Chapter 4: An Unexpected Conspiracy

The woods were very dark. Alone, Tian Yi wouldn't have worried about being discovered, but with a burden beside him, there was no telling. He put an arm around Jiang Yun's back and rested his hand lightly on her far shoulder. It looked natural enough after he'd signaled her to crouch, but he was actually keeping himself ready to lift his hand and cover her mouth at any moment.

The silhouettes of the two people entering the woods made it clear that both were men. One was very burly, and his bald head caught a little light even in the darkness. That had to be Carl. The other, however, was someone Jiang Yun hadn't expected.

“This should be far enough. I don't think anyone followed us.” Yang Gang spoke quietly, but in the stillness of the night, his voice carried clearly to Tian Yi and Jiang Yun.

Carl said, “I had a look when we left the beach. Didn't see the bookshop owner or that chick.”

“Tch... Saw those two pairing off and getting cozy during the day. Probably off screwing somewhere.” Yang Gang snorted.

Carl sneered. “What? Interested in that pretty boy?”

The moment he said it, Tian Yi's hand came in useful. His palm was already close to Jiang Yun's face; a quick lift covered her mouth, which had formed an O.

Jiang Yun had already been astonished to see these two, who'd been so hostile toward each other during the day, sneak into the woods to plot something. She hadn't expected Yang Gang's tastes to be quite so unusual, either... If Tian Yi hadn't stopped her so quickly, she really would have blurted out a “Huh?!”

The next second brought an even more shocking sight. Yang Gang replied dismissively, “He's not my type.” Faint moonlight filtered through the trees, just enough to make out his and Carl's silhouettes. Yang Gang raised a hand to stroke Carl's neck. “He's not as manly as you.”

Jiang Yun was completely stunned. She really had “never seen anything like it in her life.” No question about that. She had nothing against gay people, but a scene like this, at this time and place, involving these two people, short-circuited her brain.

Carl didn't mind Yang Gang's hand. He simply replied, “You were pretty quick on your feet today, pretending to be a cop and taking control.”

Yang Gang laughed. “Ha... Without you playing the black-faced villain and opposing me, I wouldn't have been nearly so convincing as the red-faced hero.”

Carl said, “I still don't quite get those metaphors you people from the Dragon Commandery use, but considering we hadn't discussed it beforehand, you reacted pretty well.”

“You startled me at first, too. But when you started acting like a brainless hothead, I knew you were putting it on, so I pretended I didn't know you and played along,” Yang Gang said.

Carl said, “Hmph... That's how people are. Step forward and offer to take responsibility for leading them, and most will sneer at you or oppose you out of some inexplicable jealousy. But have one of these ‘black-faced villains’ you mentioned step forward and oppose you at every turn, and the crowd will fall in line. Really, they just don't want to be in the minority, and they're too scared to confront me directly, so they hide behind their ‘red-faced hero’ and make a lot of noise.”

“Heh heh... You've got it figured out, boss,” Yang Gang said. “By the way, boss, what do you make of this island?”

Carl said, “What can I make of it? I know as much as you do. I was here when I woke up. So far, the people on the island who seem to know each other are those two office workers, Dale and Lambert, and that old guy Rude and the kid called Jerry.”

Yang Gang picked up the thread. “Boss, speaking of Rude and the kid, have you noticed...”

Carl said bluntly, “I noticed ages ago. Rude's the noble. He's no butler, just an old pedophile. Hmph... Those nobles are all scum anyway. Nothing surprising about it. When the time comes, we'll just kill him.”

At the talk of murder, Jiang Yun began to tremble noticeably. Tian Yi pulled her a little closer and held her firmly to keep her from making a sound. Every movement was tiny, silent, flawless.

Yang Gang said, “Then... boss, what about the others on the island? Anyone worth watching, or anyone we can use?”

Carl replied, “For now, every one of them is useful. We have no idea who brought us to this island with a bunch of strangers, or why.

“At this stage, we absolutely cannot expose who we are or our connection. Staying alive and taking control, directing what everyone does—that's the first priority. If anything happens later, you'll be able to use your position as leader to your advantage...

“It's no different from a gang here. The weak get pushed aside and sent out to die first. No one's stupid enough to speak up for them, unless they want to die too. The man with power and strength dies last, if he dies at all. Everyone else is there to die for him.”

Carl paused. “If anyone in this bunch is worth watching, it's that guy called Tian Yi.”

