"Boss, the Lizard Gang is here!"
"Smash it all!"
A harsh hiss cut through the air as a group of lizardmen burst through the entrance, waving steel pipes and baseball bats violently.
Leading them was a towering lizardman lieutenant, his eyes cold and predatory.
The moment he stepped inside, chaos erupted. Several taxis sat parked inside the station for routine maintenance, but none would come out unscathed. The lizardmen swarmed around the vehicles like a pack of rabid animals and began smashing them into twisted scrap metal.
"Stop right there! What the hell are you trying to do? Is there no law anymore?!" one of Rowan's employees shouted desperately.
"Law?"
The lizardmen burst into mocking laughter, as if they'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"In this area, the Lizard Gang is the law, you idiot!"
The lieutenant stepped forward with a sneer. "Kid, did you pay this month's protection fee? Oh right, and there's handling fees, operation fees, venue fees... not a single dime less!"
Rowan immediately understood what was happening. They were deliberately here to cause trouble, and the timing was far too convenient. He had just retaliated against Pegasus Taxi, and now these thugs showed up to trash his business.
If they couldn't win fairly, they simply flipped the table and resorted to violence. The mastermind didn't need guessing. It was obviously the owner behind Pegasus Taxi Company pulling the strings.
"That bastard can't win head-on, so he plays dirty," Rowan muttered through clenched teeth, his blood beginning to boil.
The lizardmen showed no signs of stopping their rampage. Cars were being smashed beyond repair, their windows shattered and metal frames bent at unnatural angles. Some of Rowan's employees tried to fight back in desperation, but against their overwhelming numbers, they were completely outmatched. Each brave attempt ended with them getting beaten and thrown aside like ragdolls.
Rage surged through Rowan's veins and reached his head like an explosion of fire. He roared at the top of his lungs and charged headlong into the fight, unable to stand by any longer.
One powerful kick sent a lizardman flying backward through the air, but the others immediately swarmed him like angry hornets protecting their nest.
"You dare fight back? Cripple this fat bastard!"
Seeing they vastly outnumbered him, Rowan stopped hesitating and swung his baseball bat in wide arcs. The scene instantly devolved into a chaotic melee of fists, weapons, and bodies colliding.
The level-one protective barrier he'd equipped clearly wasn't enough for this situation. It shimmered briefly under the assault before shattering like glass. Outnumbered and surrounded, he managed to block an attack from the front but immediately got struck hard from behind. He grimaced in searing pain as he staggered forward, barely keeping his footing.
The lizardman lieutenant was no weakling either; his movements practiced and brutal. With his active participation, Rowan completely lost any ability to resist effectively. They surrounded him from all sides and beat him relentlessly, their weapons raining down on him without mercy.
He clenched the bat tightly and desperately tried to fight back, but the attacks came too fast and from too many directions. He couldn't even lift his arms properly anymore and was forced to simply endure the savage beating, protecting his head as best he could.
His consciousness gradually blurred at the edges. The world grew darker and darker around him, sounds becoming muffled and distant, until total darkness consumed everything.
When he opened his eyes again, harsh fluorescent lights burned overhead.
He was lying in a hospital bed, his entire body aching like he'd been hit by a truck.
Damn it!
Vivid scenes replayed in his mind like a nightmare he couldn't escape. The smashed station with its destroyed vehicles. His beaten employees lying helpless on the ground. Himself being bullied by those lizard thugs while completely powerless. The fire in his chest reignited fiercely, hotter than ever before.
This time, he was truly enraged beyond reason, not just caught up in some momentary impulse that would fade.
He swore on everything he held dear that he would make the Lizard Gang and the Pegasus Taxi Company behind them pay dearly for what they'd done!
Not even bothering to wait for the nurse or get properly discharged, he ripped out his IV and got up. His body protested with sharp stings, but he ignored them completely and hurried out of the hospital.
Within one hour, he walked into the Kangaroo Dodger's Weapon Shop with determination burning in his eyes.
The kangaroo owner sat in his usual spot, looking as arrogant as ever, leaning back in his chair with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Seeing Rowan enter, he merely raised one eyebrow without bothering to greet him properly.
Rowan looked around the displayed merchandise and tested several pieces of gear with growing frustration. Baseball bats, brass knuckles, reinforced vests. None of it felt nearly strong enough for what he had planned.
He stepped closer and covered his mouth, dropping his voice to barely above a whisper. "Boss, got anything more powerful? Something with real punch?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I'm a legitimate businessman running an honest establishment. How could I possibly sell illegal stuff?" The kangaroo spoke with exaggerated righteousness, spreading his hands innocently.
Rowan's face fell in disappointment. Without access to heavier firepower, he had no realistic way to take on an entire criminal gang and win.
Though Dodger refused verbally with such conviction, his hands moved slyly. He casually slid a small note across the counter while maintaining eye contact, the movement so smooth it almost seemed accidental.
