About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

Still no news——

"Boss, your treasured 28-year-old Lafite was just used to cook."

"Ga!? (An indescribable penguin scream)"

"Hey, Boss~Finally got in touch."

The Archangel who had successfully tricked the emperor into answering the phone greeted him with a smile.

"Don't mess around, Exia! I planned to drink that bottle of wine to show off in front of the Rat King's grave after he dies!"

"No, compared to that, I do have something that needs your help."

Exiah told the Emperor about Orson's plan and goal. She originally thought that the Emperor would agree as readily as Sora did. However...

"I see. I refuse."

"Eh?!"

After hearing the whole story, the emperor rejected the invitation without any hesitation.

"Why, why, Boss? This might be a chance to save Lungmen and the slums!"

The Angel asked in confusion.

"Well, but on the other hand, what does saving Longmen and the slums have to do with me? These are originally the responsibilities of Wei Yanwu. If you want to force your way in, at least start by not dragging others into this. I have no interest in your goals, that's it."

The emperor said in a sharp and difficult to refute tone.

"Why is this happening... Ugh!"

Exia was also confused by the emperor's sharp response and didn't know how to respond. At this moment, Lappland on the side picked up the phone.

"You're such a complete egoist, jerk. Coincidentally, I'm the same kind of guy—if that's not enough to convince you, I'll try something else."

"Where did you come from..."

"[Now you have an opportunity to piss Wei Yanwu off half to death and throw most of Longmen into chaos. Do you want to participate?]"

"Hmph, count me in!"

The emperor joined the group at the speed of light, and Lappland smiled and looked at the dumbfounded Orson Archangel with a disdainful look, saying "You two are still young~".

--------

At night, the slum border, which should have been extremely quiet, was a hundred times busier than the busiest shopping street in Longmen City.

"Hurry up! MSR and the Great Emperor are suddenly having an outdoor concert in the middle of the night. I heard that Sunset is coming!"

"But this time the location is near the slums..."

"Idiot, isn't this more interesting? Grab the camera, we have to be the first one... Damn, someone's already here!"

Similar conversations kept happening. Initially, some media outlets spread rumors based on hearsay, but then more and more people began to believe and doubt it.

When the emperor drove the excavator to smash the slum wall and took out the microphone, this place instantly became the most active place in Longmen.

Countless infected people in the slums, onlookers in Longmen City, fans, people with bad intentions, and the Royal Guards trying to control the crowd—

This sudden concert brought everyone together, and the people who were gathered together, initially cautious and doubtful, gradually fell into frenzy under the guidance of the DISCO Ball Atmosphere Group (referring to the Archangels) - except for a few people who had other goals.

"Are you ready, you two?"

"Ha, need I ask? Just getting back to the old ways, right, Texas?"

“…Don’t die.”

On the dark rooftop of a dilapidated building, Orson stood on the edge with his knight's sword on his back, looking down at the darkness in front of him, while the two wolves behind him were checking the sharpness of the weapons in their hands.

Amidst the singing of Sora-chan not far away, the three of them jumped down and began tonight's hunt.

It's time for closure.

101. The Man Who Plays with the Darkness

A few kilometers from the "Fever Concert," in a corner of the slums, two black-suited Sicilian gang members leaned against a wall. Lighted cigarettes dangled from their fingers as they gazed at a nearby concert, punctuated by vibrant RGB lighting, occasional screams, the sounds of a powerful rapper, and the vibrant voice of the famously slapstick singer Sora-chan.

The fusion of these disparate sounds created a strangely unsettling atmosphere. After all, this was a formidable lineup comprised of the rap kings, Longmen New Starry Sky, and the enigmatic guest band Sunset Passing. Simply standing there, this combination commanded the attention of everyone within the surrounding area.

"Damn...it's really lively over there. What the hell is wrong with these people?"

One of the Sicilian gang members took a deep drag on his cigarette and cursed while looking at the chaotic concert area not far away.

"They forcibly broke down the wall separating the slums from Longmen City, and then carelessly constructed a crude stage using local materials. Even so, they still attracted a large crowd. Their actions were like a blatant declaration of war against us."

