The Way of Restraint

Chapter 189: The Siren’s Underground World Revealed

This place was a chaotic, lawless zone. Under the influence of alc0hol, a disagreement could easily escalate into a violent conflict.

Su Jie knew that this was the case in many places abroad. There was a huge difference between wealthy and poor neighborhoods. In wealthy areas, the security was excellent, and the police were dedicated. But in some slums or politically correct areas, it was a lawless zone, completely ignored.

This was the kind of chaotic place Zhang Manman had brought him to.

She held a dagger to a burly man who had come to har@ss her.

The burly man wasn’t afraid; instead, he let out a strange scream.

But Zhang Manman then revealed a pendant, and the burly man was choked like a chicken being slaughtered.

“She’s a bounty hunter, the Siren,” a nearby burly man quickly stepped aside to make way.

Zhang Manman casually shoved the harassing man onto a table, knocking over many beer bottles, before venturing deeper into the crowd.

No one dared to stop her; they even tried to keep their distance, as if she possessed some kind of deadly substance.

“Is Siren your codename?” Su Jie asked, catching up.

The Sirens are legendary sea monsters in Greek mythology, known for their beautiful songs that send sailors to their deaths on unnoticed reefs. In mythology, Sirens are also guides to the underworld.

“Bounty hunters all have codenames. Why don’t you get one too?” Zhang Manman said. “I’ve found out that Feng Hengyi has a codename in the underworld called Taotie. He’s very famous and ranks among the top ten strongest.”

“The underworld is the shadowy side that ordinary people can’t access, right?” Su Jie followed Zhang Manman through a long corridor, finally finding some peace and quiet. 

Several burly foreign men in black suits guarded the corridor, preventing ordinary people from entering. However, seeing Zhang Manman’s Siren pendant, no one stepped forward to stop her. 

“That’s right. The underworld includes mercenaries, bounty hunters, assassins, gang members, smugglers, illegal immigrants, all sorts of criminals, and of course, Interpol agents, bodyguards, and other entities representing justice,” Zhang Manman said with a smile. “Our bounty hunter organization can also be considered a positive force, specializing in capturing criminals.”

“I’ve read some information. There was a bounty hunter codenamed Hound named Duane Chapman who captured over 6,000 criminals. In 2003, he conducted a transnational manhunt, accomplishing something even the FBI couldn’t. Later, his story was adapted into a TV series, and he became a Hollywood star.” Su Jie had known Zhang Manman was a bounty hunter for a long time; he had even researched the subject.

This profession was called “knight-errant” in ancient China, who punished evil and promoted good. 

“That’s a veteran in our bounty hunter world, retired a long time ago,” Zhang Manman said. “The people I’m introducing you to today are some formidable partners. Some joined for the money, others purely for the thrill. They’re all very well-informed; perhaps they can glean some clues about your sister from them.”

Su Jie nodded.

He knew that the lab his sister had entered was backed by an incredibly powerful organization, with a mastermind lurking everywhere. Even with his abilities, at the “Living Dead” level, he was utterly powerless.

Soon, after passing through a long corridor, they arrived at a basement.

The atmosphere in this basement was much more relaxed, with cheerful tunes and various entertainment options like card games and billiards.

Zhang Manman went directly to a large round table.

Three people sat at this round table.

One was white, one was black, and the other had an Asian appearance, but wasn’t Chinese; he had a Japanese air about him.

Su Jie had an exceptional eye for people; he could tell a person’s nationality at a glance. Every country has its own cultural sphere, and people nurtured within that culture possess a certain air about them.

“Siren, is this the new recruit you brought?” Seeing Zhang Manman sit down, the white man asked in English, while the other two also stared at Su Jie.

“That’s right, you can test his strength,” Zhang Manman said with interest, then introduced them to Su Jie: “These three are Blood Leopard, White Shark, and Shuten-dōji. These are codenames.”

The white man was White Shark, the black man was Blood Leopard, and the Japanese man was Shuten-dōji.

Swish!

A butterfly knife flashed past Su Jie, seemingly about to slash a bloody gash across his face.

“White Shark” had made his move. This was a probing attack, purely to test his strength—a rule and a joke among bounty hunters.

In the Wild West, meeting someone meant shooting off their hat with a single shot—that was far more thrilling.

Thud! Without even looking, Su Jie struck the man’s ulnar nerve in his forearm.

“White Shark” felt a jolt, and the butterfly knife was in Su Jie’s hand.

“Not bad…” The Japanese bounty hunter codenamed “Shuten” seemed ready to strike, but a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.

He looked down and saw a toothpick deeply embedded in his shoulder.

