Atop the mountain in Dalang Village, a large group of people had already gathered. Somewhere on this mountain, an underground passage had been excavated.
At that moment, crate after crate full of a vast array of gold, silver, jewels, and ancient artifacts was being brought up from the underground passage. These were all treasures that Xiao Yifeng had seen before in that underground chamber.
These treasures were originally plundered by Japanese soldiers in China during the years of resistance, but they never had the chance to transport them back to Japan. This time, the knowledge of these treasures had fallen into the hands of the Ishii Clan, who had then dug them up.
When the crates were opened, revealing piles of gleaming gold and silver jewelry inside, everyone was stunned. However, they dared not harbor any greedy desires, for they were all members of the Ishii Clan and naturally wouldn’t dare to covet these treasures.
"Immediately pack these items into other crates and transport them away, and be quick about it," an Ishii Clan leader commanded coldly.
Soon, the priceless treasures were all packed into other crates and then carried down the mountain. Below, over a dozen vehicles were waiting to transport the items.
However, suddenly, the urgent sound of police sirens blared. Outside Dalang Village, a fleet of police cars appeared, and then groups of armed police officers burst forth, completely sealing off the area.
A few Humvees also charged over, with members of the Azure Dragon Squad appearing, one after another, dashing towards the distance.
"Damn it, it’s the police. We’ve been discovered. What do we do now?"
The members of the Ishii Clan, upon seeing the approaching police officers, turned pale, and the leader’s face grew exceedingly grim.
By then, Wang Tao and his Azure Dragon Squad members had already arrived at the scene, locking eyes with those from the Ishii Clan.
"What force from Japan are you, daring to come to China to steal?" Wang Tao asked the group coldly.
"Attack!" the Ishii Clan leader ordered coldly, and the group brandished their weapons and charged.
"Don’t let a single one escape!"
Wang Tao issued the command and was the first to rush out, his fists hammering out in a relentless assault, promptly knocking several Ishii Clan members to the ground.
As for the other members of the Azure Dragon Squad, they too displayed formidable strength, each unleashing the power of Dark Energy.
Although each member of the Ishii Clan was exceptionally strong, they were no match for the well-trained and powerful Azure Dragon Squad.
A few minutes later, the group was beaten to the ground. However, to a man, they all committed suicide, leaving no survivors.
"Captain, these people don’t seem like they’re from just any force. They did this because they don’t want us to find out who is behind them," the woman who had been following Wang Tao couldn’t help but say.
Wang Tao didn’t respond but instead opened one of the crates. Inside lay a mountain of gold, silver, jewels, and antiques, surprising everyone from the Azure Dragon Squad.
"So it is indeed a treasure. We’ve really made a big achievement this time," exclaimed the members of the Azure Dragon Squad excitedly.
"Alright, enough talk. Leave this to the police to handle. Let’s immediately transport these items back to Tianhai City, secure them, and then wait for further instructions," Wang Tao said with a solemn expression.
At a hidden location in Tianhai City, Yamada Taka received news that the treasure had been discovered by the authorities.
The treasure mission was initially managed by President Mushen and Shijing Ichiro, but now that Shijing Ichiro was injured and President Mushen had returned to Japan to handle the affairs of the Ishii Group, the responsibility had been transferred to Ishii Taihu. Ishii Taihu had thus given Yamada Taka full authority over the matter, not expecting such an incident to occur.
"Lord Yamada, what should we do now?"
A member of the Ishii Clan asked, looking at Yamada Taka with a grave expression on his face.
"The Patriarch is determined to have this batch of treasures, no matter what, we must snatch them back. Have you found out where they are now?" Yamada Taka spoke coldly.
"According to the information from the others, this batch of treasures is currently being transported back to Tianhai by the Dragon Soul’s Azure Dragon Squad, and they should be entering Tianhai in about half an hour," one of them reported.
"Immediately gather all our members in Tianhai and snatch back those treasures for me," ordered Yamada Taka.
Yamada Taka’s eyes narrowed, a fierce light flashing through them.
"What? Snatch them back? But those are Dragon Soul’s people!"
The countenance of the clan member changed, his eyes flashing with intense gravity.
"If you can’t snatch them back, be prepared to perform harakiri," Yamada Taka said coldly before walking out.
On a road leading to the urban area of Tianhai City, dozens of vehicles were driving, each vehicle carrying several boxes with members of the Azure Dragon Squad inside.
In the leading vehicle sat Wang Tao and his two subordinates, a man and a woman.
However, just then, five or six black sedans rushed over, blocking the road and preventing Wang Tao and his team from proceeding.
"Be careful, there’s a problem," Wang Tao said in a deep voice, his eyes sharpening.
Out from the black sedans came a group of men in black, wielding katanas, their faces stern and their aura powerful.
These were the experts that Yamada Taka had brought with him last time. They hadn’t made a move until now, mobilizing en masse for the sake of seizing these treasures.
There were about twenty men, all formidable in strength, all elite warriors cultivated by the Ishii Clan.
Seeing the emergence of this group, Wang Tao’s face instantly changed. He rushed out of the car, followed by the rest of the Azure Dragon Squad members, all with serious faces as they watched the group.
"You Japanese have quite the nerve, not only stealing treasures in our country but now also planning to brazenly snatch them in broad daylight. Are you defying Dragon Soul?" the man by Wang Tao’s side challenged.
Yamada Taka, his face grim, stepped forward with a katana in hand and said indifferently, "As I understand it, you are the members of the Dragon Soul’s Azure Dragon Squad, aren’t you?"
"Knowing we’re the Azure Dragon Squad, you’d better surrender immediately," the woman said arrogantly.
"It’s a pity, among the five teams of Dragon Soul—Gold, Purple, White, Black, and Azure—your Azure Dragon Squad seems to be the weakest," Yamada Taka stated coldly.
Instantly, the expressions of the Azure Dragon Squad members were filled with anger, ready to take action.
Wang Tao, however, had a grave look on his face as he watched Yamada Taka: "I don’t care which Japanese force you belong to, but this batch of treasures belongs to China, and you shall not think of taking them."
"Is that so? Then we’ll see if you have the strength to back that up," Yamada Taka retorted coldly.
With a cold shout, Yamada Taka charged forward, swinging his katana straight at Wang Tao.
Wang Tao’s eyes narrowed, his body flashed to the side, dodging the attack, and followed up with a punch.