"Putato is telling the truth. There are still a lot of vehicles over there. Those people seemed to be in a hurry, possibly to raid someone else's territory."
"They're likely attempting to lay low during the deep winter."
Gyeong-mi fiddled with his ring while listening to Zulu's report.
He picked up a golden ring from the table and turned to Putato, nodding his chin.
"Hey, isn't this ring magnificent?"
"It perfectly complements Boss Gyeong-mi's entire persona. It must deliver quite an impact when you strike people."
"Well said!"
Gyeong-mi violently jumped onto the table, completely disregarding the fact that this was the third wooden table replaced this month.
The resulting stomping sounds, like percussive drumbeats, disrupted Putato's heart rate. He sighed internally, feeling that Gyeong-mi genuinely suffered from symptoms of ADHD.
"Those fools, seeing me adorned with so much jewelry, mistake me for some flamboyant weakling. But with this ring on, I can shatter their throat bones with a single punch!"
"These aren't baubles from a glass counter; they are all forged by Workshops, damn it!"
"Many simpletons who fail to grasp the situation have had their necks broken by my iron chains! Axe Gang is next! How dare they align themselves with Void Fist!"
"The Thumb gave the order. It was supposed to be just a minor lesson for them. Now, it seems we'll have to wipe them out entirely."
With that, Gyeong-mi squatted down, looking intently at Putato, who had slightly leaned back.
"You performed admirably. Now, come along with me."
Gyeong-mi turned, stepped off the table, and strode out of the office.
Putato and Zulu, who remained, exchanged a look. Putato wanted to inquire about the purpose of this gathering, but the other party merely shrugged.
"Let's go."
Confused, Putato sometimes genuinely struggled to fathom the thinking process of the highly emotional Gyeong-mi. He could only follow.
The six-story dormitory area lining both sides of the path was now bustling. Everyone, under Gyeong-mi's command, had assembled on the central runway. Putato noted there were only about thirty people present.
"Are you all ignoring every command I issue?!"
The moment Gyeong-mi saw Putato emerge, he cursed at the gathered crowd, then pulled Putato closer.
"I hear some individuals here aren't entirely convinced about him, Zulu. Inform them."
Zulu touched his bald head and concisely recounted Putato's intense sales efforts in District 23 and the planned ambush against the Axe Gang for the following day.
As soon as the crowd heard about overthrowing another Syndicate to seize territory and loot, the excitement below immediately erupted.
What could be faster for a Syndicate than fighting their way to the top and securing riches? Nothing!
Even Executive Dino, who had previously spoken disrespectfully to Putato, looked at him strangely. Had this newcomer accomplished so much in just a few days?
He hadn't anticipated that there would be hyper-competitive individuals within the Syndicate.
"In short, he's not only capable but also demonstrates sufficient loyalty. Now, Putato is the Stray Dogs' new Executive!"
"All of you, inform your subordinates, the rats, and the small Syndicates. Tomorrow, after this operation concludes, we will move to sweep the Axe Gang's territory. When the Syndicate expands, anyone capable can step up to become a squad leader."
Although Gyeong-mi's words were crude, he always honored his word, immediately stirring the assembled group into eager excitement.
"Why are you all just barking?! Are you taking my words as wind through your ears?! Show me some proper organizational etiquette!"
The crowd instantly quieted down. Putato felt everyone's eager gaze fixed upon him.
[Congratulations on your promotion within Stray Dogs]
[Acquired Work Talent: Death Tattoo]
[Description: Life is born and dies; you can only possess half of it.]
[Effect 1: Whenever someone perishes near you, immediately extract and store their death aura.]
[Effect 2: You can enter Necro Emission Mode. In this state, your body will achieve durability equivalent to a corpse, your death aura will inflict mortal suffering on all targets, and you can manipulate death aura to repair biological matter.]
Very well!
The more powerful the organization, the more potent the Work Talents one could obtain. Putato was ecstatic, feeling that the risk had been entirely worth it.
This Talent possessed two effects, and this Necro Emission Mode looked incredibly formidable.
Could he maintain this enhanced state as long as someone died nearby?
What an eternal engine fueled by death!
"Hey, why are you drifting off? A few words of acknowledgment should be sufficient."
Gyeong-mi clapped the dazed Putato on the back.
Snapping back to reality, Putato looked down and could see a corner of the character for 'death' protruding slightly from his right chest. That Death Tattoo was currently in its initial Necro Emission phase.
"I feel The City is akin to the starry sky. In this boundless darkness, there are at least glittering stars."
"I hope everyone can shine brightly and achieve their own Star, just as they wish."
The crowd below immediately erupted in cheers, showing no apprehension toward the Axe Gang.
Even if Stray Dogs suffered heavy losses, they were still a branch of The Thumb Syndicate, a recognized Star of The City. The Axe Gang was merely a collection of brazen newcomers.
Putato watched them hastily prepare their weaponry, laughing internally.
Sorry, but I intend to become the Sun that overshadows all other stars.
...
It was a night filled with excitement.
Putato groggily stood up from the workbench, rubbing his face before fully rising.
"Awake?"
Gyeong-mi, who was admiring the rings adorning his hands, glanced at Putato.
"Uh, Boss Gyeong-mi, why am I sleeping here?"
"You simply leaned against the wall and passed out. I was too lethargic to drag you all the way to the dorms, so I just left you here."
"I apologize, Boss Gyeong-mi, is sleeping on your desk perhaps too presumptuous?"
"Damn it, what pretense are you putting on? If you truly cared about boundaries, would you dare to make that bet with me? I'm telling you, you're the only person in this entire faction who would dare attempt that!"
Gyeong-mi twisted his neck, eliciting a creaking sound.
Putato, finally shaking off his drowsiness, didn't know how to respond.
"Alright, you're coming with me to Yun's Office, to give those Axe Gang fools a proper intimidation."
"Oh, when did you recruit those three subordinates of yours? And why are they also Prosthetic individuals?"
Putato's heart tightened, but his expression remained impassive.
"Found them among the lowlifes. Prosthetics are durable for labor anyway. Boss Gyeong-mi, you know those types don't even get enough food, let alone strength."
"Hmm, if they're your underlings, then they can tag along in the car."
Seeing that Gyeong-mi suspected nothing, Putato let out a sigh of relief.
At the factory gate, Mo and the other two were loading black crates into a trailer. Seeing Putato appear, they immediately waved him over.
Two vehicles set off one after the other, heading toward Yun's Office.
The remaining members, however, had long been escorted by an Executive to nearby strategic positions, awaiting the opportune moment.
...
Yun's Office.
The receptionist, who had been leisurely occupied, saw two cars suddenly block the Office's main entrance and immediately scurried into the restroom.
Putato got out of the car, hastily opening the door for Gyeong-mi. As he turned, he noticed someone watching intently from the second floor of the third building to his right.
"Boss, it's definitely Gyeong-mi. That tattoo is too obvious."
"And the Office lights suddenly went out. Let's rush in now!"
Oaks, sitting on a swing chair, shook his head. At his feet lay a man and a woman, dead with their eyes wide open.
After his sister peeled an apple for him, Oaks merely instructed his men to maintain surveillance.
At this moment, several people inside the office were scrutinizing the sudden darkness.
Putato's mind immediately spun into turmoil; he was unclear about the Axe Gang's strategy. They had clearly confirmed everything, yet they were astonishingly slow to act.
Gyeong-mi, seated at his desk, impatiently tapped his foot, while Yun watched with twitching eyes as Mo and the other two retrieved bottles of gasoline from a black crate.
Considering that a full-scale Axe Gang raid would be far more troublesome than simply having the office burned down, Yun remained silent.
Putato was sweating profusely with anxiety, his heart pounding relentlessly.
Although he had already secured Gyeong-mi's promised promotion, he still aimed to become the leader of the Stray Dogs, and eventually join The Thumb's headquarters.
If such an important operation was botched, how could he possibly thrive within Stray Dogs?
The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly tense until Putato suddenly spun around. Under everyone's surprised and bewildered gazes, he instantly shattered the glass and plummeted from the second floor.
Mid-air, Putato gritted his teeth and desperately stabbed his Honesuki into the wall, sparking a large shower of fire. He still crashed down with a tumultuous thud, a large area of abrasions leaving his hands bloody.
He didn't even have time to stand up before angrily shouting:
"Yun! Flee!"
Hearing this commotion, Oaks finally tossed aside his apple, personally stepping out into the residential area to observe the blood-stained Putato who had fallen near his position.
His assistant immediately caught up from behind.
"Very good."
"Fresh blood and fear are abundant. It is time for us to make our entrance."
Oaks's aura shifted. Without hesitation, he fired a shot into the sky, then led his men charging toward the Office.
Putato, leaning against the wall and gasping, cursed internally. This man was indeed waiting for the Office and Gyeong-mi to completely clash before making his move; he was far too composed.
...
Screech! Bang!
After Oaks charged into the Office, vehicles immediately pulled up at the entrances of several alleys across the street. Axe Gang members, axes tucked into their waists, roared as they climbed out of the car windows.
In just half a minute, four cars completely bottlenecked the road. A large number of fully armed elites disembarked one after another.
Simultaneously, windows in every residential building opened, and Axe Gang members and Hook assassins leaped out.
Tae-in, who moved first, looked disdainfully at Putato. A long, flexible whip-blade was strapped to his side.
"Just an Office thinking it can cooperate with the Axe Gang. It seems Fixers' safety awareness isn't anything special."
"You bastard, where did you stash my living weapons?!"
Seeing his defeated opponent approaching, Putato offered no reply, merely retreating hastily into the Office.
"Hmph, do you think you can still escape?"
BOOM!!!
A monstrous blaze roared out from the second floor of the Office, instantly transforming the small building into a localized volcano. Rolling black smoke immediately left the gathered Axe Gang members wide-eyed in shock.
The shattered window frames spewed forth scorching flames. The terrifying heatwave carried large amounts of wood and stone debris, splattering onto the street, resembling a giant shotgun blast.
"Ah! My face!"
"Damn it, damn it! This is an ambush, retreat!"
"Boss? Boss?!"
Leaning against the doorframe, Putato felt a searing heat emanating from his right chest. Pushing his clothes aside, he saw the gray Death Tattoo becoming increasingly vibrant.
Everything was unfolding exactly as he had predicted. Putato couldn't contain his internal elation, but he still needed to escape the epicenter of the Axe Gang's attack first.
"Aaaah a a a."
An extremely hoarse voice reached him. Putato almost mistook it for the sound of the fire itself, but then a charred figure suddenly fell onto the street, emitting an unpleasant shriek.
The severely burned body was still twitching convulsively.
Bang!
A gunshot?
Putato looked up and saw Oaks's sister firing directly at Oaks.
And that wasn't the end of it.
Amidst the chaotic crowd, the girl, moving at an even pace, drew another green syringe, loaded it into her small pistol, then expressionlessly aimed and fired at Oaks.
"What is happening?"
The next moment, Putato was horrified to discover that Oaks, engulfed in flames, actually stood up. He ripped off his charred eyelids, staring at Putato with terrifyingly discolored eyes.
Putato felt his hairs stand on end. The deep-seated hatred seemed to materialize, threatening to tear at his vulnerable throat.
But he wasn't easily intimidated, and immediately scoffed.
"Oaks, I gifted you fear and blood. Is that still insufficient?"
"Aaaah."
As the girl's third shot landed, Oaks's skin simultaneously burned and regenerated.
Even though this fiery figure displayed no discernible emotion, everyone could sense the ultimate agony of flesh being repeatedly incinerated from its screams!
"Putato, get clear!"
Mo's shout from the distance brought Putato back to reality. The terrifying Oaks was charging toward him at superhuman velocity.
"Damn The City, what is with all this advanced technology!"
Putato's heart pounded with genuine terror. His feet kept moving, desperately fleeing for his life, but the Axe Gang members positioned at the entrance wouldn't let him escape.
The axe-wielding gang members immediately swarmed him. Distracted by dodging, Putato was instantly caught by the fiery man.
Whoosh!
Tae-in, positioned beside Putato, seized the moment to swing his whip-blade, aiming for Putato's throat. But this living weapon was immediately impaled by a steel bone flying down from above.
The wildly laughing Gyeong-mi landed steadily, planting himself between Putato and Oaks.
"Hahahaha, you bitch, things are certainly lively now, aren't they! Hahahaha!"
"Let me help you extinguish that fire!"
Gyeong-mi ripped out the steel bone. With a powerful swing, he launched it, creating a sonic boom. Oaks, unable to evade in time, was sent flying backward and crashed heavily onto the ground.
He turned to look at the still-frightened Putato, frowning slightly.
"Why has your courage shrunk? I will handle this charred corpse myself. You go deal with the one who shot; that pistol looks quite potent."
"I'm covering your flank here. What are you cowering for?!"
Without affording Putato a chance to speak, Gyeong-mi excitedly charged toward Oaks, who was just beginning to rise.
Reliable!
Putato wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, which had splattered when he fell from the second floor earlier. His opinion of Gyeong-mi improved significantly. At least this person actually took action to assist.
"Putato, are you unharmed?"
The three Prosthetic individuals finally rushed over. They had previously escaped through a back alley using Yun's pre-arranged secondary exit, only returning now after the Office was engulfed in flames.
"Just a superficial injury."
Putato retreated toward the edge of the battlefield under their cover.
Glancing around, with the Office as the epicenter, a large number of Syndicate members were engaged in random combat, a chaotic mixture of blood and terror.
"Wait, where is that shooter's sister?"
That type of bullet, capable of making a severely wounded, near-dead person rapidly recover, could not possibly have been manufactured by just one Syndicate. There had to be a secret mechanism behind it.
The workplace was a brutal battlefield, and Putato refused to forfeit even a single piece of potential credit.
However, the only leadership position he could realistically aim for within Stray Dogs was Gyeong-mi's, which presented a minor complication. Perhaps he needed to initiate his ascent via the Void Fist track first.
"I just saw that person run upstairs to the second floor. Look, she's right there!"
The girl, who had appeared on the second-floor balcony at some unknown moment, raised her pistol again. Facing Gyeong-mi and Oaks, who were locked in a fierce struggle, she fired without hesitation.
Hearing the gunshot, Gyeong-mi instinctively dove aside. Oaks was instantly hit, and green liquid rapidly injected itself into his charred exterior.
A startling transformation unfolded.
Oaks, whose movements had been sluggish from the burns, visibly regained normal skin beneath the charring. Fortunately, he was drenched in gasoline, which prevented the flames from instantly extinguishing.
"This is too intense! Can that even bring people back from the dead?"
Faced with such miraculous medicine, Putato immediately resolved to keep it for himself. After all, working individuals incurred frequent injuries, and no one's body was truly made of iron.
Putato excitedly charged into the fray, but Mo's squad moved much faster than him.
"Damn it! Mo, slow down!"
The three Prosthetic individuals easily scaled walls and roofs, breaching the second floor where the girl was positioned.
Although their mechanical frames had slightly weaker defense, their high mobility made maneuvering in street combat incredibly seamless!
"Hold still!"
Mo violently subdued the girl, pinning her to the ground, quickly seizing the small pistol in her hand and the three remaining vials on her belt.
The three defending Axe Gang members immediately lunged forward, while the four gang members guarding the stairs quickly retreated into the building.
Clashing blades and heavy axes created countless sparks. The Prosthetic individuals were immediately besieged and put at a disadvantage. Mo immediately ordered the other two to fight while they attempted to retreat from the balcony.
Bang!
An Executive, wielding two axes, grinned as he chopped off Arnold's mechanical hand that was gripping the balcony railing, then kicked him back into the room.
"Where do you think you're running?"
Seeing escape was futile, Mo immediately tightened his grip on the girl's throat.
"Don't act rashly. This is your boss's sister."
The two-axe Executive heard this and glanced down at the balcony. Oaks was being continuously driven back by Gyeong-mi, his fine black suit brutally shredded.
He sneered contemptuously.
"At this point, who cares about the sister? All of you, focus on them. I will personally take responsibility if the boss questions the collateral damage."
The situation suddenly took a drastic turn. Mo felt a pang of regret for being overly impulsive and not waiting for Putato.
The two-axe Executive seized the opportunity while the Prosthetics were struggling to fight back, charging forward to separate Mo from the other two, still clutching the girl by her collar.
"You piece of trash, get out of my way! If it weren't for the boss, I wouldn't bother saving you!"
The girl merely nodded and scrambled to a corner, squatting down.
"Good. Now, it's your turn."
"Aaaahhh!!!"
"Ah!"
Two cries of pain rang out consecutively. The Executive whipped around and saw, on the balcony, a humanoid figure enveloped in eerie gray mist, which had materialized at some unknown moment.
The misty figure was screaming in unison with the gang member he had just captured.
"Bastard! How many people are ambushing us?! Oaks is useless too!"
Under the vigilant and astonished gazes of all Axe Gang members, Putato, reeling from the intense pain, was on the verge of collapsing.
This damned Necro Emission!
Anyone who dared to touch the death aura would instantly feel the mortal suffering contained within it. After all, this was essence extracted at the moment of death—an agony unbearable for the living.
But this effect didn't discriminate between friend or foe!
Instantly killed by a violent explosion, burned to death by flames, thrown from the second floor and crushed.
All the superimposed pains made Putato unable to even stand up!
"No, I am the Pinnacle of The City! This minor suffering can easily be overcome!"
Putato, sweating profusely, struggled to move. Fortunately, the death aura concealed his twisted expression.
The silver lining in this misfortune was that any Axe Gang member who dared to approach Putato for a sneak attack immediately began to scream wildly, filling the entire second floor with a terrifying symphony of wails.
The two-axe Executive, witnessing this bizarre scene, felt a profound chill down his spine and swallowed hard.
"What in the hell are you?!"