Episode 55
Bang!
Don Juan slammed his fist down on the desk, and the solid wood split right down the middle.
He took a deep breath and shouted at the cartel bosses gathered before him.
“Do you think this makes any sense?!”
A month after the attack on the Pavela Cartel, half of the bosses from the McCain Cartel were found dead. Each corpse bore the name of Pavela.
Grinding his teeth, Don Juan roared, “Wipe out every last one of those Pavela bastards! I don’t care what it takes!”
His voice was so menacing that the cartel bosses tensed up immediately.
“Boss, we have a problem!”
Just then, the meeting room door burst open, and a breathless subordinate rushed in.
“The port’s been hit!”
With the border routes blocked, the port was the only place in the southern continent where goods could be moved.
Don Juan’s face twisted into a demonic expression as he grabbed the messenger by the throat.
“Damn it! What about the goods in the warehouse?”
The subordinate couldn’t answer, choking and foaming at the mouth before collapsing.
Thud!
Don Juan tossed the fallen man aside and took a few ragged breaths. He went to the desk, pulled out some soma, and inhaled deeply.
“Hoo. Hoo.”
A nearby lieutenant spoke up cautiously, “Boss, maybe it would be wise to leave McCain until things settle down.”
Don Juan glared at him. “Are you telling me to run away?”
The lieutenant remained calm. “Those crazy pirates will definitely come for you in McCain. Why not use that to our advantage?”
Don Juan’s expression shifted. “Lure them to McCain and wipe them out in one go?”
“Exactly. If you catch them coming to McCain and launch a counterattack, the Pavela scum will flee to the South Sea in fear.”
Don Juan pondered the suggestion and nodded. “Makes sense. It’s a solid plan.”
“You can oversee things from Tahuaní, and once the counterattack succeeds, launch a full assault. It will work, no doubt.”
“Tahuaní, huh.”
Tahuaní was the region closest to the border, where Don Juan had a safe house prepared. He addressed his lieutenants, “Crisis has always made us stronger.”
His tone had returned to its usual composed manner. He decided to relocate to Tahuaní.
That night, Don Juan and his men discreetly left the mansion in carriages, heading straight for Tahuaní.
After two days of non-stop travel, they finally arrived at the safe house, much smaller than his original mansion. Don Juan looked at it with a bitter expression.
While he sighed, his men moved his belongings inside. They would have to stay here until the situation in McCain was resolved, so there was quite a bit to bring.
“Damn pirates. I’ll wipe them all out.”
He went up to his room, put on some music, lit a cigar, and poured himself a drink. As he sat with his eyes closed, he sensed something was off.
Opening his eyes slightly, he saw a figure standing there.
“I’ll call if I need anything. Leave.”
The figure didn’t move despite his words. Just as Don Juan was about to shout, the figure stepped forward, revealing his face.
Don Juan’s expression hardened instantly.
“Zeke Murray.”
Zeke, presumed dead in the Pavela raid, stood before him, and Don Juan’s face twisted in disbelief.
Zeke looked at him calmly. “You seem relaxed, Don Juan, despite the dire situation.”
Don Juan downed his drink and replied, “Do you think I’ve never faced threats to get here? Hardly. This is nothing.”
Zeke nodded. “Good. I was worried you’d beg for your life. That would ruin the fun of revenge.”
Don Juan slammed the table. “You insolent brat! You dare threaten me, a mere rookie assassin! Do you know who I am?!”
Zeke smirked. “Scared? You’re putting on a brave face.”
Don Juan’s breathing grew heavy. Despite his shouting, no one entered the room.
Zeke spoke again. “If you’re waiting for your men, don’t bother. None of them are alive.”
With that, Zeke drew a dagger and approached Don Juan.
“In my past life, I didn’t have time to make you suffer properly. I’ve always regretted that.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Zeke’s expression turned cold. “I was your dog, killing indiscriminately to prove my loyalty. Sometimes, I still dream of those who begged for their lives.”
Don Juan stumbled back. “I know nothing of this! Stop spouting nonsense!”
“Ridiculous. While you basked in wealth from blood and drugs, this land rotted in corruption and despair. All because of you.”
Don Juan shouted in a frenzy, “I’m the savior chosen by God! Thanks to me, the poor have jobs, and this city thrives!”
“Enough with the bullshit, you piece of trash.”
Zeke continued to advance. “Don Juan, you’ll never be saved by God. You’re the most wretched bastard this world has ever seen.”
As Don Juan retreated, he grabbed an axe from the wall and hurled it at Zeke. But Zeke didn’t even flinch, deflecting it with his skill.
Ting!
The axe ricocheted and embedded itself in Don Juan’s thigh.
“Ugh!”
He clutched his leg, staggering.
Zeke didn’t stop, closing in on Don Juan. “This time, I’ll make sure you die slowly and painfully.”
The cold, hard edge of the dagger pressed against Don Juan’s face. For hours, his screams echoed from the room.
When Zeke emerged, Simon ordered his men to dispose of Don Juan’s mangled body.
“Dump it at the Shark Dragon farm. They’ll take care of it.”
