Ch. 2171..2175: The Secretly Rich Man Chapter 2171-2175
Chapter 2171
Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2171 “Go on ahead,” replied Gerald.
Fast forward to half an hour later, Aiden returned with some food he got from the nearby convenience store. Following that, the trio sat around the table and ate together. Honestly, after eating so much Japanese food, they had started seeing the appeal in its taste. Of course, there was still a pretty big gap between the food here and good old Westoner food…
Regardless, once they finished their meals, the trio returned to their rooms to rest…
Once morning came, Gerald and Master Ghost headed to the training ground’s entrance to wait while Aiden ran off to look for Fujiko. Shortly after, however, the duo came across Ichiro and his secretary instead.
Realizing that Gerald was all packed up to leave, Ichiro told his secretary to wait at the side as he quickly walked toward Gerald before saying, “Oh? Leaving already, brother Gerald?”
“Indeed. My friend’s done with his competition, so I may as well just leave with him,” explained Gerald with a nod.
“I see… It’s a shame that you have to leave before the case gets solved… Regardless, I should mention that while we were investigating earlier this morning, a person apparently left one of the hotels last night! Our surveillance cameras followed him till the point he entered a barren area that was too far for the final camera to capture… In other words, the suspicious
Individual should be long gone now…” muttered Ichiro in a slightly disappointed tone.
“The final surveillance camera? I’m assuming you don’t have any cameras set up in the barren area, then?” asked Gerald despite knowing the answer to his question.
“Well, it wouldn’t make sense to place surveillance cameras in a barren area… Either way, that man probably realized this and used it to his advantage to escape… Still, we do have his picture and some footage of him, so if we manage to issue a tracking warrant, we may be able to track him down!” explained Ichiro who didn’t mind sharing all this with Gerald. After all, it
Was Gerald’s pointers that allowed them to pinpoint the escaping man in the first place.
Nodding in response, Gerald then replied, “I see. All the best in capturing him!”
Honestly, Gerald was finding the situation to be quite funny. After all, with how quick Amare was, Gerald was pretty sure that he could’ve easily evaded the investigation team and left Japan’s borders unnoticed. Even if Amare slipped up and the investigation team found him, they wouldn’t have been able to harm him at all…
Whatever the case was, Ichiro then saluted as he declared, “Thank you, brother Gerald!”
Shortly after, Aiden and Fujiko arrived, and the four got into a car before leaving the training ground for good…
Throughout their journey to the Futaba manor, Gerald kept one hand on the steering wheel while his arm rested against the car’s window. After a brief silence in the car, Gerald eventually said in a casual tone, “You know, an assassin tried to kill me last night. With how capable he was, I have a feeling that he’s from the international assassin list. Due to how pricey it can get to hire such men, I’m assuming he was hired by Kai.”
Naturally, that statement was for Fujiko since Aiden and Master Ghost already knew about this. Regardless, upon hearing that, Fujiko immediately tensed up before scanning Gerald from head to toe as she asked, “Are you hurt?!”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. In fact, I got rid of the assassin as well,” replied Gerald as he shook his head.
Though she was relieved to hear that, Fujiko soon smacked the dashboard before angrily yelling, “The Kanagawas truly have gone too far this time…! First they hired the Hanyus… Now international assassins?!”
“Indeed… How do you plan on settling this?” asked Gerald. In the end, this had to do with the Futabas as well, so it was best to make things as clear as possible…
Chapter 2172
Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2172 “… We should discuss this with my father. With how big the issue’s gotten to the point where Kai’s started hiring international assassins, I’d rather not make the final call on my own…” muttered Fujiko as she shook her head, prompting Gerald to remain silent…
It was around noon when the four of them arrived at the Futaba manor. Thankfully, Gerald didn’t sense any hiding individuals nearby anymore.
Either way, upon stepping out of the car, the group was greeted by the sight of Takuya’s secretary who had been waiting outside for them this entire time. Upon seeing them, the secretary quickly held onto the things Fujiko was carrying before saying, “Miss Fujiko! Mr. Crawford! Do come in! The master’s been waiting for you!”
