"When you go in, it's best not to make too much of a commotion, and don't kill anyone."
"Because the owner of this nightclub has a lot of power. If you kill someone in there, he'll find ways to make your life a living hell."
Noriyuki Natsume warned him out of goodwill.
"Relax. I'm just going in to have some fun and kill a Fiend while I'm at it."
"Let's hope that's really all it is. Otherwise, we might not be colleagues much longer."
Noriyuki led Arata away from where they parked the cars.
The two crossed a bustling street.
Noriyuki pointed to a nightclub sign flashing with starlight a short distance away. "The Poppy Devil is in there."
"Quite a crowd tonight." Looking at the long line stretching out the door, Arata felt a bit impatient.
"We don't need to line up. The wristband you have is actually a pass for the VIP entrance."
With that, he pulled Arata toward a different door.
"You managed to get your hands on something like this? Seems like you spend plenty of time picking up chicks here."
"I'm just a lowly civil servant. My entire monthly salary isn't enough to cover a single night of spending here. How could I possibly have something that symbolizes such status? Someone else gave me this wristband. Their goal is simply to make it easier for you to get inside and find the Poppy Devil."
Noriyuki spilled the less-important details to Arata one by one.
Noriyuki's secretive nature actually made Arata even more curious about the boss behind the scenes.
"It seems the buyer who wants the Poppy Devil's corpse must be someone with high status and a lot of money."
"Arata, stop guessing," Noriyuki's expression showed a hint of anger.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop guessing." Arata quickly backed off. It was the first time he had seen Noriyuki so serious.
However, the identity of this mysterious boss elevated another level in Arata's mind.
"There's only one wristband, so you'll have to go in alone. I'll wait for you where we parked. Remember, you're here to kill a Fiend, don't do anything else."
Noriyuki patted Arata's back, then turned and left.
Arata walked up to the VIP entrance alone.
Four burly bodyguards stood at the door.
Noticing the wristband on Arata's wrist, one of the bodyguards quickly opened the door for him.
There was zero communication the entire time.
After entering the VIP passage.
He first had to walk through a completely enclosed corridor.
There was a scanning device installed on one side of the corridor. Arata could even see his own X-ray image appear on a screen mounted on the wall.
At the end of the corridor stood a black bodyguard.
He opened the door for Arata and took the lead to guide him.
The moment the door opened, pulsing, rhythmic music flooded his ears.
Colorful, dazzling lights converged on a stage.
Atop the stage, a troupe of strippers performed a provocative, fiery dance.
Closest to the stage were rows of sofas.
Several men sat on the sofas, grinning from ear to ear.
Holding thick stacks of cash, the men continuously threw money onto the stage.
Behind them, the crowd writhed and swayed endlessly to the music.
The massive venue was packed shoulder-to-shoulder.
Arata stopped and stood in place, observing the scene.
Then, he slipped straight into the crowd.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Seeing Arata deviate from the path, the black bodyguard hurriedly yelled.
"No rush, I'm going to grab a drink first," Arata tossed over his shoulder as he quickly vanished into the sea of people.
Seeing this, the bodyguard's expression instantly tensed. He hurriedly chased after him, constantly yelling, "Hey! Stop right there! Don't wander off!"
But by the time he spoke, Arata was already long gone.
Standing on his tiptoes and scanning the area with no success, the bodyguard quickly pulled out his walkie-talkie to call for backup.
Meanwhile, Arata had already squeezed his way out of the crowd and reached the bar.
Sitting on a stool, he called out, "I'll have a Tsingtao beer, please."
"Tsingtao beer?" The bartender frowned, seemingly never having heard of it.
"Looks like you don't have it. Just give me whatever is the most expensive then. The lady next to me is buying."
"What!! Why should I be buying? Shouldn't the man buy drinks for the lady?!"
The woman scrutinized Arata curiously.
Getting hit on in a nightclub was a daily occurrence, but she had never encountered such a bizarre approach.
Demanding she pay for his drink right off the bat?
"You see this?" Arata raised his left hand. The VIP wristband instantly caught the woman's attention.
"You..."
"Give him your most expensive drink, it's on me." The moment she saw the VIP wristband, her attitude underwent a complete 180.
Anyone with a VIP wristband was a top-tier guest at the nightclub. You didn't just need money to get one; you needed serious connections.
The fact that Arata wore one was more than enough proof that he was a man with both extreme wealth and substantial backing.
The woman had come to the nightclub specifically to find a walking ATM. Now that an ATM was sitting right next to her, she definitely wasn't going to let him go.
"Sir, your drink." The bartender quickly placed a glass of the most expensive liquor in front of Arata and added, "As long as you are a VIP, drinks at the nightclub are entirely on the house. There's absolutely no need for anyone to pay for you."
"If that's the case, then I won't hold back. Pour another glass for the lady here. After all, she genuinely intended to buy me a drink just now." The bartender got the hint and immediately poured another glass for the woman beside him.
The woman quickly thanked him. Usually, when she came here to drink, she drank the cheap stuff.
