Capone Bege

By the standard of ten years per generation, Becky was undoubtedly among the first generation born and raised after the Mafia Federation Kingdom was founded. They were both fortunate and tragic. Due to the Mafia Federation's peculiar circumstances, most of them had enjoyed a brief, privileged childhood before it came to an abrupt end, forcing them to struggle alone for survival. In the end, they gradually followed in their fathers' footsteps—either rotting away or dying rotten.

Becky was a typical example.

Becky's father had been a drifting smuggling-ship captain, while his mother had been a noble young lady who had dreamed of romantic love and eloped with someone. Of course, she had not eloped with Becky's father. Becky's appearance alone showed that he had inherited the sort of stubborn genes that not even a beautiful noble lady could save. Becky's mother had been deceived and trafficked, and Becky's father had happened to be responsible for transporting her. During the journey, drunk on liquor, he had assaulted her.

Not long after giving birth to Becky, his mother fell into despair and threw herself into the sea. Becky's father did not care in the slightest and continued his filthy business, though he had provided Becky with a fairly decent material life. Unfortunately, it did not last. A shootout over a supply dispute was enough to bury Becky's father. Without his father's protection, Becky lost everything as well. The countless wolves hidden within the "gangster empire" would never allow the weak to possess too much. Thus, Becky could only wander the streets and survive through theft and pickpocketing.

"A lack of order—no, its collapse."

After questioning Becky, Brad surmised that when the Mafia Federation Kingdom had first been established, the Ten Dons must have held hopes of ruling their kingdom as other kings ruled their subjects. They had likely advocated revising laws, running legitimate businesses, and so on. Unfortunately, their subordinates were all people accustomed to destroying and trampling order. There were no law-abiding citizens among them at all. In the end, everyone gradually returned to using gangster methods to solve everything.

"Let me introduce myself. Brad Hyman. Brad is my given name, Hyman my family name—the opposite of yours." Brad watched Becky's every movement and word with great interest. "The one beside me is my elder sister, Joanna Hyman."

Mosquito Girl bent down, playfully lifted her hat, and pulled a face.

A lovely, glamorous face... but what was that on her head? And those vicious exoskeletons, those long antennae!

"..."

Becky was horrified and nearly screamed.

"As you can see, she isn't human. Do you know about Super Dangerous Species? She's a demi-human Super Dangerous Species." The corner of Brad's lips curled upward. "As for me? I'm a Hunter. Do you know what a Hunter is?"

Becky silently nodded. He now truly understood what kind of person Brad was. In short, a ruthless figure. At the very least, crushing street thugs like him would be no different from crushing ants. If Brad wanted to roll him into a ball, he could; if he wanted to flatten him, he could.

"A good initial understanding helps deepen friendship. I think things are off to a pretty good start between us!" Brad smiled. "This is fate. Fate—profound beyond comprehension. Fate—wondrous beyond words."

Becky: "..." Damn fate.

"Shall we talk about dreams?" Brad suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Becky lowered his head and said gloomily, "There are no dreams in the gangster empire, Godfather!"

"Oh? A proverb passed around in the Mafia Federation Kingdom? A bunch of salted fish with no dreams!" Brad sighed, though there was mockery in it as well.

After a brief pause.

Brad murmured like a demon, "Then let's talk about desire! Do you want to avenge your father? Do you want to reclaim the big house and comfortable life that once belonged to you? Do you want to possess power, status, and wealth like the upper echelon of the Mafia Federation Kingdom? Say it! There's nothing shameful about saying it! Becky, people have to live with some dignity. Otherwise, what meaning is there in gaining anything?!"

"I do!" Becky answered without hesitation.

Brad said with a smiling gaze, "Then fight for it! Prove your resolve! Let me see that you possess the most basic qualifications, and then I'll help you."

After leaving behind a string of phone numbers, Brad departed cleanly without continuing to tempt Becky.

Becky sat on the abandoned barrel Brad had occupied earlier, remaining motionless for a long time. Children battered by fate matured far earlier than children who had long lived beneath their parents' protection. He was thinking, weighing his options, and making plans.

Looking back from afar, Brad's lips curved up. From the moment he had encountered Becky, he had understood—this was an excellent target to make use of.

Several dozen minutes later.

Brad arrived at a church-like building: the West Blue branch of the Hunter Association.

Shack Yak was showing Esdeath and the others around while explaining the Hunter Ten Rules and the precautions to take in the Mafia Federation Kingdom. Catching sight of Brad, she called out, "You should listen too."

Brad did as she said.

A short while later.

"According to the first of the Hunter Ten Rules, a Hunter must have a hunting target. I do—my hunting target is 'history.' Second, a Hunter must possess a minimum understanding of martial skill, meaning Nen training. I have that too." Brad asked, "What should I do? What do I need to do?"

Shack Yak flicked away some ash. "Straight to the point, huh! Hehe~~~ Simple. Rookies who don't know what to do at first need guidance, so just wait for a suitable job posted by the Association and you're good to go! The same applies to everyone else."

Only after thoughtfully arranging food and lodging for the group did Shack Yak leave to handle her own business.

While Jin was not paying attention, Brad gathered the four-person team.

"What ghostly scheme are you plotting now, Brad~?" Melard spoke with her usual lazy, teasing tone. "I was just about to take a nice bath. Or have you changed your mind and decided to dress as a woman after all? Hehe~"

Esdeath shot Melard a stern glare, then signaled Brad with her eyes.

"Don't worry. I checked—there are no listening devices." Brad said, "I don't think Shack Yak's suggestion to 'wait for a suitable job posted by the Association' is reliable."

Esdeath asked, "Your suggestion is...?"

"Turn passivity into initiative. Take the initiative. For now, don't worry about whether the jobs suit us. Raise our reputation, Hunter rank, and contributions to the Hunter Association. That way, we'll have more room to choose." Brad said seriously, "Especially after experiencing the conditions of the Mafia Federation Kingdom firsthand. It's extremely chaotic, which also means opportunities! We'll have plenty of work."

Esdeath stared suspiciously at Brad. "You don't just want me to make money quickly and repay the debt I owe you, do you? You heartless skinflint."

"...," Brad said.

"Actually, I also wanted to look into the individual missions your superiors assigned you, to see whether we could devise a joint plan. Though I doubt it'll work." Brad tested the waters.

Melard giggled. "It definitely won't work. ipher Pl's rules are far stricter than the Hunter Association's. If disobeying a superior's orders in private is exposed, the consequences would be unpredictable."

PS: A new week—please bookmark and vote with recommendation tickets.