Simply nodding in response, the group then entered the manor… and soon enough, they came across Takuya who had been waiting for them in the parlor.
Getting to his feet the moment he saw them, Takuya took a brief glance at Aiden and Master Ghost before turning to look at Gerald and exclaiming, “You’re back! I’ve already told my servants to prepare a grand meals so hurry on in! As for the two brothers at the back, just make yourselves at home and join us!”
Nodding in response, the group of five then entered the dining room and sat around the table. Once seated, Fujiko was prompted to say, “Um… There’s something I need to tell you, father…”
“Oh? What is it?” asked Takuya as he turned to look at his daughter.
Before Fujiko could say anything else, Gerald quickly interrupted, “It’s nothing major. It can certainly wait till lunch is over!”
Gerald, for one, knew that if Fujiko told Takuya all this before lunch, Takuya would probably lose his appetite. Telling him a bit later wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway.
Suddenly seeing things from Gerald’s perspective, Fujiko quickly added, “… Yeah, it can definitely wait!”
“… I see! Well, then after lunch it is! Speaking of which, I hired a new chef two days ago, and he’s a Westoner! With that said, do tell me whether the food is to your liking later!” replied Takuya who was much too glad to see Gerald home to be bothered by his daughter’s hesitance.
“Definitely!” declared Gerald with a hearty laugh. With that, the group of five chatted happily among themselves for the next half hour till food began being served.
Seeing that they were going to eat soon, Takuya quickly cleared his throat before saying, “Just to make things clear, Gerald’s friends are my friends, so you two won’t have many rules restricting you within the manor. With that said, while I’d love to let you two stay here for a few days and potentially even get someone to guide you around for a tour, the manor’s not exactly the safest place for you to stay in now…”
Takuya, for one, was well aware that he couldn’t afford to bear the responsibility of those two’s injuries if he allowed them to stay here and something happened to them…
Clearing his own throat, Gerald then replied, “…Well, you see, I was planning on letting them stay here for the time being. I’ll have to trouble you to prepare two guest rooms for them that are close to where I’m currently staying…”
“But… You, of all people, should know my family’s current conditions, brother Gerald… If they stay here, there’s a good chance that they’ll…” muttered Takuya, looking rightfully embarrassed.
“Trust me when I say that it’ll be more dangerous for them if they don’t stay here. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they remain safe. Even if something does happen to them, I’ll be the one responsible. None of it will have anything to do with the Futabas!” declared Gerald with a smile.
“… Since you put it that way… Fine. I’ll agree to it! You there, go arrange for two guest rooms close to Mr. Crawford’s room!” ordered Takuya after momentarily hesitating as he looked at his secretary.
Chapter 2173
Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2173 “Understood! ” replied the secretary with a nod before quickly leaving the parlor…
Soon enough, all the dishes were served, and before everyone laid at least a dozen Weston dishes. Aside from the chicken and fish, the rest honestly looked like ordinary home cooked dishes. Even so, just the foods’ smell alone and the way they were presented made everyone aware that this was the work of a top notch chef…
Since all the food had arrived, the smiling Takuya quickly began distributing chopsticks as he said, “Come on, enjoy the food while it’s hot, and tell me if it’s to your liking! Honestly, ever since brother Gerald came, I’ve been growing fonder and fonder of Weston food! Truth be told, I wasn’t even sure if I’d ever get used to Weston food back when Fujiko implored me to try some!”
“See? I told you so! ” replied the pleased Fujiko.
Following that, everyone enjoyed their meals without saying much in between bites. Once all the dishes were finished, Takuya ordered his servants to clear the table and serve them some tea.
After the tea arrived, Takuya turned to look at everyone else at the table before asking, “So… I remember you saying that there was something you wanted to tell me earlier… Now that we’ve had our meals, care to share?”
Sipping on the tea that Takuya had just handed him, Gerald then calmly replied, “Well, I was attacked by an assassin from the international assassin list. I’m assuming he was hired by the Kanagawas.”
Upon hearing that, Takuya was so surprised that he almost dropped the teapot! His hands now trembling, Takuya quickly asked in a hushed tone, “… What?”
