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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 55
Bang!
Don Juan slammed his fist on the desk, splitting the solid hardwood in two.
He breathed heavily, glaring at the cartel bosses.
"Do you think this makes any damn sense?!"
A month after the Favela cartel raid, half of the McCain cartel bosses were found dead.
Each corpse bore the mark of Favela.
Don Juan gritted his teeth.
"Wipe out every last one of those Favela bastards! By any means necessary!"
His murderous voice sent chills down the spines of the cartel bosses.
"Th-this is a disaster!"
Just then, the meeting room doors burst open. A panicked underling rushed in.
"The harbor... it's been hit!"
With the border route blocked, the harbor was the only way to move goods in the Southern Continent.
Don Juan's face twisted into a demonic snarl. He grabbed the messenger by the throat.
"Damn it! What happened to the goods in the warehouse?!"
Choked by Don Juan's grip, the underling could only sputter and foam at the mouth before collapsing.
Thud!
Don Juan threw the unconscious man to the floor, gasping for breath.
He stumbled to his desk and pulled out some Soma, snorting it furiously.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
One of the lieutenants approached him cautiously.
"Boss... perhaps you should leave McCain until things calm down."
Don Juan glared at him.
"Are you telling me to run away now?"
The lieutenant spoke calmly.
"Those mad pirates will surely come to McCain for you. We could use that to our advantage."
Don Juan's expression shifted.
"You mean... lure them into a trap?"
"Exactly. We capture them when they arrive, and you launch a counterattack. The Favela scum will be terrified and flee back to the South Sea."
Don Juan pondered this, then nodded.
"That makes sense. I like it."
"You can direct the operation from Tahuani. Once the counterattack succeeds, we launch a full-scale assault. Victory will be certain."
"Tahuani..."
Tahuani was the closest region to the border, where Don Juan had a safe house prepared.
He looked at his lieutenants.
"Adversity has always made us stronger."
Don Juan had reverted to his usual pretentious tone. He decided to relocate to Tahuani immediately.
***
That night, Don Juan and his men slipped out of the mansion in a covered carriage.
They raced towards Tahuani without stopping.
After two days of relentless travel, they finally reached the safe house. Don Juan grimaced at the sight of the modest dwelling, a far cry from his opulent mansion.
While he sighed, his men carried his belongings inside.
He had brought a considerable amount of luggage, as he would be staying here until the situation in McCain was resolved.
'Damn those pirates. I'll wipe them all out.'
He went up to his room, put on some music, lit a cigar, and poured himself a drink.
He closed his eyes and sat in silence for a while, but a strange feeling soon crept over him.
Don Juan opened his eyes and saw a figure standing in the room.
"I'll call you if I need anything. Get out."
The figure didn't move.
Just as Don Juan was about to yell, the figure stepped forward, revealing his face.
Don Juan froze.
"Zeke Murray."
His face contorted in disbelief. Zeke, who he thought had died in the Favela raid, was standing before him.
Zeke smirked.
"Looking quite relaxed, Don Juan. Even with everything falling apart around you."
Don Juan downed his drink in one gulp.
"Do you think I reached this position without facing threats? This is nothing. It doesn't even register as a danger to me."
Zeke nodded.
"Good. I was worried you might beg for your life. That would spoil the fun of revenge."
Don Juan slammed his fist on the table.
"You insolent brat! A mere assassin dares to threaten me? Do you know who I am?!"
Don Juan's bluster was met with a chilling grin from Zeke.
"Scared? Putting on a brave front, aren't you?"
Don Juan's breath grew ragged.
Despite his shouts, no one came to his aid.
Zeke continued, "Don't bother waiting for your men. None of them are alive."
He drew a dagger and stepped closer to Don Juan.
"In my past life... I didn't have the time to make you suffer properly. I always regretted that. But now..."
"What? What are you talking about?"
Zeke's expression hardened.
"I toiled like a dog under you. To prove my loyalty, I killed without discrimination. Even now, they haunt my dreams. The people begging me not to kill them."
Don Juan stumbled back.
"I don't know what you're talking about! Stop spouting nonsense!"
"Don't play dumb. While you reveled in wealth and power built on blood and drugs, this land was consumed by corruption and despair. Because of you."
Don Juan erupted.
"I am the savior chosen by God! It's thanks to me that the poor have jobs! Thanks to me that this city functions!"
"Cut the crap, you piece of trash."
Zeke advanced on Don Juan, his voice dripping with venom.
"Don Juan, you'll never be saved by God. Because you're a damned son of a bitch who deserves to be erased from this world."
Backpedaling frantically, Don Juan tripped and grabbed an axe from the wall, hurling it at Zeke.
Zeke didn't even flinch. He stood his ground and deflected the axe with his Dragon Scale Armor skill.
Ting!
The axe ricocheted and plunged into Don Juan's thigh.
"Ugh!"
He staggered, clutching his leg.
Zeke continued his advance, relentless.
"This time, I'll make your death slow and agonizing."
Don Juan felt the cold, hard touch of the dagger against his skin.
His screams echoed through the room for hours.
