Hunting Grounds

The taxi pulled up at Shinjuku Station East Exit, Tokyo’s most famous red-light district: Kabukicho Ichiban Street.

This place became liveliest after eleven or twelve at night. It drew countless tourists and housed three thousand maid cafés, host clubs, video stores, touch parlors, arcades—some involving gambling—and Japanese gangs of every stripe. Every kind of entertainment imaginable could be found here.

The middle-aged driver, who looked like a seasoned hand, tossed Sean a meaningful smile that needed no explanation from the back seat. "They don’t do business with foreigners here. If you want to have some fun, I can introduce you to an upscale nightclub."

Japan’s adult-entertainment industry had countless rules and regulations. Most workers had limited education and did not speak foreign languages. On top of that, ordinary Japanese people harbored a certain "fear" of foreigners—a fear born from unfamiliarity. Thus, an unspoken rule had formed in red-light districts: locals only, no foreigners.

Sean smiled, paid the fare, and got out. Standing at the street corner, he saw dazzling adult establishments on both sides, their signs plastered with sexy, explicit, enticing posters. The colorful array of novel temptations stimulated every man’s hormones, making it hard not to feel restless.

Japanese law prohibited adult establishments from offering actual penetrative services, so a vast variety of shops catering to different needs had emerged: soaplands, handjob parlors, themed establishments, massage parlors, gay clubs, adult video stores, video chats, outcall services… You could say that if you could think of it, they could provide it.

No wonder Japan was a country where erotic culture thrived, Sean muttered inwardly.

"If the paparazzi catch the New York genius touring a red-light district at night, you’ll be even hotter news than Tony Stark!"

Elektra’s teasing voice came through his earpiece.

"Who would’ve thought that ghoul was hiding in a place like this?"

Sean shrugged. He was quite interested in the Progenitor Virus that Hydra had cooked up.

How should he put it? Researching viruses and creating zombies was something that should have been done by someone carrying the Umbrella name—it suited his image better. Those Nazi remnants hiding in the shadows should go up against S.H.I.E.L.D. and give Nick Fury some trouble instead.

Moreover, the ghouls mutated from the Progenitor Virus truly counted as an entirely new species. They possessed human thoughts and emotions; they were not mindless biological weapons like zombies. Yet they fed on human flesh, had evolved specialized predatory organs, and possessed greatly enhanced physical abilities.

In Dr. Connors’s words, they were "quite valuable for research."

So Sean temporarily set aside the Yashida Family’s mess and focused instead on searching for the anomalous creatures hidden in Tokyo. Finding three ghouls who looked no different from humans in a massive city with a population of thirteen million was clearly no easy task.

Even Hydra, with enough influence to mobilize the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and even issue martial-law orders, had repeatedly narrowed the search area and conducted large-scale sweeps, yet still returned empty-handed due to a lack of effective methods.

Public sentiment continued to boil over, putting immense pressure on the government. At the same time, the gangs’ influence gradually rose, severely weakening the authority of government agencies.

Sean, however, had Skynet supporting him, making things much simpler. He first hacked into the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s internal database, searched through the frequent cannibalism cases, and used computational models to divide the city into zones. He identified the hunting grounds of the three ghouls, then closed in one by one after narrowing the search area.

Kabukicho Ichiban Street, one of Asia’s largest red-light districts and an entertainment paradise, became brilliantly lit and deafeningly lively once night fell. Even the martial-law order could not curb Tokyo residents’ tremendous enthusiasm.

Last week, four murders had occurred in succession within this area. Most of the victims had been johns seeking pleasure or gangsters collecting protection money.

Though the dismembered remains had been abandoned in different locations, the victims’ identities and daily movements made it possible to roughly determine that this red-light district, known as Japan’s number-one pleasure street, had become one ghoul’s hunting ground.

As ghouls created by mutations of the Progenitor Virus, they needed to feed heavily to satisfy the constant hunger filling their bodies and replenish their depleted strength and energy. They could not possibly restrain their biological instincts to hunt and prey.

Following the location provided by Skynet, Sean stepped into a hot-spring bathhouse. The kimono-clad Madam welcomed him warmly. Having moved through the world of vice for many years, she could gauge a customer’s financial means at a glance from his clothes, manner of speech, and behavior. This young man before her was clearly the sort of wealthy big spender who deserved careful treatment.

This hot-spring bathhouse specialized in a nostalgic style. It stood at the end of a street in the red-light district, with rows of pachinko parlors and snack shops along the way. Early enka played in the background, yellowed posters decorated the walls, and the interior was built mostly from wood, cultivating a warm atmosphere that made it hard to associate the place with an adult establishment.

Madam had initially hesitated upon seeing that Sean was a foreigner, but she could not resist the wealthy customer’s firm willingness to spend lavishly. After a moment’s consideration, she received him with a beaming smile.

"Would the guest like one of our girls to attend to him?" Madam asked eagerly.

Although the hot-spring bathhouse did not openly offer more intimate services due to explicit legal restrictions, there were always ways around policies. Skirting the edge of the law was no big deal.

The so-called "attendance" at this establishment meant that customers could choose a girl and pay by the hour for scrubbing and massages. As for what sort of interaction followed, that depended entirely on what the customer negotiated with her. In any case, a love hotel stood directly across from the bathhouse, enough to satisfy any man’s wonderful fantasies.

"Koizumi… I’ll take her."

Sean flipped through the selections briefly and chose a beautiful, petite girl.

"Oh my, sir, you certainly have a good eye. Koizumi has been here for less than a week."

Madam gave him a knowing look that said, "You know quality when you see it," then placed her hands before her lower abdomen and walked out in tiny steps.

A few minutes later, a petite girl entered with her head lowered. A white bath towel wrapped around her flat figure, and her messy short hair fell to her shoulders. The only thing particularly captivating about her was perhaps the strange air she carried, somewhere between innocence and maturity.

Sean sat with half his body submerged in the hot spring. Gentle heat rose into the air, becoming a hazy white mist. Those soft, seemingly weak little hands pressed against his shoulders, then traveled along his arms to tap at the firm muscles of his back.

The bathhouse had a clever design. Wooden beams supported the entire building, creating an open view. Sean rested both hands on the edge of the pool, his eyes half-closed as though he were thinking—or perhaps resting.

The girl behind him, who appeared obedient and well-behaved, used a wooden ladle to pour hot water over him. After more than a dozen pours, she stopped, set down the ladle, picked up a towel prepared beside the pool, and dried the young customer’s body.

"Sir, please rest for a moment. I’ll prepare some tea for you, then continue serving you shortly," she said politely.

Sean nodded lightly. His gaze was not on the towel-wrapped girl. To be honest, that flat figure would have had a hard time arousing any man’s interest unless he had particular tastes.

Before the girl could return with the warm tea, a furious shout suddenly rang out from outside the door.