“Brother. What’s happening?”
Owen was perplexed by the question his younger brother posed. He struggled to provide an answer because he himself was grappling with the situation at hand.
The leader of the Fighter Crew, Cook, who they had placed their trust in, had been revealed as a member of the infamous Black Hand and stole valuable items from the Crime Firm.
Shocking revelations kept coming, but what was even more unbelievable was that they became targets of the Crime Firm because of their association with Cook.
Cook told them that they had no choice but to help him if they wanted to live.
"You're already involved with me, so whether you help me or not, the Crime Firm will come after you. If you do help me, I'll welcome you into the Black Hand and give you access to forbidden knowledge and unimaginable power," Cook said.
At 19 years old, this was a lot for Owen to handle, and he wasn't interested in joining the Black Hand. His only concern was earning money to provide for his younger siblings along with the older brothers in the neighborhood, such as Joe and Sam.
But now they had to go to war with the Crime Firm, which seemed absurd and unrealistic, leaving Owen unsure of how to react.
Above all..… .
"Your leader seems to be running late," remarked one of the fighter crew members sent by Cook, with sarcasm dripping from his words.
These particular crew members had a history of bad blood with Joe's group, and even though Cook had assigned them as protection, Owen knew there was more to it than that. He didn't know the details, but he sensed that they were there to keep an eye on Joe and Sam, to control them.
The children clung to each other, anxiety etched on their faces.
Where had Joe, Sam, and the others gone? What would happen if things went wrong?
As Owen worried, someone suddenly called out, "Hey, isn't that Joe coming?"
"Where? Did he… take care of it and come back?"
"He's faster than I thought. His face looks fine too. … Maybe those rumors weren't true?"
"Yeah. But who's that…uh?"
Owen's gaze was fixed on Joe as he led a large group of Fighter Crew members toward two executives who were in the middle of a heated discussion.
Joe didn't hesitate for a moment as he swiftly took down both of them with his recently improved black magic skills.
The executives were no match for Joe's power and were defeated in a single blow.
CREAK!
BANG!
One was slammed into the wall, and the other was thrown onto the floor.
The onlookers were taken aback by the sudden turn of events and moved instinctively, but they froze in fear at the sight of Joe's expression.
"Joe?" Owen called out.
"I'm severing ties with Cook. What about you, Owen?" Joe responded sternly.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
Amidst the chaos and commotion, Oliver approached Joe while he was in the midst of quelling the disturbance.
Joe effortlessly incapacitated two men who appeared to be in charge and exerted his dominance over the remaining subordinates with just a single glance.
"I'm severing ties with the captain from this moment onwards. Those who wish to remain loyal to him may challenge me, but those who wish to depart may do so without repercussions," Joe declared to those present.
With the choice laid out before them, the individuals who were previously weighing their options hastily made their decision and dispersed. Oliver couldn't help but notice that Joe possessed exceptional leadership qualities similar to those of Joseph, Kent, Forrest, Murphy, Arthur, and Jonathan.
"Wasn't it easy for them to back off, huh?" Oliver remarked.
"To be honest, many of them are still reeling from the sudden demand to work for Cook. With the exception of a few individuals, most of them were coerced into compliance. Cook promised to protect us or offer us something from the Black Hand, but who in their right mind would believe such claims?" Joe replied.
As if to validate Joe's statement, all the individuals who had been guarding the area had vanished without a trace. However, Joe remained unfazed.
"Hey, Sam," Joe called out.
"Yes?" Sam replied.
"You stay here with the kids. If we don't return within an hour, take the children and flee somewhere safe. What about you, Owen?" Joe asked.
"Me? I'm with you, Joe. But what's actually going on here?" Owen inquired, his confusion palpable.
Joe shifted his attention from Owen to Oliver and responded, "We were attempting to eliminate Dave, but he offered to help us. You all stay here with Sam, just in case. Understood?"
"Ah, yes!" Owen replied, comprehending the situation despite his confusion.
Without delay, he gathered the children and other community members and departed to a secure location. The movements were swift and unassuming.
Joe approached Oliver after completing some patrol and expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you."
This time, he seemed much calmer than their first meeting earlier today and sincerely thanked Oliver instead of just offering a greeting.
In response, Oliver politely replied, "No, it's my job anyway."
But Joe clarified, "Not that. Thank you for following me here. Thanks to you, I was able to save the children quickly. Thank you very much."
Oliver had gone against protocol by not reporting to Forrest and consulting with his employer, Jonathan, before rushing to help.
However, he felt that it was necessary to act quickly and not risk harm to the community members by delaying.
Fortunately, their actions led to a successful resolution of the situation without any major issues, even if it may not have been highly praised as a Solver's action.
Oliver had promised to help, and he felt he had no other choice but to follow through.
‘Well, we'll figure it out somehow.'
Joe asked with a hint of apprehension, "Shall we go now?" Oliver nodded in agreement, "That's why I'm here."
Joe warned, "If I'm mistaken, we may have to fight over 200 people. They won't stand a chance against you, but their numbers are significant."
Oliver considered for a moment before asking, "Can you take me to where Mr. Cook is?"
Joe responded, "Yes, I can do that much."
"That's enough," Oliver confirmed.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
After some conversation, Joe led the crew to guide Oliver to Cook's location.
Cook had gathered the Fighter Crew in District X and was preparing for an attack from the Crime Firm.
"So, originally we were supposed to go to District Y to buy some weapons and fortify a building there."
"Um..…. Then, why is Mr. Cook building a base here?"
"Well, our relationship with the District Y gangsters went sour. Someone set off a huge bomb there and caused a ton of damage."
“Who did that?”
Joe narrowed his eyes and looked at Oliver.