“Again, I’m only assuming that it was the Kanagawas, so there’s no need to get too worked up,” replied Gerald with a slight frown.
“How couldn’t I get worked up? In case you’ve forgotten, the two assassins from before are still in this manor!” muttered Takuya after taking in a few deep breaths.
“Speaking of those two, they’re apparently known as Endo and Izumi. They’re both Hanyus sent by Hanyu Ryugu of the Hanyu assassination department. As with the previous case, I have a feeling that the Kanagawas are behind this, though I can’t say for sure,” replied Gerald.
“They’re… Hanyus…?” muttered Takuya as his face turned slightly pale.
Their families had been living peacefully for over a hundred years now… How could all that change in less than a month? Not only had the Hanyus sent people to assassinate his daughter, but they also attempted to assassinate his guest! Had Gerald not been present in those two events, his daughter could’ve been dead by now…!
“Indeed… Either way, the Kanagawas are my prime suspect in all this… After all, the Hanyus are an assassin family. Why on earth would they hire an international assassin to do their dirty work instead? And since Endo and Izumi went after me instead of Fujiko, it only gives me more reason to believe that Kai’s the one behind all this. With that said, how are you planning to solve all this, patriarch Takuya?” asked Gerald as he sipped on more tea.
“… I’ll need time to think about this… After all, one wrong decision may bring harm to us all…” muttered the now frowning Takuya as he leaned against his chair, wondering how to go about all this…
Honestly, he was tempted to just pick a fight with both families and attempt to brute force his way to Victory.
However, Takuya knew better than to do that. After all, while Gerald would certainly be able to guarantee his daughter’s safety, the rest of his family would quickly crumble against the other two families. But if they just remained on the defensive, they’d surely be attacked over and over again till they eventually lost…
Feeling helpless, Takuya was prompted to ask, “… What about you, Gerald…? What do you think?”
“Well… I can get rid of the Kanagawas first. Though I could choose to finish off the Hanyus first, they’re still an entire family of assassins. With that said, I’ll need more time to prepare if I wish to take the Hanyus out,” replied Gerald who had honestly been waiting for Takuya to ask…
Chapter 2174
Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2174 Upon hearing that, Takuya immediately shook his head with a chuckle before saying, “… You’re joking, right…?”
While it was true that Gerald was inhumanly strong, there was no way he was going to be able to take on such a large and powerful family alone, right…?
“Oh, I meant every word I said, patriarch Takuya. Do you not believe me?” asked Gerald in a serious tone, signifying that he wouldn’t joke about something like this. After all, getting the Futabas out of this crisis was his one way ticket to learning the secrets of the Seadom tribe.
Thinking about all the times Gerald had protected his daughter and putting Gerald’s serious tone into consideration, Takuya eventually replied, “… I believe you!”
“Good. With that said, just give me some time to exterminate the Kanagawas. As for Endo and Izumi, I propose that we end them as soon as possible,” replied Gerald with a smile.
“Well, had they not had the information we needed, I would’ve killed them ages ago. Now that we know their identities, however, there’s no reason to continue letting them live!” declared Takuya as he nodded in agreement.
“That’s good to hear. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading out first. I’ll be back before night,” replied Gerald as he got to his feet.
“Oh? Where to?” asked Takuya.
“I’m just going to where the Yamashitas are. I still have some questions that need answering,” replied Gerald, remembering the promise that old man had made with him back then. Gerald still found it hard
to believe that that old man had helped them slip past Ryugu…
Hearing that, Takuya was momentarily taken aback ash e exclaimed, “You… Know the Yamashitas?”
“Actually, before that, have you contacted them before, father?” asked Fujiko who just recalled what that old man had said to her back then.
“… Huh? Why would I have contacted them? If I had, our family wouldn’t be in such a poor state today! After all, there are infamous rumors that the Yamashitas have ninjas in their family!” replied Takuya as he shook his head.
“… But… that old man said…” muttered Fujiko, clearly at a loss. After all, if her father hadn’t contacted that old man before, why would that old man have said that he had met her before as a child?
Knowing that her father wouldn’t lie to her, a sudden thought came to Fujiko, prompting her to look at Gerald. From what she could now guess, the old man had probably only stepped in because of Gerald. In other words, he must have only said that to deceive Ryugu.
