I simultaneously traverse countless worlds

"Hoo~!"

When Li Mo of the Black Reef Hybrid World reopened his eyes and felt the powerful force he had gained through fusion, he managed to control it well thanks to his surge in soul and mental strength. Yet, he still slowly exhaled and sighed in amazement.

The mere combination of the power and memories of a few newcomers was enough for Li Mo to feel the changes within himself. The fusion of his surging power from the Naruto world gave him a feeling that he was omnipotent. However, in the next instant, Li Mo realized that it was just his illusion. In other high-energy worlds, let alone reaching the level of omnipotence, the severe restrictions on extraordinary power in the Black Reef world meant that he was at most much stronger than Wang Wudi from Dragon and Snake, but still could not face the national machinery of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council head-on.

At the very least, Li Mo was certain that if America discovered he possessed extraordinary powers, he would be unable to confront America's war machine head-on. Unless he wanted to flee for his life as soon as his abilities were exposed, Li Mo would still have to follow most of the rules!

"Boss, we're almost at the Eagle Peak Group's territory!"

Just as Li Mo was slightly lamenting why the Black Reef Hybrid World he was in suppressed extraordinary powers so much that he could hardly act recklessly, the driver's very respectful voice suddenly came from the intercom in front of him.

"Very good, let's go straight to the headquarters of the Eagle Peak Group!"

Upon hearing the driver's words, Li Mo, who had been sighing, immediately reacted and gave the driver an order. The driver, who had incorporated the modified version of the [Shadow Seed], responded in a low voice. The convoy, consisting of eight bulletproof SUVs and two luxury bulletproof sedans, headed directly in one direction, forming a coordinated three-in-front and five-in-back formation, clearly the arrival of a VIP.

Upon seeing this convoy, which was clearly of considerable importance, the private cars along the way tacitly gave way, while the dejected pedestrians on both sides of the road occasionally glanced at the convoy with envy and jealousy in their eyes!

……

In the back seat of the luxury armored car, Li Mo was resting with his eyes closed, but he could clearly sense the occasional homeless people and many brightly dressed girls on both sides of the road. What struck him most was that although the city was still a bustling scene of high-rise buildings, the pedestrians all looked numb or dejected.

At first glance, Tokyo still presents itself as a prosperous international metropolis. However, the Japanese who were shouting "Buy America" ​​just a few years ago have completely lost their wealthy attitude of "I don't care about money." Even though the Japanese economy has begun to recover in the past two years, at most there have been no large-scale corporate and bank bankruptcies. Ordinary Tokyo citizens have lost their extravagant habits. Many people have even lost all their savings and are now heavily indebted to banks.

After all, Tokyo's economy was once incredibly hot, with astonishingly high returns on various investments. Most Tokyoites with a keen business sense invested their money in things like real estate and stocks, which saw several years of explosive growth. However, when the Plaza Accord burst the economic bubble, the consequence was a severe blow to the Japanese economy, leaving many people homeless or in debt.

The simplest example is the increasing number of homeless people on the streets of Tokyo in recent years, along with the growing number of women or girls dressed in flamboyant clothes doing certain jobs. This gives you an idea of ​​the current situation in Tokyo and even Japan!

[Tsk tsk, as expected, after the Plaza Accord, Japan's wealth was reaped by America's sugar daddy. The tycoons and high-ranking officials are still okay, but the middle and lower classes can't hold on...]

Seeing the homeless people who were supposedly hard to find just a few years ago now appearing on the streets of Tokyo, Li Mo opened his eyes, glanced around, and then looked at the numerous neon-skinned girls and women on the streets, and couldn't help but sigh.

If it were before his time travel, Li Mo's only memories of Japan during this period were of terms like the "Plaza Accord" and the "Lost Thirty Years," without any real feelings or thoughts—or rather, apart from anime, fan service shows, and certain news, Japan didn't inspire any fear in Chinese people born in the late 1980s and later. America was the biggest enemy China had to face. Japan wasn't even as threatening as South Korea, at least the latter was stronger in terms of military industry and military power in the face of the threat from North Korea!

