Dragon Raja: I practiced Naruto ninjutsu next to Lu Mingfei.

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As they entered the office building lobby, Gu Ran and the others heard a cacophony of business noises. Many corporate workers in suits and ties were handling business from all over the country.

Their business scope is very broad, including gang warfare, arms dealing, bribing officials, and even small businesses like nightclubs, casinos, and brothels...

“Everyone is quite motivated…” Lu Mingfei thought of the Hong Kong movie “Election.” Unlike the gangster fights here, this one involves people wearing suits. “Is this the new era of gangsters?”

Chapter 379 Opportunistic Japanese

Sakura Yabuki told everyone that the Hebi-Hachi family was the management organization of the yakuza, and that all the yakuza gangs throughout Japan were managed by the Hebi-Hachi family. Their personal information and files were stored in this building.

These yakuza gangs pay membership fees to the Hebihachi family, and the Hebihachi family then pays medical and pension insurance for the members of these gangs.

"The benefits are so good, I'd like to join too." Lu Mingfei was a little tempted.

Gu Ran said, "You want to join the underworld? You really want to wear red shoes..."

"Never mind, I was just saying." Lu Mingfei quickly interrupted Gu Ran.

Fortunately, Caesar didn't watch many Hong Kong movies and didn't know the meaning of wearing red shoes, or perhaps he did know but didn't care.

Sakura tactfully suggested that she could introduce Lu Mingfei to their human resources department, but they actually rarely recruit foreigners.

Next, Sakura led the four of them onto the sightseeing elevator, all the way to the 28th floor. When the elevator doors opened, Gu Ran and the others saw rows of girls sitting in individual workstations, looking at their computers and answering phone calls.

Sakura Yabuki explained that this is the main service hotline of the Hebi-Hachi family. The operators' tone is even gentler than that of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's emergency hotline. They are also responsible for disaster relief during earthquakes and tsunamis.

"Our family is truly the father of the Japanese people!" Lu Mingfei said, half-complaining and half-remarking.

Gu Ran said, "No wonder Japan allows the existence of organized crime. It seems that their government is incompetent. I often see news reports that the Japanese government is often powerless in disaster relief. It seems that the people have gotten used to it."

Led by Sakura Yabuki, the four of them passed through the twenty-eighth floor and arrived at the twenty-ninth floor, which is the main family's liaison office. Whenever there is a gang fight down below, the main family will step in to handle it.

They still have the custom of deciding things by throwing darts.

The 30th floor features tatami-style decor, where many elderly people drink tea in a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

Sakura explained that this was the strategic department of the Snake Clan, and the people sitting here drinking tea were all elderly people who couldn't show their faces in public. They were of very high seniority because they had been wanted by the Metropolitan Police Department for more than ten years...

Gu Ran mentally scoffed, "So this whole room is full of fugitives..."

Sakura led the four of them to meet the head of the Snake-Headed Eight Family. On a terrace on the thirtieth floor, an architect had built a small Shinto-style temple called "Awakening Temple," which also had a distinctive torii gate at the entrance.

Before visiting the shrine, everyone was required to wash their hands, so Sakura brought over a copper plate for everyone to wash their hands.

Six people were already seated on the round table with the Tai Chi symbol, and Ying introduced them one by one.

These people are:

Genjiro, the head of the Genji family, is also the director of the executive bureau of the Japanese branch.

Ryoma Genichiro, the head of the Ryoma family, is also the head of the Japanese branch.

Inuyama He, the head of the Inuyama family, was the first branch manager when the Japanese branch was established, and also an old friend of Principal Angers.

Ms. Nanami Sakurai, the head of the Sakurai family, is an inspector at the Japanese branch.

The head of the Fuma family is Kotaro Fuma, and the 'Wakatou' of the Sheki Hachi family.

In Japanese gangsters, the "Yakato" can be understood as the "advisor" in Hong Kong gangster movies. When the boss is not around, the advisor is responsible for deploying troops, essentially acting as the second-in-command.

For example, in the classic "Young and Dangerous" series, Chiang Tin-sang is the gang leader, and his second-in-command is Chan Yiu-yau, while Chan Ho-nam is just a local leader (gang leader), equivalent to a regional warlord.

The last one is the head of the Tachibana family, Tachibana Masamune.

Gu Ran glanced at Tachibana Masamune casually.

Tachibana Masamune had a faint smile on his face, which made him look very friendly. If you didn't know him well, you would think he was a kind old man.

In fact, Gu Ran understood that he, like Yue Buqun, was a hypocrite with honeyed words and a dagger in his heart, but he was more cunning and even more cunning than Li Linfu.

(Li Linfu was the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Sima Guang used the phrase "honeyed words and a dagger in the heart" to describe him because he often smiled on the surface but secretly plotted against others. He was partly responsible for the An Lushan Rebellion, which led to the decline of the Tang Dynasty.)

Tachibana Masamune, also the head of the Snake-Headed Eight Families, chuckled, easing the somewhat reserved atmosphere and appearing quite relaxed.

On behalf of the Snake Clan, he calmly shook hands with each of the four people from the main campus of Kassel College, his handshakes were composed and the pressure was just right.

Gu Ran thought to himself, if I stab him in the back now, "Dragon Three" should be over, right?

However, even if one Tachibana Masamune dies, countless others will surely follow in his footsteps. The chessboard won't be overturned just because one piece dies; there will definitely be more elaborate plans.

Erii and others who were kept in the dark were unaware of the truth and continued to live in a lie, remaining part of the game.

Therefore, there's no point in directly killing Tachibana Masamune.

After shaking hands with the four, Tachibana Masamune explained that the head of the Miyamoto family was preparing for the inspection of the submersible and would meet with Gu Ran and the others later, while the head of the Uesugi family was not receiving guests because he was not feeling well.

The head of the Uesugi family is Erii. Of course, Lu Mingfei and the other two are unaware of this.

Masamune Tachibana, Kotaro Fuuma, and Heiji Inuyama were not students of Kassel College, so they would not participate in the subsequent reception.

Tachibana Masamune prepared to brew a pot of tea for the four of them before leaving.

Caesar could tell that Tachibana Masamune's accent was not that of a native Japanese speaker, because his accent had obvious Slavic characteristics, indicating that he must have lived in Eastern Europe.

(During the Roman Empire, Slavic regions were known as barbaric lands, and Slavs were called barbarians. Today, Slavs are distributed in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and other places.)

Tachibana Masamune was surprised; after living in Japan for so many years, this was the first time someone had pointed out his origins.

The family head present, Genjiro, Kotaro Fuma, and others were also surprised, as this was the first time they had learned about Tachibana Masamune's past.

At this moment, Caesar remembered the Soviet icebreaker Lenin.

Tachibana Masamune smiled and explained, "I lived in Russia for about 30 years, back in the Soviet era, eating rationed food and wearing a military overcoat."

"I thought you escaped from Siberia while digging potatoes," Gu Ran said with a smile.

Saying that to their face would be quite rude, considering that the group present was all Japanese.

But Tachibana Masamune seemed oblivious to Gu Ran's sarcasm and continued to laugh, saying, "I'm not one of the potato diggers, but I did work as a supervisor for a while to prevent the potato diggers from escaping."

"He's joking. No matter how you look at it, the patriarch of the Snake Clan wouldn't be digging potatoes in Siberia." Lu Mingfei smoothed things over from the side, afraid that these gangsters might suddenly lash out and drag his good buddy out to get stabbed.

Gu Ran thought to himself, Herzog really has the ability to turn a blind eye to insults. The others present were also very calm, unlike the angry young man who had been with the driver earlier.

After a moment's thought, Gu Ran understood.

People in positions of authority and those below them think differently.

These people believe that it is a fact that they were outmatched by the Russians back then, so it is also a fact that they were taken to Siberia to dig potatoes, and there is no need to be angry.

This is the yakuza's psychology of admiring strength.

This isn't just true for the underworld; perhaps it's true for many Japanese citizens as well.

For example, the Black Ships incident in Japan. In the mid-19th century, Japan was still in a state of isolation. Commodore Perry of the United States Navy led four black warships into Tokyo Bay, using their superior ships and cannons to force Japan to open its doors and sign an unequal treaty.

This is the 'Black Ships Incident' in modern Japanese history.

In the general view, the Black Ships Incident, like the Opium War, marked the beginning of a country's descent into a semi-colonial society and represents a humiliating chapter in modern history.

However, Japan is different. They believe that the Black Ships incident was the beginning of their modern national awakening and an opportunity for them to become powerful. Therefore, they are not ashamed of the Black Ships incident.

Before the Black Ships incident, the Emperor had no real power; the government was controlled by the Shogunate and the samurai class it supported, which is known in history as the Shogunate period.