“Him?” Yang Gang had expected Carl to name Gavin, the architect. Gavin was always putting on his look-at-me-I'm-an-intellectual act, spouting jargon nobody understood and passing judgment on all sorts of things as if he were terribly clever. Whatever the subject, he always had something to say.

But Carl said, “I can't really say why. Maybe it's instinct... I don't think he's an ordinary man. That look in his eyes... I've only seen it in killers who've taken countless lives.”

Yang Gang said, “Looks to me like he hasn't had a fix in a few hours and he's in withdrawal. Back when we worked security at nightclubs, there were a few drug-dealing punks who wandered around the alleys all day with that same shitty look on their faces.”

Carl said, “All right, forget it. Anyway, of the eleven besides us, take away the two useless old men, three women, and one kid, and the five men left don't look like much. No need to be too wary of them. Give it a few days. Once we've figured out what kind of game is being played on this island, we'll decide what to do. Let's head back now, before anyone notices and gets suspicious.”

Yang Gang agreed, and the two left three or four minutes apart. To be on the safe side, they went back separately, avoiding any unnecessary complications.

Only after making certain both men were far away did Tian Yi take his hand away. Jiang Yun gulped down air, though she still didn't dare raise her voice much. “Mr. Tian, I nearly suffocated.”

Tian Yi stood and stretched his neck a little. “If you'd cried out just now, or made even a slightly louder noise, they'd have come over and strangled you without a second thought...” A second later, he realized that hadn't sounded quite right, so he hurriedly added two words. “...And me.”

Once she'd caught her breath, Jiang Yun said, “I never imagined this. Good thing I didn't tell anyone else today that Yang Gang was a wanted criminal. Otherwise, they might already have dragged me into the woods and killed me without anyone knowing.”

“Yes... yes...” Tian Yi replied listlessly. He thought she was very lucky to have happened to tell him first.

It was precisely because she'd heard Tian Yi's analysis of the group during the day that Jiang Yun had become somewhat guarded. Had she told anyone else first, word would definitely have reached Carl before nightfall, and tonight would probably have been rather less peaceful. Even if those two weren't ability users, they were quite confident they could kill this bunch of old people, weaklings, women, and children. After all, they had no idea someone like Tian Yi was hiding among the thirteen.

“What should we do, Mr. Tian? We should find a way to warn the others as soon as possible. If everyone sticks together, perhaps we could still...” Jiang Yun said.

“Could still do what?” Tian Yi interrupted. “Didn't I tell you? The best thing to do is find a place where nobody's around and strike first.” He helped Jiang Yun to her feet. “And how many times do I have to tell you before you learn? Twenty minutes ago, you thought Carl was a decent guy who didn't get along very well with Yang Gang. Now they're intimate comrades with sexual sparks flying between them. What makes you so sure everyone else can be trusted?”

“I'm sorry...” She actually apologized, possibly because of that “How many times do I have to tell you before you learn?”

Tian Yi felt a headache coming on. The lack of coffee was only a secondary cause. The main cause was this woman. You couldn't point out her stupidity to her face, or even be a little harsh with her, because she'd look hurt and apologize, making you feel guilty.

God, he fucking missed people like Ikeda-kun... Even when he was stupid, he was stupid with integrity.

Tian Yi hated this feeling more than anything. By ordinary people's standards, his crimes warranted being shot more times than all the executions in history put together. But he himself felt no guilt over them. It wasn't that he was heartless. He really couldn't care less.

But women could make a completely innocent person feel guilty over nothing. It was their gift, one of the Creator's most twisted designs.

“All... all right.” Tian Yi didn't know what to say. He'd meant to say, “It's fine. I, in my greatness, forgive you,” but he didn't even know what he was forgiving Jiang Yun for. Her innocence? Her kindness? Forget it. Just thinking of words like those made his skin crawl. Without coffee, he'd better stop making things any worse for himself.

Jiang Yun seemed to think a few things over. After a while, she took a deep breath and said, “Mr. Tian, thank you. For everything.”

If Carl's instincts told him Tian Yi was dangerous, Jiang Yun's told her he was someone she could rely on. As long as she stayed behind him, she'd be safe.

“Oh...” Tian Yi responded impatiently, then added, “Let's go back. Noguchi must be worried sick.”

“Hm? What?” She didn't understand what he meant.

Tian Yi smiled. The thought of someone on the beach enduring mental torment cheered him up a little. He took Jiang Yun by the hand and headed back. “Nothing. Let's go.”