Now that he has transmigrated to the Black Lagoon Complex World, Li Mo has only been in Tokyo, Japan for half a year, but he already understands that Japan, which signed the Plaza Accord two years ago, is a relatively influential country in the world. For example, in the years before the Plaza Accord was signed, ordinary Japanese citizens could fly to Siam to play golf on weekends, and Japanese people went on shopping sprees in France. At that time, graduates from various Japanese universities were sought after by Japanese companies, and the economic investment abroad was also very large.

The problem is that those seemingly wonderful days were punctured when America directly initiated the Plaza Accord, causing Japan's financial bubble to burst. This led to the bankruptcy of numerous companies and even many banks, and many people found themselves penniless overnight. Many couldn't bear the change and took to the rooftops, or ran away from home and became homeless. In fact, Japan's economy has been in a slump for the past few years.

Just by looking at the situation on the streets of Tokyo, it's clear to anyone with eyes that Japan's economy is in serious trouble. Apart from Li Mo, who is a time traveler, no one probably expected that Japan's next days would be nothing short of decades of hardship due to economic stagnation!

"So, not developing our career with America was the right choice!"

Turning his gaze away from the one-way transparent car window, Li Mo silently reviewed his initial decision. He was absolutely certain that not going to America was a wise choice. He even muttered a sarcastic remark in a voice too low for others to hear, "At least, I don't believe those Wall Street vampires and conglomerates would just stand by and watch an uncontrollable Asian power rise without taking measures to suppress and annex it..."

When Li Mo left Roa Apra, he carefully selected the location where he planned to make it his base. He wisely chose not to go to Europe or America because he knew that it would be strange if those capitalists tolerated an Asian or even Chinese person sharing their territory, especially since he wanted complete autonomy.

As for America's own boasts of democracy and freedom? And what about the spirit of contract that old European countries promoted to the outside world?

Haha, that's just propaganda. Anyone who actually believes America and the old Europeans' nonsense is probably going to die a horrible death. Li Mo himself has experienced the internet age, so he naturally understands the attitudes of the old Europeans and America towards Chinese and Asians.

It can be said that unless Li Mo is a fanatical convert to Christianity, there are explicit and implicit barriers in America and the old European countries. Especially if Li Mo takes out a large amount of gold and tries to establish himself, too many local tyrants and financial groups will use their methods to devour him completely. For example, the confiscation of the savings and property of the wealthy people in Russia before Li Mo transmigrated is a typical example.

Therefore, Li Mo was willing to spend a lot of effort, and on the surface, he also established Solon and several spokespeople. The headquarters was located in Japan because it was in Japan that he could establish a foothold the fastest, and he didn't have to worry too much about troubles like Wall Street!

……

"Welcome Mr. Li Mo and Mr. Solon from EU Company!"

A few minutes later, at the main gate of the Eagle Peak Group's headquarters, a burly man in a white suit and floral shirt led a group of people to welcome Li Mo and Solon's group. He was very polite in his words and adopted a humble attitude as if he needed something from them.

"Well then, Bando, let's go inside and talk!"

Looking at Bando, whose attire was very Westernized, Li Mo exchanged a glance with Solon, who got out of the car behind him. Solon stepped forward and spoke directly, while also glancing at the other people at the entrance of the Washi-mine Group headquarters. The meaning in his words was very clear.

It should be said that Li Mo's convoy's flamboyant behavior had already attracted the attention of those around them. However, the Washi-gumi was one of the more famous and energetic gangs in Tokyo. Even though their usual style of doing things was relatively orderly, few ordinary people were willing to provoke such local bullies. Moreover, Japan's economy was still in a state of semi-death or even worsening trend, and people who came out to drink had no intention of meddling in other people's business.

