Chapter 90 Negotiation

In the days that followed, Roy's life got pretty damn interesting.

After nailing the integration of the Eight-Armed Spider Spear prosthetic, he had to spend a ton of time practicing multitasking to control puppets, climbing, moving, and fighting.

Plus, to make sure he didn't waste those two pricey super-strength training potions he bought, Roy had to put in a few hours of physical training every day.

Luckily, the gang's schedule was super chill. Besides the mandatory 7 PM patrol every evening, he could do whatever he wanted as long as there were no emergencies.

Lately, Roy noticed that harvesting regular corpses wasn't giving him much experience anymore, so he stopped wasting time at the casino in the early evening. He only showed up for the main events when there were death matches between pros later at night.

Time flew by, and over a month passed in these steady and fulfilling days.

One day, Roy was messing around with mechanical modifications in the basement.

This dingy basement had seen a major makeover since he moved in a month ago. During this time, Roy had been hauling in a ton of mechanical equipment and parts, even a small steam lathe, like an ant moving house.

Various mechanical tools hung on the walls, which Roy had bought from different shops and the black market.

He had already turned this place into a full-on mechanical workshop.

At this moment, Roy was rocking oil-stained work clothes and goggles, with two "PT3 Single-Cylinder Steam-Powered Arms" strapped to his hands, tinkering with something.

The steam boiler pumped powerful energy to the mechanical arms, letting Roy bend steel materials into the shape he wanted without using a lathe.

Roy was making ammo belts and ammo boxes for his gun, "Blue Demon."

This badass gun had a crazy high firing rate and could handle high temps without jamming. If used just as a handgun, its firepower couldn't be fully unleashed.

Even with rapid fire and extended mags, "Blue Demon" would run out of bullets in seconds.

So, Roy thought of using heavy machine gun ammo belts and external high-capacity ammo boxes. When he needed suppressive fire, he could strap on the ammo box, connect it with the ammo belt, and instantly turn the handgun into a heavy machine gun.

While Roy's hands were busy, the eight spider arms behind him were also working hard.

Since Roy's hands were tied up with the mechanical arms, it was a pain to hold other things. When he got thirsty, one of the spider arms would bring a cup of tea from the table to his mouth.

The eight spider arms saved Roy a ton of time, handling simple yet time-consuming tasks.

For example, loading bullets into the ammo belt.

Without needing precise control, the spider arms could easily pour bullets from a box into a custom loader, then press the handle. With the rhythmic metallic clicks of the loader, bullets would be neatly loaded into the ammo belt.

Before long, the last two ammo boxes bought from the black market were modified, and Roy let out a sigh of relief.

Looking at his work, he seemed pretty satisfied and muttered, "Finally done, ten ammo boxes should be enough."

These ammo boxes weren't just for Roy's "Blue Demon" but also for another piece of gear in the room: a mechanical power armor.

Roy grabbed an ammo box and walked to the mech hanging on the wall, testing the slot, which fit perfectly.

This mech was a rough prototype Roy had slapped together, but it was basically functional.

Roy named this hunk of metal "Iron Man Mark I."

It had no extra features, not even an outer shell.

The weathered body frame was a rough mod of the "Hunter VIII External Mechanical Skeleton"; the core was a "PT9 Four-Cylinder Steam Boiler" he snagged from a second-hand market, powering the "Iron Man Mark I"; the arms were just two six-barrel guns hooked up to ammo belts and bulletproof plates. Various hydraulic transmission devices and high-pressure valves were all parts scavenged from old junk.

Sure, it wasn't fancy, but the "Iron Man Mark I" was Roy's experiment.

He tried to control this mech like a puppet using steel wires.

But with his tech being kinda basic and the mech being a clunky beast, Roy couldn't even stop it from tripping over itself while running.

The "Iron Man Mark I" was now only good as a semi-fixed turret, remotely controlled by Roy to fire, make simple moves, and aim.

This was a baby step towards his dream of becoming a mechanical puppeteer.

