Seeing that no one had left, Luke said with satisfaction, "Good, good. Someone just told me the Security Bureau was trying to poach you. Looks like I was worrying too much.
If we're going to make it in this line of work, we should be loyal. When trouble comes, we should stick together, not jump ship to save ourselves."
The meeting was quiet.
No one responded, leaving Luke a little awkward.
He might as well get straight to the point.
"I know what you're worried about. Black Mamba, hand out the things in the bag."
"Yes, Detective Chief."
Shelley set the briefcase on the table and opened it. Seeing that it was full of unmarked blue vials, she asked no questions and quickly handed one to each person.
As the sponsors held the vials, unsure what was inside them,
Luke took one from the briefcase and said, "I acquired this batch of Potent Berserk Potions through private connections with the Imperial Pharmacist Association.
"They take effect quickly and reach their peak fast, while still allowing you to retain some self-awareness. The peak lasts fifteen minutes, followed by a half-hour decline. The effects wear off gradually, reducing the strain on the body and minimizing side effects.
"I plan to have you sell this batch of Potent Berserk Potions. You can try one and see how it works."
After hearing Luke's explanation, the sponsors looked at the potions in their hands differently.
Berserk Potions could greatly unleash a person's potential for a short time. They were miraculous lifesavers that could decide the outcome of a desperate situation.
But ordinary Berserk Potions also had serious side effects. They could make people lose control, and once the effects wore off, users suffered a period of severe exhaustion. Those with poor constitutions might even die on the spot.
The Potent Berserk Potions developed by the Imperial Pharmacist Association, however, greatly reduced the side effects. So even though the Empire had set an extremely high price for them, they were still nearly impossible to get.
Meteor Detective Chief had actually managed to bring Potent Berserk Potions into Cape District through private connections. Those connections must have been extraordinarily powerful!
More importantly... Meteor Detective Chief wanted us to sell them.
He was practically stuffing gold bars into our arms.
Although some suspicious people wondered if they were poison, one carefree sponsor simply pulled out the wooden stopper and downed the entire vial.
Luke stopped midway through raising his own potion to try.
Everyone in the room turned to look at the two who had drunk theirs.
"Whoa... This... This feels incredible." The two stood up, their bodies brimming with energy. Their skin quickly flushed red, their muscles swelled, and their expressions were intensely excited, but their eyes hadn't turned completely cloudy. "Power. I've never felt anything like this before, and it's steady and sustained. My thoughts are a little muddled, but nowhere near out of control."
"This is the perfect state of berserk!
"I don't know what the aftereffects will be once it wears off, but just based on how controllable this state is, we could sell every last vial we can get our hands on."
After hearing their assessment, the other sponsors also drank the Potent Berserk Potions in their hands.
The effects came on quickly, and the shock of the burst of strength made everyone roar.
If Meteor Detective Chief hadn't been sitting there, with Black Mamba's hand resting on her gun the whole time, they would have torn the meeting room apart to vent their energy.
But it also proved that the berserk state was controllable.
The sponsors could only vent their surging strength by roaring, leaving the spies guarding the room outside exchanging bewildered looks.
They had no idea what the Detective Chief was doing to the sponsors.
After fifteen minutes, the peak passed, and the berserk effects began to subside in stages. Half an hour later, the berserk state wore off. The gradual decline had greatly reduced the strain on their bodies, leaving them merely tired—not too exhausted to move.
The sponsors no longer looked at Luke like he was a debt collector.
He was their own dear father!
A quick-witted sponsor rushed to claim the seat closest to Luke and asked eagerly, "Detective Chief, how many Potent Berserk Potions do you have? What's the price?"
Luke leaned back in his chair and said, "It's too early to talk about price and quantity. If we lose control of the docks, do you think our enemies will let us smuggle Potent Berserk Potions in?"
Someone slammed a hand down on the table.
"Whoever tries to take the docks from us, I'll kill them!"
The others were also fired up by the huge profits before them. Gone was their earlier cowardice; they rolled up their sleeves and shouted about taking back the docks.
"What if the Security Bureau steps in and fights us for the docks?"
Luke's question immediately silenced the excited crowd. They truly didn't have the courage to go head-to-head with the Security Bureau.
Seeing their reaction, Luke smiled. "Don't worry... If the Security Bureau steps in, don't we have the Secret Intelligence Bureau?
"But if we want to smuggle and sell Potent Berserk Potions, we have to truly unite and become a powerful force. Only then can we protect the wealth we'll create.
"If things stay as they are now... with the Mad Axe Gang getting bullied like that, we're still wondering whether to help them, and how much?
"This business will just get you killed faster.
"You all understand that, right?"
The crowd, now calm again, gave Luke's words serious thought.
The fact that they could sit here meant they were "successful" in Cape District. Most of those who weren't... were dead.
The value of Potent Berserk Potions was immeasurable.
They could bring in a fortune on their own, and having a source for them could also yield enormous profits.
Once the smuggled Potent Berserk Potions started circulating in Cape District, their value would surely make many people's eyes turn red.
Could they protect them?
As things stood, no.
Jumu was dead now, and Hamilton was dead too. No one left had the influence to unite everyone.
No, there was one!
"Detective Chief! For the sake of the Potent Berserk Potions, we're willing to give it everything we have and unite to protect the docks.
"Please lead us."
"Detective Chief!! We know that, given your position, you wouldn't want to get too involved with us. But we know our own limitations. Without you stepping in... there's no way we can protect this business."
"Detective Chief, please lead us!"
Before, the Secret Intelligence Bureau and the sponsors had a pay-to-keep-the-peace relationship. As a senior imperial official, the Detective Chief wouldn't have much to do with these gangs.
Now, the only one who could unite this disorganized crowd was this all-powerful, ruthless Meteor Detective Chief.
Before you continue