Chapter Thirty-Seven: Trouble

"Bang!!"

"Aaagh!!!"

Fernando collapsed to the ground with a miserable scream, curling his body in pain and enduring the searing agony radiating from his leg. He looked up at the old man before him, whose expression was as cold as ice.

"Why? Sir! Why do you—"

Fernando didn’t finish his sentence. Magnum's smoke-stained gun barrel was thrust straight into his mouth, pressing against his throat. The acrid taste of gunpowder nearly made Fernando retch, but no matter how much he struggled, there was no escape from the nightmare before him.

"Why? That’s what I should be asking you, Fernando."

At this moment, the “Emperor” had completely transformed into someone else. If, moments earlier in front of Ferrin and the others, he had still shown a trace of grandfatherly kindness, now he was every inch the merciless monarch. His icy gaze bore into Fernando, his face devoid of the slightest emotion.

"Why did you betray Blackstone Group? Betray District Nine? Betray me?"

As he spoke, the old man slowly withdrew the gun from Fernando’s mouth and pressed it against his forehead. Fernando twitched, barely suppressing the urge to vomit. He knew with certainty that if he moved even a fraction, the old man would not hesitate to pull the trigger and blow his brains out.

"I—I really didn’t—"

Again, before Fernando could finish, the old man’s wrist flicked and he struck Fernando’s head with the gun grip. There was a dull thud, and Fernando crashed to the ground, blood streaming down his face. He opened his eyes in a daze, not yet understanding what had happened—until, in the next instant, a gunshot rang out. A piercing scream erupted from Fernando’s mouth, echoing through the hall.

"Aaaaaaah!"

"Speak. Who is it? Who did you sell District Nine and us to?"

"I—I—"

The old man’s gaze remained cold and unwavering. Even though this man before him had been taken in and raised as his own child, it made no difference. He was the “Emperor,” the true ruler of District Nine, the god of this place. Anyone who dared defy him would pay the price—no matter who they were.

"Speak, or die."

As he spoke, the old man’s thumb pressed once more on the hammer, slow and unyielding. The revolver’s cylinder clicked with a clear, deliberate sound, as if Death itself was swinging its scythe. At that sound, Fernando finally broke.

"I—I don’t know! Sir, I really don’t know!"

"You don’t know?"

"Yes, sir, I really don’t… They only wanted me to provide information… and—"

"And they promised to make you the true ruler of District Nine?"

At this, the old man smiled faintly. Fernando’s face turned ashen. He looked up in terror, mouth agape, not knowing what to say. The old man, however, was not surprised by Fernando’s ghost-stricken expression.

"Fernando, after so many years by my side, you should know my abilities well. So stop circling around the truth—just be honest, isn’t that better?"

"Yes!!"

Hearing this, for reasons he could not explain, Fernando was suddenly consumed by a nameless rage. He struggled to his feet, eyes bloodshot, glaring hatefully at the old man before him.

"They did promise to make me ruler of District Nine, but isn’t all of this your fault?! You know better than anyone how much it cost us to develop the ruins! Yet you persisted for that ridiculous dream! We poured in manpower and resources, barely shaping District Nine into what it is now. But because of your stubbornness, we’re all doomed! True, I don’t know who they are, but I’ve seen their strength—they’re a force not much weaker than District Nine. If you hadn’t made that foolish choice, I would have chosen to fight them here. But now it’s too late—there’s no chance! You have no idea what they—"

Bang!

The bullet pierced Fernando’s forehead without mercy. The force tore off his skull, scattering shattered brain matter and scalp in all directions. The body, half its head gone, collapsed backward onto the floor. Watching the convulsing, blood-spewing corpse, the old man snorted coldly.

"As expected, a brainless fool—serves him right to be used."

With that, the old man turned, gesturing with a wave. Two heavily armed soldiers entered, dragging out the still-twitching body. Then the old man looked up, tapping lightly in the air. A series of green signals flashed rapidly, and in the next moment, his message interface opened before him.

[System Message: Emperor has entered Seven Dwarves Group]

[Emperor: All those still breathing, get out here!]

