Ryan wrapped his arm around Echo’s waist and answered casually, “He’s got the No. 9 Toxin on his nails, and there’s a callus on the tip of his index finger. He’s too clever for someone born in the underworld. His innocent eyes are a joke. He’s been so weak all these years and hasn’t died, so I have every reason to believe all the rumors about him are wrong.”
Echo raised an eyebrow at Ryan’s words. She hadn’t noticed the toxin. It was colorless and odorless, so she was impressed that Ryan had caught it. Bill hadn’t even picked up on it.
But now, she kind of felt for Edward. She hadn’t expected him to end up like this, and if Edward had known what Ryan was going to do, he probably wouldn’t have acted the way he did today.
“Use him well. He’s got the skills to help you,” Ryan said as he noticed Echo raising her eyebrow. He reached up and gently brushed Echo’s hair, his voice low.
Echo looked up at him, listening.
Ryan tightened his hold around Echo’s waist and spoke slowly, “Only people in the underworld truly understand its rules and how it works. The Ford family isn’t exactly small. For someone so young to fool Hawk and the others means he can be of use to you. But, if you use him well, you’ll win. If not, you’ll lose. And I don’t want to ever be in a position where I have to kill him.”
Echo saw the flash of cold determination in Ryan’s eyes. She nodded, “I’ll be careful. You don’t have to worry.”
Echo knew Ryan didn’t want to kill Edward because he didn’t want it to affect her. She hugged him tightly, feeling the change in him. This was a man who once was arrogant and ruthless, indifferent to everyone, but now he cared about her-this change was something worth fighting for.
Ryan felt Echo cling to him, and a faint smile appeared on his face. His voice was low, “Don’t let me down.”
Echo nodded repeatedly, then pulled Ryan back to bed.
Under the moonlight, their bodies embraced, making the cold night feel warm.
******
Days passed, and the actions of the two families grew bigger, their struggles more obvious. The web of relationships they were entangled in expanded, and the confrontations became more intense. The world around them started to shake as the conflict escalated.
The stock market was in constant turmoil. One moment it was up several hundred points, and by the afternoon, it was crashing. The index was fluctuating wildly, creating panic in the markets.
While ordinary people couldn’t feel the underworld conflict directly, the unstable stock market had everyone on edge, their anxiety growing with every change.
The economic index kept dropping, and all imports and exports were hit with rising tariffs, even to the point of supply stoppages. Oil prices kept climbing, drawing the world’s attention. People’s cost of living started fluctuating, prices went up, and panic began to spread.
Now and then, explosions could be heard from different places, and fires and smoke lit up the sky. These reports were all locked down, so ordinary people didn’t know what was going on. But those involved in the underworld understood very well-it was like the gods were fighting, and the common folk were the ones getting hurt.
Both families had tons of subordinates, and the connections were all tangled up. Once they started openly fighting, all the messy relationships would cause chaos. The underworld had completely gone mad.
The two bosses were at war, and their subordinates were scrambling to keep up, calling each other out. Before the Dark family and Street family even used all their tactics, the entire underworld was already in disarray.
There were fights everywhere-today I take you down, tomorrow you take me down. Nobody could tell who was an enemy and who was an ally anymore.
Everyone was on edge, everyone was involved. Some tried to stay out of it, but they were dragged in by the swirling chaos. Some tried to wait and see, but they didn’t have the power to just sit back.
There were even people who thought about stepping in to mediate, but that thought lasted only a moment before they couldn’t dare to think about it again. The two top-tier criminal families were clashing, and who had the guts or ability to speak up?
The winds of change were sweeping through the world, and the battles between arms-dealing families had stirred up the entire globe, though regular people didn’t feel any of it.
“Yesterday, we took down a drug line of Street family, cutting off about 8% of their revenue,” Edward said, sitting on the couch with a pillow in his arms, looking all innocent and childlike, but speaking the most explosive news.
Echo nodded, “But Dark family also lost a weapons line. If you compare, it’s about even.”
