American homeless people, surviving in the city

A few minutes later, the Cadillac slowly came to a stop on the side of the street.

Sanjar got out of the car first and opened the door for Lynch:

"We've arrived, please get off the bus."

Lynch slipped through the car door and his feet touched solid Seattle soil once more. Sanjar had made no attempt to conceal their journey, so Lynch was fully aware of his current location.

This is Cherry Street, the back of Seattle’s most “notorious” red-light district.

Although Washington state law does not permit prostitution, which prohibits so-called "commercial sexual exploitation," various borderline industries, such as escort services, backing vocals, and various special dance performances, are still common in bars, nightclubs, and clubs.

Cherry Street is home to a large number of such businesses, while on the other side of the street, due to the relatively noisy and chaotic environment, live ordinary people who want to live in the city center but cannot afford the housing prices.

Lynch had never imagined that the Razor Shields' headquarters was hidden in these ordinary apartment buildings behind Cherry Street.

The Cadillac stopped in front of a seemingly unremarkable five-story brick apartment building, which looked no different from any other building on the street that had been built in the 70s.

The paint on the red brick exterior walls has peeled off, and the area near the street corner is covered with dirty water stains.

Is the Razor Gang... living such a simple lifestyle?

[Rat's Sense of Sense] Having received no feedback regarding a sense of crisis, Lynch, led by Sanjar, boldly entered the apartment building.

He then realized that he was wrong.

Although its exterior is no different from other small buildings on the street, the interior of this apartment building is quite a hidden world.

Apart from the stairwell door and a small area at the back, which still maintain a simple disguise,

After passing through another entrance door on the inside, Lin Qi was surprised to find that behind the door was not the narrow corridor he had imagined, but a huge atrium with one or three floors high.

The view suddenly opened up, revealing a smooth marble floor covered with a dark red cashmere carpet, walls adorned with gilded wallpaper, and even the solid wood railings beside the stairs exuding a faint sandalwood scent.

This is because Lin Qi doesn't know his stuff and can't see the various subtle luxury details.

Aside from the stark contrast in interior and exterior decor, this small building, which appears quite desolate from the outside, is actually bustling with activity inside.

All sorts of people walked through this huge building. Some had tattoos, earrings, and lip piercings, looking like street thugs; others were dressed in suits, walking briskly, carrying documents and heading somewhere, looking more like respectable white-collar workers.

If it weren't for seeing those tattooed thugs and smelling the faint smell of smoke in the air that even strong incense couldn't mask, Lin Qi would have found it hard to believe that such a magnificent and orderly building was actually the headquarters of the infamous "Razor Gang".

In addition, Lin Qi also saw many armed personnel patrolling inside the building. They all cast scrutinizing glances at Lin Qi, a stranger.

However, since Sanjar was leading the way, these people did not stop them.

Sanjar walked ahead, guiding Lynch:

"Come on, this way please."

"The boss is waiting for you in the room ahead. Don't keep him waiting."

"...good"

The two walked through a long corridor and came to a heavy double door made of solid wood. Sanjar pushed the door open, but what appeared before Lynch was not the solemn reception room he had imagined, but a living room decorated in a Nordic style.

A man with blond curly hair and wearing a Hawaiian polo shirt was sitting at the table, holding a purple clay teapot in a way that looked professional but was actually extremely awkward, brewing tea according to the Tokyo University tea ceremony.

To be able to dress so casually in the headquarters building and have access to a private room deep inside—clearly, he is the leader of the Razor Gang.

"The Neapolitan" Vesalio Gallo.

Upon seeing Vesalio, [Rat's Sense] still did not report any sense of danger, indicating that the leader of the Razor Clan indeed had no ill intentions towards Lynch.

But the moment Lin Qi saw the person clearly, he still felt a slight chill run down his spine and arms.

Just like observing a venomous snake in a glass tank at a reptile house,

Even though you know that the venomous snakes in the glass tank can't attack you.

But when you stare into its sinister vertical pupils, you still feel a faint palpitation and tension, as if you can feel the cold scales of a venomous snake slowly crawling across the back of your neck.

This is not because they felt threatened, but because they felt a fear ingrained in their genes.

This Vesalio gave Lynch that feeling.

Seeing the two approach, Vesalio continued what he was doing, only glancing at them slightly before casually speaking:

"You're here?"

Although he only said a few words, Lynch could still tell that his English had a very distinctive Italian accent.

No wonder they're called "Neapolitans".

Sanjar stood at attention with his hands at his sides and responded loudly:

"Boss, I've brought the person as you requested. This is Lin Qi."

Vesalio nodded, then gestured with his chin, indicating that Lynch should sit in the chair opposite him.

Lin Qi walked over nervously, pulled out a chair and sat down—as a good citizen who grew up in Tokyo, the last time he had spoken face-to-face with the leader of a criminal gang was when he was carrying out an assassination mission in Assassin's Creed.

Seeing Lynch sit down, Vesalio didn't rush to speak. Instead, he continued to brew a pot of tea in his awkward posture, and then asked unhurriedly:

"Mr. Lynch, right?"

"it's me."

"Judging from your appearance, you're Asian, right? What's your ethnicity?"

Even though Lin Qi has transmigrated into a new body, he can still give a definite answer to this question:

"I am a student from the University of Tokyo."

"Oh, that's good."

After receiving Lynch's response, Vesalio poured a full cup of tea and handed it to Lynch, then extended his hand:

"Want to try some?"

What kind of trick are they playing now...?

Lin Qi was a little confused about his approach, so he had no choice but to go along with him. He picked up his teacup, blew away a few tea leaves that hadn't yet unfurled, and took a small sip.

Although Vesalio's tea-brewing skills were extremely poor, Lynch still felt a rich and elegant tea aroma burst in his mouth as soon as the tea entered his mouth.

Even though he didn't know much about tea, he could tell that it was definitely excellent tea!

If it hadn't been haphazardly brewed by Vesalio, Lynch could imagine that this cup of tea would have had an even more refreshing flavor.

Lin Qi put down his teacup and exclaimed sincerely, "Excellent tea!"

Having gained Lynch's approval, Vesalio revealed a childlike smile that seemed completely out of place with his stubble-faced man and hairy, bare chest.

"Really? That's good."

"I've never been a fan of tea, but I've always wanted to learn about refined things. I'm really happy to have your recognition, since you're from the University of Tokyo."

Lin Qi thought to himself, "Your way of brewing tea is just a waste of these good tea leaves, and has nothing to do with elegance."

But considering that the other party was a gang leader and that he was on their territory, he held back from saying anything.

Unexpectedly, Vesalio abruptly changed the subject:

"By the way, please forgive me, but I need to double-check."

He glanced at Lin Qi a few times, then pointed with one finger to the four teacups on the table.

"Of the four teacups on the table, one is an antique from your university during the Qing Dynasty, and the other three are almost identical fakes that I specially commissioned."

"If you were the person I'm looking for... you'd definitely be able to tell which one is the real one, right?"