killed a child from the orphanage.”

Fujiwara Yūkawa paused, then continued,

“Originally, this matter could have been easily suppressed. But my subordinates told me that someone in the Association has taken an interest, even dispatching a branch vice-president to acquire information about Shōta.”

“What should have been quickly suppressed has met with considerable resistance. In just a few months, the Arbitration Tribunal’s stance has undergone a complete reversal.”

“It’s as if an invisible hand is deliberately obstructing our every move.”

Fujiwara Yūkawa gritted his teeth, his voice laced with resentment.

“The one obstructing us from behind is almost certainly from the Association’s upper echelons… Father, do you have any idea? I suspect their true intentions are not what they seem; they are very likely targeting you.”

“Otherwise, it makes no sense. They couldn’t possibly be doing this simply to champion an orphan child, could they? That would truly be laughable.”

Fujiwara Yūkawa waved his hand, his face a mask of utter speechlessness.

After listening to his eldest son’s words, Fujiwara Tachima sank into deep thought.

‘Targeting him?’

It was not impossible.

After all, he had no shortage of adversaries, and countless individuals coveted his position.

As he pondered, Fujiwara Yūkawa received a communication, and his brow furrowed with displeasure.

“What? Wait, I’m coming right away.”

He was already in a foul mood, and the news of his daughter being bullied only fueled his anger. He sprang to his feet, his face contorted with rage, and explained to Fujiwara Tachima,

“Father, Yūka has been bullied. I must go at once.”

He started to leave, but Fujiwara Tachima called out to him.

“Wait,” Fujiwara Tachima said, a faint, chilling smile playing on his lips. “Ha, I want to see who dares to cause trouble here… Lead the way; I’ll come with you.”

As he spoke, Fujiwara Tachima’s face remained calm, yet his eyes were sharp and piercing.

****

Ming Yu shook her hand, observing the power test instrument shattered into several pieces before her. She arched a brow, then turned her gaze to the stunned Fujiwara Yūka.

“Fujiwara family member, do you need something?”

She cast a fleeting glance at the uninvited guests who had rushed in, her expression unreadable. However, her gaze subtly lingered on Fujiwara Yūka’s face.

She looked familiar, almost a spitting image of Fujiwara Yūkawa, stirring an impulse to punch her.

Ming Yu nonchalantly approached another device, placing her hand on its metal grip. Her knuckles slowly tightened.

“Ding! Detecting grip strength value. Current grip strength: 27.6kg…”

“51.3kg… 164.7kg… 315.2kg…”

“Warning! Warning! Data exceeds grip strength detection range! Please change the measurement range! Please change the measurement range!”

With a crisp snap, the metal grip broke off.

After pushing aside the obstructing figures and entering the testing room, Yun Mo found it eerily quiet, the atmosphere settling into a strange, almost palpable stillness.

She looked towards the silver-haired woman on the platform, only to see her staring at her own palm, seemingly somewhat bewildered.