Chapter 527: Chapter 526: Invisible Net
"Grandfather, Mother, several uncles, where did you hear that I was a member of the International Madman Organization?" Umekawa Taro suppressed the shock in his heart and looked at his grandfather and others as he asked.
Fujiwara Momokawa laughed and said, "Don’t worry about how we found out. Just tell us whether you admit to it."
Umekawa Taro took a deep breath and slowly shook his head, "Although I have also heard of the International Madman Organization, I am truly not a part of it. I don’t know where you heard these rumors."
Fujiwara Momokawa and others hesitated, all looking up at Fujiwara Hosokai.
A chill ran down Umekawa Taro’s spine, and he too looked towards his mother.
Seeing everyone looking at her, Fujiwara Hosokai said to Umekawa Taro, "Taro, I was the one who told your grandfather and others. Not many people in Japan know about this yet."
Umekawa Taro asked, "Mother, how did you come to know this news? Moreover, it is false news."
Fujiwara Hosokai stared at Umekawa Taro and said, "Taro, I am your mother, and they are not outsiders. We would not harm you. You don’t need to hide your identity as a member of the International Madman from us."
"Yes, if you truly are a member of the International Madman, you only need to summon the members of the International Madman to come to our aid. This could resolve the current crisis of the Umekawa Family and even elevate the prestige of the Umekawa Family in Japan," Fujiwara He hurriedly said.
For the Fujimura Family, their only hope to rank among the top aristocratic families of the Japan Martial World was to stick closely to the Umekawa Family.
Previously, the clan leaders of the Umekawa Family didn’t think much of the Fujiwara family, but now the situation was different.
Umekawa Taro was the grandson of the Fujimura Family, and he urgently needed help to ascend to power. For the Fujimura Family, it was an excellent opportunity, so they would spare no effort to help Umekawa Taro ascend.
Compared to Fujiwara Hosokai, Fujiwara Momokawa and Fujiwara He were somewhat more anxious. Their eyes blazed with anticipation and longing as they looked at their grandson (nephew).
"So, Mother, where exactly did you hear this news from?" Umekawa Taro looked toward his mother and earnestly asked.
Fujiwara Hosokai said, "Taro, it doesn’t matter where I heard this news from. You just need to tell your grandfather and uncles that you are indeed a member of the International Madman Organization and that you have the power to rejuvenate the Umekawa Family."
"I am sorry, Mother, but I do not have that ability," Umekawa Taro saw his mother avoiding the question, which instantly made him more alert, feeling as though an invisible hand was stealthily reaching out for him, leaving no room to escape.
He suddenly stood up and said, "I’m sorry, I need to step out for a moment."
Fujiwara Hosokai hurriedly rose to follow him, "Taro, where are you going at such a critical moment? What could be more important than competing for the position of Family Head right now?"
As Umekawa Taro walked outside, seeing his mother closely following, he glanced at her and said, "I’m going to the restroom, I’ll be right back."
Seeing him holding his stomach, Fujiwara Hosokai reluctantly chose not to follow, saying, "Go and come back quickly."
Umekawa Taro acknowledged with a response and hastily left.
Upon entering the restroom, he immediately took out his phone and opened the communication app used by the members of the International Madman Organization, only to see Yang Fei’s message.
’I am here.’
The brief message warmed Umekawa Taro’s heart and moved him deeply.
Years of friendship had not been in vain.
"Situation unclear, don’t appear," Umekawa Taro replied with eight characters.
After some thought, feeling uneasy, he edited and sent another message: All members have had incidents at home recently, possibly a conspiracy targeting the International Madman. Also, my identity has been exposed, and it seems all members’ identities might have been compromised. An invisible net seems to be closing in on us, be extra cautious and vigilant!
After sending the message, Umekawa Taro slipped his phone back into his pocket. Although he didn’t use the toilet, he flushed it anyway before leaving the restroom.
Returning to the courtyard, his mother was waiting at the doorway.
His grandfather’s family was still inside waiting.
