The Invisible Rich Man by: Two Ears is Bodhi

Chapter 2121-2140

Chapter 2121

Though Gerald felt that the old man’s reasoning clearly had holes in it, he chose not to say a word first. After all, even if things did go south, he knew he would still be able to protect Fujiko.


“Look, I’m just an outsider in all this, so I can’t settle your issues. With that said, if you still wish to fight, do it outside the Yamashita family’s territory. While I won’t meddle once you’re no longer here, as long as you remain, I forbid you from continuing to brawl. Do I have myself clear?” replied the old man rather threateningly before alternating his gaze between Gerald and Ryugu…


“… Got it,” muttered Ryugu who knew that he didn’t really have a choice but to agree.



“Good. Now that that’s out of the way, why don’t all of you accompany this old man for a few cups of

tea? Since we rarely leave this place and we hardly ever get any visitors, I’d like to know what’s been happening in the outside world… Of course, if you’d like to leave first, I have no issue with that either,” replied the old man as he refilled their cups.


Upon hearing that, Gerald turned to look at Fujiko before asking, “Are you in any hurry?”



“Not at all… After all that’s happened, I’d like to rest here for a bit…” replied Fujiko who had a feeling that Gerald had something in mind, as she played along.


Nodding in satisfaction, the old man then turned to face Ryugu and added, “And what about you?”



“I… I’m… in no hurry either…” growled Ryugu as he desperately tried to maintain a calm façade.



Naturally, he understood that if he left now, Gerald could easily escape later on! What more, since Gerald already knew that he was being targeted, cornering him again would surely be difficult… Waiting at the fringes of the Yamashita’s territory wasn’t a viable option either since who knows how long those two would stall for time in here…


With that in mind, all he could do was wait here till Gerald finally decided to leave… Once that b*stard left, he would simply follow after and immediately make his move once they were beyond the Yamashita family’s territory…


Laughing heartily, the old man then said, “Well, then! How pleasing to hear! It truly has been too long since we’ve last had visitors from the outside!”


While he was annoyed to hear that, Ryugu made sure to force a smile…



Following that, time passed rather slowly… By the time they were done with their fifth pot of tea, the sky was already darkening outside…

To Ryugu’s annoyance, however, Gerald didn’t seem like he was keen on leaving at all! With that in mind, he knew he had no choice but to call Takeshi and update him on the situation…


The second Ryugu excused himself and left the room, the old man immediately gestured for Gerald to come over to him.


Seeing that, Gerald inched a bit closer before asking with a smile, “Is there anything I can help you with?”


“Indeed… Both of you can leave through the back door now… Shortly after, you should bump into someone who’ll then lead you to a car that I’ve prepared in advance…” whispered the old man in a somewhat rustic Weston dialect.


Slightly widening his eyes, Gerald couldn’t help but say, “You’re… from Weston…?”



Patting Gerald on the shoulder, the old man simply replied, “This isn’t the time to be talking about this. Regardless, once you’re done with your business, return to this place and I’ll give you a further explanation. Now leave…”


Nodding in response, Gerald then said, “…Noted. Thank you, elder…”



Though Gerald wasn’t particularly afraid of Ryugu, Fujiko still had a competition to attend…



Chapter 2122

Still, to think that the old man was actually a Westoner! While Gerald had no idea what was going on in the old man’s mind, he had a feeling that the elder didn’t have any bad intentions toward them…


With that, Gerald and Fujiko then left through the back and true enough, someone was there waiting for

them.



After a quick bow, the man then began walking along the barren mountain, prompting Gerald and Fujiko to follow after. Not too long later, the trio came across a car, just as the old man had said.


Handing Gerald the car keys, the man then respectfully said, “Do take this car, Mr. Crawford. After driving forward for a bit, you’ll see the main road again.”


