Filed to story: A Bullied Boy Died: A Mafia King Woke Up In His Body
An arctech wagon suddenly drove up near the brothel entrance, and four local enforcers stepped out. They saw the Red Lions members tied up and Kyle ordering the Seven Snakes associates around.
Kyle glanced over his shoulder to see an enforcer wearing a captain’s cap, approaching him.
“Seems the rumor of Ulon dying was true. Been a while since I’ve seen the Seven Snakes this coordinated,” the captain remarked as he looked at the scene with clear disinterest. Even the blood oozing and snaking toward the tip of his metal sole barely fazed him, as though gang fights were extremely common in the city.
Kyle reached into his suit pocket, retrieving a thick, pre-prepared envelope and slipping it into the enforcer’s pocket. “Just a minor scuffle between friends. That’s all,” Kyle said softly before patting the shoulder of the captain.
“Indeed, just a minor scuffle. Nothing to see here. I suppose we’ll be seeing more of this, though?” The captain didn’t smile just yet, refusing to budge.
Kyle sighed, retrieved another envelope, and slid it into the enforcer’s pocket as well. “Yes, there will be more of this in the future. You shouldn’t waste your precious time tending to such minor incidents. Spend that time with your families. Life is more important, is it not?”
“Indeed, it is. You have a good day, sir.” The enforcer captain grinned as he adjusted his pockets and tipped his cap before leaving with his squad.
Kyle soon left along with the prisoners, leaving Niko and the rest of the customers staring in awe. “Holy shit! Did you see that? Who the hell was that? I don’t remember Seven Snakes having such a strong leader. Even the enforcers turned a blind eye.”
“Yeah, that was amazing. I think the Red Lions might seriously be in trouble at this rate.”
“That kid can’t hold a candle to Red Lion, not even the Left Paw himself! I’ve seen him in action recently; man’s a monster. If you thought this was cool, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Slavin cleared his throat, motioning for the customers to return to the brothel. The sex workers and other customers who had “finished” during the commotion had peeked their heads out of the windows to witness Kyle’s spectacle.
“That man is the new head of Seven Snakes,” Slavin announced proudly. “You’d better expect some big changes around here. And to those of you who were planning on stealing from us, think again.”
Niko was completely amazed. The way the Seven Snakes had appeared was far too cool, as well as the performance from Kyle. Could he even join a gang like that?
Back at their base, Kyle grimaced in his room as he removed his shirt. As intimidating as he looked, he couldn’t avoid a few hits, and bruises were now forming in those areas.
The Necklace of Healing provided some much-needed relief, slowly but surely restoring his HP back to full, with a ten-second cooldown. A quick swig of a Stamina Potion also relaxed his muscles.
Might be time to make some healing potions. I’ll have to discover the recipe again in a similar fashion. Shouldn’t be too hard.
Before the night ended, he called all of the associates into the common area. “Great work out there. However, this is only the first of many skirmishes,” Kyle warned. “Starting tomorrow, we’ll be focusing on combat training on top of the existing physical training program. I will be teaching all of you directly.”
Murmurs spread through the associates. The brave gang member who had been knocked unconscious smiled with expectation, hoping to prove himself against Kyle.
“Shit, he’s teaching us directly? Since when do gang leaders do that?” another associate whispered to his friend.
“Fuck yeah! I want to be as strong as him. Maybe one day I’ll duel him and win.”
Kyle overheard that, grinning. “You can try. But before you continue dreaming, I’ll provide a demonstration to mentally prepare you.”
Kyle led the confused associates to a spare room, where a single Red Lions prisoner was tied up on a chair. He grabbed a nearby Euria-enhanced potion, forcing the liquid down the prisoner’s throat. He then used the Necklace of Healing on him slowly, healing the prisoner to full health over a minute.
“Wha… What’s going on?” The Red Lions prisoner was stunned. Was his captor saving him?
Kyle cut the ropes, allowing the man to move about. He turned to face the Seven Snakes’ associates. “Since I took over, I noticed a clear lack of brutality in the way we fight, especially last night. Too hesitant. Too slow.”
Before the prisoner could react, Kyle spun around and delivered a forceful elbow strike into his nose, causing blood to spurt out and him to collapse on the ground, writhing in pain. The associates were shocked at the sudden outburst of violence but were soon reminded of how Kyle had gotten into his position in the first place.
“Demonstration over. Tomorrow morning, each of you will take turns beating him up.”
*****
In another district of the South Sector, a notebook was being read by a well-dressed gentleman as he paced slowly through a large dining hall filled with people enjoying a grand feast. The candlelight and extravagant furniture were only contrasted with the lack of manners each of the diners had, eating like hooligans at a campfire. Food and liquids were tossed about.
“The Ilysian Punks and the Red Lions seem to be neck to neck, while the Wretches are still treating their wounds from the last three-way war…” the man muttered to himself as he trawled through the observer’s logs.
“SEBASTIAN!” a voice bellowed from the far end of the long dining table. Everyone stopped to listen. “Why are you still working?! The Ardent Cretins don’t pay for overtime, you know?” A chorus of laughter erupted from the rest of the diners as a large man stood up and walked forward.
Sebastian bowed respectfully, holding the book to his chest. “Sir, as the dominator of the South Sector, it is essential to observe and keep track of every movement within that can potentially threaten our reign.”
“Yes, but currently, none of the other gangs in the South Sector can match our sheer strength. Ten districts now, with even more to come! Even if we lose every member, there’s still me. I alone rule the whole damn place! ISN’T THAT RIGHT, BOYS?!”