The gray-haired man coughed again before continuing, “Bosses, it seems like neither of you has found the key target yet. If I may be honest, instead of going our separate ways right now, why don’t we join forces? Whoever’s behind this dared to scheme against you two big shots-and dragged all of us into it too. This isn’t some small-time plot.”
“We’re all in the same boat now. Bosses, could you put aside any bad blood for the moment? Let’s work together to get through this crisis. After that, you two can handle things however you want. We won’t interfere, nor would we dare to. What do you both say?”
As his words hung in the air, everyone in the hall, who’d already fallen quiet, went dead silent, glancing at each other without saying a word.
He’d voiced what many were thinking. Dark family and Street family were the top powers here, and if they actually teamed up, they’d be unstoppable.
But everyone knew these two families were arch-enemies; they wouldn’t dare suggest cooperation, because the thought of two blood enemies joining forces was practically unthinkable.
In the silence, Kevin suddenly laughed-a twisted, wicked laugh, like a mix of poison and something straight out of hell.
Looking straight at Ryan, Kevin sneered, “They want us to work together. Ryan, what do you think?”
Ryan shot Kevin a cold look, a bloodthirsty smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “What do you think?”
Kevin shifted in his seat, leaned forward, and looked down at the man who’d suggested the idea. With a cold chuckle, he asked, “What do you think?”
Those four words alone made the man freeze up, his confidence shattered. Kevin just sat there, watching him with that icy smirk, practically choking the words right out of his throat. Beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead as the entire hall filled with Kevin’s murderous aura.
Seeing the man fall silent, Kevin’s face twisted with a cruel, bloodthirsty grin as he said, “Cooperate? When Street family and Dark family team up, hell will freeze over.”
“Why can’t you cooperate?” Kevin’s words had barely left his mouth when a hoarse voice echoed from outside the hall, making everyone turn their heads at once.
Echo was standing there, leaning on Edward, both of them covered in blood-so much that their original clothes were barely recognizable. They were pale as ghosts, holding each other up as they staggered into the hall. The night wind lifted their bloodstained clothes, carrying the metallic scent across the room, giving their striking faces an almost ghostly aura.
Everyone in the hall froze for a moment, stunned.
Ryan was the first to react, striding down in a single step and scooping Echo up in his arms.
With a tense voice, Ryan asked, “Are you okay?” He held her close, starting to carry her outside, while Hawk and the others quickly turned to follow.
As Echo felt Ryan’s grip tighten, she realized what he was planning and grabbed his arm, urgently whispering, “There’s a bomb.”
When Ryan heard this, a flicker of anger flashed in his eyes, but he held Echo even tighter, moving quickly to leave. The hall was already silent, and though Echo hadn’t spoken loudly, everyone heard her clearly. Panic spread instantly. Those aligned with Ryan hurried to follow him, while Kevin’s side froze, their faces turning grim as they tried to block Ryan.
Kevin’s expression darkened as he watched Ryan’s back, but he stayed silent. He had information he wouldn’t share with Ryan, and Ryan wouldn’t share his either. Any words would be pointless.
“Stop! What are you doing? Put me down!” Echo gritted her teeth, grabbing Ryan’s arm and yelling.
Ryan shot her a cold look and said, “I’ll handle it.”
Hawk rushed up to them, asking urgently, “What happened? Tell me everything.”
Echo glanced between Ryan and Hawk, gripping Ryan’s arm tightly and yelling, “Do you guys even realize how much explosives are down there? This is no time for turf wars and power struggles! You need to come up with a plan together! Stop wasting time!” She struggled to get down as she shouted.
Hearing the urgency in Echo’s voice, something he’d never heard before, Ryan’s expression darkened, but he stopped moving.
Edward sneered from the sidelines. “So this is how the Dark family and Street family operate? Looking out only for themselves, as usual. Just as expected.” He shot a look of contempt at both Ryan and Kevin.
