Chapter 634 – All in One
Shepard said he would help take control of the slums.
I sometimes stop by here and beat up the gangsters to collect money.
Pushing out the local leaders who were controlling an area and taking their place was a completely different story.
It’s not easy.
Even if it is an area that can only be called a slum.
The simplest way is to instill fear by using overwhelming force…
In the current situation, that method could not be used.
It was foolish to show strength just to control one slum.
Well… That wasn’t something I had to worry about.
“You have a plan, right?”
Asked Shepard.
From the beginning, I had no idea what to do with the slums. It was Shepard who came to see me and made a fuss.
I guess the reason he attracted me was because he had his own plans and convictions.
“There is a plan. And that plan has already been 80 percent completed by Bark.”
“Me?”
“Yes, thanks to Mr. Bark, a significant number of organization members are now unable to fight. The leaders of each organization are almost without the manpower to protect them. Now is the perfect opportunity to strike them down once and for all.”〈 Br〉
I did not kill the men who were sent in to capture me.
I just knocked him unconscious with a baton.
Many of them were still lying on the streets of the slums, unable to come to their senses.
As time goes by, if they come to their senses, they will join his organization… As Shepard said, if you don’t deal with the bosses today, things will get more difficult.
“The members of the organization who lost their heads will lose their focus and disperse.”
Hitting the boss is the most effective method regardless of time and place, and that is why it was difficult to succeed.
This is usually because the higher your status in a group, the stronger the protection you receive.
But now the problem has been solved.
Then the biggest obstacle is…
Where are the bosses hiding?
Looking at Shepard’s confident attitude…
“Shepard. Do you know their location?”
“Yes, I know. There is a building where they meet when there is an important problem to solve together. It is quite possible that they are taking measures against Mr. Bark there.”
It seemed like I would have to work overtime.
“…”
Of course, I didn’t completely trust Shepard.
Shepherd’s words are flashy, but he could be just using me.
What if he betrays?
My pockets will get fatter.
What if his words are true?
A decent auto workshop will be created.
Either way was beneficial to me.
*
*
*
I raided the hideout of the slum bosses with Shepard and his colleagues.
Didn’t you think that I would chase you?
As Shepard said, they were gathered in one place as if they were having a countermeasures meeting, and there were less than 10 people guarding them.
Even that was instantly destroyed in the raid of Shepard and me.
We were able to confront the leaders of the slum gangs without much difficulty.
“Shepard!! Was this all your work? Bringing in an outsider! Don’t you have any pride!”
A large man with a long horizontal scar on his face shouted? His face was distorted with anger.
He seemed more angry at Shepard than at me.
‘Were we already familiar with each other?’
I expected it a little.
“Pride? When did pride ask me to feed you? Since then, it’s been a long time since I threw away pride to stop your vicious actions. Your rule ends today!”
Shepard and his group adjusted their weapons and prepared for battle.
The leaders who saw that also raised their weapons, probably because they thought there was no need for further conversation.
“Let’s deal with that big guy. You guys take charge of Shepard’s gang.”
The man with the horizontal scar stepped forward and spoke.
He had the largest physique among the four leaders.
“McNulty, are you okay? He must be a tough guy.”
The man who bit the tobacco took turns glancing at me and his two colleagues who had bruises on their faces and said.
“I know. Let’s take as much time as possible. You just have to deal with the Shepherd kites quickly and help me.”
After completing the simple operation, the leaders looked alive.
“Bark, if you just stop McNulty, we will take care of the rest.”
It seemed like Shepard and his group were planning to fight, with two people joining each leader.
First, the battle between the three leaders and Shepard and his group began.
-Chaekchaeng!!
Since he was the leader of a group, he seemed to have more skills than his subordinates. If you look at the battle that is on par with Shepard and his group even though it is 2:1.
Shepard and his group may think they are making a good save, but…
In my view, seeing those poor guys unable to win even 2:1 made me sigh.
There was a reason why Shepard knelt down and relied on me.