Now that someone was treating her to the most expensive liquor, she was naturally thrilled.
In her heart, she was already convinced that Arata had his eyes on her.
Taking a sip of her drink, the woman slowly leaned closer to Arata. "Um, handsome... could I get your contact info?"
"Sorry, I only use a landline."
Hearing that Arata didn't seem inclined to give her his number, she switched to a much more seductive approach—an approach that no man in the nightclub could possibly resist.
"After we finish these drinks... is it convenient to head back to my place?"
"Huh?" Arata paused. "Why do I need to go to your place to relieve myself? This place is huge, don't tell me they don't even have a bathroom?"
Arata's response left the woman completely speechless, unable to think of a reply for a moment.
But for the sake of the ATM, she decided to try one more time.
"Um... there's no one at my house."
"What does no one being at your house have to do with me?"
"I... I mean, let's go sleep at my house tonight."
"Sorry, I don't sleep at strangers' houses."
Arata downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.
Just then, the black bodyguard arrived with several other bodyguards, finally locating Arata.
"He's right here!!"
The bodyguards quickly surrounded Arata.
Arata casually said, "Lead the way, let's go."
With that, the group swaggered away.
Leaving the woman sitting on her stool, completely unfulfilled.
Pushing through the boiling crowd.
The black bodyguard opened a keypad door, and the two entered yet another corridor.
This corridor was relatively luxurious.
Numerous bodyguards armed with firearms stood on both sides.
For a nightclub to possess guns—weapons strictly banned nationwide—it was clear that the power behind this place was anything but simple.
The two walked through the corridor and entered a long, rectangular room.
The room was both wide and incredibly long.
From the door to the far end of the room was a distance of about 50 meters.
On both sides were exquisitely decorated booths. There were ten in total.
And on the table of every single booth sat massive piles of forbidden powder.
Men and women who were already high out of their minds lay sprawled across the sofas.
Screeech!!!
A swivel chair at the very end of the room turned around.
Initially, Arata could only see the back of the chair.
Now that the chair had turned, Arata could see that the person sitting in it was a Fiend.
The Fiend was bald, with upturned nostrils, and a mouth that looked like eight conjoined straws. Its body was incredibly frail, practically skin and bones, and completely pale white.
"You're a Public Safety Devil Hunter, aren't you?"
The Poppy Devil immediately exposed Arata's true identity right off the bat.
This caught Arata a little off guard. He thought he would have to pretend to be a customer for a bit.
Well, since it came to this, he might as well just lay his cards on the table.
"That's right. If you knew I was a Public Safety Devil Hunter, why did you let me in?"
"Actually, letting you in was a plan I deliberately orchestrated. Because I need someone to help me. Preferably a highly capable Devil Hunter." The Poppy Devil smiled, its expression completely devoid of panic.
"Unless it's helping you dig your own grave, I have no interest in lending a hand."
With that, Arata unsheathed his bladed claws and charged at the Poppy Devil.
But after taking only a few steps, his body suddenly froze in place.
"Very good. You're very fast. As long as I control you, I can enact the next phase of my plan."
"Dammit, I can't move."
Arata strained with all his might, only to find he was completely unable to control his own body.
"Give up resisting. While my strength isn't what it used to be, controlling one or two Devil Hunters is still more than enough for me," the Poppy Devil chuckled. It no longer viewed Arata as a threat. Instead, he was just a tool to be utilized.
"Spin around in a circle," the Poppy Devil said flatly.
As soon as the words left its mouth, Arata's body uncontrollably began to spin in place.
"Did Noriyuki Natsume f***ing betray me? Using intel as a guise just to serve me up on a silver platter?"
"I don't know who Noriyuki Natsume is, but you were indeed betrayed. In order to get my hands on a properly capable Devil Hunter, I paid a very hefty price."
"Once I get out of here, I'm absolutely going to beat the living crap out of Noriyuki Natsume." Even though Arata's body was controlled, his mouth didn't stop running.
"Oh, forgot to ask. Did you have anything to do with the apple murders?"
"What apple murders?" The Poppy Devil was thrown completely off guard by the question.
Its expression instantly gave Arata his answer. "I knew it definitely wasn't you. Looks like the apple murders are the work of another devil entirely."
"I don't understand a word you're saying, but stop asking pointless questions." The Poppy Devil clenched its fist tightly, expecting Arata to experience a surge of frenzied adrenaline. But it quickly realized Arata showed no such reaction.
"What's going on? Why aren't you reacting?"
"How exactly did you want me to react?"
"Why can I only control your body, but not your mind?!" The Poppy Devil was repeatedly shocked.
It had planned to rely on controlling Arata to make a comeback, only to discover that Arata was incredibly thorny—it couldn't control his consciousness in the slightest.
At this point, Arata stopped spinning in circles. He smiled at the Poppy Devil and said, "Are you up for this, skinny dog? I was just playing along to bait some answers out of you. You never controlled me at all. I was just humoring you."
"What!!" The Poppy Devil was horrified.
Its proudest ability, mind control, was completely useless against this man.