[Queen: What’s wrong, old man? In such a bad mood? Don’t tell me you’re having menopause?]

[Butcher: Oh dear, the old man’s cranky—don’t tease him, or he’ll gag you for real.]

[Viper: Enough with the chatter. If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, go to sleep.]

[Scorpion: Alive. Go ahead.]

[Sailor: Hahaha, the Doctor isn’t here—are we doomed?]

[Doctor: I’m just watching. I won’t speak.]

[Butcher: Everyone’s here. Let’s hear it.]

[Emperor: Fernando was a traitor. That bastard sold us out!]

[Queen: …Sorry, couldn’t hear you over the wind. What did you say?]

[Emperor: No time for nonsense! Listen up. Someone’s coming for District Nine. I have to admit, those bastards picked a good time. But we aren’t pushovers! I’ve seized control of the node. Give me enough time, and I’ll secure the entire area. But not yet—they’re planning to surround and annihilate us. I bet their net is ready, wanting to wipe us out in one blow. Damn it! These stray dogs have quite the plan, and they’re capable too. But we won’t be bullied. It’s time to show these bastards what we’re made of!]

[Queen: Old man, does your crew know about your foul mouth?]

[Viper: So, in short, some fools are coming for us? Got it… I surrender.]

[Butcher: Good, you can go die then… What about District Nine?]

[Emperor: Don’t worry. Once we left, District Nine went into lockdown. Unless they get the key from me, there’s no way in.]

[Sailor: …Wait, damn! Old man, did you know all along? Hell, I thought it was odd—all seven bigwigs leaving District Nine undefended. Turns out, you were baiting them? Wow! Fernando died miserably—never dreamed you’d set him up!]

[Queen: Just shows Fernando didn’t love you enough, old man. True love transcends gender and age—one should be willing to give everything, including that thick—]

[System Message: “Queen” has been muted by the admin for ten minutes]

[Butcher: Jokes aside, the enemy’s in the dark while we’re exposed. This is tricky—are you sure about this?]

[Emperor: I was worried at first, but look—]

[Butcher: …Is that node’s special data? Damn! This is crazy! No wonder you’re risking everything—if you fully develop it, Blackstone Group will rule the entire Eastern Wasteland!]

[Emperor: Just luck. Enough chatter. I’ve marked the target locations—fight or flee, make up your minds. If you want out, leave cleanly, but don’t play double games, or I’ll settle scores later!]

[Butcher: Fine, I’ll take Area A… I want to see where these bastards came from, daring to show off before us. This should be fun.]

[Viper: Scorpion and I will take Area B. Don’t complain—we’ve already lost enough people. We don’t have the numbers for messy fights now.]

[Sailor: Then Area C is mine… My boys are itching for action—it’s time to let them have some fun.]

[Emperor: What about the Queen? Where the hell did she go? Is she trying to run? Should I shove my Magnum up her ass so she runs faster?!]

[Butcher: You muted her… She messaged me—she’s going to Area D. She also asked me to tell you she’ll treat every enemy as if they were you.]

[Viper: That settles it… Wait, what about the Doctor?]

[Doctor: Since you’ve all chosen, I have no choice. I’ll do my part for the day.]

[Scorpion: …A good man. Truly steadfast.]

[Viper: A real man. We trust you.]

[Emperor: Enough with the crap. Ten minutes—get ready to move!!]

"The old man’s temper is as fiery as ever…"

Ferrin snapped the message interface shut with a click, then leaned back on the sofa with a soft sigh. Online, the “Emperor” was nothing like his real self. In public, he always maintained an air of calm, warmth, and kindness. Only Ferrin and the other Seven Giants knew that in the virtual world, the old man was like a powder keg, cursing every other sentence. Where did all that anger come from?

Perhaps he’d simply been holding back for too long in the real world…

"Master, shall we head out now?"

Delin, who had been standing quietly behind Ferrin, leaned down and asked in a low voice. At her question, Ferrin shook his head.

"No rush for now. The old man gave us ten minutes—let’s rest a bit longer. Besides…"

He glanced toward the suitcase before him.

"I haven’t collected my payment yet…"