Li Mo himself didn't care about such a trivial matter. After all, his strength was insufficient to face the behemoths like the three giants, so he naturally wouldn't act recklessly in places like America. However, in Japan, he was acting under America's name, so it didn't matter if he did something outrageous in private, as long as he wasn't caught in a compromising situation. Besides, the main business of his EU company was foreign trade, so going to the Washi-mine Group headquarters wouldn't cause any trouble. Japan simply wouldn't dare offend his godfather America's people.

Conversely, the EU Group, formed by the merger of Li Mo's EU Company and several other companies, has begun to gradually establish itself in Tokyo, Japan. Even though it is not targeted or antagonized by local Japanese forces because of America Company's name, having a strong presence in Japan is not something that can be achieved with money alone. It requires the continuous accumulation of connections and time, or other methods.

Therefore, Li Mo was looking forward to his gains in the Eagle Peak Group. If he could take over the Eagle Peak Group, which was the local power, then the EU could truly take root in Japan, and many things would no longer be a problem!

Chapter 2 The Dilemma of the Eagle Peak Group

Since the Washi Peak Group needed a favor from Solon, they couldn't refuse. The acting leader of the Washi Peak Group, Bando, who had just taken over as the acting leader, readily agreed to the request and led the way for Li Mo and his group to enter the headquarters.

Unfortunately, Bando, the acting leader, had always coveted the position of leader of the Washine Group. However, when his boss suddenly passed away and the entire Washine Group was in chaos, he had no choice but to discuss the matter with Washine Yukio, the only daughter of the Washine Group leader, and take over the management of the Washine Group. Only then did he understand why his leader had been frowning for the past two years. The reason was that the Washine Group, a yakuza organization with nearly two thousand official members, was a money-devouring beast.

These days, when Japanese yakuza groups recruit new members, they can't just ask them to risk their lives without any promises. A few years ago, when the economy was booming, the active yakuza groups in Japan were doing very well and didn't have to worry about this. However, now, many Japanese yakuza groups are in a financially strapped situation.

However, Japanese yakuza organizations cannot rely on hype and deception to make their members work for them without food or water. If yakuza organizations don't spend money on their members, especially their henchmen, leaders, and even officers, they would probably fall apart soon. Compared to those large organizations with deep roots or connections to Japanese conglomerates and high-ranking officials, the Washi-mine Group, a relatively new force that doesn't rely on crooked methods, has been in financial crisis since two years before its previous leader took over.

As a high-ranking member of the Washimine Group, Acting Group Leader Bando naturally knew that the Washimine Group's situation was becoming increasingly dire. Before the previous group leader passed away, the Washimine Group already had less than five million yen in operating funds. This would be an astronomical sum for ordinary people, but for the Washimine Group, which had several thousand members, it could only cover a few months of daily expenses at most. Moreover, all of the Washimine Group's businesses were in a dismal state of operation, unable to provide much funding.

Similarly, the predicament of the Washimine Group is related to the relatively narrow scope of its business, which mainly involves Kabukicho, pachinko, and certain loan businesses. Even smuggling is not a major business. It does not involve some of the most profitable and unethical businesses of yakuza groups. Given the current economic downturn in Japan, its business situation is naturally not very optimistic.

Therefore, when Li Mo asked the EU Group to win him over, he was immediately warmly welcomed by the acting team leader Bando. If the matter that the EU Group wanted to discuss was not so important, he probably would have agreed immediately instead of gathering people to discuss it like this!

………………

Li Mo and his group entered the headquarters of the Washi Peak Group. Following behind the acting group leader Bando, they went directly to a conference room in the headquarters. The room, which looked like an old-fashioned neon building on the outside, was actually a reinforced concrete structure. It was just an antique building on the surface, and the various facilities inside were all modern achievements.

Just by looking at the Washi-gumi headquarters, which spans a full ten acres, and its lavish interior decoration, one can tell that the Washi-gumi was certainly not short of money back then. In Tokyo before the Plaza Accord, a piece of land like this would probably have cost an astronomical sum (of course, the Washi-gumi would never sell its headquarters). However, just by looking at the current state of the Washi-gumi headquarters, one can keenly sense that its business is not doing well. The Washi-gumi members coming and going all have a worried and distressed look on their faces.