***
When Zeke emerged, Simon ordered his men to dispose of Don Juan's mutilated corpse.
"Throw it into the Shark Dragon farm. They'll take care of it."
Don Juan, who had boasted about his Shark dragons, would never have imagined that they would feast on his own flesh.
Simon and Zeke approached Kay, who was smoking downstairs.
"Is everything taken care of?"
Zeke nodded and sat across from Kay.
"What about the Syndicate?"
Kay nodded.
"Yes. I was handling the operations anyway. The executives who tried to side with Favela were killed by Don Juan, so there's no resistance. Simon took care of those who tried to leave."
"Good. Work with Simon for a while and absorb the power vacuum left by the McCain cartel."
"You want us to become a cartel?"
"No, the Syndicate continues as it is. Simon will take over the Southern organizations."
Simon silently nodded in agreement.
Kay, observing this, shook her head at Zeke.
"You actually brought down the McCain cartel."
"With Don Juan gone, the McCain cartel will descend into chaos. Now's the crucial time."
Kay nodded.
Zeke handed her something.
"What's this?"
"I made a deal with the Reinhardt Company. They're starting a pharmaceutical company. With high-quality Soma as the raw material and skilled alchemists, we can process it into various medicines. The plan is to legally export and import Soma, process it into medicine, and establish a legitimate distribution network."
"Huh?"
Ignoring Kay's bewildered reaction, Zeke pointed at Simon.
"Once the organization is reorganized, Simon will drive out the rebels in the Cusco dynasty. With their permission, we legalize Soma production. Then Reinhardt can handle the official import procedures, and we can distribute it legally."
"You want us to go legit?"
"No, the Syndicate keeps doing what it does. We'll find someone else to run the pharmaceutical business. Once the medicine is produced, the Syndicate just handles transportation. But you'll need to set up a shell transportation company, at least for appearances."
Kay carefully considered Zeke's plan.
Establishing a transportation company to move legitimate medicine would provide excellent cover for the Syndicate's other activities.
She nodded in agreement.
"Good. There might be some internal resistance at first, but we'll manage."
"Alright. Simon, stay with Kay until things settle down."
"Understood, Boss."
Zeke stood up.
"I'll be taking my leave."
"Where are you going?"
"I have an appointment."
"What? What appointment?"
Zeke simply shrugged, as if he had no intention of answering, and walked straight out of the mansion.
He then activated his map and opened a portal.
His surroundings shimmered as the portal opened.
With a flash of light, Zeke vanished.
***
"Whew."
Zeke had traversed continents in an instant.
'It stings to lose 600 points at once, though.'
Appearing near the Atlas Ruins, Zeke mounted Bucephalus and headed towards his destination.
He arrived at a hotel in the heart of the city.
Zeke dismounted in a discreet location, sent Bucephalus back to the spirit realm, and entered the hotel.
He was then guided to the Sky Lounge on the top floor.
"Oh! You're here! Zeke, come in, come in!"
Someone greeted Zeke boisterously from the VIP section of the Sky Lounge.
It was none other than Carus Nerba Constantine, the fourth prince of the Rom Empire.
The prince, who had been invited to the Four Seasons Fortress, was still in Atlas and had summoned Zeke.
When Zeke received the unexpected news from Decker that the prince had sent an invitation through the long-distance communication network, he sensed something was up.
'Just as I suspected.'
Sitting next to the prince were Abel Draker and William Siemens.
Abel rose from his seat and greeted Zeke.
"It's been a while, Zeke. I heard you were in secluded training. I hope we're not interrupting."
Zeke responded politely.
"Not at all. I was actually feeling frustrated with the lack of progress lately."
As he replied, Zeke carefully observed Abel.
He wondered if Abel suspected him of being involved in the current situation in the South.
Zeke had deliberately used the portal to create an alibi.
No matter how fast he traveled, it would be physically impossible to travel from the Southern Continent to the Central Continent the day after receiving the invitation.
'If it's not about the South, then why did they call me?'
Carus, oblivious to Zeke's thoughts, excitedly filled the glasses with alcohol.
"Abel and William may be good at work, but they're no fun to hang out with! I hope you're not like that, Zeke."
Zeke grinned and raised his glass.
"To a pleasant time with Your Highness."
Carus excitedly raised his glass high.
"Cheers!"
They both gulped down the expensive alcohol, which cost over 10 gold per glass, as if it were water.
Carus was delighted to see that Zeke could hold his liquor surprisingly well.
Several rounds of drinks went by.
Thanks to his Healing Factor, Zeke could drink endlessly without getting drunk.
In the end, Carus was the first to pass out.
"Hmm... Hmm..."
William helped the drunken Carus to his room, leaving only Abel and Zeke in the lounge.
Abel took out a bottle of wine and elegantly poured himself a glass.
He then took out a new glass, placed it in front of Zeke, and filled it with wine.
Holding his glass, Abel looked at Zeke.
"Zeke, I have a question for you."
"Please, ask."
Abel gazed at Zeke intently.
"What do you think of the current state of Draker?"
'Why is he asking me this all of a sudden?'
Before Zeke could answer, Abel continued.
"I intend to destroy Draker someday."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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