Chapter 730: , Black Fire Dance Wildly!

The three-day deadline passed in an instant.

On the 35th floor of the Tokyo Chūjō Building, the temporary outpost was filled with the pungent smell of chemical reagents and a morbid excitement.

Several young people gathered around a table covered in circuit boards and makeshift explosive devices, their eyes burning with fervor.

In the corner, a black plastic barrel sealed the ANF0 material that Takakura had squeezed out of Honda Atsuhito.

"Hey, Takakura-san, guess what? You really pulled a fast one!" One of the yellow-haired youths said to the half-masked, half-hidden-haired leader Takakura: "Did someone call again about that matchmaking escort service we had before? Sounded like an old man! He asked in great detail and even volunteered to prepay a large sum of cash, demanding specific service times and types..."

"Haha, can't help it—where there's demand, there's a market, and where there's a market, professions arise." The leader Takakura laughed: "Humanity's three oldest professions are thief, prostitute, and scammer. Fundamentally, all modern human occupations are branches of these three." "Not bad, Takakura! You're indeed knowledgeable!" Another man, a buzz-cut guy assembling timers, scoffed: "This society is just like that—too many idiots, not enough scammers. All you need is to slap 'first time free,' 'full-service visit,' 'welcome older clients,' 'AAA nationwide fly' on these ads, and you'll always get these old guys calling."

"Can't help it, the Japanese are just this repressed!"

"As for the cops, they're obviously dazed by us, still running around the world looking for that missing 'Young Lady'! Hahaha~ Too bad the three-day deadline is almost up! That so-called legendary forensic doctor Uesugi Muneyuki? Looks like nothing special!"

"Hahahahaha ahahahahahahaha~" For a moment, the entire room filled with joyful laughter.

"Don't let your guard down, as they say, 'after a hundred miles, only half the ninety remain.'" After laughing, the leader Takakura grew calmer: "How's it going with Old Man Honda?"

The yellow-haired member switched the screen, pulling up a recently sent video—Marie was bound, her face bruised and bloody, eyes terrified: "The video's already been sent to him. Per your instructions, I added the ultimatum. Old Man Honda complied quickly—he left the remote at the fixed spot, and we've got it in hand."

"Very good. Not bad for Honda Oyabun—thirty years and he's still this meticulous, decisive, perfect." Takakura was very satisfied: "Today is the final day."

Time passed in the tense preparations.

The first bomb strike must always be spectacular.

Let the world feel pain!

Outside the window, Tokyo's night deepened. The buzz-cut man rubbed his stomach: "It's Crazy Thursday, teeth! Let's order KFC? After the job, we need energy to retreat."

The others agreed.

"I want some original recipe chicken."

"New Orleans chicken burger is excellent!"

"I want the tender beef five ways."

"No complaints, takeout family bucket yesyes!"

"Spicy extra crispy! I want mashed potatoes!"

"Then I want red bean pie!"

"Red bean pie? Red bean paste? KFC, you eat this?"

"Otherwise? You gonna eat egg tarts?"

The crowd chattered away.

Takakura glanced at the relatively calm building entrance and hallway on the monitor, nodded: "Go ahead."

So they opened Rakuten Flash Purchase, claimed a big discount coupon, and placed the order.

The takeout order was quickly submitted.

The atmosphere inside the outpost eased slightly, a few people discussing what to do next.

Just as Honda Atsuhito discovered he didn't know them, these few people of Takakura's were actually not the so-called descendants of the original 'Red Goldfinch' group from thirty years ago, nor a lurking organization constantly replacing itself.

They were actually reorganized only these past few years, personally led into action by the host Takigawa Tsubasa.

Naturally, they also received support from Kansai, but they didn't fully follow the envisioned activities, thus suffering painful losses. Worse, after Kansai's figure pulled the plug and cut aid, they were placed on a nationwide wanted list, and the organization temporarily fell into difficulty. But precisely because of this, their extreme behavior attracted many newcomers and brought new projects.

This time, Takakura aims to make a big score!

The Imperial Palace case failed, the Kurokawa Lawmaker case was suppressed again!

This time, this time we must shock the whole world!

After receiving Honda Oyabun's help, everyone was fired up—this time, we really are different!!

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Ah ha, our KFC has arrived!

Everyone looked at the buzz-cut man.

Who ordered it, who gets it!

The buzz-cut man cursed as he stood up, grabbed a pistol and shoved it into his waist holster, then walked toward the east side fire door.

He peered through the peephole: outside was just a delivery worker in uniform, head down looking at his phone, holding a large insulated box with the KFC grandpa logo.

"Here." He muttered, undoing the door chain, turning the handle.

The instant the door opened, abnormality struck!

The delivery worker suddenly lifted his head, eyes sharp as an eagle, the insulated box slipped from his hands and fell, revealing not original recipe chicken but a solid explosive shield!

At the same time, he turned sideways and shouted: "Police! Drop your weapons!"

It was Date Nagamune of the Special Mission Unit!

"Damn!" The buzz-cut man reacted extremely fast, stepping back while drawing his gun!

But faster than him were the black shadows surging out from both sides of the fire escape like ghosts—led by Okada Masayoshi of the Special Mission Unit! Gunfire nearly exploded at the same second the door opened!

"Ambush!" Inside the outpost, Takakura's pupils contracted sharply, he roared loudly: "Plan B!"

The yellow-haired member and a few others, though startled, had clearly been trained—they lunged without hesitation toward the pre-set trigger points around the room—these weren't aimed at ANFO, but were large quantities of black powder fireworks they'd laid in advance, disguised as renovation materials! These fireworks were carefully placed near the door, vents, and main passages, their fuses instantly ignited!

