Seeing the 'savages' in the lobby, each one ferocious and fearless, his subordinates barely able to injure them before countering fists shattered their bones and left them unconscious, the man in sunglasses began to feel regret creeping in his heart.
'Am I really the gangster here, or are they? How can they be this vicious one by one?'
He was utterly confused. How much exactly had soone paid to hire these people? They were fighting as if throwing their lives away. Running errands for so many major corporations himself, he'd scraped together a re sixty Sequence 5 bodyguards, yet even that had hurt his wallet enough to make him wince. Expanding further was out of the question.
As ti dragged on, the n around the man in sunglasses fell one after another. When the situation beca lopsided, the remaining mbers of the Ghost Face Gang could no longer hold out. They scattered, each trying to flee for their lives. Unfortunately, the underground casino they were in had been completely locked down. The exits to the surface and other areas were barricaded and guarded.
Minutes later, the last man standing beside the man in sunglasses was sent flying into the ceiling, smashing apart tiles and debris, crashing back down in a heap. The twisted figure groaned in agony, sprawled on the ground, barely recognizable as human.
During this ti, the man in sunglasses had also tried to resist, yet every attempt was effortlessly thwarted. Worse yet, he was slapped across the face multiple tis, his sunglasses knocked off and leaving his mouth bleeding with several teeth broken.
Now, with all his comrades defeated, he retreated into a corner, only to be pinned down and tied up by several Beastn.
"You're coming with us." A towering Bull-horned Beastman hefted him like a sack of grain with one hand and draped him over his waist.
Traversing the hallway filled with bloodied, unconscious bodies and anguished groans, this group of Beastn dragged the man in sunglasses, along with a few other gang lieutenants, to the surface.
"The lady's over there." Amidst his fading consciousness, the man in sunglasses vaguely heard the words before slipping into unconsciousness.
Minutes later, the Beastman carrying him unceremoniously dumped him to the ground, jolting him awake. Nearby, several rabbit-eared Healers in white robes and hooded masks had joined the scene.
The Healers temporarily patched up his wounds to prevent further deterioration, then quietly stepped back, leaving him to struggle as he propped himself up. Before him, on a chair not far away, sat a cat-eared Songstress.
'Light Purple Bubbles' Alu Kulu—an up-and-coming Songstress in the Federation, few would fail to recognize her na if they had even a passing interest in entertainnt culture.
It turned out to be her. No wonder she could so easily rally such ferocious Beastn, each one terrifyingly powerful. To be targeted by soone of her stature, the man in sunglasses felt he could only accept his defeat. Still, he couldn't understand what she wanted with him.
His eyes darted around, landing on Alanna and several others standing a little ways off from Alu Kulu. Suddenly, realization dawned in his heart.
"Alright, no need for pleasantries. Can you tell who's pulling your strings?" Alu Kulu crossed one leg over the other and rested her chin on one hand, gazing intriguingly at the defeated leader of the Ghost Face Gang below her.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind as the man in sunglasses hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to speak.
"We're usually hired by those major corporations to clean up dirty sses, do the things no one else will. As for who's really in charge above us, I don't know. All I know is that we're an outer branch of the 'Guild.'
"The 'Guild'? What's that?" Alu Kulu raised an eyebrow, feeling as though she'd heard the na before.
"The 'Guild' is a Mystic Organization entrenched within the Ai Jieka Network. It acts as a third-party platform, frequently issuing bounties or jobs for others to complete. However, the majority of its activities are illegal and hidden from the eyes of ordinary citizens," explained a nearby fox-eared man in a hushed tone.
"They also forge identities for those at the end of their ropes, keeping these desperate individuals' lives in their grasp. This allows them to command these people at a low cost, forcing them into incredibly dangerous lines of work."
"Many Black rcenaries, Bounty Hunters, and shady firms in gray industries are affiliated with the 'Guild' as their outer mbers," he added.
"Hasn't the governnt cracked down on them?" Alu Kulu asked curiously.
"There were investigations in the past. The Court of Judgnt even apprehended a batch of mbers. But every ti they disappear, they end up resurfacing after a while. Eventually, the Court of Judgnt grew tired of the chase. As long as the 'Guild' kept a lower profile and didn't pose too much of a threat to the Federation's core security, they stopped allocating resources to pursue them," the fox-eared man explained.
"They sound quite mysterious and impressive," Alu Kulu murmured, twirling the Silver Ring in her hand.
"But your answer doesn't satisfy in the slightest. Let's beat him up again." She snapped her fingers.
"Understood."
Two burly Beastn advanced, cracking their knuckles loudly, before unleashing another brutal round of punching and stomping on the man in sunglasses. The sound of bones breaking and muffled groans echoing from his body as it slamd into the ground resonated repeatedly.
Half a minute later, Alu Kulu ordered them to stop, gesturing for the rabbit-eared Healers stationed at the periphery to step forward once more. The blood-soaked man lying on the floor groaned as the delicate process began anew.
Through the pull of Magic Power, dislocated bones slowly snapped back into place. Muscles and tissues, guided by a glowing force, regrew and healed. The strange sensation, akin to countless ants gnawing within, made him cry out with choked sobs as his body convulsed uncontrollably.
Once the healing was complete, the man was hauled before Alu Kulu once again, awaiting her verdict.
"Now then, I don't actually have any specific questions I want to ask. But if you fail to provide with sothing interesting or satisfying, I'll make sure you keep experiencing what you just felt. Over and over again." Alu Kulu's devilish voice drifted through the night, drilling into the man's ears and sending a chill down his spine. His body broke into a cold sweat.
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