The Dream-Seeking Magician

Inside the spacious and bright office, Kingpin and Owl were discussing the division of territory.

In truth, Kingpin looked down on this simple-minded and flashy fellow from the bottom of his heart.

Yet there was no help for it. Much of the turf he now controlled had just been taken over, and with his operations spread so wide, he lacked enough capable subordinates to manage it all at once.

It was just as well; the cooperation with The Hand had only just begun, and since they were bound to slow their pace temporarily anyway, handling similar matters all in one go would save him from wasting effort later.

"Hahaha! Kingpin, then it's settled!"

Owl also held Kingpin in contempt internally, and if possible, he was even unwilling to let the name "Kingpin" pass his lips.

For the mere existence of that moniker was a bowing down by old-school syndicates like his own to this rising new force.

Yet circumstances were stronger than men. When it came to force, money, or even external image, these old-school gangs had already been left far behind by this rapidly surging fellow.

"Happy cooperation."

Compared to Owl's irrepressible joy, Kingpin's demeanor was far more composed.

Their horizons differed.

What pleased Owl was that allying with Kingpin—though he was unwilling to admit it—actually allowed him to breathe a massive sigh of relief.

He knew that if Kingpin truly made a move against him, being whittled down and swallowed up by the other man was merely a matter of time.

Now, however, the two sides were allies; at least for the short term, peace between them was guaranteed. Riding this window of time left for him to catch his breath, he could completely put Kingpin's side out of his mind for the moment, focus on expanding his own sphere of influence outward, and ultimately make it entirely possible to avoid any territorial conflicts with Kingpin.

In that way, he would be safe. And by that time, Kingpin would have forever missed the optimal opportunity to annex him.

For Owl to think this way could actually be considered clever. Yet he still underestimated Kingpin's ambition!

Kingpin's dream was to be the underground emperor of the entire world! Therefore, as long as they were peers in the trade, death was ultimately unavoidable for them in Kingpin's grand design.

Sooner or later, that was all.

The two men shook hands with hypocritical smiles, each planning their own future in their hearts while mocking the other's shortsightedness.

"I've prepared dinner. Let's have a drink together and celebrate."

A man like Kingpin, had he not entered this line of work, would likely have reached the absolute peak in any other industry whatsoever.

At this moment, he was courteous and charming with a warm smile, and no one would have doubted him had he been called a philanthropist with the welfare of the world at heart.

Naturally, Owl would not ruin Kingpin's face. He laughed heartily and went with Kingpin to the dining area.

At the dinner table, the two engaged in all sorts of contests in acting.

You were sunny and warm, so I was simple-minded and incompetent.

You had no heart for expansion, so I was retiring to change careers.

Neither of them wanted to sit and eat together, yet one was compelled to invite the other, and the other compelled to accept the invitation. The world of adults was truly false, grotesque, and nauseating.

As the two were exchanging insights on their acting skills, BOOM! A deafening crash came from downstairs, and even the glass windows rattled in response.

Kingpin's expression turned icy on the spot.

There were still outsiders present in his stronghold right now, and for such a thing to happen, wasn't it deliberately making a fool of him?

Wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin, Kingpin summoned a waiter, muttered a few instructions quietly in his ear, and the waiter nodded in silence and departed.

From the very instant the sound appeared, Owl behaved as though he hadn't heard a thing, lowering his head to toy with the knife and fork in his hands as if he could divine patterns from the tableware.

He had not the slightest desire to see Kingpin make a fool of himself...

"A minor incident downstairs, but it's no matter. I've already sent someone to handle it."

Hearing this, Owl burst into roaring laughter: "Hahaha! I suppose some drunk forgot which foot was supposed to hit the brakes!"

They both laughed loudly, neither mentioning the loud boom again.

BOOM!!!

An even louder explosion!

This time, pretending not to hear was no longer an option. Owl rose at the opportune moment, an expression of profound apology on his face as he said, "I am deeply grateful for Mr. Kingpin's hospitality, but the hour is already quite late. Perhaps we should leave it at another day, and I will host Mr. Kingpin in return. I hope you will not refuse."

Owl could still recognize the sound of a bomb, and heaven knew what kind of ruthless lunatic had actually fought their way to Kingpin's home turf!

If he didn't leave now, staying a moment longer might make leaving rather difficult.

Kingpin was likewise boiling with rage; matters regarding Wesley and Bullseye had only just occurred.

That he managed to suppress his temper already showed decent self-control, only for this sort of trouble to arise yet again!

This was the first time such a thing had happened since he moved into this building.

Maintaining an expression of calm smiles on the surface, Kingpin put on an indifferent air: "Of course, I look forward to accepting your invitation."

The two nodded to each other, and Owl turned without hesitation to leave, taking his subordinates with him.

Kingpin did not see him out; right now, he only wanted to know what was happening downstairs!

Owl walked to the door, and his subordinate reached out to push it open. Once they cleared this place, they could head straight to the top floor to board the boss's Owl Aircraft and flee.

Everyone was somewhat impatient; the pressure of sharing a room with Kingpin was simply too immense.

The moment a hand made contact with the doorknob, something on the other side of the door slammed against it, driving the door—which had just been pushed open a crack—slamming back inward.

Owl gently flared his nostrils. He seemed to smell a hint of... the stench of blood.

Years of experience drove Owl to make a purely intuitive reaction.

He flicked the dark green cloak behind him, bent his knees, and leaped hard to the side.

A burst of gunfire erupted, dense bullet holes blossoming across the door and shattering the beautifully crafted, expensive wooden portal into a complete mess.

Reduced to an equally complete mess were the Owl subordinates standing right outside the door whose reflexes lacked the sharpness of their boss.

The gunfire continued.

Spitting tongues of fire flickered in and out of view through the splintered door panels.

Owl hid behind the decorative beast statue beside the door. For a fleeting second, he even half-suspected that this alliance was actually a trap laid by Kingpin to murder him!

Yet he no longer thought so now.

The bastard outside was acting with total disregard for consequences; Owl watched with his own eyes as a ricochet struck the neck of the lackey standing beside Kingpin, blood spurting like a fountain on the spot. Kingpin himself remained motionless, hunkered down behind the specially reinforced bulletproof table.

Two crisp metallic claps rang out in succession as a pair of oversized, custom-heavy-fragmentation grenades were tossed into the dining room.

"F.u.c.k!!"

Owl let out a furious curse, dropping flat onto the floor and pressing tight against the corner of the wall.

Now he finally understood what those two loud bangs downstairs had been!

Boom!

Boom!

Following two more deafening detonations, the dining room that had just been echoing with the sound of a piano was swallowed by thick smoke and filled with echoing moans.

"Damn it, no wonder people keep saying the times have changed! This stuff really is way more useful than fists and feet!"

Outside the door, Leon shouted into the smoke-choked dining room: "Dear Fisk!"

Another grenade flew in.

Bullseye's gear was certainly good!

"I am a dream-seeking magician!"

Another one.

"Though I haven't received an invitation, I've still taken the initiative to come and show you the magic trick I've recently been researching~!"

Another grenade was tossed in, and then the last one—he simply threw it in with the rest.

"The name of this magic trick is: Eradication Area Target Enhanced Version: Eradicate Target Area!"

Leisurely reloading the gun he had retrieved from Bullseye's home, Leon continued to shout: "Oh right! My friend told me this name came from Kaito Kid, so if you die, go look for Kaito Kid!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The grenades were spent, and the bullets were loaded.

With a gun in each hand, Leon stepped into the thick smoke.