"Too slow…" Baishi muttered to himself—his expected "backup" still hadn't arrived!
Never before had Baishi thought his "combat skills" would be insufficient…
He believed that if even his skills weren't enough, it meant the problem couldn't be solved by human "combat ability" alone!
But now…
It was clear the enemy wasn't just one or two groups. Under the Ryumaru Syndicate's main branch's orders, both direct and subordinate groups had mobilized en masse!
Among them were some who were truly willing to risk their lives, and others with real skill…
A few had combat and fighting skills equivalent to Level 7. If Baishi didn't have his 159 kg physique and was merely an 80 kg Level 10, he'd probably be down by now.
His formidable physique gave him unmatched endurance, strength, and muscle buffering—far beyond an ordinary Level 10.
But…
When the enemy started pulling out "American Iaido," Baishi began to feel the pressure.
Fortunately, it was "only" handguns, the weakest form of "American Iaido"…
With Baishi's [Combat] skill performing at Level 10 (thanks to additional boosts), his instincts were razor-sharp. Using a "meat shield" for cover, he quickly closed the distance!
"You…"
The American Iaido thug panicked as this "tyrannosaur" charged at him…
Bang—
Baishi executed a slide tackle, closing in instantly and delivering a heart-striking elbow that sent the thug flying!
Though Baishi's [Combat] and [Martial Arts] maintained Level 10 performance, [Level 9 (+1)] felt different from the previous [Level 8 (+2)]…
After genuinely raising both to Level 9, Baishi found that techniques from various traditional martial arts—even South American ancient war dances—became practical!
Initially, he used Jeet Kune Do, Taekwondo, Karate, and modern Muay Thai… but now, Taiji's "left-right shuttle," Baji's "heart-striking elbow," and war dance-derived "sacrificial kick" flowed naturally.
Even his defensive stance shifted from a "fighting stance" to the "Seven Star Fist small frame" or "Two Instrument Stake."
With Baishi's [Martial Arts] and [Combat] at Level 9, he had always been able to use traditional martial arts in combat, but only after reaching Level 9 did they feel "instinctively natural."
Finally taking down the "American Iaido" thug, Baishi let out a brief sigh of relief, only to sense an ominous presence…
No!
Not just one!
Bang—
Baishi dodged as best he could, but a bullet still grazed his shoulder!
Fortunately, his muscles were dense enough to prevent damage to his shoulder blade.
At the same time, the now red-eyed Baishi yanked another thug and hurled him at the second "American Iaido" guy!
The thug instinctively raised his gun as his ally flew toward him.
Others saw the "monster" charging in behind but…
It was too late to warn!
As the second American Iaido thug stepped back to avoid his flying comrade, his vision went black…
Baishi's "Great Dragon Tail Swing" produced the sound of a cracking skull!
Under repeated intimidation, the remaining standing enemies hesitated, clearly cowed.
But…
Vroom vroom—
Screech!
Engines roared, brakes squealed!
Several black SUVs barreled into the garage, scraping recklessly and blocking the surrounding lanes. Then…
Several more "American Iaido" "experts" stepped out!
Thankfully, Baishi quickly saw their "American Iaido" was even worse than the previous two…
At least those had proper handguns!
These guys were holding…
Baishi recognized them instantly—3D-printed gun parts, pieced together. He'd seen such weapons in prior cases involving gang shootouts.
With stricter regulations on yakuza, getting real firearms was increasingly difficult…
These guns had weaker power and were prone to misfiring!
Biu, Biu, Biu…
Baishi rolled like a lazy donkey, using nearby cars for cover. Even with weaker power, he couldn't take hits head-on—not every shot would miss vital areas!
"Hey, this is too much… those guys are so slow!" Baishi grumbled.
The parking garage was littered with over a hundred downed enemies, yet they still had more men and brought this many "American Iaido" weapons. In an era where the "Anti-Yakuza Ordinance" had been in effect for five or six years, even a clash between two major syndicates rarely reached this scale!
At the same time…
Baishi had already "called the police" before coming down!
This response time was, as expected, unusually slow…
But Baishi wasn't worried about no one coming. He'd specifically notified trusted officers, who would definitely show up—just slower, since they weren't local.
This was exactly Baishi's plan…
Arresting so many at once and causing such a stir would inevitably drag the "scum" behind this into the open. Baishi had already sent details to several trusted colleagues.
But…
"I didn't plan on dying a martyr…" Baishi muttered, crouching behind a car, listening to bullets ping off its frame.
Indeed, he'd miscalculated…
He hadn't expected this many enemies!
Baishi had joined the Career Track to become a bureaucratic cop, a high-ranking official.
But sometimes…
People couldn't stick to their ideals!
Baishi had been seduced by so-called "justice," straying from his original plan.
…
Without these "American Iaido" thugs, he could've held out, but…
"Those with guns, stay back!"
"Others, slowly close in…"
"Boss, that guy's too scary… ah!"
"Retreat, and you're dead!"
"Force him out, and we win!"
The enemies gradually tightened the space for Baishi to maneuver!
Using the parking garage's terrain, Baishi darted like a rabbit, taking down several who got too close with sudden strikes, making it hard to fully pin him down. But… he was slowly being cornered.
During this, a bullet hit his leg, further reducing his [Physique] performance. Blood loss also lowered his [Mental Fortitude]!
"Think you can take me down? Try it!" Baishi assessed the situation, realizing hiding would only worsen things.
"Confirm point allocation!"
Why hold back points now?
Baishi even doubted that, even if he survived this, the chaos he'd caused might bar him from the National Police Agency and his dream of being a high-ranking official!
[Martial Arts], Level 10!
[Combat], Level 10!
Baishi maxed out his combat prowess. His martial techniques became seamless, his fighting instincts razor-sharp, no longer hindered by his reduced [Physique] and [Mental Fortitude]. And…
Ding—
At that moment, something unexpected happened.
"Upgrade conditions met. [Physique] attribute Level 11 unlocked."
A voice only Baishi could hear rang out…
Baishi: ???
There was a Level 11?
He'd always thought the system capped at Level 10.
Now it seemed…
Level 11 wasn't unavailable—it required specific conditions! For [Physique], maxing [Martial Arts] or [Combat] was likely a prerequisite.
But…
Baishi didn't have enough points!
His remaining points were only enough to raise one Level 9 skill to Level 10…
And…
"One million? The point cost jumped tenfold?" Baishi noticed Level 11 wasn't on the triple-scaling system—it was a direct tenfold increase.
Fine, he was completely out of points… huh?
"Wait? 100,000 points… for a 24-hour trial?"
A glimmer of hope—normally, Baishi wouldn't consider a trial.
In his 28 years, he'd earned just under a million points total…
Now, with only 100,000-plus points left, trading them for a "trial"… what a joke!
But right now, Baishi wasn't joking—if he didn't use it, he was done!
"Confirm trial…"
[Physique], Level 11!
(End of Chapter)