Chapter 1238:

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“Hold on!” After a moment’s hesitation, the leader finally stopped him, not quite ready to let the masked man go.

A small laugh escaped the masked man. “That’s the spirit. Hearing me out won’t cost you a thing.”

The leader exchanged glances with his men. They had to admit, he made a fair point.

“Go on, let’s hear it.” The leader gestured for the masked man to speak, and the atmosphere relaxed just a bit as curiosity took the place of tension.

Nobody dared call for backup. After all, this intruder had slipped past every guard and taken them out with ease. Trying to remove him by force would probably backfire. It seemed safer to let him talk.

“You need to act quickly. The Dark Hills are getting ready to strike. If you ignore this, you’re setting yourselves up for destruction,” the masked man warned.

“That’s ridiculous! The Dark Hills wouldn’t risk making the first move against us. They’d have to be out of their minds.”

To his surprise, the Axe Gang members shot down his warning without hesitation.

Even the leader shook his head. “Even with our losses, we’re still a force to be reckoned with. If the Dark Hills or any gang tries to take us down, it won’t be without cost. They know it’s a dangerous gamble, so they won’t act so rashly.”

“It might look that way if you’re only worried about the Dark Hills,” the masked man replied. “But what happens if the other gangs decide to join forces with them?”

𝗕𝖾 𝘱аr𝘵 𝗈𝖿 𝘰𝘂𝘳 сo𝘮𝗺𝘶ո𝗶ty o𝗻 g𝘢𝘭n𝘰𝘃el𝘀.𝘤о𝗆

The question hit the gang hard.

“That’s even more unlikely. We don’t have beef with the other gangs. There’s no reason they’d want us gone.” The leader was unwilling to accept the idea.

“Is that what you really think? Right now, it’s tough for anyone to expand in Delley. The Axe Gang is lagging, and you refuse to play by their rules. Why should they let you stick around?” A sneer curled under the masked man’s mask.

“That may be true, but there’s no guarantee they’ll all team up against us.”

The leader and his people shook their heads, though their words rang hollow. Deep down, the masked man had touched on the very thing that kept them up at night.

For years, the criminal landscape in Delley had barely shifted.

Beneath the surface, the gangs only kept the peace to avoid trouble from law enforcement or the military.

If someone spotted an opening to gain more power, there wasn’t a soul in Delley who would let that opportunity pass by.

“Maybe you haven’t heard. Boynton, that military officer who never missed a chance to crack down on your operations, just left Delley.” The masked man leaned in, dropping a bit of news. “You know what that means, don’t you? The military’s hands are off for now. The gangs are free to settle old scores without fear of interference.”

The masked man’s warning rattled the leader and his crew, and unease crept into the room.

Right then, an Axe Gang subordinate burst into the room.

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