Golden flames collided with dark gold energy. Each impact sent violent tremors through the entire tower!
"Reporting, Lord Geese!"
Billy Kane—the staff-wielding enforcer Cloud had previously punched into a "sardine can"—now knelt before Geese wrapped in bandages like a mummy, his voice trembling.
"C-Cloud and his group... they've successfully escaped through the drainage system with Joe Higashi! Lord Krauser... it seems... he couldn't stop them!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Geese took a sip of wine. Far from showing any anger, a knowing smile—cunning as a fox—spread across his face.
He gently swirled his glass, watching on-screen as Cloud fired off another, even more concentrated "Heavenscorch Cannon" to send Krauser flying before making his stylish exit. His eyes gleamed with appreciation.
"What a splendid performance," he remarked with genuine admiration.
"Lord Geese?" Billy was thoroughly confused.
The man practically demolished your building, and you're sitting hereappreciatingit?
"Billy, why do you think I kept that waste Joe Higashi in such an obvious location?" Geese suddenly asked.
"To... lure Terry and the others into a trap?"
"Only half right." Geese wagged a finger. "My true targets weren't those two fledgling wolves, Terry and Andy. They were Cloud—the dragon from across the sea—and Krauser, the lion from Europe."
He rose and walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing down at the city that lay firmly in his grasp. His voice grew distant, layered with calculation.
"Cloud's power has exceeded my expectations. A direct confrontation—even if I won—would cost me dearly. That's not how a king operates."
"And Krauser? That brute who only knows how to use force? He's like the perfect hammer—useful, but utterly disobedient. I needed a whetstone to grind down that insufferable pride of his."
"So..." A cold smile curved Geese's lips. "I deliberately leaked Joe's location to lure Cloud into a rescue mission."
"Then I 'accidentally' let Krauser's intelligence network discover that Geese Tower's basement contained dark power."
"And thus... tonight's beautiful performance of 'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.'"
Billy's mind was reeling. His brain simply couldn't keep up with his boss's "thousand-layer cake" level of scheming.
"But... Lord Geese, now that they've all escaped, we..."
"Escaped?" Geese laughed—a sound dripping with contempt. "Who said they escaped?"
"They merely jumped from one small cage... into a larger one."
Geese slowly turned, his eyes gleaming with demonic light.
"Billy. Three tasks."
"First—'accidentally' leak our surveillance footage of Mr. Big's people secretly meeting with Krauser's associates."
"Second—have our people attack Mr. Big's territory. But be sure to leave behind some 'amateur' traces with an obvious German Imperial style."
"Third—let this information 'accidentally' reach Cloud and his friends."
"I want all of South Town... to descend into chaos!"
"I want Krauser, Mr. Big, and Cloud's group to tear at each other's throats like rabid dogs! Let them... offer the most magnificent, bloodiest sacrifice for the great work I'm about to complete!"
He spread his arms wide, like a deranged conductor about to take the stage.
"And I, Geese Howard, will sit upon this highest throne... watching serenely as this spectacle unfolds—this masterpiece I've personally directed..."
"The Battle for the Crown of South Town!"
...
After playing demolition crew leader in Geese Tower's basement and "politely declining" the Dark Emperor Krauser's "friendly exchange," Cloud finally escaped that dragon's den with a body covered in dust and his "spoils of war."
Night had fallen over Chinatown. The Hundred Herbs Hall clinic.
When Andy and Mai saw Cloud descend from the sky, carrying a... rather distinctive-looking "human-shaped burlap sack" (liberated from some unlucky guard), their hearts finally settled.
"Cloud! Are you okay?!" Mai rushed over immediately, her beautiful eyes filled with undisguised worry.
"Relax. Do I look like the type to come out on the losing end?" Cloud flashed a grin and dumped the "sack" on the ground.
Clatter!
The sack burst open, revealing an impressive haul of "loot"—various firearms and ammunition, high-explosive charges, miniature communication devices, and even several strange experimental syringes that glowed an ominous red?
"I figured we might need a tiny bit of extra firepower for the boss fight coming up." Cloud dusted off his hands, wearing an expression that screamed "I've sacrificed so much for this family."
"So I just borrowed a few local specialties from Geese's armory."
Andy and Mai: "..."
Bro, you call this "a tiny bit"?
Did you literally empty their entire arsenal?!
Were you there to rescue someone or to go "zero-dollar shopping"?!
Just then, Terry's excited shout rang out from inside the clinic.
"Joe! You're awake!"
Everyone rushed into the room. Joe Higashi, previously unconscious, had regained consciousness under Elder Li's miraculous acupuncture treatment.
Though still clearly weakened, with one leg in a thick cast, the fire of a true champion had rekindled in his eyes.
...
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