“Thank you,” replied Gerald without saying anything else. After all, it was already nearing dusk and they needed at least four hours to get to the competition venue. If they were unlucky, Fujiko’s tardiness could very well affect her final results…


With that in mind, upon entering the car, Gerald immediately stepped on the gas…



After driving for a bit, Fujiko could no longer hold her curiosity back. Looking at Gerald, she was prompted to ask, “So… What exactly is your relationship with the Yamashitas…?”


Chuckling in response, Gerald who had no idea who the old man from Weston was or why he decided to help them simply shook his head as he replied, “Truth be told, this is the first time I’ve met him.”


“… Come again? You don’t know each other?” muttered the confused Fujiko.



“Not at all. With that in mind, I’m coming back here once the competition is over, just to get a few things sorted out,” replied Gerald as he habitually attempted to get a cigarette. However, remembering Fujiko’s advice, he managed to refrain from doing so.


“… I see… Still, I didn’t think that there’d be a Westoner within the Yamashita family… What more, he’s apparently met my father before… Though he sounded like he was quite familiar with dad, I was never told anything about this before…” muttered Fujiko as the questions continued piling up.

“Then let’s find out more about all this together once the competition is over,” replied Gerald who was just as curious as to why the old man had decided to help them.


…



Moving back to Ryugu, after ending the call that took approximately ten minutes, he reentered the house only to momentarily freeze when he realized that Gerald and Fujiko were no longer there!


Upon hearing that, the old man took a long sip of tea… And once the cup was empty, he turned to face Ryugu before replying, “Hmm? They just left.”


“They… What…?!” growled Ryugu who’s expression instantly turned ugly. Had it not been for the fact that he didn’t wish to offend the Yamashitas, he would’ve already beaten up this old man…!


“Indeed. Is there a problem with that? After all, they aren’t exactly bound to my family. I can’t stop them from leaving,” replied the old man rather nonchalantly.


“… That…” muttered Ryugu as his voice trailed off. After all, the old man’s words made sense. In the end, he was the one to blame for making that phone call earlier. Because of that, Gerald and Fujiko found their chance to flee…


Now understanding that this was his own doing, Ryugu took a few deep breaths before calmly asking, “… Then tell me, how exactly did they leave and where are they headed to?”


When Ryugu had been making his call in the courtyard, he hadn’t seen anyone walk out the front door. The house wasn’t exactly large either, so the two of them hiding inside till he left was out of the question…

Chapter 2123

“They left through the back door, though they didn’t tell me where they were headed to,” replied the old man as he shook his head.


Now understanding that he wouldn’t find out where they had gone to no matter how much he asked, Ryugu immediately said, “Pardon me, but I’ll be taking my leave now!”


As he left the house, he figured that in the end, Gerald and Fujiko would still end up participating in the special forces competition. With that in mind, he knew that his best bet was to put them aside for now… After all, though he was the leader of the Hanyu’s assassination department, he wasn’t too keen on disrupting the activities of the war department. What more, since the competition was international, special forces from all over the globe would be present. Because of that, if he created a mess there, it’d surely cause his family a great deal of trouble…


Still, though he failed to capture Gerald this time, the trip wasn’t a complete disappointment. After all, he now knew that Endo and Izumi really were in the Futaba manor.


What more, since the old man had allowed Gerald and Fujiko to leave, he was now pretty sure that the Yamashitas had a special relationship with the Futabas. The fact that Takuya and a much younger Fujiko had met the old man before certainly solidified that theory.


Putting all this into consideration, Ryugu now believed that the one who had intercepted Saburo’s assassination attempt must have been one of the Yamashita’s ninjas…


With that in mind, Ryugu found himself feeling much better. After all, if all this was true, then he was sure that Gerald and the others wouldn’t dare to kill Endo and Izumi. Their deaths would be equivalent to declaring war on the Hanyus, after all, and Ryugu was pretty sure that the current Futabas wouldn’t dare to do something that drastic.