“… Old man? What old man? Actually, hold on, why’s the Yamashita family suddenly involved?” asked the confused Takuya.
“Just know that it isn’t a bad thing, patriarch Takuya. Regardless, I’ll be off now. If anything happens, I’ll be sure to tell you when I return,” replied Gerald.
Hearing that, Takuya breathed a sigh of relief before saying, “… Alright, then. Take care!”
Watching as Gerald headed outside, Fujiko quickly got up as well as she shouted, “Wait! I’m coming with you!”
As the two left the scene, Takuya could only scratch the back of his head as he turned to look at Aideen and
Master Ghost who were still drinking tea there.
“Just so you know, all this happened without us being there. With that said, there’s no point in asking about the situation from us, patriarch Takuya,” explained Master Ghost.
Chapter 2175
Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2175 “… I see. Well, you two go ahead and rest first, then. If there’s anything you need, just tell me,” replied Takuya, who knew that he could only await Gerald’s return if he wanted any answers.
Moving back to Gerald and Fujiko, the duo quickly got into one of the Futaba cars and began driving to where the Yamashitas lived…
On their way there, Fujiko couldn’t help but look at Gerald as she asked, “You… really don’t know anything about that old man…?”
To Futaba, Gerald was like a rubik’s cube. Despite the fact that he had been living in her manor and she had known him for about a month now, she still felt that she knew very little about him…
“Fujiko, you and your family are locals and you hardly know anything about them. What makes you think I’d know anything about the Yamashitas? To be quite frank, I’m heading there to learn more about that old man myself,” replied Gerald as he shook his head.
“I see… Still, if we had the Yamashitas supporting us, things would definitely go much smoother…” muttered Fujiko with a sigh. Even though she was the ‘Queen of Soldiers’, she was still much weaker than them…
“Though things may be difficult, I’m willing to fight through it all,” replied Gerald with a nod.
Soon enough, the sky started turning dark. It was then when the duo finally saw the barren mountain again…
Once they were at the foot of the mountain, Gerald parked the car there. They were now in Yamashita territory, and he knew that the area where he had fought the Hanyu assassins was not far ahead.
However, upon walking further into the territory, both of them realized that the corpses had been cleared away. Though the tang of blood no longer remained, upon paying closer attention, dry bloodstains still remained on the ground. Unless the Yamashitas turned the soil over or added a layer of soil on top, the bloodstains would probably remain for a month or two.
With how few people actually came here, there was little chance for the stains to be trodden on as well, thus leaving the stains visible for much longer…
Shortly after, eight men each wielding a longsword donning traditional Japanese garments came running over to the two. Once they stood before the duo, one of the men asked, “Who are you two?”
“Greetings. I am Futaba Fujiko from the Futaba family. I’m here to pay your family a visit,” replied Fujiko in a polite tone.
“You should know that the Yamashitas don’t accept guests, so please leave at once. If the elders realize that you ’re here, we’ll surely be punished!” replied the same man.
“Before that, allow me to explain a bit further. You see, we came here a few days ago and ended up fighting with the Hanyus at this very spot. Back then, an old gentleman stepped in to help us settle things, and he told me to return someday. With that said, I’m here now, so please report our arrival to him, brother,” explained Gerald who couldn’t help but feel that he was
Conversing with a cultivating family back in Weston.
After all, based on how they dressed and what they said, it seemed that they were still upholding traditions that had been passed down for thousands of years…
“…Hmm? So you’re the Westoner who killed all those Hanyu assassins?” replied the man, feeling slightly startled as he scanned Gerald from head to toe.
“The one and only,” said Gerald with a smile.
“…I see. Please wait here as I report this, then. Actually, before that… If you wish to fight next time, please don’t do it here… We spent an entire day clearing this place up, you know? It gets pretty tiring,” muttered the man a she nodded.
“I apologize for all the trouble,” replied Gerald with a sheepish grin.
“You’d better be… Just look at those bloodstains! They’re nearly impossible to remove…” said the man as he pointed at the stains while shaking his head.
Following that, the eight men left together.