Umekawa Taro strode over and said to everyone, "I will strive to develop and strengthen the Umekawa Family."
Fujiwara Hosokai was overjoyed, "Good, that’s like my good son."
Fujiwara Momokawa and Fujiwara He also appeared excited and thrilled. In their view, Umekawa Taro must have made contact with the International Madman while he was out, and having received support, he came back and made this decision.
...
A taxi sped along a road leading to the outskirts of Osaka.
The constant drizzle outside made the entire city of Osaka feel enveloped in a gloomy, rain-drenched atmosphere, causing great discomfort.
Yang Fei and Zhu Tianshou were sitting in the backseat when suddenly Yang Fei’s phone beeped with a notification.
He pulled out his phone and saw two messages on an internal app.
He was about to reply when he saw that the other party had already gone offline.
Merging the messages’ content, Yang Fei’s brows furrowed and he said to the taxi driver, "Please pull over to the side."
The driver, puzzled, glanced at Yang Fei through the rearview mirror and kindly reminded him, "Sir, this is the outskirts. It’s raining outside and there’s no place to take shelter."
"It’s fine, please just pull over." Yang Fei spoke in Japanese.
Although he was not highly educated, he knew several languages, all learned from friends around him.
The driver, having no choice, reluctantly dropped them off at a remote waiting shed.
"What’s going on? Any changes?" Zhu Tianshou asked once the driver drove away.
Yang Fei replied, "Yeah, things are indeed not as simple as they seem on the surface. Someone is probably trying to deal with us."
"Who?" Zhu Tianshou asked. "Sky Net?"
Yang Fei slowly nodded and said, "Maybe, I’m not sure yet, need to check."
Yang Fei did not hide anything from Zhu Tianshou.
Zhu Tianshou was quite familiar with the remaining members of the International Madman, and he had already known about Yang Fei’s identity as ’Madman King’, so Yang Fei spoke without any reservations.
"Not going directly to the Umekawa Family?" Zhu Tianshou asked.
Yang Fei thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "Not for now. Umekawa Taro sent a message asking us to observe in secret. I always felt there was something odd about this situation, and now Umekawa Taro has also sensed something wrong, which proves my earlier premonition was correct. We need to think this through and not rush to meet with Umekawa Taro."
Just then, the phone began to ring.
Yang Fei pulled out his phone and saw that it was from Xu Yunshan.
"Hello, Mr. Yang, we have arrived. Where are you?" Xu Yunshan asked.
Yang Fei looked around but couldn’t see any landmark buildings and didn’t know where they were, so he said, "Head to the Osaka Hotel, we’ll meet there."
Xu Yunshan hastily said, "Mr. Yang, having so many foreigners suddenly check into the Osaka Hotel might expose us."
Yang Fei silently slapped his forehead, right, how could he make such a basic mistake at this time, it was simply foolish.
Damn, he wasn’t this stupid before, could it be that getting married and being with a woman had drained his vitality and dulled his wits?
"Right, you’ve got a point," Yang Fei replied, his mind bringing up an individual.
It was a Japanese Doctor he had met in the international medical community. This person had a great relationship with him, but he was purely a physician, so he was not involved in the International Madman.
This person owed him a favor and was quite reliable, probably trustworthy.
Just as he planned to ask Xu Yunshan to wait while he contacted that old friend, he heard Xu Yunshan say, "Mr. Yang, actually, I know a safe place, just not sure if you trust our Xu Family enough."
Yang Fei was taken aback, then said, "You’re being too formal. Tell me, what place?"
Seeing Yang Fei respond this way, Xu Yunshan immediately felt a sense of trusted happiness and quickly said, "Over the years, our Xu Family has managed some achievements abroad. We have a company base here in Osaka, and the Xu Family owns a manor here as well. It’s managed by disciples of our Xu Family clan, absolutely safe and reliable."
"Give me the address, let’s meet there," Yang Fei said decisively.
He still trusted the Xu Family.