Chapter Thirty-Five: An Unexpected Conclusion

“Waiting for the rabbit by the stump? But you…” The girl was puzzled. Just moments ago, this young man had been chased through the alley by these people.

“Relax, I can handle it!” Yue Longze flashed a confident smile, reassuring the girl.

Behind the rusty iron door was a storeroom covered in dust. On the other side of the storeroom, a wooden door led directly to another alleyway.

The two quietly stayed inside, listening intently for any movement beyond the iron door.

“By the way, I haven’t thanked you yet!” Yue Longze slapped his thigh.

“It was nothing! I hate bullies more than anything!” The girl clenched her small white fists, wrinkling her delicate nose in indignation.

“Miss, what’s your name?” Yue Longze smiled at her, sensing a strong sense of justice in her heart.

“Just call me Mihoko,” she replied.

“I’m Yue Longze.”

“What a strange name,” Mihoko scrunched her nose again. “Then I’ll call you Azé!”

Yue Longze shrugged, indifferent.

“What was that white powder you threw?” he suddenly asked.

“Just lime powder.” Mihoko gestured toward a bucket in the corner. Before scattering the lime, she had put on a pair of old gloves she found in the storeroom, to prevent the powder from touching her skin.

“Oh.” Yue Longze realized the eyes of those two men in black were ruined—they’d been burned by the lime.

...

“Hey, why were you…” Mihoko started to ask.

“Shh!” Yue Longze raised a finger, signaling her to be silent.

“Someone’s coming,” he whispered. His hearing had surpassed that of ordinary people; he could detect sounds from much farther away.

Mihoko found it odd—she hadn’t heard any footsteps at all.

Just as Mihoko wondered, the men in black had already caught up.

“Damn it! He got away!” Yue Longze, hiding in the storeroom, clearly heard their complaints. He cautiously peered through a crack in the iron door, quickly surveying the situation outside.

Two of the men in black carried their unconscious companions on their backs, apparently ordered by their leader to escort the wounded back. The leader and another were scanning the area.

“Aihara, look here!” The companion pointed out the remnants of white powder beside the iron door—what Mihoko had scattered, blown back by the wind.

“What is it, Momozu?” The leader, Aihara, turned and immediately spotted the powder.

Aihara squatted, dipped his finger in the powder, rubbed it between his fingers, and said, “It’s lime.”

He exchanged a glance with Momozu; their long partnership made their teamwork seamless.

Each took a position on either side of the iron door, signaling readiness to break in.

Little did they know, Yue Longze was already poised behind the door, ready to strike.

“Hmph, let’s see which is faster—your gun or my sword!” Yue Longze sneered inwardly. The cat-and-mouse game was about to reverse.

Bang!

The rusty iron door crashed open. Aihara, holding his Browning pistol, stepped into the storeroom with Momozu.

Yue Longze stood at the corner by the entrance; a Browning pistol appeared within his view.

Swish!

The sword moved like thunder, swift as lightning!

The black Browning pistol snapped cleanly at the trigger.

Mihoko, hiding in the corner, stared in shock at Yue Longze’s swordsmanship—her small mouth agape.

Such speed, such ferocity!

“You…” Aihara was astounded by Yue Longze’s prowess.

Whoosh!

Momozu’s right fist, carrying the force of his punch, shot toward Yue Longze’s face. Seeing Yue Longze remain unmoved, Momozu’s lips curled in a cold smile—his years of boxing were not in vain!

But just as his fist was about to connect, Yue Longze simply tilted his head, caught Momozu’s fist, and with a reverse grip, squeezed. A sickening crack sounded as Momozu’s hand bones shattered.

“Ah!!” Momozu fell to his knees, clutching his wrist, his face twisted in agony.

“Momozu!” Aihara’s veins bulged in fury. His long-time partner had been so brutally injured. But Yue Longze, chased for no reason, was even more furious.

Smack!

Yue Longze broke Aihara’s right shin with the sheath of his sword.

Without his pistol, Aihara posed no threat.

“Do you feel wronged?” Yue Longze sneered at the two collapsed men. “I’m even more wronged than you!”

His agitation grew as he spoke. He’d been working honestly, only to be hunted by gunmen—how could he not be angry? How could he not feel wronged? Moreover, as Ultraman, he fought for humanity, yet now was hunted by humans—truly infuriating and unjust!

“Tell me your origins and purpose.” Yue Longze forced himself to calm down.

The two men, enduring their fractures, exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

“So you don’t want to talk?” Yue Longze raised an eyebrow. “The human body has two hundred and six bones—do you believe I’ll let you feel the pain of all two hundred and six breaking?”

Before they could reply, Yue Longze broke their left hand bones with his sheath. Their screams, like slaughtered pigs, echoed through the storeroom.

“If you speak now, you might live to enjoy life’s beauty!” Yue Longze smiled, but his smile sent chills through the room.

Mihoko suddenly felt this young man—who seemed younger than herself—had become terrifying, like a demon. The gentle smile she had seen was now gone from her heart.

“Azé! Stop!” Mihoko cried out, feeling Yue Longze’s actions too cruel.

“Hmph, playing the saint now?” Momozu, both hands crippled, struggled to support himself with his shoulders, his words dripping with disdain for Mihoko.

“See? You helped him, but look how he treats you.” Yue Longze said to Mihoko, who lowered her head in silence.

“We won’t say anything!” Aihara gritted his teeth, exchanging a look of anger and despair with Momozu.

“You really don’t want to live?” Yue Longze had no intention of killing them—after all, he was Ultraman. His threats were only words; broken bones could always be set again.

Suddenly, both men’s heads slumped, their eyes rolled back, and foam trickled from their mouths. In moments, they were motionless.

Yue Longze was startled, kneeling to check their vital signs repeatedly, only to find they were truly dead.

“It seems they took poison hidden in their teeth.” Yue Longze mused—there was surely an organization behind these men, one ruthless even to its own.

Such an outcome was unexpected.

“Let’s go.” Yue Longze turned to Mihoko, who was trembling from the sight of death.

He knew the organization behind these men would come to collect the bodies, so he ignored them, walked over to the shivering Mihoko, and led her out through the other door of the storeroom.