Alfred had assud his nephew would finally take a breather after that tense little spat of a eting over at the Bariga area, but there was one thing even he hadn’t accounted for, this wasn’t the old Mystic anymore.
Gone was the lazy, laid-back prince who believed his wealth and status would cushion him comfortably for a lifeti.
No, this Mystic was soone who had tasted the bitter consequences of complacency, paid for it dearly, and now approached every opportunity like a man racing against fate itself, Mystic didn’t know exactly how different he was from the old version of him before he got back all his old mories,
But with a few clues to how his past life had played out and all that knowledge, it had shaped Mystic, which is why he had developed this drive, as he didn’t want to repeat the sa mistakes twice.
So the mont they stepped into the hover car, Mystic was already giving instructions, making sure Alfred started laying the groundwork to reach out to the number one gangster in the Shomolu area.
Though Alfred gave off the vibe of a laid-back, harmless old man, Mystic knew better.
Back in the day, his uncle had ruled the streets with an iron grip, and that was precisely why his father had never stopped investing in street charities.
It wasn’t out of sheer goodwill, but because Alfred had always shown him the subtle, long-term benefits of keeping close ties with the streets.
His father might not have fully grasped it back then, but Mystic understood now, the streets never forgot, and neither did the n who owed favours.
Even if Alfred had long left that world behind, Mystic was sure there were still a few people out there who owed his uncle, though getting a eting with soone like Viper wasn’t easy, but it definitely wasn’t impossible either, especially for soone like his uncle.
Luckily for Mystic, the mont word reached Viper that he was being personally summoned to Mystic’s ho, the old gangster had agreed without hesitation, he had never t the new boss of the Dark Elites, but out of respect for Mystic’s late father, he was willing to show up.
Satisfied, Mystic made a quick detour to a withdrawal point, collected what he needed, and then continued the journey back ho.
–
Alfred sat beside Mystic while Viper lounged casually across from them, flanked by two of his boys.
The trio had that unmistakable street-hardened look, rough around the edges, radiating the kind of raw, restless energy you only pick up from life in the trenches.
Even their boss, Viper, wasn’t any different, he leaned back in his chair, sizing Mystic up with a mix of curiosity and amusent.
"Baba Nla,(Big Boss)" Viper began in his native tongue, a term of respect for Alfred.
"Na small boy be this now, when you told Old Man Dark’s son wanted to see , I was expecting a man, not a kid still wet behind the ears." He turned to Alfred with a serious face.
But Alfred just shook his head, silently gesturing for him to give Mystic his mont.
Mystic leaned forward, his posture calm but firm.
"Welco to my ho. First off, I appreciate you answering my call, that alone speaks volus, especially since you didn’t know personally." His voice carried the weight of soone who wasn’t here to play.
"I want you to know the respect I have for you isn’t any less than what you showed my uncle or my father back in the day," Mystic continued. "You kept these chaotic streets in check for years, that alone is worthy of my backing, but I didn’t invite you here just to trade words about respect."
At that, Mystic straightened up, resting his elbows on his knees, his fingers laced together, eyes locked on Viper’s.
"I need soone with your kind of reach. I’m asking you to work with , not a full-ti job, just a few errands only soone with your influence can handle."
The room fell silent for a long, heavy mont.
Viper held Mystic’s gaze, searching for any hint of hesitation, but all he saw was quiet resolve.
After a beat, Viper let out a loud, hearty laugh, clutching his stomach as if Mystic had just told the best joke he’d heard in years.
"I seriously can’t believe this, you want to hire soone with my kind of expertise?" Viper scoffed, leaning in toward Mystic, his tone edged with disbelief.
"Forgive my misunderstanding, but I get the feeling you don’t quite know what a man of my expertise actually does."
Mystic didn’t flinch, he t Viper’s gaze calmly and slid an envelope across the table, a folded sheet of paper tucked beneath it.
"You might be surprised how much I know," Mystic replied smoothly.
"But let’s not get too intimate with those details now."
Viper gave him a long look, then picked up the envelope and flipped it open.
Inside was a thick stack of cash, a thousand Alliance coins, neat and crisp, the old street boss couldn’t help but grin, already liking Mystic’s style. But the real weight ca when he unfolded the paper beneath it. Nas. A list.
"This what you called here for? What exactly do you want done to the people on this list?" Viper asked, his tone shifting, a dangerous gleam in his eye as his fingers made a few casual, threatening gestures.
He didn’t care about Mystic’s age anymore, the boy had shown he knew how to show love, and that earned respect in Viper’s world.
But Mystic just leaned back slightly, voice cool and steady.
"Relax. I’m not asking for that kind of work. I’m not a violent person, at least not when it’s avoidable, all I need is for you to track them down and deliver a ssage, they’ve been selected to play for the Dark Elites, and there’s a try-out this Friday."
Viper’s smirk widened, he slumped back in his chair, this ti without a trace of mockery in his eyes.
The kid was serious, and there was sothing in the way Mystic phrased it, the subtle authority, the clear understanding of the streets, and the way he spoke with the weight of a man twice his age, that told Viper this wasn’t so spoiled rich boy pretending to be tough.
He was one of them. And like that, any trace of underestimation vanished.
The fact Mystic even had a list this detailed made but without information of where they lived made Viper curious, but he knew better than to ask. If those nas belonged to Shomolu boys, then Mystic was giving them a shot at sothing better.
And in this world, that was sothing worth backing.
But that wasn’t all, by pulling this off, Viper would also tie himself into their elevation, aning more people would owe him a favour.
And if there was one thing Viper liked, it was having people owe him favours he couldn’t cash in on his terms.
The only problem was, Mystic was playing a sharp, calculated ga, leaving no openings for him to exploit.
From what he’d seen so far, Viper didn’t buy Mystic’s claim about not being a violent person.
No — to him, Mystic seed like the quiet, calculating type, the kind that stayed three steps ahead and let others swing the blade, and those types were always the most dangerous.
"Well, you’ve made your intentions clear," Viper finally said, a sly grin tugging at his lips.
"And you even went ahead and gave a deadline without saying it outright. If I’m to get to every one of these boys before Friday, that leaves three days. Question is, what’s in it for ?"
Mystic smiled faintly, leaning forward.
"Simple. Get every single person on that list by Friday, and you’ll get another envelope ten tis heavier than the one you just pocketed. I’m sure your boys won’t mind a nice payday for their hard work. Or... don’t you like envelopes?"
That made Viper laugh out loud as he pushed up from his seat, grinning wide.
"Of course I love envelopes. Consider it done." He gave a respectful nod toward Alfred, then turned and strolled out of the room, his two n falling in behind him, as he moved, he passed the paper list to one of them, already setting plans in motion.
"Well... that went smoother than I expected," Alfred remarked, a slight chuckle in his tone.
Mystic gave a nod, a small smirk playing on his lips. Three days. That’s all he needed, ti to get a bette
r grip on his system before it was ti to face so old friends from the past.
Reviews
All reviews (0)