"The leader of the Crimson Claws, the Red Queen, or should I say, Mara?" Rex floated just in front of her, a smug grin plastered on his face.
Mara's eye twitched at the mention of her name. Fear flickered across her face. If a noble knew who she was, it could only mean one thing: she was his target. Or at least, that's what she assumed. In reality, Rex only knew because Cleo had used face recognition to search through the guards' data bank. But Mara didn't know that.
"S-shoot him down now!" The fear in her voice was unmistakable. Panic set in as she realized what was happening. Her gang quickly opened fire on Rex, bullets ricocheting off his wings as he shielded himself.
With his wings wrapped around him, he couldn't stay airborne and crashed down, smashing a table beneath him. Even as he hit the floor, the gunfire didn't let up, but nothing could pierce those wings.
Then one of the gangsters pulled out a rocket launcher and fired. The explosion sent a cloud of smoke and debris billowing through the room. For a moment, everything went still. The gang stopped shooting, eyes fixed on the spot where Rex had fallen.
As the smoke cleared, they could finally see it: Rex, still standing. His wings, though battered, were already repairing themselves. The impact zone was closing up right before their eyes.
"If you're smart, you'll drop your weapons," Carlos said calmly, stepping out of the shadows. He'd been eating at a nearby table, unfazed by the chaos, but the explosion had finally caught his attention. Glancing up, he saw a girl on the second floor, still firing at Rex. He made his move.
Casually, almost too casually for the situation, Carlos slipped through the chaos. Mara didn't even notice him since she was too fixated on taking down Rex. That gave Carlos just enough time to get close. In a few swift steps, he was behind her, pulling out the two handguns he'd taken from the Crimson Guard commander. He pointed them at the back of Mara's head.
Her fury was obvious, but Rex saw the shift. With a slight smirk, he finally lowered his wings, shaking off the last of the dust and smoke. He locked eyes with Mara.
"Well, well," Rex said, his voice dripping with confidence. "Looks like I've got the upper hand now, don't you think?"
The Mara group, especially the Crimson Claws, had a reputation that stuck. Known for their ruthless street gangs and extortion rackets, the Crimson Claws thrived on fear. They had a stranglehold on the lower levels of society, with ties to all sorts of shady operations.
So, capturing the leader of this gang was supposed to be a big payday. After all, if she led a gang with that kind of rep, there had to be a bounty on her head.
"Cleo, check the bounty on this girl," Rex ordered.
After a brief pause. "Search complete. No bounty."
"W-what?!" Rex's eyes widened in disbelief. "She's a gang leader! You sure?"
Cleo's voice remained calm. "While it's true the Crimson Claws are powerful, they're constantly dealing with infighting and power grabs. Their leadership doesn't stay stable for long, and their members are often bribed or bought out by higher players."
"Figures..." Rex muttered, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "So she's new to the job, huh? No bounty yet."
Cleo nodded, glancing at the screens in front of her. "That would explain it."
Rex let out a long sigh. His hopes of a big, easy payout were crushed. "Well, Mara, it looks like your head's worth nothing to me. Not even a single credit. Tell your guys to clear out the restaurant and to take the guards and that waiter with them."
Mara hesitated, but she didn't have a choice. "Do what he says, guys. Get out." The gang members slowly filed out, dragging the guards and a terrified waiter with them.
"There. I did what you asked. Now, can I leave?" Mara's voice wavered, trying to keep steady.
Rex floated in front of her, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Hmm? I don't remember saying you were free to go." He stepped closer, lifting her chin with a finger. "Now, little Mara, tell me... how much is your life worth?"
Mara blinked, stunned. "W-what?"
"You heard me." Rex's voice was casual, almost lazy. "How much would you pay to keep breathing? It seems like a small price to pay after attacking a noble. Or... you could refuse, but trust me, there won't be a planet you can hide on if you do."
Her blood ran cold. She'd heard rumors of nobles wiping out entire cities or planets just to make a point. "I'll pay!" Mara blurted, desperation creeping into her voice. "I—I have 50,000 credits. That's all I have. Please."