Don Juan, who had boasted about his Shark Dragons, would never have imagined they’d feast on his remains.
Simon and Zeke approached Kay, who was smoking downstairs.
“Is everything sorted?”
Zeke nodded, taking a seat across from Kay. “Is the syndicate wrapped up?”
Kay nodded. “Yeah. I handled the operations, and the bosses who tried to join Pavela were killed by Don Juan, so there wasn’t much resistance. Simon took care of the deserters.”
“Good. Stick with Simon for now and absorb any power leaking from the McCain Cartel.”
“You want us to play cartel too?”
“No, the syndicate should keep doing what it does. Simon will handle the southern operations.”
Simon nodded silently at Zeke’s words.
Kay shook his head at Zeke. “I can’t believe you actually brought down the McCain Cartel.”
“With Don Juan gone, the McCain Cartel will be in chaos. Now’s the crucial time.”
Kay nodded in agreement.
Zeke handed something to Kay. “What’s this?”
“I’ve made a deal with the Reinhardt Trading Company. They’re setting up a pharmaceutical company. With high-quality soma and skilled alchemists, we can process it into various medicines. We’re planning to create a legitimate trade route for exporting and selling these medicines.”
“Huh?”
Ignoring Kay’s surprise, Zeke pointed to Simon. “Once the organization is stable, Simon will drive out the rebels from the Cusco Kingdom. With their permission, we’ll legalize soma production, and Reinhardt will handle the official import process, allowing us to distribute it legally.”
“You want us to go legit?”
“No, the syndicate will continue as is. We’ll find someone else to run that business. Just handle the transport once the medicine is made. We’ll need to set up a ghost shipping company for appearances.”
Kay considered Zeke’s plan carefully. Setting up a shipping company to move legitimate pharmaceuticals would make it easier for the syndicate to operate in the shadows.
Kay nodded. “Alright. There might be some internal pushback, but we’ll manage.”
“Good. Simon, stay with Kay until things settle down.”
“Understood, boss.”
Zeke stood up. “I’ll be heading out.”
“Where to?”
“I have an appointment.”
“What? An appointment out of the blue?”
Zeke shrugged, not intending to explain, and walked out of the mansion. He opened a portal on his map.
In an instant, the air around him shimmered, and the portal opened. Zeke’s body vanished in a flash of light.
“Hoo.”
Zeke had crossed continents in the blink of an eye.
“Losing 600 points in one go stings, but…”
Near the ruins of Atlas, Zeke appeared, riding his steed Bucephalus, heading towards an unknown destination.
His journey ended at none other than a hotel in the heart of the city.
Dismounting in a discreet spot, Zeke sent Bucephalus back to the spirit realm and made his way inside the hotel.
Guided by the staff, he ascended to the sky lounge on the top floor.
“Ah! You’ve arrived! Zeke, come on over!”
A boisterous voice greeted Zeke from the VIP section of the sky lounge.
It was none other than Carus Nerva Constantinus, the fourth prince of the Rom Empire.
The prince, who had been invited to the Celestial Fortress, was still lingering in Atlas and had summoned Zeke to join him.
When Zeke received the unexpected invitation through a long-distance communication network from Decker, he sensed something was amiss.
‘Just as I suspected.’
Seated next to the prince were Abel Draker and William Siemens.
Abel rose from his seat to greet Zeke.
“It’s been a while, Zeke. I heard you’ve been in seclusion for training. I hope we’re not interrupting.”
Zeke responded politely to Abel.
“Not at all. I’ve been feeling a bit stuck lately, so this is a welcome change.”
As he spoke, Zeke carefully observed Abel, wondering if he suspected Zeke’s involvement in the current situation in the south.
To establish an alibi, Zeke had deliberately used a portal to travel. No matter how fast he moved, it was physically impossible to travel from the southern continent to the central one the day after receiving the invitation.
‘If it’s not about the south, then why am I here?’
Unaware of Zeke’s thoughts, Carus cheerfully filled his glass with wine.
“Abel and William might be good at their jobs, but they’re no fun to hang out with! I hope you’re different, Zeke.”
Zeke grinned and raised the glass Carus handed him.
“To an enjoyable time with the prince.”
Carus, delighted, raised his glass high.
“Cheers!”
The two downed the expensive liquor as if it were water, each glass costing over ten gold.
Seeing Zeke handle his drink surprisingly well, Carus grew even more enthusiastic.
Round after round, the drinks flowed.
Thanks to his healing factor, Zeke remained unaffected by the alcohol, while Carus eventually succumbed to it.
“Zzz… Zzz…”
As William helped the inebriated prince to his room, only Abel and Zeke remained in the lounge.
Abel retrieved a bottle of wine, pouring it gracefully into his glass before setting a new one in front of Zeke and filling it.
Holding his wine glass, Abel looked at Zeke and spoke.
“Zeke, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
Abel fixed his gaze on Zeke and asked.
“What do you think of the current state of Draker?”
‘Why is he asking this all of a sudden?’
Before Zeke could respond, Abel continued.
“I intend to bring down Draker someday.”