"Look—look! That man, could it be—"
"Shut up. You trying to get yourself killed? If you piss off that Fire Dragon, don't expect me to save you."
"…So that's the Hungry Wolves Gang's top fighter, Fire Dragon… He's that pretty, and he still follows that filthy mutt Hungry Wolf."
"He's probably been passed around by those bitches a hundred times already."
What a pain. These bastards.
Hands in his pockets, Chen Mo shot a cold glare at the onlookers whispering and pointing. The next second, the busybodies shivered and hurried out of sight.
Being talked about like that felt awful—and it was exactly because of people like them that the rumors about him kept getting more and more outrageous.
Lately, it had escalated into: he was Hungry Wolf's kept "toy," the thing the whole gang used whenever they needed to blow off steam.
Walking down the street under a barrage of stares, Chen Mo's handsome face darkened the moment the rumor surfaced in his mind.
Damn it. His fists were itching.
If he ever got the chance, he'd burn every single one of those rumor-mongering mouths to ash.
Tap. Tap.
Chen Mo slowed, scanning the sparsely populated park, frowning.
"Where are they?"
He checked his watch. It was time for the handoff, yet the park held not a single suspicious figure.
Had he been played?
When no one showed, Chen Mo found a bench, sat down, crossed his legs, and yawned with exaggerated boredom.
"Haa… when I get back, I'm going to beat that she-wolf senseless."
He needed to vent his anger somehow—especially after that pervert had tried to touch him yesterday.
Yeah. That would do.
BOOM!
"Hm? What was that?"
The sudden crash drew Chen Mo's attention. He looked toward the park's interior and saw flashes of firelight.
He sprang to his feet and strode toward it.
This was Hungry Wolves turf. Everyone in the neighboring streets knew that District 19 was under the protection of a man called Fire Dragon—an enforcer strong enough to make troublemakers think twice.
Anyone bold enough to start a fight here in broad daylight was either a clueless fool who didn't believe a "mere man" could be as terrifying as the rumors claimed—or a rival with real strength, here to grab territory.
And right now, with a brawl breaking out on Hungry Wolves land, Chen Mo didn't care how much he despised that freak Hungry Wolf—he wasn't about to let money slip away.
Besides—
As he walked, Chen Mo flicked a glance at his EXP display and felt a faint, dangerous anticipation.
"Whoever came to pick a fight, don't you dare be like those two women yesterday—worthless, no EXP at all."
Deep in the park, sparks and flame were already exploding across the scene.
"Woohoo! Apple pie!"
Gunfire flared. Blades flashed.
Neglected shrubs and grass were shredded, and the paving stones were cratered and cracked—ruined beyond recognition.
Exusiai tried again to push the thugs back. Seeing the wrecked surroundings and the growing crowd of women closing in, she scratched her bright red hair, baffled.
"Okay, seriously. We're here to deliver your package. Why are you attacking us?"
"Don't daydream, Exusiai. Cover me."
A cool voice cut in, and Exusiai had no choice but to pull the trigger again.
Click.
Exusiai blinked, then gave Croissant an awkward grin and rubbed her cheek.
"Uh… sorry, everyone. I'm out of rubber bullets."
"…That's not good," Croissant muttered.
The slim Liberi hefted her oversized shield and blocked another crossbow bolt that came whining in from afar.
Penguin Logistics deliveries could be dangerous, sure—but a gang trying to straight-up rob the shipment without negotiation? This was their first time seeing that.
And the absurd part was: this shipment was supposed to be delivered to them.
Croissant couldn't make sense of it, but there wasn't time to.
More and more armed figures appeared around them. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as she shouted toward the front, where Texas was carving through the crowd.
"Texas, get back here! We're surrounded!"
Whoosh—
Like a ghost, Texas flashed back to Exusiai's side. Her clothes were splattered with filthy blood, yet her face remained calm.
Only the tightness in her brow betrayed what she felt.
Whether they feared Penguin Logistics' frightening combat power, or they simply wanted to toy with them, the Hungry Wolves members stopped rushing in headlong.
Instead, they held a tight ring around them—closing it, step by step.
Texas lifted her blood-stained Arts blade across her chest. She bent slightly, right foot forward, eyes sweeping the perimeter.
At least a hundred of them. Every possible gap was sealed.
And after that initial clash, none of these women had run. That meant the ones still standing here were the Hungry Wolves' real core—disciplined, brutal, and confident.
This stalemate couldn't last.
Texas spoke first, breaking the oppressive silence.
"What do you want?"
"The goal's simple." A voice answered, smug and loud. "Hungry Wolves has a rule: any outside force that steps into our territory pays a toll."
A Feline woman shoved aside a few thugs to step forward. She wore revealing clothes, a cocky grin, and she rested a cleaver across her shoulder.
"I know who you are—Penguin Logistics. All the cowards say you're the ones you don't mess with. But our Hungry Wolves? We don't buy that."
"Some mysterious company that 'controls both black and white'? Give me a break. Can you really be stronger than us—when we've swallowed the entire District 19?"
She tipped her chin toward the injured members behind her and laughed.
"Oh, right. Add what you did to my sisters—leave one million LMD behind, and you can walk out. Hahahaha!"
So much for talking.
Texas's body tensed. Her expression, already cold, sharpened into something glacial.
"Get ready to break out," she said. "Exusiai. Croissant."
"No problem!"
"Ooh, I've been ready!"
Even surrounded, Exusiai and Croissant didn't look afraid. If anything, they seemed like they were having fun.
Texas, however, didn't share their optimism. Her brows pinched tighter.
She'd heard of the Hungry Wolves Gang.
In barely a month, for reasons no one could fully explain, they had expanded at a monstrous pace—devouring neighboring gangs until they ruled District 19's entire underworld.
The speed was so outrageous it left their competitors stunned—then desperate. Groups flooded in, hoping to take a bite of this sudden "cake."
But Texas had also heard something else.
No one who went in ever came back out.
Staring at the Feline woman's arrogant stance, Texas finally understood where that confidence—and that motivation—came from.
They wanted to use Penguin Logistics as a stepping stone.
"Exusiai, you and Croissant move first—"
Tap.
A crisp footstep rang out.
Both sides—Penguin Logistics and Hungry Wolves alike—froze.
The Hungry Wolves thugs began backing away as if something had grabbed their throats. Exusiai lowered her gun, wide-eyed with curiosity.
"What? What? What's going on?"
A hot, searing presence curled through the air like a living thing.
Texas's senses were sharper than most—sharp enough that her fur practically stood on end. Her composed face finally cracked.
Grip tightening on her Arts blade, the gray wolf's nerves snapped taut. Her eyes locked onto the space behind the Feline woman.
"Something… something serious is coming."
It was winter, yet the air had turned suffocatingly hot.
And the closer that presence drew, the more it pressed down on everyone's nerves—crushing, implacable.
Whoever it was, they weren't distinguishing friend from foe. They let their power flood the entire area without restraint.
It felt like a raging inferno made visible—like a catastrophic natural disaster advancing step by step.
A white figure began to take shape before everyone's eyes.
Texas clenched her jaw, her vigilance pushed to a level she'd never reached before.
What… was that?
What kind of monster was walking toward them?
-------
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