It was midnight, and Roy had a few more hours to kill in the workshop.

After wrapping up his mechanical tasks for the day, he retracted the prosthetic to save enough dark energy for safety.

Then Roy pulled out an unfinished wooden puppet, thinking he could practice making "Rune Puppets," but before he could carve a few strokes, the communicator suddenly buzzed with Kai's urgent voice: "Everyone, grab your gear and head to the Elephant Tavern, now!"

Roy frowned at this.

The communicator was a tool the Cross Society members used to call for backup during major emergencies. For minor scuffles, a few shouts on Green Street could gather twenty or thirty people, making the communicator unnecessary.

Since joining, he had only seen it used once, on the first day when the Cross Society HQ was attacked. Now, he was hearing it again.

Judging by Kai's tone, it seemed like a big deal.

"Could it be those Steam Gang guys causing trouble?"

Roy guessed. Green Street bordered the Steam Gang's turf, and clashes happened often. If something big was going down, it was probably those Steam Gang punks.

He didn't waste time, changing out of his work clothes.

Since his combat gear was always stashed in his storage ring, he had nothing else to pack. Roy left the basement, fired up his motorcycle, and zoomed to the Elephant Tavern, getting there in less than two minutes.

When Roy arrived, the two groups were already squaring off outside the tavern.

The street was empty of regular folks, and the two gangs, numbering in the hundreds and armed to the teeth, were clearly divided at the tavern entrance. Their numbers were still growing.

Roy noticed that the Cross Society's side included not just the dozens from Green Street but also captains and members from other districts.

It looked like a big fight was brewing tonight.

As a veteran of Green Street, Roy was now considered an old-timer in the gang. Because of his tight bond with Kai, the members treated him as a "deputy captain," even though it wasn't official. Especially the newcomers, who nodded in acknowledgment when they saw his motorcycle.

A somewhat familiar newcomer approached and greeted Roy, "Deputy, you're here."

Not seeing Kai, Roy noticed the unusual scale of tonight's gathering and asked, "What's going on?"

The newcomer whispered, "The Steam Gang suddenly gathered their people and came to Green Street. The leaders are negotiating inside the tavern."

"Negotiating?"

Roy frowned.

Looking at the cocky Steam Gang members not far away, he sensed something was off.

Such a large-scale invasion would usually result in an immediate brawl.

But now they were sitting down for negotiations.

Judging by the current situation, it seemed a fight wouldn't break out just yet.

Since the leaders were negotiating, as long as there was no commotion inside the tavern, no matter how much the people outside provoked each other, they wouldn't start fighting.

Roy roughly understood the reason for the gathering and didn't plan to mingle with the crowd. He walked to the curb in a corner and squatted near the alley entrance.

If a fight did break out, crowded areas would definitely be prime targets for grenades.

After squatting for a while, Roy saw Kai walk out of the tavern.

Kai also saw Roy and signaled him to a secluded corner, probably to discuss something.

They met at the corner of the tavern's side wall.

Roy had never seen such an unpleasant expression on Kai's face before, so he asked, "What's going on?"

Kai gestured for him to look inside the tavern.

Roy glanced through the window and saw that the tavern was filled with burly men in black leather jackets carrying guns, with no regular patrons in sight.

Two leaders from the Cross Society, "Red Demon" Gollon and "Smoker" Sambu, were present.

On the other side of the negotiation table, Roy recognized the scar-faced man from the Steam Gang, a second-tier leader known as "Mad Dog" Hogg Vesnart, whose talent was the beast transformation type [C-003-Werewolf]. He was a strong fighter and a veteran of the Steam Gang.

At this point, Kai said, "There's a big situation in the inner city, and we might be in trouble."

Roy listened to his tone but didn't show much emotion.

A situation in the inner city was just that; it wouldn't affect the daily lives of the lower-level gang members.

Kai continued succinctly, "We just got word that the top-tier conglomerate 'the Reyes family' has split into seven factions. The industries in the Green Street area now belong to the third son of the Reyes family. His son, Martin Reyes, is here today, upstairs."