Whatever the case was, he soon found himself returning to the spot where he had first fought Gerald. Upon seeing Gerald’s SUV and all his dead men who were still lying on the ground, Ryugu couldn’t help but sigh.

Realizing that Ryugu had returned, Takeshi then ran toward him before asking, “Huh? Weren’t you planning to wait there, leader? Why have you left so soon after? Could it be that you’ve already killed Gerald?”


“…They’ve escaped,” replied Ryugu as he shook his head. Though he had initially planned on taking his anger out on Takeshi, he changed his mind at the last second.


Regardless, Takeshi’s eyes immediately widened as he said, “… H-huh…?”



“…Let’s not talk about this first. Either way, did none of them survive…?” replied Ryugu as he waved his hand. He already had a plan to deal with all this, so he really didn’t want to bring down his mood again by talking about all this.


“Unfortunately, none of them survived… Well, except for the one who was still standing when we came over earlier. You! Explain all that happened to the leader!” called out Takeshi as he looked at the assassin who survived.


“Leader! My name is Kenshiro, and as for Gerald… he’s monstrously strong…! In barely a few seconds, he had killed all of these man…! All of them died in a single strike, and it all happened so quickly that none of us could even fight back! Had both of you arrived a few seconds later, there’s a high chance that I would’ve been killed too…! ” reported the shivering man after walking up to Ryugu.


“… What? In just a few seconds? And none of you were even able to fight back…?” muttered the flabbergasted Ryugu. Though he knew that Gerald had probably killed them quickly, a few seconds was simply too much…!


Still, this man wouldn’t lie to him, and Ryugu knew that for a fact With that in mind, Gerald’s capabilities were more terrifying than he could ever imagine… Hell, now that he knew all this, Ryugu wondered if he was even a match for Gerald anymore…

Chapter 2124

“… That’s… How on earth could he be that fast…?” muttered Takeshi who was also in disbelief.



“I wouldn’t lie about such things to you, captain…! I swear on my life that Gerald really is that strong…!” vowed the frightened Kenshiro as he patted his chest reassuringly.


“… I believe you,” replied Ryugu, who knew that Kenshiro had no reason to lie. Besides, after battling Gerald earlier, Kenshiro’s words didn’t feel all that far fetched anymore…


“… Still, to think that there’d be someone so monstrously strong…” muttered Takeshi as he took a deep breath. Gerald’s capabilities were simply too world shattering…


Though Ryugu was thinking the same thing, he didn’t show it. After all, as leader, he had to remain calm before his men. With that, he was prompted to say, “… Regardless, let’s put all this aside first and head back.”


Nodding in agreement, the other two then got into the cars and began returning to the Hanyu manor, leaving the corpses behind…


It was about three hours later when Gerald finally stopped the car in front of the competition venue. The second they got out of the car, Master Ghost and Aiden immediately ran over to greet them.


Upon seeing Fujiko, Aiden smiled brightly as he said, “A pleasure to meet you, sister-in-law!”



“Don’t just call her that! ” grumbled Gerald as he smacked the back of Aiden’s head.



Fujiko herself immediately blushed as she said, “I-I’m not in such a relationship with Gerald!”

While she was actually flattered to hear that, she was well aware that Gerald didn’t like that, so she simply went along with Gerald.


Shaking his head, Gerald then looked around for a few seconds before saying, “… You go ahead and get some rest first. I have some things to talk to them about Speaking of which, keep in mind that we’re living quite close to you, so if anything happens, I’ll be there in a jiffy. Then again, I don’t really think they’ll come looking for trouble here.”


Nodding in response, Fujiko then replied, “Alright… You guys go on ahead too, then.”



With that out of the way, Gerald placed his hands around Master Ghost and Aiden’s shoulders while saying, “Let’s head to our place, then!”