"Anyway, now we're dealing with the Crime Firm, but if we mess up, we might also have to fight the District Y gangsters. It's all getting pretty messed up all of a sudden," sighed Joe, and Oliver agreed.
The rumor that Cook had tried to rob the Crime Firm's auction items had spread abruptly, and their response was too hurried and chaotic. They had openly prepared for war instead of denying it and stalling for time, making it seem like they were intentionally provoking a fight.
"Over there."
Joe pointed to a large multi-story building at a major intersection that could accommodate over a hundred people. The building was surrounded by barricades, and either planks or machine guns were placed in the windows. There were many people there, all in a state of emotional turmoil.
"Hey, Joe. Did you come after finishing the job?" a man who had been building a barricade around the place spoke to Joe.
Instead of answering, Joe asked a question, "Where's the captain at?"
"He's over there on the other side… but what about Victor?"
"He's dead," Joe replied briefly and moved inside with Oliver.
“What?”
The man who had spoken earlier was taken aback as Joe walked past without responding.
They made their way through a throng of people who were busily preparing for the coming conflict, carrying weapons, ammunition, and vials of emotions.
As Joe emerged, those around him stopped what they were doing and fell silent, fixated on him.
"Captain," Joe said, coming to a halt in front of a man.
The man was a commanding figure, towering over most of the others present with his broad shoulders, muscular build, and thick hair and beard.
He exuded a quiet confidence that seemed to keep those around him in check, a testament to his leadership abilities.
"Oh… hey Joe, you made it?"
“Yes.”
"Did the job go smoothly?"
"It got a bit messy."
"Messy…? Hey, what happened to Victor?"
"He's dead."
“How come?”
"A fist smashed his head and he died."
“Whose fist?”
“Mine.”
The words from Joe caused a stir among the members of the Fighter Crew who were gathered around them.
It was clear that Joe had some significant influence within the group.
"You killed him? Why?"
"It just doesn't make sense."
"It doesn't make sense? What the hell does that mean?”
"I wanted us all to live, but Victor was too selfish to see that. He wanted us all to die for his selfish desires. So, I had to take care of him."
Upon hearing Joe's answer, Cook retrieved a robust steak knife from the assortment of blades on his waist, indicating that he was willing to use it if necessary.
"You're not making sense. Explain it more clearly."
The tension in the space increased as Cook contemplated whether to kill Joe or not. However, the somber mood was disrupted by an unexpected voice that didn't fit the situation.
“Um, can I explain?”
All eyes turned towards the source of the sound as Oliver's voice echoed through the space. He slowly came out, raising his hand between the people.
"Excuse me, please. Oh, thank you."
He slowly emerged from the crowd, politely excusing himself as he walked forward, his footsteps resonating with a steady thud.
Cook couldn't help but speak up amidst the sudden tension. "Whoa, am I seeing a ghost?"
Oliver calmly replied, "As far as I know, I haven't died yet, so it's probably not a ghost."
"You have a really unique way of talking, you know that?"
"Do I? Anyway, it's nice to meet you, I'm Dave, a Solver from District T. Aren’t you the one who spied on us in District Y the other day?"
"Hmm…"
Cook raised an eyebrow in response to Oliver's question, confirming his suspicion that it was true. He looked at Oliver with interest and alertness while the other fighter crew members stood there, confused and uncertain.
Breaking the silence, Oliver spoke up. "That… it takes a long time to explain, but I came here after hearing that you ordered Joe to kill me."
"Are you crazy or something?"
"Pardon?…. Um, I've been asked that question before, but I'm not crazy."
"Well, then how did you have the guts to come here all alone without any support?" Cook questioned skeptically while scanning the surroundings with the vision of a warlock.
It was a valid question. After all, it was incredibly risky for Oliver to come to the lair of someone who wanted to kill him. It was simply madness.
However, Oliver replied calmly.
“As I said, it’s a bit complicated, and Joe asked me for help.”
"……."
"……."
"……."
"……."
Everyone fell silent. As if they couldn't believe it.
"Why?"
"Pardon?"
"Did you come just because Joe asked for help? Would you help anyone who asks for your help?"
"I don't help everyone, but if I can help, I will… Plus, I don't want District X and the Crime Firm to fight. I've been paying for my gym membership in District X for months, and if a fight breaks out, it would all go to waste."
Upon hearing Oliver's reason, Cook erupted into laughter. The reason seemed so absurd to him.
After chuckling for a moment, he spoke up, "Joe… I'm disappointed. You trusted that crazy guy and turned on me? If you had fought him and died, I would have at least taken care of your family."
"Sorry, but I can't trust someone who took my family hostage. Is it even sane to believe the words of someone who eats people?"
The mention of eating people caused the surrounding members of the fighter crew to murmur. They didn't seem to know much about the Human-meat Chef.
In fact, even Oliver had learned about him in detail recently.
“Huh… Good. How did you figure that out?”
“I heard from Dave.”
Cook's remarks admitting that what Joe said was true only fueled the crowd's buzz. Even though this was a lawless zone abandoned by the city, there was still a minimum moral standard.
But Cook was unapologetic, "What? Are you all idiots? Didn't you expect something like that when you heard the name, Human-meat Chef? Did you really think you could change your life without paying the price?"
Cook's eyes widened, and he screamed, causing everyone to flinch as if he had enormous influence. But Oliver remained unfazed.
He raised his hand again and said, "People have their own morals, so I don't think they should feel bad."
Cook looked at Oliver, who refuted his words head-on.
"That's bullshit. People who make a living by killing have morals. Do you think anyone would believe that?"
"Um? The part of keeping the minimum conscience? I don't think they're all that bad. They have some humanity in them."
(To be Continued)
OR
$5/month6 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$15/month12 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$30/month19 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$45/monthAll advance chap + 6 chap/week