"I'm a law-abiding citizen, after all. How could I have illegal goods in my respectable shop? Now hurry along and don't disturb my legitimate business."
Rowan's eyes lit up with understanding as he palmed the note.
Looking at the two-faced shopkeeper who played his role so expertly, he desperately wanted to complain about the blatant hypocrisy. But at least he'd gotten the result he wanted, so he kept his mouth shut.
He wasted no time and drove toward the entrance to the underground black market, his mind already focused on what weapons he would need.
With speed and grim determination, he reached his destination far outside the city proper.
Staring at the pitch-black cave entrance that seemed to swallow all light, Rowan felt genuine unease creep up his spine. But he forced himself to step inside anyway, driven by the burning need for revenge.
After he disappeared into the darkness, the kangaroo casually stood from his chair. He walked to the warehouse behind the shop and opened a hidden cellar entrance, then climbed straight down a ladder into the depths below.
After passing through a long corridor lit by flickering torches, the underground black market suddenly opened up before Rowan like a secret world.
Just like Boshita before him, Rowan stood there completely shocked by this hidden place thriving beneath the surface. Who would have thought that beneath Liberty City lay such an extensive corner of organized crime and illegal trade?
Following the address scrawled on the note, he navigated the crowded market streets until he found the underground armory tucked away in a side passage.
And there, standing behind the counter, was the same kangaroo boss grinning at him.
"Boss, you're not a very honest guy, are you?" Rowan said flatly.
"Ahem, friend, I think you've mistaken me for someone else entirely. I'm not who you think at all. I'm Roger, his much more handsome twin brother!" He gestured grandly at his shop. "Now take a look around at my impressive inventory. Plenty of quality goods here, and I guarantee complete satisfaction with every purchase."
Rowan said nothing in response to the obvious lie. He simply pulled out a thick wad of cash and slapped it down hard onto the wooden table.
"Bring me the heavy stuff. The really heavy stuff."
After an enthusiastic shopping spree that would have made arms dealers proud, a substantial chunk of his hard-earned money had completely vanished. But Rowan didn't care one bit about the cost. This time, his enemies would definitely pay the price in blood, and that made every bill worth it.
Next, he needed to find someone who could dig up information about the Pegasus company's boss. Can't take revenge on a ghost, after all.
From the helpful shopkeeper, he obtained a name spoken in hushed tones.
Goblin Kent, the information broker.
Along with the name came a location. Apparently, the sneaky goblin also maintained a base somewhere in this underground market. After wandering around the winding passages for quite a while and asking a few shady characters, he finally found a small shop tucked away in an inconspicuous corner that most people would walk right past.
Surprisingly, no one was manning the place. The door was locked tight, but a handwritten note had been taped to the front.
"Gone to Malibu Club. Back whenever I feel like it."
Rowan was quite familiar with that nightclub from his previous visits during better times. He hurried back up and drove there immediately, his purchased weapons hidden carefully in the trunk.
At the club, pulsing music filled the air while colored lights danced across the crowd.
Kent sat in a corner booth, still busy flirting shamelessly with several attractive girls who seemed amused by his short stature and grand personality.
Rowan scanned the crowded establishment and spotted only one goblin present among all the various races. Definitely the person he was looking for.
He immediately approached the booth.
Kent, clearly annoyed at having his fun interrupted, turned and frowned deeply at the interruption.
"If you've got something to say, spit it out quick! Can't you see I'm busy here?"
Rowan didn't waste time with words. He simply pulled out a thick stack of cash and placed it on the table where Kent could see it clearly.
"Boss, I need information. I want to know everything about someone."
The moment Kent's eyes locked onto the money, his previously unhappy expression instantly transformed. His face bloomed into a delighted smile, and he casually waved the disappointed girls away with a flick of his wrist.
"No problem whatsoever, my generous friend! There's absolutely nothing in Liberty City I don't know about. Names, addresses, dirty secrets, you name it!"
After Rowan spent the remainder of his available cash, Kent provided him with the Pegasus boss's complete personal information. Home address, daily schedule, security details, everything he could possibly need for what came next.
Late that same night, inside a luxurious villa on the wealthy side of town, the boss of Pegasus Company sat in an expensive leather chair. He leisurely sipped aged red wine from a crystal glass, completely relaxed and satisfied with himself.
He was extremely skilled at crushing business competitors through any means necessary. Relying on these brutal and underhanded methods, he'd risen from being just another ordinary citizen to his current position of wealth and influence.
To him, his opponent's amateurish little tricks were still far too naive and laughably inadequate. He planned to let Rowan learn his lesson pretty soon.
Hey guys, quickly wanna say sorry that I've been slowing down quite a bit this week and didn't really respond to anything. It was my birthday, which led to me being pretty occupied by friends visiting me. I'll start writing a new story and translating a new story next week, and they should be releasable in like 2 weeks or so. Stay tuned^^