Another member of the Sicilian gang threw the cigarette butt aside and stomped on it a few times, his tone vaguely uneasy.

"Speaking of which, after the failed attack on the Imperial Guard, the leader hasn't taken any further action. Is it because the security measures at Longmen have become more stringent?"

"Who knows... If everything had gone according to plan, the Imperial Guard would have been reduced to ruins, and the last of the Texas family would have been slain by the leader. Longmen and the remaining Sicilian families would have naturally fallen into the hands of the Godfather."

The man in the suit complained unhappily. They certainly didn't know about Orson's existence. The only thing these subordinates knew was that the Godfather had joined forces with undercover agents planted years ago to launch a devastating attack on the Guards that was bound to succeed, but it ended in nothing.

Talking about the incredible failure before, the other person's expression was also a little hesitant.

"I have always followed and trusted the Godfather because he almost single-handedly stopped the endless family strife in Syracuse. Of course, I don't care about the means he used. I know very well that all the bloodshed is the necessary fuel to end the strife."

The man in the suit took another look at the concert not far away which was becoming more and more frenzied. Everyone could say with certainty that tonight was the night when the slums and Longmen city districts had the largest and closest intersection since their inception.

Whether this is good or bad, no one knows for the infected or ordinary citizens, but at least for the members of the Sicilian Gang, this inexplicable yet extremely fanatical concert is definitely another uncertain hidden danger beyond their plan.

Hidden dangers will bring suspicion, and failure will also bring suspicion. A series of actions that the Godfather could not have anticipated have caused the gang members who followed him to gradually question their past actions and future goals.

"I trust the Godfather, but... placing undercover agents in various cities, killing the last Texas, coming here to confront Longmen—are these really what we must do? What exactly is the Godfather preparing for? What exactly is he planning to fight? I chose to trust the Godfather and followed him to this city, but the answers he gave us sound so perfunctory."

The man in the suit asked this question to a man who seemed to hold a higher position in another family. He was no longer as firm in his beliefs as he claimed, and began to question the godfather's purpose and motives.

"I understand your doubts, but the Godfather never reveals too much about his plans. The only thing I can tell you is that he hasn't given up on Longmen, and a new plan is moving forward. And this time, the plan will definitely not—"

"Will it never fail?"

Suddenly, another voice was heard from the corner of the slum where there were only two people. Although the voice was as calm as dead water, it made the two of them feel goosebumps and their muscles tensed up at the same time.

"who!"

Bah! !

The man with a higher position didn't even think about it. He turned around and yelled, took out a crossbow and pulled the trigger.

However, the crossbow arrow only penetrated the already mottled wall on the side, leaving no other traces. All that could be seen around was darkness.

"Isn't that just hallucination?... What's going on?!"

Another member of the Sicilian gang nervously pulled out a dagger and kept looking around, but the voice suddenly disappeared, and the only sound that could be heard around was the distant concert sound that gradually turned into a carnival.

"It's definitely not an auditory hallucination. Normal people would flock to the concert at this time. In other words, that guy's target is us. Hold your weapons tightly. We don't know where the other party will attack from. Do you understand? Give me a response. Do you understand... um!?"

The man tried to warn his companion to be more careful, but the companion who was on his back a moment ago suddenly disappeared inexplicably for some reason, without even making a sound of shouting.

What kind of attack method is this?! Why did that guy disappear without even a scream?!

A trace of cold sweat seeped out of the man's forehead. He held a knife in his left hand and a crossbow in his right hand, and looked around vigilantly and fearfully.

However, no matter how much he looked around, there was still nothing around him, only those dilapidated buildings, broken ground, and endless darkness.

Wait, pitch black...?

The man finally realized something. He stared at the darkness before him and then realized something:

This darkness is [alive]...!

Swah——

The black curtains that blocked his vision began to ripple and slowly dissipate to both sides. These "darknesses" gradually gathered together and finally formed... no, the outline of a person appeared from the back of the darkness.

"Good evening, sir."

The darkness shrank behind the mysterious man like a tentacle and disappeared. With the moonlight shining, the man from the Sicilian Gang finally saw this man who was slightly shorter than they expected, carrying a knight's sword and smiling at them.

