Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 583: Black Skull. (Part Fifteen)

The Red Oni Club was left in a sorry state by the time morning arrived. A war took place at its doors, and the entire intersection it faced was left in ruin. The apartments that surrounded it were empty, their occupants having run in anticipation soon after the first shot was fired, and it would be a while before they returned. Because of that, the entire area looked like the desolate parts at the edge of the district.

It has been more than a year since Hollowgrid witnessed a battle of that scale. Incidents involving Enhanced Individuals were starting to sound like things that would only happen in the more affluent parts of the city, and even with signs warning of the oncoming disaster, few had the leeway to be concerned.

The site of the incident should have been sealed until the authorities were done with their investigation, but even as the sun rose from the east, no one showed up to do the official work. Only members of the local gangs dared to enter the area so soon after the disaster, driven by concern over a piece of news they had heard.

A intense as it was, a few idiots had risked it all by staying behind to witness the previous night’s battle. Because of that, the news that claimed Inferno’s young boss had died spread like wildfire. Many swore they saw him get blown by a dozen missiles, but with nothing to support those claims, the only way to confirm was by asking the gang’s lieutenant.

Carlos had been left in a bind since the previous night. The boss had ordered all members not to join the fight until he gave the order, but even as it reached its end, they never got the signal. They were left hiding while their boss took on all the hunters coming for his life, and though they had yet to cultivate an attachment to the gang, being incapable of supporting its leader filled them with shame. If the boss were truly dead, then Inferno would be done for. There would be nothing to hold it back together. Everyone would go their separate ways.

"C’mon, man! Tell us the truth!" One of the members demanded.

"I saw it with my own eyes!" Another one exclaimed. "The boss might be strong, but there’s no way he’s surviving a dozen of those missiles! Heck, even one of them would be enough to blow most people to bits!"

"The boss isn’t exactly a normal person," Oliver said. "I mean, he is the boss for a reason."

The debate had gone around the same questions and arguments for a while, always returning to Carlos with the question of whether their boss was really alive. He turned to look at Riot, who sat in a corner enjoying a drink as if nothing had happened. The gang’s former boss was the only one who got a reply after the incident, but he refused to say anything about it and threatened him not to reveal anything.

"Man, I really had high hopes for this," One of them said. "Who knew thirty million would attract people on that level?"

"It’s thirty million." The guy beside him said. "Gold. With a capital G."

"Forget about that," a third one said. "We need to think about what to do now, since, you know..."

"Since what?"

"C’mon, you gotta be serious about this. There is no way he..."

The guy’s face went pale as he turned around, and everyone followed his gaze, their expressions shifting to surprise. Only Riot remained in his corner, smiling with a bottle in hand.

"Boss!"

Oliver jumped to his feet, beaming with the smile of a kid who’s seeing his dad for the first time in a while. Carlos heaved a sigh of relief, looking like he would collapse to his knees any moment now. From their perspective, Dante appeared out of nowhere, which made them worry that he had heard what they said. And he did, though he couldn’t care less. He was the one who faked his death, after all. It would have been troubling if people easily looked through his act.

"Is everyone okay?" He asked, meeting their eyes one by one. He didn’t have the luxury to check on them before, so he made sure to do so now.

"Um, boss..." Oliver was the only one with to maintain eye contact, timidly raising his hand.

"What is it?"

"Well, it’s about... You know.. Blue Moon..." He shrank into his seat. "Are you...okay?"

Dante wasn’t sure how much his subordinates knew, since he never discussed the details of the rescued children. Only Oliver knew since he drove him there that one time, and from the looks of it, he heard about what happened and was worried about him.

"Yeah, don’t worry about it." Heaving a sigh, Dante turned to look at the others. "Listen, this whole thing with Black Skull, it goes way back, before I even considered starting Inferno." He paused for a moment, pursing his lips. "You have done pretty well so far, but it’s starting to get out of hand, and I can’t have you getting wrapped up in this when we just started."

"Boss..."

Worry quickly colored the faces of the gathered members, and Oliver looked like he was about to have a panic attack. Dante made it sound like he was about to kick them out, or maybe disband the gang altogether, but that was not what was happening.

"I’m going to handle things from here. Alone." He said. "I need you to be careful while I’m gone. It won’t take long, but I can’t be sure they won’t mess with you just to get to me. Understood?"

Many reasons led to the attack on the sanctuary, and Dante had a grasp on most of them. The obvious one was that the bastards wanted to send a message and punish him for messing with them. He didn’t think it was beneath them to do it again, seeing as they had already targeted Nobara before, and he was going to be busy for some time going forward. He wouldn’t be around to stop it this time as well, so he needed them to avoid being a liability as he put an end to this mess. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The gathered members had no idea what he had planned, nor did they grasp what might happen if them in the process. His request didn’t sound difficult to grant, but they all found it difficult to make the promise for some reason. As the others contemplated what to say, one of them stood up and held a hand to his head, saluting.

"Undertood, boss!" Oliver said with his usual enthusiasm. "I won’t let anyone get to me until you’re safely back!"

The loud reply caught Dante by surprise, and for a moment, all he could do was blink. The corners of his mouth slowly rose, and he realized that was all he needed to hear.