Richard had followed Joe for years and had fought by his sides in so many battles as they brawled to conquer the city"s underground business. He didn"t know what was happening, but he was aware that changes were going to happen in the near future, changes that would reshape the face of the city.He regulated his breath while watching his boss"s back; he had done so several times in the past when he had been thinking in places where he shouldn"t have like during a mission or on a battlefield. After a few seconds, he managed to calm down, and couldn"t help but feel strangely happy that he was working under Blank-Faced Joe.
"Although he seems scary, and to be honest, he truly is. He is also one of the most reliable guys I"ve met through my s.h.i.tty life.", Richard couldn"t help but think while gazing at his boss"s broad back. He couldn"t help himself but feel pride, pride for following a respectable leader, and that feeling intensified now that his boss had Filthy Jade Palace for himself. "Now that I think about it… Filthy Jade Palace was his idea…", he reminisced about the past as memory of that day resurfaced.
During those times, the city had been much more dangerous than what It currently was. Gangs fought for respect and territory, and owning a business or not didn"t change anything as it could change owners overnight. If you weren"t strong enough or backed by a strong gang, then it was over for you. But even with those circ.u.mstances, people changed backers as if they changed shoes as gangs could fall in one night. And then they would rise back to life the next day. Territories changed hands as if they were goods that could be bargained. But it all changed when they came, the cultivation era interrupted their savage brawling and made them swear loyalty on their knee. Their gains would have been given to them as a tribute, and the rest of their life would have been senseless slavery for someone else"s gains.
But he changed everything and had dared to talk to them in their face. No one had dared to do so as they had clearly shown the disdain they showed to the Core"s inhabitants. Blank-Faced Joe dealt with the impossible and struck a deal that they didn"t refuse. No one knew what he bargained, nor did they hear anything about the deal in itself. But the day afterward, the Core heard the birth of the Filthy Jade Palace. An organization that put the Core in order, and from the baseless crimes that were closer to empty savagery that ravaged the Core, it turned into a successful organized business.
As he was lost in his thought and mindlessly followed his boss, Richard finally came back to his mind when he noticed the light that came from the familiar building. After a few seconds of walking, they came in front of the old hotel that was used as the general quarter for Filthy Jade Palace.
They stopped as Blank-Faced Joe gazed at a few windows that were opened. An odd look appeared on his eyes as he sniffed a few times before turning to his subordinate.
"You smell that, guys?" he asked as a smile appeared on his lips. The moment they saw that smile on his emotionless face, a shudder took a few members as the rest had waves of gooseb.u.mps traveled along with their bodies.
"Blood!" he exclaimed as his incisors appeared during his savage grin. "Tonight, we bath in blood for one last time!", as he spoke, a gun appeared in his hand indicating to the rest that they should arm themselves.
The group of armed individuals entered the building with calm steps, having already taken out their weapons, they aimed at every corner as they advanced inside the building. As soon as they entered, their nostrils were a.s.saulted with a metallic taste that densely hung in the air of the building. Next was the bloodiest reception hall that explained the smell that a.s.saulted their senses. Blank-Faced Joe"s subordinates were battle-hardened soldiers, and as soon as the h.e.l.lish scene appeared in their sight, they swiftly bathed in the surrounding pressure as a focused glint appeared on their eyes.
A laugh escaped from Blank-Faced Joe before he exclaimed, "Looks like they had quite the fun before we came! Then his emotions disappeared as he turned serious, "Whoever we meet, put a bullet between their eyes!". His order was short but concise; he then stopped losing time as he began advancing in the vanguard of his group. His gun in hand, he pushed through the reception hall filled with corpses of Filthy Jade Palace"s employee. He came across a few faces than he recognized, honest people that worked in a shady business. He knew it because he had made it possible for people who weren"t ready to work in shady dealing, and had created a logistic and management team that took care of the building. But even when meeting people he knew, his facial expression didn"t change and he only gazed at them for a split second before moving on.
He arrived at the end of the reception hall and noticed that explosives had busted the elevator"s door. He ducked his head inside to take a peak and noticed that the machine was broken and couldn"t be used. With a sign from his head, he explained the impossibility to use it to his group before advancing toward the stairway.
As soon as they arrived, he heard the wooden stairway creek, and he swiftly understood that someone was nearby. His finger moved as he took off the security from his weapon, and began aiming in front of him. Suddenly, a figure appeared from behind the staircase with a machete lifted high toward the ceiling. He only took a single step forward before meeting a bullet during his run; his body hit the ground with a thud before he stopped moving as he laid lifeless on the cold floor.