"Hey, who's this?"Vega slipped out of his phone call without making a fuss.
"Congratulations, Vega Pengele. I didn't expect you to actually destroy the Shelby family. I'm afraid from now on, the entire underground order of Nacro City will be under your control."
Raising an eyebrow, Vega remained calm, seemingly unaffected by the flattering words. He replied casually, "Cut the nonsense. I know you want to benefit from this. Go to Pengele's headquarters and talk to me."
"Besides, you wouldn't want tomorrow morning's newspapers in Nacro City making this big news, would you?"
A hearty laugh followed. "Alright then, let's talk about cooperation."
He hung up the phone casually.
Vega quickly dialed another number. As soon as it connected, he asked, "Hey, Ke Luoke, are you still alive?"
"Hello, Young Lord. It's me, Ke Luoke." The voice on the other end was cautious, tinged with nervousness. Ke Luoke was a middle-ranking officer in the Pengele family, known for his careful nature and lack of courage. He was a direct subordinate of the deceased patriarch, and Vega was more familiar with him than anyone else in the family.
In the past, when trouble arose, Vega often turned to Ke Luoke for help. Given Ke Luoke's cautious, greedy, and fearful personality, Vega believed he might be the only one who could escape the Shelby family's wrath.
"Gather your people and head to Pengele's headquarters. Clean it up—I have other matters to attend to." Vega said bluntly, showing no interest in fighting personally.
In Vega's view, if they obeyed, they could be used as pawns. If not, they'd be eliminated. Many would want to become his allies now.
When the news spreads tomorrow that Vega single-handedly destroyed the Shelby family, Nacro City would be reshaped under his order. Those seeking to latch onto his power would be too numerous to count. The surviving Pengele family members who escaped death would either join him or be discarded.
Vega was decisive—he didn't overthink things and only focused on the bigger picture.
"Young Lord, the Shelby family is still hunting us outside. I'm afraid the headquarters isn't safe!" Ke Luoke, still in hiding and unaware of Vega's recent actions, warned cautiously.
"No need to worry. The Shelby family won't trouble us anymore. It's all settled," Vega reassured him.
"Then immediately go to Pengele's headquarters and clean it up."
"I... I don't want to hear this a third time," Ke Luoke stammered.
"Yes, yes, Young Lord. I'm going to the family headquarters now." Ke Luoke's expression changed instantly, and he promised without hesitation.
After hanging up, Ke Luoke wore a thoughtful expression. Had Vega really solved the Shelby family problem? It seemed the late family head had left some hidden forces for the young master.
With that thought, Ke Luoke immediately began gathering information through outside intelligence officers, eager to find out how Vega had resolved the crisis. After all, that morning, it looked like the Shelby family was about to completely absorb the Pengele family.
When he heard the news, Ke Luoke's face was shocked. Young Master Vega had actually led a group of unknown subordinates to continuously attack Shelby family members and strongholds, inflicting heavy losses. The Shelby family was no longer able to dominate Nacro City.
The Pengele family's crisis was over.
Surprised, Ke Luoke began calling all his former subordinates to gather at headquarters. This was the moment to prove their loyalty. If they acted now, they might become core high-ranking members under the young lord.
Thinking this, Ke Luoke hurried to Pengele's headquarters, no longer hiding in the shadows.
Meanwhile, Pengele awaited young master Vega at headquarters with many subordinates when a panting messenger rushed in.
"Lord Ke Luoke, there are people outside—small gangs like the Wild Wolf Society and the Hell's Angels, armed and gathered."
"What?" Ke Luoke's face changed immediately. Hesitating, he finally gritted his teeth and drew his weapon. "Arm yourselves! Prepare for battle—I want to see what they want."
If it had been Shelby family members, Ke Luoke might hesitate. After all, the Shelby family was the largest underground force in Nacro City. Although badly beaten by Vega, they still had strength for revenge.
But these small gangs wanted to take advantage of the chaos—dream on.
As Ke Luoke and his men rushed to the entrance, they clashed with the Wild Wolf Society and Hell's Angels, weapons ready.
At that moment, several cars sped up from the street and stopped outside the headquarters.
The tense atmosphere eased when it became clear the cars belonged to one of Nacro City's councilors.
No one dared offend such a powerful figure.
A dozen bodyguards stepped out, surrounding a central vehicle.
An elderly gentleman in his fifties, with a wrinkled face and slicked-back hair, stepped out, holding a walking cane.
He glanced at the small gangs with contempt, as if dismissing them as a "pack of greedy hyenas."
Then, looking at Ke Luoke, he asked sharply, "Why are you exchanging fire in front of me? Don't you want me to leave you some room to handle things?"
"Of course not, Councilor Jack," Ke Luoke quickly bowed and apologized to the small gang leaders as well. He ordered his men to put away their weapons.
Jack snorted coldly.
"Don't stop them. Let them come in," he ordered. "Your young lord Vega will arrive soon for a meeting. There's a lot to settle."
The small gang leaders smiled. In their ears, this meant Councilor Jack supported their actions against the Pengele family. After the big players had their fill, they could claim their share of the spoils.
Though Vega had been constantly attacking the Shelby family's forces, these gangs saw the ongoing rivalry as a chance to seize territory.
With the Pengele family's leadership decimated and their elite heavily lost, the gangs could finally break free from Shelby and Pengele control and carve out their own domains.
Ke Luoke's face was anxious, but he had no choice but to comply. Councilor Jack was no mere local official; offending him could bring serious trouble.
After the gangs entered, Councilor Jack said meaningfully, "Don't worry. Your young master Vega will handle it."
"As for these little characters…"
Jack smiled contemptuously and then walked inside with his cane.