Of course, Li Mo and Suo Long, who had read the information about the Eagle Peak Group, understood that anyone who knew they were likely to lose their job and would have difficulty finding a suitable job in a short time would probably not be happy. If you also had to add the burden of loans for more than ten or even several decades and the support of your family, it would be strange if you could still smile. It would be strange if you couldn't sleep at night because of worry.

Right now, Li Mo knows that the Eagle Peak Group hasn't yet extended its reach to that heinous laundry detergent business, which is why he's considering taking them under his wing. Otherwise, if they were to get involved with that stuff, Li Mo might have acted before the Moscow Hotel!

"Team Leader Bando, let's skip the formalities and get straight to the main topic: does your Washine-gumi have any intention of cooperating?"

Seeing that the group leader Bando had sat down at one side of the round table in the conference room and had arranged tea, coffee and even juice, Li Mo completely ignored the beautiful girl who was staring blankly at the juice in front of her. After giving a look to Solon next to him, Solon simply spoke to the group leader Bando and put forward the key issue at hand.

"Of course we are willing to cooperate..."

Upon hearing Zoron's words, Bando, the deputy leader, looked at the executives sitting on his side and the former leader's only daughter, and confirmed it with certainty. Including the somewhat naive girl with glasses, no one in the Washine Group objected to the proposal.

Needless to say, the leaders of the Washi-mine group are well aware of their current predicament. Without external help, the Washi-mine group either has to find a way to make money immediately or consider disbanding and going solo. Now that the EU Group from America is willing to talk, they naturally don't feel ashamed. In Japan, being able to become a black glove for zaibatsu and high-ranking officials is something many yakuza groups dream of. If they can be used by their "godfather," the Washi-mine group even feels very lucky.

As for Washimine Yukio, the only daughter of the previous leader of the Washimine Group, this quiet girl with long black hair reaching her waist and wearing glasses would not have appeared here at all if she hadn't been invited by the acting leader of the group, Bando, so naturally she had no right to speak.

"OK! Then, let's exchange the terms of our cooperation!"

Facing the very friendly Group Leader Bando, the well-informed Zoron didn't bother with formalities. He directly handed over a document he had prepared, dutifully playing the role of a very discerning customer, and said frankly, "I hope you will seriously consider the cooperation terms proposed by the EU Group..."

What Solon said was naturally in line with the conditions offered by the EU Group. Li Mo was not a sucker like Su Xunzong who would give away aid indiscriminately just because he acknowledged Su Xunzong as his father. Even if he had a lot of gold, jewelry and antiques, he would never waste them recklessly.

At least, the struggling Washi Peak Group doesn't have that value yet. Even if Li Mo doesn't invest in (control) the Washi Peak Group, he can at most spend some effort and time finding a replacement. With the legalization of yakuza organizations in Japan, there are countless yakuza organizations in trouble, and quite a few small yakuza organizations are on the verge of collapse. However, the Washi Peak Group can't find a replacement. When Japan's economy is in trouble, if the Washi Peak Group wants to find a wealthy patron to take over, they would have to find someone willing to take over.

It's important to understand that while Japan's economy is still considered the world's second-largest, it has reached its limit under America's restrictions. Domestic interests are basically divided up by conglomerates and high-ranking officials, making it extremely difficult for ordinary people to rise to the top. Even for a yakuza organization like the Washi-gumi, with its four-figure membership, finding someone to join them is incredibly difficult, as the conglomerates and high-ranking officials already have their own secret agents.

In any case, the conditions Li Mo offered to the other party were extremely harsh. He wasn't worried that the Eagle Peak Group would refuse outright. If the other party really had such backbone, they probably wouldn't have come to join the yakuza at all, and wouldn't have ended up getting involved in the laundry detergent business later!

