Chapter 245

From the moment the Salvatore Family suffered heavy losses from an unidentified assault, unverified rumors began circulating throughout the Underworld.

-So it seems a new organization has emerged.

-I heard they’re complete lunatics. Apparently they were the ones who attacked the Salvatore Family and smashed them to pieces. Unless they’ve got nerves of steel or absolute confidence in their strength, no one could pull off something like that.

-From what I hear, they swallowed the Salvatore Family whole. And they’re not stopping there—they’re planning to wage war against the Black Dragon Gang, Beast, Raiders…… other Mafia and gang groups as well.

-A bloodbath’s coming soon.

An emerging organization whose name had not even been revealed.

The story went that a mad boss named ‘Kim Cheolsu’ and one overwhelmingly powerful subordinate had devoured the Salvatore Family in a single stroke.

They were said to be burning with ambition to seize the entire Underworld in their grasp, merely waiting for the right timing to clash spectacularly with other organizations.

But their true identity had not yet been clearly uncovered.

-Where the hell did they come from?

-No idea. They just showed up out of nowhere.

-Out of nowhere, my ass. There were signs. Remember last year when the Blood Wolves were suddenly wiped out? That story about Stingray’s new military drone going berserk and killing them all?

-Yeah. That happened. So what?

-I heard the Blood Wolves had stockpiled mountains of weapons and Combat Modules. Looks like someone secretly siphoned them off, secured funds, and steadily built up their strength.

-That’s nonsense. Remember when Stingray’s V-Series Modules had their release delayed? Turns out that production line was shared with Stingray’s military equipment. It supposedly got left defenseless after an attack by the Titans. They say those bastards took that opportunity to steal everything in sight.

-Stop talking crap. The culprit’s a Dragon.

-A Dragon?

-Haven’t you heard? There’s talk that a Dragon’s been roaming around Sector E lately. They say anyone who makes a contract with that monster can wield power rivaling high-level Adaptees through magic. Those guys made a contract with a Dragon.

-What kind of bullshit is that?

-It’s true! I heard Kim Cheolsu used to handle miscellaneous tasks at a cabaret club under the Black Dragon Gang, then suddenly started rising to power. What else could explain it? It has to involve some kind of ‘magical something’ beyond human technology!

All sorts of other rumors were spreading as well.

Some claimed they had stumbled upon cheat-level equipment crafted by a genius Modular from Trinity Academy. Others insisted they had grown powerful through magical Cyberware made by a Dwarf living in the Fallen Sector.

Of course, no one knew which of these stories—if any—were true.

But the important thing was that they had subjugated the Salvatore Family overnight, and that behind it all was the fact that they had strengthened themselves and secured funds through weapons of unknown origin.

There was even a rumor that among the weapons they handled, the weakest and most useless ones were gradually being released into the Black Market.

“Th-the rumors are swelling more and more, sir.”

“Good.”

“When you said we’d sell weapons, I was shocked, sir. We already have plenty of money. I wondered if there was any need to risk earning more through such dangerous business.”

“Didn’t I tell you then? What we needed was only the ‘image of selling weapons.’”

The truth of the rumors didn’t matter.

There was no need to actually sell weapons.

What mattered was the ‘image.’

“Right now, the Underworld is buzzing with the rumor that ‘a human who contracts with a Dragon gains immense power.’ So how do you think other organizations will view us, this emerging force?”

“They’ll think… that we might have made a contract with a Dragon….”

“Exactly. But for that rumor to spread, it has to be wrapped properly. You cover the truth with layers of shells.”

Those who knew nothing would assume we made money by selling weapons and steadily built our strength. Naturally, the big players of the Underworld wouldn’t swallow that at face value. They would dig into us in their own ways.

And we would guide them toward the wrong conclusion—‘Dragon.’

“It’s kinda surprising the operation worked this well, sir. Things are going smoother than expected.”

“First, the fact that you were originally a Low-Ranking Member of the Black Dragon Gang. Second, the fact that when we crushed the Salvatore Family, a Dragon just happened to launch a human-bomb magic attack at the same time.”

Originally, it was Kim Cheolsu and I who toppled the Salvatore Family, and it was the Dragon who blew up the Salvatore Family’s pachinko parlor with human-bomb magic… but from an outside perspective, it could only be seen as a single event.

In other words, a low-ranking member named Kim Cheolsu gained the power of a Dragon and subjugated the Salvatore Family. We simply spread the misunderstanding Salvatore Morone had previously made as if it were fact.

Thanks to that, it would take longer for anyone to reach the real truth—that Aaron Stingray stood behind the emerging organization.

And until that time came, I would be able to swing my fists a little more freely. More precisely, I had to accomplish all my goals before the truth was revealed.

And my goals were twofold.

One was to make contact with the Dragon.

The other was to subdue Kallia.

“The reason that Dragon is so hard to find is because each organization’s intelligence network is fragmented by sector. And at the same time, that Dragon hasn’t really done anything.”

Therefore, I would openly declare war on other organizations to draw the Dragon’s attention. Judging by the situation, that Dragon seemed to have some agenda involving the Underworld, so it wouldn’t just sit by while I swallowed it whole. It would likely commit another act of terror or take some action.

Even if it didn’t show up by then, that was fine.

