《The 7th》


 The Punishers

    In the mid years of the 21st century, Japan remained one of the most powerful states around the world ¡ª from the robust economy to the esteemed military capabilities ¡ª their development continued without bounds. However, as the Japanese society proliferated in years, a dark shadow accompanied with it, and that came the development of the underground society.


    As the policies enacted by the government became more stringent and tighter over time, some sectors of the free-market capitalist economy became heavily frustrated. As a natural response to the overwhelming economic control, the underworld became stronger day by day. Consequently, a "demimonde" Japan came into existence. It was the shadow of the healthy and lively Japan. And it was the home for the society''s bottlenecks, bohemians, and deadbeats. Many people coined the term "cockroaches" for them who stayed in the underbelly of society, while the term "lambs" for those who remained law-abiding citizens.


    The demimonde Japan had been ruled by five extensive organizations in deadlock with one another. For almost a quarter of century, wars had repeatedly broken out whenever heated disagreements occurred in the name of contradicting principles and for competition. And due to the intensity of these criminal organizations, the government was left out of choice but to protect the civilian "lambs" for a possibility of being dragged into the showers of violence.


    In the underworld''s political landscape, an armed group became famous through the years ¡ª "The Punishers". This was believed to be a group responsible for the countless assassinations of top executives whenever an armed conflict between them claimed so many civilian lives. Due to this powerful presence in the interplay of power, the desired balance and apparent peace were somehow achieved. However, this did not change the fact that both worlds had always been in standoff with each other. A slight change in the scales may engulf the whole Japan in unprecedented chaos.


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    For seven years, all the five organizations had individually sent intelligence units to investigate the identity of the so-called "The Punishers" in order exact revenge and punish them back. Unfortunately, the infamous group was so cunning and skilled that all efforts had never borne any fruit. Little did they know that the fearsome group only consisted of two members. Furthermore, one the two, Hirata Nakamura, 34 years old, was actually one of the executives of Karyuuen Group, one of the five organizations and probably the strongest among them. He was a tall and handsome man with a carefree look. His raven black hair was well-combed, plus with the formal black suit he wore all the time, he looked like a top-class businessman. In totality, he was likened to a bright star whose glow never faded no matter how dark the skies were and how dire the circumstances unfolded. He had thus used his ties in the underbelly to collect valuable information to help their operations. The other one, Hiroshi Nakamura, 35 years old, was a top intelligence official of the government. Like an antithesis to Hirata, he was likened to a silent lion whose gaze was like a sharp knife. Because of their shrewdness, their connection as siblings never came into public. The only person who knew their true identities was the current Prime Minister who was also their big boss and the one who tasked them on the job.


    Today, the two decided to meet in Shibuya at the appointed place in stealth. Briefing each other in every the next missions of "The Punishers" had always been done like this. It was in an old and abandoned underground facility that only the two of them had knowledge of. In the outside were three black cars temporarily parking with ten of Hirata''s most trustworthy guards ¡ª all holding their rifles in alert. They were on the lookout while he, the one being invited, continued to go further inside. Many wanted to accompany him to ensure his safety, but he dismissed them all with the reason that the talk was top-secret.

 The Secret Meeting

    As he went further inside, he could see an upset-looking man, who almost looked exactly like him, sitting at an old chair adjacent to a circular table. The only major difference on their looks was the goatee that made this man a bit more mature and nasty-looking version of himself. He was a scary figure.


    "You are late," said Hiroshi in a sharp glance. "I''ve been waiting here for three minutes¡­"


    "Kwa-ha-ha! Unlike you, moving around, for me, needs extreme caution at all times. So, trifling matters aside, why did you call me here out of the usual schedule?" He dipped into his pocket and proffered a pack of chocolates to him. "Here, this is for you¡­ So cut me some slack this time, okay?"


    "Jeez. Next time, you better not be late. Or else, I''ll beat the shit out of you!"


    Hirata knew that his brother loved this specific type of chocolate. So when he knew that he''d inevitably be late, he then took a detour to buy some at the shop in order to appease him. He was well aware how a single tardiness would easily cause displeasure to him. And based on his past experience, his brother, when awfully furious, was like an unstoppable, starved beast.


    "Yes, yes. I apologize! So, what is the issue this time?"


    "Listen to me carefully." Hiroshi assumed a serious tone. "We have a problem. The government¡­"


    Hiroshi started filling him the details of the next mission that they needed to tackle. Shiba knew this problem would be more exhausting than the previous ones because everything was written all over his brother''s worried face. His amazing older brother had never feared anything before. He was a very powerful figure in his eyes. Nonetheless, his courage seemed not evident today.


    After talking about the issue for a couple of minutes, he began to understand and commiserate with his anxiety. Actually, based on the intelligence collected by the government from another whistleblower, an unknown smuggling and human trafficking organization in England named "The Hawks" had just secretly made ties with one of the five organizations here in Japan. And a few hours from now, one of this organization''s executives would be meeting in Hiroshima in order to sign an agreement.


    "So, the Prime Minister wants us to intervene in the agreement¡­?"


    "Yes. He is asking us to deliver something personally to The Hawks. You see, the government has warned many western organizations not to tie itself here lest the balance of power be recklessly disturbed. In lieu with this warning, the boss wants us to be the messengers¡­"


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    "Well, if that''s the only solution to this crisis, then I think we should just agree, no?"


    "You''re right. Let us meet at the airport this afternoon. Written here are further details about the operation." He extended a folded paper.


    "I''ll read this later." He swiftly stood, "I''m going now. My men are now growing agitated outside if I stay long."


    "Wait a second¡ª"


    "What¡ª!"


    When Hirata was about to turn around, Hiroshi called him out. Without a sense of prior warning, he threw a heavy kick and then fired five shots on his head. However, even without directly looking, Hirata easily parried the assault and evaded elegantly the series of bullets as if he envisioned it beforehand.


    "Too slow, Brother¡­"


    "Hmm? You''ve improved, huh¡­?"


    "What? Are you worried I might get killed or something?" Hirata asked him while evilly grinning. "Kwa-ha-ha! Don''t worry, I''m as cautious as always¡­"


    "Don''t be complacent. Even if you''ve ascended in an executive position now, I''ve received a tip that some members of your wing are suspicious of you."


    "Yeah... I''m well aware of that. In fact, I''m already in the hunt for them¡­"


    "I''m glad that you''re not as easy as I thought you are. You''ve gotten sharper. But, still, you cannot defeat me in actual combat."


    "H-Huh? What are you saying? We were 66-65 last time, right? I''m a point higher. You even admitted it yourself."


    "Shut up! It''s 45-2, in my favor."


    "What¡­!?"


    "Hirata, you''re still a novice. You better train regularly. We''re not kidding here. We''re betting our lives on this¡­"


    "Well, you''re right. Tch, next time, I''m gonna beat you and make you admit."


    "That''s a promise you can''t keep, sadly. Not in the next 100 years."


    "What!? Fine. I''ll prove it you!"


    He was just tested whether he was good enough to protect himself lest a potential assassination plot might happen in the future. Recently, their potential enemies had grown quite in number. They needed to be extra cautious now more than ever. Once he witnessed his brother''s quick response to threat, Hiroshi became satisfied.