“Mr. Ryan, impressive as always,” said Aaron, watching the fight between the two.
There was a certain balance of power-one masculine, the other more subtle in style. Aaron smiled, clearly impressed. He hadn’t seen Ryan fight in person before, and getting to watch two powerful leaders clash like this, with every move deadly, was a real treat.
King George, Count Owen, and Prince William exchanged looks from the sidelines. They couldn’t decide whether to approve or feel anxious. It was an incredible fight-both men were shockingly strong, their punches and kicks a real spectacle. But given the situation, they didn’t have the heart to enjoy it. The tension was unbearable.
“What’s going on here?” Adolph, who hadn’t come with Ryan, had been playing the charming playboy in the main hall, but now, noticing something was off, he quietly stepped back to observe.
When he saw that everyone else had already stepped away and the atmosphere had turned tense, Adolph hurriedly moved to see what was going on, only to find a full-on standoff. His brow furrowed in concern.
When King George saw Adolph approach, he immediately called out, “Mr. Adolph, come here, come here!”
But Adolph didn’t need to be called. He moved straight toward them.
“Mr. Adolph, I know you and Mr. Ryan are close. Go talk to him, quick. We need to sit down and work this out. Nothing’s going to be solved this way-this isn’t helping anyone.” Prince William said in a low voice, clearly desperate.
Adolph had already been briefed by Bill on the situation. As he surveyed the scene, his gaze landed on Ryan, still locked in the fight with Kevin, and his frown deepened.
He had never seen Ryan this out of control. Ryan knew exactly what he was doing, and that glare was one of total clarity. Yet, he still acted this recklessly.
Adolph sighed inwardly-he’d underestimated just how much Ryan cared about Echo.
After a moment, Adolph spoke in a low, serious tone, “When they’re both this angry, who’s going to stop them?”
King George, Prince William, and the others were left speechless. They knew that was the problem-no one could control Ryan’s actions. Everyone on the streets knew it. But what now? Kevin wasn’t an easy person to deal with. If someone tried to push him to stop, would he? No way. They had hoped to mediate, but things were spiraling further out of control.
Then came the sound of gunshots.
The sound was followed by the roar of voices, and it was clear something had gone terribly wrong. The people in the hall could sense the shift. Trying to keep things under wraps? No chance.
Those who sided with Ryan or Kevin were rushing toward the chaos.
“My two bosses, stop! If you keep going like this, how are we ever going to get out of this mess?” Count Owen could only listen to the chaos, nearly on the verge of tears.
“Anyone who opposes Mr. Kevin is opposing me, and you…”
“You’ve got some nerve…”
The distant voices were getting closer, and the sound of gunfire grew louder. King George, sensing the situation was spiraling out of control, grabbed Prince William and Count Owen and rushed outside. He knew he couldn’t stop things inside, but maybe he could still control what was happening outside.
In the middle of the fight between Kevin and Ryan, Kevin noticed Ryan’s face had turned ashen-his anger was real, not fake. His strikes were getting heavier. Kevin raised an eyebrow, thinking, Who’s afraid of who?
Just as Kevin’s eyebrow furrowed, a sudden sound of wind cut through the air. His expression shifted slightly. He glanced at Ryan’s face, which was still tight with anger, and Kevin’s eyes narrowed. Bloodlust filled his gaze, and a cold smile twisted at the corner of his mouth. In that instant, his attack on Ryan shifted, and he moved slightly to the side.
In the blink of an eye, a bright splash of blood bloomed across Kevin’s chest, staining his white suit. At the same time, he struck down hard on Ryan’s neck, leaning in close enough for only the two of them to hear. “If you want her alive, you’d better start paying attention.”
As Ryan and Kevin moved past each other, they exchanged the words, and a flicker of anger and bloodlust flashed in Ryan’s eyes. He didn’t stop his counterattack but slightly adjusted the direction, so it looked forceful, though he had pulled back just a bit. Kevin’s strike hit Ryan on the neck with a brutal crack, the sound of bone nearly audible.
In an instant, both of them were injured-Kevin’s white suit stained with blood, while Ryan staggered from the blow to his neck. Kevin’s strength and skill were no joke. The cracking of Ryan’s bones was almost enough for everyone in the room to hear. The two of them collapsed to the floor, leaving Hawk and Aaron in shock.
