Chapter 006: One Million Yen

He opened his messaging app. An outrageously flashy selfie icon bounced incessantly on the screen. In his contacts list, this flamboyant man was named Chu He—a senior from Su Cheng’s high school, who had come to Tokyo to study two years before him. Rumor had it Chu He was doing quite well for himself in Shibuya.

“Chengzi, you’ve already arrived in Tokyo?” Chu He’s message had been sent half an hour ago; Su Cheng had just seen it.

“I arrived yesterday and have already settled in.”

Back in school, Senior Chu He was notorious as a lady’s man—the girls he’d dated could form an entire company. His popularity wasn’t just due to his striking good looks, reminiscent of the male leads in Korean dramas, but also because his family was extremely wealthy—unimaginably so, by Su Cheng’s standards. All Su Cheng knew was that Chu He changed cars as often as he changed clothes, sometimes driving a new one every few days, never repeating the same model.

“So, want your big brother to take you to experience Tokyo’s famous nightclubs?” Chu He sent an emoji that needed no explanation to anyone familiar with such matters.

Nightclubs? Many were curious about Tokyo’s world-renowned adult entertainment industry; Su Cheng was no exception. But his mind was preoccupied with that bizarre and unsettling horror mobile game. He really wasn’t interested in joining Chu He for a night out.

“I heard that most of these places in Tokyo don’t allow foreigners,” Su Cheng replied, tactfully sidestepping a direct refusal.

“Heh, don’t worry, your big brother has connections. I haven’t spent two years in Tokyo for nothing.”

Chu He might be a playboy, but he was absolutely reliable when it came to friends—and he never exaggerated. Clearly, he was even more established in Tokyo than Su Cheng had imagined. After all, the majority of nightclubs were controlled by syndicates, and ordinary people dared not make trouble there.

A true big shot—definitely not someone to cross.

Su Cheng sent a “kneeling to the boss” emoji, then politely declined, “I need to prepare my school application these days, so I probably won’t have time.”

“No worries. Whenever you’re free, I’ll take you out to experience Tokyo’s nightlife.” Chu He was unfazed and replied cheerfully.

Su Cheng took out his wallet and looked at his remaining living expenses. It wasn’t even enough to buy a few drinks at a high-end Ginza bar. With two days left before the next game instance opened, he wanted to prepare some weapons and medicine, but his funds were clearly insufficient.

After thinking it over, Su Cheng sent Chu He another message: “Senior, do you know where I can get a large sum of money quickly?”

About a minute after he sent the message, Chu He’s avatar lit up again.

“Are you in trouble? If you need money, just tell me,” Chu He replied. Despite his lavish Tokyo lifestyle and several maxed-out credit cards, the Chu family ran several businesses in the city, so transferring some cash wouldn’t be an issue.

But Su Cheng instinctively didn’t want to involve Chu He, nor did he intend to borrow money from him.

“It’s just a bit of trouble, nothing serious.”

Chu He didn’t press for details. Instead, he joked, “How about trying your luck as a nightclub host? If you’re lucky, you might earn tens of thousands of yen in one night.”

“…”

“I was actually thinking of a lending company. Do you know any good ones?” Su Cheng asked.

After a brief pause, Chu He replied, “I do know a few, but those companies all have syndicate ties. If you can’t pay them back, things can get ugly.”

“How ugly?” Su Cheng couldn’t help but ask.

“I’ve heard of people who defaulted being forced into illegal labs for human experimentation, or even having organs harvested to pay off their debts. The waters here run deep. Unless you’re desperate, it’s best to stay away from those places,” Chu He warned kindly.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. Just send me the addresses and details of those lending companies.”

Soon, Su Cheng received information on a few such companies. As Chu He had said, all of them had syndicate ties, and the risks were considerable. After weighing his options, Su Cheng chose a company in Shibuya called Kurotaki Hall.

An hour later, Su Cheng left his apartment and took the subway to Kurotaki Hall. The reason he chose this company was its simple, convenient process—few requirements or documents needed, and a high borrowing limit, which suited his needs perfectly.

From the outside, Kurotaki Hall looked like any other business. When he entered, he saw several men in black suits, tattoos on the backs of their hands, chatting together.

“Kenta, what happened to that female college student who wouldn’t pay her debt last time?”

“You mean her? Boss Nishio stripped her down for some photos and she cried as she paid up. I still have her pictures here—she’s actually pretty cute.”

With a laugh, the man named Kenta pulled up a photo on his phone and passed it around to his companions.

“She got off easy, just some photos. Last month, that gambling addict who ended up with Boss Nishio got beaten half to death and lost a kidney to pay his debts.”

At that moment, the man sitting on the sofa noticed a stranger in the office who seemed to have overheard their conversation. He immediately jumped to his feet, eyes fierce.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” He stared at Su Cheng as if ready to tear him apart.

Su Cheng, who had faced zombies without flinching, certainly wasn’t afraid of a few gangsters. Still, he feigned timidity, stammering, “I—I’m here to borrow money.”

“A customer, is it? Kenta, step back, don’t scare our client.”

Hearing that he was here for a loan, the men instantly switched to friendly faces, slapping Su Cheng on the shoulder and telling him not to be nervous.

“So, how much do you want to borrow?” one of them asked.

Feigning hesitation, Su Cheng replied cautiously, “One million yen. Today, if possible.”

“One million yen?” The man’s expression shifted as he sized Su Cheng up. Their company could lend that sum, but could this young man really pay it back?

“If it’s not possible, then sorry for bothering you,” Su Cheng said deliberately, turning toward the door.

Sure enough, before he could reach the exit, the man pulled him back. “One million yen? No problem.”

The procedures at Kurotaki Hall were extremely simple, but the interest rates were equally outrageous. These men might seem friendly now, but if Su Cheng defaulted, their attitudes would be very different.

Once he had completed the paperwork, Su Cheng walked away with the money. A million yen—about sixty thousand yuan—was more than enough to buy weapons and medicine, preparing for the upcoming game instance.

As for the money, Su Cheng had no intention of paying it back; he was playing a dangerous game with nothing to lose.

After Su Cheng left with the million yen, Kenta asked worriedly, “Will that kid really be able to pay back a million yen? What if he can’t?”

“Heh. In Tokyo, no one dares to owe Kurotaki Hall and not pay. If he defaults, there are certain… parts of his body that won’t belong to him anymore,” the man who handled Su Cheng’s loan replied, a sinister smile crossing his face.