[PREVIEW] Assassin Among Heroes 38

Many things irritated Kai Chisaki. Germs, police, Quirks, untidiness…the list was extensive and grew longer each day. If he were honest, it was as though almost everything upon the earth existed to annoy him. Fortunately, he also prided himself on a measure of self-control. It would be unbecoming and frankly childish for the leader of the Shie Hassaikai to lose his marbles over the first thing that disturbed his perfectly ordered schedule. No matter how much he despised it, unexpected occurrences happened. This was part of life, there was no avoiding it, and he adapted all the same. 

His boss was much the same. Through him, the old man ensured the yakuza clan survived through the Age of Heroes (oh, how he hated that term). Brought low and barely a shadow of its former glory, true, but it survived when others fell. A trait Chisaki came to appreciate only after he took the mantle of oyabun himself. 

That being said…

“Let me get this straight,” he spoke, with a voice so placid and level even a deaf man could hear the rising frustration. “Despite my clear instructions and warnings, we’ve lost another lab?”

Hojo nodded, the bald man’s stoicness ever-present in the face of his leader’s wrath. “I apologize, oyabun. I failed to impart the seriousness of your orders to my men. They clearly ignored the measures I ordered them to take, else they wouldn’t have perished so quickly.”

Chisaki felt his grip tighten on the polished mahogany desk. He’d recently bought the desk after the last one was ruined during a…lapse of control. So as much as he felt the urge to carve out a piece from the edge at least, he forced it down.

Despite knowing it could happen, nasty surprises such as this never failed to trigger that itch.

“How bad is it?”

“Wrecked on almost every level. The equipment’s smashed, barrels toppled over, and I’m sure we’re missing a chunk of the cash. We don’t even have power because the fuse box is smashed to hell and back, so all the chemicals in the cooling unit are suspect. We’re checking whatever’s left, but I wouldn’t get any hopes of finding a supply we can safely use.”

“And the men?”

Hojo’s eyes narrowed, and even through his facemask, Chisaki could tell he was gritting his teeth.

“Dead to the last.”

Chisaki inhaled, his breath akin to a hiss through his mask. 

Selling Trigger-laced drugs was a masterstroke Chisaki was proud of. When he’d ordered the drug’s production, he realized he was producing far less than anticipated, which by itself wasn’t a high benchmark in the first place. Trigger was notoriously difficult to produce, and the equipment he had ready - while worth every yen - was substandard compared to the facilities in Italy or Nicaragua. Most of the world’s Trigger was sourced from there, with Thailand barely scratching third. So while he was ready to accept limited output, the scant barrels of the first batch showed how bad the situation was. He’d retreated to his office, and as he vented by using his Quirk to deconstruct and reshape a nearby mug, he saw the patterns on the mug had accidentally warped. A lapse in his usual concentration…but the proverbial lightbulb then sparked to life.

Why not mix the rare drug with the product they already had? It would increase their presence in the market and they could charge generous extras

It had taken some testing, but he managed to do it. Three years of studying Chemistry and Biology had paid off once more. Another thing he couldn’t thank the old man enough for. Once he streamlined the process for the yakuza cooks, money rolled into the Hassaikai’s coffers so fast that it was like a minting machine.

It was all going so well; the drugs were produced on schedule and with excellent quality, distribution was expanding at an acceptable pace, and the police were completely blind. Not even the few heroes who were smart or brave enough to stick their noses into their business had a clue.

Then why the hell was this happening!?