“Boss.”
“Boss.”
The voices were calm but laced with clear anxiety and panic as both Hawk and Aaron rushed toward the fallen Ryan and Kevin.
Adolph’s face turned pale, and he immediately ran to Ryan’s side. On the other side, one of Kevin’s men, realizing what had happened, dashed toward the window to escape.
Cobra, seeing the chaos unfold, spun around and stood in front of the door, yelling, “Stop! My boss and Mr. Kevin have business to discuss! What the hell is going on here? If you don’t stop now, don’t blame us for getting hostile!”
At the same time, Kevin’s men outside saw what was happening and immediately aimed their guns at anyone trying to rush in.
The leader of the group shouted, “Shut it! This is our business with the Dark family. What are you trying to pull? Get the hell out of here. Do you think you’re going to disrupt our negotiations with the Dark family? What’s your game?”
With both leaders injured and possibly on the verge of death, the blood on Kevin’s chest and the blow to Ryan’s neck weren’t just for show. Those who knew Ryan’s power, like Cobra, and those who understood Kevin’s strength, like Aaron, couldn’t help but feel their hearts drop. A double defeat was not something they wanted to witness. And now, the most important thing was to keep this news from getting out.
The consequences of both sides being wounded-or worse, dying-were too serious to ignore. A leaderless fallout would mean disaster for both the Dark family and the Street family. It would be a catastrophe for the entire underworld.
Cobra and Kevin’s men both shouted sharply, and in an instant, those who had acted impulsively-or were just there to see what was going on-were immediately held in place by the dark muzzles of guns.
Cobra quickly gave orders, and soon the entire room was surrounded, making sure no one could take advantage of the situation. Even King George and the others, who had just rushed out to calm the crowd, were stopped from entering.
King George took a quick glance around and realized what had just happened. Within moments, the Dark family and Street family had teamed up, pointing their guns at everyone else. He exchanged glances with the others, his mind racing. What in the world was going on? A minute ago, he’d seen the two big bosses fighting to the death, and now, out of nowhere, they were suddenly talking peace? Maybe they could fool the outsiders, but they couldn’t fool him. They weren’t newbies in this business. There was no way he’d buy that.
The three of them shared a look, and each of their faces darkened with concern.
Something was off-something big.
Alliances like this, no matter the time or place, were nothing new. There were no permanent friends or enemies in this world. But when it came to the Dark family and the Street family teaming up? That was unheard of. The two families had been enemies for over a century, and now they were working together. It could only mean one thing: this was bad. Really bad.
“Ryan, are you okay?” Adolph was the first to rush to Ryan’s side.
Adolph caught Ryan as he fell, quickly grabbing his head to stabilize his neck. Hawk, right behind him, rushed over to inspect the wound on Ryan’s neck.
On the other side, Aaron, who was closest to Kevin, grabbed him as he fell, following the momentum to kneel and absorb some of the force of Kevin’s fall. He laid Kevin down on his leg, quickly tearing open Kevin’s shirt to check the bullet wound.
“Bill, get back here, hurry!” Cobra immediately started organizing his men.
Cobra opened his internal communicator, his voice frantic as he tried to contact anyone who could help. For all these years, nothing had shaken Hawk, Cobra, or the others like this did.
Bill, who had been searching for Echo, heard the panic in Cobra’s voice. While still maintaining his composure, he could tell something serious had gone wrong. Without hesitation, he handed off the situation to the people he was with and rushed back.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” King George said, trying to keep up appearances. Though he had a sinking feeling in his gut, he smiled casually and said, “I told you all, Mr. Ryan and Mr. Kevin are just talking things over. What’s the rush? It’s nothing, see?”
Prince William, seeing the people rush in, gave a small smile and said lightly, “Looks like we’re getting old. No one trusts us anymore.”
Though his tone was light, everyone could hear the subtle threat behind it, as well as the arrogance of age.
But in the underworld, power was everything. The three of them were strong, but not extraordinary. Now that they were working together, they were a force to be reckoned with. Aside from the Dark family and the Street family, few could stand up to them. At that moment, the tension in the room died down.
“It’s nothing, really.”
“Don’t say anything, please…”