Edward escorted me to an expansive courtyard behind his mansion, where rows of men and women stood at attention. This wasn't just a gang—it was an army. Their presence exuded power and danger, their gazes sharp, their bodies honed for battle.
"These are my elites," Edward said, motioning to the group. "Each one of them has bled for this empire. If you're going to lead them, you'll need to prove that you're worthy."
I stepped forward, scanning the faces before me. The hostility in their eyes was unmistakable. They didn't just doubt me—they resented me.
One of them, a tall man with a shaved head and a scar running down his temple, stepped forward. "With all due respect, boss," he said, addressing Edward, "why should we take orders from a kid? He hasn't earned it."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the group.
I raised a hand, silencing them. "I expected this," I said calmly. "You don't know me, and you have no reason to trust me. So, let's settle this the old-fashioned way."
The crowd quieted, their attention now fully on me.
"If any one of you can defeat me, I'll step down," I declared. "You'll get to pick your own leader, and I'll walk away. But if I win, you follow my orders without question. No complaints, no doubts. Deal?"
The men exchanged glances, their skepticism turning to curiosity. The scarred man smirked. "You've got guts, kid. I'll give you that. But you're insane if you think you can take on all of us."
"I'm not worried," I replied. "Now, who's first?"
Before they could organize themselves, I opened the system interface in my mind.
"Hathor," I called out, addressing the navigator .
"Yes, William?" her soothing voice answered.
"How much money do I have in my account right now?"
"You currently have $500,000 in funds, accumulated from previous missions and completed objectives."
"Perfect. Use $100,000 to buy me the strongest skill available for a one-versus-many combat scenario. And upgrade it to max level."
"Understood," Hathor replied. "Searching for the optimal skill… Found: [Warlord's Domain].This skill grants enhanced strength, speed, and reaction time while allowing you to incapacitate multiple enemies simultaneously through advanced tactical awareness. Upgrading it to max level will also unlock the ability to temporarily summon ethereal weapons."
"Do it," I said without hesitation.
The system deducted the funds, and a surge of power coursed through me. My vision sharpened, my muscles felt lighter yet stronger, and my mind raced with newfound clarity.
[Warlord's Domain] Lvl Max: Enhanced all stats and reaction time to fight against anyone regardless of the numbers. You can summon ethereal weapons to use against the enemies.
Cooldown time: 1 hour
"This should be fun," I muttered under my breath.
The scarred man, whose name I learned was Marcus, was the first to step forward. "I'll take you down myself, kid," he growled.
He lunged at me with surprising speed, throwing a punch aimed at my jaw. I sidestepped effortlessly, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back before kicking him to the ground.
The crowd murmured in surprise, but Marcus wasn't done. He got up, swinging wildly. This time, I ducked under his attack and delivered a spinning kick to his chest, sending him sprawling.
"Next," I said calmly.
Three more men came at me simultaneously, one with a knife, the other two unarmed. My newly enhanced senses kicked in. The system highlighted their movements in real-time, allowing me to predict their attacks before they even made them.
The man with the knife slashed at me, but I caught his wrist and disarmed him, flipping him onto his back. The other two tried to flank me, but I countered with a flurry of strikes, knocking them both out within seconds.
The remaining members didn't wait for me to call them out. They came at me as a group, rushing in from all sides.
"Activate [Warlord's Domain]," I commanded.
The skill triggered, and I felt a wave of energy envelop me. Ethereal weapons materialized around me—swords, spears, and shields. They floated in the air, responding to my thoughts.
The first wave of attackers closed in, but I moved like a whirlwind. A spear flew from my side, striking a man in the chest and knocking him back. A sword slashed downward, cutting through the air and forcing another to retreat.
I spun, using a shield to block an incoming punch, then countered with a punch of my own that sent the attacker flying.
More kept coming, but they couldn't keep up. My enhanced speed and strength made me untouchable. Every movement was calculated, every attack precise.
After what felt like hours, only one man remained standing—a giant of a man named Victor, who was easily twice my size.
"You've done well, kid," Victor said, cracking his knuckles. "But I'm not going down so easily."
He charged at me, his fists like sledgehammers. I dodged his first swing, but his sheer size made it hard to counter. When he swung again, I ducked under his arm and delivered a powerful kick to his knee.
Victor stumbled but didn't fall. He grabbed a nearby wooden staff and swung it at me like a bat.
Summoning an ethereal sword, I parried the blow, the clash echoing through the courtyard. Victor pressed his advantage, swinging relentlessly. I had to rely on my agility, ducking and weaving as the staff came dangerously close.
Finally, I saw an opening. I sidestepped his next swing and delivered a powerful uppercut to his jaw. Victor staggered back, and I followed up with a spinning kick that sent him crashing to the ground.
The courtyard fell silent as Victor lay motionless. I stood in the center, breathing heavily but victorious.
Edward, who had been watching from the sidelines, stepped forward, clapping slowly. "Well done, William. You've earned their respect."
He turned to the crowd. "From now on, this boy is your leader. You'll follow his orders as if they were mine. Understood?"
The army, still recovering from their defeat, nodded reluctantly.
Edward smirked, looking back at me. "You've got the skills, the brains, and now the loyalty of my men. Let's see what you'll do with it."
Edward leaned back in his ornate leather chair, a half-empty glass of bourbon in his hand. The dim light from the chandelier above cast shadows across the room, giving the atmosphere a foreboding weight. Across from him, I sat at the table, surrounded by maps, documents, and a laptop displaying information provided by John and Callum.
"You've got everything you need to hit them where it hurts," Edward said, swirling his drink. "But are you sure about this? Cassandra isn't the type to let a slight like this go unpunished."
"That's exactly why I'm doing it," I replied firmly. "If we can dismantle her drug operations, we'll cut off her main source of revenue and weaken her position in the city. This is the first step in bringing her down."
Edward smirked. "You've got guts, kid. I'll give you that. So, what's the plan?"
John and Callum had done an excellent job gathering intel on the Syndicate's operations. According to their findings, Cassandra's network relied on a sophisticated system of drop points, decoy couriers, and encrypted communication. The drugs were transported in unassuming delivery vans disguised as legitimate businesses, and the drop points changed weekly to avoid detection.
"What we're looking at is a logistical masterpiece," John explained over a video call. He was at his usual station, a school library computer room that he had retrofitted with a VPN and a host of surveillance tools. "Cassandra's got her people running like clockwork. They use burner phones, coded messages, and fake delivery manifests to keep the authorities off their trail."
Callum chimed in from the other end. "We've identified three major hubs where the drugs are stored before being distributed: a warehouse near the docks, a nightclub downtown, and a scrapyard on the outskirts of the city. These locations are heavily guarded, but if we take them out, we'll cripple her supply chain."
"Good work," I said. "Now we just need to figure out how to hit all three without giving her time to regroup."
Edward tapped a finger on the map spread out on the table. "You're going to need to move fast and hit hard. The second Cassandra gets wind of what you're doing, she'll mobilize every resource she has to stop you."
I nodded. "That's why we're hitting all three locations simultaneously. We'll divide our forces into three teams. I'll lead the assault on the nightclub, Edward, you'll take the docks with your men, and Callum will handle the scrapyard with a backup team. John will coordinate everything from his end, monitoring communications and ensuring we stay one step ahead."
Edward raised an eyebrow. "You're putting a lot of faith in a couple of teenagers."
"They're more capable than you think," I replied. "And besides, they've got something Cassandra's men don't—me."