……

"These conditions are far too harsh!"

After reading the outline proposed by Li Mo, and referring to the conditions under which America provided aid to certain small countries, Bando, the deputy leader of the group, was still able to keep his composure. However, when Washimine Yukio, the daughter of the former leader of the Washimine Group, who was the second to watch, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Not only did Washi Yukio find the contents of the document harsh, but even the other senior executives of the Washi Group felt that the conditions were too much. It was as if they wanted to completely devour the Washi Group. However, the senior executives who were about to get angry looked up and saw the few elite bodyguards behind Li Mo and Solon. After being stared at by their cold gazes, they immediately regained their senses and felt extremely helpless.

Unfortunately, the Washimine Group is in a very bad situation. If they had a choice, they wouldn't accept the olive branch offered by the EU Group. In Japan, xenophobia is still a problem. Even if no one dares to have any thoughts about America's godfather, completely siding with America's godfather's large group would make them an outcast in the future, and they wouldn't be considered one of their own by other yakuza groups. It wouldn't affect cooperation, but they wouldn't be treated as one of their own. However, the Washimine Group has no choice. If they don't accept the EU's goodwill now, they'll be in trouble.

In the past, when the Japanese economy was booming, the Washine Group was able to make enough profits in the gray area. But now the Japanese economy has plummeted and has not improved for several years. The Washine Group is already in a state of slow death. If they refuse the funding from the EU Group, the Washine Group will have to consider either disbanding or doing something they didn't want to get involved in before.

Seeing the grim expressions on the faces of the high-ranking members of the Washimine Group, Li Mo glanced at Washimine Yukio, whose face was filled with inner turmoil. He thought that since this high school girl in the original story had the courage to face a desperate situation and commit suicide, she should be given a chance to change her fate.

"Hey, everyone from the Washimine Group, if the condition for complete surrender is something you find unpleasant, then how about we find a way that you can accept..."

(Image of Washimine Yukio's character design found on Baidu Baike)

Chapter 3 Choices and Decisions

"Lord Li Mo, do you have a better suggestion?!"

Upon hearing Li Mo's words, Bando's deputy leader immediately perked up, looking expectantly at Li Mo, who was clearly a big shot in the EU Group, hoping to get better news from him, rather than the entanglement of the Washi Peak Group being swallowed up or disbanded.

As one of the organizations nominally affiliated with the Peace Society, it is not easy for the Washimine Group to join the EU, but it is even more difficult to maintain its position.

That's right!

In Japan, yakuza organizations don't just switch sides easily. The Washi-gumi's current trajectory is largely due to their past affiliation with the Peace Society, one of Japan's largest yakuza organizations. Trying to switch sides could easily lead to repercussions.

Of course, given the current predicament of the Washi-gumi, whether the Peace Association will pursue them for their debts is no longer a concern for the acting head of the Bando group. However, directly siding with the EU is too risky. Even though the acting head of the Bando group has spent a lot of his precious remaining funds in the past few days, he still hasn't figured out the EU Group's true nature. The only thing he can be sure of is that the other party is very wealthy and has already taken advantage of the opportunity to acquire many properties in Tokyo, recruiting some people as part of America's emerging company.

Why would the mysterious yet wealthy EU Group want to completely subdue the Washine Group? Bando, the acting leader, didn't get an answer to this question, but he did know that the Washine Group's finances were in dire straits and needed to be changed or have a major financial backer help them. Otherwise, a yakuza organization without money would either have to find a way to raise funds or simply disband.

The problem is that Bando, the acting leader, is really reluctant to hand over the Washine Group, which he built up with the first Washine Group leader. Now that Li Mo, an important figure in the EU, has spoken up, who knows what changes might be coming?

"It's very simple. As the heir to the Washine Group, if Ms. Washine Yukio becomes a member of the EU, then she will naturally belong to our side..."