"The Reyes family?"

Hearing this, Roy felt that the situation might indeed be related to him.

The 'Reyes family' was the family of the wealthy woman, Lena.

Their benefactor, Ruth, also had very close ties with the Reyes family.

What had happened in just a month?

Could it be that Lena couldn't hold the fort and her uncles and aunts split the family?

Kai continued, "I don't know the specifics, but I heard that the higher-ups in the Black Tower put pressure on them. The major families in the inner city didn't want to see the Reyes family dominate, so they forced the head of the Reyes family to agree to split the conglomerate."

Hearing this familiar pattern, Roy immediately understood.

The "Reyes Conglomerate" almost monopolized the water supply and mining industries in Old Linton, making them a true oligarch.

But the fate of an "oligarch" was usually sealed.

Either they had to wield immense power and control the government.

If they couldn't, their ultimate fate was to be beaten down.

This wasn't new to Roy, just like the seven oligarchs in Russia. They were incredibly powerful at their peak but ended up being subdued.

Old Linton was a private lordship, theoretically making everything in the city the private property of Lord "Duke Raphael." As long as the Black Tower, the highest authority above the inner city, existed, even the biggest "oligarch" had to bow down.

But what did the Reyes family's split have to do with Green Street?

Looking at the Steam Gang, who were the other party in the negotiation, Roy seemed to have guessed something.

At this point, Kai finally voiced his concern: "Most of the entertainment businesses on Green Street are owned by the Reyes family. Now that the Reyes family has split, the taverns and gambling dens mostly belong to the third son of the Reyes family. The Steam Gang somehow got involved with Mr. Martin. Now they want us, the Cross Society, to withdraw from Green Street and let the Steam Gang take over."

Hearing this, Roy immediately understood.

Such negotiations were likely to fall apart.

Sure enough, after a few words, the tavern erupted in shouting and table-banging.

The noise was loud enough to be heard on the street.

"Mad Dog" Hogg was very aggressive, "You have three days to withdraw from Green Street, or don't blame us!"

Gangs did rely on benefactors, but not entirely.

Territory won with blood couldn't be given up so easily; the Cross Society wasn't that cowardly.

"Impossible!"

"Smoker" Sambu slammed the table, interrupting the conversation.

With a grim face and slow speech, he said, "Green Street has always been our Cross Society's territory. Hogg, don't give me that crap. If the Steam Gang wants territory, come and take it with guns blazing!"

The Cross Society's benefactor was Ruth. As long as Ruth didn't give the word, no one else had any say.

Sambu's words meant the negotiations had completely broken down.

As soon as he said "come and take it," it triggered everyone's nerves, and all the people in the tavern immediately raised their guns at each other.

Roy and Kai were quick to react, drawing their guns and aiming at the Steam Gang members inside.

This act of drawing guns caused a chain reaction, and the members outside also tensed up, with the sound of bullets being chambered filling the air.

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense, like a powder keg ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

The large Elephant Tavern fell silent.

No one dared to fire the first shot.

If a fight broke out now, the first shot would definitely be the spark for an all-out war between the two gangs!

Gang negotiations often involved a show of force, and table-flipping was common, but actual fighting at the negotiation table was rare.

Usually, in such situations, a third party would step in to mediate, calming both sides down to resume negotiations.

But something unexpected happened.

A bottle suddenly fell from above, smashing onto the negotiation table.

It shattered, splashing everyone with liquor.

Everyone was stunned. This act was a blatant provocation, showing no regard for the gang members present.

They all angrily looked up at the second floor of the tavern, but when they saw who it was, they swallowed their anger.

A young man in a silver suit, Martin Reyes, leaned against the railing, looking down at everyone with contempt, "Hmph, a bunch of ungrateful fools. Give you a little benefit, and you really think you're something?"

His words made the Cross Society members' faces turn very ugly.

Clearly, his words were directed at them.

Roy didn't know Martin, but seeing his luxurious suit, he guessed he must be a big shot from the inner city.