Daughter

Old Charles tried to make his daughter understand that, starting today, many things would change. The reduction in wealth was actually not the most impactful issue in the short term. After all, even with sixty percent of their property confiscated, the Berlik Gang still had some savings built up over more than a decade. As long as they pinched pennies from now on, they could get by. The core impact lay in the gang's drastic fall in status. Like the other regional gangs reassigned to the Azure Dragon Gang, the Berlik Gang was about to join the new faction as penitents, reduced to a subordinate Rank 4 gang. This meant a massive drop in revenue, a severe decline in social standing, intensified combat missions in worsening conditions, and the ever-present danger of incurring wrath. Correspondingly, Lynne would lose her former life. *In the worst-case scenario, maybe one day out of nowhere... your Old Charles just won't come back.* When Old Charles thought of this, he could no longer resist glancing back at his daughter. She had grown up and was very beautiful—even more so than her mother had been in her youth—yet she possessed neither her mother's gentle, steadfast character nor reliable maturity. She was simply far too thoughtless. In the past, none of that had mattered much. However, moving forward, once the Berlik Gang lost so much and its decline became certain, those traits would turn into dangerous liabilities. This was an issue that required absolute vigilance, and a wave of deep worry and dread welled up in Old Charles's heart. *Maybe I shouldn't have let her hang around with Jenna all the time,* Old Charles felt a pointlessly late twinge of fatherly regret. "Stay home and wait for me to return, do you hear me?! Lynne, I think the two of us need to have a serious and formal talk," Old Charles said in a low, heavy voice. "Okay." Lynne nodded twice, her eyes rimmed with red. In her memory, her father had never seemed like this before. The image in her mind was of her Old Charles whose angry expression always softened on its own, his eyes turning doting and helpless as he gave in to her. Seeing his daughter put on her usual well-behaved act after getting into trouble, Old Charles felt a trace of helplessness. "Listen to me. This is a warning—a definitive, formal warning, Lynne! If you don't want to break my heart, that is." He could not help emphasizing it once more. Time was running short, and unable to bear being too harsh, Charles turned and walked out the door. Lynne watched her father leave. She stood there dejectedly for a moment, then went and sat down on the sofa in the living room instead of returning to her bedroom, her thoughts a tangled mess. In the living room, servants hurried back and forth. They were preparing for the move, packing up for Old Charles's family while also gathering their own belongings. *I can't let Father be the one to go find him and talk to him about this... I'll tell Father, and then I'll go wait for him myself. I'll run into him eventually, and then I'll beg him...* Third District. Old Charles parked his car along the street. It was a cheap, ordinary vehicle that Al had borrowed the previous night. They had spent the entire night cautiously preparing everything and weighing every possibility—not because they hoped such a car would hide their wealth or win them sympathy, but simply because they were terrified of getting on the Wild Band Alliance's nerves. Opening the door, Old Charles stepped out. He wore no device and carried no weapons. He stood by the roadside for a moment, waiting until a few gang bosses he recognized had entered before following behind them. They walked under the brand-new signboard... [Azure Dragon Gang] That signboard now represented at least five top combat powers belonging to a single faction. Two of them were confirmed capable of driving back top-tier combatants from the five major factions in one-on-one duels, while another had defeated Corpse Man Weize in the street the night before... Furthermore, although Dao Dali had not yet fought publicly, the information brokers outside had suddenly and unanimously raised their combat assessments of him this morning. Under such overwhelming military might, not a single gang in penitent status dared to foolishly raise any objections. "All gangs will have sixty percent of their property confiscated in a single sweep and be demoted to Rank 4 combat gangs. Subsequent performance will determine whether wealth is rewarded and ranks promoted, or whether you vanish..." No exceptions, no miracles. The punishment was exactly what they had heard last night. Dazed and overwhelmed, Old Charles sat there in a haze, hearing the Berlik Gang and his own name called on the list... and then hearing Mr. Filio conclude his announcement. The people around him stood up. Old Charles stood up with them. Next, they had to return and prepare gang property inventories, roster sheets, and many other things before undergoing audits and completing the handover. As they moved toward the back door to leave, a figure walked in through the front entrance, stopped beside Filio, exchanged a few words with him, and then turned to walk back outside. Old Charles had not noticed it himself at first, but the sudden buzz of conversation among the surrounding bosses snapped him out of his daze. "Is that him? The Azure Dragon Gang newcomer who beat Weize one-on-one last night?" "Yes, should be him. He really is young." Not being elites, these men had stayed behind in the rear last night and had not witnessed that battle firsthand... Someone said, "No mistake about it. That scar is proof enough. I heard..." "Shh! Talking about that... do you want to die?!" "Let's go. Don't discuss it anymore, and don't stare." Amid the whispering, Old Charles stood frozen with his head cocked. That was a detail he had missed last night... The person had already left, but he recognized that silhouette. They had crossed paths. They had even spoken a sentence to each other... *God! Berlik was almost wiped out completely on that very first night.* In that instant, lingering fear sent a slight tremor through him as his sluggish thoughts struggled to pivot. *He... Lynne... Lynne repeatedly begged me not to kill him, but he defeated Weize one-on-one...* It was complete chaos. There was something he clearly should have realized, yet for the moment, he could not grasp it at all, much less piece together a coherent logic. Old Charles racked his brain. "Charles? Charles!" A voice sounded beside his ear. Old Charles turned his head in panic. "What are you doing?! Let's go!" "Oh, right." Old Charles hurriedly turned around. "Wait a moment," Filio's voice called out from behind. Once everyone had stopped or turned back to look at him, Filio said, "There's a fellow with a very white beard." Filio repeated the exact words he had heard. Gaze after gaze gradually converged on Old Charles. "Is that you? Charles," Filio asked. "I..." Old Charles hesitated as he opened his mouth. He was unsure of how to answer, what to say, or what was permissible to say. "Your daughter's name is Lynne? Brown hair..." Under the focused stares of the room, Old Charles gave a stunned nod, nervous and uneasy. "In that case," Filio said, "the Berlik Gang's property confiscation is adjusted to fifty percent. You will temporarily retain management rights over your residence and related businesses, and you are promoted to a Rank 2 gang." Without explaining why, Filio turned around immediately after speaking. *Still not quite used to speaking in front of so many bosses I used to look up to. Got to keep working at it, Filio,* Filio told himself silently. "...Thank you!" Confusion, excitement, and helplessness struck all at once. After a momentary stupor, Old Charles offered his panicked thanks. A change of just a few words, yet what it actually changed was immense! Even their destiny... If his mind were not still spinning, he might have been moved to tears. In the hall, cluster after cluster of envious looks landed on Charles, as if he had just hit the jackpot on an outrageous bet at the Central Casino. No one criticized it. There had never been any fairness in the City of Iniquity; they had long since grown accustomed to it. Here, knowing how to cling to power was a skill in itself. "Could Old Charles have picked a side in secret long ago?" "It's possible. But if that's the case, why confiscate any property at all and only reduce it by ten percent?" "No, the change happened after that young man walked in just now... God, we almost overlooked the most important part of Filio's words—Lynne, Old Charles's daughter." "..." "Lynne?!" The thought had naturally struck Old Charles as well. Managing with great effort to break away from the crowd that was now swarming him with sudden warmth and intimacy, he sprinted back home.