Hawk, Kevin, and the others glanced at Edward, surprised by his outburst; it was clear he’d been hiding his true nature, but now wasn’t the time to question it. Echo’s words were what everyone was focused on.
Hearing Echo’s outburst and Edward’s comments, people in the hall began to panic.
Those loyal to Ryan remained silent, standing close to him. Kevin had been on top a moment ago, but now it seemed Ryan was in control, and sticking with him seemed like the safe choice.
Kevin’s people, along with some of the less loyal bosses, tensed up. They crowded around, looking at Echo and asking, “What’s going on? Where are the explosives? How much is there?”
Struggling to stand, Echo patted Ryan’s chest, speaking urgently, “Ryan, there’s over a ton of state-of-the-art explosives hidden in the underground tunnels.”
“What?” Adolph’s face turned pale. “Over a ton? Are you kidding?”
Kevin lost his casual posture and shot to his feet, looking at Echo. “Where are the tunnels? How much time do we have left?”
Ryan’s eyes widened in shock, his grip still tight on Echo. She looked back at him, her face pale, and said, “I owe Kevin my life. If he hadn’t intervened, I’d be dead by now.”
It was true-whatever Kevin’s motives, he had saved her. Without his help, she’d have been long gone.
Hearing Echo’s words, a flicker of coldness crossed Ryan’s eyes. He gave Echo a long, hard look, but seeing her unwavering gaze, he hesitated a moment before setting her down.
Echo gripped his hand tightly, feeling a surge of relief. Ryan had compromised-for her. This proud, arrogant man who had never been one to cooperate with anyone was actually yielding.
Edward, noticing Ryan set Echo down, immediately understood his decision. He held out the timer he was carrying and said quickly, “The timer hasn’t started yet, but it probably won’t last more than a few minutes. The explosives are somewhere in the castle’s underground tunnels-complex and twisted. Judging by location, the highest concentration must be right under this hall.”
The crowd went silent. Seeing the timer in Edward’s hand, everyone took a sharp breath. This was the very heart of the Red Castle. With a ton of explosives down there, the whole place would be blown to pieces.
Echo, leaning against Ryan, asked anxiously, “Where are King George and the others? The tunnels are a maze. We need them to guide us, or we’ll just get lost and waste time-time we don’t have.”
“They’re in Mr. Kevin’s hands,” someone neutral quickly responded.
Echo looked up at Kevin, who stood above, radiating deadly intent but unmoving. She shouted angrily, “Kevin, maybe it’s not raining blood right now, but keep acting like this, and that’s exactly what will happen. Why fight when survival’s on the line? If we live, there will be plenty of time to settle things later. Call them out now-you might be okay with dying, but I’m not going down with you.”
“Yeah, Mrs. Ryan’s got a point,” someone agreed. “Save the grudges for later; for now, let’s all work together.”
“She’s right. Mr. Kevin, the Dark family’s already made their position clear. Everyone’s waiting on you.”
For a moment, the whole crowd echoed Echo’s call. Whether they supported the Dark family, the Street family, or were neutral, they all sided with Echo.
Kevin’s brow furrowed as he glanced at the exhausted Echo. Raising an eyebrow at Ryan, he asked, “Does what she says go for you too?”
After all, Echo’s words didn’t necessarily represent the Dark family’s stance. If Ryan planned on taking advantage, Kevin wouldn’t just go along with it.
Ryan gave Kevin a cold, deadly look and said firmly, “What she says is what I say.”
“Fine,” Kevin replied. “Aaron, bring them over.” Hearing Ryan’s absolute statement in front of the assembled underworld bosses, Kevin, decisive as ever, knew that cooperation was the better choice here. The Dark family had the most critical intel anyway.
Aaron dashed out at once-time was ticking, and every second counted.
Meanwhile, Hawk and Adolph, setting aside their suspicions about Edward’s sudden involvement, began pressing for exact details on the location and quantity of explosives.
Edward didn’t hold back, quickly explaining everything he knew. Instantly, people from the Dark family, the Street family, and various other underworld bosses and their men rushed to check out the situation.