Chapter 134

Chapter 134
Marcus's POV

The next morning, Felix brought news that made the sleepless night worthwhile.

"Boss, the defense layout is real." His voice couldn't suppress his excitement. "Our squad followed the routes marked on the map and successfully infiltrated the dock's core area, even approaching Sullivan's weapons warehouse. The entire process didn't trigger any alarms, and patrol teams moved exactly according to the timetable on the layout."

I set down my coffee cup, excitement flashing in my eyes before being suppressed by rationality.

"No resistance at all?" I confirmed again.

"None whatsoever." Felix opened his tablet, pulling up the operation logs. "Look, these are real-time images our people captured. The dock guards are incredibly lax—several posts were even dozing. Our people deliberately lingered in a surveillance blind spot for five minutes to test if anyone would notice the anomaly. Nothing happened."

I took the tablet, carefully reviewing those images. The dim dock, sparse patrol teams, nearly non-existent defenses—this was completely unlike Gabriel's style. He'd always been known for his iron-fisted approach. Any subordinate showing the slightest negligence would face severe punishment. But now...

The image of Gabriel holding the unconscious Isabella, eyes empty, surfaced in my mind again.

Perhaps he really had broken down.

Perhaps the pain of losing his child, combined with the torment of Isabella's uncertain fate, had finally destroyed this once-invincible gang leader.

I handed the tablet back to Felix, a cold smile curving my lips. The last trace of doubt in my heart slowly receded in this moment, replaced by crystalline clarity and certainty.

"Since Gabriel doesn't care anymore..." I said slowly, my voice carrying undisguised satisfaction. "Then I'll 'manage things' for him."

Felix's eyes flashed with excitement. "Boss, you mean—"

"In two days, I'm taking the North District dock." I cut him off, my tone firm. "Mobilize all our forces in the North District. Contact those fence-sitting families. Tell them Sullivan is finished—now is the time to choose sides. Whoever cooperates with me will get a share of the dock's profits after this is done."

"Understood!" Felix immediately pulled out his phone, beginning to draft the action plan.

I walked back to the desk, opening a drawer and extracting a city map. The North District dock was circled in red pen, with "Sullivan Core Stronghold" annotated beside it. I stared at that circle, my fingers lightly tracing the paper's surface, already imagining how that red would spread across the entire map like blood.

In two days, this place would bear the Donovan name.

Those two days passed in a blur of preparation and anticipation, each hour bringing me closer to that long-awaited moment. When the appointed night finally arrived, I stood in a modified armored vehicle, watching the brightly lit North District dock through bulletproof glass in the distance while Felix quietly reported the latest situation beside me.

"Boss, our people are in position. According to the defense layout, the dock's western side has the weakest defenses—we can breach from there. Additionally, three neutral families have agreed to cooperate with us and will cut off Sullivan's reinforcement routes once the operation begins."

I nodded, my gaze sweeping across the dock's silhouette. Everything was proceeding according to plan. Sullivan's guards remained lax, with even fewer patrol members than the layout indicated.

"Begin." I ordered.

Felix immediately issued commands through the encrypted channel. Minutes later, our convoy slowly approached the dock's western entrance. What surprised me was that the entire process encountered almost no resistance—guards seeing the convoy approach merely raised their weapons symbolically, then lowered them again. Several even turned and fled directly.

"They're... running?" Felix was stunned too. "This isn't right. Sullivan's people have always been well-trained. How could they scatter so easily?"

I narrowed my eyes, watching those fleeing guards. That unease surged again in my chest, but was quickly diluted by the "victory" before me.

Perhaps Gabriel's collapse had completely destroyed his subordinates' morale. Perhaps these people had long known the Sullivan family's fate was sealed, just waiting for an opportunity to surrender.

The convoy smoothly entered the dock's core area, our people rapidly occupying several key posts. The entire process was surprisingly smooth, giving me an almost surreal feeling—in just two hours, the North District dock had fallen under my control.

Felix excitedly reported, "Boss, the dock is completely in our hands! Sullivan's people either fled or surrendered—there was barely any meaningful resistance. This is simply... too easy."

Too easy.

Those two words echoed in my mind, intensifying that unease. But when I saw my subordinates raising the Donovan family flag at the dock, saw those warehouses and shipping routes that once belonged to Sullivan now all mine, that unease was diluted by a sense of achievement.

"Strengthen defenses. Send people to inventory all dock assets." I ordered. "Also, contact those surrendered Sullivan subordinates. Ask them about Gabriel's current condition."

Felix nodded and left. I stepped down from the armored vehicle, standing in the dock's center, taking a deep breath of air heavy with the salt scent of seawater. The city's lights remained brilliant in the distance, but starting tonight, this city's underground order would be completely rewritten.

At dawn, I returned to the estate, riding the high of victory, spending the entire morning reviewing reports and consolidating the new position. When Felix appeared at the study door again that afternoon, I'd already begun planning the next phase of expansion.

"Boss, the dock asset inventory is complete—even more substantial than we expected. Additionally, those surrendered Sullivan subordinates confirmed that Gabriel has indeed been staying at the manor these past few days, completely ignoring external affairs. They said Quincy and Aiden tried to report the dock's loss to Gabriel, but he threw them out and even smashed Quincy's phone."

I sat in the study, listening to Felix's report, the smile on my lips growing more pronounced.

"So he really has broken down." I lifted my coffee cup, taking a light sip. "A man who's lost his reason doesn't deserve to continue controlling this city."

Felix hesitated, then said in a low voice, "Boss, there's one more thing. Douglas sent word that he's frozen several of our secret funding chains."

Douglas?

I set down the coffee cup, my brow furrowing slightly. That financial operator I'd once cornered, forced to submit—he dared betray me at this moment?

"He thinks that because Gabriel collapsed, I'll let him go?" I laughed coldly. "Tell him, once I finish with Sullivan, he's next. A defeated opponent dares play these games with me."

Felix nodded. "I'll immediately arrange for someone to warn him. However, Boss, Douglas controls quite a bit of our capital flow. If he's truly determined to resist—"

"He wouldn't dare." I cut off Felix, my tone certain. "Douglas is just a businessman. What he fears most is losing everything. The fear I've given him runs far deeper than any hope Gabriel could offer. What he's doing now is just testing my limits, seeing if he can negotiate better terms."

I stood, walking to the floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the estate grounds beyond. Sunlight spilled across the manicured lawn—everything appeared so peaceful, so beautiful.

Felix respectfully acknowledged, "Yes, Boss."

I turned, my gaze sweeping across the city map on the desk. The North District dock had been colored in deep red representing the Donovan family, while Sullivan's sphere of influence was shrinking bit by bit.

"Continue monitoring Gabriel's movements." I instructed. "If he remains indifferent, prepare the next phase—I want him to lose not just territory, but his subordinates' loyalty as well."

Felix nodded and departed, leaving me alone with my maps and my ambitions, already imagining how the rest of the city would fall like dominoes once Gabriel's empire crumbled to dust.