Chapter 107: Establishing Control
The battle between Lionheart and Donnie at dawn shocked the entire Lower Districts.
Thick blood covered the courtyard, leaving no room to step inside. Donnie and Lionheart were bound together, Lionheart's hands on Donnie's shoulders with a hint of relief on his face, while Donnie was consumed by resentment.
No one knew exactly what had happened that night, but the entire Lower Districts were forever changed.
Under the banner of avenging Donnie, Mason led the remaining members of the Gear Gang in a sweeping campaign. The Blood Source Society's strength was completely depleted that night, leaving only Kid near Thousand Leaf Street, who was utterly powerless against Mason, now an Enhanced Operative.
By the time the sun's rays faded, Mason had already ended the conflict decisively, and the Gear Gang's power in the Lower Districts had reached its unprecedented peak.
After this brutal campaign, everyone fully recognized Mason's strength—in their minds, he was now the undisputed leader of the territory.
In truth, Mason didn't care much about this position. Backed by the Time-Space Express Company, given enough time, he would one day reach heights unimaginable to most.
He didn't have a high need for cash. After conquering new territories and reaping a substantial fortune, he distributed most of it as rewards.
Since these assets weren't officially registered, no one could track how much was distributed, and this action garnered significant loyalty.
It wasn't that Mason was genuinely that generous, but rather that the Blood Source Society was dirt poor—all their assets combined probably wouldn't even compare to Donnie's equipment loadout.
Just as everyone returned to Donnie's garage in high spirits, they found the entire shop surrounded by more than a dozen cold-faced operatives with uniform cybernetic arms.
The Gear Gang's logo was clearly displayed on the luxury hovercar parked at the entrance.
"A mid-level executive has come down to the Lower Districts!" Chris exclaimed.
"Looks like Boss Donnie's death has gotten the attention of some heavy hitters in Mid-City."
As he spoke, George rushed out of Donnie's office, his eyes lighting up when he saw Mason.
"Lord Ridley is here, investigating Boss Donnie's death. He wants everyone inside immediately."
Mason remembered the arrogant young man he'd met last month through Donnie's introduction. His muscles tensed slightly, and he stepped forward, following George inside.
He surrendered his weapons at the door.
Once inside, Mason found the office in disarray. Donnie's secret storage room had been violently breached, its valuables and weapons scattered everywhere.
The young man Mason had seen before sat coldly behind the desk, reviewing some of Donnie's confidential files.
"Lord Ridley, I've brought him in."
Ridley looked up, a deep blue light flashing in his eyes. Mason felt as if he'd been scanned, his entire being thoroughly analyzed.
The pressure Ridley exerted on Mason was the strongest he'd experienced since arriving in this world. Mason estimated that Ridley's physical attributes were probably close to 5.0—making him practically superhuman.
"You're Mason?"
"Not bad genetics. To be able to raise your physical attributes to 2.4 in a resource-scarce hellhole like the Lower Districts is quite impressive."
The others stared wide-eyed at Mason, clearly astonished by his strength.
A physical attribute of 2.4 meant that with continued training and some resource support, he should soon reach the critical threshold and have a legitimate shot at becoming an Enhanced Operative.
Enhanced Operatives were the elite class, far beyond the reach of these street-level thugs.
Mason secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
His last meeting had taught him that Ridley's eyes had been specially modified—his scanning capability far surpassed Donnie's. He might even be able to directly read physical attributes.
Therefore, before entering the office, he'd risked activating his Limit Break, then deactivating it and shutting down his bio-battery once his internal energy levels dropped.
Energy depletion, coupled with the aftereffects of his extreme power surge, caused his physical stats to plummet, barely maintaining around 2.4, which allowed him to initially evade Ridley's scan.
"No wonder you haven't gotten cybernetic implants—are you gunning to become an Enhanced Operative?" Ridley asked.
Before Mason could answer, he continued, "Did you deliver the package?"
Mason nodded.
"Everyone else, out."
Everyone exchanged glances but could only obediently leave, their eyes filled with envy.
After everyone had left, a hint of urgency appeared on Ridley's face. "Did you deliver the package? What did they say?"
Mason showed Ridley the delivery confirmation on his smartwatch. "They received the goods. Didn't say anything, then I left." He feigned ignorance.
"Did something go wrong?"
After a moment's hesitation, Ridley said irritably, "They took the merchandise but didn't pay!"
"Uh..."
Mason was speechless.
It wasn't entirely Ridley's fault. It was Cade who'd intercepted the transaction, and the buyer was Donovan, who'd even considered the enhancement compounds a gift, demonstrating Ridley's high regard for Cade.
So he never expected the bastard to stiff him!
Given his status, he wasn't particularly concerned about the money itself, but the feeling of being scammed was like a bone stuck in his throat—more disgusting than swallowing a cockroach.
"Could he have been too excited and forgotten...?"
Ridley waved his hand dismissively, looking frustrated. He'd considered the possibility that Donnie might have embezzled the payment, but now Donnie was dead.
He'd searched Donnie's residence and office thoroughly, finding several million credits, but that was merely the wealth Donnie had accumulated over the years.
"Alright, from now on you're in charge of this territory. Focus on improving your capabilities. Once you've saved enough capital, I'll help you secure an Enhancement Compound. Once you become an Enhanced Operative, you can leave the Lower Districts!"
Ridley didn't ask any more questions, casually giving a few instructions—which was considered his official acknowledgment of Mason's position. He didn't want to linger, so he left his contact information and turned to leave.
Not long after Ridley departed, George and his two associates, having received the news, entered. Chris and Gerald looked somewhat embarrassed, clearly remembering their earlier cold treatment of Mason.
George, however, was much more straightforward. He seized the opportunity, constantly addressing Mason as "Boss." Mason introduced Martin to the three, thus establishing his initial command team.
In the following period, he took over all of Donnie's assets and territory, and began reorganizing the entire zone.
After nearly four months in this world, Mason, who had been constantly on the move and living a precarious existence, finally had his first territory, solidifying his position.
And at the beginning of the fifth month, he received a notification on his personal terminal.
Mission World: Hellboy (?)
Trainee courier Mason is requested to activate his personal terminal at a secure location and enter the mission world within 24 hours.
Failure to comply will be considered an automatic mission abandonment, and the courier will be subject to penalties.
Delivery Mission: Under Revision...
Mission Rewards: Calculating...
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