"What kind of clues do we have?" Tilan asked curiously.
"It's related to the Ghost Face Gang — a shady group active in the underworld of Academy City. They always skirt the edges of the law, doing small-scale bad deeds. But the people behind it are smart; they keep their operations controlled within a limited scope, avoiding public attention and steering clear of big-na students and major corporations. They've managed to survive pretty well because of this." Suoga explained to Tilan, recounting the events, which were more or less similar to what happened with Duke. One night, mbers of the Ghost Face Gang blocked As's convoy and forced them to betray, leaving behind plenty of evidence.
"Even though so part of it was forced, I can see that As didn't seem to resist at all. That's just the type of person he is — he'll follow whoever is stronger. Right now, that mysterious organization has displayed overwhelming power, naturally attracting him. He didn't hesitate to join and even put effort into doing their bidding." Suoga spoke matter-of-factly.
"How does Alanna feel about it now?" Tilan was curious about how Alanna would deal with soone as fickle as As.
"No idea, but we'll find out soon enough." Suoga shook his head.
anwhile, Alanna finished a few skewers of barbecue and downed the table's liquor in one gulp.
"If you still claim loyalty, then co with to deal with the Ghost Face Gang." With that, she slamd the cup on the table, producing a sharp sound.
"Whoa, is the lady going on a killing spree tonight?" As joked with a seemingly playful expression, but the look in his eyes spun wildly. It was clear Alanna was forcing him to take a side. If he retaliated against the Ghost Face Gang now, it would an tearing apart the pact they signed that night. This was a gamble — betting that the mysterious organization wouldn't dare expose the evidence to the Federal Official and harm his associates.
"I'm not joking, As." Alanna gave the man a sidelong glance.
"I'm not joking either, lady. Do you really have the guts to draw blood?" As finished the liquor in front of him and stood up as well.
"The Ghost Face Gang isn't like , just so small-ti thug. Those people actually have weapons and won't hesitate to fight and destroy things. If you think you can march in and kick their door down, they won't even care about you being a big deal in the spotlight."
"Look, why not treat the past as just a dream? Go be your famous celebrity; why dirty yourself in this ss and end up looking bad?"
"I want this. That's all there is to it."
"Oh sure, sure. You are the adored superstar, unyielding in your words, revered by countless fans waving flags for you, seeing you as their role model. They wouldn't dare to truly harm you."
"But what about ?"
"There's no such good thing in life, As. You can't keep wobbling between two sides forever. By asking you to co with now, I'm giving you one last chance."
"How nice that sounds." As rolled his eyes, seemingly about to sweep the dishes and cups in front of him off the table, but ultimately only slamd his own cup down.
He prided himself on being a local leader with personal charisma, but today he couldn't maintain his façade in front of his entourage. He was genuinely afraid — the kind of fear that Alanna's provocations couldn't simply erase.
"Ha, is this the 'Wild Wolf'? Such a disgrace. I even had expectations before." Gen mocked from nearby, watching the scene unfold.
"Cut him so slack — he's just a car-racing street punk. His usual flair and swagger only co from his knack for acting. But when it really cos down to organizational discipline and fighting spirit, he'll never muster the guts to go all out." Suoga shook his head.
"I've seen students from the Federal Military Academy. Even if it's just a handful of them, they dare to charge and fight. anwhile, these scattered groups, even with more people, wouldn't dare provoke them."
Ignoring As, Alanna's gaze swept past him to the few companions standing behind him. She could tell that a number of them were Connectors as well.
"How about you all? Anyone willing to co with ?"
These people exchanged glances, looking to one another but saying nothing. They were cowards too.
This disappointed Alanna. She gave up hope and prepared to walk away. Gathering followers like this seed pointless. Why not just abandon them altogether?
"Wait, I'm willing to go." One man stood up, his dark green eyes fixed on Alanna, his right cheek twitching, making him appear a bit feral.
"I'll follow the big sister boss." He repeated firmly.
"Why?" Alanna asked.
"To rise above, to beco the boss soday." He spoke openly about his ambition.
"I work for you, boss. You protect ."
"That doesn't align with the ideals of the 'Z' Group." Alanna comnted instinctively.
