Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

You can’t go wrong! You can’t go wrong!

That was the look in Kujo Renji's eyes!

It was the unique look that had once single-handedly integrated the entire Kanto underworld, making them willingly submit.

The huge shock and some indescribable ecstasy instantly overwhelmed Bai Shihuye's sanity.

He even forgot the severe pain in his arm, forgot where he was, and forgot his original mission.

The next moment, he did something that the younger brother who was driving next to him did not expect.

Bai Shihu also turned around suddenly, without even looking, and slashed the back of the little brother's neck with a knife!

"Uh!"

The little brother didn't even make a sound, his eyes rolled back and he fainted on the spot.

After dealing with the only "outsider", Bai Shihu took a deep breath, and then made an even more jaw-dropping move.

He turned around abruptly, facing "Ruoye Mu" who still had a cold look in his eyes. His knees softened, and with a "thump", he knelt heavily on the dirty carriage floor!

"Boss, it's really you!"

He suddenly raised his head, and his rugged face covered with scars and tattoos was now a little incoherent with excitement:

"I really thought you were a vegetable! I knew you had a trick up your sleeve! You're so stupid, you never say a word when you're making a big move."

When he realized that the strong man who suddenly knelt on the ground and cried had no further intention of attacking, the cold aura and sharp eyes that enveloped "Ruoye Mu" quickly faded away like the tide.

The girl's body shook slightly, as if she was caught off guard by his sudden "bow down". The indifference and sense of control in her eyes disappeared, replaced by Ruoye Mu's unique clear eyes with a bit of ignorance and confusion.

She looked at Bai Shihuye, who was kneeling in front of her and crying, and tilted her head. She seemed to have no idea what this strange man, who had just wanted to kidnap her but was now suddenly kneeling and shouting "Boss", was saying.

It took a long while for Bai Shihu to calm down his excitement.

However, when he saw the other person's confused eyes, he was stunned again.

This look, it's not right, this isn't the boss's look. This, this seems to be that little girl again?

Could it be that the boss had just briefly "appeared"? Or was it that the boss's current situation was rather special and he couldn't maintain his "state" for long?

Countless speculations flashed through Bai Shihu's mind in an instant, but he quickly gave a "reasonable explanation" himself.

The boss must be carrying out some extremely secret plan! Possessing this little girl must be a way to hide it from everyone! That's right! It must be like this!

He immediately adjusted his mindset, got up from the ground, and his face regained its rough yet subtle shrewdness. He moved closer, lowered his voice, and said to Ruoye Mu in a tone that he thought he understood:

"Boss, I know, this must be your plan again, right?"

He pointed at himself and said, "But there's no need to pretend in front of me. You know I'm the last person to be a traitor."

Ruoye Mu still just tilted his head and looked at him blankly, as if he didn't understand what he was saying at all.

Looking at Ruoye Mu's "indifferent" and "unmoved" look, Bai Shihu scratched his shaved head helplessly.

"Alright, alright, boss, I can't do anything about it if you keep pretending."

He sighed, his tone full of understanding and consideration:

"Although I don't know what you're planning, don't worry. With just a word from you, I, Bai Shihu, won't even frown, even if it means facing mountains of swords and seas of fire! Just tell me what you need me to do!"

He patted his chest and made the promise, his eyes firm.

Ruo Ye Mu still didn't react, just looked at him silently, as if he was observing some strange creature.

After such a somewhat baffling and confusing "interaction", Bai Shihu finally thought he "understood" the boss's "intention"

——It is not convenient for the boss to reveal his identity now, so he needs to continue to hide.

So, he immediately changed his role from kidnapper to escort. He carefully invited Ruoye Mu to the passenger seat, thinking it was too unfair for the boss to sit on the floor in the back. Then he sat in the driver's seat himself, threw the unconscious little brother into the back seat, and started the shabby van.

Along the way, Bai Shihu also chattered about the troubles that had been going on within the Canglong Society during this period, complaining about how the other leaders were scheming against each other and pretending to obey but actually disobeying, and expressing his infinite longing and loyalty to the boss. Although the "boss" in the co-pilot seat did not respond to him from beginning to end, this did not prevent him from unilaterally carrying out his "reporting work".

Finally, the van stopped downstairs of the apartment building where Wakaba Mutsu and Kujo Renji lived.

Bai Shihu also respectfully opened the car door for Ruo Yemu and watched her get out of the car quietly with her guitar bag on her back.

When Ruoye Mu was about to enter the doorway of the apartment building, Bai Shihu suddenly rolled down the car window, stuck his head out, and shouted at her back:

"Boss!"

Ruoye Mu paused and turned around, still with an expressionless look on his face.

Bai Shihu also grinned, revealing his white teeth, his eyes carrying a hint of ruthlessness and a desire for credit:

"Don't worry! I'll help you get rid of that blind fellow who dared to offend you in two days! I guarantee it will be done cleanly!"

After saying that, he nodded vigorously to Ruoye Mu, then stepped on the accelerator hard. The dilapidated van roared and quickly disappeared into the night.

