Chapter 52: A Clown
The group exchanged glances, their eyes darting around, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Jeremy stepped forward, scanning the task list in Tom's hand onto his wristwatch. He quickly glanced at it.
"Boss Mason, which of our guys dares to speak up when you ask so directly?" He opened the map, marked Tom's assignments, and projected them into the air.
"Look at this, everyone. Such a long distance, such a dense workload—how can it possibly be completed before 6 PM? Besides, some of the jobs have specific delivery windows—it's impossible to follow the schedule exactly."
Jeremy raised his voice.
"Everyone, be the judge! Isn't this completely unreasonable?"
The runners looked at the holographic map and began to discuss amongst themselves. Although they weren't responsible for Chiba Street, many of Jeremy's points were valid.
Comparing the map and delivery times revealed that this workload, coupled with the requirement to complete it before 6 PM, was indeed asking the impossible.
"Being questioned to his face by his own runners—this Mason is probably the most pathetic supervisor in our Gear Gang."
"He brought it on himself!" Chris said with a sneer.
Jeremy still wouldn't give up, projecting the other runners' assignments into the air. All the runners examined them and found that due to the surge in jobs, it was indeed difficult to deliver all the packages before six o'clock.
Mason remained silent, calmly watching Jeremy's performance.
"Hank, can you complete the assignments?" Mason suddenly asked.
Old Hank hesitated for a moment, then quickly nodded. "It won't take till six—I should be able to finish by a little after five."
"Hank is Hank—he knows the neighborhoods around Chiba Street like the back of his hand. Just because he can complete it doesn't mean others can. That's completely unrealistic..." Jeremy chuckled, causing a burst of laughter from the crowd.
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a chill run through his body, as if he were being stared at by a predator.
Mason's face darkened, and he coldly glanced at him. "Shut your mouth! If you say another word, I'll tear it off your face!"
Jeremy's face flushed red. Having been publicly humiliated, he wanted to retort, but faced with Mason's murderous gaze, he could only swallow his words in fear.
Mason casually tapped, drawing optimal routes on Tom's map. "Following this sequence, as long as you don't slack off, I can guarantee you'll finish before four o'clock."
Tom stared wide-eyed for a long time before pointing to two locations and saying to Mason, "Boss Mason, although these two locations are close, there's actually a building between them. I need to go around an entire block to get there."
"This back-and-forth won't save time—instead, you'll miss several other deliveries." Hearing Tom's words, a hint of satisfaction appeared on Jeremy's face.
"You're faking it, huh? Now you've exposed yourself!"
"Enter from the northwest entrance of this building, go to the third sublevel parking garage, cross the east corridor, then take the service elevator to the fourth sublevel. From there, go forward through the west maintenance passage, take the freight elevator upstairs, and once you reach the ground floor, go through the employee passage on your right. That will allow you to traverse the entire building and appear at the next target location."
After explaining, Mason pointed out several addresses on the map, providing hidden shortcuts and passages. Such detailed route planning couldn't possibly be fabricated on the spot.
Not only that, he even reorganized Hank's assignment sequence. Following Mason's routes not only saved a lot of time but also eliminated the risk of being ambushed halfway. It was a win-win situation.
"Boss Mason, you're incredible! How did you find all these shortcuts!" Old Hank looked at Mason with admiration. Compared to Mason, his knowledge of the Chiba area was utterly insignificant.
Mason smiled mysteriously.
He couldn't very well tell everyone that because he lacked proper identification and was constantly under pressure due to the strange battery in his chest, Mason spent all his time researching the hidden passages in the area near his residence.
For other runners, these passages were merely a way to save time, but for Mason, they were escape routes in times of crisis.
One was working for efficiency, the other for survival itself—the results were naturally different.
"This is impossible! You must be making this up!" The script had flipped completely—Jeremy, who had just dared to challenge Mason's authority, was now exposed as a complete joke.
His face flushed red as he pointed at Mason and shouted, but this time, no one stood by him.
Completing more deliveries safely and effectively meant more money—without Jeremy, everyone else's income would be at least twenty percent higher.
No one turns down cash.
A sinister smile crept across Mason's lips. He glanced at the protesting Jeremy. "You think I'm joking?"
He lunged forward, grabbing Jeremy by the throat and slamming him against a pillar behind him.
"I told you, if you dare make another sound, I'll tear your mouth off your face!"
Mason's expression was ice-cold. He drew his blade and plunged it into Jeremy's cheek, then, before Jeremy's horrified eyes, sliced his face open from left to right!
"Ahhh...!"
With his face split open, his jaw nearly dislocated. He screamed in agony, clutching his chin as he stared at Mason with bloodshot eyes.
"Every delivery in the gang is confidential business. How dare you broadcast all the assignments in Chiba Street!" Mason casually dismissed the holographic map projection.
"You'd better pray these deliveries don't go wrong, or I'll kill you!"
"Now get lost!"
The grudge had been established, and Mason was willing to maim his opponent, but he was operating under the Gear Gang's authority, and this was already his limit. To actually kill would be crossing the line.
The large warehouse was silent. Everyone stared wide-eyed at Mason's cold expression. Compared to Johnny's madness, Mason's calculated ruthlessness was even more terrifying.
"This guy is a real psycho. No wonder he nearly killed Johnny," Gerald said with lingering fear.
Chris had long since dropped his flask, and his gaze toward Mason held a hint of wariness. Anyone who became his enemy would likely feel a chill down their spine.
"I heard he hasn't gotten any cybernetics yet," Gerald suddenly said.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
After collecting their cargo, all the runners gradually left the warehouse, but as they left, they couldn't help but discuss what had just happened with their companions.
"You're something else!"
George gave a thumbs up—he now understood why Donnie had chosen Mason to be the supervisor of Chiba Street.
Mason patted George on the shoulder, looking relaxed. "Come on, let's grab a drink. I also need your help with something."
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