It wasn't until the Black Ships arrived that the Emperor, who had been out of power for many years, stepped forward and signed the first unequal treaty on behalf of Japan, allowing the Emperor, the nominal king, to once again step onto the Japanese political stage.

Then, the Emperor used the imported 'American-style iaido' to defeat the feudal samurai class, which was represented by swords.

In this way, the Emperor regained the power he had lost for many years, which led to the Meiji Restoration.

Later, in order to commemorate Captain Perry of the Black Ships, Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito erected the "Monument to the Landing of Admiral Perry of the United States Navy" at the site of Perry's landing.

At the landing site in Kurihama, Kanagawa Prefecture, the "Black Ship Festival" is held every year to commemorate Perry's arrival, a tradition that continues to this day.

Therefore, Japan did not feel that the Black Ships incident was humiliating. They often made jokes about the Black Ships incident in movies and TV dramas, highlighting the ignorance of the Japanese people at that time.

They could even portray Captain Perry of the Black Ships as a hero, transforming him from an invader into a hero and composing hymns in his honor.

You could say they admire strength, or you could say they are pragmatic and seek change, but Gu Ran thinks they are just opportunists.

They'll sing praises to whoever is powerful, and when the Trisolarans come, they'll sing praises to them too. They've won big!

While Gu Ran was lost in thought, Tachibana Masamune had already demonstrated his tea ceremony, serving everyone a cup of matcha.

Matcha is actually an outdated and obsolete tea-making technique in China, because the later-invented stir-frying method is simpler to make and can better bring out the aroma of tea. It also allows people to enjoy good tea anytime, anywhere, which is more in line with the lives of the working class.

It's only in recent years, due to the popularity of Japanese desserts, that matcha has been re-elevated to a pedestal. In reality, matcha is really not good to drink; it's very bitter and astringent, so it needs to be paired with very sweet Japanese desserts.

The Japanese tea ceremony has a very elaborate set of etiquette. Lu Mingfei's "100 Lectures on Japanese Mythology and History" includes tea ceremony etiquette in its appendix, so the four of them followed along.

Chapter 380 Mambo, Mambo!

However, while Lu Mingfei, Caesar, and Chu Zihang tilted their heads back and drank the hot tea, which was over 90 degrees Celsius, in one gulp, Gu Ran slowly blew on it and drank it slowly.

All three of them followed Lu Mingfei's booklet exactly, since it didn't say the tea should be cooled before drinking, so they could only drink it while it was hot...

After finishing the drink, they even managed to squeeze out expressions of admiration on their faces, almost like housewives praising it as "delicious!"

But they were all surprised to see Gu Ran drinking slowly. Why are you different from us? However, they all endured the burning sensation on their tongues and stubbornly did not open their mouths.

"I'm afraid of getting burned," Gu Ran said matter-of-factly.

"Hahahaha!" Tachibana Masamune let out a hearty laugh, glanced at Gu Ran again, and then got up to take his leave.

Before parting, he also wished Caesar and his companions a successful mission.

After walking some distance from the temple, Fuma Kotaro asked Tachibana Masamune, "What does Mr. Masamune think of the four of them?"

Tachibana Masamune said that Caesar is the future head of the Gattuso family, and his bloodline must be excellent. Chu Zihang is not as uncontrollable as rumored. On the contrary, he can control his killing intent very well, which is completely different from the out-of-control 'demon' of the Snake Clan.

“What I’m not sure about is Lu Mingfei, but Principal Angers must have his reasons for rating him as S-class,” said Tachibana Masamune.

Fuma Kotaro felt that the four men were not afraid of their gang of yakuza, and that their etiquette in the tea ceremony was quite proper.

He then asked, "What about Gu Ran? The information says that he participated in the dragon-slaying mission of the next generation before he even enrolled in school, and at a young age he was already the swordsman of the Zhang family. He even stunned someone with his dragon eyes at the auction, so he seems very strong. But after meeting him, I found that he was a bit frivolous..."

“I can’t quite figure this kid out. He appears relaxed, but he’s actually very wary of us. He just hides it very well,” said Tachibana Masamune. “It seems that Angers had a deeper purpose in sending him to keep an eye on things from the shore.”

Gu Ran hadn't expected that his momentary murderous intent would be caught by Tachibana Masamune.

……

After Tachibana Masamune left, Genjiro began to take out various sea charts and notebooks and explained the mission to Caesar and the other three.

He mentioned some things about the Lenin, but there wasn't much information, and the Russian branch couldn't find any information related to the Lenin either.