Chapter 34: The Ash Blades Gang
In the meeting room, six men were waiting. Their faces were rigid, their gazes filled with menace. As Shril entered, one of them spoke:
"Where's the boss?"
Shril stood before them, trying to hide the trembling of her hands:
"I am."
The man laughed mockingly:
"Where's the real leader? The one who rebuilt the gang?"
Shril replied with forced confidence:
"As I said… I am."
"You've had enough acting. You don't mean yourself, but that hunter everyone says supports you… he's the one we want."
Akira finally spoke, his voice calm as usual, yet with a sharp edge like a sword:
"If you mean me… here I am. Speak quickly, my time is limited."
The man looked at him with disdain, surprised that such a young boy stood with this much confidence.
"You? You're the gang leader?"
"No. Shril is the leader. I just assist her."
He laughed loudly, then said:
"You're joking, right? This isn't a playground! Either hand over the base and the territory… or none of you will leave here alive."
Akira turned to Shril:
"Do you agree?"
She replied with difficulty, her voice low but firm:
"I cannot."
The man furrowed his brows and shouted:
"Are you mocking us? We are the 'Ash Blades' gang, not a bunch of kids like your group. Don't think it will end simply by killing you."
Akira, with a tone of sarcasm that never left his voice, asked:
"And what do you mean by that?"
"I mean we know everything: the inn you stay at, the paths you take, even the merchant you deal with…"
But the bullet didn't give him the chance to finish.
A shot pierced his skull with deadly precision, and he fell to the ground dead before the others could even react.
Everyone froze, even his men, from the shock. No one expected Akira to move so lethally.
But Akira didn't stop; he immobilized the rest.
"I don't advise investing here. It will only end in your deaths."
Their bodies trembled with fear, and they raised their hands in surrender.
"Now… take me to your base."
Then he turned to Shril:
"Shril, come with me."
Akira's arrival at the Dark Gang's base was tense; the gang was much larger than Shril's.
The people accompanying Akira spoke briefly with the guards at the gate. After a few minutes, they were allowed in. They were guided to the guest room, where the leader, Dark, awaited them with his personal guards.
He sat relaxed on the sofa, showing no concern for Akira or Shril, as if they were mere children coming to apologize.
"Please, sit."
Shril sat across from him on the sofa, while Akira remained standing behind her.
"I am here to discuss the incident that happened between us."
"I'm listening…" Dark said coldly, pulling out his communication device, showing no interest.
But Alice suddenly interrupted Akira's thoughts:
"Akira, don't let him continue what he intends."
Akira raised his head and spoke firmly:
"If you continue, no one here will leave alive… at least, not you."
Dark's hand froze. He looked at Akira for a long moment, considering him.
"I thought they were just kids coming to apologize…"
Despite his confidence, he did not underestimate the seemingly insane boy. Akira appeared to be one of them.
"It seems it was a mistake on our part. We sent someone to negotiate over territory you couldn't manage. We didn't want it to turn into a garbage site and draw the city's administration's attention. We didn't intend war."
"So, how do we resolve this?"
"Since it was our fault, and because you killed one of our men, Mark… for peace, we propose twenty thousand."
Akira looked at Shril:
"Do you agree?"
"..."
She said nothing. There was no way to provide that amount.
Her mind kept wondering why Akira had intervened.
"Did he come to warn everyone that they would kill us, but Akira noticed and stopped it?"
Dark interpreted her silence as a refusal, his tone changing:
"You should know… I have been lenient with you, but I have a reputation to maintain."
Finally, Akira opened his bag and placed a bundle of money on the table.
"This is 10,000; it's all I have at the moment."
"What about the rest?"
"I'll pay it when I get it."
"Then this case is considered temporarily resolved."
"That will be all from us."
"Yes, only the issue of the unmanaged lands remains."
He looked at Shril; it was clear she wasn't in her usual state, and continued:
"We'll send someone more rational to negotiate with you later."
"So, we'll leave. Shril, let's go."
As Akira and Shril left the room, Drake stood and looked at the men he had sent earlier before raining blows on them.
"Foolish idiots…"
"You sent them on a simple mission, and you returned after being beaten by a group of children."
He vented his anger on these men.
"But seriously, he came expecting a fight."
Akira left the base as if nothing had happened. Behind him, Shril followed, her face disturbed, her steps faltering, almost falling, but forcing herself to continue.
They exchanged no words. Yet, something was off with Shril; her steps were slow, and even when Akira called her, she would hasten to catch up, then slow down again.
After a short distance, she suddenly stopped.
"Shril."
"Shril."
"Shril."
He called her repeatedly, even shaking her gently, but she didn't respond.
"Alice, what's wrong with her?"
"I don't know… maybe she was shocked by what happened today."
That was true.
Shril was under extreme pressure from managing the gang. Leading a group of children wasn't easy, and she needed to prove her worth to Akira so he wouldn't abandon her. What happened today, along with the direct threat of death, pushed her to the edge of collapse.
Her voice came out barely audible:
"Will you abandon me?"
"Shril, what's wrong?"
She didn't answer.
Akira tried speaking to her again, but to no avail. Suddenly, she collapsed crying, clutching him tightly as if afraid he would disappear.
Alice joked softly:
"What a poor girl… you made her cry."
"This isn't my fault."
"But she's crying."
"Seriously… what's wrong with her?"
"Please… don't abandon me."
Akira raised his hand and patted her head:
"Don't worry. I won't abandon you. I promised."
When she heard the words she had been waiting for, she closed her eyes. She was in a state between sleep and unconsciousness, but she didn't let go of him.
"Seriously… what should I do with her?"
"Do whatever you were going to do later. You're attracting attention now."
Some of Dark's gang members were watching from a distance.
Akira sighed, then carried her in his arms back to the base.
She hugged him in return all the way. Upon reaching the base, he gently placed her on the bed after some effort to get her to release him.
Akira's communication device rang again. He opened it and read the message, which made him smile from ear to ear.