Rex chuckled, the sound sending chills down her spine. "Hahaha. Relax, kid, I'm just messing with you. You can keep your credits." He waved her off, still grinning. "But you do owe me for this little stunt. I've got a job for your gang tomorrow."
He gave a quick nod to Carlos, who had been silently aiming his gun at Mara's head the whole time. Understanding the signal, Carlos lowered the weapon.
"Consider this your punishment. I won't pay you, but you're going to foot the bill for all the damage here and for my meal." Rex let go of her chin and turned to leave, but paused. "Oh, and give me your contact info. I'll send the coordinates for tomorrow's job."
With that, Rex finally headed back to the table, where poor Emilia, the waitress, was pale and trembling. She didn't even move when Rex sat down like nothing had happened. Carlos, noticing, leaned in and tried to calm her.
As for Mara, she let out a shaky breath, relieved but still terrified. She knew better than to relax, though. Whatever Rex had planned for tomorrow, it wasn't going to be good. Without wasting any time, she pulled out her phone and started firing off messages since she needed her gang armed and ready.
Back at the table, Rex took another bite of his food, chewing thoughtfully. "So, Emilia," he said casually between bites, "I doubt you'll be able to keep working here after today. How about coming to work for me instead? My wife could use some help around the house."
"W-what would I have to do?" Emilia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Rex shrugged casually. "Honestly? I'm not sure yet. Probably just keeping the ship clean, simple stuff. As for the pay, you'll have to talk to my wife first."
"S-ship?" Emilia's eyes widened.
Rex raised an eyebrow, as if the question surprised him. "Mmm? Yeah, a ship. But don't worry, we're not planning on leaving the planet anytime soon. You got family here?"
"N-no… My family's on another planet. I came here looking for work to send credits back home." Her voice wavered as she spoke, still shaken from everything that had happened.
"Perfect, then. Get ready; we're heading out. Got a few things to pick up before we head back to the ship."
Once they'd finished their meal or what was left of it, they left the restaurant, which now looked more like a wreckage than a place to eat. Since Emilia clearly wasn't in any shape to walk for hours, they hailed a taxi and headed to the spot where they'd parked their car before the whole Crimson Tower invasion.
The car had just enough room for the three of them. As they settled in, Rex glanced at Emilia. "You know how to drive?"
She nodded, though still a bit hesitant. "I know the basics for normal cars. I don't know much about heavy vehicles, though."
"That's fine," Rex said, seemingly satisfied. "We need you to drive this one anyway, since we're about to rent a couple trucks."
With that settled, they soon arrived at the rental agency, the same place they'd been before, and rented the trucks again. After loading up on supplies for Cleo, they packed the trucks to the brim and set off toward the city's exit, following the usual procedures to get out.
Meanwhile, back at the wrecked restaurant, about an hour after Rex and his crew had left, the place was shut down. Inside, Mara stood with some of her gang members, a few city guards, the waiter, and the restaurant's security guard, the same people who had sparked the entire mess.
An inspector from the city guard, clearly irritated, paced back and forth before finally turning to Mara. "Let me get this straight," he said, narrowing his eyes. "The waiter and this so-called security guard here insulted a noble... and then you geniuses decided to shoot at him? Is that about right?"
Mara barely spared him a glance, her expression bored, like she couldn't be bothered to care. "Mhm, more or less."
The inspector's face flushed with anger. "Stop playing games with me, you stupid—" He slammed his hands on the nearest table, shaking his head in frustration. "Do you realize you almost got this entire planet wiped out because of your little stunt?!"
He collapsed into a chair, rubbing his temples. His outburst had triggered a chain reaction since Mara's gang members immediately raised their weapons, aiming them at the inspector. The city guards, not to be outdone, leveled their guns at Mara and her crew.
The tension in the room spiked in an instant. Mara, still unfazed, slowly turned her head toward her men, raising a hand to signal them to lower their weapons. "Relax," she said calmly. "We're not killing anyone today. Let's not make this worse."