Unlike last time, the training grounds this time were much better and more formal. Within the massive open space, was a field that took up a third of the area and several other designated areas. Right in front of the open space, on the other hand, were rows of six story buildings. Since most of the rooms were lit up, it was evident that the majority of the participants had arrived Whatever the case was, now that they were finally together again, Gerald took the chance to ask, “So… what’s the situation like?”


Though he had called them frequently, he knew better than to talk about such sensitive details over the phone.


“Well, things have pretty much remained the same… The people who kept trying to investigate the case eventually stopped trying and ever since Adler died, none of the other Yanam participants dared to come looking for trouble,” whispered Aiden.


“Indeed… Speaking of which, have you found out which family the assassins come from? I tried snooping around but got nothing in the end,” asked Master Ghost.


“There’s no need to further investigate. We now know that the assassins belong to the Hanyu family,” replied Gerald.

Nodding in response, Master Ghost then said, “I see… Also, have you confirmed whether they’re descendants of the Seadom tribe?”


Chapter 2125

“I’m pretty sure they are, though I haven’t been able to bring it lip with them since their family has been plagued with troubles lately. Still, once I settle all their problems, I have a feeling they won’t attempt to hide it anymore when I ask,” replied Gerald with a sigh, wondering when he would be able to solve all the Futaba family’s issues. Still, for the sake of his parents who were still stuck on Yearning Island, Gerald knew better than to complain.


“Well, I’m honestly just pleased that it’s confirmed. After all, this means that our trip to Japan has been worth it,” said Master Ghost as he sighed with relief.


Soon enough, they arrived at their building and began walking upstairs. Naturally, Aiden had made sure to apply for a room that had three rooms from the war department, and once they entered, he immediately closed the door behind them.


Since there were so many special forces in the training ground, the trio knew that they had to be extremely careful with their words to avoid getting themselves into trouble. With that in mind, it was no wonder why they immediately found themselves more relaxed now that they had entered a private area.


Regardless, after pouring himself a glass of water to quench his thirst, Gerald was prompted to say, “You know, once the competition is over, I plan to let you two stay in the Futaba manor.”


“Are… you saying it could be dangerous to live elsewhere…?” asked Aiden who as a special forces agent saw where Gerald was coming from.


“Pretty much. Now that the Futabas have offended both the Kanagawas and Hanyus, I’m sure trouble will be imminent. I’m particularly worried about that assassin family making a move on both of you once they find out about our relationship. I really don’t want what happened back in Yanam to repeat again,

so it’s best that you just stay with me in the Futaba manor. By doing so, even if the enemies attempt to attack, I’ll at least be close enough to protect you in time,” replied Gerald with a nod.


Hearing that, Master Ghost immediately replied, “We’ll go. Don’t worry, Gerald, we won’t hold you back more than we need to!”


Master Ghost, for one, knew how important it was for everything to go perfectly in order for Gerald’s parents to eventually be saved…


Chuckling as he shook his head, Gerald who didn’t want the atmosphere to become solemn right off the bat then said, “It’s not that serious… But yes, I’d really appreciate it if you stay at the Futaba manor for the time being.”


“Got it!” replied Aiden as he nodded repeatedly.



With that out of the way, Gerald decided not to share anything else at the moment After all, he didn’t really want to add more pressure onto them if he knew that he was going to be able to solve the issues alone. Besides, he had already told them what the main issues were. Now that they knew what to expect, hopefully they wouldn’t panic too much if things went awry…


Shortly after, Aiden headed to the canteen to get some food for them. In no time flat, the trio found themselves having their dinner in the living room.


While eating, Gerald felt that it was as good a time as any to start detailing what had happened while he was staying at the Futaba manor. He also told them what he was planning to do after all this…


Moving back to Ryugu, he, Takeshi, and Kenshiro soon arrived at the Hanyu manor. Upon arriving, they immediately headed to the patriarch’s room…


Suijin himself was having his dinner when Ryugu suddenly burst into his room. Raising a slight brow, he

then watched as Ryugu walked closer to him before lowering his head and whispering, “Something huge has happened, patriarch…!”