The main reason the Mafia had failed to find the Dragon was because they were exhausting themselves in pointless competition between organizations. If all that strength were unified and focused on tracking the Dragon, the chances of success would rise dramatically.

“And as we rampage, we’ll naturally strip away Kallia’s power as well.”

I didn’t know which side Kallia had aligned with, but if I crushed everything in sight, the result would reveal itself.

If I held the entire Underworld in my grasp, the chances of being blindsided by Kallia plotting in the shadows would become extremely low.

And if, by chance, Kallia heard the rumors about the emerging organization and came seeking cooperation, I could remove my mask and use that information in political battles.

In short, I would put forth the organization called ‘Mafia’ as a puppet, and make Kallia dance with that puppet.

After hearing my plan, Kim Cheolsu clicked his tongue in admiration, yet tilted his head as if he didn’t quite understand.

“But ain’t this kinda complicated, sir?”

“What is?”

“Why use such a complicated method? Can’t we just beat down Kallia and anyone else in our way?”

He wasn’t wrong.

No matter how many methods Kallia devised to drive me out while moving between headquarters and the Underworld, I could just say, “Yeah? So what?” and smash them all.

But if I did that, this city would be reduced to a sea of flames. Naturally, the Academy wouldn’t escape unscathed either.

“There are things you can’t protect by swinging a sword alone.”

In the end, the use of force was a last resort.

If anything, the reason I couldn’t go completely berserk was probably because I loved this city too much.

Cheolsu didn’t seem to fully agree, judging by his strange expression, but he didn’t say anything further. He probably didn’t want to flap his mouth and end up getting punched.

I didn’t want to reveal all my thoughts either, so I snorted and put on the mask resting atop the office desk.

“Just keep acting. I’ll handle executing the plan.”

“Y-yes, sir….”

Kim Cheolsu’s expression darkened.

But at that moment, the office door burst open and Salvatore Morone rushed in, out of breath.

“Boss. The Beast have begun to move. We’ve caught wind of an incident. You may want to move personally.”

“I see.”

Kim Cheolsu had gained a certain knack for acting; his performance now seemed quite natural. The fedora and high-end trench coat suited him reasonably well.

In a composed voice, he gave me the order.

“Go yourself and show them a lesson.”

Like a loyal subordinate, I bowed respectfully and replied.

“As you command.”

Beast.

A massive gang that had ruled Hound Street for twenty years, numbering roughly 2,000 members. Its origin lay in human experimentation conducted by the long-bankrupt Zerus Chemical.

At the time, when nanomachines from Stingray and Militech had completely dominated New Valhalla City through the Adaptee industry, Zerus Chemical sought to create a different kind of weapon to oppose them.

It wasn’t nanomachines, but ‘mutant soldiers’ created through various drugs and genetic manipulation.

Just as Adaptees used the power of nanomachines to eliminate mana-induced Otherworld Transformation, or drew upon the power of Mystics through Combat Modules.

Zerus Chemical aimed to grant mutant soldiers invincible power—resistance to mana and the ability to absorb the power of Mystics.

And astonishingly, despite political, military, and economic sabotage attempts by Stingray and Militech, the project had nearly reached completion.

But tragically, the enemy was within.

“Wahahahaha-! Watching you get trampled is like watching insects!”

Beast’s current boss, ‘Crimson,’ had been one of the researchers who participated in Zerus Chemical’s project. Just before the research was to be completed and distributed, he injected himself with a special compound and became a mutant.

He slaughtered everyone in the secret laboratory and attempted to sell the research results and samples to Stingray and Militech.

However, instead of paying a fair price, the two corporations tried to kill Crimson and seize the results. Enraged, Crimson killed the corporate agents and fled to the Underworld.

Ultimately becoming a wanted criminal in New Valhalla City, he used the power of his mutation to form the emerging organization, ‘Beast.’

All of Beast’s members were mutated through degraded copies of the drug Crimson had taken, and thus they became one of the most powerful organizations in Sector E.

“Kill them all! Turn those former Salvatore scraps into chunks of meat and bring Kim Cheolsu to me! I’ll make him spill everything he knows about the Dragon!”

The greatest side effect of mutation in humans was excessively heightened aggression. They often craved blood, and this violent temperament frequently gave Boss Crimson headaches.

But conversely, it was precisely because of their mad-dog temperament that Beast became one of the most feared organizations in the Underworld.

Every member had a red aura surrounding their bodies, towering physiques exceeding two meters, and they rampaged while swinging massive iron pipes—no different from a pack of wild beasts.

At present, they were raiding a casino once owned by the Salvatore Family and now under Kim Cheolsu’s control, going on a violent rampage.

About ten minutes after the battle began.

Eighty percent of those in the shop were dead, and the place had been reduced to ruins. Blood was splattered everywhere; not a single intact object remained.

The problem was that in their bloodlust, they had killed the store manager they originally intended to interrogate. They had meant to demand Kim Cheolsu’s whereabouts, but now that was impossible.

An even bigger problem was that, even knowing this, the Beast members had no intention of stopping the slaughter. Since they had already killed them, they might as well finish off the rest—a truly bestial plan.

But unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, they failed to complete it… because just before they could turn the last surviving member into meat jelly, reinforcements arrived.

A man stepped in quietly, treading across a pool of blood.

Amazingly, the reinforcements consisted of only a single person.

“What a mess.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep