The thick, humid air inside the Ebute-Metta sawmill felt like a furnace. Outside, the chaotic shouts of four hundred street boys surrounding the luxury Island G-Wagons created a terrifying background rhythm. Inside, the single halogen bulb swayed gently, casting a dim light over the corporate billionaires who were currently looking like wet chickens."Adekunle, you are playing a very dangerous game," Valerie hissed, her corporate voice trembling slightly as she stared at the tip of Sledge's automatic rifle resting just inches away from her neck. She looked down at the mud staining her expensive designer heels. "You cannot hold the international syndicate hostage. We are global infrastructure. We can erase your name from every banking network before sunset.""Valerie, your banking network no dey run on this mainland ground," Adekunle murmured, stepping forward. He didn't look angry; he looked completely relaxed, like a man inspecting local goods. He reached out and casually plucked the titanium briefcase from her hand.Damini stepped back, his eyes wide with pure panic as Corporal Titus gently pressed the cold barrel of his service pistol against his forehead. Damini's high-tech smartwatch was buzzing aggressively with frantic security alerts from his bodyguards outside, but he couldn't even lift his arm to look at it."Chief pikin... please," Damini stammered, his fresh light-skin turning ash-grey. "The crypto accounts... we can talk. We can allocate a percentage of the offshore logistics to your camp. No need for this barracks layout now.""Allocation?" Adekunle laughed, a low, ruthless sound that made Chief Solomon chuckle from his plastic chair in the corner. Adekunle popped the electronic locks of the titanium briefcase, pulling out the encrypted satellite drive containing the keys to the two hundred million dollars."You people came to my territory to offer me my father's head in exchange for a crown," Adekunle said, his voice dropping into a chillingly deep pitch. "You forgot the golden rule of the trenches. On this Mainland mud, you don't offer me a deal. I take the whole board."Adekunle tossed the satellite drive to Kazeem, who was standing by the workbench with a modified hacking laptop. "Kazeem, plug am enter the system. Transfer the entire two hundred million dollars offshore funding into our secure local maritime routing accounts. Every single cent.""Adekunle! That is syndicate capital!" Valerie gasped, her face losing its remaining color. "If you drain those accounts, they will send international mercenaries to hunt you down!""Let them come, Valerie. But before they land, you and Damini are going to pay the mainland clearance tax," Adekunle smiled, a cold, predatory smirk that completely mirrored his father's dark genius. He looked at Damini. "Damini, open your phone. Transfer fifty percent of your Island crypto holdings into Sledge's wallet right now. And Valerie, you are going to write an official corporate brief stating that the offshore syndicate has voluntarily donated these logistics networks to the Mainland Security Council as an administrative gesture."Sledge let out a loud, chaotic laugh, slamming his iron rod against a stack of timber. "Oshey! The tax don mature! Island billionaires dey pay tithe for sawmill!"Chief Solomon stood up slowly from his plastic chair, dropping his wool blanket. The old General looked at his son with an intense, almost terrifying sense of pride. He realized that Adekunle hadn't just defeated him—he had surpassed him. He was no longer just a military pikin running from a viral video. He was the absolute, undisputed commander of the Lagos underground.