“Go on…” replied Suijin as he frowned.



After listening to Ryugu’s report of the current situation, Suijin’s face ended up getting so gloomy that in the end, he couldn’t help but toss his chopsticks to the floor while yelling, “God d*mn it…! You’re telling me we lost a dozen assassins?!”


Gritting his teeth, Suijin knew that there would be losses, though he never imagined there to be this many. Each assassin in his family had been cultivated with great effort. Now that he had lost so many of them so quickly, even Suijin as the family patriarch was unable to bear it…Invisible Rich Man

Chapter 2126-2130



Chapter 2126

“It’s my fault..! I’m so sorry, patriarch!” declared Ryugu as he lowered his head.



Shaking his head, Suijin simply replied, “It’s not your fault. We’ve just underestimated Gerald’s capabilities. Still, that man really has monstrous capabilities… How on earth did the Futabas get to know such a strong individual…? And who exactly is he? All we know is that he’s a Westoner. However, that doesn’t explain why he’s so willing to help the Futabas…”


“While we still aren’t clear about his identity, I have a feeling that Gerald’s only doing all this because he has a special relationship with Futaba… Other than that, I really can’t think of anything else…” replied Ryugu who was honestly feeling relieved that Suijin wasn’t placing the blame on him.


“… That doesn’t seem right. Didn’t Futaba sign a marriage contract with Kai?” replied Suijin with a frown. The complicated relationships among these people were giving him a headache.


“… Could Kai have found out about Gerald and Fujiko’s relationship? It does explain why he ordered us

to assassinate Gerald…” muttered Ryugu who knew that such incidents happened all the time among the larger families.


“Then that has nothing to do with us. Moving back to Gerald, aside from the fact that he’s capable enough to kill dozens of our assassins, have you found anything else that’s wrong with him?” asked Suijin, seemingly only interested in Gerald.


“… Now that you mention it, there is one thing that comes to mind!” replied Ryugu.



“Good. But before that, get some seats for heaven’s sake! The three of you just standing there are giving me a headache!” grumbled Suijin as he gestured for his servants to clear his table before pointing at a few chairs that had been placed near the wall.


Hearing that, Kenshiro immediately nodded as he said, “Thank you, patriarch!”



Following that, he brought three chairs over and only dared to sit once Ryugu and Takeshi had done so…



Regardless, now that they were seated, Ryugu cleared his throat before saying, “… You see, I have a feeling that Gerald… Well, he and all the Futabas are secretly related to the Yamashitas.”


“… Are you talking about the ones living near the extinct volcano?” replied Suijin who was frowning once more.


“Indeed. You see, after tailing Gerald and Futaba into the Yamashita territory, the old man that I previously mentioned invited us to his home to have some tea. After Gerald stalled for quite some time, I eventually had to call Takeshi to update him on the situation. However, by the time I returned, the two had already left! Since they left using the back door, I have a feeling


That the old man was secretly helping them while I was preoccupied!” grumbled Ryugu as he slammed his fist on the table, knowing that his carelessness had resulted in Gerald escaping his grasp again…

“What on earth is even happening anymore… Why do they even have connections with the Yamashitas? And who exactly is this old man you keep talking about?” muttered the confused Suijin.


“Well, we don’t know much about him, though he does appear to be a Yamashita in his eighties… Regardless, as far as I know, he had apparently been watching me and Gerald fight for quite a while. Had he not disarmed me with his shuriken back then, I could’ve surely ended Gerald right there and them…!” growled Ryugu, angry with himself that he hadn’t attacked Gerald again immediately after.


