Red Black

Red John Black.

That was the name of the Viper Family's boss. Though his surname was Black, he had absolutely nothing to do with Sirius Black. In Britain, there were plenty of casual surnames like Black.

As the boss of a family, Red naturally would not be like those little punks, cursing with a cigarette butt pinched between his fingers as he squatted at the mouth of an alley.

On the contrary, Red had always been very refined. If one ignored his identity as a family boss, then judging by his appearance alone, he looked more like a successful businessman or socialite.

His suit was crisp, his leather shoes polished to a spotless shine, and he was impeccably groomed. There was not even a stray thread on his shirt buttons.

His reddish-brown hair was slicked back, and a neatly groomed ring of beard framed his chin.

He could not really be considered a full-fledged family boss. He was more of a businessman.

Red ran a racetrack and a casino. The family under his command had been born because of his business, which was the exact opposite of ordinary gangs.

In London's underworld, Red was not much of a big shot, and the Viper Gang was not some major gang either. But Red had one advantage that other forces lacked—he had money.

Because the Viper Family had ample funds and was not particularly weak in its own right, it had managed to gain a stable foothold in London.

Whether he had established the family or opened the racetrack and casino, though, the fundamental reason had always been to make more money.

Even for money, however, Red did not dare make every kind of money—for example, drug money.

The reason the Viper Family had remained safe and stable until now was not because it was powerful, but because it had no ambition.

Red had a family: a wife who loved him and an obedient, adorable daughter. Under those circumstances, not even death could make him casually touch something that could reduce him to pieces with a single misstep.

Sitting quietly in his casino office, Red contemplated plans for the gang's future. Things had become increasingly unfavorable for family development over the past two years. Because of the Hungerford Shooting Incident a few years ago, gun control had become stricter and stricter.

How the hell were they supposed to fight from now on? Have everyone slash at each other with Watermelon Knives?

But if he did not keep the establishments open, how were he and his brothers supposed to make a living?

Red was in a very awkward position. He wanted to go legitimate, but he had no other way to make money.

And the current situation was extremely unfriendly toward a family of his middling size.

Knock, knock, knock...

A knock sounded at the door. Red glanced toward it, then reached into his desk drawer for a pistol and shifted behind the desk.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a man in sunglasses stood expressionlessly in the doorway.

"Phew..." Red let out a breath, put the pistol back into the drawer, and could not help laughing as he cursed, "Since when the fuck did you learn to knock, Wickle?"

Thud...

The sunglasses-wearing man called Wickle toppled face-first onto the floor. Red's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly reached for his gun, but before he could disengage the safety, a strand of web shot through the air and snatched the pistol away.

At the same time, a small hand clamped around Red's wrist.

"Please remain calm, sir. I am not here to cause trouble."

A gentle voice sounded. Red looked up and finally saw the figure before him clearly.

It was a black-haired, green-eyed boy wearing a black mask. He was probably no more than 1.4 meters tall. Judging by both his voice and appearance, he could not have been older than twelve.

The boy was Gemini.

Red did not underestimate him just because he was a child. The enormous force gripping his arm told him that the boy before him could easily pin him to the ground and grind him into the floor with one hand.

"Boy, you've already taken down my men. How am I supposed to believe you're not here to cause trouble?" Red was not overly flustered.

After all, he came from a family background. In his younger days, he had taken part in plenty of gunfights, when everyone had used guns. Having weathered storm after storm to reach where he was today, Red's nerves had always been steady.

"You may not believe it, but I only came to discuss business with you." Gemini smiled gently, released Red's arm, and took a step back, maintaining a polite and friendly distance.

"But your men did not seem to believe me, and their manners were not very good either, so I exercised a little. When doing business, one must always show the customer one's capital."

Gemini spread his hands, looking innocent as hell.

Red studied Gemini with interest and said with mild amazement, "That's incredible. You look about the same age as my daughter... yet you managed to take down all my brothers."

As he spoke, Red calmly walked to the door and looked out into the hallway. "Sure enough, not a single one was left out. Good boy..."

"Please forgive me." Gemini plopped down on the soft sofa and crossed one leg over the other.

Red dropped onto the sofa opposite Gemini, resting his chin on his hands. "Red Black."

Gemini froze for a moment. "Harry Potter."

As the words fell, the two looked at each other and laughed awkwardly.

Red's sudden introduction had caught Gemini off guard for a second, leaving him unable to think of an answer immediately. Though he had hurriedly given a name, Red obviously did not believe him.

"Just kidding. My name is Ron Weasley."

Red gave a wry smile and waved his hand. "Forget it, forget it. I have no interest whatsoever in what your name is. Let's talk about the business you mentioned."

"Then please allow me to introduce myself." Gemini gave a polite nod. "I am a businessman."

Red raised an eyebrow. "A legitimate one?"

"If we're talking about character, then I am indeed a legitimate businessman." Gemini nodded seriously. "I sell things like fire pokers, shields, and armor."

The two looked at each other and fell silent again.

"Fine, I won't ask meaningless questions. For people like us, it doesn't matter whether you're a legitimate businessman or not. Let's talk business openly and honestly."

As he spoke, Red looked seriously at Gemini. "What goods do you have?"

"Firearms... naturally, I will not sell those to you." Gemini spread his hands. "I will not casually disrupt the order of the country."

Although he did not have a business license, Gemini had always considered himself a legitimate businessman. Naturally, he would not easily cross the bottom line of the law.

Unless they paid more.

Red shook his head in disappointment. "If it's cold weapons, then there's no need to mention them."

"If you want them, I can get you some knives, spears, clubs, and the like. But such things are obviously not worth my making a special trip for." Gemini smiled. "What I sell is high-tech equipment."

"Such as?" Red asked.

Whoosh—

A strand of web shot out, stuck to a vase in the corner, and Gemini pulled it back along with the vase.

"Such as these Web-Shooters. With this thing, even a three-hundred-pound fat man can leap nimbly between skyscrapers. At the very least, you won't have to worry about your life when jumping off a building."

"The webbing is resistant to cold and fire, does not conduct electricity, and naturally degrades after twenty-four hours. There is no need to worry about environmental pollution."

Gemini smiled. "If you don't believe me, I can give you a detailed demonstration."

Red nodded. "I saw it just now. It really is an interesting thing."

He did have an eye for such things. The Web-Shooters Gemini had brought out were indeed extraordinary. The ability to pull a person through the air between buildings alone was astonishing, but they would have to discuss the specifics after he learned more.

Actually, I had not originally planned to sell these face-covering things, but as I wrote, I realized, holy shit, won't this get censored? I hurriedly asked my editor, and the editor said I couldn't write it... I forgot about that before starting the book. I deleted a whole lot and rewrote it, sob sob hic~