Chương 44: Are We Really This Strong?

The clicking of empty machine guns finally broke the paralysis.

"Damn it," the fat boss whispered. He had lived in the underworld long enough to recognize the moment everything went wrong. Most of his men had been staring at Aren. They forgot about the others who scattered when the shooting began. Now their firearms were empty. Several sharp sounds cut through the club. Before the boss could turn around, seven or eight heads left their bodies. Blood blossomed through the crowd. Uvogin, Nobunaga, Feitan, Franklin, and Chrollo moved like killing machines.

No one survived a single exchange. By the time the fat man completed his turn, more than thirty gangsters had been slaughtered. Severed limbs and bodies covered the floor. Chrollo stood among them, his face splashed with blood, smiling gently.

"That felt good!" Uvogin shouted. He stretched both arms wide, soaked in blood. The others looked little better. Even Franklin's normally steady face had become terrifying amid the carnage. The boss collapsed to the floor. The arrogance he wore only moments earlier disappeared. Chrollo approached him calmly.

"The world is beautiful," Chrollo said.

"You should not be so impatient. You ordered your people to shoot before hearing what I wanted. Why?" The fat man scrambled forward and dropped to his knees.

"You're right! Completely right! I was too impatient. That was wrong of me. Tell me what you want and I'll give it to you. Please, be generous and spare me!" The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Chrollo rested a hand on the man's thinning hair to increase the pressure. Then he paused. The scalp was oily. Far too oily. Chrollo silently withdrew his hand.

"Which family are you with?"

"Nostrade Family!" The boss answered instantly.

"Where does your leader live?"

"Villa 21, Chinkola Point." He sold out his boss without a moment of hesitation.

"How well defended is the villa?"

"The Fanobi Family has been pressuring us recently, so the boss has more security than usual. Around fifty gunmen." Feitan's eyes narrowed.

"Captain. He answers too fast. Maybe lying. Let me interrogate." The fat man's body jerked. He began bowing repeatedly toward Chrollo and Feitan.

"No! Please! I can't handle torture. There's no need. Everything I said is true. Believe me!" Tears ran down his face. The man had climbed through the underworld with intimidating tattoos, a few clever ideas, and enough ruthlessness to frighten weaker people. He had never actually fought in his life. Whenever conflict began, he appeared to rush forward while quietly positioning himself farther back. With his subordinates dead, his true nature emerged immediately. Chrollo and Feitan both stared at him.

Neither of them could believe this man was really mafia.

"Did you learn anything?" Aren asked. He tossed the wall of stopped bullets into a corner and walked over with Machi and Pakunoda. Chrollo hesitated. The surrender was almost too pathetic to trust. Pakunoda was standing behind Aren. Chrollo's eyes brightened. He pulled her forward.

"Paku. Check whether he is lying." A faint blush touched Pakunoda's cheeks when he took her hand, but she quickly focused on the boss.

"Repeat what you told them."

"Yes! Anything! As long as you don't torture me!" The boss repeated every answer. Chrollo looked at Pakunoda.

"Well?"

"He is telling the truth." Feitan clicked his tongue in disappointment. Everyone in the Troupe trusted Pakunoda's ability to recognize deception. The boss clutched Chrollo's pant leg like a drowning man finding a rope.

"See? I told you I wasn't lying. I've told you everything I know. You can let me go now, right?" Chrollo kicked him aside and thought for a moment.

"Perhaps. One final question. Why is the Fanobi Family targeting the Nostrade Family?"

"Fanobi is the strongest family in Gambi Town," the man said quickly.

"They have ruled this town for sixty years. Nostrade is only a rising family."

"A little over a month ago, we secretly tried to buy recruits from Meteor City. Fanobi learned about it and treated it as a challenge to their authority. They've been suppressing us ever since."

"We used to control five streets. Now we have two. If this continues, the Nostrade Family might be destroyed." With his life at stake, the boss poured out everything he knew.

"Nostrade?" Aren murmured.

"Why does that sound familiar?" Machi picked up a badge from one of the corpses.

"This emblem. The people around you were wearing it when I found you." Aren understood.

"So the Nostrade Family is the one that bought me." The fat boss stared.

"What?"

'Our family bought a monster like this?'

'Then why did Fanobi slaughter everyone before they could bring him back?'