Rubbing his forehead, Yamashita couldn’t help but say, “How truly odd… As far as I know, the Yamashitas have never had any connections with other families…”


“… Speaking of which, there is one thing that he said that I find interesting… Back when we first entered his home, the old man told Futaba that he had once met her when she was still a child,” replied Ryugu as he recalled that scene…


Chapter 2127

“…You’re saying the Futabas have been in contact with the Yamashitas for that long…?” replied Suijin who was rightfully surprised. After all, though the two families hadn’t had any conflict in decades, all the patriarchs of the Hanyu family Suijin included had made sure to secretly and consistently keep tabs on the Futaba. With that in mind, how had all the previous patriarchs failed to find out about this?


“… With that said, should we still make a move on the Futabas…? After all, now that we know that they have a good relationship with the Yamashitas, we can’t just cause the Futabas all willy-nilly anymore…” muttered Ryugu who was honestly getting a little worried.


After all, the Yamashitas were exceedingly strong. Truth be told, he wondered whether he would even be a match for that shuriken throwing old man if they got into a serious battle…


Either way, after thinking about it for a while, Suijin eventually said, “… For the time being, let’s not make any further moves on the Futabas.”

“Very well! However, about Gerald… Kai’s been pushing me to kill him, stating that he’ll personally call you if Gerald isn’t dead within a week. Four days have passed since then…” replied Ryugu.


“Don’t bother about him. A second generation kid like him could never threaten us,” sneered Suijin who had never really highly regarded the Kanagawas despite their immense status in Japan.


“Understood!” replied Ryugu, feeling much more relaxed now. With what Suijin had just said, Ryugu knew that he could finally handle Kai the next time that brat called him again.


“Now that all that is out of the way, let’s put everything aside for the time being. I’m a bit tired… Before you leave, I emphasize that until we learn more about the Futaba and Yamashita’s relationship, nobody is allowed to make a move on that family! This includes making a move against Gerald!” said Suijin as he looked at all three of them.


Hearing that, the trio immediately nodded without saying another word…



Fast forward to the next morning, Gerald and Master Ghost could be seen accompanying Aiden to the training ground after having their breakfast for one last practice session before the competition.


Not too far from them, was Japan’s own special forces team, which meant that Fujiko was there.



Looking at the uniform Fujiko was wearing, though it made her look less enchanting compared to the other outfits he had seen her in, the girl now appeared extremely smart and valiant, which was quite a good look on her.


Realizing that Gerald was staring at Fujiko, Aiden couldn’t help but smile smugly as he asked, “Say… who are you looking at so intently, brother Gerald?”

Smacking the back of Aiden’s head, Gerald simply replied, “Stop playing around and go train already…”



Chuckling in response Aiden then rubbed the back of his head as he said, “While I haven’t interacted much with Miss Fujiko, she clearly likes you, brother Gerald. Since she’s a member of the Seadom tribe, you’ll surely get to learn about the secrets of Yearning Island in no time!”


“Spout any more nonsense and Master Ghost and I are leaving,” grumbled Gerald with a slight frown…



Chapter 2128

Chuckling as he scratched the back of his head, Aiden quickly replied, “Alright, alright, I’ll stop…”



Shaking his head, Gerald then looked at Master Ghost before saying, “That kid really likes to make fun of me”


Gerald, for one, had known Aiden for the longest time, so he didn’t mind joking around with him. Even when smacking the back of Aiden’s head, Gerald made sure not to use any force.


“You’re telling me! He’s been making fun of me the entire time in your absence, you know?” replied Master Ghost with a laugh. True enough, throughout the past ten days, he had gotten to know Aiden so well that they could now pretty much freely talk about anything.


As they continued talking, a few individuals wearing the Japanese army’s uniform quickly began walking over to Gerald. Noticing them, Gerald saw that one of them was holding onto a document folder and the others were carrying video recording equipment.


Once they were close enough, one of the men immediately said, “Pardon me, but are you Gerald Crawford? I’m Noda Ichiro, and I’m an investigator for the Japanese army. With that said, I’m here to investigate the disappearance of Adler Light body that took place about eight days ago. I hope you’ll cooperate with us in this investigation!”