He quickly pulled the toothpick out, blood trickling from it.

This kind of injury was child’s play for him, like being pricked by thorns in the jungle, but it terrified him.

Because he saw that “White Shark” also had a toothpick in his shoulder, and “Blood Leopard” had the same one.

The three of them froze, pulling out the toothpicks.

They all understood that if the toothpicks had been aimed at their eyes, they would be blind now; if they had been in their throats, they would be seriously injured.

None of them had seen how Su Jie had fired the toothpicks.

In that split second, as “White Shark” swung his butterfly knife and Su Jie knocked it away, three toothpicks shot out simultaneously, piercing through their clothes and embedding themselves in their shoulders. What incredible initial velocity must they have possessed?

“Truly killing with a flick of the finger,” Zhang Manman exclaimed, even more astonished. “Back then, the Judgement Gu Yang’s signature move was killing with toothpicks. Now Su Jie’s hidden weapons are even more powerful. If the toothpicks were made of iron, the killing power would be even greater.”

“The Judgement’s toothpicks!”

At this moment, “White Shark,” “Blood Leopard,” and “Shuten” seemed to recall something terrifying.

The Judgement Gu Yang was a formidable figure in the underworld; his opponents all died from toothpicks. The three, familiar with the intelligence, immediately remembered this.

Zhang Manman’s group was still considered small fry in the underworld.

Gu Yang and his ilk were the big sharks.

These ruthless predecessors wielded immense power over the smaller fry.

Su Jie’s current hidden weapon skills indeed surpassed Gu Yang’s.

The reason was simple: Gu Yang hadn’t yet reached the “Living Dead” realm, while Su Jie had. Through long-term training, Su Jie’s physical abilities were still on the rise.

“Let’s all sit down and chat,” Su Jie said, his tone impeccable. He pressed his hands down, naturally exuding the aura and confidence of a great figure, making people unconsciously obey his commands.

He no longer possessed the diligent, studious demeanor of a student.

This was because his increased strength, even when concealed, would occasionally reveal itself.

Like a true behemoth, even hidden in the abyss, the occasional glimpse of its aura would resonate throughout the heavens.

“Are you the new Judgement?” Shuten asked.

“No. But the Judgement was once our coach, so you’d better not ask so many questions,” Zhang Manman answered for Su Jie. “Shuten, now that you’ve witnessed my companion’s strength, we can talk.”

“A bottle of red wine, please,” “White Shark” called to the waiter in the distance.

The waiter then brought a bottle of red wine. “Where’s the corkscrew?” “White Shark” asked.

“Just a moment, I’m opening another bottle for a customer,” the waiter replied coldly, his service less than accommodating. This wasn’t a high-end place to begin with, and the service was terrible.

Su Jie took the wine bottle, gripped it with one hand, and suddenly, with the other, slashed it cleanly.

Crack!

The entire bottle’s neck snapped off cleanly, the break as if sawn off.

Then he poured a glass for everyone, not drinking any himself.

The waiter, witnessing this, broke out in a cold sweat, stammering something.

“White Shark” and the other two were also stunned for a moment, then exchanged surprised glances. Afterwards, “Shuten” said to Zhang Manman, “Siren, this gentleman is at least on par with someone from the S Dynasty. Why would such a big shot come to a place like this to contact us?”

“So, you guys are going to make it big,” Zhang Manman secretly admired Su Jie’s intimidation skills.

In the underworld, only strength matters.

Su Jie’s swift chop to the neck of the wine bottle was something even a karate master couldn’t do.

A typical expert would hold the bottle in one hand and use the other to chop off the neck, easily shattering the bottle. Su Jie’s cut was clean and precise; how precise was his control of power?

The three men were completely stunned by this blatant violence.

The rest was much easier.

Zhang Manman spoke to them, but Su Jie remained silent. He wasn’t very familiar with the underworld, and talking too much would give him away. He only maintained his intimidation; Zhang Manman could handle the rest. Soon, Zhang Manman reached some kind of agreement with the three men.

The two left the basement bar, went upstairs to their rooms, and each booked a room for the night.

The next day, they took a car to the city where Zhang Manman’s family lived.

On the way, Zhang Manman said, “Those three men agreed to help you find clues. I’ve already sent them to find Haoyu’s information. These three used to be my partners, but now they each have their own connections. All three of them have taken jobs from Haoyu and gone to some strange places. Just wait patiently for the information to arrive.”

Su Jie nodded. He knew this matter couldn’t be rushed; he could only gather information slowly. Making a scene would only alert them.

Haoyu Group had many shady dealings overseas. The more information they gathered, the better their chances of bringing them to justice.