"……what do you want?"

Cold sweat dripped from the man's forehead. He clearly saw the body of his companion, whose life or death was uncertain, held in the boy's right hand.

"I hope to talk to you."

The mysterious man, Orson, threw the unconscious Sicilian gang member aside and slowly approached him.

"We have nothing to talk about—!"

The man roared and pulled the trigger of the crossbow, but Orson just hooked his finger lightly, and "Rest" extended one of its tentacles to cut off the crossbow arrow.

"Consider it my own questioning, sir."

Orson pointed his finger at the man, and more branches of the rest extended directly, tying the man to the ground with almost no resistance.

"Please tell me what you know about the 'Godfather' of the Sicilian Gang, where he will appear, and where your other companions are."

Orson took out a map and placed it in front of the man, his tone still calm.

"Damn... I'm so underestimated. Do you think I'll tell you? Don't think I'll reveal my brothers' addresses like the others did! I'll never betray the Godfather!"

The man shouted at Orson fiercely, and Orson sighed.

"First of all, no one betrayed you, sir. I must admit that you are very united, and no one would easily reveal the whereabouts of their companions. However... I also have my own channels and methods."

The "channel" that Orson mentioned was the treatment records provided by the black doctors in the slums.

Originally, for ordinary people, the only useful information in these medical records was "quantity". However, for Orson, he could use the detailed data of the men in the medical records to find and mark the rhythms of those people in advance.

At this time, most of the infected people in the slums were attracted by the concert, and Orson's frequency perception quickly locked onto the specific locations of dozens of Sicilian gang members.

Of course, this "cheating" blanket search wasn't without cost. After this incident, Orson, whose Originium infection rate had skyrocketed due to excessive use of Originium techniques, would undoubtedly be devoured by MON3TR, summoned by a furious Kal'tsit, during her next personal checkup...

"Secondly—it's actually okay if you don't tell me. Your presence here is itself another form of confirmation—confirmation that the guy isn't nearby."

brake--!

Orson manipulated the Pause, which had transformed into a sharp blade, to gently cut a wound of moderate depth on the man's neck, and red liquid instantly spurted out.

"Seal the wound well, sir. Whether this wound will become fatal depends on your desire to live."

Orson held the man's palm and pressed it against the wound to stop the bleeding, speaking softly.

"You... ahem—what are you going to do...?"

The man tried hard to cover the wound, and asked Orson with trembling eyes.

"Me?"

In response to the man's question, Orson smiled.

"I'm going to completely eradicate the Sicilian Gang tonight."

"——!? Are you crazy... You're absolutely, ahem, crazy! You can't do this on your own—"

"Don't get excited. Do you really want to die from blood loss? And you've made another mistake, sir."

Orson placed the man's palm back on the wound, then extended a finger and gently pressed it against his lips, signaling him not to try to speak again.

"Did I ever say I was alone?"

"——!?"

The man's eyes widened, and there was only fear in his eyes.

After saying this, Orson turned and prepared to leave. The man noticed the crossbow bolt that had fallen earlier was at his feet. If he just let go of the bolt with the resolve to die, he would have a chance to shoot the boy in the back.

But the man's body did not dare to move. His spirit had been completely destroyed by this young man who could play with darkness, and he didn't even dare to think of resisting.

The only thing he could do was to press on the wound, close his eyes, and pray that his companions could escape.

but……

"Hahaha! That's it, that's it?"

In a bar somewhere in the slums, a white-haired Lupo girl laughed loudly, holding two strangely shaped swords in her hands, standing in the center of what had almost become a ruin. Around her were a bunch of Sicilian gang members lying in a mess.

"I thought after you united the other Syracuse families, you would at least recruit some higher quality thugs. Now it seems really boring. Haha, the purity of the Sicilian Gang has also greatly decreased."

Lappland mocked unscrupulously, and at the same time stretched out his leg to kick away the guy who sneaked around behind him and tried to knock him down.

"Puff!!"

The thug who tried to attack him was kicked against the wall and fell to the ground. Lappland showed his jagged teeth and approached the other party with a bloodthirsty smile.