Blood-red fireworks blossomed. A skinny man with a protruding mouth tossed aside a half-gnawed bone and rose from a dining table laden with meat.
He was short and scrawny, yet his appetite was enormous. He loved meat.
His beady eyes fixed on the fireworks outside the window. He wiped his greasy hands directly on the expensive curtains. "The negotiations broke down. The Takekawa Society made its move."
The door opened just then, and a man who appeared to have albinism entered, his expression grave. "Old Fang, the fighting in the Third District has begun. The Mountain Lord took most of our people with him. We can't afford to let our guard down tonight."
"Everyone's watching the Third District. Who would be stupid enough to attack our First District now? Someone with a death wish?" The skinny man called Old Fang paid it no mind. He tossed over a piece of bone-in pork from the table. "Bannu, how about a drink, just us brothers?"
Bannu, the man with albinism, and Old Fang, the skinny man with the protruding mouth, both served the Mountain Lord of the First District. They ran the underground Black Market, one overseeing transportation and the other security.
Bannu gave the meat a disgusted look and took out half a key. "Don't betray the Mountain Lord's trust. The Second District just announced that an infection source is out of control. The Fourth District's Night Watch is plotting something in secret, and the Municipal Council Hall is always looking to weaken the gangs. I even suspect those hypocrites in the Thirteenth District personally orchestrated the chaos in the Third District."
"Don't overthink it. If the Mountain Lord is willing to act, he must be completely certain of success. Everyone's already struck their deals under the table. Tonight is just