"I don't know anything about the 'Z' Group. I just follow the boss's orders." He expressed his absolute loyalty.
"Oh, ambitious lad, you're right up my alley." Gen laughed.
"Take him under your wing and give him a chance, lady." He suggested.
To this, Alanna nodded slightly, "Alright, from now on, you lead him."
"No problem." Gen agreed.
Afterward, the group mounted their hover motorcycles again, taking off toward the Ghost Face Gang's base.
Late at night, the bar was still buzzing and packed with countless n and won swaying to frenzied music. Many had drunk heavily and devolved into chaotic lunacy. Establishnts like this always had drunken brawls and verbal spats. Typically, to keep operations running smoothly, owners hired a tough boss or powerful security guards to keep order.
However, this particular bar was different. The behind-the-scenes owner was with the Ghost Face Gang, so very few dared to cause trouble here. The bar naturally maintained a peaceful environnt, attracting thrill-seeking university students looking to play and party.
"Heh heh, look at ~ Ahahaha!" Zhang Yang's wild laughter erupted from the stage, followed by the urgent accompanint of bass and guitar.
Amid this noisy and electric atmosphere, everyone let loose their primal instincts with no reason to hold back. The moral facades they upheld during the day were easily stripped away, letting them release primitive cravings.
Unfortunately, today's celebration, which was supposed to be no different from the norm, had an unexpected turn.
First, the lights went out, then the music stopped. Following that, a few muffled fight sounds were heard at the doorway, and several tattooed burly security guards were quickly taken down, groaning in pain on the ground.
The crowd inside suddenly snapped out of their revelry. Without the music or atmosphere, only chaos remained, accompanied by screams of fright. People started running out, clearing the place in minutes.
Alarms blared inside the bar, footsteps sounded from upstairs, and as Alanna led her group into the dance floor, a side door swung open and twenty or so n wearing ghost masks rushed out. They wielded custom-made bats and wore gang-issued attack-enhancing accessories on their wrists.
The battle erupted imdiately. Though the number of fighters on both sides was evenly matched, the 'Z' Group utilized the power of their Connectors and coordinated seamlessly, easily compensating for any deficiencies. Their discipline far outshone their opponents, allowing them to decisively defeat an enemy of similar strength in re minutes.
"Who are you? Don't you know whose turf this is?" A suited man with a horned ghost mask stepped out with two underlings. His rage spiked as he surveyed the scene in the bar.
That's when Alanna climbed onto the stage, adjusted the microphone, and casually strumd the nearby guitar.
"Who am I? Can't you see? And besides, if I didn't know whose turf this is, do you think I would've co here?" Seated on a tall chair before the microphone, she easily plucked the guitar's strings.
"Cui Xing Alanna?" The suited man finally recognized her amidst the dim lighting — a famous singer in Academy City.
"What are you doing here?" Though the Ghost Face Gang didn't deal in legitimate matters, their intelligence network was usually top-notch. They rarely ssed with actual big shots, except for the recent accidental offense against the cat-eared songstress. That had led to several months under suppression, with nurous mbers arrested, only now starting to recover.
"Let Mulin explain it to him." Gen stepped forward with a suggestion.
The dark green-eyed, slightly fierce young man then stepped up.
Upon seeing his face, the suited man seed to recall sothing, though hidden behind the mask, his expression remained unclear.
"It's you."
"So you recognize him. That makes it simple. No need to explain." Gen smiled.
"You've ssed with the 'Z' Group. Ti to provide an explanation, huh?"
"An explanation? Are you joking? What do you want to explain? Sing you 'Happy Birthday' perhaps?" The suited man showed absolutely no fear.
"I don't know your birthday, but if your song's off-key, I wouldn't mind making today your death anniversary." Gen flexed his fists, readying himself.
"No, no, no, you've got it backward. Today should be your death anniversary." Instead of taking Gen's bait, the man brandished his bat, dismissively shaking his head.
Soon, door after side door inside the bar opened, revealing nurous figures in ghost masks. Their numbers quickly swelled to nearly a hundred, encircling the 'Z' Group completely, flipping the situation.
"The underworld isn't about going solo."
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