“Sure,” replied Gerald as be narrowed his eyes slightly while nodding.



“Again…? What’s wrong with you people? I’ve told you time and again that Adler’s disappearance has nothing to do with us! Do you think we Westoners are pushovers or something?” grumbled Aiden as he angrily marched over.


“Not at all, sir! Still, everyone keeps saying that Adler had an argument with you before he went missing! We’re simply investigating the best we can in hopes of finding him! With that said, if we eventually find out that none of you were involved, not only will we cease to bother you, but we’ll also issue a formal apology!” replied the investigators who knew for a fact that these Westoners weren’t easy to mess with.


However, since a foreign special forces agent had gone missing on their land, the army couldn’t just pretend as if nothing had happened. Even if they couldn’t find anything, they knew they were pretty much forced to continue investigating in order to finally be able to give a proper explanation to Yanam…


“Now, now, Aiden, they’re just asking us to cooperate with their investigation. Regardless, since we didn’t do anything, I believe that these brothers of the Japanese army won’t just slander me, right?” said Gerald as he patted Aiden on the shoulder.


Though this kid was slightly impulsive and didn’t always think before he spoke, he could tell that Aiden was sincerely worried for him. He was a rare, good friend…


Hearing that, Ichiro quickly nodded before adding, “He’s right! We’re just investigating in accordance with our procedures. Vifith that said, please have a cigarette a s we head to the interrogation room for a while, Mr. Crawford.”


“Lead the way,” replied Gerald as he accepted the cigarette before lighting it.



After watching Gerald leave with the investigators, Aiden leaned closer to Master Ghost before asking, “… Do you think anything bad is going to happen to brother Gerald…?”

“Please, you’re severely underestimating him! Forget these investigators, even if the entire Japanese army comes at him, he won’t be afraid in the slightest! Now spend less time worrying about him and start focusing on getting a better rank for Weston!” replied Master Ghost in a cheerful tone.


Chapter 2129

After all, he knew for a fact that Gerald could easily handle those people.



“Even if you say that… All the countries have sent their best men over to participate, despite the fact that this isn’t even an overly formal competition. With that in mind, I’m not really sure how well I’ll do… Getting an above average rank is good enough for me…” muttered Aiden who was well aware that among his teammates, he wasn’t really all that strong.


Though he bore the title of ‘King of Soldiers’, he had earned it from the many battles he had been in. However, now that he had to abide by the event’s rules and regulations, he wasn’t quite sure how well he’d fare.


…



Moving back to Gerald, he was currently seated in the interrogation room, his legs crossed and a cigarette in his hand. With even a cup of tea placed before him, anyone who didn’t know that this was an interrogation room would’ve surely thought that Gerald was here as a guest…


Regardless, after clearing his throat, Ichiro turned to look at Gerald before asking, “Now then… Could you elaborate a little about your conflict with Mr. Adler, Mr. Crawford?”


“It’s nothing serious, really… Back when I was in Yanam some time ago, I got into ‘a bit of trouble’. I’m assuming that Adler came looking for me to get revenge,” replied Gerald as he puffed on his cigarette.


“I see… Did you meet him before he disappeared…?” asked Ichiro as he jotted everything down. As for what Gerald had done in Yanam, his actions were so impactful that even Ichiro could more or less guess what Gerald had done there.

“Of course I did. After all, he came looking for trouble with us with so many other special forces agents,” replied Gerald in a casual tone.


“I’m talking about the night he went missing,” specified Ichiro.



“Ah, well that’s a no. While he did yell profanities at us from outside our door, we paid him no notice. I, for one, was sleeping at the time, though I heard from Aiden that he eventually kicked out door before leaving It was the next morning when I actually learned that he had disappeared,” explained Gerald while shaking his head.


“You really didn’t go outside…?” asked Ichiro as he stared intently at Gerald.



