It was 4:45 in the early morning.
In the tranquil night, the pale moonlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, faintly illuminating the corners of the ancient city of Nara.
The city, usually bustling by day, had now completely fallen into silence.
In Yingzhou, aside from a few cities, the distinction between day and night was stark.
Except in the capital of Kyoto and the Trade Center of Edo, in all other cities it was rare to see any businesses other than 24-hour convenience stores open after 6:00 p.m.
The occasional light was from an izakaya open late into the night. Everywhere else was engulfed in the quiet darkness, as if deliberately segmented.
It turned the profound night into a restricted zone, left for those beings that were beyond their comprehension...
When the stars were obscured, the world was plunged into darkness.
Now, countless hired Sublimators roamed in this darkness, seeking any lingering traces in exchange for a hefty bounty.
The allure of money was far too terrifying, a stark contrast to the laissez-faire attitude of Deer's Sing Hall before.
For the authority and wealth represented by the head of the Li Jian family, the price paid now was but a drop in the bucket. The generous candidates were practically throwing a never-ending stream of Money Notes to cast a wide net, recruiting any capable hands willing to be hired.
Even if the quality was insufficient, they would make up for it in quantity.
Just by looking at the substantial bounties and the massive number of participants constantly appearing on the Group of Thousands of Evils, one could get a feel for what kind of hunting ground Nara had turned into at night.
In the silence of death, the darkness was shattered by the roaring motorcycle engines.
The darkness was illuminated by enormous headlights, blazing like flames.
Riding ostentatiously through the city, they made no attempt to hide their presence.
Undoubtedly... it was a sound familiar to every Yingzhou person.
Bōsōzoku!
The roar of the engines was accompanied by excited, maniacal laughter.
"Big bro, big bro, look, I caught another one!"
A huge heavy motorcycle was adorned with the flag of Pomp and Circumstance rattling in the wind.
The young man on the motorcycle sported a flamboyant and exaggerated dye job and wore sunglasses. In his hand, he dragged a Lock Chain, pulling a person scratched to a bloody mess on the ground. He was excitedly showing off to his older brother, who was squatting at the park entrance.
The attire of the two brothers was equally exaggerated, covered in inscrutable words such as sutras, but the thick, inked characters on their backs representing their names were decidedly different.
The golden-haired younger brother had "Explosive ZhuWei" written on his back, while the burly, black-haired big brother, his face painted with heavy metal band-style Gothic makeup, had "World Blood Night Worry Ghost" written on his.
From the infamous Bōsōzoku duo from the Fire and Electricity Club, the Speed Brothers who ruled Kanagawa, descended upon the ancient city of Nara!
But when the big brother looked down at the person dragged by the chain, he frowned. "This isn't right, this embarrassing look doesn't fit the profile of Agleam Murder Demon. Barney, you idiot! Look closely, this guy uses a gun, a gun. He would struggle to slit a chicken's throat with this little knife, let alone kill anyone."
With that, he pulled out a handgun from the guy's pocket and tossed it into a trash can.
"Eh?" Barney Explosive ZhuWei was stunned for a moment, struggling to accept. "But big bro, look at this guy… He must be worth something, right?"
"He's worthless, not worth any Money."
World Blood Night Worry Ghost pinched out his cigarette and sighed in resignation. "It's the sixth one already, Barney. Stop grabbing anyone you see; the client won't pay us. Hurry up and throw him away, throw him away…"
"Where?"
"Just find a trash can. Forget it, throw him in the river. Sorting trash is too much of a hassle; don't trouble the cleaners. And stop spitting all over the place! And…"
The big brother's words suddenly paused for a moment as he abruptly looked up, his expression darkening. "Did you bring someone back with you?"
Barney looked shocked, frantically shook his head, and turned around to see that enormous shadow.
Right under the flickering streetlight.
"Namu!"
Like a humanoid mountain with a Bamboo Hat on his head, his cassock had been dyed a bright red.
He raised one hand to his chest and lowered his head, chanting sutras as if liberating lost souls.
In his other hand, however, he held a Wolf Fang Club as tall as an average person.
The hefty, voluminous iron club, studded with teeth-sharp protrusions, seemed to be adorned with strands of gold paint, making the bloodstains even more vivid.
As the Bamboo Hat was slowly lifted, it revealed the slanted horns growing out of his forehead and a ghastly smile tinged with dark purple.
In that instant, the expressions of the two brothers gradually turned cold.
——Impure Monk Guo Ying!
"Get lost, fatso, this isn't your turf!"
The big brother slowly stood, drawing a baseball bat studded with countless nails from behind him, and spat on the ground. "Don't you even understand civility?"
"All ten directions under heaven are Buddha's lands. Is there any place that this unworthy monk can't go to?"
The monk, resembling an Evil Ghost, took a step forward, hefting his Ghost Gold Stick, his smile bleeding fervor. "This unworthy monk has come here especially to offer blessings for you two benefactors…"
"Benefactors?"
The big brother grinned, the intense Gothic makeup revealing a cold smile as he brandished the nail-packed baseball bat, sparking with electricity. "I have nothing to give you."
"Isn't there still life?"