Seeing that everyone in the Washi Peak Group was looking at him, Li Mo calmly glanced at Washi Peak Yukio, who was sitting inconspicuously to the side, and said something that surprised her, which made several of the Washi Peak Group's higher-ups lose their composure.

"What on earth do you mean, sir?"

"Miss Yukio isn't a formal member of the group. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"What are the EU people up to..."

Undoubtedly, Li Mo's words caused several high-ranking members of the Washi Peak Group to change color abruptly. Even the acting group leader, Bando, turned pale and questioned him directly. Moreover, one of the taciturn, burly men wearing sunglasses looked at Li Mo with a very fierce gaze.

Li Mo didn't feel anything for the other high-ranking members of the Washi Peak Group, but he was somewhat interested in the burly man whose aura was like a blade. He recognized the man immediately; he should be the top fighter of the Washi Peak Group from the original Black Lagoon anime. Being able to cut bullets with his katana was beyond the limits of ordinary people. In the world before Li Mo's transmigration, he would definitely be considered a near-extraordinary individual powerhouse.

— Cutting bullets with a sword might not sound like a particularly difficult feat, but compared to Li Mo's world where he used a katana to cut off plastic bullets from an air rifle and was hailed as a once-in-a-century swordsman, cutting off bullets from gunpowder weapons with a katana, even those from short guns, is already beyond the limits of ordinary people. In fact, if there were swordsmen of this level in the real world, they could easily take on a hundred people in the era of cold weapons, and they would be considered quite a character even in the Black Lagoon hybrid world.

After all, in the Black Lagoon hybrid world, the main characters like Robert and Ryo Saeba are truly at the level of Captain America. They could easily take on dozens of ordinary soldiers, and in complex areas like cities or jungles, they could probably hold their own against hundreds or even thousands of enemies, or even turn the tables on them. There are also many elites whose combat power is weaker than Robert and Ryo Saeba, such as the swordsman from the Washi Peak Group, who is at that level and can slaughter ordinary people indiscriminately.

Of course, compared to Li Mo now, the swordsman named Matsuzaki Ginji from the Washi Peak Group is not worth mentioning. Even though he performed well in the original Black Lagoon anime, he might not even be able to match Li Mo's enhanced guards now, so naturally, he wouldn't be of much concern.

“Miss Yukio, I think you must have your own thoughts. Should you join the EU and become a part of us, so that the Washine Group can continue to exist, or watch it gradually weaken and even disappear…”

Ignoring Matsuzaki Ginji's fierce gaze, Li Mo's expression calmly swept over the faces of the Washimine Group's high-ranking members, who were feigning or genuine anger, before settling on the pretty face of Washimine Yukio, the beautiful girl with long, straight black hair and glasses. He tapped the table and spoke directly.

"My……"

Upon hearing Li Mo's words, the rest of the Washimine Group fell silent. Everyone, including Matsuzaki Ginji and Bando's deputy leader, looked at Washimine Yukio, the only daughter of the former leader of the Washimine Group. This girl, who had previously not thought herself important, immediately became hesitant and wavered on Li Mo's suggestion.

As the only daughter of the previous leader of the Washimine Group, Washimine Yukio was not led into the gray area by her father. In fact, Washimine Yukio's father deliberately kept his daughter away from yakuza-related matters. This idea of ​​not wanting his daughter to join the yakuza organization can be said to be out of a father's love for his only daughter who had passed away. The problem is that Washimine Yukio herself wants to get rid of the influence of the yakuza organization, which is actually very difficult in Li Mo's opinion, unless she really leaves Japan.

Once you enter the yakuza world, you're in the yakuza world for life. This isn't just an exclamation; it's the reality of yakuza organizations in Japan, especially for official members and core members. If you want to escape the influence of being a yakuza member, you have to see if your old enemies and the Japanese police are willing to let you go. Yakuza organizations like the Washine Group, which have expanded to this extent, have made too many enemies in the past. Staying in Japan, they probably can't avoid the subsequent effects.