Only Ruo Yemu was left standing there, watching the van disappear into the distance, his eyes filled with even more intense...confusion.

.........

When Wakaba Mu pushed open the door of the apartment, the sensor light in the entrance hall lit up.

Kujo Renji was slumped in the sofa in the living room, a thick hardcover book spread out on his legs.

Hearing the door open, he raised his head and glanced at the quartz clock on the wall. The hour hand had pointed to a time that was a little late for Mu.

He closed the book and asked casually:

"You're back late, Mu. Was there a traffic jam?"

Wakaba Mu silently took off her shoes, put the guitar bag that was almost inseparable from her against the wall, and then walked quietly to the sofa like a quiet cat and sat down next to Kujo Renji.

Her clear golden eyes looked ahead without any focus, as if she was sorting out what she had just experienced.

After a while, she tilted her head and looked at Jiujo Renji. In her unique, emotionless yet unusually clear tone, she began to recount her "encounter" tonight, as if she was reporting an ordinary daily event:

"On the way, I met a man with a tiger tattoo on his back."

"Ok?"

Kujo Renji responded, thinking that she just wanted to share what she saw and heard along the way.

"He wants to catch me."

Mu continued, his tone as flat as if he was saying, "I bought cucumbers today."

Kujo Renji's fingers gripping the page suddenly paused, and the casual expression on his face instantly disappeared. He turned his head and stared at Mu closely:

"...Catch you?"

"Cover her mouth with a cloth. Tie her up. Throw her into a black car."

Mu described the kidnapping process concisely. Each word was like a pebble thrown into the water, without causing any ripples, but making the listeners shudder with fear.

Isn't this kidnapping?!

Before he could ask for more details, Mu continued in her emotionless tone, throwing out even more explosive information:

"Then. Lian Si came out."

"...?"

Kujo Renji felt that his ability to understand was challenged like never before.

Mu seemed to sense his confusion and paused for a moment, as if searching for more accurate words, before adding:

"That... is like Ren Si's personality."

Kujo Renji:

"..."

He felt the dull pain in his temples begin to ache again.

"The tiger is crying."

Mu continued to describe the subsequent developments, as if telling an absurd story:

"Kneel on the ground. Shout 'Boss'."

"He said. He thought you were asleep and wouldn't wake up."

Mu tried to relay what she heard, but didn't fully understand:

"He also said he'd help you fight the bad guys. And then he drove me back."

Jiujo Renji listened to Mu's narration, which could be described as magical realism, in a daze. He couldn't help but raise his hand to his forehead, took a deep breath, and tried to get his confused brain working again.

Wait, Mu just mentioned, like his personality?

"Mu..."

He put his hand down and asked nervously and seriously:

"You mean, you released that personality that mimics my behavior?"

He remembered that Mu seemed to have mentioned a similar concept before, that by observing and analyzing others, one could construct a "profile" of the other person's personality in the space of consciousness.

Mu nodded his head in affirmation.

Kujo Renji: "......"

Mutou, do you also know about the Endless God of War?

However, after a brief silence, a deeper worry surged in him. He knew all too well what kind of person "Kujo Renji" was—cold, calculating, and decisive in killing, willing to do anything to achieve his goals.

If Mu really constructed a personality that was a close replica of his true nature, and could even "release" it in reality... would this personality...

"That personality..."

His voice was slightly lowered: "Will he be a threat to you?"

However, Ruoye Mu shook his head slightly, denying his worries.

"Not alive."

She explained, seemingly struggling to find the right words: "Like... a mirror, it just reflects Lian Si's appearance, without any thoughts."

She raised her eyes and looked at Jiujo Liansi. Her tone was still calm, but with a reassuring certainty:

"So. It's okay. It won't hurt us."

After hearing this explanation, Kujo Renji's tense heartstrings finally relaxed.

Is it just a "reflection" without self-awareness? A kind of imitation behavior based on deep understanding?

That’s good, at least there’s no need to worry about the personality of “Kujo Renji” going out of control.

But...wait!

He suddenly caught another key message in Mu's words just now!

"Mu, you just said."

He asked:

"The person who kidnapped you... recognized 'Kujo Renji'?"

"Ah."

Mu nodded again and recalled:

"He said, 'You are the boss. You have a big tiger on your back.'"

Jiujo Liansi's brows were instantly locked together.

There is a tiger tattoo on his back and he calls him boss..

White Stone Tiger? !

But judging from Mu's straightforward and emotionless description, he cried, knelt, called the boss, and even took the initiative to send it back.

——At least after recognizing "Lian Si", Bai Shihu had absolutely no ill intentions.

One could even say it's filled with... well, excessive, dramatic kindness?

He realized that this was most likely an extremely absurd misunderstanding caused by an accident.

The tension in my heart caused by the possibility that Mu might be in danger was quickly replaced by a feeling of helplessness that made me laugh and cry.

But what followed was a secret feeling of relief.

Fortunately... fortunately it was just a misunderstanding.

Fortunately, although Bai Shihu is not very smart, his understanding and awe of "Jiu Tiao Lian Si" are engraved in his bones.