The black suitcase clicked open, revealing a neatly stacked pile of crisp £10 banknotes, their white base and brown patterns forming a satisfying contrast.
A faint scent of ink and paper drifted into the air.
Lorien pulled out a bill, ready to count his earnings, when—
Something felt off.
"Hmm?"
His instincts kicked in, and he quickly began inspecting the contents.
Seconds later, he discovered the issue—
The suitcase, which appeared to be full, only had a single layer of banknotes on top.
Beneath them?
A raised false bottom, lined with dark red velvet.
After a thorough count, he confirmed:
The suitcase contained exactly £430.
Plus the £20 he had given the bartender, bringing the original total to £450.
Strangely, the combined bounty for Orlan Smith and his gang was only £416.
Which meant—
The police department hadn't deducted a single penny.
In fact…
They had added a small bonus.
"Well, aren't they surprisingly generous?"
Still, why use such a massive suitcase for an amount that could easily fit into a wallet?
At the very least, they could have used smaller denominations—shillings or pence.
Lorien's eyebrow twitched.
When he first opened the suitcase and saw it packed with £10 notes, he had almost thought—
Perhaps the police were trying to bribe him with sheer monetary force.
"At least I can finally say I'm a man of means."
He stacked the bills neatly on the desk, then emptied his wallet, carefully organizing the cash by denomination into thick bundles.
When he had first arrived in this world, he had scrounged around his apartment, scraping together barely twenty shillings.
That had barely lasted him.
But now?
£200 from the Tepes Manor Incident. £100+ looted from Orlan Smith's gang hideout. £430 from the police bounty. Minus £100 given to Evens for expansion.
Total: Over £600 in pure liquid assets.
"At least for the foreseeable future, I won't have to worry about money."
Lorien planned his next moves:
Finish the "Jack the Ripper" investigation with the police. Move out of this rundown apartment into a better place. Still, staying in East London was preferable.
Yes, East London was crime-ridden, its economy stagnant, and its social order in chaos.
But—
It had its advantages.
For instance, the local gang members were incredibly generous.
Evens had even recruited a few people to donate blood regularly.
They didn't even scream during the extractions.
Truly, warm-hearted individuals.
"Time to check on Evens' progress."
Lorien secured his money, noting that the formal police investigation into "Jack the Ripper" would begin in two days.
That gave him some time to prepare.
He returned to his bedroom, found a comfortable position, and slid the silver ring onto his finger.
A scarlet shimmer pulsed across its metallic surface.
Seconds later, his spiritual form emerged—
A dark red apparition, translucent yet solid, drifting through the window and into the London night.
With no shadows to leap through, he had memorized the underground sewer paths for travel.
By now, he knew the layout better than some of the rats.
East London, Newham
As evening settled, the drenched streets of Newham glowed black under the dimming sunset.
Rain had washed away the filth, but it could not cleanse the rot beneath.
On the second floor of a billiard club, a furious man paced back and forth, an unlit cigar clenched between his teeth.
This was Sheldon—head of the Sheldon Family Syndicate.
His lieutenant, Jorg, sat nearby, arms crossed, expression grim.
"We still don't know who the hell they are?"
Sheldon snapped, running a hand through his slicked-back hair.
Jorg sighed, shaking his head.
"They're ghosts."
"They wipe their tracks clean after every hit."
"No one's even seen their leader."
Sheldon gritted his teeth.
This new organization had suddenly appeared in his territory a week ago—
And had been stealing his business, his profits, and worst of all—
His men.
At first, Sheldon thought it was some upstart gang, easily crushed.
He had sent a few men to "negotiate".
They returned beaten and crippled.
That had pissed him off.
So, he sent a full crew—
Twenty armed men.
Some of his best enforcers.
None of them came back.
Not one.
Now, his entire operation was crumbling.
And he didn't even know who was behind it.
All he could guess was—
They weren't local.
"Fucking outsiders!"
"They don't know the damn rules!"
Jorg exhaled sharply, tapping his gun.
"We sent a guy to negotiate."
"He hasn't come back either."
Both men fell silent.
They didn't need to say it aloud.
The guy was dead.
Sheldon bit down on his cigar, muttering,
"This is getting out of hand."
He was about to light up when—
His ears twitched.
His expression shifted.
His instincts—honed from years in the underworld—
Screamed danger.
"Someone's downstairs."
Jorg immediately drew his revolver, tension thick in the air.
The billiard club had been shut down for days.
Only one guard remained on the ground floor.
If there were noises coming from below…
It wasn't him.
Both men exchanged glances.
Moving silently, they crept toward the door.
Jorg peered through the peephole.
BANG!
A gunshot rang out.
Then another.
And another.
A storm of bullets punched through the door, splintering wood.
Jorg gurgled, blood pouring from multiple gunshot wounds, before collapsing.
"Shit!"
Sheldon barely had time to react before he heard—
A voice outside.
"This is the police!"
"You are engaged in illegal operations."
"We have irrefutable evidence, financial records, and witness testimony."
"Do not resist."
"Surrender and live!"
The door burst open, revealing uniformed police officers.
One carried a riot shield, leading the charge.
Sheldon raised his gun, pulling the trigger—
But instead of hitting flesh—
The bullet clanged against reinforced steel.
Before he could react—
A barrage of bullets riddled his body.
As he collapsed, he thought—
"Bloody hell, these bastards don't play fair."
His lifeless body hit the floor.
Across the Street – A Third-Story Window
Evens stood by the window, watching the storm of gunfire and flashing police lanterns illuminate the rainy night.
Behind him, Michel, a Bloodbound, handed him a report.
"High Priest, by morning, the Sheldon Family will cease to exist."
Evens nodded, satisfied.
"Ensure we claim their assets."
"But leave just enough scraps for the other gangs to fight over."
Michel bowed.
"Understood."
Evens smirked, watching the bloodshed unfold.
"Fools like Sheldon never stood a chance."
Unseen behind them—
A dark red figure emerged from the wall, watching everything unfold.
Lorien's expression twitched.
"I swear, I've recruited a bloody genius."
TO BE CONTINUED…