As an investigator, he was an expert at studying body language and facial expressions. With that in mind, he was pretty much a living lie detector. However, up till this point, Gerald had been acting so normally that he really couldn’t find anything wrong with the individual.


“I didn’t. After all, I knew that if I went out, I’d surely get into a fight with him. The last thing I wanted was to cause an unnecessary ruckus, you see. Honestly, while I’m curious about his disappearance, I won’t lie that I’m grateful for that. After all, he won’t be troubling me again anytime soon,” replied Gerald as he shrugged.


“You say that, but we still need to carefully investigate this! After all, he’s a foreign participant and we’ll have to take responsibility for his disappearance! How else are we going to explain all this to the Yanam army? It doesn’t help that Yanam’s already elected Carter Lucab to be their army’s new leader! Though they usually say a new broom sweeps clean, I’m afraid that this incident isn’t going to end that easily!” said Ichiro in dismay as he placed his hands together.


Throughout his many years investigating missing people cases, there would always be clues left behind to solve the mysteries. Unfortunately, Adler truly seemed to have vanished into thin air… Hell, had it not been reported that Adler had gone missing, nobody would’ve even known that the man existed in the first place!

Regardless, the fact that they still hadn’t been able to find a single clue after all this time irritated Ichiro to the point where he wasn’t able to eat or sleep properly in the past few days…


Chapter 2130

Though he initially had hope that Gerald could provide him with some useful information, as it turned out, this session had simply been a complete waste of time…


Sighing as he stood up, Ichiro then said, “…Well, since it’s come to this, could you leave your contact number with us, Mr. Crawford? We may still need to talk to you some other time, though rest assured, we won’t make things difficult for you! ”


“No problem,” replied Gerald as he flicked his cigarette with a smile.



Once that was done, Gerald got up to leave the interrogation room… However, the second he stepped out, he momentarily paused. There was a familiar scent nearby…


Gerald, for one, knew that the individual was a cultivator, though he couldn’t really tell who the scent belonged to specifically… Still, he knew he knew that this was the scent of a familiar person… But who?


Shaking his head, Gerald eventually chose not to bother too much about it. After all, even if the person was a cultivator, they weren’t exactly a threat to him.


Besides, after meeting so many cultivators, Gerald knew for a fact that not all cultivators would be hostile toward him. Perhaps this cultivator was just here by coincidence.


Whatever the case was, upon realizing that Gerald was still standing there, Ichiro was prompted to ask, “Is something wrong, Mr. Crawford?”

Waving his hand, Gerald then replied, “…It’s nothing. Just a dizzy spell.”



“I see… Would you like me to get some medicine?” asked Ichiro.



“There’s no need for that. A rest should fix this. Either way, you can go ahead with your work,” replied Gerald while shaking his head.


By this point, the scent was already gone, so Gerald simply ignored it for now…



Once he reunited with Aiden, however, Gerald attempted to detect the scent of the cultivator again using his basic senses. He refrained from using his Herculean Primordial Spirit since he didn’t want to expose his cultivation level before finding out who the other person was. Doing so could very well bring more unnecessary trouble to him. Besides, he still had no idea whether the stranger was simply passing by or was here for his head…


Still, since a cultivator suddenly appeared out of nowhere in Japan, no less, Gerald knew he had to be a bit more cautious, even though he wasn’t really afraid of them.


Either way, after a short while, Master Ghost walked over to him before whispering, “Gerald, follow me for a bit. There’s something I need to tell you…”


Knowing that Master Ghost wouldn’t use that tone unless things were absolutely serious, the now vigilant Gerald was prompted to ask, “What is it?”


Seeing that there were quite a few special forces agents around, Master Ghost gently grabbed onto Gerald’s wrist before saying, “Let’s talk about this someplace else.”


Nodding in response, Gerald then followed Master Ghost to a secluded corner. Once they were there, Gerald couldn’t help but frown as he waited for Master Ghost to share what he had to say…