“You cheeky bastard! Come at me!! I’ll show you a taste of this McNulty’s axe!”
McNulty shouted and rushed at me holding a large hatchet. The momentum was good, but the game was won quickly.
-Boo!
My black bat lightly bounced McNulty’s ax full of life, and struck the guy’s head mercilessly at an invisible speed.
McNulty could not hold on for a few seconds and collapsed in vain.
The rest of the bosses, embarrassed by the match between me and McNulty that ended in an instant, also quickly collapsed.
“Oh, it’s Bark as expected. McNulty, the strongest of the four bosses, was taken in an instant…”
Shepard said with admiration.
His words may have been sincere, but he was just embarrassed to be praised for something like this.
After subduing the bosses, a small friction arose over what to do next.
Because I stopped them from hitting their heads.
“Bark… I understand that you don’t want to kill, but sometimes you have to make bold decisions. These guys are the ones who have been doing all sorts of evil things in the slums.”
That’s what Shepard said about the leaders’ disposition. It seemed like he thought I was reluctant to commit murder.
I think I know where I got my good image.
Until now, I have never committed a murder while traveling to and from the slums. Shepard said he watched me in the slums, so he must know.
The reason I am reluctant to kill is simple.
This is because I don’t know how Zephyria’s army will react.
Murder between prisoners is not tolerated.
So what about Karaz residents?
I don’t know about that.
I haven’t heard anything about it.
But I could have used that as an excuse to tackle him. For me, I had a strong desire to go safely.
However, I had no intention of correcting Shepard’s misunderstanding, and there was no harm in maintaining a good image.
“Uh huh… Shepard. How can you disregard life so much?”
Wouldn’t Seonggun have said this?
〈Sounds like a saint.〉
“What you say is correct, Bark. Life is precious. But there are exceptions.”
Not only Shepard, but also his colleagues seemed to want to somehow kill the leaders.
The reason may be resentment, or it may be feared of repercussions.
Why are there so many worries?
How scary would it be for these scum to take revenge? From my perspective, I wonder what kind of novel way he will take revenge.
On the other hand, looking at Shepard and his group’s combat abilities, it was understandable.
It was a matter of life and death for them.
As expected, the life of a bastard is tiring.
I decided to collect some of the opinions of my subordinates.
“Hmm… Well then, how about cutting the tendon or something, so they can no longer use their strength?”
Usually, you cannot expect loyalty from criminal organizations.
For a wicked person to go from strong to weak was no different from a death sentence.
It’s obvious that you’ve built up a lot of resentment.
As someone who wants to protect myself, should I say that I want to prevent people from dying near me, even if they die?
“Uhm… If you say that… I understand.”
Shepard and the others also took a step back after realizing that I was not risking their lives and letting go of the leaders like a brat.
Just because the four leaders who were controlling the slums were subdued, the job is not over.
We must also consider the disposition of the workplaces and organizational members they left behind.
Of course, I had no intention of doing such complicated work.
I decided to leave the matter to Shepard and the others.
“Are you saying that you will leave all disposal of business places to me, to us?”
There will be nothing bad about my suggestion for them either.
In fact, they seemed surprised by my large distribution.
It didn’t matter how they messed up and managed the slums.
What interests me is how much profit they bring to me, the boss.
Because of that, their evaluation will be different.
If I intervened, I might get higher profits, but it wasn’t good value for money.
Would you spend it by arguing with people whose grades are not suitable for you just to earn a few pennies?
“Are you planning on relying on me for everything?!”
“That’s… Oh, no.”
“My job ends here. I said I only reign, not rule. Now is the time for you to show your abilities. I believe in the faith of those of you who came to me saying you will save the slums!”
Well… I said it at length, but I just don’t want to work.
Of course, Shepard and his colleagues fell to their knees with touched faces, whether they knew my deep meaning or not.
“I understand Bark’s deep meaning. I will do my best not to betray that trust.”
It remained to be seen whether this auto workshop would run well.