Edward shook his head. “You can’t look at it like that. Losing a weapons line is a big deal, but as long as you’re still producing, it can be replaced. The Street family’s drug trade is a different story. It’s not just about the money-they’re tangled up in so many other things. Now, Southeast Asia’s a mess because of it.”
Echo raised an eyebrow and picked up the conversation. “Street family’s business was too scattered, so their losses are just as big as their expansion.”
Edward nodded. “Good insight. Both families are arms dealers, but the Street family has their hands in so many other businesses. They look bigger than the Dark family, but once things go wrong, it’s easy for them to collapse. That’s probably why Mr. Ryan only sticks to weapons-he doesn’t get involved in other industries. Quality over quantity. That’s the real way to do it.”
Echo listened to Edward’s reasoning and agreed. She sat down next to him, grabbed a cushion, and frowned. “True. Both families actually don’t consume that much, but I didn’t expect the impact to be this huge.” Her expression turned serious as she continued, “Right now, even though Dark family looks calm on the surface, you can tell things are already pretty bad by the constant hustle and bustle and the constant flow of people.”
Ryan was still at Dark family every day, looking completely normal, but the nonstop calls from political figures across the world, the frequent communications, and the increasingly cold expressions on Hawk and Tiger’s faces-along with the never-ending reports-made Echo realize just how serious things had gotten.
Edward leaned back on the couch and gave a faint smile. “I knew this would happen the moment they made their move. What’s the matter? Scared?”
Echo shook her head. “It’s not that I’m scared, I just think it’s spreading too far.”
Edward noticed the slight furrow in Echo’s brow, seeing a hint of reluctance in her expression. He raised an eyebrow and gave her a long look, unusually not mocking or ridiculing her. “This is just the beginning. What we’ve done so far is just the tip of the iceberg. Wait for the full confrontation. I told you, this world is about to be reshuffled.”
Echo didn’t say anything. Now that she understood the two families’ influence, she realized this wasn’t the kind of underworld rivalry she had imagined. The impact wasn’t just within their world-it was global. Arms, oil, and the top underworld families-none of these were small players, and now all three were in play. It was easy to imagine how far-reaching the consequences would be.
She sighed lightly and said, “If it was just a clash of power, I wouldn’t think much of it. At most, it’s about who’s stronger. But now, it’s pulled in too many people. I’m not even feeling the drive to win anymore.”
Edward sneered at her. “Now that you’re this far, you think you can turn back? Do you think it’s possible?”
Echo shook her head. “I never thought about turning back. I can’t even if I wanted to.”
Edward raised an eyebrow at her response. “That’s reality. If you can’t wipe out the Street family, the situation will only get worse. It won’t get better. So now, it’s all about whose power is greater, whose methods are sharper.”
The storm brewing was something Ryan and Kevin had expected from the start, which was why Kevin had been unwilling to openly break with Ryan.
Everything had to be done in the shadows, with no chance for Ryan to get any leverage. The pyramid incident had been too arrogant-thinking that just burying Ryan in it would do the job. They believed that once Ryan was out of the picture, the Dark family might still have people left, but their power would drop several tiers, making it easier for the Street family to dominate.
What they didn’t anticipate was that Ryan had managed to come out of it. Now, with witnesses and evidence, Ryan had the upper hand. If they didn’t act fast, they’d lose the advantage and end up being crushed by him.
The underworld rules weren’t like the public imagined-they had their own set of constraints. That’s why Kevin had finally torn the mask off and gone head-to-head with Ryan, which led to this outcome.
With both families’ bosses still in the picture and both forces intact, this kind of open confrontation had never happened in all these years. To crush the opponent with power and influence, on this scale, with this much force-it was the first time in underworld history.
“You know, little guy, I’ve noticed you don’t seem to care at all? Not even a bit of resentment?” Echo said suddenly, looking at Edward, her expression curious.
Edward’s face darkened. “Don’t call me little guy.”
Echo raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a smirk. “Little guy.”