"Boom!!!"

The deafening explosion was not one, but a series! Scorching flames accompanied by pungent thick smoke and colorful yet deadly shrapnel, like blooming death flowers, erupted wildly in the narrow floor space!

Renovation panels, gypsum debris, wire conduits were blown flying everywhere, flames igniting more flammables, thick smoke instantly swallowing the hallway and part of the rooms!

Vision went to zero, sound drowned by the explosion's roar and the crackling of burning flames.

A charging Ikeda Erena was thrown off balance by this sudden, non-traditional explosive attack, coughing, shouts, and the brief exchange of gunfire in the smoke between both sides rang out together!!

It's fireworks!

These Red Goldfinches disguised black powder as fireworks?!

This was something the Special Mission Unit hadn't anticipated—they thought the opposition might have guns, but never imagined they'd prepare so many fireworks! "Don't cling to battle! Alternate cover toward the designated direction!" Amid the chaos, Okada Masayoshi's voice came through the walkie-talkie, but communications were severely jammed, and the Red Goldfinch side was likewise made to cough nonstop by the black powder fireworks smoke, consciousness blurred!

This is also one of the drawbacks of fireworks—no distinction between friend and foe!

"Takakura-brother, Takakura-brother, I'm on fire!" the buzz-cut man screamed, clutching his buttocks!

"Takakura-brother, what do we do?" another person also screamed: "How were we even discovered? Impossible!"

"Withdraw, withdraw out!" Amid the chaos, Takakura calmly roared: "Fire a few smoke rounds first! Whether or not we hit anyone, scare the cops! Then escape in the smoke! I'll go plant the bomb at A Point, you guys go to b!"

Sure enough, a few of his subordinates randomly fired several shots into the fireworks, the Special Mission Unit here hesitated to move and seek cover, and both sides quickly began standoff in a haze of black smoke and sparks, both sides completely blinded.

But someone isn't afraid of the smoke—he activated night vision.

Uesugi Muneyuki.

This time he didn't hold back on spirit power, dispatching Hironaka Mariko, who quickly confirmed Hayase Mary's location; amidst this ideal cover of firelight, thick smoke, and chaos, Uesugi Muneyuki, as if pre-rehearsed, swiftly moved toward a room marked "Equipment Storage Room" on the inner side—information and thermal imaging displayed, Mary was detained there.

The storage room door was ajar, inside the smoke was slightly thinner.

Mary was bound to a metal chair, tape over her mouth, hair disheveled, face smudged.

Seeing Uesugi Muneyuki burst through the door, she immediately showed extreme terror and pleading in her eyes, her body violently struggling, emitting a "wuu" sound. Uesugi Muneyuki hesitated not at all, swiftly cut the ropes, tore off the tape, and spoke concisely: "I am Uesugi Muneyuki. Follow me, this place is dangerous!"

His voice sounded unusually steady against the backdrop of explosions and burning.

Mary was pulled up by him, eye sockets reddened, she nodded firmly; her face bore many wounds and bruises, and she carried a hint of dejection.

Uesugi Muneyuki shielded her, avoiding a collapsing, burning ceiling, and rushed out of the storage room.

From downstairs came denser gunfire and explosion sounds; the entire 35th floor was like a burning hell, thick smoke rolling, heat waves oppressive.

Uesugi Muneyuki pulled Mary, discovering the usual route to the stairwell was blocked by fire.

Damn it, how did these terrorists manage to set off so many fireworks?

Pure numbers!

But this stuff really does pass review easily……Japanese people naturally have all kinds of fireworks festivals and fireworks events…

"Go this way!" Uesugi Muneyuki made a split-second decision, pulling Mary toward the opposite intact area—there was an internal maintenance passage leading to the upper-floor backup machinery room and partially unfinished zones. They climbed the narrow metal stairs upward, temporarily escaping the fiercest fire zone, arriving at a relatively quiet but smoke-filled 36th-floor open raw concrete area.

Here there were only cold concrete pillars and stacked few building materials; through the windowless openings, one could see outside Tokyo's night sky and the downstairs blazing firelight and thick smoke.

Uesugi Muneyuki positioned Mary behind a load-bearing pillar, gesturing for her to stay hidden and quiet.

He then quickly moved to a relatively safe angle by the window, pressed the miniature communicator in his ear, trying to contact the outside world, voice extremely low: "Okada, I am Uesugi, target rescued, currently at 36th floor northeast corner raw concrete area. How's your situation? Need support positioning?" "Can't see anything! SAT and other support already deployed! Racing over fast!" Okada Masayoshi replied vaguely. "Understood!" Uesugi Muneyuki nodded.

Earlier deployment of SAT would have heightened this group's alertness, but now the firelight and thick smoke have already erupted, so SAT can be fully deployed! These few punks, even if they have guns, couldn't possibly match a proper SWAT unit!

Only I didn't expect them to have prepared so much black powder in advance, disguised as fireworks.

His attention was fully focused on listening to the intermittent reports from the communicator and observing the chaotic battle below, back turned to Mary, seemingly utterly unprepared for her.

Just as Uesugi Muneyuki was speaking with Okada Masayoshi and the nearby temporary command headquarters personnel.

Behind him, Hayase Mary's eyes—all fear, fragility, dependence—receded like a tide, instantly freezing into cold, hard resolve, and in her eyes flashed some kind of madness and utter ferocity.

She silently pulled from the inner side of her torn pant leg a high-intensity micro-taser disguised as lipstick, pressed the safety with her thumb, her body like a leopardess coiled to strike, lunging fiercely at Uesugi Muneyuki's lower back!

"Sato!!!"