A group of men in black clothes and pants were rummaging through the belongings without hesitation.
They opened every drawer and cupboard, taking away any cash or valuable electronic devices they could find, even seeming interested in an old television set.
The fierce-looking middle-aged man remained idle, simply sitting in front of the Uesugi matriarch, leisurely drinking tea and listening to the sounds of his men rummaging through the Uesugi Family’s possessions.
"I hear the Uesugi Family plans to sell their own oranges."
He glanced at the unhurried Uesugi matriarch and said slowly.
"Your family’s oranges sell so well, but the Agricultural Association has been suppressing the purchase price. It benefits those guys entirely. I’d be upset too if I were in your shoes."
"What exactly do you want to say?"
"Just wanted to chat, we’re law-abiding citizens, we have reasons for our actions."
He was speaking with a sneer when a younger man in a black suit walked in, leaned down to whisper something next to him, then handed him the Red Hook Jade he was holding.
The middle-aged man frowned, waved the younger man away, and then looked at the Uesugi matriarch with a smile:
"It seems we can only disturb you up to this point, what a pity."
The Uesugi matriarch saw the Red Hook Jade: "Don’t you think it’s shameless to snatch a young girl’s pendant?"
"Ah, well, it’s something that couldn’t be helped."
The middle-aged man chuckled twice and held up the pendant before his eyes, giving it a slight swing, "Such a grand family like the Uesugi had nothing of value. Besides the 2.35 million yen in cash in the matriarch’s room, only this pendant is worthwhile."
Light from outside refracted onto the ruby red Hook Jade.
Warm, smooth, and vibrant, the light scattered from this nearly perfect piece of Red Jade.
Supporting his chin with his hand, he admired it more and more, then grasped it firmly in his palm, "Seems like an old item. This color, this texture, it should sell for over 10 million yen to those bosses."
"Speaking of which, the matriarch really dotes on that pretty young girl, willing to give such a precious thing."
"When collecting debt, you shouldn’t resort to violence, right?"
"Heh, rest assured, we’re civilized people, we take things, not lives."
The fierce-eyed middle-aged man glanced at the Uesugi matriarch, then stood up.
Smoothing his coat, he slightly bowed to the Uesugi matriarch, who sat properly in front of him, a faint smile on his lips:
"Pardon the sudden visit today and any inconvenience caused, Uesugi Kazumiko."
After finishing, he didn’t look at the matriarch’s expression and hurriedly gestured to his subordinates, striding out of the reception room.
On the veranda, the group gathered here, nodding to Hirahara Ganbo as he stepped out the door.
He glanced at the sky, then looked at the mess of flowers and plants in the courtyard, curling his lips:
"Tch, they actually called the police after all that talk and failed to scare that old woman."
"Besides the 2.35 million yen, what else did you find?" he asked the group behind him while striding towards the gate.
"A PS5 console, a tablet, five mobile phones."
"Nothing else, other things were too bulky to move."
"Tch, the old woman hid her stuff well."
"Boss, we didn’t break even!" A lean man next to the middle-aged man said, "We only found just over 200 million yen!"
"You’d think I’d let you take away that 2.35 million if we weren’t breaking even?"
Taking money directly from someone else’s house isn’t collecting debt, it’s robbery.
Raising the Red Hook Jade in his hand, Hirahara Ganbo told the lean man, "Selling this can well cover our next round of startup funds."
"Boss, do we really have to go?" The lean man seemed somewhat reluctant.
Hirahara Ganbo glared at him, "You’re still saying this now? Not leaving, waiting for the police to handcuff you and wish you ’happily ever after’?"
"Damn it!" the lean man cursed under his breath, "Uesugi Jiro wasn’t playing by the rules, calling the police."
"This just proves he’s a smart guy," Hirahara Ganbo’s face darkened, gripping the Hook Jade even tighter, "But since he called the police, we’ll just go all or nothing, move elsewhere and continue. The money and goods are just interest."
"Boss... we haven’t even paid last month’s interest to the creditor yet."
"What!?" Hirahara Ganbo stopped immediately, his fierce eyes glaring at the lean man, "What have you been doing? Didn’t I tell you to take part of the principal to pay the interest monthly?"
"The creditor... seems to be planning to retire and wants to get back the principal too..."
Hirahara Ganbo looked annoyed, speeding up his steps again.
Now he just wanted to leave quickly before the police arrived, and go far away, then find a good spot to establish a foundation.
A moment later, they stopped at the Uesugi Family’s front courtyard.
Because the exit was blocked by a person, two lookouts who were supposed to watch the gate had already fallen to the ground, with a knife spinning on the ground in the distance, reflecting a dazzling light.
Even a fool could tell these two were knocked out.
The lean man kept looking between the black-suited companions and the knife-wielding youth, his face showing uncontained surprise:
"Hey, hey, are you kidding? Miyagi and Hatta were so useless? Couldn’t even handle a high schooler with a wooden sword?"
Unlike the lean man’s astonishment, Hirahara Ganbo furrowed his brows tightly and said solemnly: